Brief Information
The Tofalars live in 3 villages- Alagjer, Verkhnyaya Gutara and Nerkha- in the Nizhneudinsky district of the Irkutsk Region on the territory of the so-called Tofalaria, historical and cultural region in the central part of the Eastern Sayan.
In 2010, according to the All-Russian Population Census, the size of the ethnic group at that time was 837 people, the majority of whom lived in rural areas (699 people) and a smaller part in cities (138 people). According to the latest data (as of 2018), the number of Tofalars is 769 people. The self-name of the Tofalars is tofa. Until the 1930s the exo ethnonym Karagasy was in use. Among the main activities — hunting and reindeer husbandry. Until the late 1920s, they led a nomadic lifestyle. The traditional religion of the people was shamanism, now some Tofalars profess Orthodoxy. At the moment, no more than 30 people are native speakers of the Tofalar language. Dialects are not distinguished. At the moment, the language is in close contact with the Russian language.
Genealogy
The Tofalar language belongs to the Taiga subgroup of the Slavic group of Turkic languages, along with East Tuvan and dialects and Soyot. Dialects are not distinguished. Some minor phonetic and lexical differences can be observed in the speech of the Tofalars from Upper Gutara (Haash ethnic group) compared to the Tofalars from Alygdzha and Nerkha (Chogdu ethnic group). The main phonetic difference is the different type of lip harmony of vowels: in Upper Gutara, the Khakass type prevails (after the root vowel o in the affix will be y, for example: kolym 'my hand'), in Alygdzhera and Nerkha – the Tuvan type (after the root o, utter u, for example: kolum 'my hand'). Moreover, people of Gutara pronounce many words with final -ғ with final -й, for example: дай isntead of дағ 'mountain', суй instead of суғ 'water', улуй instead of улуғ 'big'.
Distribution
Language contacts and multilingualism
Currently, the Tofalar language is actively in contact with the Russian language. All native speakers of the Tofalar language at all levels are Russian-Tofalar bilinguals.
Language functioning
- Legal status
- Writing system
- Language standardization
- Domains of language usage
Language of northern indigenous minorities.
The Cyrillic script developed by V. I. Rassadin was adopted for the Tofalar language in 1989. For specific Tofalar phonemes, letters with diacritics are used. Letters added to the Russian alphabet қ, ғ, ҷ, һ, ң, ө, ү, ә, i. Vowel length is indicated by doubling the letter (for example, aa), vowel pharyngealization is indicated by substituting a hard sign after the letter, (for example, аъ).
Tofalar language has no literary norm.
Family / everyday communication
Family / everyday communication
Although extremely rarely the Tofalar language is used in family and everyday communication.
Education
Education
The schools of all three Tofalar villages employ teachers of the Tofalar language, teaching only up to the fourth grade.
Mass media
Mass media
In mass media the Tofalar language is not used in the media. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Culture
Culture
There is no scientific literature in the Tofalar language. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Science
Science
There is no scientific literature in the Tofalar language. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Folklore
Folklore
The first records of Tofalar folklore were collected in 1890 by N. F. Katanov and published by V. V. Radlov in 1907. The published material consists of 67 songs (536 verses), 29 fairy tales, 26 oral stories, 9 fairy tales, 9 legends about the tribe. Tofalar folk songs were recorded in 1975-1976 by A. K. Stoyanov, deciphered by V. I. Rassadin and published in 1980. Samples of oral folk art of Tofalars were published by V. I. Rassadin in the collection " Legends, fairy Tales and Songs of the Gray Sayan. Tofalar folklore" (1996). The collection contains 43 texts of myths, legends and fairy tales, 159 songs, 6 ritual texts, as well as riddles, proverbs and sayings with translation into Russian.
Literature
Literature
No literature is created in the Tofalar language. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Religion
Religion
The Tofalar language is not used for religious purposes. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Legislation
Legislation
The Tofalar language is not used in the legislation. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Administrative activities
Administrative activities
The Tofalar language is not used in administrative activities. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Legal proceedings
Legal proceedings
The Tofalar language is not used in court proceedings. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Industry
Industry
The Tofalar language is not used in industrial production. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Agriculture
Agriculture
The Tofalar language is not used in agricultural production. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Trade and service
Trade and service
The Tofalar language is not used in the trade and service sector. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Transport
Transport
In the field of transport, the Tofalar language is not used. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Internet
Internet
There is no communication in the Tofalar language on the Internet. In this domain, the Russian language is used.
Dynamics of language usage
The Tofalar language has been in active contact with the Russian language since the 17th century, and at the end of the 20th century there was a linguistic shift in favor of the Russian language. At the moment, only 3 native speakers can speak Tofalar fluently on any topic. 10 people understand speech, can express themselves on a limited range of topics, and in their speech, full-fledged speakers can notice significant errors. There are 15 people of passive speakers who understand speech in a language, but they no longer speak it themselves. There is no transfer of the Tofalar language to children. The attitude to the language within the ethnic group is positive, many speak in favor of the revitalization of the language.
Language structure
Phonetics
Tofalar has 30 vowels and 27 consonant phonemes.
Phonetics
In the vocalism of the Tofalar language, 30 vowels are distinguished, of which 10 vowels are short and each of these vowels also has a long and pharyngealized variant. The presence of pharyngealized vowels is a specific feature of the Tofalar language, which distinguishes it from the bulk of the Turkic languages. For Tofalar language typical of synharmonism in row and labialization.
Consonantism consists of 27 consonants, among which are labial, apical, palatal, velar, uvular, and pharyngeal. A feature of the Tofalar language is the phonemic opposition of strong and weak consonants. Weak ones can be both voiced and unvoiced. Strong - always unvoiced, are pronounced with aspiration and follow pharyngealized short vowels.
Morphology
Morphological type of language: agglutinative
Morphology
The following parts of speech are distinguished: nouns, adjectives, numerals, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and particles. In nouns, the categories of number, belonging, case, and definiteness/uncertainty are marked. There is no grammatical gender. In the verb, the categories of aspect, voice, and mood are marked. In the latter verb is conjugated according to the person.
Syntax
The basic word order is SOV. Nominative-accusative alignment.
Syntax
The basic word order is SOV. Nominative-accusative alignment. The syntax of simple and complex sentences in the Tofalar language has not been studied in detail at the moment.
Vocabulary
The main sources of borrowings are Russian, Buryat, and medieval Mongolian. In addition, there are separate units of Samoyedic, Ket and Tungus-Manchu origin.
Vocabulary
The Tofalar language has a large number of lexical borrowings from medieval Mongolian, indicating long-term contacts with the Mongols. Until the 1920s, during the nomadic lifestyle of the Tofalars, the language was in contact with Buryat dialects, borrowings from which are also noted in the Tofalar vocabulary. In addition, there are separate units of Samoyedic, Ket and Tungus-Manchu origin. Recently, the vocabulary of the Tofalar language is mainly supplemented with borrowings from the Russian language.
Language experts
Arzhaana Alexandrovna Syuryun
(Saint Petersburg, Russia)Regular expeditions to native speakers of the Tofalar language (2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017-2018). Participation in domestic and international projects on documentation of the Tofalar language. Works on sociolinguistics and aspects of grammar of the Tofalar language.
Gregory D. S. Anderson и K. David Harrison
(Орегон, США)Expeditions to native speakers of the Tofalar language. Works on sociolinguistics and aspects of grammar of the Tofalar language.
Research centres
Institute of Linguistic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Documentation of the Tofalar language by A. A. Syuryun
Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages (Орегон, США)
Tofalar Language Documentation
Core references
Grammatical descriptions: grammars, sketches
Rassadin V. I. Morfologiya tofalarskogo yazyka v sravnitel'nom osveshchenii. [Morphology of the Tofalar language in comparative illumination]. Moscow: Nauka, 1978.
Rassadin V. I. Rassadin V. I. Fonetika i leksika tofalarskogo yazyka [Phonetics and vocabulary of the Tofalar language].
Ulan-Ude: Buryatskoe knizhnoe izdatel'stvo, 1971.
Dictionaries
Rassadin V. I. Slovar' tofalarsko-russkiy i russko-tofalarskiy (Тоъфа-орус — орус-тоъфа сооттары):Ucheb. posobie dlya uch-sya sr. shk [Tofalar-Russian and Russian-Tofalar Dictionary].
St. Petersburg.: Drofa, 2005.
Rassadin V. I. Tofalarsko-russkiy slovar' [Tofalar-Russian dictionary]. Moscow, 2016.
Rassadin V. I. Tofalarsko-russkiy i russko-tofalarskiy slovar' [Tofalar-Russian and Russian-Tofalar dictionary]. Irkutsk, 1995.
Selected papers on grammatical issues
Alekseev, F. G. Tofalarskiy yazyk: istoriya opisaniya i sovremennoe polozhenie // Malye yazyki [Tofalar language: history and description of the current situation // Small languages], 2015. No. 1. P. 4-11.
Dyrenkova, N. P. Tofalarskiy yazyk // Tyurkologicheskie issledovaniya
[Tofalar language // Turkological studies]. M.-L.: Izd-vo an USSR, 1963. P. 5-23.
Muslimov M. Z., Syuryun A. A. Tofalarsko-russkoe smeshenie kodov v pos. Nerkha // Problemy mongolovednykh i altaisticheskikh issledovaniy. Materialy mezhdunarodnoy konferentsii, posvyashchennoy 70-letiyu professora V. I. Rassadina. [Tofalar-Russian mixing of codes in the village. Nerkha / / Problems of Mongolian and Altaic studies. Materials of the international conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Professor V. I. Rassadin].
Elista: KalmGU Publishing House, 2009. pp. 126-128.
Rassadin V. I. Istoriya tofalarskoy pis'mennosti // Problemy mongolovednykh i altaisticheskikh issledovaniy: Materialy mezhdunarod. konf., posvyashch. yubileyu prof. V. I. Rassadina
[History Tofalar writing // Problems Mongoloids and Altaic: Materials of the international conference dedicated. to the anniversary of professor V. I. Rassadin].
Elista: Kalmyk State University, 2009.
Rassadin V. I. Ob organizatsii polipredikativnykh predlozheniy s podchinitel'noy svyaz'yu v tofalarskom yazyke // Polipredikativnye konstruktsii v yazykakh raznykh sistem [On the organization of polypredicative sentences with a subordinate connection in the Tofalar language / / Polypredicative constructions in languages of different systems]: Sat. nauch. articles. Novosibirsk, 1985.
Rassadin V. I. Tofalarskiy yazyk i ego mesto v sisteme tyurkskikh yazykov
[Tofalar language and its place in the system of Turkic languages]. Moscow, 2015.
Rassadin V. I. Tyurkologicheskie issledovaniya: izbrannoe. Ministerstvo obrazovaniya i nauki Rossiyskoy Federatsii
[Turkological studies: favorites. Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, KSU. Elista]: Kalmyk University Press, 2013.
Syuryun A. A. Zametka o tofalarskom yazyke: yazykovaya situatsiya // Ot Bikina do Bambalyumby, iz varyag v greki. Ekspeditsionnye etyudy v chest' Eleny Vsevolodovny Perekhval'skoy / otv. red. V. F. Vydrin, N. V. Kuznetsova
[A note on the Tofalar language: the language situation // From Bikin to Lumbalumba, from the Varangians to the Greeks. Expedition etudes in honor of Elena Vsevolodovna Perekhval’skaya / ed. by V. F. Vydrin, N. V. Kuznetsova. St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, 2014. pp. 127-129.
Syuryun A. A. Tofalarskiy yazyk // Yazyk i obshchestvo. Entsiklopediya [Tofalar language // Language and society. Encyclopedia].
Moscow: Azbukovnik, 2016.
Anderson G. Subject Version and Object Version in Tofa Auxiliary Verb Constructions // Turkic Languages, 2001. № 5. С. 240–269.
Anderson G., Harrison K. 'Natural' and obsolescent change in Tofa // Structural correlates of language endangerment and language contact in Altai-Sayan Turkic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Anderson G., Harrison K. Native Orthographies and language endangerment / / Linguistic Discovery, 2006. Vol. 4. № 1.
Anderson G., Harrison K. Tofa language change and terminal generation speakers // Lessons from Documented Endangered Languages (ред. K. Harrison, D. Rood, A. Dwyer). Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2008. P. 243-270.
Castrén M. A. attempt at a koibalischen and karagass of language teaching. St.-Petersburg, 1857.
Harrison K. Vowel harmony and disharmony in Tuvan and Tofa // Proceedings of 2nd Asian G. L. O. W., 1999.
Menges K. H. Das Sojonische und Karagasische / / Philologicae Turcicae Fundamenta, T. 1. Wiesbaden, 1959.
Menges K. H. The Turkish languages of Southern Siberia. III, Tuba (Sojoŋ and Karagas). The characteristics of a single Siberian-Turkish group. Central Asiatic Journal, 1959, vol. IV, No. 2; vol. V, 2.
Resources
Corpora and text collections
Hosted on the Moscow server of multimedia language archives LangueDOC. Prepared by A. A. Syuryun.
Collection of texts in the Tofalar language, also dictionary, books, fonts
Other electronic resources
The project is dedicated to the documentation of the Tofalar language. Completed as part of the Endangered Languages Archive project of the SOAS University (London) on documentation of endangered languages.
The site contains materials (audio, video, texts) on the Tofalar language. Materials collected and processed by A. A. Syuryun.
Data for this page kindly provided by
Arzhaana Aleksandrovna Syuryun (Institute of Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
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