Brïïwlä /ˈbɹɪːwlɑ/[]
Spelling & Phonology[]
Consonant inventory: b c d f fː g h hː j jː k l lː m mː n nː p q r rː s sː t v vː w wː x xː z zː ç çː ð ðː ħ ħː ŋ ŋː ɓ ɟ ɣ ɣː ɲ ɲː ɹ ɹː ɾ ʀ ʀː ʁ ʁː ʃ ʃː ʍ ʍː ʎ ʎː ʒ ʒː ʔ ʘ ʙ ʣ ʤ ʤː ʦ ʧ ʧː θ θː χ χː
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m mː | n nː | ɲ ɲː | ŋ ŋː | ||||||
| Stop | p b | t d | c ɟ | k g | q | ʔ | ||||
| Implosive | ɓ | |||||||||
| Affricate | ʦ ʣ | ʧ ʧː ʤ ʤː | ||||||||
| Fricative | f fː v vː | θ θː ð ðː | s sː z zː | ʃ ʃː ʒ ʒː | ç çː | x xː ɣ ɣː | χ χː ʁ ʁː | ħ ħː | h hː | |
| Approximant | ɹ ɹː | j jː | ||||||||
| Tap | ɾ | |||||||||
| Trill | ʙ | r rː | ʀ ʀː | |||||||
| Lateral approximant | l lː | ʎ ʎː | ||||||||
| Click | ʘ |
Co-articulated phonemes
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Labial-velar |
|---|---|
| Approximant | ʍ ʍː w wː |
Vowel inventory: a aː e eː i iː o oː u uː y yː æ æː ø øː ɑ ɑː ɔ ɔː ə əː ə˞ ə̃ ə̃ː ɛ ɛː ɨ ɨː ɪ ɪː ʉ ʉː ʊ ʊː ʌ ʌː
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː y yː | ɨ ɨː ʉ ʉː | u uː |
| Near-high | ɪ ɪː | ʊ ʊː | |
| High-mid | e eː ø øː | o oː | |
| Mid | ə ə̃ ə˞ əː ə̃ː | ||
| Low-mid | ɛ ɛː | ʌ ʌː ɔ ɔː | |
| Near-low | æ æː | ||
| Low | a aː | ɑ ɑː |
Syllable structure: (C)(C)V(C)
Stress pattern: Penultimate — stress is on the second last syllable
Spelling rules:[]
| Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| ɛ | ë |
| ɑ | ä |
| ə | à |
| ə˞ | à˞ |
| ə̃ | à̃ |
| ɔ | aw |
| ʊ | ü |
| ʉ | ù |
| ʌ | uh |
| ɪ | ï |
| ɨ | ì |
| y | ú |
| r | r̈ |
| ɹ | r |
| θ | th |
| ɾ | r̀ |
| ʒ | zh |
| ð | dh |
| j | y |
| ʃ | sh |
| ŋ | ng |
| ʁ | ŕ |
| ʀ | r̂ |
| ʤ | j |
| ɟ | jy |
| ʎ | ÿ |
| c | chy |
| ʧ | ch |
| ɓ | b’ |
| ʙ | b̮ |
| ʣ | dz |
| ħ | ḫ |
| ɲ | ny |
| ç | shy |
| ʦ | ts |
| ʍ | wh |
| x | kh |
| ɣ | gh |
| χ | k̮h |
| ʔ | ʻ |
| 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
nyaak /ɲaːk/ dog |
| Plural | Reduplicate whole word
nyaaknyaak /ˈɲaːkɲaːk/ dogs |
Articles[]
| Definite | Indefinite | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | bro /bɹo/
the |
gàk /gək/
a |
| Plural | dzhadhh /dʒaðː/
the |
lüss /lʊsː/
some |
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[]
| Nominative | Accusative | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | r̂ːùùkhh /ʀːʉːxː/
I |
jjà˞ /ʤːə˞/
me |
| 2nd singular | chhëj /ʧːɛʤ/
you |
shhää /ʃːɑː/
you |
| 3rd singular masc | chyìì /cɨː/
he, it (masc) |
wwïï /wːɪː/
his, it (masc) |
| 3rd singular fem | dr̀ë /dɾɛ/
she, it (fem) |
nr̈onyy /nroɲː/
her, it (fem) |
| 1st plural | ngüü /ngʊː/
we |
va /va/
us |
| 2nd plural | shhà˞ /ʃːə˞/
you all |
b̮äf /ʙɑf/
you all |
| 3rd plural | chàà /ʧəː/
they |
r̂ë /ʀɛ/
them |
Possessive determiners[]
| Possessive | |
|---|---|
| 1st singular | r̂ːùùkhh /ʀːʉːxː/
my |
| 2nd singular | chhëj /ʧːɛʤ/
your |
| 3rd singular masc | chyìì /cɨː/
his |
| 3rd singular fem | dr̀ë /dɾɛ/
her |
| 1st plural | ngüü /ngʊː/
our |
| 2nd plural | shhà˞ /ʃːə˞/
your (pl) |
| 3rd plural | chàà /ʧəː/
their |
Verbs[]
| Present | No affix
shyyær̀ʻù /ˈçːæɾʔʉ/ learn |
| Past | If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʃræː
Else: Suffix -ɪːʃræː shyyær̀ʻùshr̈ææ /çːæɾˈʔʉʃræː/ learned |
| Future | If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʒ
Else: Suffix -ʌʒ shyyær̀ʻùzh /ˈçːæɾʔʉʒ/ 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).
Brïïwläian uses an affix for imperfective:
| Imperfective | If ends with vowel: Suffix -hː
Else: Suffix -ʉhː shyyær̀ʻùhh /ˈçːæɾʔʉhː/ learns/is learning |
Numbers[]
Brïïwläian has a base-10 number system:
- 1 - chhi
- 2 - vr̀ee
- 3 - r̂æ
- 4 - gà̃
- 5 - rrà̃à̃
- 6 - gæ
- 7 - benyy
- 8 - gu
- 9 - woy
- 10 - väk̮hh
- 100 - ee
- 1000 - fäwh
Derivational morphology[]
- Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʁːɪ
- Else: Suffix -ə̃ʁːɪ
- Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʒː
- Else: Suffix -ə˞ʒː
- Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɣ
- Else: Suffix -eɣ
- Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʍː
- Else: Suffix -ɨʍː
- Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -f
- Else: Suffix -ɑf
- Noun to verb = Suffix -ɑʃ
- Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -ə˞g
- Tending to = Suffix -ə̃d
- Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Suffix -o
- Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ð
- Else: Suffix -ɪð
- One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -æ
- Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɾ
- Else: Suffix -ʊɾ
- Diminutive = Suffix -aʍː
- Augmentative = If ends with vowel: Suffix -r
- Else: Suffix -er
Brïïwläian - 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/ n. war
- ää /ɑː/ v. care
- äättø /ˈɑːttø/ n. glue
- ànbuu /ˈənbuː/ n. grease
- b’à /ɓə/ n. court (of law), tribunal
- b’ak̮hh drà̃ /ɓaχː dɹə̃/ n. orchard
- b’ïsh /ɓɪʃ/ adj. past
- b̮à /ʙə/ v. influence
- bahh /bahː/ n. face, side, front, expression, facade, surface
- bë /bɛ/ adv. quite, rather
- b̮ììgfa /ˈʙɨːgfa/ v. employ, recruit
- blanyye /ˈblaɲje/ v. lose
- bne /bne/ n. wing
- br̀a /bɾa/ v. educate
- br̀akïdh /ˈbɾakɪð/ n. building
- br̀ì /bɾɨ/ adj. white, clear
- bü /bʊ/ n. star
- búú bà̃ /byː bə̃/ n. midnight
- chë /ʧɛ/ n. staff, crew
- chhææ /ʧhæː/ v. tread, step on
- chher /ʧːeɹ/ n. resource
- chhü /ʧːʊ/ n. community, colony
- chtëbläŕ /ˈʧtɛblɑʁ/ v. cry, shout, sob, weep
- chyächhe /ˈcɑʧːe/ n. air, oxygen
- chyøøp /cøːp/ v. feel (examine by touch)
- da /da/ n. weather, climate
- däk̮hh /dɑχː/ adj. real
- dhà˞dh /ðə˞ð/ n. wood
- dhhæpzii /ˈðːæpziː/ v. call (refer to by name), dub
- dhhúr̀zæ /ˈðːyɾzæ/ adj. best
- dhuh /ðʌ/ v. hit, beat (strike), slap, collide
- drà̃ /dɹə̃/ n. garden, park
- drà̃æ /ˈdɹə̃æ/ n. gardener
- dramìwhh /ˈdɹamɨʍː/ adj. heavy
- dr̀ì bà̃ /dɾɨ bə̃/ adv. tonight
- drur̈ /dɹur/ n. law
- dvëërmà˞ /ˈdvɛːɹmə˞/ adj. black, blue
- dyü /djʊ/ n. section, compartment, piece
- dzazhh /ʣaʒː/ n. ability
- dzhaw /dʒɔ/ n. smoke, gas
- dzhuu /dʒuː/ v. regret, lament
- ë /ɛ/ adj. sorry, sad
- ëzhh /ɛʒː/ n. sadness
- fày /fəj/ n. nest, den
- ffëëo /ˈfːɛːo/ n. repetition
- fr̈a /fra/ n. death
- fr̀æ /fɾæ/ v. torture, oppress
- frï /fɹɪ/ v. sneeze
- fr̀iwwo /ˈfɾiwːo/ n. perception
- frujey /ˈfɹuʤej/ v. discuss
- ftawwzhh /ftɔːʒː/ n. confidence
- füür̈à̃ŕːï /fʊːˈrə̃ʁːɪ/ adv. previously
- fyëë /fjɛː/ n. fan (enthusiast)
- gächh /gɑʧː/ n. language, dialect
- gææv /gæːv/ n. employee
- gee /geː/ v. twist
- ghe /ɣe/ n. child (son or daughter of any age)
- ghheg /ɣːeg/ prep. from
- ghhúú /ɣːyː/ n. line
- ghnæshyúr̀ /ˈɣnæçyɾ/ n. grocer
- ghr̀à˞y /ɣɾə˞j/ n. bar (pub)
- ghüü /ɣʊː/ v. jump, skip
- glæo /ˈglæo/ n. appearance (act of appearing)
- gøchy /gøc/ v. leave (depart), depart
- gŕìdnye /ˈgʁɨdɲe/ adv. never
- gugh /guɣ/ adj. early
- ḫːäg /ħːɑg/ n. second (time)
- ḫæ /ħæ/ v. hope
- ḫawg /ħɔg/ n. hag (old woman)
- hhaj /hːaʤ/ n. plan, strategy (plan), program
- hi /hi/ n. slave
- høøæ /ˈhøːæ/ n. visitor
- húng /hyŋ/ n. chemical
- hyäzvà̃ /ˈhjɑzvə̃/ n. pencil
- hyúú /hjyː/ n. need
- ïï /ɪː/ adj. former
- jää /ʤɑː/ prep. throughout
- jaw /ʤɔ/ n. fur
- jëbaw /ˈʤɛbɔ/ adv. once
- jjà˞ /ʤːə˞/ pron. me
- jjùb’ /ʤːʉɓ/ n. rod, shaft, bar, cylinder, axle
- jyà̃ /ɟə̃/ n. forest, jungle
- jyaanyænyy /ˈʤjaːɲæɲː/ v. catch, capture, seize
- jyësh /ɟɛʃ/ conj. even
- jyïr̀ /ɟɪɾ/ n. winery
- kà̃b’ /kə̃ɓ/ n. gold
- khäq /khɑq/ prep. of
- khee /xeː/ n. sheep
- k̮hhààzhh /χːəːʒː/ n. width
- khhi /xːi/ n. muscle
- k̮hhùùf /χːʉːf/ adj. religious
- khle /xle/ n. ash, coal
- khr̈uhkhyuh /ˈxrʌxjʌ/ n. impulse
- khr̈úwh /xryʍ/ v. chase
- kkhabiw /ˈkxabiw/ v. starve
- knà̃ /knə̃/ n. species
- kr̈à̃th /krə̃θ/ v. wonder
- kshï /kʃɪ/ n. plague
- kvæ /kvæ/ n. question
- kyä /kjɑ/ n. knife
- kyaww /kjɔː/ v. make, produce (manufacture), create, prepare, organize, compel, induce, put (cause to be)
- làà /ləː/ n. energy (strength, stamina)
- lë /lɛ/ n. mouth, beak, language
- lëzh kyejy /lɛʒ kjeɟ/ n. dungeon
- llæzhààæ /lːæzˈhəːæ/ n. leader
- lüss /lʊsː/ art. some
- makhh /maxː/ v. may
- mlà˞ /mlə˞/ n. cat
- mlii /mliː/ v. chew
- mmææʻøøjyà˞zhh /mːæːˈʔøːɟə˞ʒː/ n. sickness
- mmø /mːø/ adj. fat, big, obese
- mmuu /mːuː/ n. interview
- mpæqi /ˈmpæqi/ adj. stubborn
- mr̀àà /mɾəː/ n. person
- múŕː /myʁː/ n. victim
- naaghh /naːɣː/ adj. guilty
- ndà̃ /ndə̃/ n. loop
- ngashæŕːï /ngaˈʃæʁːɪ/ adv. clearly
- nggøø /ŋːøː/ n. throne
- ni /ni/ n. effort
- nløø /nløː/ adj. local
- nno /nːo/ n. mask, veil
- nr̈uhhvnuhh /ˈnrʌːvnʌː/ n. beach
- núshvú /ˈnyʃvy/ n. culture
- nyaa /ɲaː/ n. tail
- nyaak /ɲaːk/ n. dog
- nyëë /ɲɛː/ n. desk
- nyü /ɲʊ/ n. past
- nyùth /njʉθ/ prep. like
- nyyï /ɲːɪ/ v. enjoy
- øwh /øʍ/ v. please
- pææm /pæːm/ n. dragon
- päznùb̮ /ˈpɑznʉʙ/ v. defend, protect, secure, resist, prevent, justify
- pìnyy /pɨɲː/ n. cord
- pshyezz /pçezː/ v. damage, impair
- psü /psʊ/ adv. down
- puhss /pʌsː/ n. shadow
- qà̃à̃ /qə̃ː/ adv. so, very, really
- qeŕzo /ˈqeʁzo/ n. task
- ŕːæʘ /ʁːæʘ/ v. return, go back
- r̈ːëk /rːɛk/ n. friend
- r̈ːoo /rːoː/ v. clear
- r̂ːùùkhh /ʀːʉːxː/ pron. I
- r̂à̃ /ʀə̃/ n. insect
- ŕàày /ʁəːj/ n. floor
- r̀alfüj /ˈɾalfʊʤ/ n. ceiling
- ŕëë /ʁɛː/ v. separate, isolate
- rïdhh /ɹɪðː/ v. wiggle
- r̀on /ɾon/ n. job
- rrii /ɹːiː/ n. stump
- r̀u /ɾu/ adj. last (final), last (previous)
- ŕyawf /ʁjɔf/ n. paint
- ŕyuhh /ʁjʌː/ adj. neat, fine (okay)
- sdà˞khh /sdə˞xː/ v. bring, carry
- shàà /ʃəː/ adj. popular, famous
- she /ʃe/ v. deal, haggle
- shhää /ʃːɑː/ pron. you
- shhïïngà˞g /ˈʃːɪːŋə˞g/ adj. final
- shka /ʃka/ v. steal, rob, snatch
- shlaj /ʃlaʤ/ n. lounge, couch, sofa
- shpì /ʃpɨ/ n. list, menu, catalog, column, pillar
- shuhh /ʃʌː/ n. flavor
- shyee /çeː/ n. train
- shyyà /çːə/ v. cost
- shyyàwhh /çːəʍː/ adj. expensive
- smà /smə/ adj. quick
- smúp /smyp/ n. net
- sr̈aww /srɔː/ adj. complicated, complex
- ssääwhh /sːɑːʍː/ adj. skilled
- stà nnàb /stə nːəb/ n. agriculture
- stüziy /ˈstʊzij/ n. power, force
- tägfúy /ˈtɑgfyj/ n. youth
- thha /θːa/ v. charge
- thhøo /ˈθːøo/ n. description
- thräsh /θɹɑʃ/ adv. that
- thruhzëzhh /ˈθɹʌzɛʒː/ adj. quiet, calm, shy
- toŕzaw /ˈtoʁzɔ/ n. prostitute
- tr̈ú /try/ n. cigarette
- tsaash /ʦaːʃ/ n. steam
- tsææzhh /ʦæːʒː/ n. heat
- tshà˞ /ʦhə˞/ n. rhythm
- tshër̂ː /ʦhɛʀː/ n. partner
- tsù /tsʉ/ det. what
- tsvø /ʦvø/ n. web
- tú /ty/ v. cook (prepare food)
- tyààk̮hhà̃ /ˈtjəːχːə̃/ n. reason, logic, rationale
- uh /ʌ/ adj. special, rare
- uhgvu /ˈʌgvu/ adj. big, great (very large)
- uŕ /uʁ/ n. honor, integrity, pride
- va /va/ pron. us
- veng /veŋ/ adj. ready
- voo /voː/ n. magic
- vr̀i /vɾi/ n. excitement
- vùùv /vʉːv/ n. cell (room in a prison)
- vvì /vːɨ/ v. complain, criticize
- vyïshh /vjɪʃː/ n. gun, rifle, firearm
- wæḫmä /ˈwæħmɑ/ adj. only
- whawkhh /whɔxː/ n. pump
- whøḫ /whøħ/ n. thread, strand
- wïny /wɪɲ/ v. place
- wøtsül /ˈwøʦʊl/ n. support
- wuu /wuː/ n. coast
- wwee /wːeː/ n. witch
- yààr̂ː chhúúth /jəːʀː ʧːyːθ/ n. foil
- ÿez /ʎez/ adj. hard, solid
- ÿù /ʎʉ/ n. bit
- yyi /jːi/ n. shade, hue, umbrella
- ÿÿú /ʎːy/ n. career
- zan /zan/ n. reward, award, prize
- zbï /zbɪ/ n. chain, bracelet
- zbozz /zbozː/ v. like
- zha /ʒa/ n. lot
- zhëq /ʒɛq/ v. close, shut
- zhïï /ʒɪː/ adv. already
- zluho /ˈzlʌo/ n. failure
- zødhh /zøðː/ n. tie