Phonology
The phonology was inspired by Southeast Asian languages, and the orthography was inspired by some guy who advocated writing Vietnamese more like German.
Consonants
| Bơlơn consonants (Aesthetic Romanization)
|
|
|
Labial
|
Dental
|
Palatal
|
Velar
|
Uvular
|
Glottal
|
| Nasal
|
m /m/
|
n /n/
|
nh /ɳ/
|
ng /ŋ/
|
|
|
| Plosive
|
tenuis
|
p /p/
|
t /t/
|
z /c/
|
k /k/
|
|
ʼ /ʔ/
|
| aspirated
|
ph /pʰ/
|
th /tʰ/
|
zh /cʰ/
|
kh /kʰ/
|
|
|
| breathy-voiced
|
b /bʱ/
|
d /ɗʱ/
|
ɟ /ɟʱ/
|
g /gʱ/
|
|
|
| Fricative
|
voiceless
|
v /f/
|
ß /s/
|
sch /ç/
|
ch /x/
|
|
h /h/
|
| voiced
|
|
s /ð/
|
|
|
|
|
| Approximant
|
w /β̞/
|
|
y, j /j~ʝ/
|
|
|
|
| Liquid
|
|
l /l/
|
|
|
r /ʀ/
|
|
Geminate /cc(ʰ)/ and /kk(ʰ)/ are tz(h) and ck(h)
Or
| (Represents the way Talsmic-speaking scholars were likely to transliterate it)
|
|
|
Labial
|
Dental
|
Palatal
|
Velar
|
Uvular
|
Glottal
|
| Nasal
|
m /m/
|
n /n/
|
ñ /ɳ/
|
ng /ŋ/
|
|
|
| Plosive
|
tenuis
|
p /p/
|
t /t/
|
ŧ /c/
|
c /k/
|
|
ʼ /ʔ/
|
| aspirated
|
pʰ /pʰ/
|
tʰ /tʰ/
|
ŧʰ /cʰ/
|
cʰ /kʰ/
|
|
|
| breathy-voiced
|
b /bʱ/
|
d /ɗʱ/
|
dŧ /ɟʱ/
|
g /gʱ/
|
|
|
| Fricative
|
voiceless
|
f /f/
|
th /s/
|
s /ç/
|
ch /x/
|
|
h /h/
|
| voiced
|
|
ð /ð/
|
|
|
|
|
| Approximant
|
v /β̞/
|
|
z, ı /j~ʝ/
|
|
|
|
| Liquid
|
|
l /l/
|
|
|
ŗ /ʀ/
|
|
Vowels
| Vowels (Aesthetic 1)
|
|
|
Front
|
Back
|
| unrounded
|
rounded
|
| short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
| Close
|
i /i/
|
í /iː/
|
ư /ɯ/
|
ứ /ɯː/
|
u /u/
|
ú /uː/
|
| Close-mid
|
e /e/
|
é /eː/
|
ơ /ɤ/
|
ớ /ɤː/
|
o /o/
|
ó /oː/
|
| Open-mid
|
ê /ɛ/
|
ế /ɛː/
|
|
|
ô /ɔ/
|
ố /ɔː/
|
| Open
|
|
|
a /a/
|
á /aː/
|
|
|
| Vowels (Aesthetic 2)
|
|
|
Front
|
Back
|
| unrounded
|
rounded
|
| short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
| Close
|
i /i/
|
ih /iː/
|
ï /ɯ/
|
ïh /ɯː/
|
u /u/
|
uh /uː/
|
| Close-mid
|
e /e/
|
eh /eː/
|
ë /ɤ/
|
ëh /ɤː/
|
o /o/
|
oh /oː/
|
| Open-mid
|
ä /ɛ/
|
äh /ɛː/
|
|
|
å /ɔ/
|
åh /ɔː/
|
| Open
|
|
|
a /a/
|
ah /aː/
|
|
|
| Vowels (Talsmic-eye(or is it ear?)-view transliteration)
|
|
|
Front
|
Back
|
| unrounded
|
rounded
|
| short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
short
|
long
|
| Close
|
i /i/
|
í /iː/
|
y /ɯ/
|
ý /ɯː/
|
u /u/
|
ú /uː/
|
| Close-mid
|
e /e/
|
é /eː/
|
ơ /ɤ/
|
ớ /ɤː/
|
o /o/
|
ó /oː/
|
| Open-mid
|
ê /ɛ/
|
ế /ɛː/
|
|
|
ô /ɔ/
|
ố /ɔː/
|
| Open
|
|
|
a /a/
|
á /aː/
|
|
|
Diphthongs
Diphthongs often distinguish length.
ai, ei /aːɪ̯/
ay, ey /aɪ̯/
ao /aːʊ̯/
au /aʊ/
aa /aːɜ̯/
aư /aɯ̯/
eư, êư /ɤːɯ̯/
ơư /ɤɯ̯/
ia /iɜ̯/
ie /iːɜ̯/
ua /uɜ̯/
uo /uːɜ̯/
ưa /ɯɜ̯/
ươ /ɯːɜ̯/
Phonotactics
C[r/l/j/β]VC is the max. syllable structure.
Features
- Marked absolutive
- Possessum and possessor are both marked
- Absolutive, ergative/oblique
- Spatial tenses/directionality
- Pluractionality requires the antipassive
- More prefixing than suffixing
- Non-reduced relative clauses
- ??? Polysynthesis ???