Aruk

General information
Aruk (Aruk nan otlo [ˈɑˑɺɯk nɑn ˈoˑt͡ɬo]) is a language isolate that employs a multitude of cases and verb forms, but maintains complete regularity. It is largely agglutinative and sentences are head-final.

Phonology
Aruk has a fairly small phonemic inventory. Allophones are in parentheses.

Consonants

 * /n/ becomes palatalized to [ɲ], and becomes velarized [ŋ] before velar consonants and fricatives.
 * /s/ is becomes palatalized to [ɕ].
 * /t͡s/ is becomes palatalized to [t͡ɕ].
 * /h/ becomes labio-palatalized to [ɸᶣ].
 * /h/ becomes palatalized to [ç].
 * /h/ becomes velarized to [x].

Vowels

 * /i/ palatalizes any preceding consonant.
 * /y/ labio-palatalizes any preceding consonant.
 * /ɯ/ velarizes any preceding consonant.
 * /i/, /y/, and /ɯ/ all act as approximates /j/, /ɥ/, and /ɰ/, respectably, before long vowels and between other vowels.

Stress and Vowel Length
It is standard that the first syllable of a word recieves primary stress, and the vowel of that syllable gets "half long" vowel length /ˑ/, unless: Vowels written twice are pronounced as long /ː/.
 * that vowel exhibits full length /ː/, ( oo pi [ˈoːpi]).
 * that vowel acts as an approximate, (iuura [ˈjɯːɺɑ]).

Phonotactics
General syllable structure is (C)V(C) or GN, where: Some exceptions:
 * C is any consonant.
 * V is any vowel.
 * G is a glottal stop /ʔ/.
 * N is a syllabic nasal.
 * 1) A word cannot begin with /ʔ/ if it begins with a (C)V(C) syllable. ( ‘ am)
 * 2) A syllable cannot end in /ʔ/. (ka ‘ )
 * 3) GN syllables cannot follow a syllable that ends in a consonant. (hat ‘n )

Nouns
Nouns are declined by use of suffixes according to their number and case. There are 2 numbers (singular and plural) and 17 cases.

Number
A noun is made plural with a suffix. These suffixes depend on the corresponding case to which the noun belongs. A noun ending in a vowel gets the -m suffix, and a noun ending in any consonant gets the -üm suffix. The siffixes for the rest of the cases are listed below.

Pronouns
Pronouns are also declined according case. They are classified by number, person, formality for second-person singular, and clusivity for first-person plural. There is also a "zero-person" pronoun that acts similarly to the English word "one", but does not carry the same academic tone.

Adjectives
Adjectives, like all modifying words in Aruk, typically go right before the word or group of words that they modify. In between the adjective and the noun is the particle nan. Unlike most languages with extensive case systems, adjectives do not decline in any way. Verbs acting as a participle adjective, however, do need to be conjugated to their paticiple form.

Adverbs
There are two classes of adverbs in Aruk. Adverbs that modify adjectives, other adverbs, determiners, noun phrases, and prepositions use the ken particle. Adverbs that modify verbs, clauses, and sentences use kem.

Verbs
All verbs in Aruk end in -a. They take different suffix endings according to the following forms:

Copula Deletion
Sentences using the copula, ta, usually remove the verb if the sentence is an informal statement or a polar (yes or no) question.

Syntax
It is most common for words to be in SOV order, but there are no strict rules. Other common word orders include:
 * VSO for questions and poetry.
 * SVO for songs.

Example text
“I felt that I was not, never had been and never would be a living part of this overpoweringly solid and deeply meaningful world around me.”

— A Separate Peace by John Knowles

“Apau iuuranüö mu apau tanüöke, honoie nan tsü‘n kina kotoonenemai ken sötö ame sëtë‘nte ken tarapniis nan ketëin ohüs apau‘ëtsët keie kem tanüötl ame keie kem tasaats.”

— Tsüüskar nan A‘an John Knowles-n