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{{LangTitle|Miwonša}}
  
{{LangTitle|Miwonša}}
  +
'''Miwonša''' [mi’wɔ̃:ʃä] is an a priori conlang, which I have been developping since 2011. It is a personal language and besides that not yet connected to a conworld, although it cannot be excluded that the conlang may be linked to a fictional world in the future. Furthermore, Miwonša was designed to be as naturalistic and suitable for everyday communication as possible. Therefore the grammar is neither very simplistic nor complex, but comparable to the average complexity of European languages. One unique feature of Miwonša is that it can be written with two writing systems. The first one is a modified version of the Latin alphabet, which includes some diacritics.. The other alphabet resembles Hangeul in that strokes representing sounds are put together so that they form blocks. Each simple block represents one closed or open syllable (maximal complexity: CCCVC). Since all blocks for open syllables are symmetrical, you can form ligatures by combining the left half of the first block with the right half of the second block so that it is possible to display a CCCV.CCCV structure with only one ligature.
−
'''Miwonša''' is an a priori conlang created in 2011 by Plusquamperfekt (member of http://www.unilang.org and http://www.incatena.org ). The grammar is essentially based on earlier conlang projects (for example Kĵatonša) that have not been finished. One unique feature of Miwonša is that it can be also written with Tarul, a conscript created in 2011.
  
 
==PHONOLOGY==
  
==PHONOLOGY==
 
===Consonants===
  
===Consonants===
  +
{| class="MsoTableLightShadingAccent1"
−
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  
  +
−
|+Consonants of Miwonša
  
−
|-
 +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|LAB
  
  +
|
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|ALV
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Labial'''
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|P-ALV
  
  +
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|PAL
  
  +
|
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|VEL
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Alveolar'''
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|GLO
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
|
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|Plosive
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Post-Alveolar'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|p  p'
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|t  t'
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Palatal'''
−
| colspan="1" rowspan="2"|
  
  +
−
<p style="text-align:center;">tɕ  tɕ'</p>
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|k  k'
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Velar'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
|
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|Affricate
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Glottal'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ts
  
  +
|-
−
| style="text-align:center;"|tʃ  tʃ'
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Plosives'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
|
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|Nasal
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>p 
−
| style="text-align:center;"|m
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> p‘  (b)
−
| style="text-align:center;"|n
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɲ
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>t 
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> t‘  (d)
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
|
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|Fricative
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|f
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>c 
−
| style="text-align:center;"|s  z  (ɬ)
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> c‘
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ʃ  ʒ
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɕ
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|(x)
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>k 
−
| style="text-align:center;"|h
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> k‘  (g)
−
|-
  
  +
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|Other
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|w  ʍ
  
  +
|-
−
| style="text-align:center;"|l  r
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Affricates'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|j  ʎ
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
|
−
|
  
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>t͡s
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>t͡ʃ  t͡ʃ‘ 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> (d͡ʒ)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(t͡ɕ)  (t͡ɕ')
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Nasals'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>m
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>n
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɲ
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(ŋ)
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Fricatives'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>f  (v)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>s  z  (sʲ) 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> (zʲ) 
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ʃ  ʒ
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɕ
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(x)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>h
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Other'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>w 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ʍ
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>l 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> r  (ɬ)
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>j 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> (ʎ)
  +
  +
|
  +
|
 
|}
  
|}
−  
   
 
Comments:
  
Comments:
   
  +
-         
−
(1): /t<span style="text-align:center;">ɕ/ and /t</span><span style="text-align:center;">ɕ'/ are often pronounced with very little friction (especially before open vowels) so that they almost sound like plosives.</span>
  
  +
/c ;
  +
c‘/ → [t͡ɕ ; t͡ɕ ']/ _[i ; ĩ ; iʊ̯; w]
   
  +
-         
−
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">(2):The presence of /<span style="text-align:center;">ɬ/ is considered to be a feature of very educated and sophisticated speakers. In colloquial situations it's absolutely acceptable to replace /</span><span style="text-align:center;">ɬ/ with /</span><span style="text-align:center;">ɕ/.</span></p>
  
  +
/ɬ/
  +
can be replaced by /ɕ/ (free variation)
   
  +
-         
−
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><span style="text-align:center;">(3): [x] is a possible allophone of /k/ in the syllable coda. </span></p>
  
  +
In
  +
some dialects, /k/ can be pronounced as [x] in the syllable coda.
   
  +
-         
−
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">(4): Some loanwords from natural languages contain the phonemes /b/, /d/, /g/ and /v/. However, in fast speech they are often merged with [p], [t], [k] and [f].</p>
  
  +
[ŋ]
  +
is inserted between two words, when the first word ends in a nasal vowel and
  +
when the second
  +
begins with a vowel
  +
  +
-         
  +
The
  +
sounds /b ; d; g; d͡ʒ ; v/ only occur in loanwords from natlangs.
  +
However, they can be replaced
  +
with their voiceless counterparts /p ; t ; k ; t͡ʃ ; f/.
  +
  +
-         
  +
The
  +
sounds /sʲ ; zʲ ; ʎ/ are in free
  +
variation with the consonant clusters [sj ; zj ; lj]. 
   
 
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">
  
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">
Line 70: Line 162:
   
 
===Vowels===
  
===Vowels===
  +
{| class="MsoTableLightShadingAccent1"
−
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  
  +
−
|+Monophthongs
  
−
|-
 +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|front
  
  +
|
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|central
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|back
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
'''front'''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|closed
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|i  ĩ
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Monophthongs'''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|u  ũ
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
'''central'''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|mid
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɛ  ɛ̃
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɔ  ɔ̃
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
'''back'''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|open
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ä  ã
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
|
  
  +
  +
'''front'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Diphthongs'''
  +
  +
'''central'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
'''back'''
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Closed'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>i 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ĩ
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>u 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ũ
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>iʊ̯
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>uɪ̯
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Mid'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɛ  ɛ̃
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɔ  ɔ̃
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɛɪ̯
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ɔɪ̯
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Open'''
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>a 
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ã
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ai̯
  +
  +
|
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>aʊ̯
  +
 
|}
  
|}
   
  +
==ORTHOGRAPHY==
  +
Modern Miwonša uses the Latin
  +
alphabet. There are 27 letters. The letters <nowiki><q> and <x> are not
  +
used. There are three letters with diacritics (<č>, <š>,
  +
<ž>). Digraphs and trigraphs are not counted as separate letters. </nowiki>
   
  +
Modern Miwonša uses the Latin
−
Comments:
  
  +
alphabet. There are 27 letters. The letters <nowiki><q> and <x> are not
  +
used. There are three letters with diacritics (<č>, <š>,
  +
<ž>). Digraphs and trigraphs are not counted as separate letters. </nowiki>
  +
{| class="MsoTableLightShadingAccent1"
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Letters'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''IPA'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   Di-
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> and Trigraphs'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''IPA'''
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''A a'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[a]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   ai'''
  +
  +
'''   an'''
  +
  +
'''   au'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ai̯]
   
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ã]
−
(1) In stressed open syllables, /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ may be pronounced a bit more closed; [e] and [o]
  
   
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[aʊ̯]
−
(2) Since there is some dialectical variation, /a/ and /ã/ can be also pronounced as back vowels: [ɑ  ɑ̃]
  
  +
−
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  
  +
|-
−
|+Diphthongs
  
−
|-
 +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''B b*'''
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|front
  
  +
|
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|central
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[b] or [p]
−
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|back
  
  +
−
|-
  
  +
|
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|closed
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
| style="text-align:center;"|iʊ
  
  +
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|uɪ
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
−
|-
  
  +
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|mid
  
  +
|-
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɛɪ
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''C
−
| style="text-align:center;"|ɔɪ  ɔʊ
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> c'''
−
|-
  
  +
−
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|open
  
  +
|
−
| style="text-align:center;"|
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[c],
−
| style="text-align:center;"|äɪ  äʊ
  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> [tɕ]
−
|
  
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ch'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[c‘],
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> [tɕ‘]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Č č'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[tʃ]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   čh'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[tʃ‘]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''D
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> d*'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[d]
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> or [t]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''E e'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɛ]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   ei'''
  +
  +
'''   en'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɛɪ̯]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɛ̃]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''F
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> f'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[f]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''G g'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[g] or [k]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''H
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> h'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[h]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> hi'''
  +
  +
'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> hj'''
  +
  +
'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> hw'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɕi]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɕ]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ʍ]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''I i'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[i]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   in'''
  +
  +
'''   iw'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ĩ ]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[iʊ̯]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''J
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> j**'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[dʒ]  or [tʃ] / [j]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''K k'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[k]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   kh'''
  +
  +
'''   kl***'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[k‘]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[kl]  or  [kɬ]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''L
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> l'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[l]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> lh'''
  +
  +
'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> lj'''
  +
  +
'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> lw'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɬ] or [ɕ]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ʎ] or [lj]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɬw] or [ɕw]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''M m'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[m]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''N
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> n'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[n]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> nj'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɲ]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''O o'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɔ]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' oi'''
  +
  +
''' on'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɔɪ̯]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ɔ̃]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''P
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> p'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[p]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ph'''
  +
  +
'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> pl***'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[p’]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[pl] or [pɬ]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''R r'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[r]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''S
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> s'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[s]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> sj'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[sʲ]
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> or [sj]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Š š'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ʃ]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''T t'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[t]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   th'''
  +
  +
'''   thi'''
  +
  +
'''   ti'''
  +
  +
'''   ts'''
  +
  +
'''   tsj'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[t‘]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[tɕ‘i]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[tɕi]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ts]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[tsj]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''U u'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[u]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   ui'''
  +
  +
'''   un'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[uɪ̯]
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ũ]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''V v*'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[v]
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> or [f]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''W w'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[w]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Y y'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[J]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' '''
  +
  +
|
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Z z'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[z]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''   zj'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[zʲ]  or  [zj]
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Ž
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> ž'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>[ʒ]
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''  '''
  +
  +
|
 
|}
  
|}
  +
'''*             '''The letters <nowiki><b ; d ; g ; v>
  +
only occur in loanwords. </nowiki>
   
  +
<nowiki>**          The
  +
letter <j> is pronounced as [dʒ]  or  [tʃ] in loanwords and as [j] in consonant
  +
clusters of native words.</nowiki>
   
  +
<nowiki>***</nowiki>        <kl> and <pl> can be
−
Comments:
  
  +
pronounced as [kl ; pl] or [kɬ ; pɬ] (free variation).
   
  +
== Phonotactics:                                                                          ==
−
(1) All Diphthongs are falling diphthongs.
  
  +
Syllables in Miwonša can have up to
  +
3 consonants in the onset and only one consonant in the coda. Syllables do not
  +
end in a consonant if the nucleus is a diphthong. After nasals, only <nowiki><s>
  +
and <š> can appear in the coda. </nowiki>
  +
{| class="MsoTableLightShadingAccent1"
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Letter'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Onsets'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''Codas'''
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''b'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(b) (bl) (br)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''c'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>c ch cw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''č'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>č čh čw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>č
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''d'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(d) (dr)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''f'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>f fj (fl) (fr)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''G'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(g) (gl) (gr)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''h'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>h hj
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki> hw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''j'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>j
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''k'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>k kh kj kl kr kw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>k
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''l'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>l lh lj lw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>L
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''m'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>m mj
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''n'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>n nj
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''p'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>p ph pj pl pr pw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>P
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''r'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>r
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(r)
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''s'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>s sj sw
   
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>sp spj spl spr spw
−
(2) /ä<span style="text-align:center;">ʊ/ can also be pronounced as [</span>ɑʊ]
  
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>st str stw
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>sk skj skl skr skw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>s
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>''' š'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>š šw
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>šp špj špl špr špw
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>št štr štw
  +
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>šk škj škl škr škw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>š
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''t'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>t th tr ts tsj tw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>t
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''v'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>(v) (vj) (vl) (vr)
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''w'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>w
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''y'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>y
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''z'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>z zj
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|-
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>'''ž'''
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>ž žw
  +
  +
|
  +
<nowiki> </nowiki>-
  +
  +
|}
  +
<nowiki>*</nowiki>             Consonants
  +
in brackets ( ) only appear in loanwords.
  +
  +
== Stress ==
  +
Miwonša is a non-tonal language with
  +
lexical stress. There are different rules concerning where to put the stress
  +
depending on the part of speech and the grammatical form of the word.
  +
  +
== Dialects ==
  +
Miwonša is not yet connected to a
  +
fictional world, nevertheless it has been designed as a pluricentric language
  +
with multiple dialects. Furthermore there are many allophones in free
  +
variation, but some pronunciations are considered to be more standard than the
  +
other alternative. In the central dialect, which is considered to be the most
  +
neutral one, <k> is always pronounced as [k], <lh> as [ɬ], <lw> as [ɬw], <kl> and
  +
<pl> as [pl] and [kl], <hw> as <ʍ>, <sj> and <zj>
  +
as [sj] and [zj] and <lj> as [lj].
  +
  +
== Example sentence: ==
  +
Tahonti kišanwe piši ya milwa žuk
  +
skuni ya piskwai nanstwaran. Uiku piro aš tunšwaš ya thažansaš kwan, wanjo kwaikan
  +
yonžalwanti žuk khonswai paiwašizjak.
  +
  +
[ta.ˈhɔ̃.t͡ɕi ki.ʃã.ˈwɛ ˈpi.ʃi ja
  +
ˈmi.ɬwa ʒuk ˈsku.ni ja ˈpis.kwaɪ̯ ˈnãs.twa.ˌrã. uɪ̯.ˈku ˈpi.rɔ aʃ ˈtũ.ʃwaʃ
  +
ja tʼa.ˈʒã.saʃ kwã, ˈwa.ɲɔ kwaɪ.ˈkã ˌjɔ̃.ʒa.ˈɬwã.t͡ɕi ʒuk ˈkʼɔ̃.swaɪ̯
  +
ˌpai.wa.ˈʃi.zjak]
  +
  +
"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."
  +
  +
== Final comments: ==
  +
Since I have already had the
  +
pleasure of hearing people trying to pronounce my conlang, I would like to point
  +
out that <an> is not pronounced as In French. While <an> is a back
  +
vowel in French [ɑ̃], it is much more fronted in Miwonša. Therefore
  +
it should be pronounced as a pure nasal “a” sound with no tendency to “o”.
  +
  +
Furthermore I would like to mention that the postalveolar sounds /ʃ
  +
<nowiki>;</nowiki> ʒ ; tʃ/ are rather pronounced like the postalveolars which are present
  +
in German or Polish. The English sounds <sh>, <ch> and “zh” (as in
  +
“vi'''si'''on”) are often much softer than
  +
<š>, <č> and <ž> in Miwonša.  
  +
  +
==NOUNS==
  +
==='''<u>The four declensions</u>'''===
  +
In Miwonša, all native nouns either end in "-a", "-i", "-o" or "-n". They can be grouped into four declensions. There are four cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative) and two numbers (singular, plural). All declensions have two or more sub-types.
  +
  +
====<u>The "a" declension</u>====
  +
  +
In the "a" declension, the last consonant is decisive for the choice of the correct suffix in the nominative, accusative and dative plural. If a stem of a noun ends in '''c''', '''j''', '''y''' or '''w''', the plural suffixes are <e> and <eš>, All other stems require the suffixes i and iš<i>. </i>Final '''r''' is always palatalized to '''ž''' in the nominative, accusative and dative plural:<i> </i>
  +
  +
<i>Example nouns of the "a" class (type 1): '''tahonta''' (person), '''hanza '''(dog) <span style="font-size:small;">→ '''tahonti '''(humans), '''hanzi '''(dogs)</span> </i>
  +
  +
<i>Example nouns of the "a" class (type 2): '''wanca '''(girl), '''siwa''' (water) <span style="font-size:small;">→ </span>'''wance '''(girls), '''siwe''' (waters) </i>
  +
  +
<i><span style="font-size:13px;">Example nouns of the "a" class (type 3): '''tara '''(day), '''lura '''(night) </span>→ '''taži''' (days), '''luži '''(nights)
  +
</i>
  +
  +
====<u>The "o" declension</u>====
  +
  +
While the declension in the singular is equal for all nouns of the "o" declension, there are two sets of plural suffixes for animated and inanimated nouns. Animated nouns ending in <j> or <y> take the suffixes <e>, <ek> and <e<span style="font-size:small;">š> in the plural. Final <r>s of noun stems are palatalized:</span>
  +
  +
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><i>Example nouns of the "o" class (an., type 1): '''wonco '''(child), '''škunlo '''(thief) <span style="font-size:small;">→ '''wonti '''(children), </span>'''škunli '''<span style="font-size:small;">(thieves)</span></i></p>
  +
  +
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><i>Example nouns of the "o" class (an., type 2): '''anro '''(father) <span style="font-size:small;">→ '''an'''</span>'''ži '''(fathers)</i></p>
  +
  +
<p style="font-size:13px;"><i>Example nouns of the "o" class (inanimated): '''žanjo''' (eye) <span style="font-size:small;">→</span> '''žanja '''(eyes)</i></p>
  +
  +
====<u>The "i" declension</u>====
  +
All nouns of the "i" declension require the same suffixes in the singular and plural. The only irregularity is the "i"-alternation (see section about phonology):
  +
  +
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;"><i>Example nouns of the "i" class (no alternation):''' ''rai'''''č'''i'''<span style="font-size:13px;"> </span><span style="font-size:13px;">(opinion) </span><span style="font-size:small;">→</span><span style="font-size:13px;"> </span>'''rai''č''a '''<span style="font-size:13px;">(opinions)</span></i></p>
  +
  +
<p style="font-size:13px;"><i>Example nouns of the "i" class (alternation): '''kaipi''' (mountain) <span style="font-size:small;">→</span> '''kaipja '''(mountains)</i></p>
  +
  +
<p style="font-size:13px;">
  +
</p>
  +
====<u>The "n" declension</u>====
  +
With very few exceptions, native nouns of the "n"-class are very regular:
  +
  +
<p style="font-size:13px;">
  +
</p>
  +
  +
==='''<u>Declension</u>'''===
   
−
==ORTHOGRAPHY==
  
 
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
−
|+Latin Alphabet
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
! scope="col"|Letter
 +
! scope="row"|
−
! scope="col"|Name
 +
! scope="col"|
  +
"a"  type 1
−
! scope="col"|Standard Pronunciation
  
−
! scope="col"|Before [i, ĩ, iʊ]
 +
! scope="col"|"a" type 2
  +
! scope="col"|"o" animate
  +
! scope="col"|"o" inanimate
  +
! scope="col"|"i"   type 1
  +
! scope="col"|"i" type 2
  +
! scope="col"|"n"
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|TRANSLATION
−
|A  a
  
  +
|
−
|[ä:]
  
  +
''language ''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[ä:]
  
  +
|''mother ''
  +
|''boy ''
  +
|''year ''
  +
|''family ''
  +
|''heart ''
  +
|''friend ''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">NOM.SG</span>
−
|B  b
  
  +
|žwen'''a'''
−
|[bɛ]
  
  +
|mac'''a'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[b~p]
  
  +
|kjunš'''o'''
  +
|šanl'''o'''
  +
|zwanš'''i'''
  +
|kjan'''i'''
  +
|tušk'''an'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|ACC.SG
−
|C  c
  
  +
|žwen'''ai'''
−
|[tɕɛ]~[cɛ]
  
  +
|mac'''ai'''
−
|[tɕ~c]
  
  +
|kjunš'''oi'''
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|šanl'''oi'''
  +
|zwanš'''i'''
  +
|kjan'''i'''
  +
|tušk'''ani'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.SG
−
|Č  č
  
  +
|žwen'''ak'''
−
|[tʃä]
  
  +
|mac'''ak'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[tʃ]
  
  +
|kjunš'''ok'''
  +
|šanl'''ok'''
  +
|zwanš'''ik'''
  +
|kjan'''ik'''
  +
|tušk'''anka'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.SG
−
|D  d
  
  +
|žwen'''aš'''
−
|[dɛ]
  
  +
|mac'''aš'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[d~t]
  
  +
|kjunš'''oš'''
  +
|šanl'''oš'''
  +
|zwanš'''iš'''
  +
|kjan'''iš'''
  +
|tušk'''anša'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|NOM.PL/ACC.PL
−
|E  e
  
  +
|žwen'''i'''
−
|[ɛ]
  
  +
|mac'''e'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[ɛ]
  
  +
|kjunš'''i'''
  +
|šanl'''a'''
  +
|zwanš'''a'''
  +
|kjanj'''a'''
  +
|tušk'''anje'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.PL
−
|F  f
  
  +
|žwen'''oi'''
−
|[fä]
  
  +
|mac'''oi'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[f]
  
  +
|kjunš'''ik'''
  +
|šanl'''ai'''
  +
|zwanš'''iki'''
  +
|kjan'''iki'''
  +
|tušk'''anki'''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.PL
−
|G  g
  
  +
|žwen'''iš'''
−
|[gɛ]
  
  +
|mac'''eš'''
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[g~k]
  
  +
|kjunš'''iš'''
  +
|šanl'''aš'''
  +
|zwanš'''iši'''
  +
|kjan'''iši'''
  +
|tušk'''anši'''
  +
|}
  +
  +
  +
  +
==='''<u>The infix <-aš></u>'''===
  +
  +
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  +
! scope="row"|
  +
! scope="col"|"a"    type 1
  +
! scope="col"|"a"  type 2
  +
! scope="col"|"o" animate
  +
! scope="col"|"o" inanimate
  +
! scope="col"|"i"     type 1
  +
! scope="col"|"i"   type 2
  +
! scope="col"|"n"
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|TRANSLATION
−
|H  h
  
  +
|''this language ''
−
|[hä]
  
  +
|''this mother ''
−
|[h]
  
  +
|''this boy ''
−
|[ɕ]
  
  +
|''this year ''
  +
|''this family ''
  +
|''this heart ''
  +
|''this friend ''
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">NOM.SG</span>
−
|I  i
  
  +
|žwenaša
−
|[i]
  
  +
|macaša
−
|[i]
  
  +
|kjunšašo
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|šanlašo
  +
|zwanšaši
  +
|kjanjaši
  +
|tuškašan
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|ACC.SG
−
|j
  
  +
|žwenašai
−
|[jɛ]
  
  +
|macašai
−
|[j]
  
  +
|kjunšašoi
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|šanlašoi
  +
|zwanšaši
  +
|kjanjaši
  +
|tuškašani
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.SG
−
|K  k
  
  +
|žwenašak
−
|[kä]
  
  +
|macašak
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[k]
  
  +
|kjunšašok
  +
|šanlašok
  +
|zwanšašik
  +
|kjanjašik
  +
|tuškašanka
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.SG
−
|L  l
  
  +
|žwenašaš
−
|[lä]
  
  +
|macašaš
−
|[l]
  
  +
|kjunšašoš
−
|[ʎ] or [lʲ]
  
  +
|šanlašoš
  +
|zwanšašiš
  +
|kjanjašiš
  +
|tuškašanša
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|NOM.PL/ACC.PL
−
|M  m
  
  +
|žwenaši
−
|[mä]
  
  +
|macaši
−
|[m]
  
  +
|kjunšaši
−
|
  
  +
|šanlaša
  +
|zwanšaša
  +
|kjanjaša
  +
|tuškašanje
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.PL
−
|N  n
  
  +
|žwenašoi
−
|[nä]
  
  +
|macašoi
−
|[n]
  
  +
|kjunšašik
−
|[ɲ] or [nʲ]
  
  +
|šanlašai
  +
|zwanšaški
  +
|kjanjaški
  +
|tuškašanki
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.PL
−
|O  o
  
  +
|žwenašiš
−
|[ɔ]
  
  +
|macašiš
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[ɔ]
  
  +
|kjunšašiš
  +
|šanlašaš
  +
|zwanšašši
  +
|kjanjašši
  +
|tuškašanši
  +
|}
  +
  +
==='''<u>The infix <-aw></u>'''===
  +
  +
  +
  +
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  +
! scope="row"|
  +
! scope="col"|<i style="font-weight:bold;">"</i><span style="font-weight:bold;">a"      type </span><span style="font-weight:bold;">1</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"a"   type 2</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"o" animate</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"o" inanimate</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"i"      type 1</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"i"    type 2</span>
  +
! scope="col"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">"n"</span>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">TRANSLATION</span>
−
|P  p
  
  +
|<i>''some/any language''</i>
−
|[pɛ]
  
  +
|<i>''some/any mother''</i>
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[p]
  
  +
|<i>''some/any boy''</i>
  +
|<i>''some/any year''</i>
  +
|<i>''some/any family''</i>
  +
|<i>''some/any heart''</i>
  +
|<i>''some/any friend''</i>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|<span style="font-weight:bold;">NOM.SG</span>
−
|R  r
  
  +
|žwenawa
−
|[ra]
  
  +
|macawa
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[r]
  
  +
|kjunšawo
  +
|šanlawo
  +
|zwanšawi
  +
|kjanjawi
  +
|tuškawan
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|ACC.SG
−
|S  s
  
  +
|žwenawai
−
|[sa]
  
  +
|macawai
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[s]
  
  +
|kjunšawoi
  +
|šanlawoi
  +
|zwanšawi
  +
|kjanjawi
  +
|tuškawani
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.SG
−
|Š  š
  
  +
|žwenawak
−
|[ʃä]
  
  +
|macawak
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[ʃ]
  
  +
|kjunšawok
  +
|šanlawok
  +
|zwanšawik
  +
|kjanjawik
  +
|tuškawanka
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.SG
−
|T  t
  
  +
|žwenawaš
−
|[tɛ]
  
  +
|macawaš
−
|[t]
  
  +
|kjunšawoš
−
|[tɕ]
  
  +
|šanlawoš
  +
|zwanšawiš
  +
|kjanjawiš
  +
|tuškawanša
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|NOM.PL/ACC.PL
−
|U  u
  
  +
|žwenawi
−
|[u]
  
  +
|macawi
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[u]
  
  +
|kjunšawi
  +
|šanlawa
  +
|zwanšawa
  +
|kjanjawa
  +
|tuškawanje
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|GEN.PL
−
|V  v
  
  +
|žwenawoi
−
|[vu]
  
  +
|macawoi
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[v]
  
  +
|kjunšawik
  +
|šanlawai
  +
|zwanšawki
  +
|kjanjawki
  +
|tuškawanki
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"|DAT.PL
−
|W  w
  
  +
|žwenawiš
−
|[wä]
  
  +
|macawiš
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[w]
  
  +
|kjunšawiš
−
|-
  
  +
|šanlawaš
−
|Y  y
  
  +
|zwanšawši
−
|[jä]
  
  +
|kjanjawši
−
| rowspan="1"|[j]
  
  +
|tuškawanši
−
| rowspan="1"|does not occur
  
−
|-
  
−
|Z  z
  
−
|[zä]
  
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[z]
  
−
|-
  
−
|Ž  ž
  
−
|[ʒä]
  
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|[ʒ]
  
 
|}
  
|}
   
  +
==PRONOUNS==
  +
==ADJECTIVES==
  +
==VERBS==
  +
==='''<u>Overview: Verb morphology in Miwonša</u>'''===
  +
Although the verb morphology is out and away the most complex part of Miwonšan grammar, it is not as complicated as one might assume at first glance. There are, however, some features which make it hard and easy at the same time: On the one hand Miwonšan verbs have an immense amount of of grammatical categories and affixes, which is the cause of extremly high morpheme/word ratios and very long words. On the other hand there is only one single and very regular conjugation, very little allomorphy and very strict rules concerning where to place which affix. This leads to the conclusion that it is much more reasonable and economical to obtain an idea of the structure of Miwonšan verbs by taking a look at the whole morphological scheme.
   
  +
First of all it is important to know that there are three main verb types: 
−
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 500px;"
  
  +
−
|+Digraphs
  
  +
'''(1) Standard Verbs (containing Modal Verbs); (2) Adjectival Verbs; (3) Copula Verbs'''
  +
  +
All three types can appear as finite and as infinite verb forms. There are several types of infinite verb forms:
  +
  +
'''(1) Infintives, (2) Adverbial Participles, (3) Adjectival Participles, (4) Gerunds, (5) Supines, (6) Gerundives'''
  +
  +
<p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;">Furthermore, there are five voices (genus verbi), two aspects, at least five tenses, three grammatical moods and both subject and object agreement:</p>
  +
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="width: 500px;"
  +
|+Verb morphology
 
|-
  
|-
−
! scope="col"|Digraph
 +
! scope="row"|
−
! scope="col"|Type
 +
! scope="col"|Categories
−
! scope="col"|Standard pronunciation
  
−
! scope="col"|Before <span style="font-weight:bold;">[i, ĩ, iʊ]</span>
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row"|Genus Verbi
−
|an
  
  +
|Active (1), Passive (2), Reflexive (3), Reciprocal (4), Impersonal (5)
−
|nasal vowel
  
−
|ã
  
−
|does not occur
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row"|Aspect
−
|en
  
  +
|Imperfective (1), Perfective (2)
−
|nasal vowel
  
−
|ɛ̃
  
−
|does not occur
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row"|Tense
−
|in
  
  +
|Present (1), Past (2), Future (3), Present Perfect (4), Past Perfect (3)
−
|nasal vowel
  
−
|ĩ
  
−
|does not occur
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row"|Mood
−
|on
  
  +
|Indicative (1), Subjunctive (2), Imperative (3)
−
|nasal vowel
  
−
|ɔ̃
  
−
|does not occur
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="row"|Agreement
−
|un
  
  +
|Nominative (1), Accusative (2)
−
|nasal vowel
  
−
|ũ
 +
|}
  +
Of course, not all combinations of grammatical categories are possible. Nevertheless there is a fixed sequence of affixes which serves as a basis for a model with which it is possible to describe the verb morphology quite accurately:
−
|does not occur
  
  +
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="width: 500px;"
  +
|+Seven-Slot Model
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 7
−
|ai
  
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 6
−
|diphthong
  
  +
! scope="col"|Slot  5
−
|äɪ
  
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 4
−
|does not occur
  
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 3
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 2
  +
! scope="col"|Slot 1
 
|-
  
|-
  +
|(Stem)
−
|au
  
  +
|Interfix
−
|diphthong
  
  +
|Tenses
−
|äʊ
  
  +
|STEM
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|
  +
Subject Agreement
  +
|Object Agreement; Voice
  +
|
  +
Mood,  Verb Type
  +
|}
  +
  +
==='''<u>The Seven-Slot Model</u>'''===
  +
The following table contains an overview of all used morphemes and their position in the verb:
  +
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="wikitable" style="width: 500px;"
 
|-
  
|-
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 7
−
|ei
  
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 6
−
|diphthong
  
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|
−
|ɛɪ
  
  +
SLOT <span style="text-align:left;">5</span>
−
|does not occur
  
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 4
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 3
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 2
  +
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;"|SLOT 1
 
|-
  
|-
−
|iw
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">STEM</p>
−
|diphthong
  
  +
−
|iʊ
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">2</p>
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-i-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">E</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-ya-/-wa-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">PAST/IRR</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">STEM</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">1</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-im-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">1SG.NOM</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-im-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">1SG.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-an</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">IPFV.IND</p>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|oi
  
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|diphthong
  
  +
|
−
|ɔɪ
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">
−
|does not occur
  
  +
</p>
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-iš-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">2SG.NOM</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-iš-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">2SG.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-at/-Ø</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">PFV</p>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| colspan="4" rowspan="9"|
−
|ou
  
  +
'''Used abbreviations:'''
−
|diphthong
  
  +
−
|ɔʊ
  
  +
E - epenthetic morpheme
−
|does not occur
  
  +
  +
GER - gerund
  +
  +
IMP - imperative
  +
  +
IND - indicative
  +
  +
INF - infinitive
  +
  +
INTR - intransitive
  +
  +
IPFV - imperfective
  +
  +
IPRS - impersonal
  +
  +
IRR - irrealis
  +
  +
PAST - past tense
  +
  +
PFV - perfective
  +
  +
PTCP - participle
  +
  +
REFL - reflexive
  +
  +
RECP - reciprocal
  +
  +
SBJV - subjunctive
  +
  +
SUP - supine
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-iw-/-it</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">3SG.NOM</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-iw-/-it</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">3SG.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-ai</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">SBJV</p>
 
|-
  
|-
−
|ui
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-am-</p>
−
|diphthong
  
  +
−
|uɪ
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">1PL.NOM</p>
−
|does not occur
  
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-am-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">1PL.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-u</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">IMP</p>
 
|-
  
|-
−
|ch
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-aš-</p>
−
|ejective affricate
  
  +
−
|tɕ'
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">2PL.NOM</p>
−
|does not appear
  
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-aš-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">2PL.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-a</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">INF</p>
 
|-
  
|-
−
|čh
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-aw-/-at</p>
−
|ejective affricate
  
  +
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|tʃ'
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">3PL.NOM</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-aw-/-at</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">3PL.ACC</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-anš</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">PTCP</p>
 
|-
  
|-
−
|kh
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-Ø-</p>
−
|ejective plosive
  
  +
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|k'
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">3.NOM</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-Ø-</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">INTR</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-anti</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">SUP</p>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|ph
  
  +
|
−
|ejective plosive
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-ar-</p>
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|p'
  
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">PASS</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-aza</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">GER.NOM</p>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|th
  
  +
|
−
|ejective plosive
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-ast-</p>
−
|t'
  
  +
−
|tɕ'
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">REFL</p>
  +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-azai</p>
  +
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">GER.ACC</p>
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|hj
  
  +
|
−
|palatal consonant
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-alw-</p>
−
|ɕ
  
  +
−
|does not occur
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">RECP</p>
−
|-
  
−
|lj
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-azak</p>
−
|palatal consonant
  
  +
−
|ʎ
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">GER.GEN</p>
−
|does not occur
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center;"|
−
|nj
  
  +
|
−
|palatal consonant
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-asj-</p>
−
|ɲ
  
  +
−
|does not occur
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">IPRS</p>
−
|-
  
−
|hw
 +
|
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">-azaš</p>
−
|other consonant
  
  +
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|ʍ
  
  +
<p style="text-align:center;">GER.DAT</p>
−
|-
  
−
|lh
  
−
|other consonant
  
−
|ɬ
  
−
|does not occur
  
−
|-
  
−
|lw
  
−
|consonant cluster
  
−
| colspan="2" rowspan="1"|ɬw
  
 
|}
  
|}
  +
===='''<u>Slot 1: Aspect and Mood</u>'''====
  +
In Miwonša, there are several types of infinite verb forms:
   
  +
<u>Infinitives:</u>
−
==NOUNS==
  
  +
−
==PRONOUNS==
  
  +
(1) Yežiman lufiw'''a'''. - I want to sleep.
−
==ADJECTIVES==
  
  +
−
==VERBS==
  
  +
<u>Gerunds (can be declined):</u>
  +
  +
(2) Lufj'''anza''' nanhwo saipiran. - Sleep'''ing''' often is healthy.
  +
  +
<u>Supines</u>
  +
  +
(3) Munsišanje čwonai čwonjan zuž'''anti''' aš tonšuloš žwena Miwonšak. - The students read the book '''to '''learn more of the Miwonšan language.
  +
  +
<u>Gerundives</u>
  +
  +
(4) Munsišanje zuž'''anti''' '''kwan''' aš tonšuloš žwena Miwonšak. - The students must know more about the Miwonšan language.
  +
  +
<u>Participles</u>
  +
  +
(5) Žai rumiwku hanzi lufj'''anš'''i! - Do not wake up sleeping dogs!
  +
  +
====<u>'''Slot 2: Voice, Transitivity and Object Agreement'''</u>====
  +
====<u>'''Slot 3: Subject Agreement'''</u>====
  +
====<u>'''Slot 4: Verb Stem'''</u>====
  +
  +
====<u>'''Slot 5: Tense'''</u>====
  +
  +
  +
====<u>'''Slot 6+7: The Perfect and the Future Tense'''</u>====
  +
  +
==='''<u>Tense, Aspect, Mode and Verb Type: Possible Combinations and restrictions</u>'''===
  +
  +
===='''<u>Infinitive</u>'''====
  +
  +
===='''<u>Finite verbs</u>'''====
  +
  +
===='''<u>Participles</u>'''====
  +
  +
===='''<u>Gerunds</u>'''====
  +
  +
===='''<u>Supines</u>'''====
  +
  +
===='''<u>Gerundives</u>'''====
  +
  +
  +
  +
==='''<u>Adjectival Verbs</u>'''===
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +
==='''<u>The copula "kwa"</u>'''===
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +
<u>
  +
</u>
   
 
==ADVERBS==
  
==ADVERBS==
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==SYNTAX==
  
==SYNTAX==
 
[[Category:Languages]]
  
[[Category:Languages]]
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[[Category:Conlangs]]
  
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[[Category:Conlang]]
  
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[[Category:Languages with own conscripts]]
  
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[[Category:Miwonša]]
  

Revision as of 02:08, 19 April 2015

Miwonša [mi’wɔ̃:ʃä] is an a priori conlang, which I have been developping since 2011. It is a personal language and besides that not yet connected to a conworld, although it cannot be excluded that the conlang may be linked to a fictional world in the future. Furthermore, Miwonša was designed to be as naturalistic and suitable for everyday communication as possible. Therefore the grammar is neither very simplistic nor complex, but comparable to the average complexity of European languages. One unique feature of Miwonša is that it can be written with two writing systems. The first one is a modified version of the Latin alphabet, which includes some diacritics.. The other alphabet resembles Hangeul in that strokes representing sounds are put together so that they form blocks. Each simple block represents one closed or open syllable (maximal complexity: CCCVC). Since all blocks for open syllables are symmetrical, you can form ligatures by combining the left half of the first block with the right half of the second block so that it is possible to display a CCCV.CCCV structure with only one ligature.

PHONOLOGY

Consonants

 

Labial

Alveolar

Post-Alveolar

Palatal

Velar

Glottal

Plosives

p  p‘  (b)

t  t‘  (d)

c  c‘

k  k‘  (g)

Affricates

t͡s

t͡ʃ  t͡ʃ‘  (d͡ʒ)

(t͡ɕ)  (t͡ɕ')

Nasals

m

n

ɲ

(ŋ)

Fricatives

f  (v)

s  z  (sʲ)  (zʲ) 

ʃ  ʒ

ɕ

(x)

h

Other

w  ʍ

l  r  (ɬ)

j  (ʎ)

Comments:

-          /c ; c‘/ → [t͡ɕ ; t͡ɕ ']/ _[i ; ĩ ; iʊ̯; w]

-          /ɬ/ can be replaced by /ɕ/ (free variation)

-          In some dialects, /k/ can be pronounced as [x] in the syllable coda.

-          [ŋ] is inserted between two words, when the first word ends in a nasal vowel and when the second begins with a vowel

-          The sounds /b ; d; g; d͡ʒ ; v/ only occur in loanwords from natlangs. However, they can be replaced with their voiceless counterparts /p ; t ; k ; t͡ʃ ; f/.

-          The sounds /sʲ ; zʲ ; ʎ/ are in free variation with the consonant clusters [sj ; zj ; lj]. 

Vowels

 

 

front

Monophthongs

central

 

back

 

front

Diphthongs

central

 

back

Closed

i  ĩ

u  ũ

iʊ̯

uɪ̯

Mid

ɛ  ɛ̃

ɔ  ɔ̃

ɛɪ̯

ɔɪ̯

Open

a  ã

ai̯

aʊ̯

ORTHOGRAPHY

Modern Miwonša uses the Latin alphabet. There are 27 letters. The letters <q> and <x> are not used. There are three letters with diacritics (<č>, <š>, <ž>). Digraphs and trigraphs are not counted as separate letters. 

Modern Miwonša uses the Latin alphabet. There are 27 letters. The letters <q> and <x> are not used. There are three letters with diacritics (<č>, <š>, <ž>). Digraphs and trigraphs are not counted as separate letters.

Letters

IPA

   Di- and Trigraphs

IPA

A a

[a]

   ai

   an

   au

[ai̯]

[ã]

[aʊ̯]

B b*

[b] or [p]

 

 

C c

[c], [tɕ]

   ch

[c‘], [tɕ‘]

Č č

[tʃ]

   čh

[tʃ‘]

D d*

[d] or [t]

 

 

E e

[ɛ]

   ei

   en

[ɛɪ̯]

[ɛ̃]

F f

[f]

 

G g

[g] or [k]

 

H h

[h]

   hi

   hj

   hw

[ɕi]

[ɕ]

[ʍ]

I i

[i]

   in

   iw

[ĩ ]

[iʊ̯]

J j**

[dʒ]  or [tʃ] / [j]

 

K k

[k]

   kh

   kl***

[k‘]

[kl]  or  [kɬ]

L l

[l]

   lh

   lj

   lw

[ɬ] or [ɕ]

[ʎ] or [lj]

[ɬw] or [ɕw]

M m

[m]

  

N n

[n]

   nj

[ɲ]

O o

[ɔ]

 oi

 on

[ɔɪ̯]

[ɔ̃]

P p

[p]

   ph

   pl***

[p’]

[pl] or [pɬ]

R r

[r]

 

S s

[s]

   sj

[sʲ] or [sj]

Š š

[ʃ]

 

T t

[t]

   th

   thi

   ti

   ts

   tsj

[t‘]

[tɕ‘i]

[tɕi]

[ts]

[tsj]

U u

[u]

   ui

   un

[uɪ̯]

[ũ]

V v*

[v] or [f]

 

W w

[w]

 

Y y

[J]

 

Z z

[z]

   zj

[zʲ]  or  [zj]

Ž ž

[ʒ]

 

*             The letters <b ; d ; g ; v> only occur in loanwords.

**          The letter <j> is pronounced as [dʒ]  or  [tʃ] in loanwords and as [j] in consonant clusters of native words.

***        <kl> and <pl> can be pronounced as [kl ; pl] or [kɬ ; pɬ] (free variation).

Phonotactics:                                                                         

Syllables in Miwonša can have up to 3 consonants in the onset and only one consonant in the coda. Syllables do not end in a consonant if the nucleus is a diphthong. After nasals, only <s> and <š> can appear in the coda. 

Letter

Onsets

Codas

b

(b) (bl) (br)

-

c

c ch cw

-

č

č čh čw

č

d

(d) (dr)

-

f

f fj (fl) (fr)

-

G

(g) (gl) (gr)

-

h

h hj hw

-

j

j

-

k

k kh kj kl kr kw

k

l

l lh lj lw

L

m

m mj

-

n

n nj

-

p

p ph pj pl pr pw

P

r

r

(r)

s

s sj sw

sp spj spl spr spw

st str stw

sk skj skl skr skw

s

 š

š šw

šp špj špl špr špw

št štr štw

šk škj škl škr škw

š

t

t th tr ts tsj tw

t

v

(v) (vj) (vl) (vr)

-

w

w

-

y

y

-

z

z zj

-

ž

ž žw

-

*             Consonants in brackets ( ) only appear in loanwords.

Stress

Miwonša is a non-tonal language with lexical stress. There are different rules concerning where to put the stress depending on the part of speech and the grammatical form of the word.

Dialects

Miwonša is not yet connected to a fictional world, nevertheless it has been designed as a pluricentric language with multiple dialects. Furthermore there are many allophones in free variation, but some pronunciations are considered to be more standard than the other alternative. In the central dialect, which is considered to be the most neutral one, <k> is always pronounced as [k], <lh> as [ɬ], <lw> as [ɬw], <kl> and <pl> as [pl] and [kl], <hw> as <ʍ>, <sj> and <zj> as [sj] and [zj] and <lj> as [lj].

Example sentence:

Tahonti kišanwe piši ya milwa žuk skuni ya piskwai nanstwaran. Uiku piro aš tunšwaš ya thažansaš kwan, wanjo kwaikan yonžalwanti žuk khonswai paiwašizjak.

[ta.ˈhɔ̃.t͡ɕi ki.ʃã.ˈwɛ ˈpi.ʃi ja ˈmi.ɬwa ʒuk ˈsku.ni ja ˈpis.kwaɪ̯ ˈnãs.twa.ˌrã. uɪ̯.ˈku ˈpi.rɔ aʃ ˈtũ.ʃwaʃ ja tʼa.ˈʒã.saʃ kwã, ˈwa.ɲɔ kwaɪ.ˈkã ˌjɔ̃.ʒa.ˈɬwã.t͡ɕi ʒuk ˈkʼɔ̃.swaɪ̯ ˌpai.wa.ˈʃi.zjak]

"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."

Final comments:

Since I have already had the pleasure of hearing people trying to pronounce my conlang, I would like to point out that <an> is not pronounced as In French. While <an> is a back vowel in French [ɑ̃], it is much more fronted in Miwonša. Therefore it should be pronounced as a pure nasal “a” sound with no tendency to “o”.

Furthermore I would like to mention that the postalveolar sounds /ʃ ; ʒ ; tʃ/ are rather pronounced like the postalveolars which are present in German or Polish. The English sounds <sh>, <ch> and “zh” (as in “vision”) are often much softer than <š>, <č> and <ž> in Miwonša.  

NOUNS

The four declensions

In Miwonša, all native nouns either end in "-a", "-i", "-o" or "-n". They can be grouped into four declensions. There are four cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative) and two numbers (singular, plural). All declensions have two or more sub-types.

The "a" declension

In the "a" declension, the last consonant is decisive for the choice of the correct suffix in the nominative, accusative and dative plural. If a stem of a noun ends in c, j, y or w, the plural suffixes are <e> and <eš>, All other stems require the suffixes i and iš. Final r is always palatalized to ž in the nominative, accusative and dative plural:

Example nouns of the "a" class (type 1): tahonta (person), hanza (dog) → tahonti (humans), hanzi (dogs)

Example nouns of the "a" class (type 2): wanca (girl), siwa (water) → wance (girls), siwe (waters)

Example nouns of the "a" class (type 3): tara (day), lura (night) → taži (days), luži (nights)

The "o" declension

While the declension in the singular is equal for all nouns of the "o" declension, there are two sets of plural suffixes for animated and inanimated nouns. Animated nouns ending in <j> or <y> take the suffixes <e>, <ek> and <eš> in the plural. Final <r>s of noun stems are palatalized:

Example nouns of the "o" class (an., type 1): wonco (child), škunlo (thief) → wonti (children), škunli (thieves)

Example nouns of the "o" class (an., type 2): anro (father) → anži (fathers)

Example nouns of the "o" class (inanimated): žanjo (eye) → žanja (eyes)

The "i" declension

All nouns of the "i" declension require the same suffixes in the singular and plural. The only irregularity is the "i"-alternation (see section about phonology):

Example nouns of the "i" class (no alternation): raiči (opinion) → raiča (opinions)

Example nouns of the "i" class (alternation): kaipi (mountain) → kaipja (mountains)

The "n" declension

With very few exceptions, native nouns of the "n"-class are very regular:

Declension

"a"  type 1

"a" type 2 "o" animate "o" inanimate "i"   type 1 "i" type 2 "n"
TRANSLATION

language

mother boy year family heart friend
NOM.SG žwena maca kjunšo šanlo zwanši kjani tuškan
ACC.SG žwenai macai kjunšoi šanloi zwanši kjani tuškani
GEN.SG žwenak macak kjunšok šanlok zwanšik kjanik tuškanka
DAT.SG žwenaš macaš kjunšoš šanloš zwanšiš kjaniš tuškanša
NOM.PL/ACC.PL žweni mace kjunši šanla zwanša kjanja tuškanje
GEN.PL žwenoi macoi kjunšik šanlai zwanšiki kjaniki tuškanki
DAT.PL žweniš maceš kjunšiš šanlaš zwanšiši kjaniši tuškanši


The infix <-aš>

"a"    type 1 "a"  type 2 "o" animate "o" inanimate "i"     type 1 "i"   type 2 "n"
TRANSLATION this language this mother this boy this year this family this heart this friend
NOM.SG žwenaša macaša kjunšašo šanlašo zwanšaši kjanjaši tuškašan
ACC.SG žwenašai macašai kjunšašoi šanlašoi zwanšaši kjanjaši tuškašani
GEN.SG žwenašak macašak kjunšašok šanlašok zwanšašik kjanjašik tuškašanka
DAT.SG žwenašaš macašaš kjunšašoš šanlašoš zwanšašiš kjanjašiš tuškašanša
NOM.PL/ACC.PL žwenaši macaši kjunšaši šanlaša zwanšaša kjanjaša tuškašanje
GEN.PL žwenašoi macašoi kjunšašik šanlašai zwanšaški kjanjaški tuškašanki
DAT.PL žwenašiš macašiš kjunšašiš šanlašaš zwanšašši kjanjašši tuškašanši

The infix <-aw>

"a"      type 1 "a"   type 2 "o" animate "o" inanimate "i"      type 1 "i"    type 2 "n"
TRANSLATION some/any language some/any mother some/any boy some/any year some/any family some/any heart some/any friend
NOM.SG žwenawa macawa kjunšawo šanlawo zwanšawi kjanjawi tuškawan
ACC.SG žwenawai macawai kjunšawoi šanlawoi zwanšawi kjanjawi tuškawani
GEN.SG žwenawak macawak kjunšawok šanlawok zwanšawik kjanjawik tuškawanka
DAT.SG žwenawaš macawaš kjunšawoš šanlawoš zwanšawiš kjanjawiš tuškawanša
NOM.PL/ACC.PL žwenawi macawi kjunšawi šanlawa zwanšawa kjanjawa tuškawanje
GEN.PL žwenawoi macawoi kjunšawik šanlawai zwanšawki kjanjawki tuškawanki
DAT.PL žwenawiš macawiš kjunšawiš šanlawaš zwanšawši kjanjawši tuškawanši

PRONOUNS

ADJECTIVES

VERBS

Overview: Verb morphology in Miwonša

Although the verb morphology is out and away the most complex part of Miwonšan grammar, it is not as complicated as one might assume at first glance. There are, however, some features which make it hard and easy at the same time: On the one hand Miwonšan verbs have an immense amount of of grammatical categories and affixes, which is the cause of extremly high morpheme/word ratios and very long words. On the other hand there is only one single and very regular conjugation, very little allomorphy and very strict rules concerning where to place which affix. This leads to the conclusion that it is much more reasonable and economical to obtain an idea of the structure of Miwonšan verbs by taking a look at the whole morphological scheme.

First of all it is important to know that there are three main verb types: 

(1) Standard Verbs (containing Modal Verbs); (2) Adjectival Verbs; (3) Copula Verbs

All three types can appear as finite and as infinite verb forms. There are several types of infinite verb forms:

(1) Infintives, (2) Adverbial Participles, (3) Adjectival Participles, (4) Gerunds, (5) Supines, (6) Gerundives

Furthermore, there are five voices (genus verbi), two aspects, at least five tenses, three grammatical moods and both subject and object agreement:

Verb morphology
Categories
Genus Verbi Active (1), Passive (2), Reflexive (3), Reciprocal (4), Impersonal (5)
Aspect Imperfective (1), Perfective (2)
Tense Present (1), Past (2), Future (3), Present Perfect (4), Past Perfect (3)
Mood Indicative (1), Subjunctive (2), Imperative (3)
Agreement Nominative (1), Accusative (2)

Of course, not all combinations of grammatical categories are possible. Nevertheless there is a fixed sequence of affixes which serves as a basis for a model with which it is possible to describe the verb morphology quite accurately:

Seven-Slot Model
Slot 7 Slot 6 Slot  5 Slot 4 Slot 3 Slot 2 Slot 1
(Stem) Interfix Tenses STEM

Subject Agreement

Object Agreement; Voice

Mood,  Verb Type

The Seven-Slot Model

The following table contains an overview of all used morphemes and their position in the verb:

SLOT 7 SLOT 6

SLOT 5

SLOT 4 SLOT 3 SLOT 2 SLOT 1

STEM

2

-i-

E

-ya-/-wa-

PAST/IRR

STEM

1

-im-

1SG.NOM

-im-

1SG.ACC

-an

IPFV.IND

-iš-

2SG.NOM

-iš-

2SG.ACC

-at/-Ø

PFV

Used abbreviations:

E - epenthetic morpheme

GER - gerund

IMP - imperative

IND - indicative

INF - infinitive

INTR - intransitive

IPFV - imperfective

IPRS - impersonal

IRR - irrealis

PAST - past tense

PFV - perfective

PTCP - participle

REFL - reflexive

RECP - reciprocal

SBJV - subjunctive

SUP - supine

-iw-/-it

3SG.NOM

-iw-/-it

3SG.ACC

-ai

SBJV

-am-

1PL.NOM

-am-

1PL.ACC

-u

IMP

-aš-

2PL.NOM

-aš-

2PL.ACC

-a

INF

-aw-/-at

3PL.NOM

-aw-/-at

3PL.ACC

-anš

PTCP

-Ø-

3.NOM

-Ø-

INTR

-anti

SUP

-ar-

PASS

-aza

GER.NOM

-ast-

REFL

-azai

GER.ACC

-alw-

RECP

-azak

GER.GEN

-asj-

IPRS

-azaš

GER.DAT

Slot 1: Aspect and Mood

In Miwonša, there are several types of infinite verb forms:

Infinitives:

(1) Yežiman lufiwa. - I want to sleep.

Gerunds (can be declined):

(2) Lufjanza nanhwo saipiran. - Sleeping often is healthy.

Supines

(3) Munsišanje čwonai čwonjan zužanti aš tonšuloš žwena Miwonšak. - The students read the book to learn more of the Miwonšan language.

Gerundives

(4) Munsišanje zužanti kwan aš tonšuloš žwena Miwonšak. - The students must know more about the Miwonšan language.

Participles

(5) Žai rumiwku hanzi lufjanši! - Do not wake up sleeping dogs!

Slot 2: Voice, Transitivity and Object Agreement

Slot 3: Subject Agreement

Slot 4: Verb Stem

Slot 5: Tense

Slot 6+7: The Perfect and the Future Tense

Tense, Aspect, Mode and Verb Type: Possible Combinations and restrictions

Infinitive

Finite verbs

Participles

Gerunds

Supines

Gerundives

Adjectival Verbs

The copula "kwa"

ADVERBS

SYNTAX

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