Saidama (Dryadic language)

Saidama, more correctly spelled Ssa e-dama (literally: language of the mulberry [people]), is spoken by various Dryadic tribes that inhabit the flooded forests and mangrove-like swaps of Tantah (on Dartea). They live in the canopy (hence, they are dryads, also known as arboreal folk) and they are known for trading large quantities of mulberries. Mulberries are a status symbol in Saidamic communities; their elders wear necklaces made of dried mulberries. A handful of Saidamic tribes live in small thalassocracies on the litoral Tantah and they trade in coastal herbs and salt.

Consonants
notes:

b = /b/

bh = /v/ ([ʋ] for some speakers)

d = /d/

dh = /ð/ ([z] word-finally)

z = /z/

f = /f/

fh = /ɸ/

h = /ɦ/

k = /k/

k' = /kh/

kh = /x/

g = /ɡ/

g' = /gh/

gh = /ɣ/

Ğğ = /ʁ/ (silent word-finally)

x = /ç/ (silent at the beginning and end of words)

l = /l/

ll = /ʎ/ (ʎ~l̠ʲ)

ls = /ɬ/

m = /m/

n = /n/ (/ŋ/ before velars and after /u/ and /o/)

ŋ = /ŋ/

nn = /ɲ/ (ɲ~n̠ʲ)

s = /s/

y = /j/

y = /ɥ/ (ɥ~jʷ)

y (/j/) palatalises the preceding consonant (similar to the way soft vowels do), e.g. sya- and sä- could be pronounced in the same way (however, sä- can only be [sjɑ-], whereas sya- could be [sja-] in some words.

Non-aspirated velar consonants become labialised before bh (/v/) and u (/u/), so that kbh, gbh, khbh, ghbh and ŋbh, as well as ku, gu, khu, ghu and ŋu are pronounced as [kʷ(u), ɡʷ(u), xʷ(u), ɣʷ(u), ŋʷ(u)] or [kβ̞(u), gβ̞(u), xβ̞(u), ɣβ̞(u), ŋβ̞(u)].

Vowels
Vowel system:

Nouns
notes:

- noun classes as in Bantu langs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun_class#Bantu_languages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant_mutation