Verse:Irta/Humpback Whelsh

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Llyn gweim dô fyn Mór fîl (This page in Humpback Whelsh)

Humpback Whelsh (Mór fîl /mor˨˥ vil˦˥˩/; Wdm. fi brits Fil) is a language isolate spoken in Crackfic Talma. It's a tonal language with a Welsh aesthetic.

Loanwords can be longer (from Windermere subject to Welsh phonetic changes?)

Personal names can veer towards Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

Phonology

Consonants

Humpback Whelsh uses these consonants:

Labial Dental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Labiovelar Glottal
Nasal voiceless mh /m̥/ nh /n̥/ ngh /ŋ̊/
voiced m /m/ n /n/ ng /ŋ/ ngw /ŋʷ/
Plosive aspirated p /pʰ/ t /tʰ/ c /kʰ/
unaspirated b /p/ d /t/ g /k/ gw /kʷ/
Fricative voiceless ff, ph /f/ th /θ/ s /s/ si /ʃ/ ch /χ/ chw /xʷ/ h /h/
voiced f /v/ dd /ð/
Trill voiceless rh /r̥/
voiced r /r/
Approximant voiceless ll /l̥~ɬ/
voiced l /l/ i /j/ w /w/

Unlike in Welsh, the consonants written mh nh ngh are true voiceless nasals.

Finals

Humpback Whelsh allows these finals: -b, -d, -g, -m, -n, -ng, -l and -r. The first three are unreleased stops /-p̚ -t̚ -k̚/.

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i /i/ y /ɨ/ w /w/
Mid e /e/ (ə) o /o/
Open a /a/


Diphthongs Second component
First component front central back
close wy /ʊi/ iw /ɪu/, yw /ɨu/
mid ei /əi/, oe /ɔi/ eu /əɨ/ ew /ɛu/
open ae /aɨ, ɑːɨ/ aw /au/

The schwa /ə/ is written y and shows up in unstressed words.

Tones

Humpback Whelsh has four contrastive tones: level, rising, falling and peaking.

Tone Example Notes
Level llyr (blow) /ɬɨr˧/
Rising séng (place) /seŋ˨˥/
Falling chà (to help) /xa˨˩/ May be slightly creaky voiced.
Peaking rhêun (pebble) /r̥eɨn˦˥˩/

Mutations

Humpback Whelsh uses three kinds of initial consonant mutations for derivational purposes: the soft (chweul teb mỳng), the nasal (chweul teb nhẁd) and the aspirate (chweul teb sŷr) mutations.

Consonant b d g gw p t c ll rh m
Soft f dd Ø w b d g l r f
Nasal m n ng ngw mh nh ngh ll rh m
Aspirate b d g gw ph th ch ll rh m

Morphology

The morphosyntax is the same as Hmong.

Classifiers

Syntax

Numbers

0. ngéud 1. ỳd 2. cêng 3. rhâw 4. nod 5. thẁy 6. lleb 7. sèun 8. fen 9. llawr 10. hwr 11. chwàed 12. góed 144. máe 1728. ddẃyl 1728^2. óng