Sehali language
Sehali (Sehali: Sä̗hāli) [sjaˈħaˌlγi] is a language spoken by reptilian people of the same name. Nomadic, the Sehali are known variously as raiders, traders, and slavers, although make their home mostly in the Miuxleb Plains, controlling major tradeways between the Copper Mountains and the Great East Plateau. Their articulators differ to some extent from humans, but not so greatly that their languages are unintelligible or unlearnable to one another.
Contents
Phonology
Consonants
| Grapheme | Palatalized | Velarized | Pharyngealized |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | /bj/ | /bγ/ | /bʕ/ |
| D | /dj/ | /dγ/ | /dʕ/ |
| DZ | /dzγ/ | /dzʕ/ | |
| DŽ | /dʑ/ | ||
| F | /ɸj/ | /ɸγ/ | /ɸʕ/ |
| G | /gj/ | /g/ | |
| Ġ | /ɣj/ | /ɣ/ | |
| G̱ | /ʡ/ | ||
| H | /h/ | ||
| Ḥ | /ħ/ | ||
| J | /ʕ/ | ||
| K | /kj/ | /k/ | |
| L | /lj | /lγ | /ɫ/ |
| M | /mj/ | /mγ/ | /mʕ/ |
| N | /ɲ/ | /n/ | /ŋ/ |
| P | /pj/ | /pγ/ | /pʕ/ |
| Q | /qj/ | /q/ | /qʕ/ |
| R | /rj/ | /rγ/ | /rʕ/ |
| S | /sj/ | /sγ/ | /sʕ/ |
| Š | /ɕ/ | ||
| T | /tj/ | /tγ/ | /tʕ/ |
| TS | /tsγ/ | /tsʕ/ | |
| TŠ | /tɕ/ | ||
| W | /βj/ | /βγ/ | /βʕ/ |
| X | /xj/ | /x/ | |
| X̣ | /χj/ | /χ/ | /χʕ/ |
| Y | /j/ | ||
| Z | /zj/ | /zγ/ | /zʕ/ |
| Ž | /ʑ/ | ||
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Epiglottal | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | Voiceless | Palatalized | pj | tj | kj | qj | ʔ | ||
| Velarized | pγ | tγ | k | q | |||||
| Pharyngealized | pʕ | tʕ | qʕ | ||||||
| Voiced | Palatalized | bj | dj | gj | ʡ | ||||
| Velarized | bγ | dγ | g | ||||||
| Pharyngealized | bʕ | dʕ | |||||||
| Fricative | Voiceless | Palatalized | ɸj | sj | ɕ› | xj | χj | ħ | h |
| Velarized | ɸγ | sγ | x | χ | |||||
| Pharyngealized | ɸʕ | sʕ | χʕ | ||||||
| Voiced | Palatalized | βj | zj | ʑ | ɣj | ʕ | |||
| Velarized | βγ | zγ | ɣ | ||||||
| Pharyngealized | βʕ | zʕ | |||||||
| Affricate | Voiceless | Palatalized | tsj | tɕ | |||||
| Velarized | tsγ | ||||||||
| Pharyngealized | tsʕ | ||||||||
| Voiced | Palatalized | dzj | dʑ | ||||||
| Velarized | dzγ | ||||||||
| Pharyngealized | dzʕ | ||||||||
| Nasal | Palatalized | mj | ɲ | ||||||
| Velarized | mγ | n | |||||||
| Pharyngealized | mʕ | ŋ | |||||||
| Trill | Palatalized | rj | |||||||
| Velarized | rγ | ||||||||
| Pharyngealized | rʕ | ||||||||
| Approximant | Palatalized | lj | j | ||||||
| Velarized | lγ | ||||||||
| Pharyngealized | ɫ |
Vowels
Monophthongs
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i | u |
| Low | a | |
Sehali marks secondary articulation of consonants upon vowels when Latinized. A diacritic above the vowel indicates that all consonants following that vowel are pronounced with the indicated secondary articulation. A diacritic below the vowel indicates that all consonants following and including the vowel preceding that vowel are pronounced with the indicated secondary articulation.
- Palatalization: ́a , ̗a
- Velarization: ̄a , ̠a
- Pharyngealization: ̈a , ̤a
Phonotactics
(C)V(C)
Grammar
Primarily VSO. Isolating.
Nouns
Number
- Duel suffix: ̤at
- Plural suffix: ̗iss
Case
- Genitive case prefix: äl
- Dative case prefix: ẖán
Definiteness and Deixis
Preposed particles:
- Indefinite: in
- Definite: wus
- Proximal: di̤s
- Mesioproximal: di̗š
- Mesiodistal: da̤r
- Distal: dar
Verbs
Verbs are defined by roots. They are inflected by tense (past, present, future) and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative), and have many derivations.
- Passive voice preposition: wi
Indicative Paradigm
| Past | Present | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (base) | wadmä (lived) | wadam (live) | wídam (will live) |
| 2 (nominal) | widma̤ġ (life) | ||
| 3 (causative) | dzṳwādma̤ (gave birth) | dzṳwadam (give birth) | dzṳwídam (will give birth) |
| 4 (dative) | ži̗wādma̤ (gave rise to) | ži̗wadam (give rise to) | ži̗widam (will give rise to) |
| 5 (reflexive) | äjwādma̤ (remembered) | äjwadam (remember) | äjwídam (will remember) |
| 6 (reciprocal) | uwa'ädmu (married) | uwadamu (marry) | uwídami (will marry) |
| 7 (cessative) | uxwudma̤l (died) | uxwudámli (die) | uxwídumli (will die) |
| 8 (terminative) | uxwüdmas (killed) | uxwüdams (kill) | uxwídums (will kill) |
Subjunctive Paradigm
| Past | Present | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (base) | änufla (burned) | anufal (burn) | aníflir (will burn) |
| 3 (causative) | ädzunifla (ignited) | adzunufal (ignite) | adzuníflir (will ignite) |
| 4 (dative) | ážinifla (set fire to) | ážinufal (set fire to) | ážiniflir (will set fire to) |
| 5 (reflexive) | g̱a'a'nifla (tortured) | g̱a'a'nūfal (torture) | g̱a'a'níflir (will torture) |
| 6 (reciprocal) | uwäniflaẖ (declared war) | uwanufalaẖ (declare war) | uwanífliryaẖ (will declare war) |
| 7 (cessative) | ax̣äniflal (burnt out) | ax̣anufálli (burn out) | ax̣anífliri (will burn out) |
| 8 (terminative) | ax̣anüflas (extinguish) | ax̣anüfals (extinguish) | ax̣anífulsi (will extinguish) |
Imperative Paradigm
| 1 (base) | šā̗päna (sail!) |
|---|---|
| 3 (causative) | di̗šāpäna (set sails!) |
| 4 (dative) | ážišāpäna (ship it!) |
| 5 (reflexive) | yá'šāpän (return!) |
| 6 (reciprocal) | ra̗šāpna̤ẖ (fly colours!) |
| 7 (cessative) | äg̱ášāpna̤la (full stop!) |
| 8 (terminative) | äg̱ášūpna̤s (sink it!) |
Lexicon
Prepositions
| abaft | |
|---|---|
| abeam | |
| aboard | |
| about | |
| above | |
| across | |
| after | |
| against | |
| along | |
| amid | |
| around | |
| atop | |
| before | |
| behind | |
| below | |
| beside | |
| between | |
| beyond | |
| despite | |
| down | |
| except | |
| following | |
| for | |
| from | |
| in | |
| including | |
| inside | |
| into | |
| like | |
| near | |
| next | |
| of | |
| off | |
| on | |
| onto | |
| opposite | |
| out | |
| outside | |
| over | |
| past | |
| since | |
| than | |
| through | |
| to | |
| toward | |
| under | |
| underneath | |
| unlike | |
| until | |
| up | |
| upon | |
| via | |
| with | |
| without |
