Tumata

= Phonology =

Consonants
Tumata consists of three voiceless plosives /p t k/, one voiceless frictive /s/, two liquids /ɾ l/, and two nasals /m n/, bringing the total consonant count to eight. However, when spelling the language using Latin orthography, there are an additional seven consonants which would otherwise be marked with diacritics or assumed based on location.

Note the difference between the pronunciation of the letter R when geminated. Singular it is a tap /ɾ/ while geminated it is a trill /r:/. This is similar to the way the letter R is treated in the Spanish language.

There are an additional seven letters which are used in the Latin transcription of Tumata which would not be written in the Tumata orthography, either because they are marked with diacritics or because they are inferred through consonant gradation. Each of the plosives /p t k/ and the frictive /s/ all become voiced /b d g z/ when the rules of consonant gradation apply. Additionally, consonants can be palatalized, in which case they are followed with the letter Y, and labialized, in which case they are followed with the letter W. These would be marked with diacritics. Additionally, a vowel can be aspirated, in which case they are preceded by the letter H. This would also be marked by diacritics.

Consonant Gradation
There are two types of syllables in the Tumata language: open and closed. Open syllables end in a vowel while closed syllables end in a consonant. Consonant gradation takes place on the final syllable if the first letter in that syllable is a plosive or a frictive /p t k s/ and the syllable is closed. The plosive or frictive then becomes voiced (i.e. /p/ becomes /b/, /t/ becomes /d/, /k/ becomes /g/, and /s/ becomes /z/). Gemination is not changed.

Vowels
Tumata consists of eight vowels.

Vowels in Tumata can also be labialized or palatalized, also using the letters W and Y respectively when using the Latin alphabet. This causes them to take the form of diphthongs. For example: aw /ɑu/ ay /ɑi/.

Vowel Harmony
Tumata employs a vowel harmony system based upon frontness. There are three classes of vowels: back /a o u/, neutral /e i/, and front /æ ø v/. When a word contains a back vowel, all vowels in that word will be back, and if it contains a front vowel, all vowels in that word will be front. Neutral vowels do not change, and are transparent, meaning that they do not affect any of the other vowels in any way. Compound words are not subject to vowel harmony. Each back vowel is paired with a front vowel. A is with ɑ, o is with ø, and u is with v.

To demonstrate, the word Tumata consists entirely of back vowels. However, if one of them were to be front, all of the rest would have to be front: Tvmɑtɑ. It is impossible to have, for example, Tvmata, Tvmɑta, Tumɑta, or any other combination thereof.

Phonotactics
Syllables take the form (C) V (C)

=Orthography=

The Tumata alphabet consists of sixteen letters: P T K S R L M N I E A Λ O Ø U V.

When transcribed using the Latin alphabet, there are twenty-three: P T K S R L M N B D G Z W Y H I E A Λ O Ø U V.

=Grammar=

Tumata is an inflectional agglutinative, nominative-accusative, right-branching (though postpositional) language with relatively free word order.

Tumata has three numbers and four persons.

Case
There are sixteen inflected cases for nouns.


 * Nominative/Vocative - This denotes the subject or agent of a verb./This names the addressee.


 * Accusative - This denotes the direct object or patient of a verb.


 * Dative - This denotes the indirect object or recipient of a verb.


 * Genitive - This shows relationship and posession.


 * Partitive - This is used for amounts.


 * Instrumental - by means of, with the aid of


 * Benefactive - for, for the benefit of, intended for


 * Causal - because, because of, due to


 * Comitative - in company of, with


 * Privative - lacking, without


 * Locative - location (in/on/at/between/etc.)


 * Lative - motion to (into/onto/to/etc.)


 * Ablative - motion from (from in/from on/from/etc.)


 * Prolative - motion via (by way of, through)


 * Temporal - time (before/during/after/at)


 * Stative - state (into being/while being/from being/as being)

Tense
There are five inflected tenses for verbs.


 * Past - An action which happened in the past


 * Recentive - An action which just took place


 * Present - An action which is happening or happens


 * Prospective - An action which is about to take place


 * Future - An action which will take place in the future

Aspect
There are five inflected aspects for verbs.


 * Telic - An action which is complete


 * Atelic - An action which is incomplete


 * Progressive - An action which is in progress


 * Frequentative - An action which is repeated


 * Momentane - An action which is single or short lived

Mood
There are nine inflected moods for verbs.

Realis Moods: 
 * Indicative - A statement of fact.


 * Generic - A generic statement of fact. The difference between this and the indicative is the difference between saying "A/The rabit is fast" as opposed to "Rabits are fast"

Irrealis Moods: 
 * Energetic - A statement which the speaker strongly believes or wishes to emphasize.
 * Dubitative - A statement which the speaker doubts, or of which the speaker is uncertain.


 * Potential - A statement which the speaker considers likely or probable.


 * Conditional - A statement whose realization is dependent upon another condition.


 * Desiderative - A statement which expresses the speaker's wishes or desires.


 * Imperative - A statement expressing direct commands, requests, and prohibitions.


 * Interrogative - A yes or no question.

Causativity

 * Anticausative - Forces an object to lose its subject (i.e. The vase broke vs. John broke the vase. The first is an anticausative)

Polarity

 * Negative - Expresses the fact that the verb is not taking place.

Number

 * Singular - One


 * Dual - Two


 * Plural - More than two

Person

 * First Person - I/We


 * Second Person - You/You


 * Third Person - He/She/It/They


 * Fourth Person- One (It is also used to form passive-voice-like statements)

Adverbs
=Sample Translations=