The Language of Piiten[]

...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...

iyy wään pu wwü ëo ʻːü iyy ëonyy ëo wingg ʻːutt yyënyy snu

Pronunciation: /ijː wəːn pu wːy ɛo̯ ʔːy ijː ɛo̯ɲː ɛo̯ wiŋː ʔːutː jːɛɲː snu/

Piiten word order: and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face the wind to

Consonant inventory: h hː j jː k kː m n nː p s t tː w wː ŋ ŋː ɲ ɲː ʔ ʔː θ θː

Click IPA symbols for audio

↓Manner/Place→	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m		n nː	ɲ ɲː	ŋ ŋː
Stop	p		t tː		k kː	ʔ ʔː
Fricative		θ θː	s			h hː
Approximant				j jː

Co-articulated phonemes

↓Manner/Place→	Labial-velar
Approximant	w wː

Vowel inventory: a au̯ ay̯ aː e eː i ia̯ iː o oː u uy̯ uə̯ uː y ɔ ɔː ə əy̯ əː ɛ ɛo̯ ɛː ɯ ɯə̯ ɯː

Diphthongs: au̯ ay̯ ia̯ uy̯ uə̯ əy̯ ɛo̯ ɯə̯ ?

	Front	Central	Back
High	i iː y		ɯː ɯ u uː
High-mid	e eː		o oː
Mid		ə əː
Low-mid	ɛː ɛ		ɔ ɔː
Low	aː a

Syllable structure: (C)(C)V(C) ?

Stress pattern: Penultimate — stress is on the second last syllable ?

Word initial consonants: h hː j jː k kh ks kː n nj nː p s sj sm sn t th tk tm tː w wː ŋː ɲj ɲː ʔː θ θː

Mid-word consonants: h hj ht hː j jj jk jm jn jɲ jʔ jː k kh kj kk kw kɲ kː kːt m mk mn mt n nj nk nn np nt nw nɲ nʔ nː p pk pm pn pp ps s sh sj sm sn sp ss st sʔ t th tj tk tm ts tɲ tː tːn w wt wː ŋ ŋj ŋm ŋn ŋt ŋː ŋθ ɲ ɲt ɲɲ ɲː ʔ ʔː ʔθ θ θh θj θː

Word final consonants: hː jː kː n nː p s tː w wː ŋ ŋː ɲː ʔː θ θː

Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
ʔ	ʻ
ɔ	aw
ɛ	ë
ə	ä
y	ü
ɯ	ú
j	y
ŋ	ng
ɲ	ny
θ	th
Vː	VV
Cː	CC
◌̯

Grammar[]

Main word order: Subject Verb Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary opened the door with a key.

Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.

Adposition: postpositions ?

Nouns[]

Singular

No affix

nyünnuung /ˈnjynnuːŋ/

dog

Plural

Suffix -əθ

nyünnuungäth /njynˈnuːŋəθ/

dogs

Articles[]

Definite	säüthh /səy̯θː/ the
Indefinite	aww /ɔː/ a, some

Uses of definite article that differ from English:

Used for languages: ‘The English’
Used with place names: ‘The London’

Uses of indefinite article that differ from English:

Not used for non-specific mass (uncountable) nouns: non-specific means ‘Would you like some (any) tea?’ whereas specific means ‘Some tea (a specific amount) fell off the truck’

Pronouns[]

1st singular	äww /əwː/ I, me, mine
2nd singular	ʻːawwkk /ʔːɔːkː/ you, yours
3rd singular	wään /wəːn/ he, she, him, her, his, hers, it, its
1st plural	naww /nɔː/ we, us, ours
2nd plural	thhii /θːiː/ you all, yours (pl)
3rd plural	ing /iŋ/ they, them, theirs

Possessive determiners[]

1st singular	wuuhh /wuːhː/ my
2nd singular	ttaw /tːɔ/ your
3rd singular	ëo /ɛo̯/ his, her, its
1st plural	uü /uy̯/ our
2nd plural	au /au̯/ your (pl)
3rd plural	thäü /thəy̯/ their

Verbs[]

Present

No affix

uüʻː /uy̯ʔː/

learn

Past

If ends with vowel: Suffix -tː

Else: Suffix -əy̯tː uüʻːäütt /ˈuy̯ʔːəy̯tː/ learned

Future

If ends with vowel: Suffix -p

Else: Suffix -iːp uüʻːiip /ˈuy̯ʔːiːp/ will learn

Imperfective aspect

The ‘imperfective’ aspect refers to ongoing actions, such as I am learning and habitual actions, such as I learn (something new every day).

Piiten uses an affix for imperfective:

Imperfective

If ends with vowel: Suffix -nː

Else: Suffix -ia̯nː uüʻːiann /ˈuy̯ʔːia̯nː/ learns/is learning

Perfect aspect

The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.

Piiten uses an affix for the perfect aspect:

Perfect

If ends with vowel: Suffix -tː

Else: Suffix -ɔtː uüʻːawtt /ˈuy̯ʔːɔtː/ have learned

Numbers[]

Piiten has a base-10 number system:

1 - waws

2 - nyyau

3 - taw

4 - túúw

5 - tto

6 - nyyë

7 - puu

8 - säp

9 - tkithh

10 - awn

11 - waws iyy awn “one and ten”

100 - wwawng “hundred”

101 - wwawng waws “hundred one”

200 - nyyau wwawng

1000 - smëëyy “thousand”

Derivational morphology[]

Adjective → adverb = Suffix -o

Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Suffix -ɯːw

Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʔː

Else: Suffix -əy̯ʔː

Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -tː

Else: Suffix -ay̯tː

Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -p

Else: Suffix -ɛp

Noun to verb = Suffix -eː

Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -uy̯

Tending to = Suffix -oθ

Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -θː

Else: Suffix -yθː

Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -ia̯tː

One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ŋː

Else: Suffix -iŋː

Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʔː

Else: Suffix -yʔː

Diminutive = Suffix -o

Augmentative = Suffix -uːtː

Piiten - English Dictionary[]

Key: spelling /pronunciation/ part of speech. definition(s)

a /a/ v. know (a fact), know (be acquainted with)
ään /əːn/ v. aim, attempt, intend
äätëë /ˈəːtɛː/ n. frog
äʻː /əʔː/ n. aunt
angg /aŋː/ n. brush, brush (for hair)
as /as/ n. beverage
ättnëëʻː /ˈətːnɛːʔː/ v. bore
äúmää /əˈɯməː/ v. interrupt
äüs /əy̯s/ n. sale
äüw /əy̯w/ n. chalk
awkiyy /ˈɔkijː/ n. row
aww /ɔː/ det. a, some
äyy /əjː/ v. agree, compromise
ëëʻa /ˈɛːʔa/ v. behave
eenpi /ˈeːnpi/ adv. together
ëëpnoonggaww /ɛːpˈnoːŋːɔː/ n. weather
ëëtkee /ˈɛːtkeː/ v. help, assist, cater
ëëttääthh /ˈɛːtːəːθː/ n. development
ëʻː /ɛʔː/ n. skirt
ëmo /ˈɛmo/ n. mass
ënyuʻː /ˈɛnjuʔː/ n. restaurant
ëp /ɛp/ v. deal, haggle
ëtmeep /ˈɛtmeːp/ v. cast, fling, shoot, propel
ew /ew/ v. chase
ha /ha/ num. first
hawtying /ˈhɔtjiŋ/ n. limit, border, boundary
heehhuyy /ˈheːhːujː/ n. cousin
hhä /hːə/ adj. big, large, heavy, massive, immense, enormous
hhää /hːəː/ v. flow, leak
hhë /hːɛ/ v. provide, cater
hhëë /hːɛː/ n. box
hhiamuüp /ˈhːia̯muy̯p/ v. define
hhu /hːu/ v. rule, reign
hhúúnëë /ˈhːɯːnɛː/ n. point, position, time
his /his/ n. girl
húäeo /hɯə̯ˈeo/ adv. suddenly
huü /huy̯/ n. claw
ʻːao /ˈʔːao/ adv. certainly
ʻːë /ʔːɛ/ n. stitch
ʻːi /ʔːi/ n. program
ʻːu /ʔːu/ adj. interior
ʻːúp /ʔːɯp/ n. shape, form, structure
ian /ia̯n/ prep. like
iang /ia̯ŋ/ n. axe
ii /iː/ prep. by (agent performing an action), by (author or creator)
iip /iːp/ n. thigh
iittuu /ˈiːtːuː/ n. alphabet
ing /iŋ/ adj. true, honest
ipkëë /ˈipkɛː/ adj. fair, just
itmënn /ˈitmɛnː/ n. text
iyy /ijː/ conj. and
kääyyü /ˈkəːjːy/ v. visit, attend, show up
kaüp /kay̯p/ v. fight
kë /kɛ/ adj. hot
këong /kɛo̯ŋ/ v. grip
khaukyänʻää /khau̯ˈkjənʔəː/ v. continue, keep, remain, persist
khenyy /kheɲː/ v. wave (salutation)
khu /khu/ n. factor, variable
khúú /khɯː/ n. subject
kithh /kiθː/ v. send
kkakk /kːakː/ adj. probable
kkaww /kːɔw/ v. dream
kkëtki /ˈkːɛtki/ n. match (game), contest
kkongg /kːoŋː/ n. support
kkü /kːy/ n. sun, day, light
kkúú /kːɯː/ n. hand, palm (of hand)
ksa /ksa/ n. light
ksëëoth /ˈksɛːoθ/ adj. careful
ksiwwuoth /ksiˈwːuoθ/ adj. critical
ksüp /ksyp/ v. limp
kúäthh /kɯə̯θː/ n. action
kuun /kuːn/ n. cake
nästi /ˈnəsti/ n. pepper
nawkktëë /ˈnɔkːtɛː/ adj. able, capable, competent, ready
në /nɛ/ v. consider, estimate
nepa /ˈnepa/ adv. quite, rather
nëpi /ˈnɛpi/ n. cat
nggäü /ŋːəy̯/ n. mood, attitude
nggawyy /ŋːɔjː/ n. soil, clay
nggëthhúúw /ˈŋːɛθːɯːw/ n. happiness
nggohhuä /ˈŋːohːuə̯/ adj. vulgar
ngguu /ŋːuː/ adj. thin, slim, narrow
niin iknyis /niːn ˈikɲis/ n. eyeball
nith /niθ/ n. target
nnaü /nːay̯/ n. battle
nnee /nːeː/ v. go, leave, continue
nniin /nːiːn/ adv. away
nnúä /nːɯə̯/ n. daughter
nnuungthëë /ˈnːuːŋθɛː/ n. triangle
nottúú /ˈnotːɯː/ n. hotel, inn, lodge
núänyy /nɯə̯ɲː/ v. employ, recruit
nüp /nyp/ n. tree, wood, plant, shrub
nuun /nuːn/ n. fowl
nyääkk /njəːkː/ n. south
nye /nje/ v. pick
nyoo /njoː/ n. pile, heap, mound
nyünnuung /ˈnjynnuːŋ/ n. dog
nyüp /njyp/ adj. religious
nyyäänʻoo /ˈɲjəːnʔoː/ v. kill, murder, execute, destroy
nyyawʻː /ɲːɔʔː/ n. window
nyyee /ɲːeː/ v. respect
nyyen /ɲjen/ n. chapel
nyyiʻː /ɲːiʔː/ n. carcass
nyyongüthh /ˈɲjoŋyθː/ n. thought
nyyuä /ɲjuə̯/ n. trap
nyyúú /ɲːɯː/ adj. social
oaa /ˈoaː/ n. match (for fire)
ooʻthe tkënyy /ˈoːʔθe tkɛɲː/ n. lower class
opë /ˈopɛ/ n. accent (of language), dialect
ott /otː/ v. press, squeeze
pähtú /ˈpəhtɯ/ v. rise
pawn /pɔn/ n. coin
pëëp /pɛːp/ n. shelf, rack
penn /penː/ prep. beside
pihh /pihː/ adj. frequent
pinyy /piɲː/ n. chicken
poo /poː/ n. wool, fur
pungtawuutt /puŋˈtɔuːtː/ n. trunk (of tree)
sä /sə/ v. wait
saü /say̯/ n. wine
sawnyy /sɔɲː/ v. climb, escalate
sëëp /sɛːp/ n. belly
sia /sia̯/ n. glue, paste, cream, milk
smathh /smaθː/ n. decision
smawyy wo /smɔjː wo/ v. boil
smëi /ˈsmɛi/ n. defense
smin /smin/ prep. across
smow /smow/ adv. tomorrow
smuthh /smuθː/ n. bottle
smuu /smuː/ v. like, enjoy
snääp /snəːp/ n. military
snawthhaütt /ˈsnɔθːay̯tː/ adj. anxious
snenn /snenː/ v. catch, grab, clutch, grasp, intercept
sno /sno/ n. show, play (stage play)
snús /snɯs/ adj. rare
sothia /ˈsoθia̯/ n. week
suee /ˈsueː/ v. name
syaa /sjaː/ n. color
syee /sjeː/ n. trunk (of tree)
syewaütt /ˈsjeway̯tː/ adj. bloody
syü /sjy/ n. rumor
täü /təy̯/ v. settle
të /tɛ/ n. story, fable
tëthh /tɛθː/ v. please
thää /thəː/ n. decade
thauspu /ˈthau̯spu/ n. economy
the /the/ det. many
thëën /θɛːn/ n. excuse
thesnü /ˈθesny/ v. recognize
thhaw /θːɔ/ adv. always, all the time
thhi /θːi/ adv. how
thhos /θːos/ v. acquire
thhutt /θːutː/ n. mess, clutter
thiisingg /ˈθiːsiŋː/ n. ruler
thoo /thoː/ n. west
thoyy /thojː/ n. link
thüthh /θyθː/ n. growth
thúw /θɯw/ v. divide
tiw /tiw/ n. wizard
tkaw /tkɔ/ v. get, obtain
tkep /tkep/ n. idiot
tkithh /tkiθː/ num. nine
tkuu /tkuː/ n. book, magazine
tmänne /ˈtmənːe/ n. valley
tmee /tmeː/ n. bird
tmi /tmi/ v. fix, mend, repair, recover
tmongmiith /ˈtmoŋmiːθ/ det. several
tmüth /tmyθ/ v. drive
ttakk /tːakː/ n. slope, slant
ttawhhúúw /ˈtːɔhːɯːw/ n. characteristic
ttëw /tːɛw/ n. circle, ring
ttimëëngg /ˈtːimɛːŋː/ n. teacher
ttú /tːɯ/ adv. never
ttuunn /tːuːnː/ n. monster
túú /tɯː/ adj. black, blue, purple, green
u thauspu /u ˈthau̯spu/ n. agriculture
uäp /uə̯p/ v. say, tell, announce, explain, interpret, express
uäyyee /ˈuə̯jjeː/ n. community
úmää /ˈɯməː/ v. break, burst, smash, snap, tear, shatter
upko /ˈupko/ n. goat
utt /utː/ n. evening
uüʻː /uy̯ʔː/ v. learn
uusü /ˈuːsy/ n. science
uutkaanyyo /uːtˈkaːɲːo/ n. pocket
uw /uw/ adj. furious
úymis /ˈɯjmis/ adj. cold
waapkëëng /ˈwaːpkɛːŋ/ v. affect
wapkuün /ˈwapkuy̯n/ n. mint
waueue /ˈwau̯eː/ v. offer
waws /wɔs/ num. one
weemi /ˈweːmi/ n. cotton
wëëwwi /ˈwɛːwːi/ adv. again
wëow /wɛo̯w/ n. brass
wii /wiː/ v. move, come
wohh /wohː/ n. back (of body), back (reverse side)
woykawn /ˈwojkɔn/ v. rub, stroke, massage, wipe
wuäw /wuə̯w/ adj. pink
wúnningg /ˈwɯnːiŋː/ n. lawyer
wuü /wuy̯/ n. merchandise
wuuw /wuːw/ v. crash, collide
wwawngthi /ˈwːɔŋθi/ n. company, business
wwëëhh /wːɛːhː/ prep. despite
wwiayay /wːia̯jː/ v. whistle, hiss
wwonnüthh /ˈwːonːyθː/ n. exam
wwúng /wːɯŋ/ n. past
yäthhúú /ˈjəθːɯː/ n. wood
yawww /jɔwː/ n. beer
yëiatt /ˈjɛia̯tː/ n. elevation
yishi /ˈjishi/ adj. wise
yuäyäyuutt inyy /ˈjuə̯jːuːtː iɲː/ n. skull
yuüyuä /ˈjuy̯juə̯/ n. helmet
yyatt /jːatː/ v. warn, alert
yyëë /jːɛː/ n. broom
yyia syen /jːia̯ sjen/ n. footprint
yyoo /jːoː/ n. person
yyúä /jːɯə̯/ n. crack
yyús ëënytawwtt /jːɯs ˈɛːɲtɔːtː/ n. human

Piiten

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