Xiwook

[Omzinesý]

I decided to put my ideas for a vaguely Amerindian language on one thread.

I don't know how far it will proceed.

p t k kʷ ʔ <p t k kw '>
t͡s k͡s <c x>
s ɬ h <s h>
m n ŋ <m n ng>
l ɹ j w <l r y w>

Edit: Added ɬ

i ʉ <i u>
o <o>
ä <a>

Vowels can be short or long, written <ii uu oo aa>.
/i o a/ can also be nasalized, written <į ą ǫ>. /ʉ/ cannot be nasalized. Nasal vowels work phonotactically like long ones.

I'm not sure if it has a simple tone system (high and low) or some kind of a word melody / pitch accent.

/l m n ŋ/ can also be syllabic. They can bear a high tone like all syllable nuclei. <ĺ m ń ńg>
Syllabic consonants can appear between two other consonants and word-finally.

/p t k kʷ ʔ s h m n ŋ/ can be geminated. /hh/ is pronounced [x:].

Edit: ɹ j w are geminated as affricates. d͡ɹ: ɟ͡ʝ: g͡w:, but they cannot appear word-finally like other geminates.


All consonants can be preglottalized. Preglottalization works like gemination in that
- It cannot appear word-initially
- It cannot appear in consonant clusters

Preglottalized consonants differ from geminates in that non-stop geminates can follow long vowels.

Geminates appear inter-vocally and word-finally.
Maximal syllable structure: CVC (or maybe CVʔC)
(Some person prefixes are stops that can precede a non-stop consonant.)

Maybe Japanese-style /h/ -> [f] / _ʉ

also
/ʉ/ -> u / kʷ _

/i/ -> e / adjacent to /w/ or /j/

I'm not sure how to describe the accent system the best. Let's try something like an autosegmental approach.
Phonetic words can have one or zero high tones. The high tone can however be spread to several adjacent syllables. Two no-adjacent syllabls cannot have a high tone.
Xiwook is a prototypical stress language. The stress lies on the second syllable. Nearly all words have at least two syllables.

[VaptuantaDoi]

Nice phonology. I've always been a fan of that shape of vowel system, and /ʉ/ is highly based. Is there going to be much morphophonology?

[Omzinesý]

Nice phonology. I've always been a fan of that shape of vowel system, and /ʉ/ is highly based.

I like the phonology too. /a i o/ is common in Ameracas and /ʉ/ is my current favorite.

Is there going to be much morphophonology?

Morphophonology is not my strong skill.

There might be final consonant mutations: single consonant, geminate consonant, glottal stop + consonant.

lakk 'a person'
laʔk 'the person'
lak (compound stem)

There might be some relationship between stops and affricates, a remnant of some old palatalization.
lacc-ih 'in a person' (maybe)

Accents (whatever they'll decide to be) probably alternate between word forms and cause ellipsis of weak vowels.

[Omzinesý]

The glottal stop in consonant mutations could be a remnant of an historical syllable boundary.

la.ka -> la.k -> laʔk

This kind of phenomenon has (probably) happened in Livonian and it has been speculated to be the origin of Danish stød too.
It just seems to happen before voiced consonants. Maybe there should be some other history behind preglottalized stops. But languages with several inflectional paradigms are best.

[Omzinesý]

Nouns are the simpler one of the open word classes.

Their pattern is

Person prefix-stem-suffix(case.number.definiteness)

Person prefixes are simple
k(a)- SG1
c(a)- SG2
s(a)- SG3
hu- PL1
cu- PL2
su- PL3

The allomorphs with /a/ appear if the stem starts with an obstruent.

Marking case, number, and definiteness is more complicated. The suffix can also affect the last consonant of the stem.

There are three cases: Direct (Nominative hereafter), Locative, and Associative.
There are two numbers: Singular and plural, oh really
There are two degrees of definiteness: definite and indefinite.

There are thus 12 forms.

[To be continued! They sould probably be done through some kind of (pseudo)diachrony.)

In Old Xiwook, definite article is -a and indefinite article is -i, but it's rarely used.

han 'a donkey'
han-a 'the donkey'

The associative marker was -s

han-s-i 'to a donkey'
han-s-a 'to the donkey'

The locative marker was -ó (with a high tone).

There are 10 types based on the phonemic shape of the stem.
There are many inflection types
-Words can end in a voiced single consonant, a voiced geminate consonant, a voiceless consonant, a voiceless geminate consonant, or a vowel.
- The last syllable of the stem can have a high tone or not.

Some nouns (usually those referring to places) have a simple locative and complex nominative while most nouns have the opposite.


*lakt -> la't
lakt-a -> lah.ta

The marker of some Locative forms could be *-t(i).

som 'lake'

*som-ti -> somsi -> soms -> sõs 'in a lake'
*som-t-a -> somt -> sõt 'in the lake'

*jak 'a tent'
*jak-ti -> jak-si -> jaks 'in a tent'
*jak-ta -> jakt -> ja't 'in the tent'

*wat 'a lake'
*wat-ti -> wacc 'in a lake'
*wat-ta -> watt 'in the lake'

[Omzinesý]

The paradigm of words ending in non-obstruents.

Code: Select all

han 'donkey' 
case		word	ending
NOM INDEF 	han	-
NOM DEF 	ha'n	<'> 	

LOC INDEF 	hantsi -si
LOC DEF 	hanta 	-ta
Some words frequently used in Locative have more complex locative forms. 

ASS INDEF 	hann(i)	-:(i)
ASS DEF 	hann(a)	-:(a) 

[Visions1]

Let me fix it for you

Code: Select all

han 'donkey' 
case		word	ending
ASS INDEF 	han	-
ASS DEF 	ha'n	<'> 	

ASS INDEF 	hantsi -si
ASS DEF 	hanta 	-ta
Some words frequently used in Locative have more complex locative forms. 

ASS INDEF 	hann(i)	-:(i)
ASS DEF 	hann(a)	-:(a) 

But really, I like the lang so far - esp. the phone processes.

[Omzinesý]

Nouns have personal prefixes

Person prefixes are simple
k(a)- SG1
c(a)- SG2
s(a)- SG3
hu- PL1
cu- PL2
su- PL3

When combined with the definite form, they express possessor. When combined with the indefinite form, they express copular subject.

c-lakk
SG2-person
'You are a person.'

Adjectives are also made predicates that way.

ca-korhan
'You are innocent.'

Many static predicates that are verbs in European langs, are adjectives in Xiwook.

Ka-hill
'I love. ~ I am in love.'

-------

Any noun, adjective, or deverbal nominal can take a modal adjectival suffix.

k-lah-mil
SG1-person-able
'I'm able to be a person.'

ka-pu'-saa
SG1-eat-willing
'I want to eat.'

k-rem-tl
SG1-know-must
'I have to know that.'

[Omzinesý]

I think I'll change the forms that used to be locatives to associatives and have a new locative form -n, which can affect the stem sporadically.

The paradigm of words ending in non-obstruents.

Code: Select all

han 'donkey' 
case		word	ending
NOM INDEF 	han	-
NOM DEF 	ha'n	<'> 	

ASS INDEF 	hantsi -si
ASS DEF 	hanta 	-ta

LOC INDEF 	hanin	-in
LOC DEF 	han.tn	-n

Words ending in stops.

Code: Select all

ut 'person' 
case		word	ending
NOM INDEF 	utt	:
NOM DEF 	uta	-a

ASS - 	        uc -s
ASS INDEF 	uci -si
ASS DEF 	utta 	-ta

LOC INDEF 	utin	-in
LOC DEF 	utn	-n

Word-final labials /p kw/ become /h/ before Associative endings -ta and -si.

[Omzinesý]

I'm considering a Chinese-style compounding system because the monosyllabic roots are so short.

To say 'book' you have to compound two nearly synonymous roots 'volume-book'.

[Omzinesý]

Words that often appear in Locative usually have a shorter Locative form where the nasal assimilates with the stem. The definite Locative is analogically formed like Nominative of a nasal-final word .

Code: Select all

saap 'cottage ~ hut' 
case		word	ending
NOM INDEF 	saap	-
NOM DEF 	saapa	<a> 	

ASS INDEF 	saa(h)si -si
ASS DEF 	saahta 	-ta

LOC INDEF 	saam	-in   *saapn
LOC DEF 	saa'm	-n   *saapan

Edit: ( /h/ and /s/ sometimes assimilate resulting as /ss/. Because a geminate cannot follow a long vowel, the indefinite associative is saasi instead of *saassi. /h/ can be analogically returned in those instances.

[Omzinesý]

Plural formation

Most nouns form their plurals with "full" reduplication.

The normal reduction of the first stem of lexicalized compounds include:
Final /t, k/ -> ʔ
Final /p, kw/ -> h
Final geminate -> short consonant (blocks the two rules above)

When forming plurals also:
Vowel shortens
Final nasal assimilates in POA with the following consonant.

saap 'a cottage ~ a hut'
sahsaap 'cottages ~ huts'

[Omzinesý]

I could add /ɬ/.
It gives some Native American feel.

[Arayaz]

I really like this! The plural formation is awesome. Vowel system is also cool as heck.

I could add /ɬ/.
It gives some Native American feel.

I'm very much a lateral fricative junkie, and you're right that it's common in North America, especially the Pacific Northwest, which is my favorite place in the world.

[Omzinesý]

I really like this! The plural formation is awesome. Vowel system is also cool as heck.

I could add /ɬ/.
It gives some Native American feel.

I'm very much a lateral fricative junkie, and you're right that it's common in North America, especially the Pacific Northwest, which is my favorite place in the world.

☺
Thank you!

[Omzinesý]

Associative has three main uses. (The idea has been recycled many times between my languages.)

1. Comitative
'I'm travelling with my friend. (I cannot translate that yet.)

2. Possessed
Ka-han-s-i
SG1-donkey-ASS-INDEF
'I have a donkey.'

3. Coordination of two nouns
saah-t-a ha'n
hut-ASS-INDEF donkey.DEF-NOM
'the donkey and the hut' (Pardon the strange association. I have very few words.)

If (and usually when) the coordinated words in 3. are of the same (in)definiteness, a shorter Associative is used of some words. It is the indefinite form without -i. It is possible only if the word is phonologically possible without the final vowel.

utt 'person'
ucc 'and person'

*saahc
*hans

[Omzinesý]

Vowel-final nouns have

Code: Select all

fʉʉ 'thing, object (concrete)' 
case		word	ending
NOM INDEF 	fʉʉ	-
NOM DEF 	fʉʉʔ	-a

ASS              fʉʉs
ASS INDEF fʉʉsi        -si
ASS DEF 	fʉʉta 	-ta

LOC INDEF 	fʉʉn	-n   
LOC DEF 	fʉʉʔn	-an   

VOC              fʉʉʔa       -a 

I also added a vocative case. It's ending is the same as that of the definite nominative, but the ending always appears.

[Omzinesý]

I should start the verb.

The current idea of the pattern is:

-2 preverb (mainly directional, but some of them have developed aspectual and other meanings)
-1 incorporated noun
0 stem
(All kinds of transitivity alternations and aspectual derivation.)
1 mood
2 person


- There might be two genders that are coded in the person paradigm.
- Future could be a mood rather than a tense.
- Volitionality could be inflectional.
- Habitual aspect could be formed from an actor nominalization.