Taung Wai

Diphthongs
Diphthongs are placed in the same vowel category as monophthongs.

Romanization
The tones are marked by a number at the end of every syllable.

Phonotactics
Taung Wai syllable structure is CV(n), with n being l, m,  ʔ,  or  ŋ. If there is no consonant, it is replaced with a glottal stop. Words are typically one syllable long, with the exception of compound words. A glottal stop can be inserted in between an initial consonant and a vowel, which signifies a reversal of meaning or otherwise altering the original concept.

Tones
There are six tones in Taung Wai, with three distinct contour categories, which are: flat, falling, and dipping. The first tone is the highest flat tone, while the second tone is the near highest flat tone. Keep in mind the second tone is only slightly below the first, not in the middle range. The third tone is the lowest flat tone, at the lowest range, about the same pitch as the lowest dipping tone. The fourth tone is the highest dipping tone, with the pitch being at the middle range, and the fith tone is the lowest dipping tone. The sixth and final tone is a falling tone that starts at the high range and is similar to the falling tone in Mandarin.

Grammar
The canonical word order in Taung Wai is Subject Object Verb.

Particles
Particles serve a variety of functions, detailed below.

The Glottal Stop
A glottal stop can be inserted inbetween the initial consonant and the vowel to change the meaning of the word to its negative form. It is synonymous with the English "not". It is considered a particle in Taung Wai. It cannot be applied to particles.

Conjunctions
Conjunctions serve to link two clauses together, and are often disyllabic words.

Nouns
The nouns in Taung Wai have two forms, the nominative and accusative, which allows for flexible word order. The inflection of the noun is usually to such a degree that the two forms do not resemble each other at all. Nouns can be used to describe other nouns using the particle ngau3.

Pronouns
The pronouns do not have a nominative or accusative form, but the case can be inferred by context. There are three persons possible, three genders, and various numbers. The persons and genders are inflected while the number is indicated by a pronoun-exclusive prefix.

Demonstratives
The demonstrative always precedes a noun or noun phrase.

Cardinal Numbers
The number system in Taung Wai is based on a single set of numbers, capable of standing alone or being attached before a noun to modify it.

Adjectives
Adjectives are a specialized class of words that are always placed behind the modified word. There are three morphological classes of adjectives that are present in Taung Wai.