Ox-Yew
| Adzaac (Ox-Yew) | |
|---|---|
| Adzaac, Adɮāc | |
| Pronunciation | [/ɑdˈɮɑːtɬ’/] |
| Created by | BenJamin P. Johnson, additionally creator of: |
| Date | 2019 |
language isolate
| |
Adzaac (or Adɮāc) is an a priori, possibly non-terrestrial language whose phonology, morphology, grammar, and really whose entire weltanschauung is inextricably tied to sets of three. Since /ɑdˈɮɑːtɬ’/ is difficult to pronounce for most English speakers, the alternative name “Ox-Yew” (or the Language of the Ox-Yew People) is derived from all of the Latin letters which the orthography of Adzaac explicitly does not use.
Phonology
Vowels
Short: /i a u/
Diphthongs: /ia̯ iu̯ ai̯ au̯ ui̯ ua̯/
Long: /ī ā ū/
Long Diphthongs: /īa̯ īu̯ āi̯ āu̯ ūi̯ ūa̯/
Diphthongs are always falling, but if a non-long diphthong starting with /i/ or /u/ appears at the beginning of a word (i.e. with no onset), it is realized as a glide (/j/ or /w/, respectively).
Because of the limited range of vowels, a vowel chart is almost wasted for Adzaac, but here you go:
Consonants
| Frontish | Middlin’ | Backish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High: | ‹i› /i/ ‹ii› /iː/ |
‹u› /u/ ‹uu› /uː/ | |
| Mid: | |
||
| Low: | ‹a› /ä/ ‹aa› /äː/ |
Stress
Stress is moraic. Stress falls on longest left-most syllable. Where morae are equal, long vowels have a higher priority than diphthongs, which have a higher priority than final consonants. There are eight possible syllable weights:
| Morae | Priority | Description | Examples | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | 1 | 8 | Short vowel, no coda. | bu, na, ki |
| VC | 2 | 7 | Short vowel, monomoraic coda. | uk, it, an |
| VV | 2 | 6 | Diphthong, no coda. | hau, niu, mai |
| V̄ | 2 | 5 | Long vowel, no coda. | lii, kuu, aa |
| VVC | 3 | 4 | Diphthong, monomoraic coda. | kais, zaud, bzuim |
| V̄C | 3 | 3 | Long vowel, monomoraic coda. | aat, kiic, dzuuq |
| V̄V | 3 | 2 | Long diphthong, no coda. | giiu, maai, vuua |
| V̄VC | 4 | 1 | Long diphthong, monomoraic coda. | fuuav, saaik, viiut |
Non-stressed syllables are reduced. (See Phonotactics).
Consonants
| Frontish | Middlin’ | Backish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unvoiced Stop: | ‹p› /p/ | ‹t› /t/ | ‹k› /k/ |
| Voiced Stop: | ‹b› /b/ | ‹d› /d/ | ‹g› /ɡ/ |
| Affricate: | ‹c› /t͡ɬ/ | ‹q› /t͡ʃ/ | ‹j› /d͡ʒ/ |
| Fricative: | ‹s› /s/ | ‹f› /ʃ/ | ‹h› /x/ |
| Nasal: | ‹m› /m/ | ‹n› /n/ | ‹v› /ŋ/ |
| Liquid: | ‹z› /ɮ/ | ‹r› /r/ | ‹l› /l/ |
Phonotactics
Syllable Structure
CLVC
- All syllables must have a nucleus, but onsets and codas are not required. Syllables in the same word must have either a coda or an onset dividing them (i.e. two syllable nuclei must be separated by at least one consonant.)
- Word-initial onsets may consist of a single consonant, or a stop consonant followed by a liquid.
- p, t, k, b, d, g, q, j, c, m, n, v, l, z, r, s, f, h
- pr, tr, kr, br, dr, gr, pl, tl, kl, bl, dl, gl, pz, tz, kz, bz, dz, gz
- Word-final codas may consist only of a single consonant; voiced stops, ‹j›, and ‹h› are not permitted as codas.
- p, t, k, q, c, m, n, v, l, z, r, s, f
- Intersyllabic consonant clusters may be:
- C (any single consonant)
- p, t, k, b, d, g, q, j, c, m, n, v, l, z, r, s, f, h
- C[-cnt]C[+liq] (any stop + liquid)
- pr, pl, pz, tr, tl, tz, kr, kl, kz, br, bl, bz, dr, dl, dz, gr, gl, gz
- C[-cnt]ː (any geminate stop)
- pp, tt, kk, bb, dd, gg
- C[+nas]ː (any geminate nasal)
- mm, nn, vv
- C[+nas]C[-cnt-vox] (any nasal + unvoiced stop of the same place of articulation; also ‹ŋg›)
- mp, nt, vk, vg
- C[+nas]C[-cnt-vox]C[+liq] (any nasal + voiced or unvoiced stop of the same place of articulation + liquid)
- mbr, mbl, ndr, ndl, vgr, vgl, vgz
- nC[+liq] (‹n› + any affricate)
- nq, nj, nc
- C[+obs+cnt]C[-cnt-vox] (any fricative + any unvoiced stop)
- sp, st, sk, fp, ft, fk, hp, ht, hk
- C (any single consonant)
Liquid Harmony
- (Still working this out...)
Vowel Reduction in Syllables with Non-Primary Stress
- Vowels with secondary stress are reduced by their right-most mora:
| ia iu ii |
→ i | ai au aa |
→ a | ui ua uu |
→ u |
| iia iiu |
→ ii | aai aau |
→ aa | uui uua |
→ uu |
- E.g. ááidlaacùùp → aaidlacuup
- Unstressed vowels are reduced to their left-most mora:
|
ia |
→ i |
ai |
→ a |
ui |
→ u |
Cluster Reduction between Syllables with Non-Primary Stress
The number of consonant clusters which can occur intervocalically between syllables with non-primary stress is dramatically reduced. Somehow. Probably. I think.
Morphology
Alignments
Typology
The typology of Adzaac is predominantly SOV or verb-final. Marked order is OSV. A morphological particle is inserted between the subject and the direct object which is ostensibly a case suffix combined with a case prefix; a different particle is used in marked order.
Morphosyntactic Alignment
Adzaac alignment is tripartite, so nouns and pronouns are differentiated for subject, object, and agentive roles by use of case affixes and/or particles.
Headedness
Adzaac is predominantly head-final, and this is reflected in many of its more granular alignments.
Noun Phrases
In noun phrases, nouns are always initial, followed by adpositions, demonstratives, numerals, adjectives or adjective phrases, genitive or genitive phrases, and relative clauses.
Adjective Phrases
In adjective phrases, (adverbial) measurements of degree (very, less, too, &c.) follow the adjective.
Verb Phrases
As mentioned in Typology, Adzaac is a verb-final language, and as such, adverbs always immediately precede the verb. In the case of negation, negatives come between the verb and other adverbs. TAM particles, if present, always directly precede the verb after negatives.