Newwang

General information
Newwang (/nuˈ(w)aŋ/ natively Nèuwaŋ [n̪əʊ̯˥˧wæ̃˧˩]) is the most spoken language of Manjinga (Mānwar). It is also widely spoken and taught in several other nations and by the Manjingan diaspora, making it one of the most spoken languages on Patrona.

It is a descendant of Old Manjingan.

Consonants

 * The retroflex consonants /ɳ/, /ʈ/, and /ʂ/ are neutralized with their dentialveolar counterparts when syllable final, in free variation and tending to shift to either one or the other depending on the surrounding consonants.
 * The phoneme /ŋ/ may only be found in the coda, and surfaces as nasalization of the preceding vowel.
 * The labial fricative [f] only appears in the coda, and the labial plosive [p] only syllable initially, thus classifying them as one archiphoneme /p/ is most useful.

Diphthongs
All diphthongs are closing and most of the first parts to the diphthongs cannot be vowels on their own.

Sandhi

 * tone pair: resulting contour
 * 2nd-1st: 44-31
 * 4th-1st: 53-31
 * 4th-2nd: 53-33
 * 1st-2nd: 22-33

Phonotactics
Syllables consist of an initial and a rime, coupled with a tone. This gives 8,284 unique possible syllables.

Initials

 * Initials with /w/ do not occur with high vowel rimes (the third through sixth, ninth, and last rows in the following chart).
 * /ʂ/, /ʂw/, and /sl/ don't occur with tones 2 or 4.

Particles
Noun phrases are always capped by either a verb (as a verbal object) or a particle.

Classifiers
All determiners must be separated from the noun they modify with a closed class of classifiers, some of which have meaning on their own. An example is kìm, the general classifier for people, which can mean "person" though with an academic tone.

Classifiers can be used on their own as a marker of plurality, though only on nouns referring to people. An example would be kìm Mānwaryìŋ "Manjingans".

Classifiers can also be used as 3rd person pronouns, though ones referring to people have a pejorative meaning. For example, kìm can be used as a pejorative animate 3rd person pronoun.

Some classifiers:


 * kìm people
 * ki sheets

Demonstratives
PROX: sìe

DIST: síe

Reduplication
Full reduplication is used for various grammatical purposes. With verbs, reduplication produces a continuative or iterative meaning. And with adjectives, it produces an intensive or superlative meaning.

Syntax
Unmarked word order is SXOV (the X referring to an indirect object). When objects are topicalized, they are moved to the beginning of the sentence and lose any particles.


 * ex. Síe ki ţu ņíe was ţī.
 * gloss: DIST CL book TOP inspire.awe EMPH
 * English: That book was awesome!

Relative clauses are indicated with the relative pronoun slì.

Comparison
Neutral comparison is achieved using the comparative copula ' şak ' and the essive marker ' kwè ' in the following formula:


 * subject nā object kwè şak adjective.
 * ex. Ta nā kìm kwè şak was.
 * gloss: 2.ORD NOM 3.PEJ ESS COMP.COP inspire.awe
 * English: You are just as awesome as them.

Negation
The negative adverb māŋ is placed before a verb to indicate negation.

Questions
A yes-no question take the form of a normal sentence ended with the interrogative particle ké.

To answer affirmatively, simply repeat the verb or adjective. To answer negatively, use the negative adverb māŋ.

Pragmatic particles
cur marks dispreferreds

ī expresses recognition, agreement, or regret

ie stalls for time or holds the conversational floor

rìm ņíe introduces a new topic

Other particles emphasize relevance, express surprise, request politely, or warn/remind/advise/judge.

Verbs of motion
Verbs of motion distinguish two things: whether the movement is towards or away from the direct object, and whether the movement is a reversal of a previous movement or not.


 * rìm "go/come towards"
 * sé "go/come away from"
 * yà "return towards"
 * sūt "return from"

Metaphor systems
Wisdom is light


 * lie láu "brighten" > "explain"
 * sìr "shining" > "intelligent"
 * lie las "darken" > "obfuscate"

Romance is conquest


 * hwat mwáŋ "conquer" > "seduce"
 * pēçén "soldier" > "casanova"

A building is a body


 * les "arm" > "wing"
 * nis "back"
 * mèi "fist" > "office"
 * swà "cap" > "roof"

Argument is architecture


 * kīs "shaky" > "weak"
 * riu "structurally sound"
 * şéi "leaky" > "full of holes"
 * puk "palace" > "proof"
 * ţūn "column" > "premise"
 * swà "roof" > "conclusion"
 * míŋ "floor" > "step"

War is a painting


 * ùerí "sketch" > "strategy"
 * pweswàr "brushwork" > "tactics"
 * raf "canvas" > "battlefield"
 * kyūs "paint" > "blood" (a euphemism, the normal word is tlie)

Registers
Newwang is a language with many dialects and registers of speech. The written standard is essentially that of this article, but the writing system, being logographic, doesn't show dialectal differences in phonology.

Colloquial speech (mātés "slang-full") doesn't attempt to conform to the capital's standards, and employs quite a lot of word substitution.


 * yak "baby" > "newbie"
 * ņuecī "cup" > "alcoholic drink"
 * slás "cut" > "shut up"
 * pēhùe "old ones" > "parents"
 * cīk "face" > "mouth"

Scholarly or bookish language (hùeţu) borrows old words by their meaning. It finds heavy use in religious and legal documents.

Directions
Intermediate directions are compounds: pàţēn "southeast"

Body parts

 * body: ţās
 * iris/pupil: ùemūr
 * hair: şùe
 * cap: swà
 * eye: mūr
 * head/face: cīk
 * ear: hé
 * nose: lār
 * mouth: nla
 * chin: çai
 * chest/neck: pá
 * belly: sla
 * back: nis
 * arm: les
 * elbow: hāf
 * hand: tik
 * back of the hand: pwēf
 * fist/knuckles: mèi
 * fingers: pēhén
 * thumb: clār
 * leg: pēcúe
 * knee: kyú
 * foot: rif
 * toes: ùerif

Kinship

 * parents: hár
 * mother: pēņūs
 * younger sibling (same mother): heu
 * older sibling (same mother): ţat
 * younger sibling (different mother): tāheu
 * older sibling (different mother): tāţat
 * parent’s younger sibling: hárheu
 * parent’s older sibling: hárţat
 * child: súm
 * nibling (younger sibling’s child): ţatsúm
 * nibling (older sibling’s child): heusúm
 * grandparent: hùehár
 * half: wáŋ
 * great: çìe
 * in-law: pie
 * cousin: çèn
 * step: māŋè
 * twin: pelî́

Time
In the Manjingan reckoning, days are divided into four pwár "sections": kén "pre-dawn", tleŋ "morning", slie "afternoon", and húe "post-dusk". Each section is divided into nine míŋ "steps". Finer divisions of time include the rèm "minute" and the kēs "second".

Names
Manjingan given names are always two characters long. A full name is simply one's own name followed by one's maternal lineage going back to one's great-grandmother.