Lozenge T.

tá (particle) - Ouch! (pain)

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tá (12_Discourse Markers in Asaxi)

tá

tá Status: proposed coinage (2026-06-12). Review before canon.

Grammatical function

  • Type: Interjection (extra-syntactic)
  • Function: Pain Exclamation
  • Meaning: “Ouch!”, “Ow!” — sudden physical or emotional hurt.

Usage Note

Stands alone or before the clause; takes no particles or tense (see 62_Vocatives & Interjections in Asaxi). Emphatic gemination for severe pain: ttá! (cf. kè → kkè).

Pronunciation

IPA: /t̪ɑ/

Pitch Accent

  • Morae: tá
  • Pattern: L
  • Class: atonal

Example sentence

Example 1

  • Asaxi: tá! då wo nadaohè!
  • English: “Ouch! Give it back to me!” (då DAT + na- ITER + dao give + hè IMP)
  • Polish: x

Etymology

Exclamatory use of the canonical noun tètá (“pain, suffering, hurt”) — the bare noun shouted as a complete utterance (Existential Minimal: “Pain!”). The same root underlies kozètètá (regret — “past-hurt”) and tètáka (to fight).

Derived terms

  • tètá (pain — the source noun, canon)