Ɯ

Ŭrbŭrŭx U
"the speech, U"
Pronunciation	[/ˈuɾ.bu.ɾux ˈɯ/]
Created by	Nicolás Straccia
Setting	Yrḳuti conworlding project
Language family	Ɯ languages Ŭrbŭrŭx U

The language known as Ɯ is a conlang being created and developed by Nicolás Straccia. It is part of the Yrḳuti conworlding project.

Background

[...]

Grammar

PHONOLOGY

Vowels

Vowel inventory

	Front	Near-front	Central	Near-back	Back
Close	i u (ʊ) (ɘ) e̞ o̞ (ɛ) (ɐ) (a) ɑ
Near‑close
Close‑mid
Mid
Open‑mid
Near‑open
Open

If a vowel of the rounded series is long it will be written with the underdotted version and a macron on top. E. g. /yː/ ‹ᴉ̄›

Stem-controlled roundness harmony. Both /a/ and /o/, a back and a front vowel, are neutral. In compounds each element retains it own harmony; affixes will harmonize with the stem with which they are directly in contact.

Consonants

Consonant inventory

	Bilabial	Labio-dental	Dental	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive	p b			t d			k g	ʔ
Nasal	m			n		(ɲ)	(ŋ)
Trill				r
Tap or flap				ɾ
Fricative	(β)	f	θ ð	s	ʃ		x (ɣ)	h
Lateral fric.				(ɬ)
Approximant	w					j
Lateral app.				l

1 also written ř, r̆ and ṛ. If a /r/ results of the assimilation of a consonant to a /ɾ/, it is usually written rr to show this orgin in two different consonants. 2 can also written ñ 3 the ł variation is thought of as to avoid confusion with a capital ĭ

Phonotaxis

Sandhi

Sandhi over morpheme boundaries

-VC•CV-

-n•

-n•t- > -n•d-, lenition of /t/ → /d/ -n•t- > -n•n-, assimilation of /t/ → /n/ -n•k- > -n•g-, lenition of /k/ → /g/ -n•h- > -n•k-, fortition of /h/ → /k/ -n•j- > -n̆-, fusion (palatalization of /n/ → /ɲ/) -n•b- > -m•b-, fusion (labialization of /n/ → /m/) -n•b- > -m•m-, fusion (labialization of /n/ → /m/), assimilation of /b/ → /m/) -n•l- > -n•n-, assimilation of /l/ → /n/ -n•r- > -n•n-, assimilation of /ɾ/ → /n/ -n•m- > -n•n-, assimilation of /m/ → /n/ -n•v- > -p-, fusion to /p/

-m•

-m•b- > -p-, fusion to /p/ -m•l- > -m•m-, assimilation of /l/  /m/ -m•v- > -p-, fusion to /p/ (labialization of /v/ → /β/, plosivization of /β/ → /p/)

-l•

-l•t- > -l•d-, lenition of /t/ → /d/ -l•k- > -l•g-, lenition of /k/ → /g/ -l•g- > -l•l-, assimilation of /g/ → /l/ -l•r- > -l•l-, assimilation of /ɾ/ → /l/ -l•m- > -l•l-, assimilation of /m/ → /l/ -l•b- > -p•p- [+____] -l•j- > -l̆-, fusion (palatalization of /l/ → /ʎ/) -l•v- > -l•l-, assimilation of /v/ → /l/

-r•

-r•g- > -rr-, assimilation of /g/ → /ɾ/, fusion of /ɾɾ/ to /r/ -r•h- > -rr-, assimilation of /h/ → /ɾ/, fusion of /ɾɾ/ to /r/ -r•x- > -rr-, assimilation of /x/ → /ɾ/, fusion of /ɾɾ/ to /r/ -r•l- > -rr-, assimilation of /l/ → /ɾ/, fusion of /ɾɾ/ to /r/ -r•t- > -s•s- [+____]

-s•

-s•l- > -s•s-, assimilation of /l/ → /s/ -s•g- > -s•k-, fortition of /g/ → /k/

-s̆•

-s̆•h- > -s̆•s̆-, assimilation of /h/ → /ʃ/ -s̆•l- > -s̆•s̆-, assimilation of /l/ → /ʃ/

-t•

-t•b- > -s•s- [+____] -t•g- > -t•t-, assimilation of /g/ → /t/ -t•l- > -t•t-, assimilation of /l/ → /t/ -t•n- > -t•t-, assimilation of /n/ → /t/

-x•

-x•k- > -n•k- [+nasalization]

Being all instances of -n•k- already lenited by sandhi to -n•g-, all remaining instances of -n•k- after the sandhi has been applied must then spawn from modified instances of -x•k-, thus avoiding ambiguity.

-VC•CCV-

-n•

-n•rk- > -n•ng- > -ngg-, assimilation of /ɾ/ → /n/, fusion of /n/ and /k/ (velatization of /n/ → /ŋ/) -n•lt- > -n•t-, elision of l -n•ln- > -n•n-, elision of l -n•ll- > -n•n-, assimilation of first l, elision of second l -n•hm- > -m•m-, elision of l, assimilation of n -n•hr- > -n•kr-, fortition of /h/ → /k/ -n•hš- > -n•š-, elision of h -n•tm- > -d•d-, lenition of /t/ → /d/, elision of /n/, assimilation of /m/ → /d/ -n•tx- > -n•x-, elision of /t/

-x•

-x•hr- > -x•r-, elision of /h/

-CV•CV-

-ta•

-ta•h- > -ta•g- [+____] -ta•r- > -ta•l- [+____] -ta•š- > -ta•s- [+____] -ta•x- > -ta•g- [+____] -ta•t- > -ta•d-, lenition of /t/  /d/ -ta•k- > -ta•g-, lenition of /k/  /g/ -ta•bVC- > -ta•fCV- [+____]

-CV•CCV-

-ta•

-ta•hš- > -ta•š- [+____] -ta•tx- > -ta•x- [+____]tVtC > tVC elision of t? haplology?

Sandhi over word boundaries

-C_b- > -C_p-, fortition of /b/ → /p/ (devoicing of /b/)

Composite sandhi: obligatory contour and other phenomena.

A case of composite sandhi occurs when the application of an external sandhi rule results in either i) the resetting of or ii) the innovation on an internal sandhi rule.

Examples:

i) Resetting of an internal sandhi rule: external sandhi triggers obligatory contour, resetting internal sandhi.

bengilir > penkilir

1) Internal sandhi: rule -n•k- > -n•g-, lenition of /k/ → /g/ (voicing of /k/)

bV•en•kil•Vr → bēnkilir* > bēngilir

2) External sandhi: rule -C b- > -C p-, fortition of /b/ → /p/ (devoicing of /b/)

(-V bēngilir → -V bēngilir)

-C bēngilir → -C pēngilir* >> -C pēnkilir

ii) Innovation on an internal sandhi rule: external sandhi triggers obligatory contour, leniting a cluster formed through assimilation

bepɯlɯr > pevɯlɯr

1) Internal sandhi: rule -n•v- > -p-, fusion to /p/

bV•en•vɯl•Vr > bepɯlɯr

2) External sandhi: rule -C b- > -C p-, fortition of /b/  /p/ (devoicing of /b/)

(-V bepɯlɯr > bepɯlɯr)

-C bepɯlɯr > pevɯlɯr

Syllable structure

Both verbal and nominal roots, as well as affixes, have a (C)(C)V(C) syllable structure.

MORPHOLOGY

Nominal morphology

Nominal roots are marked for grammatical case, deixis (relative locativity and lativity), definiteness and number or quantity.

Grammatical gender and animacy

There are two grammatical genders: animate and inanimate. The animate gender has two subdivisions: masculine and feminine. These are all generally listed as masculine, feminine and neuter gender.

(See also ‘Animacy and volition’ below)

Grammatical number and quantifier affixes

There are two systems of grammatical number: i) for nouns, Collective 1, Dual, Singulative, Collective 2; ii) for pronouns, the numbers Singular, Dual, Plural and Indefinite.

(See also “__*number*__” below)