User:Nicolasstraccia/afghanisketch: Difference between revisions
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: | :''This language started as a prospective sketch for [http://jobs.conlang.org/archives/271 commission N°271 in the LCS's Jobs Board]. After not having been submitted as a proposal, it freely departed from the original premise and stands now on its own particular terms without any pretence of affiliation to the aforementioned project whatsoever.'' | ||
---- | ---- | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
==Phonology and orthography== | ==Phonology and orthography== | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
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====Consonants==== | ====Consonants==== | ||
{| | {| class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="text-align:center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" | ||
! rowspan="2" style="background:white"| | |||
! colspan="4" | Labial | |||
! colspan="8" | Coronal | |||
! colspan="6" | Dorsal | |||
! | ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Labiovelar | ||
! Laryngeal | |||
! | |||
! | |||
! | |||
! | |||
! | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Plosive | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Bilabial | ||
| p | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Labiodental | ||
| | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Dental | ||
| | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Alveolar | ||
| t | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Palatoalveolar | ||
| | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Retroflex | ||
| ʈ | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Palatal | ||
| | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Velar | ||
| k | ! colspan="2" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Uvular | ||
| q | ! style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Glottal | ||
| | |- | ||
! style="text-align:left"|Plosive | |||
| p | |||
| b | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| t | |||
| d | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| [ʈ] | |||
| [ɖ] | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| k | |||
| g | |||
| [q] | |||
| [ɢ] | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| ʔ | | ʔ | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Nasal | ! style="text-align:left"|Nasal | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| m | | m | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| n | | n | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| ɳ | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| [ɳ] | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| ɲ | | ɲ | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| ŋ | | ŋ | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| ŋʷ | | ŋʷ | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Trill | ! style="text-align:left"|Trill | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| r | | r | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Tap | ! style="text-align:left"|Tap/flap | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| ɾ | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | [ɾ] | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Fricative | ! style="text-align:left"|Fricative | ||
| ɸ | | ɸ | ||
| f | | β | ||
| θ | | [f] | ||
| s | | [v] | ||
| ʃ | | θ | ||
| ʂ | | [ð] | ||
| ç | | s | ||
| x | | z | ||
| | | ʃ | ||
| ʒ | |||
| [ʂ] | |||
| [ʐ] | |||
| [ç] | |||
| [ʝ] | |||
| x | |||
| [ɣ] | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| xʷ | | xʷ | ||
| h | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| h | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Africate | ! style="text-align:left"|Africate | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| ʦ | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| ʧ | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | ʦ | ||
| | | ʣ | ||
| | | ʧ | ||
| | | ʤ | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Approximant | ! style="text-align:left"|Approximant | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| ɹ | | ɹ | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| j | | j | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| w | | w | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
|- | |- | ||
! style="" |Lateral | ! style="text-align:left"|Lateral Appr. | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| l | | l | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| | | style="background: darkgray;"| | ||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
| style="background: darkgray;"| | |||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
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====Phonotaxis==== | ====Phonotaxis==== | ||
'''''Syllable structure''''' | |||
* | Syllables may be structured as (C)(C)V(S)(C(C)), consisting of an optional syllable onset, one consonant; an obligatory syllable nucleus, consisting of a vowel optionally followed by a semivowel; and an optional syllable coda, one or two consonants. | ||
* Onset | |||
** Consonant (C): can be any consonant or semivowel. Composed of either one consonant or a C+continuant cluster (other clusters, which are only found in loanwords, are broke with an epenthetic /ə/ between the consonants.) | |||
* Nucleus | |||
** Vowel or diphthong V | |||
** Semivowel (S) | |||
* Coda | |||
** First consonant (C): can be any consonant. | |||
** Second consonant (C): can also be any consonant (mostly /d/, /k/, /s/, /t/, & /z/). | |||
'''''Allophony and coarticulation''''' | |||
:{| class="bluetable lightbluebg collapsible collapsed" | |||
|- | |||
! style="text-align:center"|Phoneme !! Allophone/Coarticulation !! Rule !! Description | |||
|- | |||
! style="text-align:left" colspan="4"| Consonants | |||
|- | |||
| /t/ /k/ /p/ /ʦ/ || /tʰ/ /kʰ/ /pʰ/ /ʦʰ/ || P→Pʰ /%_ || ''word initial'' | |||
|- | |||
| /t/ /d/ /n/ /s/ /z/ || /ʈ/ /ɖ/ /ɳ/ /ʂ/ /ʐ/ || /_% || ''word final'' | |||
|- | |||
| /t/ /d/ || [ʈ] [ɖ] || /C_ C=[+nasal], [+labial] || ''after nasals and labials'' | |||
|- | |||
| /k/ /g/ || /q/ /ɢ/ || /_% || ''word final'' | |||
|- | |||
| /ɸ/ /β/ || /f/ /v/ || /_%, /Z_ || ''word final, after sibilants'' | |||
|- | |||
| /b/ || [w] || b→w /V_V || ''intervocalic, word medial'' | |||
|- | |||
| /g/ || [ɣ] || g→ɣ /V_V || ''intervocalic, word medial'' | |||
|- | |||
| /θ/ || /ð/ || θ→ð /F_ || ''after continuants'' | |||
|- | |||
| /r/ || /ɾ/ || r→ɾ /Z_ || ''after sibilants'' | |||
|- | |||
| /r/ || /ɹ/ || r→ɹ /V_N || ''after vowels and before nasals'' | |||
|- | |||
| /r/ || /ʐ/ || r→ʐ /_% || ''word final'' | |||
|- | |||
| /tu/ /nu/ /ku/ /gu/ /xu/ /ŋu/ || /tʷ/ /nʷ/ /kʷ/ /gʷ/ /xʷ/ /ŋʷ/ || u.V→ʷV. /C_.V C=[+velar]{ɣ}, [t, n] || ''when a vowel after /u/ is brought into the same syllable /u/ turns into a labialization of the preceding consonant'' | |||
|- | |||
| /l/ || [lʲ] [lˠ] || l→lˠ /_V[+back], l→lʲ /_V[+front] || ''before front and back vowels respectively'' | |||
|- | |||
| /ɹ/ || [ɹʲ] [ɹˠ] || ɹ→ɹˠ /_V[+back], ɹ→ɹʲ /_V[+front] || ''before front and back vowels respectively'' | |||
|- | |||
| /ʃ/ /ʒ/ || [ʧ] [ʤ] || ʃ,ʒ→ʧ,ʤ /C_% [] || ''word final'' | |||
|- | |||
| /ʃ/ /ʒ/ || [ç] [ʝ] || ʃ,ʒ→ç,ʝ /V_% [w,u(ː),o(ː)] || ''word final'' | |||
|- | |||
! style="text-align:left" colspan="4"| Vowels | |||
|- | |||
| /ɒ/ || [ä] || ɒ→ä /C_V̯, _j || ''diphthongs -which happen after a consonant- and before /j/'' | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
<!-- | |||
'''''Clusters''''' | |||
:{| | |||
|- | |||
|/tl/, /kl/, /bl/, /ɣl/, /lm/, /nm/, /lw/, /sw/, /br/, /tr/, /ɣr/, /pr/, /dr/, /wr/, /kɹ/, /mɹ/, /xp/, /pʃ/, /pʂ/, /xr/, /zb/, /ʒb/, /ʣm/, /mʣ/, /ʦk/, /sk/, /sp/, /ʃp/, /ʂk/, /xk/, /ʃk/, /kʃ/, /kx/, /kʂ/, /ml/, /gm/, /ʐm/ | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
--> | |||
===Orthography=== | ===Orthography=== | ||
==== | :{| class="wikitable | ||
|- | |||
! style="text-align:left"|Latin transcription | |||
|- | |||
| Vowels | |||
|- | |||
| | |||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|IPA || i || iː || e || eː || o || oː || u || uː || ɒ || äː || æ || ə | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue"|Romanization || i || ī || e || ē || o || ō || u || ū || a || ā || ä || ë | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue"|Alternative romanization || i || î || e || ê || o || ô || u || û || a || â || á || é | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
| | |||
|- | |||
| Consonants | |||
|- | |||
| | |||
{| class="wikitable style="text-align:center" | |||
| | |||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:left"|IPA || p || b || t || d || k || g || ʔ || m || n || ɲ || ŋ || ŋʷ || r || ɹ || l || j || w | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue; text-align:left"|Romanization || p || b || t || d || k || g || ' || m || n || ń || ṇ || ṇw || ŕ || r || l || y || w | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue; text-align:left"|Alternative romanization || p || b || t || d || k || g || ' || m || n || ny || ng || ngw || r || rh || l || y || w | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
| | |||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | |||
|- | |||
| ɸ || β || θ || s || z || ʃ || ʒ || x || ɣ || xʷ || h || ʦ || ʣ || ʧ || ʤ | |||
|- | |||
| f || v || ϑ || s || z || ṣ || ẓ || x || ǵ || xw || h || ts || dz || ĉ || ĵ | |||
|- | |||
| f || v || th || s || z || sh || zh || x || gh || xw || h || ts || dz || ch || dj | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
| | |||
|} | |||
==Morphology and syntax== | |||
===Morphology=== | |||
Split ergativity. In the present tense or future tense, the subject is marked as nominative, and the object is marked as accusative. In the past tense, however, the subject of a transitive verb is marked as oblique, and the verb agrees with the object. | |||
====Nouns==== | |||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | {| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | ||
! Case | |||
! colspan="3" | Marker | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|Nominative {{sc|nom}} | |||
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | ∅ | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Accusative {{sc|acc}} | |||
| rowspan="2" | -NA | |||
| dialect 1 || -në, -ϑë, -të, -xwe, -ϑe, -te | |||
|- | |||
| dialect 2 || -na, -ϑa, -da, -ṇwe, -ṣe, -se | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Genitive {{sc|gen}} | |||
| rowspan="2" | -NEK | |||
| dialect 1 || -nëk, -ϑëk, -tëk, -nek, -ϑek, -tek | |||
|- | |||
| dialect 2 || -niǵ, -ϑik, -diǵ -neǵ, -ϑeǵ, -teǵ | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Dative {{sc|dat}} | |||
| rowspan="2" | -KA | |||
| dialect 1 || -ka, -ge, -ko, -kä | |||
|- | |||
| dialect 2 || -xwa, -xwe, -xo, -xwä | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Locative {{sc|loc}} | |||
| rowspan="2" | -TA | |||
| dialect 1 || -ta, -da, -to, -do | |||
|- | |||
| dialect 2 || -te, -de, -tä, -dä | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Ablative {{sc|abl}} | |||
| rowspan="2" | -TAn | |||
| dialect 1 || -tan, -dan, -ϑon, -tun | |||
|- | |- | ||
| | | dialect 2 || -ton, -don, -ϑän, -ϑun | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | style="background:LightSteelBlue" rowspan="2" | Oblique {{sc|obl}} | ||
| rowspan="2" | -SuN | |||
| dialect 1 || -sū, -ṣun, -son | |||
|- | |- | ||
| dialect 2 || -zum, -ẓō, -zon | |||
|} | |} | ||
====Verbs==== | |||
Verbs are conjugated for singular and plural number and first, second, and third persons. | |||
There are two types of verbs distinguished by their infinitive forms: those ending in the suffix ''-lam'' /lɒm/ and those ending in ''-rom'' /ɹom/. | |||
=====Evidentiality===== | |||
The {{sc|direct.evidence}} marker ''-dir'' and the {{sc|rumour}} marker ''-mëṣ'' appear to coalesce as part of the {{sc|indirect.evidence}} marker ''-dirmë[ṣ]näm'', but the etymological evidence is not yet conclusive. | |||
{| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | {| class="bluetable lightbluebg" | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | style="background:LightSteelBlue" colspan="2"|Marker || style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center"|⟨ ⟩ || style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center"|// || style="background:LightSteelBlue; text-align:center"|[] | ||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue" colspan="2"| unmarked for evidentiality || colspan="3" style="text-align:center"| ∅ | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue" rowspan="2"| {{sc|direct.evidence}} || style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 1 || -dir || -dir || -diʐ | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 2 || -dir || -dir || -ɖiʒ | |||
|- | |- | ||
| | | style="background:LightBlue" rowspan="2"| {{sc|hearsay}} || style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 1 || -ëpdir || -əp.dir || -əp.ɖiʐ | ||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 2 || -eftir || -ef.tir || -ef.ʈiʒ | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue" rowspan="2"| {{sc|indirect.evidence}} || style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 1 || -dirmënäm || -dir.mə.næm || -diɾ.mə.næm | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 2 || -diṛenäm || -di.re.næm || -di.re.næm | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightBlue" rowspan="2"| {{sc|rumour}} || style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 1 || -mëṣ || -məʃ || -məç | |||
|- | |||
| style="background:LightSteelBlue"|dialect 2 || -meṣ || -meʃ || -meʂ | |||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
== | ====Negation==== | ||
Negative verb: ⟨ϑīwṣ⟩ /ˈθiːwʃ/ [ˈθiːwç]. It doesn’t inflect for person or number. | |||
Negative suffix: ⟨-yūṣ⟩ /jūʃ/ [juːç]. It comes after the stem and before the tense suffix. In addition to -yūṣ there is another suffix ⟨-kyem⟩ /kjem/ or ⟨-kuom⟩ /ku.om/ [kʷom]. It appears ⟨-kyem⟩ is used when dealing with one event, ⟨-yūṣ⟩ for more habitual or lasting states. | |||
===Syntax=== | |||
N/A | |||
V/Adv | |||
Posessed/Posessor | |||
The normal word order is subject–object–verb. |
Latest revision as of 22:56, 26 November 2015
- This language started as a prospective sketch for commission N°271 in the LCS's Jobs Board. After not having been submitted as a proposal, it freely departed from the original premise and stands now on its own particular terms without any pretence of affiliation to the aforementioned project whatsoever.
Phonology and orthography
Phonology
Vowels
Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | |
Close | |||||
Near‑close | |||||
Close‑mid | |||||
Mid | |||||
Open‑mid | |||||
Near‑open | |||||
Open |
Consonants
Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | Labiovelar | Laryngeal | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palatoalveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||||||||||||
Plosive | p | b | t | d | [ʈ] | [ɖ] | k | g | [q] | [ɢ] | ʔ | ||||||||||
Nasal | m | n | [ɳ] | ɲ | ŋ | ŋʷ | |||||||||||||||
Trill | r | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tap/flap | [ɾ] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fricative | ɸ | β | [f] | [v] | θ | [ð] | s | z | ʃ | ʒ | [ʂ] | [ʐ] | [ç] | [ʝ] | x | [ɣ] | xʷ | h | |||
Africate | ʦ | ʣ | ʧ | ʤ | |||||||||||||||||
Approximant | ɹ | j | w | ||||||||||||||||||
Lateral Appr. | l |
Phonotaxis
Syllable structure
Syllables may be structured as (C)(C)V(S)(C(C)), consisting of an optional syllable onset, one consonant; an obligatory syllable nucleus, consisting of a vowel optionally followed by a semivowel; and an optional syllable coda, one or two consonants.
- Onset
- Consonant (C): can be any consonant or semivowel. Composed of either one consonant or a C+continuant cluster (other clusters, which are only found in loanwords, are broke with an epenthetic /ə/ between the consonants.)
- Nucleus
- Vowel or diphthong V
- Semivowel (S)
- Coda
- First consonant (C): can be any consonant.
- Second consonant (C): can also be any consonant (mostly /d/, /k/, /s/, /t/, & /z/).
Allophony and coarticulation
Phoneme Allophone/Coarticulation Rule Description Consonants /t/ /k/ /p/ /ʦ/ /tʰ/ /kʰ/ /pʰ/ /ʦʰ/ P→Pʰ /%_ word initial /t/ /d/ /n/ /s/ /z/ /ʈ/ /ɖ/ /ɳ/ /ʂ/ /ʐ/ /_% word final /t/ /d/ [ʈ] [ɖ] /C_ C=[+nasal], [+labial] after nasals and labials /k/ /g/ /q/ /ɢ/ /_% word final /ɸ/ /β/ /f/ /v/ /_%, /Z_ word final, after sibilants /b/ [w] b→w /V_V intervocalic, word medial /g/ [ɣ] g→ɣ /V_V intervocalic, word medial /θ/ /ð/ θ→ð /F_ after continuants /r/ /ɾ/ r→ɾ /Z_ after sibilants /r/ /ɹ/ r→ɹ /V_N after vowels and before nasals /r/ /ʐ/ r→ʐ /_% word final /tu/ /nu/ /ku/ /gu/ /xu/ /ŋu/ /tʷ/ /nʷ/ /kʷ/ /gʷ/ /xʷ/ /ŋʷ/ u.V→ʷV. /C_.V C=[+velar]{ɣ}, [t, n] when a vowel after /u/ is brought into the same syllable /u/ turns into a labialization of the preceding consonant /l/ [lʲ] [lˠ] l→lˠ /_V[+back], l→lʲ /_V[+front] before front and back vowels respectively /ɹ/ [ɹʲ] [ɹˠ] ɹ→ɹˠ /_V[+back], ɹ→ɹʲ /_V[+front] before front and back vowels respectively /ʃ/ /ʒ/ [ʧ] [ʤ] ʃ,ʒ→ʧ,ʤ /C_% [] word final /ʃ/ /ʒ/ [ç] [ʝ] ʃ,ʒ→ç,ʝ /V_% [w,u(ː),o(ː)] word final Vowels /ɒ/ [ä] ɒ→ä /C_V̯, _j diphthongs -which happen after a consonant- and before /j/
Orthography
Latin transcription Vowels IPA i iː e eː o oː u uː ɒ äː æ ə Romanization i ī e ē o ō u ū a ā ä ë Alternative romanization i î e ê o ô u û a â á é Consonants IPA p b t d k g ʔ m n ɲ ŋ ŋʷ r ɹ l j w Romanization p b t d k g ' m n ń ṇ ṇw ŕ r l y w Alternative romanization p b t d k g ' m n ny ng ngw r rh l y w ɸ β θ s z ʃ ʒ x ɣ xʷ h ʦ ʣ ʧ ʤ f v ϑ s z ṣ ẓ x ǵ xw h ts dz ĉ ĵ f v th s z sh zh x gh xw h ts dz ch dj Morphology and syntax
Morphology
Split ergativity. In the present tense or future tense, the subject is marked as nominative, and the object is marked as accusative. In the past tense, however, the subject of a transitive verb is marked as oblique, and the verb agrees with the object.
Nouns
Case Marker Nominative nom ∅ Accusative acc -NA dialect 1 -në, -ϑë, -të, -xwe, -ϑe, -te dialect 2 -na, -ϑa, -da, -ṇwe, -ṣe, -se Genitive gen -NEK dialect 1 -nëk, -ϑëk, -tëk, -nek, -ϑek, -tek dialect 2 -niǵ, -ϑik, -diǵ -neǵ, -ϑeǵ, -teǵ Dative dat -KA dialect 1 -ka, -ge, -ko, -kä dialect 2 -xwa, -xwe, -xo, -xwä Locative loc -TA dialect 1 -ta, -da, -to, -do dialect 2 -te, -de, -tä, -dä Ablative abl -TAn dialect 1 -tan, -dan, -ϑon, -tun dialect 2 -ton, -don, -ϑän, -ϑun Oblique obl -SuN dialect 1 -sū, -ṣun, -son dialect 2 -zum, -ẓō, -zon Verbs
Verbs are conjugated for singular and plural number and first, second, and third persons.
There are two types of verbs distinguished by their infinitive forms: those ending in the suffix -lam /lɒm/ and those ending in -rom /ɹom/.
Evidentiality
The direct.evidence marker -dir and the rumour marker -mëṣ appear to coalesce as part of the indirect.evidence marker -dirmë[ṣ]näm, but the etymological evidence is not yet conclusive.
Marker ⟨ ⟩ // [] unmarked for evidentiality ∅ direct.evidence dialect 1 -dir -dir -diʐ dialect 2 -dir -dir -ɖiʒ hearsay dialect 1 -ëpdir -əp.dir -əp.ɖiʐ dialect 2 -eftir -ef.tir -ef.ʈiʒ indirect.evidence dialect 1 -dirmënäm -dir.mə.næm -diɾ.mə.næm dialect 2 -diṛenäm -di.re.næm -di.re.næm rumour dialect 1 -mëṣ -məʃ -məç dialect 2 -meṣ -meʃ -meʂ Negation
Negative verb: ⟨ϑīwṣ⟩ /ˈθiːwʃ/ [ˈθiːwç]. It doesn’t inflect for person or number.
Negative suffix: ⟨-yūṣ⟩ /jūʃ/ [juːç]. It comes after the stem and before the tense suffix. In addition to -yūṣ there is another suffix ⟨-kyem⟩ /kjem/ or ⟨-kuom⟩ /ku.om/ [kʷom]. It appears ⟨-kyem⟩ is used when dealing with one event, ⟨-yūṣ⟩ for more habitual or lasting states.
Syntax
N/A
V/Adv
Posessed/Posessor
The normal word order is subject–object–verb.