Voltan Dolch

Voltan Dolch
Woltdoltsch
Native to	Volta
Region	Volta, various Voltan diaspora groups
Language family	Dolchic West Dolchic High Dolch Dolch Voltan Dolch
Writing system	Dolch alphabet Dolch Braille
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–

Voltan Dolch is a dialect of the Dolch language spoken in some parts of Volta and among a large portion of Voltan Dolch diaspora. Though the number of speakers of this language within Volta is small, the dialect has been preserved outside of Volta. This was largely due to the Voltan diaspora preserving their language, along with efforts by the Voltan government-in-exile to preserve the language.

Origins

Though many of the initial settlers of Volta came from a region of Dolchland where the predominant dialect was Low Dolch, later settlers would arrive from all over Dolchland and speak a variety of different dialects. Much of the powerful elite spoke a dialect of High Dolch, and their language became the prestige dialect. As such, when the dialects began merging High Dolch served as the base. The result of that dialect leveling was a dialect very close to the standard Dolch language still spoken in Dolchland, albeit with some differences and some influences from other dialects.

Usage

Voltan Dolch does not have any official status in Volta. Since the end of the Voltan Civil War, the communist authorities labeled dialect (along with the entire Dolch language) a "language of the bourgeoisie". As a result, speakers of the dialect were persecuted until around 1990. Though active persecution of Voltan Dolch speakers ended in 1990, the dialect is still faces many obstacles and is in sharp decline within Volta. For example, Voltan Dolch is not the medium of instruction at any schools in Volta, and attempts to open such schools have continually been blocked by authorities.

However, the dialect has been kept alive in Voltan diaspora communities, particularly among ethnically Dolch Voltans. These communities continue to use the dialect at home in their daily lives, and the Voltan government-in-exile provides support to many private schools where the medium of instruction is Voltan Dolch.

Phonology

Consonants

Voltan Dolch consonants are largely identical to that of standard Dolch. However, much of the dialectical variations that are present in Dolch dialects are not realized, creating a much more uniform consonant inventory among speakers. It is very rare for a consonant to vary from the standard Dolch phonetic inventory, with the notable exception of /r/ (see below).

		Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n			ŋ
Plosive	Fortis	p	t			k	(ʔ)
	Lenis	b	d			ɡ
Affricate	Fortis	pf	ts		tʃ
	Lenis				(dʒ)
Fricative	Fortis	f	s	ʃ	ç	(x)	h
	Lenis	v	z	(ʒ)	j
Tap/Trill			ɾ/r
Liquid			l

• The /r/ consonant, which in Dolch can be realized in a large variety of manners, is almost exclusively realized in Voltan Dolch as the alveolar tap [ɾ] or trill [r]. The tap is more common in everyday life and casual conversation, while the trill is more common in formal settings and in musical performances.

Vowels

Like the consonants, Voltan Dolch vowels also closely follow those of standard Dolch. However, the vowel /ɛː/ has undergone a shift which separates it from some Dolch dialects, though whether this is also a feature of standard Dolch is hotly debated (see below).

Monophthongs

	Front				Central		Back
	unrounded		rounded
	short	long	short	long	short	long	short	long
Close		iː		yː				uː
Close-mid	ɪ	eː	ʏ	øː	(ə)		ʊ	oː
Open-mid	ɛ	(ɛː)	œ		(ɐ)		ɔ
Open					a	aː

• /ɛː/, when followed by a /r/ consonant, is universally realized in Voltan Dolch as a close-mid front unrounded vowel [eː]. However, the vowel /ɛː/ is more stable in words where it is not followed by a /r/ consonant. As a result, within Voltan Dolch it is generally accepted that /ɛː/ does not exist as a distinct phoneme, and is rather an allophone of [eː]. The phonemic status of /ɛː/ within standard Dolch remains debated.

Voltan Dolch also keeps closely to the standard Dolch dipthongs, with the notable exception of /ɔɪ/ (see below).

	Ending point
	Front	Back
Near-close	ʊɪ̯
Open-mid	ɔɪ
Open	aɪ̯	aʊ̯

• The standard Dolch dipthong /ɔʏ̯/, which can be realized in standard Dolch as [ɔʏ], [ɔʏ̞], [ɔ̝e̠], [ɔɪ], and [ɔœ] depending on the dialect, is almost exclusively realized in Voltan Dolch as /ɔɪ/.

Grammar

Due to the base dialect being High Dolch, Voltan Dolch has a lot of grammatical similarities to standard Dolch. However, there are a number of notable differences.

Am-progressive

One of the most notable difference of Voltan Dolch from standard Dolch is the use of the am-progressive. Though the am-progressive in standard Dolch has found its way into colloquial use, it is still frowned upon in formal and literary contexts and associated more with certain dialects. In contrast, use of the am-progressive within Voltan Dolch is generally accepted by speakers and is widespread in all contexts, including in writing.

Voltan Dolch: Ich bin am Arbeiten

Standard Dolch: Ich arbeite gerade

Translation: I am working.

Note that the standard Dolch form is still possible and grammatical in Voltan Dolch. The main difference in meaning would be the emphasis, with "Ich bin am arbeiten" emphasizing the in-progress nature of the action ("I am working") and "Ich arbeite gerade" emphasizing the time of the action ("I am working right now").

Also note that in written Voltan Dolch, the verb that comes after am is generally capitalized. In early Voltan Dolch writings not capitalizing the verb was more common, but the consensus within Voltan Dolch has shifted towards capitalization since.

Wenn/Wann

In standard Dolch, Wenn (when/if) is used for conditional, theoretical, or consistent events while Wann (when) is used for events that are currently occurring or questions. In Voltan Dolch this distinction is completely lost, with both Wenn and Wann meaning the same thing. Speakers generally use one or the other and stick with it in all uses. Wann is used by the vast majority of Dolch Voltans, but Wenn is used by a sizable minority, particularly those who are from or descended from Dolch Voltans who lived in eastern Volta.