Me-inj

Setting
Me-inj [reads ‘me-in'’; IPA məʔinʲ]. It is spoken by several ethnicities as a lingua franca, but the title nation is the me-hén [IPA məhæn] people.

Consonants
Note: every consonant except t͡ʃ and ŋ can be palatized. In orthography it is indicated by adding a j to the consonsnt: [mä] → [mʲä]. It does not affect vowels: ‘soft’ [i] vowel does not palatize ‘hard’ [m] consonant itself. To have a syllable reading like English ‘ni’ you must write ‘nʲi’ (or njí). Syllable ‘ní’ reads [ni], not [nʲi].

Orthography


 * ʔ = ? (must be written everywhere, especially at the beginning of a syllable starting with vowel: [ʔan] = ?an).


 * t͡s = c


 * d͡ʑ = dz


 * t͡ʃ = x


 * ʁ, ɾ, l = rh, r, l


 * ŋ = n (because it occurs only after vowels )


 * ɸ = f


 * ɯ = w


 * pʰ, tʰ, kʰ = ph, th, kh


 * tʷ, kʷ = tw, kw


 * (any consonant)ʲ = (any consonant)j

Vowels
Orthography

Basic Grammar
Questionning

Simple questions are formed by adding «a» particle to the end of the sentence:

top a [mə·ʔinʲ·ʔɔ] «Cloud?»

Plain requesting also uses «a», but with lowering tone:

twené à [tʷə·ne̞·ʔɔ˥˨] «[Go] There! [now!]»