Zalajmkwély

Phonology

Vowels

  Front Back
High /i ɪ/ y i /u ʊ/ ů u
Mid-high /e/ é /o õ/ ó ų
Mid-low /ɛ ɛ̃/ e į /ɔ/ o
Low /a æ̃/ ä ę /ɑ ɒ̃/ a ą

Words have vowel harmony in non-nasal vowels between “tense” and “lax”. If a root contains only nasal vowels, then the harmony defaults to lax. In affixes, a vowel that alternates depending on harmony (which is all of them, other than nasals) is indicated with a capital letter. The realisation of these vowels is based on the root nearest to the affix.

  I U E O A
Tense y ů é ó ä
Lax i u e o a

Before a consonant, nasal vowels can be written as a vowel followed by m/n/ŋ. In this case, on, ón, etc, are pronounced /ɒ̃/ like ą.

Allophony

Consonants

  Labial Dental Dorsal
Plosive /p b/ p b /t d/ t d /k/ k
Fricative /f/ f /s z/ s z /x ʁ/ h ř
Nasal /m/ m /n/ n /ŋ/ g
Other /w/ w /l ɾ/ l r /j/ j

The word “glide” refers to /w j/, and “liquid” to /l ɾ ʁ/.

The sequence /ŋŋ/ is written ng (and pronounced [ŋɡ]).

Allophony

Syllable structure

In EBNF:

word = [init cons], nucleus, {inner cons, nucleus}, [final cons]
nucleus = (vowel, glide) (ɪj | ij | ɛ̃j | ʊw | uw | õw)
init cons = consonant, [glide]
| (p | t | k), s, [glide]
| (b | d | ŋ), z, [glide]
| consonant liquid, liquid
| (mb | nd | ŋŋ), [glide]
inner cons = ·, consonant
| ·, consonant glide, glide
| (p | k), ·, (t | s) | (b | ŋ), ·, (d | z)
| s, ·, (p | t | k) | z, ·, (b | d | m | n | ŋ)
| (f | h), ·, voiceless plosive
| liquid, ·, nasal
| m · m | n · n | ŋ · ŋ
final cons = consonant (glide | nasal), [s]
| liquid, consonant (glide | liquid | n | ŋ), [s]

The · in inner cons indicates where the syllable boundary is.

Stress

Stress falls on the last syllable of the stem. (In a compound word, the last syllable of the last stem.) Inflectional endings do not cause it to move.

Verbs

Verbs do not inflect themselves, but the conjugation is reflected on a highly fused particle following the main verb. This particle inflects for person, gender (in the third person), number, tense, and a distinction between perfective/imperfective. The ‘citation form’ of this particle is as, the 1SG;PRS;IMP form. The 3X form is used with a group of people/objects of multiple genders, as well as for unknown or indefinite referents (whether singular or plural), and impersonal sentences such as instructions on signs.

Present

  IMPF SG PL PF SG PL
1 as az és ez
2 ad am ed ém
3A äly alis énly elis
3B älä älůs énlä élůs
3C äló alos énló elos
3X älós élós

Past

  IMPF SG PL PF SG PL
1 als ajz éls eliz
2 ajd alm elid élym
3B äjlä äjlůs éllä élůs
3A äjly ajlis élly ellis
3C äjló ajlos élló ellos
3X äjlós éllós

Future

  IMPF SG PL PF SG PL
1 ojs wįz ews jųz
2 wįd ólm jųd ewm
3B ójlä ójlůs éwlä éwlůs
3A ójly ojlis éwly ewlis
3C ójló ojlos éwló ewlos
3X ójlós éwlós

Questions, either of the yes/no or of the content kind, are indicated by a particle ům (which is also the verb ‘to ask’) appearing after the inflection of as.

Other aspects and moods are indicated with auxiliary verbs.

Bolus hawa můtä jas jųz.
[bɔˈlʊʃ xɑˈwɑ muˈta jɑʃ jõʒ]
bolus hawa můtä jas jųz
tomorrow can start go 1PL;FUT;PRF
We can set off tomorrow.
Pulų jafų ep äly ům?
[pʊˈlõ jaˈfõ epf alijˈõ]
pu–lų jaf–ų ep äly ům
what–ACC name–ACC have 2SG;PRS;IMP QU
What is your name?

Nouns & adjectives

Case

Nouns have five cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and locative. The last of these is used only with preposition-type words. As a result of the inflectional suffixes, nouns almost always end in a consonant. The only exception is words ending in /ɪ/ or /i/, which gain an extra /j/ before the suffixes. The spelling similarly gains a –j.

Nouns are divided into a few classes. Each class requires the use of a specific inflection class of as, labelled A, B, or C. The conventional labels for the classes are:

  1. Sapient (A) sapients
  2. Water (B) bodies of water, and the sky
  3. Ground (A) the ground, rocks, metals, chemical elements
  4. Artifice (C) handheld tools, small plastic items, electronics
  5. Spiritual (C) gods, the mind & soul, large natural events, language
  6. Containers (B) boxes, pans, bowls, wardrobes, etc; beds, chairs, and other furniture for sitting or lying on
  7. Clothing (B) clothing and carried objects like umbrellas and bags
  8. Food (C) food and drink
  9. Animal (B) animals (including mythical creatures)

(TODO zk names for genders)

Not all nouns fall into the class which the labels would suggest, and if none of the labels fit then the choice is arbitrary. (As is usual with NOMACC languages, NOM;SG is the citation form in dictionaries.) People’s names are assigned to whichever class they choose.

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX
‘woman’ ‘lake’ ‘iron’ ‘tool’ ‘life’ ‘cup’ ‘shoe’ ‘bread’ ‘dog’
NOM SG fälés dusal klůp řas kól mbuz gřub řazg kląs
PL fälésé dusala klůpä řasa kólä mbuze gřube řazgį kląse
ACC SG fälésų dusalų klůpů řasol kólų mbuzol gřubę řazgų kląsų
PL fälésów dusaloh klůpůf řasuf kólůh mbuzuf gřubęw řazgoh kląsow
GEN SG fälésäm dusalam klůpym řasim kóläm mbuzat gřubam řazgim kląsam
PL fälésäz dusalat klůpyt řasit kóläz mbuzaz gřubat řazgįz kląsaz
DAT SG fälésój dusale klůpój řasoj kólé mbuze gřuboj řazgai kląsi
PL fälésůd dusaloj klůpůd řasud kólój mbuzoj gřubud řazged kląsid
LOC SG fälésés dusales klůpés řases kólés mbuzes gřubes řazges kląses
PL fälésęts dusalęts klůpęts řasęts kólęts mbuzęts gřubęts řazgęts kląsęts

Adjectives, including genitive nouns, agree in case with their head noun, but not number. Adjectives, except for possessive pronouns, attached to a genitive noun agree with that noun’s head, but not with the genitive noun itself.

Pronouns

TODO

Case

NOM ACC GEN DAT LOC
1SG yn iwn ym ém yné
1PL fęw fénó fejm fęj
2SG ol ow ů wój
2PL zůl zow zów zům zůj
3SG.A sem sju sem sęs
3SG.B lem lew lem lęs
3SG.C em ä aw äm ęs
3PL.A gej gęw déw gim gįs
3PL.B gaj gąw djó gam gąs
3PL.C gam gąs
3PL.X gew gejų déw gam gąs

Syntax

Questions

To form a yes/no question, the particle ům is added to the end of the sentence. When used in this way, ům is pronounced as an ų attached to the final word.

Bymů bälsůh ep ad ům?
[biˈmuː baɫˈsuːχ ɛpf ɑˈdõ]
bym–ů bäls–ůh ep ad ům
good–ACC mood–ACC;PL have 2SG;PRS;IMPF QU
Are you feeling good?

To answer a question, conjugate as appropriately, and follow with řab for agreement and zol for disagreement. In formal circumstances the main verb stem may be echoed before the as. Before zol, a s or z at the end of the form of as is dropped.

As řab.
[ɑʃ ʁɑv]
as řab
1SG;PRS;IMPF CONFIRM
Yes, I am.
A zol.
[ɑ zɔɫ]
a(s) zol
1SG;PRS;IMPF DENY
No, I am not.