Lefaneie

Lefaneie ([lɛfaɲɛ:]) is a personal artlang created by Hope C. Dixon for her Einea science-fantasy setting, spoken in various forms by different Lefan-descended peoples throughout Einean history. Earlier and later forms will be touched on, but the majority of what will be discussed here concerns Old Lefan, spoken from the late days of Einea's middle age until the cataclysm of the Sudden Shock which began the Lus Desper movement and the current, modern era.

Consonants

 * 1) /n/ becomes [ɲ] before front vowels [y, ɛ, ɪ]
 * 2) All stops are slightly aspirated - less so than English, but more so than Spanish.
 * 3) /k/ becomes [x] after back vowels [u, ɒ].
 * 4) /s/ becomes [ʃ] before the lateral approximant [l].

Vowels
2. /ɪ/ is the usual realisation of /i/.
 * 1) The vowel clusters, , , , <üiü>, and the  cluster equivalent, <ï>, sound as [ɛʔɛ], [aʔa], [ɒʔɒ], [uʔu], [yʔy] and [ɪʔɪ] respectively. These are known as 'person clusters,' after , meaning 'person.'
 * This differs in final position, when person clusters become long versions of the first vowel, e.g. is pronounced [ɛ:].
 * This also differs when words are only two syllables long, both being part of the person cluster - in this case, [j] sounds after [ʔ]. For example,, 'man,' is [nɛʔjɛ].
 * Central vowels /a, ɐ, ə/ that occur after frontal person clusters -, <üiü> and <ï> - are reduced.

Phonotactics
Lefaneie syllables follow a (C) V (C) structure, with these stipulations:
 * Onset (C) can be any consonant.
 * V can be any vowel.
 * Coda (C) can be any consonant except laterals, /l, ɬ, ɮ/ velar plosives, /k, g/ bilabial plosives /p, b/ and the alveolar tap /ɾ/.