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Ə̨kan day 31

hińamzu /hiɲɑmzu/ n. irr. an. “dire alpaca”

< /ɸenɑ̃bəˈzˤo/ < Tmaśare peńępahocoʔ lit. “far-walker”

The hińamzu is a breed of large alpaca, initially acquired from the Wellawi and then intensively bred by the Ə̨žńaska, that is used for riding. The capacity of the dire alpacas to survive for an extended periods without water is a crucial advantage that makes travel through the Kipceʔ possibile.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ hińamzu hińamža ᴀᴄᴄ hińamzuh hińamžuh ᴅᴀᴛ hińaməž hińaməž

Photo by Sheba_Also 43,000 photos - https://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/2148522440/, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

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Ə̨kan day 30

sə̨wi /sə̃wi/ n. irr. an. “alpaca, vicuña”

< /ˈsɔ̃mænˤ/ < Tmaśareʔ cǫmeńoʔ lit. “long sheep”

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ sə̨wi(n) sə̨wina ᴀᴄᴄ sə̨winəh sə̨winuh ᴅᴀᴛ sə̨wə(nw) sə̨wə(nw)

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison

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Ə̨kan day 29

Ə̨žńaska /ə̃ʒɲɑskɑ/ n. rat. an. “A person of the main Ə̨kan-speaking population”

< /ˈɔ̃ʝ/ + /ˈnɑ̃skˤo/ < Tmaśareʔ ahńǫ “dye, colour” + nęckoʔ  “stripe” lit. “dyed stripe”

Ə̨žńaska was originally the name of one clan confederation among the early  Ə̨kan-speaking groups. The name refers to the distinctive white and black stripes that they used as an emblem, resembling the carapace of a particular type of desert beetle. Over time, this confederation came to dominate and absorb all of its rivals, with the result that the entire ancestral Ə̨kan-speaking population came to be regarded as Ə̨žńaska. With no further purpose, the clan confederation ceased to function as a political unit, which roughly coincided with the emergence of somewhat more centralised proto-states, the ʔəwəħžiźa.

Note that the nominative form, Ə̨žńaska, derives from what as originally an inanimate genitive, which explains why it lacks the -ə(w) ending common among inanimate nominatives. It later came to treated as an animate noun for semantic reasons.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ə̨žńaska ə̨žńaskala ᴀᴄᴄ ə̨žńaskuh ə̨žńaskaluh ᴅᴀᴛ ə̨žńa( c) ə̨žńa( c)

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 28

ńamwə̨žəħnu /ɲɑmwə̃ʐəɦnu/ v. mt. “I betray, I turn against”

< /nɑ̃bɨbmɔ̃ʝə̆rˤˈnˤo/ < Tmaśareʔ ńępo- + pahomahńeha + -raʔwamę noʔ lit. “my revealing the ambush”

1s>3ʀs ᴅɪʀ: ńamwə̨žəħnu

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Ə̨kan day 27

himža /himʐɑ/ v.it. “I sneak, I ambush”

< /ɸaɨmˈʝɑ̃m/ < Tmaśareʔ pahomahńęʔǫmę lit. “moon (light) walking”

1s ᴅɪʀ: himža(w)

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Ə̨kan day 26

siman /simɑn/ n. inan. “night”

< Čiƶižwə /sæpɑɮ/ "darkness, something dark”

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ siman simana ᴀᴄᴄ simanuh simanuh ᴅᴀᴛ siman siman

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Ə̨kan day 25

wiłwana /wiɫwɑnɑ/ v. mt. “I love him/her (rat.)”

< /meˈlˤɔnˤo/ < Tmaśareʔ mina + -ʔwamę noʔ  lit. “my mothering of him/her”

Note highly unusual zero denominal of mina. No reflex of mina continues to be used for the noun “mother” in Ə̨kan, having been replaced with the more recent coinage məma. As suggested by its etymology, wiłwa- originally referred specifically to maternal love, but by the time of Ə̨kan it has been generalized to refer to all sorts of parental, sexual, and amicable affection.

1s>3ʀs ᴅɪʀ: wiłwana

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Ə̨kan day 24

iwa /iwɑ/ n. rat. an. “wife, marriageable woman”

< /ˈɛu̯ɒ/ < Tmaśareʔ wehoʔ < Vaq’ǫ̀ʔ Nąśą weehaá “caul, uterus, abdomen (of women)

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ iwa ula ᴀᴄᴄ iwuh uluh ᴅᴀᴛ u u

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Ə̨kan day 23

žiźəžə /ʐiʑəʐə/ n. inan. “javelin, lance”

< /ʝeʝʒiʝˈzˤɨə̯/ < Tmaśareʔ yalći “neck, throat” + yecoʔ “arrow”

The žiźəžə is one of the most weapons mostly commonly carried by mounted warriors, unlike the lwilwižə, which is used more selectively.  Žiźəžə most often refers to shorter weapons intended for throwing (i.e. javelins) but can also include longer weapons intended for stabbing from horseback (i.e. lances). Not included are spears intended for stabbing while on foot and slashing weapons (the latter would be a lwilwižə). The etymology reflects the customary opinion that the most impressive javelin strike is to the neck. 

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ žiźəžə(w) žiźəžila ᴀᴄᴄ žiźəžuh žiźəžiluh ᴅᴀᴛ žiźəžic žiźəžic

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 22

əžəʔžə /əʐəʔʐə/ n. inan. “winter”

< /ˈiʒ̰ihʝɨə̯m/ < Tmaśareʔ oći- + sasayoʔ  lit. “hard nights”

Although Ə̨kan is spoken in areas with a tropical climate, winter in the desert can bring dangerously cold temperatures at night.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ əžəʔžə(w) əžəʔiža ᴀᴄᴄ əžəʔžah əžəʔižuh ᴅᴀᴛ əžəʔiž əžəʔiž

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 21

šwəmə̨ /ʂwəmə̃/ n. inan. “hibernal solstice”

< /ʃʷiˈbɔ̃m/ < Tmaśareʔ ćwipǫʔ “winter”

Despite the fact that the tropical latitudes where Ə̨kan is spoken exhibit little change in the length of days during the course of the year, the hibernal solstice continues to be celebrated as an important festival, a relic of more northerly heritage.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ šwəmə̨(w) šwamə̨la ᴀᴄᴄ šwəmə̨h šwamə̨luh ᴅᴀᴛ šwamə̨ šwamə̨

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 20

ƶižəlʕə /d͡ziʐəlʕə/ n. inan. “edible beetle grubs”

< /dɛʝɨdˈɡˤɨə̯m/ < Tmaśareʔ leyaʔe < Vaq’ǫ̀ʔ Nąśą leeyaʔe “fog oasis” +  Tmaśareʔ tękoʔ “dried meat”

Ƶižəlʕə usually refers to a lightly prepared meal of grubs from a few specific species of beetles found at fog oases. It constitutes an important food source for travelers traversing the otherwise barren stretches of the Kipceʔ.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ƶižəlʕə(w) n/a ᴀᴄᴄ ƶižəlʕəh n/a ᴅᴀᴛ ƶižəƶaʕ/td> n/a

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 19

ihčəƶa /iht͡ʃəd͡zɑ/ n. rat. an. "political hostage, human pledge”

< /ˈæɸkɨdo/ < Tmaśareʔ epohkalahoʔ literally “customary person”

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ihčəƶa ihčəƶala ᴀᴄᴄ ihčəƶəh ihčəƶaluh ᴅᴀᴛ imahca imahca

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Ə̨kan day 18

ziz /ziz/ n. rat. an. “warlord, chief”

< Čiƶižwə /ziz/ “farming village”

This word was earlier applied to the farming communities owned by leaders of ʔəwəħžiźa (proto-kingdoms), where their lightly-fortified homes were located. Over time, it was applied more narrowly, first to the home itself and then to the warlord himself. At the latter stage, it began to be used in the rational animate gender.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ziz ziza ᴀᴄᴄ zizʕə̨h zizuh ᴅᴀᴛ ziz ziz

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 17

ʔəwəħžu /ʔəwəɦʐu/ n. rat. an. “chiefdom, proto-kingdom”

< /hɨ̯ulʷɨhɸə̆ʝˈzˤo/ <  Tmaśareʔ solo + soppeyecoʔ lit. “warrior gatherer”

This term was originally applied to the leaders of warrior bands. The meaning later shifted by metonymy to the territory ruled by such a leader. Due to this etymology, it is still treated as a rational animate noun by Ə̨kan speakers.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ʔəwəħžu ʔəwəħžiźa ᴀᴄᴄ ʔəwəħžuh ʔəwəħžiźuh ᴅᴀᴛ ʔəwəħžiž ʔəwəħžiž

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Ə̨kan day 16

ʔižižwə /ʔiʐiʐwə/ n. inan. “the moon”

< /haʝeʝˈmɨə̯/ < Tmaśareʔ saye + yomoʔ, literally “night sun”

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ ʔižižwə(w) ʔižižəwa ᴀᴄᴄ ʔižižwəh ʔižižəwuh ᴅᴀᴛ ʔižižə(w) ʔižižə(w)

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.

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Ə̨kan day 15

žəńəžʕu /ʐəɲəʐʕu/ n. inan. “carapace, chitinous exoskeleton of small arthropod”

< /ʝunɨʝˈɡˤo/ < Tmaśareʔ yonayękwoʔ “bug, beetle, ant”

Note that this word’s etymology is formally animate, but Ə̨kan speakers have switched it to inanimate gender for semantic reasons.

singular plural ɴᴏᴍ žəńəžʕu žəńəžala ᴀᴄᴄ žəńəžʕəh žəńəžaluh ᴅᴀᴛ žəńəža( c) žəńəža( c)

note: parentheses indicate final consonants that only appear in liaison.