Enkesh

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Enkesh
énnékoẃan
Pronunciation['e.ɳe.koʃwan]
Created byJukethatbox
Date2023
Native toEnkesh Confederacy
EthnicityBawakhi, Nedeẃi, Yawayé, Nnibiteẃẃi
Native speakers3 million (2023)
Nakna-Tiwaic
  • Naknaic
    • Enkesh
Standard form
Standard Urban Enkesh
Dialects
  • Bawakhi
    • Seẃibawakhi
    • Khuẃabawakhi
  • Nedeẃi
    • Inkhénedeẃi
    • Mabhinedeẃi
  • Yawayé
  • Nnibiteẃẃi
  • Khopatiẃẃaẃeni †
Official status
Official language in
Anéppia, Bawakyawan Confederacy
Recognised minority
language in
Northern Republic
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Enkesh(/ɛŋ.kɛʃ/, Enkesh: ['e.ɳe.koʃwan]) is a Nakna-Tiwaic language spoken natively on the river banks of the Anippa/Anéppa river, which is a major source of irrigation water for most pastures in the nation of Anéppia, as well as for the nomadic tribal confederacy of Bawakyawan.

Phonology

Orthography

Enkesh uses a modified version of the Latin script.

Consonants

Enkesh consonants
Bilabial/
Labiodental
Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Retroflex Palatal/
Palato-alveolar
Velar/
Labial-velar
Uvular
voiceless voiced voiceless voiced voiceless voiced voiceless voiced voiceless voiced voiceless voiced voiceless voiced
Plosive standard p b t d ʈ ⟨tt⟩ ɖ ⟨dd⟩ c k g q
aspirated pʰ⟨ph⟩ bʱ⟨bh⟩ tʰ⟨th⟩ dʱ⟨dh⟩ ʈʰ ⟨tth⟩ ɖʱ ⟨ddh⟩ kʰ⟨kh⟩ gʱ⟨gh⟩ qʰ⟨qh⟩
Nasal m n ɳ ⟨nn⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩ ŋ ⟨ng⟩
Tap/Flap ɾ ⟨r⟩
Fricative standard f v s z ʃ ⟨ś⟩ (ʒ) ç ⟨cc⟩ x ɣ ⟨xx⟩
no audible release fʼ ⟨ff⟩ sʼ ⟨ss⟩ zʼ ⟨zz⟩
Affricate standard t͡s ⟨ç⟩ d͡z⟨çç⟩ t͡ʃ ⟨ć⟩ d͡ʒ ⟨ćć⟩
aspirated t͡sʰ ⟨çh⟩ d͡zʱ⟨ççh⟩ t͡ʃʰ ⟨ćh⟩ d͡ʒʱ ⟨ććh⟩
Approximant/
Lateral Approximant
l ɭ ⟨ll⟩ j ⟨y⟩ ʍ ⟨ẃẃ⟩ w

Vowels

Enkesh vowels
Front Central Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
Close ɨ ⟨i⟩ ɯ ⟨ú⟩ u
Mid Close-mid e ⟨é⟩ ø ⟨ö⟩ o
Open-mid ɛ ⟨e⟩ ʌ ⟨á⟩ ɔ ⟨ó⟩
Open a

Prosody

Stress

Stress is prototonic in Enkesh, so stress is placed on the first syllable word of a word.

The use of stress in a Nakna-Tiwaic language is rare, as most other Nakna-Tiwaic and even Nakna languages in general tend to have a detailed tone system, although even Enkesh's use of stress closely resembles tone patterns in other Nakna-Tiwaic languages.

Phonotactics

Enkesh uses a (C)(C)V(V)(C)(C) syllable structure, which is descendant from Proto-Nakna-Tiwaic *(C)V(C).

Morphology

Nouns

Enkesh nouns are agglutinates of basic words, a bit like how some German words are constructed(such as German Fernseher, "television", lit. "far-seer"). An Enkesh example of this would be a word like otiqaöpinád, meaning "front yard/lawn", which is comprised of the words otiqa(green), öpin(front, front-facing), and the locative case suffix -ád, so, a literal translation would be green-front-LOC.

Cases

Enkesh uses noun case declensions to describe nouns. Of these, Enkesh has six noun cases: the nominative, ergative, accusative, dative, genitive and locative. All of them, excluding the nominative, are indicated using a distinct suffix.

Enkesh noun case declensions
Suffix
Case
Nominative
Ergative -iw
Accusative -né
Dative -ttuné
Genitive -kö
Locative -ád

Syntax

Constituent order

Enkesh has a verb-object-subject constituent order.

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Other resources