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 y u ɯ e ø o a
Near‑close
Close‑mid
Mid
Open‑mid
Near‑open
Open

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		(ɟ)	k g	ʔ
Nasal	m			n		(ɲ)	(ŋ)
Trill				r
Tap or flap				ɾ
Fricative		f v		s	ʃ		x	h
Africate					ʧ
Approximant	w					j
Lateral app.				l		(ʎ)

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?
-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

[partitive] > [absolutive/accusative, nominative/ergative, dative]

SYNTAX

Morphosyntactic allignment

i) transitive verbs (A) – (V) – (O)

ii) intransitive verbs (S) – (V)

iii) ditransitive verbs (A) – (V) – (T) – (O)

(S) NOM

(A) ERG

(T) DAT

(O) i) ABS, iii) ACC

Word order

(S)-V-(O/A)-V-(T)-(O)

A/N

Lexicon

Citation forms:

Leipzig-Jakarta list

Some terms which are listed as one entry in the Leipzig-Jakarta list but have more than one distinct term in [] have become as many entries as needed to accommodate the scope of its vocabulary.

Samples

Words:

A verb: anaramĕnkram /a.na.ɾa.ˈmøn.kɾam/ aC₂ara-møn-hram per.prog.anim-to.fly-1s.mas.n.pres "I was flying"

A noun: alāšax /ˈa.laː.ʃax/ ala-aš-Vx to.perceive-tool-def.singulative "the pair of glasses"

Something idiomatic: alahuš /ˈa.la.hɯʃ/ ala-huš to.perceive-to.burn "to glare"