Boesjim

Boesjim
Pronunciation	[[Help:IPA|ˈbʷeːɕim]]
Created by	joan-lambert
Language family	Language isolate Boesjim
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sji

Boesjim (pronounced natively as [ˈbʷeːɕim] or in English as /ˈbweɪ.ʃim/) is the language spoken by the Boesjina people of the planet Sungatl.

General information

This is an artlang I'm creating as part of the worldbuilding for my science-fiction setting. My ultimate goal is for it to be a functional, learnable language, in addition to serving my story.

Phonology

Consonants

There are fifteen phonemic consonants in Boesjim.

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labiovelar	Glottal
Nasal		n
Stop	p b	t d		k g		ʔ
Fricative	ɸ	s				h
Approximate			j		w
Trill		r
Lateral approximate		l

Notes on nasal consonants:

• /n/ is realized as [m ~ n̪ ~ n ~ ŋ] depending on what sounds surround it. At the beginning of most syllables, it will be [n]. At the end of a syllable, it will assimilate to the following consonant's place of articulation, including across word boundaries, or else be pronounced as [m].
• After a nasalized consonant, it may be dropped at the end of a syllable, especially at the end of a word.

Notes on allophony:

• /t/ will be [t̪] unless it comes before or after an alveolar consonant, in which case it's [t].
• /d/ will often be [ð] as a means of distinguishing it from [ɾ].
• /r/ will often be [ɾ], especially in fast speech, but never in the cluster /kr/.
• /b/, /d/, and /g/ may be [β,ð,ɣ] except when following a nasal.
• At the end of a syllable, /k/ may be [x] when following /a/, /o/, or /u/ or may be [ç] when following /i/ or /e/.
• /sj/ is pronounced [ɕ] when word initial. /kj/ is pronounced [ç] when word-initial.

Vowels

There are five phonemic vowels in Boesjim.

	Front	Back
Close	i	u
Mid	e	o
Open	a

Notes on nasal vowels:

• When followed by a nasal in the same syllable, /a/, /o/ and /u/ will nasalize to [ɑ̃,õ,ũ].

Notes on diphthongs:

• Diphthongs may be produced, especially in fast speech, when two consonants are next to each other and at least the second is unstressed. Stress pattern is determined as if there are no diphthongs.
• Diphthongs include: /ai/ [aɪ], /ei/ [eɪ], /oi/ [ɔɪ], /au/ [aʊ], /ou/ [oʊ]

Notes on allophony:

• Unless the second vowel is stressed, /iu/ may be pronounced [y].
• /e/ will be [ɤ] after /k/ or /g/ unless followed directly by a vowel. It can also be reduced to [ɤ] at the end of a word.
• /a/ may be pronounced [ə] when unstressed.
• When unstressed and followed directly by a vowel, /i/ may become [j] and /o/ and /u/ may become [w]. These may be [ʲ,ʷ] after a consonant.