Ke

General information
Ke (or Kel) is a Conlang i have been working on for some time. It is designed to be rather alien to humans. More comming soon

Phonology
Ke has a large consonant inventory, roughly compareable to the ones found in Native American and Caucasian Languages. Uncommon features are the pharyngealed consonants (all but Affricates can be pharyngealized), the distinction between dental and alveolar consonants and the uvular lateral fricative, which does not occure in any language of this world, as far as I know.

1.Consonants
1. Uvular Consonants may become pharygneal in front of back vowels

2. Free Allophones of ɹ and  ɹˁ

3. Free Allophone of ɹ/ ɹˁ  in fast Speech

4. Free Allophone of β / βˤ  in fast Speech

2.Vowels
1.Considered Archaic

2.Occurs only in loanwords

4.Phonotactics
The syllable stucture in Ke is C(A)V(V)(A)(C), where A is any alveolar consonant. If A appears in penultimate position, it cannot occure in secondary position, and via versa - So CAVC and CVAC both are possible, but not CAVAC.

Grammar
Nouns:

Noun Class and  Definiteness:
Kel Nouns are divided into 8 Noun Classes and 4 Grades. The Classes are similar to those in Bantu and Northeast Caucasian Languages, while the Grades take the purpose of articles in English. They are applied with suffixes.

The Noun classes are: Augmentative (1), Miscellaneous (2),Natural (3), Personal (4), Artifical (5), Places (6), Abstract (7), Diminutive (8).

I write the classes as roman numbers and the grades as letters in gloss(e.g |||.b)

The Grades and the fitting suffixes for the noun classes are:

The indefinite Grade [a] is used the same way as the English article a or the German ein(e):

Example: tyeseir = a cat
 * Augmentative: -l
 * Miscellaneous: -k
 * Natural: -r
 * Personal: -(t)
 * Artifical: -m
 * Places: -tu
 * Abstract: -z
 * Diminutive: -ai

The definite Grade [b] is used the same way as the English article the or the German der/die/das (though not inflected by case):

Example: tyesein = the cat
 * Augmentative: -tl/ƛ
 * Miscellaneous: -b
 * Natural: -n
 * Personal: -sy
 * Artifical: -m
 * Places: -va
 * Abstract: -d
 * Diminutive: -hen

The interrogative Grade [c] is used the same way as the English clitic which:

Example: tyeseiŕan = which cat?
 * Augmentative: -slan
 * Miscellaneous: -han
 * Natural: -ŕan
 * Personal: -can
 * Artifical: -na
 * Places: -svan
 * Abstract: -çan
 * Diminutive: -ayan

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px0px10px;box-sizing:border-box;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px0px10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The retroflexive Grade [d] has no clear counterpart in english, the closest thing would be the word very (his very teeth). It indicates focus on the word:

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px;box-sizing:border-box;">Example: tyeseinom = the very cat/this cat
 * Augmentative: -tlom/ƛom
 * Miscellaneous: -pom
 * Natural: -nom
 * Personal: -syom
 * Artifical: -mo
 * Places: -vhom
 * Abstract: -çom
 * Diminutive: -kkom

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px;box-sizing:border-box;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:0px;box-sizing:border-box;">

Case System:
<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">Where indo-european Languages change the ending of nouns and Uralic languages use suffixes to indicate case, Kel uses metathesis and infixes.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The basic syllable structure for nouns in the ergative case is CV<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">1 C.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">Now, to use this word in any other of the four cases, we change the syllable structure to V<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">1 CV<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">2 C.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">V<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">2  is an infix vowel, that changes based on the vowel it replaces and the used case.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">For example, the noun her(a dog) becomes ehir in the absolutive case, with the infix i, while the word lyein (the heart) becomes eilyen in the absolutive case, with the infix e.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">Besides Ergative and Absolutive Case, Kel also uses a Locative and a Dative Case.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">Now on to the individual cases:

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The Ergative Case: This Case is the default case, it is used for the subject in transitive sentences. The syllable structure stays CV<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">1 C and no vowel is infixed.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The Absolutive Case: This Case identifies the object of a transitive sentence. Unlike the Ergative Case, it uses Metathesis and vowel infixing.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The Locative Case: Used the same way as the english word “in”, also basis for all place related particles(e.g man = within).

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">The Dative Case: Same as the dative Case in German or the english clitic “to”, but can also be a substitute for the Genitive Case.

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">Kel divides words into five groups, based on their man vowel (V<sub style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;">1 ), each with different infix vowels: <p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">A few examples:

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">hen : the dog (Ergative)  =>  ehain : to the dog (Dative)

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">zosden : the meat (Ergative)  =>  ozuesden : in the meat (Locative)

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">kúltyhun : the neck (Ergative) => úkeltyhun : the neck(Absolutive)

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">lyein : the heart (Ergative)  =>  eilyain : in the heart (Locative)

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">mau : the liege (Ergative) =>  aumó : to the liege (Dative)

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;">

Number:
<span style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">Kel has four grammatical numbers: singular, dual, plural, and total (all x).

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">Number is inflected in 3 different ways:

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">

<p style="outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">Inanimate Nouns in the ergative case: <p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">
 * Vowel Harmony applies <p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">Animate Nouns in the ergative case:

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;outline:none0px;-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px;">Nouns in all other cases:

Possesion:

Possesion is marked by infixes, which are placed past the first syllable. Ke distinguishes alienable from inalienable possession. Example: pïsam = house, pïlosam = my house (alienable possession) || l'ïn = the heart, l'ïdän = my heart (inalienable possession)