Me-inj

Setting
Me-inj [reads ‘me-in'’; IPA məʔinʲ]. It is spoken by several ethnicities as a lingua franca, but the title nation is the me-hén [IPA məhæn] people.

The culture of Me-hen people is based on the earlier No and (partitially) earliest Gjénjkylfi [gʲe̞nʲkylʲɸɨ] cultures. The influence of sophisticated No culture is huge, although it does not spread on religious and daily life. Gjénjkylfi culture was the soil for Mehen people to develop, so Gjenjkylfi's influence included family ceremonies, several basic word roots and the form of traditional house.

Consonants
Note: every consonant except t͡ʃ and ŋ can be palatized. In orthography it is indicated by adding a j to the consonsnt: [mä] → [mʲä]. It does not affect vowels: ‘soft’ [i] vowel does not palatize ‘hard’ [m] consonant itself. To have a syllable reading like English ‘ni’ you must write ‘nʲi’ (or njí). Syllable ‘ní’ reads [ni], not [nʲi].

Orthography


 * ʔ = ? (must be written everywhere, especially at the beginning of a syllable starting with vowel: [ʔan] = ?an).


 * t͡s = c


 * d͡ʑ = dz


 * t͡ʃ = x


 * ʁ, ɾ, l = rh, r, l


 * ŋ = n (because it occurs only after vowels )


 * ɸ = f


 * ɯ = w


 * pʰ, tʰ, kʰ = ph, th, kh


 * tʷ, kʷ = tw, kw


 * (any consonant)ʲ = (any consonant)j

Dialectal:
 * N-C-S: x → h → Ø (no sound): hʲin {xʲin, hʲin, in}; ?in {ʔin}
 * N-C: hʷ → h (in open syllables): haj {hʷaj, haj}
 * N-C-S: r → ɾ → l: lél {re̞lʲ, ɾe̞lʲ lʲe̞lʲ}
 * C-S: ʁ → x: dʲyr {dʲyʁ, dʲyx}

Vowels
Orthography

Basic Grammar
Questionning

Simple questions are formed by adding «a» particle to the end of the sentence:

top a [mə·ʔinʲ·ʔɔ] «Cloud?»

Plain requesting also uses «a», but with lowering tone:

twené à [tʷə·ne̞·ʔɔ˥˨] «[Go] There! [now!]»

Dictionary
na = human being; i-na = male, nju-na = female

den = speak, speech

deen = wilt; deen to-i = poet. summer

kwotop = raincloud (also a name)