Üge da Üge | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | |||
isolating | |||
Alignment | |||
nominative | |||
Head direction | |||
initial | |||
Tonal | |||
No | |||
Declensions | |||
No | |||
Conjugations | |||
Yes | |||
Genders | |||
No | |||
Nouns decline according to... | |||
Case | Number | ||
Definiteness | Gender | ||
Verbs conjugate according to... | |||
Voice | Mood | ||
Person | Number | ||
Tense | Aspect |
General information[]
Under the Power of the Eternal Tengri. Under the Majesty of the Eternal Khan. Arghun Our word.
Üge is a Mongolian-German creole spoken in the Northern German Plain. Its name derives from Classical Mongolian "üge" (word; speech). The language came about as a creolisation of a pidgin used in communication between the Mongol upper class and Saxon lower class in the former northern Holy Roman Empire.
Phonology[]
The phonology of Üge is a simplified version of Low German with considerable Mongol influences. The language has eight monophthongs and two diphthongs, without a vowel length distinction. It also has sixteen consonant phonemes which don't contrast in length.
Front | Central | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
High | i (i) | y (ü) | ə (ë) | u (u) | |
Mid | e (e) | ø (ö) | o (o) | ||
Low | a (a) | ||||
Diphthongs | ai (ei) | au (au) |
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | p (p) | b (b) | t (t) | d (d) | k (k ck) | g (g) | |
Fricative | f (v f) | s (s) | ʃ (sch) | x (ch/h) | |||
Nasal | m (m) | n (n) | ŋ(g) (ng) | ||||
Approximants | v (w) | r (r) | l (l) | j (j) |
The fricative /f/ is written <v> word-initially, and <f> otherwise. The plosive /k/ likewise follows a similar distribution: it is initially <k> and otherwise <ck>.
Vowel Assimilation[]
Umlaut is very productive in Üge; all nouns form their plural by way of either plain affixation or affixation combined with umlaut; this umlaut maps {ë a au o u} → {e e ei ö ü}, meaning that nouns with front vowels do not have umlauted plurals. There also exists a progressive vowel harmony process that maps {a au o u} ↔ {e ei ö ü} based on vowel frontness of the vowel in the root; here, <ë> counts as a neutral vowel.
These assimilatory processes were either introduced or reinforced by Mongolian influence.
Grammar[]
Üge grammar is very isolating, with most of the inflectional system of German stripped away and replaced with analytic constructions.
Nouns[]
Üge nouns have a rudimentary declension system: they decline for two numbers and two cases: the singular and plural, and nominative and genitive respectively. All nouns receive a plural suffix <-(ë)n> and additionally undergo umlaut whenever possible, as well as receive different articles. Case is indicated either through a genitive suffix <-(ë)s> in indefinite nouns, or by article in definite nouns. Indefinite nouns get no article.
Declensions of three example nouns, <di hun> (dog, wolf), <da üge> (word, speech, language) and <at schil> (year):
Declension | |||
---|---|---|---|
di hun | da üge | at schil | |
nom.sg.def | di hun | da üge | at schil |
gen.sg.def | es hun | ar üge | es schil |
nom.pl.def | di hünën | di ügen | di schilën |
gen.pl.def | ar hünën | ar ügen | ar schilën |
hun | üge | schil | |
nom.sg.idef | hun | üge | schil |
gen.sg.idef | huns | üges | schilës |
nom.pl.idef | hünën | ügen | schilën |
gen.pl.idef | hünëns | ügens | schilëns |
Many nouns that end in a CëC syllable undergo syncope, so that they form plurals that end in CCën. Clusters produced by syncope are usually subject to further simplification and reduction.
Adjectives[]
Üge adjectives are morphologically simple: their citation form is the singular indefinite, and both definiteness and plurality are marked with <-ë> where applicable. Adjectives ending in vowels, as well as in suffixes such as <-ick>, <-fël> and <-isch>, do not take this suffix and are thus indeclinable. Adjectives don't decline according to case. Declensions of two example adjectives, <mach> (evil) and <mendick> (healthy, sane):
SG.IDEF | SG.DEF | PL.IDEF | PL.DEF | |
---|---|---|---|---|
mach | mach | machë | ||
mendick | mendick |
Pronouns[]
Üge has a simplified pronoun system, with pronouns coming from native German words:
1st Person | 2nd Person | 3rd Person | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sg. | Nom. | ma | du | dë(mf) dat(n) |
Gen. | mën | dën | des | |
Pl. | Nom. | wën | di | |
Gen. | un | in | dar |
Verbs[]
Üge verb morphology is rudimentary: they inflect for tense (present and preterite), and number (singular and plural) in the present; the infinitive is always identical to the plural. There exist four irregular verbs: <sin> (copula), <kön> (be able to, know), <schölën> (must) and <don> (do, work, give). The infinitive and plural are usually marked with <-ën>, and the preterite with <-ët>; the singular is thus only the bare stem. Conjugation patterns of the four irregular verbs, as well as a sample regular verb <nemën> (add, augment, take):
Present | Past | ||
---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | ||
nemën | nem | nemën | nemët |
sin | is | sin | was |
kön | kan | kön | kunn |
schölën | schal | schölën | schull |
don | de | don | de |