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My sketch of an unnamed language
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 9 Feb 2017, 23:12.
[comments] und This is a sketchlang. I repeat, this is a sketchlang.
Phonotactics
One vowel per syllable: no diphthongs.
If two vowels come into contact, merge toward "stronger" vowel: higher? fronter?
CV(C)
Any consonant may begin a syllable.
Labial-velars can't end a syllable (too vowel-like), nor laterals/lateral fricatives.
Rarely, a vowel can begin a syllable.
Schwa is inserted when... any weird combination comes up. To separate some consonant clusters that might be confusing w/ digraphs? How to write? e? Need to know vocab to tell pronunciation. Perhaps first and last vowels always stay long - others tend to reduce.
Stress
First syllable. Regular? Non-phonemic, anyway.
Vowel Harmony
This is a concept, not sure if I'll use it.
First suffix matches the rounding of the last stem vowel.
- rawhi = a piece of bread, rawhire = some pieces of bread
- daup = a book, daupro = some books
I will list suffixes in their unrounded forms (i e a).
Primarily agglutinative, especially verbs? Emphasizes suffixes, some infixes. Reduplication for something. Some aspect of nouns may be fusional (?)
Nouns carry gender, number, case.
Verbs carry tense, aspect.
Adjectives match gender, number.
Nouns
Number fused with gender/noun class
1. Animate
- Plural/Collective: -re (also for general/mass nouns)
- Dual: suffix -me
- Singular: unmarked
2. Inanimate
- Plural/Collective: -(i)th
- Dual: suffix -(e)m
- Singular: unmarked
Cases: uh, yes.
Leaning towards ergative-absolutive (agent marked; absolutive unmarked)
Agentive case:
- Animate: add suffix -ki
- Inanimate: add suffix -wu
Definiteness is not marked.
Noun morpheme order: stem-number/gender-case
| (stem) | number | agentive |
|---|---|---|
| Animate sg. | -ki | |
| Animate dual | -me | -ki |
| Animate pl. | -re | -ki |
| Inanimate sg. | -wu | |
| Inanimate dual | -(e)m | -wu |
| Inanimate pl. | -(i)b | -wu |
Verbs
Tense:
- Distant past: -hu
- Past: unmarked
- Present: -si
- Future: -tha
Tense can be unmarked in a narrative if it is unchanged.
Aspect:
- Perfective: unmarked
- Progressive: -lli
Urgency: ti- (either an aspect that is in prefix, or an old particle that merged)
Verb morpheme order: (urgency)-stem-(tense)-aspect
Adjectives
Match gender and number, but only when used attributively ('the good boy', not 'the boy is good')
- Plural-Collective: -sun
- Dual: -mil
- Singular: unmarked
Gender > initial lenition : softens for decreasing animacy.
- For stops, unvoiced > voiced > nasal
- For fricatives, unvoiced > voiced
- For laterals, lh > ll > l
thudu thizi: a messy boy
hulha ddizi: a messy piece of fruit
thudure thizisun: messy boys
hulhab ddizisun: messy fruit (pl. or collective)
ri gadin: a fancy man
rawhi ngadin: a decorative piece of bread
rime gadinmil: a pair of impressive men
rawhim ngadinmil: two matching loaves of decorative bread
rire gadinsun: some fancy/impressive men
rawhib ngadinsun: some decorative bread
SOV
Negation particle: ba, before verb. Strips the verb of some grammatical markers: progressivity
Adjective after its noun.
Riki banolli. The man sleeps.
Riki daup kengolli. The man was reading the book.
Riki daup ba kengo. The man did not read the book.
Riki daup kengomalli. The man is reading the book.
Thuduki hulha mutatha. The boy will eat the fruit.
Thuduki hulha mutathalli. The boy will be eating the fruit.
Thuduki daup kengohu. Long ago the boy read the book.
Sedd muta. He ate.
Daup tikengo. The book was skimmed/read urgently.
Daupwu whidd. The book fell.
Daupibwu whidd. The books fell.
Daupibwu ddizisun whidd. The messy books fell.
Respect particle: i
Pronouns
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd
- Singular, dual, plural
- 1st plural can be inclusive or exclusive of the hearer
- No gender distinction
Agentive pronouns
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (excl) | le | leki | tane |
| 1st (incl) | leki | tale | |
| 2nd | po | zo | tapo |
| 3rd | sedd | zeth | tasedd |
Objective pronouns
Dual/plural distinction collapses
| Singular | Dual/Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (excl) | whe | ddu |
| 1st (incl) | ddik | |
| 2nd | re | remi |
| 3rd | se | sil |
Le re bidok. I accompanied you.
Sedd ddu bidok. He/she accompanied us (not including the hearer).
Leki se mutatha. We two will eat it.
Zeth ddik tamwetha! Those two will jump over us (including you)! (i.e. they’ll pass ahead of us) ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
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