MNCL5 –
A Constructed Language
Phonology and Orthography
Phonology
Consonants
Consonant Letters and Qualities
| p | [p] | t | [t] | c | [tS)] |
k | [k] |
|---|
| b | [b] | d | [d] | j | [dZ)] |
g | [g] |
|---|
| f | [f] | s | [s] | x | [S] |
h | [h], [x], [C] |
|---|
| v | [v] | z | [z] | y | [Z] |
q | [G] |
|---|
| m | [m] | n | [n], [N] | | |
| |
|---|
| | l | [l] | | |
| |
|---|
| | r | [r] | | |
| |
|---|
- An unwritten glottal stop ([?]) may occur word-initially.
- H is pronounced [C] following i,
[x] following any other vowel, and [h]
otherwise.
- N is pronounced [N] preceding k
or g or word-finally and [n] otherwise.
- Except for b, d, j,
g, and q, consonants may be geminated; however,
gemination is conditioned and not contrastive.
- Except for [G] which can occur only as an intervocalic
onset, any consonant can occur as onset or as (phonological) coda.
- The only consonants that can occur word-finally are [k],
[s], [l], and [N].
- Onset clusters are phonetic only and can occur only between vowels;
[bl], [br], [gl], and
[gr] occur only after long vowels, while
[p:l], [p:r], [k:l], and
[k:r] occur only after short vowels.
Vowels
Vowel Qualities and Quantities
| [i(:)] | | | | | | | [u(:)] |
| [e(:)] | | | | | [o(:)] |
| | [E] | | | [O] |
| | | [a(:)] |
- The diphthongs are [ai], [au],
[Oi], and [Eu].
Syllables and Stress
Syllables are either short (CV) or long ((C)V:, (C)VV, or
(C)VC). Depending on the coda consonant and on the following onset,
some speakers may pronounce certain (C)VC syllables as (C)V.CV,
with the second vowel duplicating the first.
Word of two or more syllables are stressed on the antepenult if the penult is
phonologically short and otherwise on the penult.
Orthography
Consonants
The consonant orthography has already been given in the consonant phonology
section.
Geminated consonants are written as single letters.
Vowels
- i is [i(:)]
- a is [a(:)]
- u is [u(:)]
- e is [E] or [e:]
- o is [O] or [o:]
- ei is [e:]
- ou is [o:]
- ai is [ai]
- au is [au]
- oi is [Oi]
- eu is [Eu]
- Single vowel letters represent long vowels word-finally or before
b, d, j, g, and
q; otherwise, single vowel letters represent short vowels.
- Accordingly, ei and ou occur only before
consonant letters other than b, d,
j, g, and q.
There are also unwritten short vowels, all occurring in short syllables. These
include the phonetic-only short syllables already mentioned in Syllables
and Stress and others implied by certain kinds of letter sequences. The
letter sequences are:
- one or two consecutive consonant letters following an apostrophe,
- two or three consecutive consonant letters if word-initial or following
a two vowel letter sequence, or
- three or four consecutive consonant letters otherwise.
For morphological reasons, at most two short syllables with unwritten vowels
can occur consecutively.
If only one occurs, the unwritten vowel has the same quality as the vowel in
the following syllable (the first vowel if that's a diphthong).
If two occur, both have the quality [a].
For certain consecutive consonants, the second unwritten vowel is suppressed,
creating an aCC rhyme.
Apostrophe
An apostrophe (') is used between an orthographic VC and a
following consonant letter when the VC represents the rhyme of a long
syllable by itself.
Examples
| teilan | ['te:.laN] |
| sailyek | ['sai.lE.ZEk] |
| bev'he | ['bEv:e.he:] |
| poncvmo | [pOn'tS)a.va.mo:] |
| geb'htos | [ge:'bax.tOs] |
page started: 2007.Nov.12 Mon
last modified: 2007.Nov.13 Tue
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
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