801
edits
Is Burunking: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Is Burunking''' (/is | '''Is Burunking''' (/is buɾˈunkiŋ/, literally 'Burungian language') is the language of Burung, an island in the north Atlantic Ocean. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
==Phonology== | ==Phonology== | ||
===Consonants=== | ===Consonants=== | ||
| Line 115: | Line 93: | ||
| | | | ||
|} | |} | ||
Consonants generally do not occur in clusters, with some exceptions (see [[#Phonotactics|Phonotactics]] below). Any consonant except a fricative may occur as a geminate word-internally. | |||
===Vowels=== | ===Vowels=== | ||
| Line 135: | Line 115: | ||
|} | |} | ||
Vowels are considered to be short in all environments but may occur consecutively as in ''eekez'' 'left' /ɛːkɛz/. Note | Vowels are considered to be short in all environments but may occur consecutively as in ''eekez'' 'left' /ɛːkɛz/. | ||
:: <small>'''Note:''' word-initial sequences of ''i + i'' and ''u + uu'' are written ''yi-'', ''wu-''. </small> | |||
===Diphthongs=== | ===Diphthongs=== | ||
| Line 141: | Line 123: | ||
===Phonotactics=== | ===Phonotactics=== | ||
Is Burunking has a relatively restrictive syllabic structure, with a maximal form CGVVC, in which C represents a consonant, G a glide and V a vowel or diphthong. Of these, only the central vowel is essential but there are restrictions on the other elements | Is Burunking has a relatively restrictive syllabic structure, with a maximal form CGVVC, in which C represents a consonant, G a glide and V a vowel or part of a diphthong. Of these, only the central vowel is essential but there are also restrictions on the other elements. The table below shows the rules governing each position in the syllable: | ||
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="text-align:center;" | {| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="text-align:center;" | ||
| Line 152: | Line 134: | ||
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align: top;" | | | style="text-align:left; vertical-align: top;" | | ||
* optional | * optional | ||
* only ''b, g, d, h, x, l, n, ng'' or ''m'' word-initially | * only ''b, g, d, z, f, j, h, x, l, n, ng'' or ''m'' word-initially | ||
* any consonant word-medially | * any consonant word-medially | ||
| style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top; " | | | style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top; " | | ||
| Line 166: | Line 148: | ||
* optional | * optional | ||
* only ''s, sh, ng'' or ''z'' word-finally | * only ''s, sh, ng'' or ''z'' word-finally | ||
* only ''n'' or ''m'' before a consonant | * only ''n'' or ''m'' before a consonant, except in the case of geminates | ||
|} | |} | ||
The word-final consonants ''s, sh, ng'' and ''z'' are not permitted to occur before another consonant, so undergo changes in compounds or when consonant-initial endings are added: | The word-final consonants ''s, sh, ng'' and ''z'' are not permitted to occur before another consonant, so undergo changes in compounds or when consonant-initial endings are added: | ||
* | |||
* | * ''-s'' is lost, the preceding vowel is doubled and a following voiced plosive is devoiced: | ||
* | :: ''is'' 'language, speech' + ''-do'' (pejorative) = ''yito'' 'curse' | ||
* | :: ''os'' 'cold' + ''-pung'' (abstract) = ''oopung'' 'coldness' | ||
* ''-sh'' becomes ''-i-'', forming a diphthong with the preceding vowel, and a following voiced plosive is devoiced: | |||
:: ''banash'' 'fruit' + ''-to'' (diminutive) = ''banaito'' 'berry' | |||
:: ''ush'' 'empty' + ''gyong'' 'person' = ''wikyong'' 'vain person' | |||
* ''-ng'' becomes ''-m'' before ''p, b, f'' and ''n'' before any other consonant: | |||
:: ''gyong'' 'person' + ''-zoi'' (collective) = ''gyonzoi'' 'team, band' | |||
:: ''yong'' 'smooth' + ''-pung'' (abstract) = ''yompung'' 'smoothness' | |||
* ''-z'' is lost and causes a following consonant to double (except ''s, z, f, x, h''): | |||
:: ''az'' 'man' + ''-chi'' (adjectival) = ''acchi'' 'masculine' | |||
:: ''haaz'' 'old' + ''-ki'' (nominal) = ''haakki'' 'antique, relic' | |||
Word-final vowels may also be altered or lost when they come into contact with initial vowels in compounds or endings. In words of three or more syllables, the vowel is always lost, e.g. ''arato'' 'food' + ''-oi'' (adjectival) = ''aratoi'' 'gluttonous', ''eshayo'' 'sea' + ''ugi'' 'bread' = ''eshayugi'' 'seaweed'. Words of two syllables usually lose their final vowel, e.g. ''binji'' 'mountain' + ''arate'' 'gap' = ''binjarate'' 'mountain pass', but when the second word is only one syllable the final vowel sometimes remains, forming a glide in the case of ''i'' or ''u'' e.g. ''bigi'' 'eye' + ''uz'' 'water' = ''bigyuz''. In reduplication, the final vowel often remains in disyllables, e.g. ''aze-aze'' 'very dark'. | Word-final vowels may also be altered or lost when they come into contact with initial vowels in compounds or endings. In words of three or more syllables, the vowel is always lost, e.g. ''arato'' 'food' + ''-oi'' (adjectival) = ''aratoi'' 'gluttonous', ''eshayo'' 'sea' + ''ugi'' 'bread' = ''eshayugi'' 'seaweed'. Words of two syllables usually lose their final vowel, e.g. ''binji'' 'mountain' + ''arate'' 'gap' = ''binjarate'' 'mountain pass', but when the second word is only one syllable the final vowel sometimes remains, forming a glide in the case of ''i'' or ''u'' e.g. ''bigi'' 'eye' + ''uz'' 'water' = ''bigyuz''. In reduplication, the final vowel often remains in disyllables, e.g. ''aze-aze'' 'very dark'. | ||
| Line 298: | Line 289: | ||
At its most basic, all things (and the names that describe them) are considered either '''animate''' (''bixi'') or '''inanimate''' (''es bixi''). The primary distinction between these two groups is that animate nouns are capable of movement under their own power, but inanimate ones are not. Humans, animals and deities are therefore considered animate (as are some celestial bodies), whereas plants, rocks and abstract concepts are inanimate. | At its most basic, all things (and the names that describe them) are considered either '''animate''' (''bixi'') or '''inanimate''' (''es bixi''). The primary distinction between these two groups is that animate nouns are capable of movement under their own power, but inanimate ones are not. Humans, animals and deities are therefore considered animate (as are some celestial bodies), whereas plants, rocks and abstract concepts are inanimate. | ||
Within the class of animate nouns, a further distinction is made between three genders: ''masculine''' ('' | Within the class of animate nouns, a further distinction is made between three genders: '''masculine''' (''acchi''), '''feminine''' (''buyachi'') or '''middle''' (''iriji''). Inclusion within one of these three groups is based to some extent on biological sex, but also takes into account personality, strengths and a chosen role within society. | ||
At birth, all human children are considered to be ''iriji'' | At birth, all human children are considered to be ''iriji'' and remain so throughout childhood until the onset of puberty. At some point during puberty, depending on the development of the individual, the child will be undergo an initiation into adulthood as either ''acchi'', ''buyachi'' or ''iriji'', taking a gendered form of their name and a byname to symbolise this important rite of passage. The choice of appropriate gender is made by the community elders, with input from the parents and/or foster parents, based on an understanding of the individual. | ||
There are no hard and fast rules regarding gender, rather each has a series of | There are no hard and fast rules regarding gender, rather each has a series of complex associations. | ||
The table below shows some of the basic characteristics for each group: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! | ! !! "colspan=3"; | Bixi !! "rowspan=2"; | Eipixi | ||
|- | |||
! !! Buyachi !! Iriji !! Achi !! | |||
|- | |- | ||
! Element | ! Element | ||
| Line 331: | Line 325: | ||
! Family | ! Family | ||
| Mother || Child || Father || House | | Mother || Child || Father || House | ||
|- | |||
! Aspect | |||
| Emotional || Intellectual || Physical || Material | |||
|- | |||
| Noun class | |||
| | |||
|} | |} | ||