Suwaash: Difference between revisions

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'''Suwaash''' is a conlang inspired by similarities between Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan (especially Rgyalrongic) and Athabaskan. It is an isolate within a large language family which includes monosyllabic tonal languages and Athabaskan-style polysynthetic languages. Suwaash is the lingua franca of modern Sngeaf.
== Todo ==
* ''myąą'' 'cat; meow'
* ''węęh'' 'world'
== Vocabulary ==
Suwaash is about as purist as German or Finnish, but it has some loans from [[Anbirese]].
== Phonology ==
== Phonology ==
The following describes Amisheg (Standard Sowaazh) phonology.
The following describes Amisheg (Standard Suwaash) phonology.
===Consonants===
===Consonants===
Amisheg has a large consonant inventory of 33 consonants:
Amisheg has a moderately large consonant inventory:
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style=" text-align:center;"
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style=" text-align:center;"
|+ '''Consonant phonemes in Amisheg'''
|+ '''Consonant phonemes in Amisheg'''
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|-
|-
! rowspan="3" style=""  |Stop
! rowspan="3" style=""  |Stop
! |<small>tenuis</small>
! |<small>unaspirated</small>
| '''b''' /p/
| '''b''' /p/
| '''d''' /t{{den}}/
| '''d''' /t{{den}}/
Line 48: Line 57:
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" style=""  | Affricate
! rowspan="3" style=""  | Affricate
! |<small>tenuis</small>
! |<small>unaspirated</small>
|  
|  
| '''j''' /t{{den}}s{{den}}/
| '''j''' /t{{den}}s{{den}}/
Line 77: Line 86:
| '''sh''' /ʂ/
| '''sh''' /ʂ/
| '''sy''' /ɕ/
| '''sy''' /ɕ/
| '''kh''' /x/
|colspan=2| '''h, x''' /x~h/
| '''h''' /h/
|-
|-
! colspan="2" style="" |Approximant
! colspan="2" style="" |Approximant
| '''w''' /w/
| '''w''' /w/
| '''l''' /l/
| '''l''' /l{{den}}/
| '''zh''' /{{zh}}/
|
| '''y, ly''' /j/
| '''y''' /j/, '''ly''' /ʎ/
|  
|  
|  
|  
|}
|}


/mj pj p{{asp}}j/ are allowed before vowels.
/mj pj p{{asp}}j/ are allowed before vowels. Velars are allophonically palatalized before /i/.
 
====Notes====
All consonants in Amisheg are long, compared to English and other Sowaazh dialects: with plain stops the hold is longer, with aspirated stops the aspiration is longer, and with affricates the frication is longer. The voice onset time of the aspirated and ejective stops is twice as long as that found in most other languages.


===Vowels===
===Vowels===
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|-
|-
! style="" |Close
! style="" |Close
| '''i, į'''
| '''i, į''' /i, ĩ/
| '''ii, įį'''
| '''ii, įį''' /iː, ĩː/
| '''u, ų'''
| '''u, ų''' /u, ũ/
| '''uu, ųų'''
| '''uu, ųų''' /uː, ũ/
|-
|-
! style="" |Open
! style="" |Open
| '''e, ę'''
| '''e, ę''' /ɛ, ɛ̃/
| '''ee, ęę'''
| '''ee, ęę''' /ɛː, ɛ̃ː/
| '''a, ą'''
| '''a, ą''' /ɑ, ɑ̃/
| '''aa, ąą'''
| '''aa, ąą''' /ɑː, ɑ̃ː/
|}
|}


== Morphology ==
The vowels ''i ii į įį'' are centralized to [ɨ{{lowered}}] (with the appropriate length and nasality) after retroflex and dental consonants ''n l d t t' j c c' s jh ch ch' sh''; the [ɨ{{lowered}}] is instead realized as [z{{lowered}}] (after dentals) and [ɻ] (after retroflexes) in some accents. ''u uu ų ųų'' are fronted to [u{{adv}}] after palatal consonants ''ny ly jy cy cy' sy y''.
Suwaazh morphology is inspired by similarities between Rgyalrongic and Navajo morphology.
 
== Morphophonology ==
=== Root ablaut ===
Ablaut and initial alternations are the main morphophonological processes that occur on the root.
==== Initial alternations ====
Initials may change with different "ablaut grades" of the nucleus vowel of the stem.
 
2-way alternating roots:
* b p m -> by py my
* d t t' n l -> jy cy cy' ny ly
* g k k' x -> jh ch ch' sh (at least in some roots?)
* j c c' s -> jy cy cy' sy
* {{2}} w -> y y
 
3-way alternating roots
* j c c' s ~ jh ch ch' sh ~ jy cy cy' sy
 
Unexpectedly unalternating roots
* Unalternating jh series roots
* Unalternating g series roots
 
=== Sandhi ===
In Suwaash, sandhi occurs at morpheme boundaries within a word. Sandhi is applied ''after'' root ablaut and somewhat unpredictable prefix palatalizations are.
 
== Dialects ==
Different nonstandard dialects shift the sibilant system in different ways:
* merging ''sh jh ch ch' '' with ''s j c c' '' (cf. Polish ''mazurzenie'')
* merging ''sh jh ch ch' '' with ''sy jy cy cy' '' (cf. Polish ''jabłonkowanie'')
* merging ''sy jy cy cy' '' with ''s j c c' '' (cf. Polish ''kaszubienie'')
* shifting ''sh jh ch ch' '' into velars /x kx kxʰ kxʼ/ or uvulars /χ qχ qχʰ qχʼ/
 
== Grammar ==
Suwaash grammar is inspired by similarities between Sino-Tibetan and Navajo grammar. Like both Rgyalrongic and Athabaskan, Suwaash is head-final and has polypersonal marking, but it is not nearly as polysynthetic as either group.
=== Nouns ===
==== Possessive affixes ====
==== Plurals ====
=== Postpositions ===
Postpositions inflect like nouns in that they take personal affixes.
 
* dative ''-ash'': ''węęhash'' 'for the world/Earth'; ''nash'' 'for me'
* instrumental ''-iil''
* locative ''-yiin''
 
=== Verbs ===
The verb is the only obligatory component of a Suwaash clause. Adjectives are also verbs.
==== The root ====
A Suwaash verb root consists of an obligatory initial, a vowel which may ablaut, and an optional final.
 
Possible initials are:
* all single consonants
* {{angbr|my by py}}
 
Final consonants are restricted to {{angbr|b d s sh sy g {{2}} h l n}}; the -n final may not follow a nasal vowel.
 
==== Personal affixes ====
==== Tense marking ====
==== Verbal nouns ====
==== Voice ====
=== Derivational morphology ===
=== Syntax ===

Latest revision as of 23:09, 16 September 2024

Suwaash is a conlang inspired by similarities between Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan (especially Rgyalrongic) and Athabaskan. It is an isolate within a large language family which includes monosyllabic tonal languages and Athabaskan-style polysynthetic languages. Suwaash is the lingua franca of modern Sngeaf.

Todo

  • myąą 'cat; meow'
  • węęh 'world'

Vocabulary

Suwaash is about as purist as German or Finnish, but it has some loans from Anbirese.

Phonology

The following describes Amisheg (Standard Suwaash) phonology.

Consonants

Amisheg has a moderately large consonant inventory:

Consonant phonemes in Amisheg
Labial Dental Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m /m/ n /n̪/ ny /ɲ/
Stop unaspirated b /p/ d /t̪/ g /k/ ɂ /ʔ/
aspirated p /pʰ/ t /t̪ʰ/ k /kʰ/
ejective t' /t̪ʼ/ k' /kʼ/
Affricate unaspirated j /t̪s̪/ jh /tʂ/ jy /tɕ/
aspirated c /t̪s̪ʰ/ ch /tʂʰ/ cy /tɕʰ/
ejective c' /t̪s̪ʼ/ ch' /tʂʼ/ cy' /tɕʼ/
Fricative s /s̪/ sh /ʂ/ sy /ɕ/ h, x /x~h/
Approximant w /w/ l /l̪/ y /j/, ly /ʎ/

/mj pj pʰj/ are allowed before vowels. Velars are allophonically palatalized before /i/.

Vowels

Amisheg has only 4 vowel qualities, although there is phonemic vowel length and nasality.

Amisheg oral vowels
Front Back
short long short long
Close i, į /i, ĩ/ ii, įį /iː, ĩː/ u, ų /u, ũ/ uu, ųų /uː, ũ/
Open e, ę /ɛ, ɛ̃/ ee, ęę /ɛː, ɛ̃ː/ a, ą /ɑ, ɑ̃/ aa, ąą /ɑː, ɑ̃ː/

The vowels i ii į įį are centralized to [ɨ̞] (with the appropriate length and nasality) after retroflex and dental consonants n l d t t' j c c' s jh ch ch' sh; the [ɨ̞] is instead realized as [z̞] (after dentals) and [ɻ] (after retroflexes) in some accents. u uu ų ųų are fronted to [u̟] after palatal consonants ny ly jy cy cy' sy y.

Morphophonology

Root ablaut

Ablaut and initial alternations are the main morphophonological processes that occur on the root.

Initial alternations

Initials may change with different "ablaut grades" of the nucleus vowel of the stem.

2-way alternating roots:

  • b p m -> by py my
  • d t t' n l -> jy cy cy' ny ly
  • g k k' x -> jh ch ch' sh (at least in some roots?)
  • j c c' s -> jy cy cy' sy
  • ɂ w -> y y

3-way alternating roots

  • j c c' s ~ jh ch ch' sh ~ jy cy cy' sy

Unexpectedly unalternating roots

  • Unalternating jh series roots
  • Unalternating g series roots

Sandhi

In Suwaash, sandhi occurs at morpheme boundaries within a word. Sandhi is applied after root ablaut and somewhat unpredictable prefix palatalizations are.

Dialects

Different nonstandard dialects shift the sibilant system in different ways:

  • merging sh jh ch ch' with s j c c' (cf. Polish mazurzenie)
  • merging sh jh ch ch' with sy jy cy cy' (cf. Polish jabłonkowanie)
  • merging sy jy cy cy' with s j c c' (cf. Polish kaszubienie)
  • shifting sh jh ch ch' into velars /x kx kxʰ kxʼ/ or uvulars /χ qχ qχʰ qχʼ/

Grammar

Suwaash grammar is inspired by similarities between Sino-Tibetan and Navajo grammar. Like both Rgyalrongic and Athabaskan, Suwaash is head-final and has polypersonal marking, but it is not nearly as polysynthetic as either group.

Nouns

Possessive affixes

Plurals

Postpositions

Postpositions inflect like nouns in that they take personal affixes.

  • dative -ash: węęhash 'for the world/Earth'; nash 'for me'
  • instrumental -iil
  • locative -yiin

Verbs

The verb is the only obligatory component of a Suwaash clause. Adjectives are also verbs.

The root

A Suwaash verb root consists of an obligatory initial, a vowel which may ablaut, and an optional final.

Possible initials are:

  • all single consonants
  • my by py

Final consonants are restricted to b d s sh sy g ɂ h l n; the -n final may not follow a nasal vowel.

Personal affixes

Tense marking

Verbal nouns

Voice

Derivational morphology

Syntax