Meowing Dialect Continuum

Quick Note: This is not canon.

The Meowing Dialect Continuum is the formal name for a group of dialects in the Kranto-Fenikic languages which have a well-defined border with other languages, but have a rather fuzzy internal distinction. These dialects are noted for their emphasis on nasal consonants, including nasal trills, which is what led to their being called the "Meowing Languages".

The proto-language may have been called *Merngem, but it will be referred to from here on as PML, short for Proto-Meowing-Language.

Phonology/Phonotactics/Alphabet
PML and its daughter languages are written in their own scripts, which don't correspond to one another. However, they can all be written in PML romanization, a romanization of all of those language based on extrapolation from sound changes in PML.

All sounds and words in PML are marked with an asterisk, as is customary for proto-languages, while those of its descendants are not.

PML Consonants

This table shows the written extensions used to write current Meowing Languages, with the positions of the current versions of PML sounds marked with asterisks (as they are written in the same way.

Writing System
The daughter languages have their own writing system, but this would cause unnecessary difficulty to reproduce and is not adhered to very much.

Sound Changes
Some of the original vowels of PML went through sound changes in the daughter languages based on the sounds which came after.

Verbs
The unmarked verb is a noun meaning "the act of X".

Adjectives/Adverbs
There is no distinction between adjectives and adverbs other than placement in a sentence. *nyonm vinzai = ignorant man *abyono vinzai = I visit ignorantly.

Sample Words
afrarseʙ /ˈafrarseʙ/ nn. reflection among /ˈamonga/ adj. final anaʙeʀ̃od /ˈanaʙe ʀ̃od/ nm. churn anedrez̃e /ˈaneˌdrez̃e/ nm. moisture anesbon /ˈanesbon/ nm. length aneyar̃ /ˈanejar̃/ nf. sadness, sorrow anvoṽa /ˈanvoṽa/ adv. rather arid /ˈarid/ nn. meat aʀ /aʀ/ pron. you (all) asbag /ˈasbag/ nm. arrival av /av/ adv. sometimes aṽoveʙ /ˈaṽoveʙ/ nm. science az /az/ det. any azof /ˈazof/ nm. vendor baʙ̃ /baʙ̃/ nn. weight bam /bam/ nn. game bangi /ˈbaŋi/ nf. manner barseng /ˈbarseŋ/ nm. evening bav /bav/ v. shoot, blast ʙe /ʙe/ v. be (age) ʙeʙ̃er̃ /ˈʙeʙ̃er̃/ adj. cheap ʙefem /ˈʙefem/ nn. horizon ʙema /ˈʙema/ nf. eyelash ʙendi /ˈʙendi/ v. report, disclose, notify, inform ʙenze /ˈʙenze/ v. exist ʙersaṽ dreda /ˈʙersaṽ ˈdreda/ nf. foil ʙevar /ˈʙevar/ v. embrace ʙezar̃ /ˈʙezar̃/ v. smile, smirk ʙib /ʙib/ nm. sky ʙ̃iʙ̃am /ˈʙ̃iʙ̃am/ adj. tight, tense ʙid /ʙid/ v. discuss ʙ̃ig /ʙ̃ig/ nm. number ʙimi /ˈʙimi/ adj. better ʙ̃ine /ˈʙ̃ine/ v. edit, refine ʙingi /ˈʙingi/ v. cry, shout, weep ʙir /ʙir/ v. must ʙ̃iʀ /ʙ̃iʀ/ nm. program ʙiszoz /ˈʙiszoz/ adv. recently ʙ̃iviv /ˈʙ̃iviv/ v. breathe ʙiz̃ /ʙiz̃/ adj. sharp ʙ̃oʙ̃ /ʙ̃oʙ̃/ v. laugh, chuckle, giggle ʙ̃omba /ˈʙ̃omba/ v. graduate ʙ̃oʀ̃ /ʙ̃oʀ̃/ v. fuck, screw daʙ̃ /daʙ̃/ nf. art deb /deb/ v. find, discover deʙ̃ /deʙ̃/ v. call deda /ˈdeda/ adv. also, as well defezongo /ˈdefeˌzongo/ adj. idiotic degmi /ˈdegmi/ v. compete demi /ˈdemi/ v. copy, imitate, mimic dene /ˈdene/ adj. available denve /ˈdenve/ nm. shoe, boot der̃as /ˈder̃as/ adj. single dersaṽ /ˈdersaṽ/ adj. whole, entire deszimbe /ˈdeszimbe/ adj. lucky deṽo /ˈdeṽo/ nn. south dez̃aʙ̃ /ˈdez̃aʙ̃/ adj. sexual dindoba /ˈdindoba/ adj. last (final) diz̃is /ˈdiz̃is/ v. miss (not hit), miss (not take advantage of) dreʙem /ˈdreʙem/ v. shake drema /ˈdrema/ v. fail drenza /ˈdrenza/ v. bite dresaz̃ /ˈdresaz̃/ nn. west drez̃e /ˈdrez̃e/ adj. wet, damp, moist drid /drid/ num. first dringo /ˈdringo/ v. include dris /dris/ nm. mind, brain e /e/ v. come, become, get, reach eʙ̃ /eʙ̃/ v. shift ed /ed/ nm. night, evening efi /ˈefi/ v. relate einom /ˈeinom/ adj. annual en /en/ nm. face, forehead, side, front, expression enga /ˈenga/ nm. water, rain, sap, glue er̃ /er̃/ v. understand, realize eroz̃i /ˈeroz̃i/ nm. storm eʀ̃aṽ /ˈeʀ̃aṽ/ v. go   esan /ˈesan/ conj. unless evir /ˈevir/ v. define ezar̃ /ˈezar̃/ nf. distance ez̃ifrazam /ˈez̃iˌfrazam/ nn. frost fe /fe/ part. future tense particle fef /fef/ nm. diet fem /fem/ nf. woman fengi /ˈfeŋi/ nm. torch, candle fes /fes/ nm. elbow fez̃ /fez̃/ adv. forever frabden /ˈfrabden/ nf. ring fraʙi /ˈfraʙi/ v. date, go out frag /frag/ nf. top (clothing) frambombi /ˈframbombi/ v. roll, revolve, rotate frar /frar/ nn. ditch frarsiz /ˈfrarsiz/ adv. still fraṽi /ˈfraṽi/ nn. cloth frazin /ˈfrazin/ adj. foreign giʙ̃ombo /ˈgiʙ̃ombo/ nn. fashion gimbim /ˈgimbim/ adj. soft ginge /ˈgiŋe/ v. hit girsov /ˈgirsov/ adj. high giye /ˈgije/ nf. guest, client, patron gizongi /ˈgizoŋi/ nm. path, track, road, direction if /if/ nf. queen infiz̃ /ˈinfiz̃/ v. focus, aim ir̃omba /ˈir̃omba/ nm. stage iyode /ˈijode/ adj. worth mbaʙ /mbaʙ/ adj. delicious mbang /mbaŋ/ pron. someone, somebody mbaz /mbaz/ v. own mbeg /mbeg/ v. expect mbendeʀ̃ /ˈmbendeʀ̃/ v. realize mber̃e /ˈmber̃e/ v. prove mbeṽa /ˈmbeṽa/ nm. human mbez̃es /ˈmbez̃es/ nm. wedding mobe /ˈmobe/ nm. carpet modi /ˈmodi/ nm. board moi /ˈmoi/ nn. farm, pasture, meadow mondeʀ̃ /ˈmondeʀ̃/ nn. journey mor /mor/ v. affect moʀ̃er̃ /ˈmoʀ̃er̃/ nf. erection moỹeya /ˈmoj̃eja/ nm. sewer mra /mra/ pron. they, them (feminine) mrag /mrag/ nf. daughter mras /mras/ adv. yet nab /nab/ nn. ceiling nae ʀ̃anda /ˈnae ˈʀ̃anda/ nm. vocabulary nambe /ˈnambe/ nf. sand nangovar /ˈnangovar/ nm. person naʀ /naʀ/ nf. system nav /nav/ nf. success, benefit, profit nazogi /ˈnazogi/ nf. compliment ngang /ŋaŋ/ nf. degree ngaz /ŋaz/ v. live nger̃ /ŋer̃/ nn. middle class oʙebaʙ̃ /ˈoʙebaʙ̃/ v. weigh oṽenze /ˈoṽenze/ adj. pensive r̃ang /r̃aŋ/ v. rest, relax ri /ri/ prep. with (accompanied by) rif /rif/ nm. neck r̃ir̃i /ˈr̃ir̃i/ nm. age r̃iz̃obez̃ /ˈr̃iz̃obez̃/ v. last, survive r̃of /r̃of/ adv. perhaps r̃ongi /ˈr̃ongi/ nm. music r̃oʀ̃ev /ˈr̃oʀ̃ev/ nf. resident, citizen ʀ̃a /ʀ̃a/ nf. sun ʀ̃aʙ̃em /ˈʀ̃aʙ̃em/ adj. serious, grave, severe ʀ̃am /ʀ̃am/ v. regret ʀ̃ang /ʀ̃aŋ/ adj. next ʀ̃ar̃oba /ˈʀ̃ar̃oba/ adj. fair, just ʀ̃av /ʀ̃av/ det. his, its ʀ̃azem /ˈʀ̃azem/ nf. stuff, property ʀibdoʙon /ˈʀibdoʙon/ nf. hotel, inn, lodge ʀifin /ˈʀifin/ v. support, justify, advocate ʀindo /ˈʀindo/ adj. perfect ʀir /ʀir/ v. kick ʀiṽome /ˈʀiṽome/ num. nine ʀ̃ob /ʀ̃ob/ num. four ʀ̃oʙib /ˈʀ̃oʙib/ nn. earth ʀ̃ogma /ˈʀ̃ogma/ nn. guide ʀ̃ombi /ˈʀ̃ombi/ nn. profit ʀ̃ongi /ˈʀ̃ongi/ nn. weather ʀ̃oʀ /ʀ̃oʀ/ conj. even ʀ̃oṽe /ˈʀ̃oṽe/ adj. right (direction) sbaʙ̃ /sbaʙ̃/ v. show, demonstrate sbob /sbob/ v. appreciate sboʙi /ˈsboʙi/ nf. stream sbomba /ˈsbomba/ adj. fine sbonge /ˈsbonge/ nf. prostitute, whore sbos /sbos/ nf. key sboṽorer /ˈsboṽorer/ adv. aside sed /sed/ prep. before sen /sen/ nf. set sersaz̃ /ˈsersaz̃/ nm. magic sevi /ˈsevi/ v. spell sidoʀ̃ez /ˈsidoʀ̃ez/ v. float singo /ˈsiŋo/ v. blow siṽobe /ˈsiṽobe/ nn. tear sziʙ̃am /ˈsziʙ̃am/ adj. massive, immense, enormous szigoa ae /ˈszigoa ˈae/ nm. summer szin /szin/ v. need szir̃a /ˈszir̃a/ nn. wind sziv /sziv/ nm. pencil sziz̃es /ˈsziz̃es/ v. escape, flee, dodge szoʙ̃ /szoʙ̃/ nm. enemy szoʀ /szoʀ/ nf. answer ṽabeʀ /ˈṽabeʀ/ v. destroy, devastate ṽaf /ṽaf/ nm. section ṽan /ṽan/ prep. with (using) ṽar̃ /ṽar̃/ v. fall ṽaʀ̃ /ṽaʀ̃/ v. borrow, hire, rent ṽav /ṽav/ nn. control ṽaz̃am /ˈṽaz̃am/ nm. accent (of language) ṽeʙi /ˈṽeʙi/ nm. dust, powder ṽemba /ˈṽemba/ v. trade ṽenga /ˈṽeŋa/ nm. nose ṽeʀ̃ /ṽeʀ̃/ nf. present (time) ṽeʀ̃oʀ̃os /ˈṽeʀ̃oʀ̃os/ nf. rod, shaft, bar, pole ṽezang /ˈṽezaŋ/ nm. road, street, trail vid /vid/ nm. process, procedure vimo /ˈvimo/ nm. show vinge /ˈviŋe/ nf. date viʀ̃aʀ /ˈviʀ̃aʀ/ nn. tin viz̃a /ˈviz̃a/ nm. knee vosnaʙ̃ /vos naʙ̃/ nm. planet yam /jam/ nf. god ỹe /j̃e/ prep. from ỹeʙ̃ /j̃eʙ̃/ adj. safe ỹegi deʙ̃iṽ /ˈj̃egi ˈdeʙ̃iṽ/ nm. charcoal ỹenge /ˈj̃enge/ adj. current ỹeʀ̃ /j̃eʀ̃/ adj. ready ỹeṽe /ˈj̃eṽe/ det. whatever yobe /ˈjobe/ v. treat yomboʙ̃ez /ˈjomboʙ̃ez/ adj. common yor̃en /ˈjor̃en/ adv. always, all the time yozaʙ /ˈjozaʙ/ nn. flag z̃an /z̃an/ adv. tomorrow z̃az̃ /z̃az̃/ nf. site z̃eg /z̃eg/ num. billion z̃eʀ̃ /z̃eʀ̃/ nf. series z̃ez /z̃ez/ adv. out zoʙ̃ /zoʙ̃/ pron. I, me   zoʀ̃ /zoʀ̃/ adj. clear zoz̃ /zoz̃/ nf. page