Wolflandic

Wolflandic, natively called Naguuxiti, is a constructed language that is mainly artistic, but it functions similarly to a natural language on Earth. It is not related to any real language, being an isolate, though it's heavily inspired by Eskimo-Aleut languages, mainly Greenlandic.

Many of Wolflandic's features pertaining to its phonology and grammar are commonly attested in Eskimo-Aleut languages, such as polysynthetic morphology, noun incorporation, inflected verbs, and rare phonemes such as /ɬ/ and /q/. However, Wolflandic was made to be unique, distinguishing itself from languages like Greenlandic, as there is a lack of case marking, which is unlike Eskimo-Aleut, but common among polysynthetic languages. Wolflandic is also unique for having OVS word order, where the direct object is attached to the verb as a prefix while the more salient argument, typically the subject, comes after the verb in its oblique form.

History
The project began in May or June of 2016. This version was natively called Lupölandïxe and it was featured in Jan Milsali's seventh episode of Conlang Critic. Being the first version and the first conlang by Ian Foster, it was rather poorly made and did not resemble Eskimo languages in the slightest. Since then, Wolflandic has been iterated multiple times and was completed in 2021.

Consonants
The newest version of Wolflandic features a consonant (and vowel) inventory that is very similar to that of Eksimo languages, despite the inclusion of a uvular nasal /ɴ/, the labialized velar approximant /w/, and no labial fricatives /v~f~β~ɸ/. Other than that, Wolflandic's consonant inventory is rather balanced and far more minimal than Lupölandïxe 's.


 * /ɴ/ does not occur word-initially and merges with /ŋ/ in that environment.
 * /q/ tends to be aspirated either word-initially or in all environments.
 * /s/ is almost always pronounced with a laminal articulation, [s̻~ɕ], though it's realized as apical [s̺~ʂ] after /t/.
 * /ɬ/ and /l/ are normally apical, but can be realized as laminal [ɬ̻] and [l̻] after /i/ or /j/.
 * /χ/ is voiced, [ʁ] in between voiced segments: the only voicing within obstruents.
 * /w/ tends to be more fronted as [w̟] before /i/ or /j/.

Vowels
Wolflandic features a basic three vowel system of /i/, /u/, and /a/ with no length distinctions or tones. Being part of a small inventory, each vowel is subject to many different changes, depending on the word environment or dialect.


 * /i/ can vary between [i] and [ɪ]: always [ɪ] word-finally.
 * /u/ can either be [u] or [ʊ]: always [ʊ] word-finally.
 * /a/ is mostly centralized as [ä] or [ɐ]: it's reduced to [ə] word-finally.
 * Vowels are shifted before uvulars: /i/, /u/, and /a/ are realized as [e], [o], and [ɑ] before /ɴ/, /q/, or /χ/.
 * /u/ and /a/ are fronted to [ʉ] and [æ] before /j/.

It's important to note that so-called double vowels, as in Naguuxiti, are not long vowels, but rather separate syllables.

Diphthongs
Wolflandic has two simple diphthongs, /aj/ and /aw/. Note that /a/ in /aj/ is phonetically realized as [æj] while /aw/ is [äw~ɐw].

Orthography
Wolflandic's orthography consists of 18 letters, one per phoneme, as it's mostly phonemic. There are no digraphs that represent a single phoneme, therefore /ŋ/ is transcribed as g and not ng. Note that Wolflandic letters are written in italics.

When reading and writing in Wolflandic, iy and uw never appear. The added /j/ or /w/ in gliding vowels are not phonetically written, therefore, ia is /ia/ [ija] and ua is /ua/ [uwa].

Phonotactics
Wolflandic's structure of syllables is very reminiscent to that of Eskimo-Aleut languages. Syllables can be no longer than CVC with at least one obligatory vowel. A word-initial consonant can be any except the uvular nasal /ɴ/. Word-final consonants can either be /n/, /t/, /p/, /k/, /j/, or /w/. When compared to Inuit languages, Wolflandic is unique for having a contrast between word final /n/ and /t/.

Double vowels are analyzed as separate syllables, which is more inline with geminated consonants. Besides vowels, sounds that can be geminated are /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /p/, /t/, /k/, and /l/. Uvulars cannot occur as geminates or in clusters.

Geminated consonants and geminated vowels occur over syllable boundaries. The coda consonant that precedes another is ofter subject to regressive assimilative, having the the same place of articulation as the trigger of assimilation. For example, wakkan /wakkan/ 'red' + kiłu /kiɬu/ 'blue' = wakkagkiłu /wakkaŋkiɬu/ 'purple,' where word-final /n/ in wakkan turns into [ŋ] before /k/. These types of changes are written in orthography.

Morphophonology
The table below demonstrates all permitted clusters, geminates, and sound changes that are as a result of certain morphophonological processes as mentioned above. This is worth noting, as Wolflandic has an extensive use of affixation. Wolflandic has both prenaslized stops and prestopped nasals.

All sound changes
All of Wolflandic's sound changes are listed below in chronological order.


 * x χ → k q / C_ ! {j w}_
 * j w → ∅ / _{x χ}
 * ɬ s → tɬ ts / n_
 * n → l / _l
 * ɴ q ij uw → ŋ qʰ j w / #_
 * i u → j w / a_# or V_V
 * i u → ij uw / C_V ! C_[same vowel]
 * n {t k} → m p / _{m p}
 * {p k} → t / _{n t ɬ l s}
 * l → ɬ / t_
 * n {p t} → ŋ k / _{ŋ k}
 * {n p t k j} → ∅ / _{ɴ q}
 * n t tɬ ts ɬ l → n̺ t̺ t̺ɬ̺ t̺s̺ ɬ̺ l̺
 * ɬ̺ l̺ → ɬ̻ l̻ / {i j}_V
 * i u a → e o ɑ / _{ɴ q χ}
 * χ → ʁ / V_V
 * i u a → ɪ ʊ ə / _#
 * q s a → {q~qʰ} {s̻~ɕ} {ä~ɐ} / else