| Imqorášə | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||||||||||||
| Alignment | |||||||||||||
| Head direction | |||||||||||||
| Tonal | No | ||||||||||||
| Declensions | No | ||||||||||||
| Conjugations | No | ||||||||||||
| Genders | |||||||||||||
| Nouns decline according to... | |||||||||||||
| Case | Number | ||||||||||||
| Definiteness | Gender | ||||||||||||
| Verbs conjugate according to... | |||||||||||||
| Voice | Mood | ||||||||||||
| Person | Number | ||||||||||||
| Tense | Aspect | ||||||||||||
| Meta-information | |||||||||||||
| Progress | 0% | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Creator | [[User:|]] | ||||||||||||
Classification and Dialects
Ģaxemo (pronounced /ɣəˈχɛmɤ/, coll. Ģam) is a language isolate spoken in an autonomous zone in the Caucuses. It borrows from Germanic, Romance, and Semitic languages.
Phonology
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Velar | Uvular | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | (ŋ) | ||
| Plosive | p b | t d | (tʃ dʒ) | k g | q |
| Fricative | ϕ β | s z | ʃ (ʒ) | x ɣ | χ |
| Approximant | w | l | j | ʀ | |
| Lateral fric. | ɬ [ɮ] | ||||
| Lateral aff. | tɬ [dɮ] |
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | ɛ | (ə) | o |
| Low | æː | a | ɑ̆~ɒ̆~ɔ̆ |
Phonemes in parenthesis were brought into the language through loanwords but are now integral. Phonemes in brackets are today rarely distinguished.
Vowel Suprasegmentals and Diphthongs
| a | aː | aɪ | aə |
| ɑ̆~ɒ̆~ɔ̆ | |||
| æː | æɪ | æə | |
| ɛ | ɛː | ɛɪ | ɛə |
| i | iː | iə | |
| o | oː | əɪ | əː |
| u | uː | ||
All occurrences of /ɪ/ can be realized as /ɛ/ or /i/, and all occurrences of /ə/ can be realized as /u/, /o/, /a/, /ɑ/, /ɒ/, or /ɔ/.
There are 2 tones (ex. on /a/): normal (/a/) and rising-falling (/a᷈/). The latter only occurs on /a/, /ɛ/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. All vowels can also be creaky voiced (/a̰/).
Nasalization occurs sometimes and /ɑ̆~ɒ̆~ɔ̆/ is the vowel most prone.
Phonotactics
Many phonemes vary depending on their context in a given word:
- When /k/ and /g/ are word-final, they have no audible release (/k˺/ and /g˺/).
- When /t/ and /d/ are word-final, they are dental with no audible release (/t̪˺/ and /d̪˺/).
- When /q/ appears word-final, it is a glottal stop with no audible release (/ʔ˺/).
- Final long vowels are followed by an implied glottal stop with no audible release follow (ex: /kaːʔ˺/).
- All above phonemes sometimes may be followed by some audible release.
- /ʀ/ is rarely pronounced as a trill (except when it is word-initial or directly precedes /a/), but is rather approximated, as a back vowel /ɑ/, or when following a rounded vowel, as rounded velar /w/ or uvular approximant. Syllables with /ʀ/ often become diphthongs (ex. /imqoʀˈaʃə/ often becomes /imˈqɔaʃə/).
- Coda /l/ becomes /w/.
- Unstressed /a/, /ɛ/, and /i/ are often /ə/ (/i/ is sometimes /ɪ/ unstressed).
- Unstressed /u/ is often /ɨ/.
- Unstressed /o/ is often /ɤ/.
Allowable syllable structures: CV, VC, CVC. A geminated consonant is considered as two consonants.
Rominazation
| Letter | c | j | f | v | š | ž | h | r | č or ĉ | ĵ | y | e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | tʃ | dʒ | ϕ | β | ʃ | ʒ | χ | ʀ | tɬ | dɮ | j | ɛ |
| Letter | æ | ɑ | ||||||||||
| Sound | æː | ɑ̆~ɒ̆~ɔ̆ |
All other characters are exactly their corresponding IPA value. All Latin characters were used, otherwise simple replacements were used, especially to maintain a one-character-one-phoneme rule and a no-diacritic rule for vowels, except when it would be simpler and clearer to use the IPA.
Grammar
Conjugation and Declension
There are 3 genders, typically determined by the first consonant (usually the first phoneme) of a root. Usually, if the first consonant is a stop, the root is masculine, if it is a fricative, the root is feminine, and if it is anything else, the root is neuter (in this case /ɬ/ and /ɮ/ are actually categorized as stops). If the first phoneme in a root is a vowel, the root is usually neuter, but many times it is irregular.
| Masc | Fem | Neut | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative | tak | kek | pus | sak | sek | xur | nak | mek | ru |
| Conditional | insakí | oŋkekó | empusé | issaká | osseké | exxurú | nikkí | mokkó | rewé |
| Potential | ímsak | ómsek | émpus | ássak | éssek | úxxur | ínakna | ómekne | éruwne |
| Imperative | ak | ek | us | saká | seké | xurú | na | me | ru |
Colloquially, conditional mood is used for simple past tense and potential mood is used for simple future tense.
| Masc | Fem | Neut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | tak | sak | nak |
| Past | tak...ɸiə | sak...ɸal | nak...maq |
| Future | tak...si | sak...sar | nak...βa |
The auxiliaries always appear at the very end of a clause.
| Masc | Fem | Neut |
|---|---|---|
| sakí | sakád | nakál |
| Masc | Fem | Neut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | - a | - e | - o |
| Acc | X | ||
| Dat | - e | - a | |
| Gen | - o | - i | - e |
| Loc | - u | - o | - i |
| Lat | - e | -u | |
| Abl | - i | - o | - e |
| Instr | - ə | ||
Instrumental case is only used colloquially.
There is a sort of "construct state", which utilizes accusative and genitive case. Ex.:
"life-GEN book-ACC"
"book of life"
This form applies even to possessives and many adjectives. There are only a few "true adjectives" in Imqorášə that are not just nouns in the "construct state". Ex.:
"me-GEN book-ACC"
"my book"
"ridiculousness-GEN book-ACC"
"ridiculous book"
The definite article varies depending on the gender and case of the word it is modifying. The article always precedes the noun it is modifying.
| Masc | Fem | Neut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | ba | ve | mo |
| Acc/Ins | bə | və | mə |
| Dat | be | va | ma |
| Gen | bo | vi | me |
| Loc | bu | vo | mi |
| Lat | be | vu | mu |
| Abl | bi | vo | me |
Compound words are incredibly common, though are often phonologically morphed due to pronunciation. The same can be applied to borrowed words. There are a number of rules that are applied to the morphing of these words phonologically:
- In older words, stress is generally penultimate, however in newer words (especially borrowed words) stress is generally initial.
- #1 can be overridden by vowels with suprasegmentals, including diphthongs.
- #1 and #2 can be overridden if the compound words contains only root; the root is stressed.
- A coda closed syllable containing /u/ is shortened to an open syllable and /u/ becomes /ɨ/.
- Strings of consonants (and sometimes vowels) that have similar places of articulation often assimilate, especially when unstressed.
- Vowel length and consonant gemination usually disappears.
- #6 can apply to diphthongs, though diphthongs can assimilate to the second vowel.
- The older the word, the more extreme the phonological changes.
- Words that are old enough will be spelled to some degree phonetically and have done away with conservative spelling newer words exercise.
- Syllable-initial vowels generally disappear.
- As many consonant clusters are formed as possible around the stressed syllable. In older words, these clusters assimilate.
Syntax
Lexicon
Simple Phrases
Naxáwmə - "Hello (form.)"
Ka-ə̀ná - "Who are you? / What's your name?"
Rosə̀ná ([ɒɔsˈná]) -"How are you?"
Ros addátu - "Things are well (lit. Everything is on the ground / in order)"
Saweng - "Okay (interjection)"