Mintinai

Classification and Dialects
Mintinai Malaka-na ([mʲintɕinäj mäläkänä], 'Language of Gods') or simply Mintinai is a language isolate spoken by Ottanaika ([o̞tːänäjkänä], 'wolf-people') in the Lost Heir Universe. The language has little dialectal differentiation and a simple phonology, phonotactic and grammar. And it is heavily inspired by Japanese.

Alternations:
/b, d/ are mostly [b, d], but can become [v, ð] intervocalically in fast or sloppy speech. /g/ is mostly [g] but can become [ɣ] intervocalically in fast or sloppy speech ([ŋ] for some dialects).

The coda /Q/ assimilates homorganically to the following obstruent, not /h, z/. It is [x] preceding resonants and [xː] preceding vowels.

The coda /N/ assimilates to the place of articulation of the following consonants. It is either [mʔ / nʔ / ŋʔ] or [ɰ̃] intervocalically or [ŋ] in dialects that don't have [ŋ] as an allophone of intervocalic /g/. Furthermore, /N/ often nasalised the preceding vowels especially utterance finally and pre-consonantally.

The coda /L/ is [ɾ ~ ɾʲ ~ ɹʷ] preceding /r/, it is [l ~ lʲ ~ lʷ] preceding /l/. It is variably [r ~ ʑ ~ ɹʷ] or [l ~ lʲ ~ lʷ] elsewhere, though the latter is more common. It is post-ceded by a glottal stop [ʔ] preceding

* [ɾɾ] is realised as [r]. Post-consonantal, pre-consonantal, utterance initial and final *[ɾ] is variably realised as [ɾ ~ r].

Vowels
/a/ is phonetically open-central [ä], though some speakers prefer open-back [ɑ] or even open-front [a].

/e/ is phonetically mid-front [e̞ ~ ɛ̝].

/i/ is phonetically [i], and [j] as an offglide to a preceding vowel.

/o/ is phonetically mid-back [o̞ ~ ɔ̝].

/u/ is phonetically [ʉ], it is realised as [w̟] as an offglide. The sequence /wu/ is mostly realised as [u], sometimes as [wu] or [wʉ] more so when following vowels, though this is in free variation.

/o/ is phonetically mid-back [o̞ ~ ɔ̝].

[ViC ~ VʉC ~ VuC] and [VjC ~ Vw̟C ~ VwC] are allophonic, the latter being far more prevalent. [ViV ~ VʉV ~ VuV] and [VjʔV ~ Vw̟ʔV ~ VwʔV] and [VjxV ~ Vw̟xV ~ VwxV] ([VjɣV ~ Vw̟ɣV ~ VwɣV] in dialects that do not exibit [ɣ] as allophone of /g/) are allophonic, the latter being more prevalent. [VV] and [Vː] are allophonic, the latter being far more prevalent. This diphthongisation of vowel sequences normally only happen word internally, but can occur across word boundaries.

Phonotactics
The syllablestructure is extremely simple with.

(C)(J)V(Q)

Whereby C = Consonant, J = semivowel, Q = Coda.

Onsets
Simple Onsets w-onsets y-onsets

Writing System
Mintinai uses two writing systems in concert, an ideographical for words and an additional alpha-syllabary for marking of grammatical function and definiteness.

The following correspondence between letters and sounds is for the romanisation of the language's script. The coda /Q/ is written with the same glyph as the following obstruent or as  preceding (semi-)vowels. /N/ is written as  ( preceding (semi-)vowels,  preceding /m/) and /L/ as  preceding /r/ and as  everywhere else ( preceding (semi-)vowels).

Nouns
Nouns are ordered in three classes---order, chaos, void---each of which takes different verbs. Nouns are indeclinable and are marked grammatically by a post-positioned particles. If you want to show you are speaking about one man, and not an indeterminate amount of men, you would preposition the ordinal of the word for one (in) to man (mox) to get intyai mox ([ĩntɕäj mo̞x]) 'a/one man'.

Example text
Sen-tyai ukke-ko tantuyui-ta.

Da-syoo-mi-tyai kwitukai.

''Taa... botto-ko tantuyui-ta.''

''Botto-ko tantuyui-koto. Tun karakarai-koto. Tusitana-ko ikkino toxarai-koto.''

Tunsitunsi, da-natta.

Keo, lyuu, danerue-natta.

--- pronunciation ---

[se̞ntɕaj ʔʉkːe̞ko̞ täntsʉjʉjtä]

[däɕo̞ːmʲitɕäj k(ʷ)its(ʉ)käj]

[täː bo̞tːo̞ko̞ täntsʉjʉjtä]

[bo̞tːo̞ko̞ täntsʉjʉjko̞to̞ | tsʉŋ käɾäkäɾäjko̞to̞ | tsʉɕ(i)tänäko̞ icːino̞ to̞xːäɾäjko̞to̞]

[tsʉnɕ(i)tsʉnɕi dänätːä]

[ke̞o̞ lʲʉː däne̞ɾʉe̞nätːä]

--- literal translation ---

how-many-(counter for people) enemy-ko there-is-ta?

Twenty-seven-(counter for people) see-(potential).

So... plan-ko there-is-ta?

Plan-ko there-is-koto! Simply be-smart-(imperative)-koto. Them-ko one-by-one kill-(imperative)-koto.

Easy-peasy is-natta.

Yeah, sure, is-(subjunctive)-(negative)-natta.

--- semantical translation ---

"How many enemies are there?"

"I can see twenty-seven."

"So... do you have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan! We will just have to be smart. Kill them one after another."

"Easy peasy, right?"

"Yeah, sure, why not."