Lefaneie

Lefaneie ([lɛfaɲɛ:]) is a personal artlang created by Hope C. Dixon for her Einea science-fantasy setting, spoken in various forms by different Lefan-descended peoples throughout Einean history. Earlier and later forms will be touched on, but the majority of what will be discussed here concerns Old Lefan, spoken from the late days of Einea's middle age until the cataclysm of the Sudden Shock which began the Lus Desper movement and the current, modern era.

Consonants

 * 1) /n/ becomes [ɲ] before... something. Gotta figure that out.
 * 2) All stops are slightly aspirated - less so than English, but more so than Spanish.
 * 3) /k/ becomes [x] after back vowels [u, ɒ].
 * 4) /s/ becomes [ʃ] before the lateral approximant [l].

Vowels
2. /ɪ/ is the usual realisation of /i/.
 * 1) The vowel clusters, , , , <üiü>, and the  cluster equivalent, <ï>, sound as [ɛʔɛ], [aʔa], [ɒʔɒ], [uʔu], [yʔy] and [ɪʔɪ] respectively. These are known as 'person clusters,' after , meaning 'person.'
 * This differs in final position, when person clusters become long versions of the first vowel, e.g. is pronounced [ɛ:].
 * This also differs when words are only two syllables long, both being part of the person cluster - in this case, [j] sounds after [ʔ]. For example,, 'man,' is [nɛʔjɛ].
 * Central vowels /a, ɐ, ə/ that occur after frontal person clusters -, <üiü> and <ï> - are reduced.

Phonotactics
Lefaneie syllables follow a (C) V (C) structure, with these stipulations:
 * Onset (C) can be any consonant.
 * V can be any vowel.
 * Coda (C) can be any consonant except laterals, /l, ɬ, ɮ/ velar plosives, /k, g/ bilabial plosives /p, b/ and the alveolar tap /ɾ/.

Adjectives
The infix -ipe- will transform a noun into an adjective, e.g. xaie,  'injury,' becomes xaipe,  'in an injured state.' This can be combined with the past-tense suffix -ele to create xaipele, meaning 'the state of being injured in the past.'

Adverbs
The -ipe- infix can also be used to convert nouns that represent numbers (e.g. one, four) into quantitative adverbs - for example, fa,  'one,' with an adjectivising infix, becomes fipea,  'once.'

Verbs
The prefix i- will transform a noun into a verb. For example, ren,  'thought, wish,' becomes iren,  'to think.'

Syntax
Lefaneie is typically SOV, but due to the fact that it has subject and object markers and a consistent placement of adjectives/adverbs relative to nouns/verbs, Lefaneie syntax can be quite fluid within clauses. The SOV format is broken in order to place emphasis on different parts of a clause.

Here is an example of syntax shifting within a glossed sentence.

Aurin    ła     ukaxa     e        po       leos-ele       łatese   oine.

Aurin   SBJ  musket   DEF  OBJ    shoot-PST   sky       within.

Aurin ła ukaxa e po leosele łatese oine.

Aurin fired the musket into the air.

Ukaxa e po Aurin ła leosele łatese oine.

Aurin fired the musket into the air.

Leosele łatese oine Aurin ła ukaxa e po.

Aurin fired the musket into the air.