User:Chrysophylax/merrish
Background
| Merrish | |
|---|---|
| Mbhath her Maer | |
| Pronunciation | [[Help:IPA|[[mwaθ χeɾ maːeɾ]]]] |
| Created by | Chrysophylax |
| Setting | Ardam |
Isolate
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | qmw |
Phonology
Segments
Consonants
Chrysophylax/merrish has 18 consonants. A significant portion are fricatives.
| bilabial | labiodental | dental | (post)alveolar | velar | uvular | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nasal | m | n | ||||
| stops | t d | ⟨c⟩ k g | ⟨k⟩ q | |||
| fricatives | f v | ⟨th⟩ θ ⟨dh⟩ ð | ⟨z⟩ s̺ˡ ⟨s⟩ ʃ | ⟨ch⟩ x | ⟨h⟩ χ | |
| tap | ⟨r⟩ ɾ | |||||
| approximant | ⟨bh⟩ w | |||||
The approximant /w/ is realised as [u] in positions where a consonant would be forbidden. Clusters are forbidden in the coda and thus in words such as 'mabhr' /mawɾ/ /w/ surfaces as [mauɾ]. Compare with mbhath /mwaθ/ where /w/ remains a consonant.
Vowels
Chrysophylax/merrish has, in the traditional analysis, a phonemically vertical three-vowel system. There is no length distinction. Phonetically, the low vowel a can be realised as a back, semi-rounded vowel [ɑʷ] before uvular consonants or as an (occasionally long) [æ] before a historical /j/ (written ⟨gh⟩ in the orthography).
Some have argued one should count another vowel phoneme æ on the basis of minimal pairs such as mbha [mwa] and mbhagh [mwæː]. Traditionally, however, consensus has been that in light of its restricted appearance (only appearing before historical /j/, does not appear in CVC syllables) and metrical patterning (CV syllables with *æ count as heavy syllables unlike those with an /a i u/), æ is at most a marginal, emerging phoneme and better viewed as an allophone of /a/.
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | ||
| Close | 
| |||||
| Near‑close | ||||||
| Close‑mid | ||||||
| Mid | ||||||
| Open‑mid | ||||||
| Near‑open | ||||||
| Open | ||||||
Chrysophylax/merrish has three falling diphthongs ⟨egh⟩ /ei/, ⟨abh⟩ /au/, ⟨ae⟩ /ae/ which may be pronounced with the first element slightly lengthened, e.g. /maeɾ/ [maːeɾ].
Syllables
The Merrish syllable can assume the following forms: V, VC, CV, CVC. In addition to this, an approximant G can flank the nucleus on either or both sides. The syllable is maximally CGVGC e.g. fbhabhr /fwawr/ [fwaur] ('forest').
Phonotactic restrictions
Onset
The phonemes /q/, /r/, /x/ do not occur in this position in the native lexicon.