Maltcégj
Introduction
Maltcégj is an a priori, agglutinative, semi-analytic head-initial language created by BenJamin P. Johnson in 2001. It has a strict VSO sentence structure that is modified with large numbers of verbal and nominal particles.
Writing Systems
Alphabet and Pronunciation
| Letter | IPA | Letter | IPA | Letter | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | j | /ʒ/ | ʀ | /ɹ̩/ |
| b | /b/ | k | /k/ | s | /s/ |
| c | /ʃ/ | l | /l/ | t | /t/ |
| d | /d/ | ɮ | /ɮ,ɬ/ | þ | /θ/ |
| ð | /ð/ | ʌ | /ɫ̩/ | u | /u/ |
| e | /ɛ/ | m | /m/ | v | /v/ |
| f | /f/ | n | /n/ | w | /w/ |
| g | /g/ | o | /o/ | x | /x/ |
| ǧ | /γ/ | ǫ | /ɔ/ | y | /ɪ/ |
| h | /h/ | p | /p/ | ẏ | /j/ |
| i | /i/ | r | /ɾ/ | z | /z/ |
Orthography
Primary stress is indicated in words of more than one syllable with an acute accent over the primary vowel. In diphthongs, the accent is placed on the first vowel.
Where two vowels appear together but are not a diphthong, the second vowel is marked with a diæresis if it is a front vowel; with a single dot if a back vowel (i.e. ï, ÿ, ë, ȧ, ǫ̇, ȯ, u̇), e.g. oï. Even if this would not result in a standard diphthong, this convention is still followed any time there are two disyllabic pertingent vowels, e.g. kúluï 'all', itáliȧ 'Italy'.
If the second vowel is stressed, however, the first vowel is marked instead, e.g. italiáno → italïáno 'Italian'.
No capital letters are used.
Native Writing System
Maltcégj is also written using a featural alphabet which treats the vowels as diacritics, and also uses diacritics to describe manner of articulation and consonant clusters. In all there are only seven “letters”; all other phonetic functions are filled by diacritics or modifications of these seven characters. (Actually, there are really only four: the labial, dental, palatal, and glottal forms are just directional variations of the same character, and the rhotic is just a turned lambdic.)
Phonology
Stops
| Unvoiced | Voiced | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| p | /p/ | as in put | b | /b/ | as in bat |
| t | /t/ | as in top | d | /d/ | as in dog |
| k | /k/ | as in keep | g | /g/ | as in get |
Initial unvoiced stops have a tendency to be aspirated (as in Germanic languages).
Affricates
| Unvoiced | Voiced | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ts | /t͡s/ | as in gets | dz | /d͡z/ | as in ads |
| tc | /t͡ʃ/ | as in church | dj | /d͡ʒ/ | as in judge |
There are four "pure" affricates in Maltcégj, though no affricates are represented by their own character. For more information, see Consonant Clusters, below.
Fricatives
| Unvoiced | Voiced | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| f | /f/ | v | /v/ | |
| þ | /θ/ | ð | /ð/ | |
| s | /s/ | z | /z/ | |
| c | /ʃ/ | j | /ʒ/ | |
| x | /x/ | ğ | /γ/ | |
| h | /h/ |
Nasals
| m | /m/ | n | /n/ |
NB: There is no realization of /ŋ/, even before a velar obstruent. In many cases, an epenthetic <e> may intervene between <n> and a velar, but even when it does not, the letters are pronounced independently. E.g. gýnko /'gɪn.ko/ 'ginko', not **/'gɪŋ.ko/.
Liquids
| l | /l/ |
| r | /ɾ/ |
| ɮ | /ɮ,ɬ/* |
| ʌ | /ɫ̩/ |
| ʀ | /ɹ̩/ |
<ɮ> becomes devoiced to /ɬ/ when it occurs adjacent to an unvoiced obstruent (most frequently in the clusters <pɮ>, <tɮ>, and <kɮ>).
Glides
| w | /w/ | ẏ | /j/ |
Vowels
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | /i/ | u | /u/ | |
| y | /ɪ/ | o | /o/ | |
| e | /ɛ/ | ǫ | /ɔ/ | |
| a | /ɑ/ |
Syllabic Liquids
| ʌ | /ɫ̩/ | ʀ | /ɹ̩/ |
<ʌ> and <ʀ> are considered vowels in Maltcégj and never occur in a non-syllabic context. However, they are not subject to the same diacritic rules for other non-diphthongs as other vowels.
Diphthongs
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ai | /ai̯/ | au | /au̯/ | |
| ei | /ɛi̯/ | eu | /ɛu̯/ | |
| oi | /ɔi̯/ |
Pronouns
| Person | Notes | Reflexive | Reciprocal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | jǫg | I | jagj | -- | |
| 2sg | mélem | you | madj | -- | |
| 2sg | mélminei | you | formal | madj | -- |
| 3sg.f. | pel | she | feminine | peibj | -- |
| 3sg.m | pul | he | masculine | peibj | -- |
| 3sg.n | paj | it | inanimate | peibj | -- |
| 3sg | pʌ | “they” | general or non-specific | peibj | -- |
| 1pl | jǫ́lmin | we | inclusive | jeltc | játci |
| 1pl | jalk | we | general or exclusive | jeltc | játci |
| 2pl | mélem | you | madj | mládji | |
| 2pl | mélminei | you | formal | madj | mládji |
| 3pl | parþ | they | general | pyldj | píkci |
Some of the most basic elements of language, pronouns will take the place of the subject in most sentences. Maltcégj pronoun structure does not differentiate much from that of English with the exception of a formal and informal second person, and the formal is very infrequently used, but there are “optional” pronouns which may offer more clarity. Just remember to use mélminei you’re speaking to someone with whom you would use a title in English (e.g. faculty members, judges, business associates, &c). Otherwise, the pronouns above will get you through most situations.
| Person | Notes | Reflexive | Reciprocal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2pl | akmélem | you (all) | madj | mládji | |
| 2pl | akmélminei | you (all) | formal | madj | mládji |
| 3pl | akpél | they | feminine (=parth) | pyldj | píkci |
| 3pl | akpúl | they | masculine (=parth) | pyldj | píkci |
| 3pl | akpáj | they | inanimate (=parth) | pyldj | píkci |
| 3pl | akpʌ́ | they | (=parth, incorrect) | pyldj | píkci |
If you want to be more specific, however, you can use the plural particle ak with the singular pronouns (with the exception of jǫg) to make them plural. You can optionally add ak to mélem and mélminei to further explain that you are referring to more than one person. You can also use ak with the third person pronouns if you explicitly want to annotate gender. Note, however, that saying akpʌ́ is technically incorrect: This should more accurately be parþ, but akpʌ́ is common in speech, just as saying they in English is common to refer to a singular person whose gender is unknown or unclear (as in “Someone left their notebook here.”)
In case you are unfamiliar with the idea of inclusive and exclusive we, only use jǫ́lmin when the person you are addressing is part of the “we” in question, i.e. if you can replace it with “you and I”, or “you and the rest of us”; otherwise, always use jalk.
In fact, pronouns in Maltcégj are even a little simpler than those in English, because there are no cases to decline. Possessives (my, your, his, our, &c.) are formed by adding the preposition u- to the word being possessed, and the accusative case (me, him, her, them, &c.) by adding the postposition -a to the pronoun.