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===Vowels=== | ===Vowels=== | ||
There are three phonemic vowels in Caer: '''a''' /æ/, '''e''' /ɪ/, '''y''' /ə/. | There are three phonemic vowels in Caer: '''a''' /æ/, '''e''' /ɪ/, '''y''' /ə/. | ||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|+ Vowel phonemes | |||
! !! Front !! Central | |||
|- align="center" | |||
! Near-close | |||
| '''e''' /ɪ/ || | |||
|- align="center" | |||
! Mid | |||
| || '''y''' /ə/ | |||
|- align="center" | |||
! Open | |||
| '''a''' /æ/ || | |||
|} | |||
===Pitch=== | ===Pitch=== | ||
Each word in Caer can optionally take one of two pitch contours: falling ('''{{sc|t₁}}''') or rising ('''{{sc|t₂}}'''). The falling contour ('''{{sc|t₁}}''') ends with creaky voice. Although lexically and grammatically important, it is not indicated in the orthography. | Each word in Caer can optionally take one of two pitch contours: falling ('''{{sc|t₁}}''') or rising ('''{{sc|t₂}}'''). The falling contour ('''{{sc|t₁}}''') ends with creaky voice. Although lexically and grammatically important, it is not indicated in the orthography. | ||
Revision as of 03:37, 10 January 2015
Caer (caer [qæɪ̯ʐ] or caeryn [ˈqæjɪˌʐjən] is the ceremonial sacred language of the Vá people. Its use is nowadays primarily restricted to the rituals of lyaa ('libation') and yayaq (‘divination’) although historically it saw much more use. It is remarkable for being typologically dissimilar to Vánic language with differing morphosyntactic agreement and word order.
Phonology
Caer has an interesting phonological system, completely lacking rounded and back vowels.
Consonants
The consonantal system of Caer includes several uvular consonants, one alveolar sibilant, a voiced retroflex and two clicks.
c~q nn h r s t y l v n
q ɴ χ ʐ sˡ θ j ʟ ʘ ǀ
Vowels
There are three phonemic vowels in Caer: a /æ/, e /ɪ/, y /ə/.
| Front | Central | |
|---|---|---|
| Near-close | e /ɪ/ | |
| Mid | y /ə/ | |
| Open | a /æ/ |
Pitch
Each word in Caer can optionally take one of two pitch contours: falling (t₁) or rising (t₂). The falling contour (t₁) ends with creaky voice. Although lexically and grammatically important, it is not indicated in the orthography.
A common minimal pair given in literature is: yayaq [ˈjæˌə̯æ̰q˥˩] ‘divination’ and yayaq [ˈjæˌə̯æq˩˥] ‘calamity’.