| Kabean Kab | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||
| Synthetic | |||
| Alignment | |||
| Nominative-Accusative | |||
| Head direction | |||
| Mixed | |||
| 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 | ||
Background[]
Kabean, alongside with Meula and Delisean, are three indigenous languages spoken somewhere in Spain, derived from Delta-Mevevta. Their people, once isolated, were found in three different villages around Spain.
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | |
| Fricative | f v | s z | x ɣ | h |
| Lateral app. | l |
Vowels[]
| Front | Center | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
Vowels can be long or short. Long vowels are spelled as two. Velars and labio-dental are palatized before front vowels, even the /a/ allophone [ε]: kel [kʲe̞ɫ]
Alveolar consonants geminate before a plural -t. for some speakers, it may become a syllable lengthening the previous vowel: vistas → vistast [vʲistäs:t] ~ [vʲistä:s̩t]
The /l/ is heavily velarized before back and central vowels, or intervocalically when any of the vowels is not front: kunal [kunεɫ], ybtule [ɨbtuɫə]
/a/ is pronounced [ε] before a velar fricative or dark l: kalyi [kʲεɫˠɨj], pkaxt [pkʲεxt]
Voiced fricatives become voiceless before a voiceless consonant, except /v/. This reflects spelling.
Grammar[]
Personal pronouns[]
| Nominative | Oblique | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person sg. | ep | ek |
| 1st person dual | va | exa |
| 1st person pl. | vat | eku |
| 2nd person sg. | to | tok |
| 2nd person dual | tosa | tkosa |
| 2nd person pl. | pu | pu |
| 3rd person sg. | meɣ | mez |
| 3rd person pl. | mext | mezy |
There is also a reflexive pronoun ii used for most times the subject and the object is the same.
Nouns[]
Nouns do not decline by case, but by number. The plural is highly irregular, and will be shown for every word in the dictionary.
The definite article is i. Indefinite nouns take no articles. The article is not used for the subject.
Adjectives[]
Adjectives agree to their nouns in number and go before them. An adjective can be made from a noun or even a verb by adding -te.
Adverbs[]
Adverbs are placed before the verb. Most are identical to their singular adjective.
Verbs[]
Verbs agree to person, number (only for first person) and mood. Unlike Meula and similar to Delisean, there is no infinitive. The tenses and a passive voice are made with particles. All verbs have a direct object, and often the verb takes a different but similar meaning when the direct object is the same as the subject. Indirect objects are much less common than in English.
Kelmekem ii: I am walking
Kelmeken ii: You are walking
Kelmekem tok: I am walking to you (going to see you)
Kelmekem i psa: I am walking to the house (going home)
Ten tok aaze dɣusa: I give help to you (will help you)
Syntax[]
The word order is VSO when the subject is first or second person, SVO when third. Kabean is a semi pro-drop language, first person pronouns are usually dropped, unless when emphatic. Indirect objects go before the verb.
Hiimol ten i hy mez peot su aaza ezdep. (Wolf to the of him children did gives food): The wolf fed his cubs.
Texts[]
Be hy mevyt utasdoot ma kasmahi hi diɣnitad ma dedeetsiot vazda ii. Lason ma konsiensia ɣuda mez ma mext yvda ha pat kikeluut lamsa ii. (All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.)