Fèngë

Vowels
* Usually [ɘ].

Vowels can be nasalised by putting a ņ after them.

Grammar
Nouns have 5 main cases, 4 secondary cases and a wide pattern of declension. Secondary cases (inessive, lative, ablative, similative) have identical rules for all declensions.

Ending in a consonant, long final vowel
These declensions take -èš in nominative.

Fèngëkòm (Fèngë man/woman)
All other is like the basic declension.

Adjectives
Adjectives decline as nouns.

Adverbs
Adverbs are made by doubling the final consonant (not indicated in writing) and adding an -öš ending. E.g. èn (soft) [ɛn] becomes ènöš ['ɛ.n:ø̞ʃ]. The -èš adjectives drop the -èš ending.

If an adjective ends in a vowel, a -né ending is added instead.

Irregularities:

amál [a.'ma:l] (again), adverbs of time, and adverbs like ödöt (once) are put after the verb.

đebèr [ɟ͡ʝe.'bɛr] - đebèröš ['ɟ͡ʝe.bɛ.r:ø̞ʃ] (fast, quick - fast, quickly)

Verbs
Verbs have 3 conjugations, 3 persons, and different mood markers. The infinitive endings are -čë and -të for intransitive and transitive verbs respectively. Verbs that use other case than accusative (3rd class verbs) carry same mood markers as intransitive verbs.

Mood markers
Verbs have indicative, interrogative, potential, conditional, subjunctive and imperative moods. All of these are expressed by infixes. The subjunctive mood is used to express "if" clauses.

Between two moods (usually any mood with interrogative) a -š- infix is put.

E.g. "will you be able to think?" (think - "műxèčë") is "műxèvošòk?"

The verb "to be"
The verb "to be" (èčë, 3c) is irregular. Between two moods a standard -š- infix is put.

Greetings
Űvèrèdex! - Hello! (lit. I greet!) (formal)

Űvèrök! - Hello!

Èrűdak se'èņtèm! - Goodbye! (lit. Go in peace!) (formal)

Töpök! - Bye!

Ȍfëtén mő èmlatë ëmën! - May our discussion not be foolish!

Èzék _____ - My name is _____ (formal) Èzés kivë? - What's your name? (lit. What your name will be?) (formal)

Xë _____ - I'm _____

Kë xèvëk? - Who you are? (lit. Who will you be?)

Đen èmètéx? - How are you? (lit. How's your life?)

Common phrases
Èbèraņ - on the behalf

Ètèskö - for example

Example text

 * Èþȅsà mòņtȅm èņ sülëvex ërën tüfèrèdèk lővèk mòņdë këm!

[ɛ.θɛ.'sɒ mɔ̃.'tɛm ɛ̃ 'sy.lɘ.βeχ 'ɘ.rɘn 'ty.ɸɛ.rɛ.dɛk 'lø.βɛk 'mɔ̃.dɘ kɘm]

Come here and I'll buy you a cup of best lő here!


 * Èžé ȅt-Fèngëkòmët šümèdöņ èmèrèli èžé ȅt-mȍraņ.

All Fèngë men can speak their language everywhere.


 * Haba šatar èmlë bèk-tüfèrèdèr èm xadaš - bèrèdë mȅtèfi kumȁni.

The new king is way better than the old one - he takes lesser taxes.


 * Vét öl-baben tüketèdë Fèngëmèr èrèpöšòk űtèp büdëdëņtöl. Èbèl Fèngëkòm műxède èl-èmèrèp xašèk èžé ȅt-öpèlaņ.
 * (Attributed to Tarèš of Aréfè, 9th century)

When some foreigner hears the Fèngë language for too long, his ears begin to bleed. But a Fèngë man thinks that his language is the most beautiful in the world.