Tocharian A

Introduction

Tocharian A is the easternmost Indo-European language, being spoken in ancient times in city-oases of Central Asia. It was not discovered until the turn of the 20th century, as a result of archaeological expeditions to Chinese Turkestan. Tocharian is not closely related to other branches of Indo-European. It has archaic features that suggest it separated early from Proto-Indoeuropean, probably after the Anatolian languages.

The verb

• person and number: The Tocharian verb distinguishes three persons (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and three numbers (singular, dual, plural). However, the dual is usually restricted to the 3rd person.
• tense: present, imperfect, preterite (derived from Proto-Indoeuropean perfect). Tocharian had no future tense, the subjunctive acting as such.
• voice: active, medio-passive.
• mood: indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative.
• derivative conjugation: causative. It may be formed by reduplication, palatalization and, particularly, by adding an specific suffix.
• non-finite forms: infinitive, verbal noun, present participle, preterite participle, gerundive I (obligation), gerundive II (possibility).

Sample verb: yam 'to go'

AB i-		Toch A		Toch B		PIE		PIE		Greek		Latin		Sanskrit
Present
1 Sg.		yäm		yam		*H₁imi		*H₁éimi		eĩmi		eō		ēmi
2		yät		yat				*H₁éisi		eĩ		īs		ēṣi
3		yäṣ		yaṃ				*H₁éiti		eĩsi		īt		ēti
1 Pl.		ymäs				*H₁imési		*H₁imé		ímen		īmus		imaḥ
				ynem(o)		*H₁i-no-mV
2		yäc		yacer		*H₁itē(+r+)		*H₁ité		íte		ītis		itʰaḥ
3		yiñc				*H₁yénti		*H₁yénti		íāsi		eunt		yánti
				yaneṃ		*H₁i-no-nt		*H₁i-no-nt				prod-īnunt
Imperative
2 Sg.		piṣ		paṣ				*H₁idʰi		ítʰi		i		ihí
2 Pl.		pic		pcīso		*H₁ité		*H₁ité		íte		īte		itá

Verblist

aik-, ar-, cämp-, e-, en-, eṃts-, i-, karay-, klyos-, klänk-, klānk-, klāw-, ko-, krās-, ksā-, ku-, kulyp-, kum-, kutk-, kwäl-, kwär-, käl-, käln-, kälp-, käly-, kän-, käntsās-, kärk-, kärn-, kärs-, kärṣt-, käs-, kät-, kätk-, kñā-, kārp-, kātk-, kāw-, kāṣiññ-, lip-, lu-, luk-, lut-, läk-, länk-, lātk-, mālk-, mālkā, nas-, nut-, nāk-, pik-, plu-, puk-, putk-, pyutk-, päk-, päl-, pälsk-, pär-, pärs-, pärsk-, ru-, rutk-, rāp-, si-, si-n-, smi-, snotk-, su-, sälp-, sāk-, triw-, täl-, täm-, tänk-, tärk-, tärm-, wlāw-, wäp-, wärk-, wäs-, wätk-, wāk-, wārp-, yok-, yuk-, yäk-, yär-, yät-, yā-, yāt-, āk-, āks-, āl-, ālā-, ār-, ārt-, śo-, ṣtäm-, ṣäṃs-.

• atäṅkac -- to a hold, in check
• āk- -- to lead, to drive
• āl- -- to keep away, to restrain
• āpat -- to the right
• āra- -- to cease, to stop
• ārta- -- to love, to praise
• āy- -- to give
• cämp- -- to be able
• ep- -- to cover
• kāṣiññ- -- to scold, to blame, to chastise
• kāpa- -- to come to a boil, to surge up, to be excited, to be greedy
• kātk- -- to rejoice, to be glad
• kāw- -- to kill
• klāṅka- -- to ride
• klāwa- -- to fall down
• kläṅk- -- to contest, to doubt
• knā- -- to know
• koṣta- -- to strike
• kota- -- to split
• ku- -- to pour
• kulā- -- to weaken, to cease
• kurā- -- to age, to grow older
• käṃs- -- to recognize
• kälā- -- to lead, to bring
• käl- -- to suffer, to endure
• käln- -- to sound, to resound
• kälpā- -- to obtain
• käly- -- to stand
• käm- -- to come
• kärṣtā- -- to cut off, to destroy
• kärkā- -- to steal, to rob
• kärk- -- to bind, to tie
• kärn- -- to beat, to strike
• kärsā- -- to know, to understand
• käry- -- to consider, to decide
• käs- -- to extinguish
• kätā- -- to spread, to disperse
• lut- -- to drive out, to expel, to banish
• nāsk- -- to spin
• ñās -- to desire, to long for
• ok- -- to let grow
• opyāc -- to mind, in mind
• pās- -- to guard, to protect
• puk- -- to expect, to trust
• pänw- -- to stretch
• räp- -- to dig, to plow
• tpuk -- to be hidden, to hide

External Links

• Tocharian grammar