Mua'ebo:
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Background
This language is being designed for a fictional cultural group that I haven't named yet. The speakers are a semi-nomadic society who venerate the elements and value mischief. Their reality is Earth-like and their technology is equivalent to what we have today, so while some of this society still lives like their ancestors did, many of them have long adapted to and been integrated with the invading culture (also as yet unnamed). In the world this culture is set in, Mua'ebo: has approximately 50,000 fluent speakers and 170,000 conversational speakers, but a vast majority of these speakers are native to or descendants of the culture.
Family structure for this society is extended with matrifocal leanings and the government structure resembles a republic, combining a meritocracy with an oligarchy. They are strictly neutral/hands off regarding other cultures and countries. They are non violent, in general, but known for their neophobia, gender inequality, and caste system. They use a flag composed of 4 triangles (one each red, green, yellow and blue) with a white circle centered and have no permanent architecture. Physically, they tend to be of tall and slender build, with golden colored eyes, hair in shades of browns and blacks, and skin the approximate color of oiled cedar wood. Stereotypically, they are considered lazy, simple, always chewing on something, and happily sporting several body modifications.
The climate this society originated from is equatorial, moderately wet to moderately dry, and considered flat lands. Plant life ranges from sparse trees to jungle and a vast canyon dominates the landscape.
This culture doesn't have a history of much exposure to (magic) and traditionally associate (magical) acts and phenomenon with other cultures.
Phonology
Consonants
| Letter | b | k | h | m | n | ŋ | r | w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /b/ | /d/, /g/ | /h/ | /m/ | /n/ | /ŋ/ | /r/, /l/ | /w/, /v/ |
- Some letters are pronounced differently from region to region or from clan to clan, either pronunciation is acceptable
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | b | d | g | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Fricative | v | h | |||
| Approximant | w | ɾ | |||
| Lateral approximant | l |
Vowels
| Letter | i | u | e | o | a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short V | /i/ | /ʉ/ | /ɛ/, /e/ | /ɔ/ | /ɐ/, /ə/ |
| Long V | /i:/ | /ʉ:/ | /ɛ:/ | /ɔ:/ | /a/, /ɒ/ |
- Some vowels are pronounced differently if stressed, those are listed as (stressed), (unstressed)
- A long vowel is indicated through the use of ':'
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ʉ | |
| Mid Close | e | ||
| Mid | ə | ||
| Mid Open | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Near Open | ɐ | ||
| Open | a | ɒ |
Phonotactics
- Maximum syllable = (C)V
- Each vowel (mono- or diphthong) is a syllable.
- There is no limit to how many vowels (mono- or diphthong) may be adjacent to each other.
- No consonants will ever end a word or be adjacent to each other
- A consonant may precede a vowel, but is not necessary to form a syllable.
- Primary stress falls on the last syllable of a word.
- Words with three or more syllables, including compound words, will have a secondary stress on every second syllable from the end of the word.
Orthography
None as of yet, though that may change in the future.
Grammar
Nouns
Morpheme order for noun formation is as follows: NEGATION-root-NUMBER-CLASS
1) Class: Nouns are divided into one of four classes, which serve, in part, as a grammatical gender. While nouns and pronouns may or may not reflect their class, verbs and adjectives will show agreement with the class of their subject via suffix.
- Source - 'i - females, elements, and natural forces
- Living - 'a - any non female person or creature, also applies to plants and insects
- Place - 'u - locations and locatives
- Other - 'o - loan words, abstract concepts, anything not falling into any of the three previous categories
2) Number: Nouns are marked to show number.
- Singular - zero marked - (none)
- Paucal (2 to 5) - suffix - bo
- Plural (6+) - suffix - bo:
3) Possessives: The particle 'wu' is placed between the subject and the object to indicate possession. Class, number, and negation have no affect on the article.
4) Negation: Negation of a noun is shown with a prefix, similar to the usage of 'un-' and 'non-' in the English language. Opposition is also shown with a prefix, especially in situations where there is no word already in place to indicate a noun's opposite.
- Negation - prefix - bo:
- Opposite - prefix - bo
5) Definite vs. Indefinite: A noun is assumed to be indefinite unless followed by the article 'ne'. Class, number, and negation have no affect on the article.
Syntax
Vocabulary
| Mua'ebo: | English | Origin/ Formation | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ne | the | * | (definite article) |
| wu | 's | * | (possessive particle) |
| mua'ebo: | first words | * | (one) (word-NUMBER) |
| ruku:bo: | ashes | ru ku:bo: | (fire) (bone-NUMBER) |
| ha:ŋu | bird | ha a ŋu | (feather) (air) (glider) |
| rio | branch | * | * |
| koanu | child | kou ahe nu | (small) (word) (walker) |
| oa: | cloud | o ha: | (sky) (softness) |
| mua | one | * | * |
| ahe | word | * | * |
| ru | fire | * | * |
| ku: | bone | * | * |
| aŋu | flyer | a ŋu | (air) (glider) |
| ha | feather | * | * |
| a | air | * | * |
| ŋu | glider | * | * |
| kou | small | * | * |
| nu | walker | * | * |
| o | sky | * | * |
| ha: | softness | * | * |