User:The Kaufman/Sandbox/3

Sound inventory
Nasals:  /m n ɲ ŋ (ɴ)/

Stops:  /p t c k q b d ɟ g ɢ (ʔ)/ Fricatives:  /ɸ θ s ʂ x β z ʐ ɣ ɬ (ɕ ʑ ç ʝ)/ Liquids: /r w j ɫ (ʎ~lʲ)/ Affricates:  /ts tʂ/ Vowels: <í ý ú i y u é ő ë o ó ö å a á> /i y u ɪ ʏ ʊ e ø ɘ o o ɔ a ɑ/ All consonants may be geminated, as in the word "ddërråg" /'d:ɘ.r:ɔg/ ("brain"). Geminated initial plosives may be realized as prenasalized.

Phonotactics
Syllable structure is generally (C1)(C2)(C3)V(C3)(C2/C3)(C1), where C1 can be any consonant, C2 is a consonant which isn't equal to C1 and doesn't differ in voicing, C3 is a liquid, (same with the (C2/C3) in the coda) and V is a vowel or a dipththong.

If there's a three-consonant cluster in the syllable onset, liquids are only permitted as C3. If there's a two-consonant cluster in the onset, liquids are permitted as both consonants, but /l/ isn't permitted as C1.



Stress
Accented (long) vowels are always stressed. If there's more than two accented vowels, stress falls on the last one. <ë å> can be also stressed if there's no accented vowels in a word. Otherwise, stress falls on the first syllable of the last word root.

Allophony
Before stressed front vowels and /j/, such changes occur:

/s ʂ ts tʂ/ > /ɕ/; /z ž r/ > /ʑ/; /x/ > /ç/; /ɣ/ > /ʝ/; /ɫ/ > /ʎ~lʲ/; /t k q/ > /c/; /k g ɢ/ > /ɟ/

Before /ɑ:/, all palatals become velar and retroflex consonants become alveolar in some cases.

Most voiceless plosives at the beginning of a syllable are realized as aspirated and most voiceless plosives at the end of a word or before a pause are realized as lengthened.

Grammar
The grammar of is rather unusual for an English speaker (or a speaker of most "normal" languages), e.g. there's no true personal pronouns, a lot of polysynthesis, etc.

Declension 1
zëɣuwáx "axe", /zɘ.ɣʊ'wɑx~zu:wɑx/, changes to zëɣuw(á)ɣ- and zëɣuw(á)k-

* Absolutive case is frequently used as intransitive.

* A noun in the genitive case is used for comparisons. The true genitive case is expressed by adding a n- prefix to a noun in genitive case, e.g. ... zëɣuwɣåk (more ... than an axe) and ... nzëɣuwɣåk (... of an axe)

Almost all declensions require stem changes in almost all cases(, so be ready).