User:The Glossophile/Currently unnamed

Setting
This language (currently unnamed) is a simple (grammatically and phonetically) language with a strong "polynesian" flavour in it.

A proper name for it will be given in the near future. No setting has been given yet either. More of it is given below.

Consonants
A simple system of nine consonants. Two of them are semi-vowels /w ~ y/.

The palatal approximant /j/ is written as [y].

Vowels
Yet another simple system of five vowels. Each one of them has a short and a long counterpart.

The long vowels /i:/, /e:/, /a:/, /o:/ and /u:/ are written as [ī], [ē], [ā], [ō] and [ū] respectively.

Diphthongs
Generally speaking, every diphthong is possible in this language as long as both of its vowels are short (never one or both of them long) and never duplicated. Below there are all the possible diphthongs (falling [f] and rising [r]).

It should be noted that diphthongs work as actual diphthongs only when they are placed in the second-to-the-last (penultimate) syllable. When a diphthong is placed anywhere else in a word it no longer acts as a diphthong, but as two different and unattached vowels forming two different and unattached syllables.

For example, the word moana ('mountain') is pronounced [mo'a.na], having a rising diphthong (as the diphtong /oa/ always is), but the word moa ('mouth') is pronounced ['mo.a], preserving its primary stress, acting as a two-vowel word (and not a one-diphthong word) since its "loose diphthong" is not placed in the penultimate syllable. Additional examples of words establish this rule: nieta ('stoat', 'ermine') is pronounced [ni'e.ta] or ['nje.ta], while nie ('human nail') is pronounced ['ni.e] and tuoto ('idiot', 'fool', 'stupid') is pronounced [tu'o.to] or ['two.to], but tuo ('to punch') is pronounced ['tu.o].

Phonotactics
The structure of the syllable in this language is (C)V(V)(V). At least one vowel per syllable is obligatory (either it is short or long). The maximum number of vowels per syllable is two, as long as these two vowels form a diphthong (see above). If they don't form a diphthong, then they are counted as two syllables, not one.

Any vowel can form a syllable and it can be preceded by any possible consonant, as long as it is only one. In this language there isn't any possibility of a word (or simple syllable) formation of two (or more) consonants side by side. They have to be divided by at least one vowel. The number of vowels that can be put together to form a word is basically infinite, though the longest words with continuous vowels never happen to have more than three of them (short or long).

The following four syllables are the only ones never allowed in this language: yi and yī, wu and wū.

Stress
Word stress is very predictable in this language. The penultimate syllable is the stressed one. When a diphthong is placed in the penultimate syllable, it is stressed accordingly, either it is a falling or a rising diphthong, with the stress still on the penultimate. Long vowels don't affect the stressing rule whatsoever.

For example, the word kāma ('father') is pronounced ['ka:ma] and the word kōmao (' to talk with', 'to chat') is pronounced [ko:'ma.o].

Secondary stress (in words with more than three syllables) is less predictable, but not quite important.

Grammar
This language is an isolating (analytic) type language, with some (relatively small, but useful) signs of inflection. Most grammatical meanings of words are marked by adjacent particles, placed either before (preceding) or after (following) the word they mark.

Morphosyntactically speaking, it is a nominative-accusative language (accusative alignment).

Syntax
This language has a predominant SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) word order, but it can be quite variable, with SOV or VSO used sometimes. Within the noun phrase, adjectives predece the noun (for example, lao pua ['la.o 'pu.a], red flower), pronouns precede the noun and the adjective (for example, mo lao pua [mo 'la.o 'pu.a], my red flower) and articles precede the noun and the adjective, too (for example, o lao pua [o 'la.o 'pu.a], the red flower). An article can never be used alongside a pronoun. An article marks number and case. So does a pronoun, which means there is no need (and it is grammatically wrong) to use an article with a pronoun (for example, o mo lao pua [o mo 'la.o 'pu.a], the my red flower - wrong!).

This language is a head-initial and a non-pro-drop language.

Articles
In this language the noun does not change its form to determine the number (singular and plural). The article is the one changing to do this job. It also changes its form to determine the noun's case. There are two types of articles: definite and indefinite.

The rule (when inflecting articles) is to add an /-i/ to form the plural number. Personal, company or place names never have an article.

Nouns
This language's nouns are not inflected by case or number. Instead, their articles or pronouns inflect for them (see above).

There is also no grammatical gender. No distinction between male/female, animate/inanimate, person/non-person exists.

Adjectives
This language's adjectives (just like its nouns) have no gender and do not inflect by case or number. Instead, the articles or pronouns, of the nouns they determine, inflect for them.

Pronouns & Determiners
Pronouns, in this language, compared to nouns and adjectives, do inflect for case and number, but they have no grammatical gender (since there is not any grammatical gender in the language, whatsoever). When a pronoun (possessive, demonstrative, etc) is used to determine a noun, it cannot be used alongside the noun's article (see above).

Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are considered easy to learn and memorize.

The general rule (when inflecting personal pronouns) is to add an /-i/ to form the plural number (just like in articles). In the objective case though, the pronouns already end in /-i/, so in order to avoid placing two same letters in sequence (see above), a euphonic /h/ is placed between the two /i/.

Possessive Pronouns & Determiners
Possessive determiners are normally considered a class of possessors different from possessive pronouns, because determiners do not substitute for a noun or a noun phrase like pronouns do. Instead they generally act like adjectives.

The general rule (when inflecting possessors) is to add an /-i/ to form the plural number (just like in personal pronouns). In the objective case though (which has the same type to possessive pronouns and determiners), the pronouns already end in /-i/, so in order to avoid (once again) placing two same letters in sequence (see above), a euphonic /h/ is placed between the two /i/.

Demonstrative Pronouns
This language makes a three-way distinction between demonstratives: proximal, medial and distal.

The general rule (when inflecting demonstratives) is the same as in personal pronouns (see above).

Verbs
Verbs are not conjugated, by inflection, to encode tense, aspect and mood. They do not have person, gender and number.

In order to distinguish the person or number someone must use the subject (usually a personal pronoun) of the verb, (for example, me ai [me 'a.i], I love or nei ai ['ne.i 'a.i], you (pl.) love or Laila ai ['la.i.la 'a.i], Laila loves, etc...).

Tenses, aspects and moods are created by special particles preceding or following them and not by inflection.

There is only one voice in this language: the active voice. This means that the subject of the main verb is always the agent.

Tenses & Aspects
There are three tenses and two aspects of them in this language. The tenses are: past, present and future. The aspects are: imperfect and perfect. The past and future tenses have both aspects, while the present tense has only imperfect.

There is only one (non inflected) form of every verb: the infinitive form. In order to denote aspect and tense, this language's verbs have to be followed by a special particle, different for each tense and aspect. The only "verb form" that does not need any particle to denote its tense and aspect is the one of the present (imperfect).

Present imperfect does not need a particle to follow the verb. This tense refers to an action that takes place in real time (now).

Past imperfect needs the particle te, while past perfect needs the particle ote, to follow the verb. Past imperfect refers to an action that (definately) happened in the past, but was continuous or repeated (imperfected). Past perfect refers to an action that (definately) happened in the past only one time and was completed (perfected).

Future imperfect needs the particle pa, while future perfect needs the particle opa, to follow the verb. Future imperfect refers to an action that will (definately) happen in the future, but continuously or repeatedly (imperfected). Future perfect refers to an action that will (definately) happen in the future only one time and will be completed (perfected).

Moods
This language has three different grammatical moods: indicative, subjunctive and imperative.

The indicative (or evidential) mood expresses factual statements and beliefs and it can be formed in all tenses and aspects. There is no need for any special particle to denote the indicative mood, (for example, o ona ē te alo [o 'o.na e: te 'a.lo], the moon was beautiful).

The subjunctive (or conjunctive) mood expresses: want, desire, wish, hope, capability, necessity or probability and it can be formed in all tenses and aspects. A special particle /na/ must be placed right before the modal verb to denote the subjunctive mood, (for example, me na yō hei kuwa [me na jo: 'he.i 'ku.wa], I want some books - yō means "to want" and it is a modal verb).

The imperative mood expresses direct commands, requests or prohibitions (without argument) and it can be formed only in present and future tenses and aspects. No special particle is needed to form the imperative mood, neither the subject of the verb, (for example, tuo oki tuoto! ['tu.o 'o.ki tu.'o.to], punch that fool! or kailu mi! ['ka.i.lu mi], hold/hug me!).