User:Juhhmi/Pewu

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Pewu (pe-u í'y) is a language whistled in the peninsula of Pewuty in northern Land of Rain. The language originates to forest hunting calls and shamanic rites, but it has remained in use while the people has entered an agricultural, civilized era.

Phonology

Description of the whistling sounds with approximated sounds.

Nucleus

Whistles

Bilabial rounded whistles:

  • Egressive voiceless: y /ɸẙ/, u /ɸ ̥ʉ/, o /ɸ ̥ø/
  • Egressive voiced: vy (βy/, vu /βʉ/, vo /βø/
    • Vocal chords vibrate while whistling
  • Ingressive voiceless: -y /ɸẙ↓/, -u /ɸ ̥ʉ↓/, -o /ɸ ̥ø↓/
    • Carries an innate pitch higher than egressive, but still distinguishes between tonal variations.
  • Ingressive voiced: -vy /βˤy↓/, -vu /βˤʉ↓/, -vo /βˤø↓/ 
    • Used as particles

Vowels sound have the voiceless circle underneath when voiceless (?)

Hisses

Labio-dental-alveolar egressive whistles:

  • Voiceless: i /sfi/, a /sfɨ/, e /sfe/
  • Voiced: zi /zvi/, za /zvɨ/, ze /zve/

Onset

Glottal stop ' /ʔ/ separates sounds.

Possible consonant-ejective whistle beginnings:

  • k /k'/ with both whistles and hisses.
  • p /p'/ with hisses only
  • t /t'/ with whistles only

Suprasegmental

Tones

Pewu language has five tones:

  • Low (base): ÿ /ɸỳ/, ü, ö; ï, ä, ë
  • Medial: y /ɸy/
  • Rising: ý /ɸ / pöö Why won't all the diacritics appear with every vowel!
  • Falling: ỳ /ɸŷ/
  • Dipping: ỹ /ɸỹ/