Metin/Lesson 1

This is for those who can't understand the Metin page ( as I am poor at explaining things with grammatical terminology).

=Phonology and pronounciation=

Metin has 23 consonants and 6 vowels.

Consonants:
p, t, k, b, m, d, g, s, l, y, w and z are pronounced nearly the same as in English.

bh, dh, and gh are aspirated sounds. They are pronounced by breathing out while saying them.

tr, dr, drh, r, sr, and zr and retroflex sounds. They are pronounced with the tounge's tip curled up, touching the top of the mouth.

ç is similar to the english sh sound, but not the same. Push the middle of te tounge upwards while the tip is downwards. It should sound like hissing.

q is pronounced like the French r. Push the base of the tounge to the back of your throat, and breath out, making a garglelike sound

f and v are pronounced  by blowing through compressed lips, no teeth involved.

n is a generic nasal stop that changes to match whatever consonant that follows. It changes to m when followed by a vowel.

x is pronounced like the English h, but with more constriction, similar to q but with no voicing.

Only the consonant clusters kl, tsr, dzr, tl, tx, ts, dz, pl, px, pf, and bv may show up at the beginning of a syllable. Their pronounciation is the same as the sum of their parts, with the exception of tl, where the t is pronounced like the th in think, so it sounds like thl. ts and dz are emphasized and glottalized, sounding more like tts and ddz.

only the consonats n, r and q may end a syllable. q often sounds like x when it precedes as voiceless sound.

Vowels
a is pronounced like the o in rock

i is pronounced like the ee in see

ï is intermediate between i and u, somewhat like the oo in book

u is pronounced like the oo in food

e is pronounced like the e in set

o is pronounced like the o in road. It is a short, clipped sound unlike English.

There aren't distinct dipthongs in Metin, vowels can come in nearly any order and number. One thing to note is that Metin vowels can be short or long, a long vowel takes twice as long to say as a short one. Long vowels are written twice, aa, ïï, oo, exc.

=Some vocabulary==

Greetings:
dzrii (name)!:Hello, (name)! (always use with people you know)

kazama!: Hello! (only use with strangers)

dzraa (name)! : Bye, (name)! (always use with people you know)

enko!: Bye! (only use with strangers)

Nouns
suira: person

suime: child

suitxa: man

suibe: woman

ludra: thing

lukale: vest

luçenbo: hat

yaqtur: small aircraft (common vehicle, like cars in america)

pïsrefo: leaf

pïmenga: flower

pïtooq: plant

boezu: water

Adjectives
xiike: this

xiika: that

xiiku: that (far off)

pxeerla: red

toepala: white, pale

ghomela: blue

drheenla: dark green

toqkola: yellow green

tseerla: black, dark

dzoala: large, tall

dheola: small, short

paazala: long, tall

modela: short

-kïla: -like

Particles
ï: and

trun: or

=Grammar=

The declarative "bao" is a word that indicates that two nouns are the same, or that a noun is an adjective. Its negative counterpart is "bumu". When asking a yes or no question, the interrogative "dhaa" is used

Word order: Bao, noun, noun or adjective first noun is the same as. Adjectives always come after what they describe.

bao ludra xiika pxeerla.

"that thing is red"

bumu suira dzoala suime.

"That tall person isn't a child"

bao pïsrefo ï pïtooq drheenla.

"The plant and leaf are both green"

dhaa ludra pxeerla trun drheenla?

"Is the thing red or green?"

Practice
1. This thing is a blue vest.

2. That (over there) thing is a plant.

3. That thing isn't a vest.

4. Is the leaf dark green or yellow green.

5. Is this red thing a hat?

6. Are the plant and flower both green?

Answers
1. bao ludra xiike lukale ghomela.

2. bao ludra xiiku pïtooq.

3. bumu luudra xiika lukale.

4. dhaa pïsrefo drheenla trun toqkola?

5. dhaa ludra pxeerla luçenbo?

6. dhaa pïtooq ï pïmenga drheenla?

Cultural notes and idoms
Metin always refer to eachother using first names. Last names are only used for specification

People are always described as large or small, never short or tall.

The terms suitxa and suibe (man and woman) refer only to gender, not age, so saying "bao suime suibe" would mean "the child is a girl." not "the child is a woman."

Lesson index
http://conlang.wikia.com/wiki/Metin_lesson_2