Conlang
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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
VV
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)

adj. adjective | adv. adverb | art. article | conj. conjunction | det. determiner | interj. interjection | n. noun | num. numeral | prep. preposition | pron. pronoun | v. verb

  • 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
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