Miao

Classification and Dialects
Miao is a cat language

Consonants
Cats can't control their throat well enough to stop voicing, so all of the phonemes end up voiced.

Also, they have a distinction between velar trills and fricatives, that are difficult for humans to hear and discern. The hissing soun cats make is maded through the glotis, although is represented by s.

Vowels
Vowels in Miao are a rare occurrence, cats can't control their voice but they can control the position of their jaw, this presents as a paradigm between w and y in initial and final position of the nucleus, and they can also control the extent at which they open their mouth, creating 2 levels of maximum openness.

There are some addings: Every time when a nucleus is alone, the first i is replaced with an y, same with u and w. also whenever labials are followed by uao or uai, it shortens them to ao [aŏw] or ai [aĕj], the same happens with palatals and iao or iai

Onset
N is pronounced ɲ if the next vowel is an j, and n, in other cases

L is pronounced n̪ if the next vowel is an j and l innother cases

Coda
L can never be a coda.

N is always pronounced as ŋ.

Phonotactics
(C)N(c), dn(c).

C: everyone c: v, z, s, j, x, q, r, n. d: b, d, dz, c, g. n: i, u, iu, ui

Grammar
Miao is kinda isolating because the syllable structure impedes mayor changes, however it has some afixes in the form of added sylables.

Nouns
Nouns can be of one of 5 genders:


 * Pyral: Inanimate Gases, thing implicit like gas or spread like gas


 * Hydral: Inanimate Liquids, Living beings, things that can move


 * Terral: Inanimate Rocks, things that cannot move, traditions.


 * Artemisal: Femenine


 * Helial: Masculine, Neutral

There are 4 numbers: Singular, Paucal, Plural, Collective. The number never is marked in the noun, it is marked in the article

Pronouns
In the pronouns, there are only 2 numbers: Singular & Plural, the only time there isn't 5 genders is the 1st Person Singular "Jao"

Cases
Miao has cases, but they are only used when needing to convey specific roles.

Adjectives
Adjectives come after the nouns they modify

The particle Dzuao are used with the Comparative to form the superlative, and with the Negative Comparative to form the sublative.

Verbs
Verbs perse, doesnt exist, instead Adjectives are used as the gerund and affixed to the Patient or Object

Xiao - Walking Jao Xiao - I'm Walking (SV)

Also, the language hasn't a copula.

Cao Duouv Riou'wou LIT.: 2.P.S.T box heavy - +.T (There is no copula) The box is heavy

The "verbs" can appear in other grade than positive, Bi- makes the negative

Syntax
Complements usually come in this form:

There are 3 types of groups: Nominal, Predicate and Complement Group. The standart intransitive sentence has at least a predicate group, a transitive sentence, needs a nominal group afterwards as the subject, a ditransitive needs another nominal group with the dative case as the Benefitiary or Indirect Subject/Object. In all 3 cases, before and after complement groups can be used.

Numbers
Cats have 4 nails in each paw and 4 paws, therefore, Miao has a base-4 number system

The word for 1 also means nail and the word for 10 is also paw