Min

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Classification and Dialects
Min is a constructed language based on the five languages of the seventeen tribes of min, each tribes has their own dialect of standard min.

Phonotactics
(C)V(N)


 * C = m n ng b d g v z dz j dj zh h l
 * V = i ü u é e o a ö
 * N = n ng

Timing and Stress
Syllable-timed

Writing System
Min uses its own writing system alongside an adapted Chinese script

Cases
Plurality(end) - Also for Adjectives



Subject Agreement (1p=我, 2p=你, 3p=它)

Cases
Common Verb Endings Tenses (Past = 过, future = 未) (1p=我, 2p=你, 3p=它)

Basic Order
OV(S)

DO-Particle-IO-Particle-verb-(Subject-(Particle))

Adjectives
before nouns

Adpositions
Postpositions but often dropped

eg. “léi lé li”/“人侬石”(person (PS) rock) = “person at rock”, in a sentence, “uni ga édané léi lé li”/“走主是人侬石”(walk (DO) is person (PS) rock) = “the person at the rock is walking”

eg. “ganada dia gélö lé”/“ganada副来我”(Canada (IO) come (Pronoun-1pNn)) = “I come from Canada” vs. “ganada uni dia gélö lé”/“ganada副走我”(Canada walk (IO) come (Pronoun-1pNn)) = “I come to Canada”

eg. “da lidinogi ga le dia djila”/“大书它主我副给过”(big book-(3p) (DO) (Pronoun-1pNn) (IO) give-(past)) = “He gave the big book to me”

vs. “da lidinogi ga le gé dia djila”/“大书它主我从副给过”(big book-(3p) (DO) (Pronoun-1pNn) from (IO) give-(past)) = “He gave the big book from me/I gave the big book to him”

vs. “da lidinogi le gé ga lodi dia djila”/“大书它我从主lodi副给过”(big book-(3p) (Pronoun-1pNn) from (DO) Lodi (IO) give-(past)) = “He gave the big book from me to Lodi”

Possession
Possessor before possesee

Auxiliary verbs
go after main verbs

Demonstratives
goes before nouns

Relative clause
goes before nouns

Particles and postpositions
lü - 之 - Possessive Particle

ga - 主 - Direct Object Marker

dia - 副 - Indirect Object Marker

lé - 侬 - Person Subject Marker

li - 牠 - Ambiguous Subject Marker

gé - 从 - From

un - 到 - To(Placial)

dji - 至 - To(Give)

du - 以 - as

Pronouns
Pronouns are only used when subject agreement on the object is not specific enough, or when there is no direct object.

(N, M, F speaker. n, m, f, referent) Note. M, m; F, f; do not necessarily reflect one’s gender. eg. F,f; other than feeling feminine, can also feel childish, thus people would use the Ff pronoun to give the feeling of childishness. Due to the historic discrimination against women in this culture, a lot of modern women have tured to only using the Nn to refer to themselves.

Proper nouns
Min(M) - means people, now refers to people of the confederation of the tribes - borrowing - 民

Adverbs/Adjectives
Have to agree with their nouns, for verbs, use basic form(bold)

Conjunctions
du - as - 以

be - and - 和

bu - but - 但

Numerals
Base 6 -

Others
Determiners

Example text
“I gave the big book to him” talking to a friend childish(level 2) - “da lidin ga ja dia djila la” - (big book (Direct Object) (Pronoun-3pNm) (Indirect Object) give-(past) (Pronoun-1pFf)) - “大书主它副给过我女”