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mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ

Posted: 22 Apr 2020 22:19
by Shemtov
mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ is the major language of the planet Meichak. Meichak is the first alien planet that humanity has encountered capable of interstellar travel. Meichakians are humanoids with green fur, a pair of prehensile tentacles just above their hips and cephalopod-like eyes with double lenses.

Phonology:
/t̪ t̪ʰ t̪ˤ d̪ ⁿd ʈ ʈʰ ʈˤ ɖ ⁿɖ c cʰ ɟ ⁿɟ k kʰ q qʲ/
/s sˤ ħ ʕ h/
/m n̪ ɳ ɲ ŋ/
/w̃ `j/
/ᵑʘ ǀ ǀʰ ǀˀ ᶢǀ ᵑǀ ǃ ǃʰ ǃˀ ᶢǃ ᵑǃ ǂ ǂʰ ǂˀ ᶢǂ ᵑǂ/

/i u ɯ e o ɤ ɛ ɑ/
/i: uː ɯː eː oː ɤː ɛː ɑː/
/iːː eːː ɛːː/
/iu iɯ io iɤ iɑ/
/iuː iɯː ioː iɤː iɑː/
/ui ɯi oi ɤi ɑi/
/uːi ɯːi oːi ɤːi ɑːi/
/ɐu ɐɯ/
/iɐu iɐɯ/
/ɐui ɐɯi/

Phonotactics:
CV(V)(V)(C)
Clicks and prenasalized stops cannot occur as codas. On-glide diphthongs and triphthongs cannot occur after dorsals, /ħ ʕ h/ and clicks.

Plurality:
Nouns fall into a few classes for plural. This is marked by vowel change. This post will only consider class I. Polysallybles have a "core" vowel that shift.
Class I: Core vowel is a back vowel.
Class Ia: Core vowel shifts to a front vowel

ǂɑ:qʲɐɯɳ "Hand" ǂɛ:qʲɐɯɳ

Class Ib: monophthongs become iV or Vi diphthongs depending on the proceeding consonant. Diphthongs do the same into triphthongs.
quw̃e "Word" quiw̃e "Words"
ⁿɖɯsˤ "Eye" ⁿɖiɯsˤ "eyes"

Class Ic: same as Ib, but always Vi:
soᵑʘi::ʈʰ "Planet" soiᵑʘi::ʈʰ "Planets"

Re: mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ

Posted: 23 Apr 2020 21:34
by Shemtov
Class II: The core vowel is front, and not overlong. The vowel is lenghthend
ⁿɟɑke:ŋ "tentacle" ⁿɟɑke::ŋ "tentacles"

Class III: The word is monosyllabic with only an overlong front vowel
Class IIIa: Consonant final
ᶢǃi::ħ "cup" ᶢǃi::ħi "cups"

Class IIIb: Vowel `Final
qe:: "star" qe::ɲ` "stars"`

Re: mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ

Posted: 24 Apr 2020 07:10
by Khemehekis
Wow, humanoids with green fur and eyes like an octopus'! I like your alien conpeople! They sound like something out of Sesame Street!

Re: mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ

Posted: 06 May 2020 23:22
by Shemtov
Possesion:
The language distinguishes between alienible and unalienable possesion.
Unalienable possesion is formed by a special genitive form. For most nouns this is the prefix ŋɯ:
quiw̃e ŋɯhɛ:rɛtħi
quiw̃e ŋɯ-hɛ:t̪jɛtħi
words GEN.-Human
"Human Languages"

If the word begins in /ɲ ŋ ⁿɟ ⁿg/, the consonant switches to /w̃/:
ɲi:ɖɤmǀa::sˤ "Security officer"
ɳio:ǃɯʕoiⁿdu: w̃i:ɖɤmǀa::sˤ
"Security officer's pain blaster"

Re: mɛːːʈɑk ǀʰɤʕ

Posted: 16 Jun 2020 00:39
by eldin raigmore
If they have cephalopod-like eyes they don’t have blind spots.
Is that true?