Burumbi: Difference between revisions

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===Nouns===
===Nouns===


Burumbi has four genders: three "animate" genders and one inanimate.
Nouns are inflected for plurality and case. There are two forms of plurality: '''-du''', indicating a few, and '''-mè''' indicating many. The cases are:


{| class="wikitable"
*''Nominative'' - unmarked, the subject of a sentence
|-
*''Accusative'' - the direct object of a sentence
|+Genders
*''Genetive'' - signifies a relation to the direct object
!Gender
*''Possessive'' - signifies that the noun is the possessor of something else
!Form
!Example
!Definition
|-
|Spiritual
| -é
|tsedé
|ghost
|-
|Animate
| -a
|daya
|midget
|-
|Vegetative
| -i
|burumbi
|language
|-
|Inanimate
| -o
|kakumo
|fort
|}
 
The first gender is used for natural phenomena such as lightning and storms in addition to supernatural entities. The vegetative gender is for weakly animate nouns such as plants and things which can move in a metaphorical way, like words and ideas.
 
===Cases===


{| class=wikitable
{| class=wikitable
!case!!prefix
!case!!suffix
|-
|-
!Nominative
!Nominative
|Ø
|'''Ø'''
|-
|-
!Accusative
!Accusative
|tsa-
|'''-lè'''
|-
|-
!Locative
!Genetive
|ta-
|'''-de'''
|-
|-
!Proximative
!Possessive
|ba-
|'''-do'''
|-
|-
|}
|}


===Verbs===
Compound words are connected by dropping any final '''-V(ŋ)''' and adding the '''-o-''' infix. Inflections only fall on the end of the compound word. For example, the word for seaweed: '''reng mbila''' (water+leaf) → r<s>eng</s>-o-mbila → rombila → rombiladu, etc. Burumbi also has a large number of prefixes for word formation, such as '''oubo-''' (indicating largeness and roundness) + reng: ''ouboreng'' "lake".


Verbs are inflected for gender, tenses, and the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative moods. There are five tenses: the far past, near past, present, near future, and far future. While these are mostly straightforward, it should be noted that the far past and far future tenses are used heavily when mythical or supernatural events are being discussed, even if they happened on a time scale usually reserved for the near past or present.
====Articles====


{|class=wikitable
Nouns are automatically definite. An indefinite article, '''nka''', is used to signify non-particularity. '''Nka''' can take on the plural '''-du'''.
!Gender!!Far past!!Near past!!Present!!Near future!!Far future
|-
|Spiritual
|-
|Animate
|-
|Vegetative
|-
|Inanimate
|}


====Indicative====
===Adjectives===


The indicative is used to form simple factual statements.
Adjectives follow their nouns agree with them in case only. The nominative, genetive, and possessive are identical, '''-de'''. The accusative '''-lè'''.


{|class=wikitable
===Verbs===
!Gender!!Far past!!Near past!!Present!!Near future!!Far future
|-
|Spiritual
!-nyo
!-no
!-ng
!-nga
!-nya
|-
|Animate
!-go
!-go
!-ge
!-geng
!-gong
|-
|Vegetative
!-gola
!-la
!-lang
!-le
!-leng
|-
|Inanimate
!-king
!-ki
!-kuo
!-ko
!-keng
|}
 
====Assertive====
 
The assertive is used not just when issuing commands, but also making emphatic statements. It is formed from the present indicative, e.g. '' daga komege'' "the dog eats" becomes ''daga kome'''toge''''' "the dog really eats!" The imperative is used in response to questions and conditional statements, e.g. ''daga se komegung, nu mpome'''tege''','' "if the dog is eating, it will not be hungry."
 
{|class=wikitable
!Gender!!Far past!!Near past!!Present!!Near future!!Far future
|-
|Spiritual
!-tingo
!-ting
!-tong
!-teng
!-tengo
|-
|Animate
!-tigeo
!-tige
!-toge
!-tege
!-tegeo
|-
|Vegetative
!-tilingo
!-tiling
!-lang
!-leng
!-lengo
|-
|Inanimate
!-tikwong
!-tikwo
!-toguo
!-teguo
!-teguong
|}


====Subjunctive====
There are a large number of prefixes for verbs describing movement in great detail. They address directionality, but also specific kinds of movement. In addition, they can be compounded. For example, the compound prefix '''mzondè-''' (mzo- + dè) signifies a splitting and encirclement. Words like '''mzondèmanda''', describing a group splitting up and encircling something by walking, are formed this way.
 
The subjunctive is used when the reality or factuality of something is not known. It is also used when forming questions. Unlike the imperative, the subjunctive is formed from the near future indicative, hence ''daga komege'' becomes ''daga komegung?'' "is the dog eating?"
 
 
{|class=wikitable
!Gender!!Far past!!Near past!!Present!!Near future!!Far future
|-
|Spiritual
|-
|Animate
|-
|Vegetative
|-
|Inanimate
|}


==Morphology==
==Morphology==
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<!-- Example: Word order, qualifiers, determinatives, branching, etc. -->
<!-- Example: Word order, qualifiers, determinatives, branching, etc. -->


[[Category:Conlangs]]
[[Category:Languages]]

Latest revision as of 05:29, 20 January 2017


Background

Burumbi is made to sound how Anglophones think "African" languages sound. As I am rather unlearned when it comes to linguistics the result is likely to be sketchy and uninspiring to others, but it is mainly for generating names and short phrases.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Plosive p b (p b) t d (t d) k g (k g)
Affricate ts (t͡s)
Fricative s z (s z)
Nasal m (m) n (n) ny (ɲ) ng (ŋ)
Approximant r l (ɹ l) y (j) w (w)

Vowels

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i /i/ u /u/
Mid é /ə/
Open mid e /ɛ/
Open a /ɑ/

In addition to these vowels the diphthong o (oʊ) is used.


Orthography

Phonotactics

Syllables can take the following forms:

  • V(ŋ)
  • CV(ŋ)
  • NSV(ŋ)
  • SwV(ŋ)

where V = vowel, C = consonant, N = the nasal vowels /m n/, and S = a stop or the consonants /s z ts/. Stress always falls on the penultimate syllable except in the case of é, in which case it falls on the following one.


Grammar

Nouns

Nouns are inflected for plurality and case. There are two forms of plurality: -du, indicating a few, and -mè indicating many. The cases are:

  • Nominative - unmarked, the subject of a sentence
  • Accusative - the direct object of a sentence
  • Genetive - signifies a relation to the direct object
  • Possessive - signifies that the noun is the possessor of something else
case suffix
Nominative Ø
Accusative -lè
Genetive -de
Possessive -do

Compound words are connected by dropping any final -V(ŋ) and adding the -o- infix. Inflections only fall on the end of the compound word. For example, the word for seaweed: reng mbila (water+leaf) → reng-o-mbila → rombila → rombiladu, etc. Burumbi also has a large number of prefixes for word formation, such as oubo- (indicating largeness and roundness) + reng: ouboreng "lake".

Articles

Nouns are automatically definite. An indefinite article, nka, is used to signify non-particularity. Nka can take on the plural -du.

Adjectives

Adjectives follow their nouns agree with them in case only. The nominative, genetive, and possessive are identical, -de. The accusative -lè.

Verbs

There are a large number of prefixes for verbs describing movement in great detail. They address directionality, but also specific kinds of movement. In addition, they can be compounded. For example, the compound prefix mzondè- (mzo- + dè) signifies a splitting and encirclement. Words like mzondèmanda, describing a group splitting up and encircling something by walking, are formed this way.

Morphology

Syntax

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