Difference between revisions of "Sehali language"

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[[File:Sehali_Alphabet.jpg]]
 
[[File:Sehali_Alphabet.jpg]]
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==Font==
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http://geckat.conlang.org/conlang/fonts/Sehali.ttf
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The font should be used in tandem with the keyboard layout (see below).  Capital letters are for consonantal codas and vowels without a consonantal onset.  The O, of course, does nothing.
  
 
=Phonology=
 
=Phonology=

Revision as of 08:12, 27 May 2015

Sehali (Sehali: Sä̗hāli) [sjaħalγi] 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.

Alphabet

Sehali uses an alphabetic script that arranges letters according to syllables.

  • The nuclear vowel is the character at the bottom left.
  • The onset consonant is the character at the bottom right. If there is no onset consonant, a placeholder is used.
  • The coda consonant, if applicable, is the character at the top.
  • Diacritics defining the secondary articulation, if applicable, for the onset and coda are above and below the syllable respectively.

Sehali Alphabet.jpg

Font

http://geckat.conlang.org/conlang/fonts/Sehali.ttf

The font should be used in tandem with the keyboard layout (see below). Capital letters are for consonantal codas and vowels without a consonantal onset. The O, of course, does nothing.

Phonology

Sehali phonology revolves heavily around the alternation between palatalized, velarized, and pharyngealized consonants. These secondary articulations assimilate progressively throughout an utterance. The default articulation is presumed to be velar.

Consonants

Grapheme Palatalized Velarized Pharyngealized
B /bj/ /bγ/ /bʕ/
D /dj/ /dγ/ /dʕ/
DZ /dzj/ /dzγ/ /dzʕ/
/dʑ/
F j/ γ/ ʕ/
G /gj/ /g/
Ġ j/ /ɣ/
/ʡ/
H /h/
/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 /tsj/ /tsγ/ /tsʕ/
/tɕ/
W j/ γ/ ʕ/
X /xj/ /x/
j/ /χ/ ʕ/
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
Velarized bγ dγ g
Pharyngealized bʕ dʕ ʡ
Fricative Voiceless Palatalized ɸj sj ɕ xj χj h
Velarized ɸγ sγ x χ
Pharyngealized ɸʕ sʕ χʕ ħ
Voiced Palatalized βj zj ʑ ɣj
Velarized βγ zγ ɣ
Pharyngealized βʕ zʕ ʕ
Affricate Voiceless Palatalized tsj
Velarized tsγ
Pharyngealized tsʕ
Voiced Palatalized dzj
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 the consonant following that vowel is pronounced with the indicated secondary articulation. A diacritic below the vowel indicates that the consonant preceding that vowel is pronounced with the indicated secondary articulation.

  • Palatalization: ́a , ̗a
  • Pharyngealization: ̈a , ̤a

Phonotactics

(C)V(C)

It is important to note that some consonants (DŽ, G̱, H̲, J, Š, TŠ, Y, Ž) can only be in certain environments (palatal, velar, pharyngeal). These remain phonemic.

The final (third) consonant in a verb root must be velarized.

Grammar

Primarily VSO and head-initial.

  • Adjectives follow nouns.
  • Determiners and deixis precede nouns.
  • Genitive nouns succeed nouns and may include deixis in the phrase.

Number

  • Duel suffix: ̤at
  • Plural suffix: ̗iss

Case

  • Genitive case prefix: äl

Definiteness and Deixis

Preposed particles:

  • Indefinite: in
  • Definite: la'
  • 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.

  • Adjectival suffix: zi

Indicative Paradigm

Past Present Future
1 (base) wadma (lived) wadam (live) wadám (will live)
2 (nominal) wadm (life)
3 (causative) wadma (gave birth) mäwdam (give birth) mäwadám (will give birth)
4 (dative) ži̗wadma (gave rise to) ži̗wdam (give rise to) ži̗wadám (will give rise to)
5 (reflexive) ädwadma (remembered) ädwadam (remember) ädwadám (will remember)
6 (reciprocal) umwadmu (non-existent) umwadmu (non-existent) umwadámi (non-existent)
7 (cessative) axwadmäl (died) axwadamli̤ (die) axwadámli̤ (will die)
8 (terminative) uxwadmas (killed) axwadamsi (kill) axwadámsi (will kill)

Subjunctive Paradigm

Past Present Future
1 (base) anufla (burned) anufal (burn) anufál (will burn)
3 (causative) äbnufla (made X burn) abnufal (make X burn) abnufál (will make X burn)
4 (dative) áznufla (set fire to) áznufal (set fire to) áznufál (will set fire to)
5 (reflexive) a'nufla (non-existent) a'nufalaẖ (non-existent) a'nufaliẖ (non-existent)
6 (reciprocal) awanufla (non-existent) awanufalaẖ (non-existent) awanufáliẖ (non-existent)
7 (cessative) ax̣änuflal (burnt out) ax̣anufali (burn out) ax̣anufali̗ (will burn out)
8 (terminative) ux̣anuflas (extinguish) ux̣anufalsi (extinguish) ux̣anufalsi̗ (will extinguish)

Imperative Paradigm

1 (base) šā̗päna (sail!)
3 (causative) bi̗ša̗päna (set sails!)
4 (dative) aži̗ša̗päna (ship it!)
5 (reflexive) ya̗'ša̗pnä̤ẖ (return!)
6 (reciprocal) wa'ša̗pnä̤ẖ (fly colours!)
7 (cessative) äg̱aša̗pänla̤ (full stop!)
8 (terminative) äg̱aša̗pänsa̤ (sink it!)

Lexicon

Pronouns

1s ana
1p näẖnu
2s anta
2p nantu
3s.an ẖṳwa
3d.an ẖṳma
3p.an ẖṳmi
3s.in sawa
3d.in sama
3p.in sami

Pronoun genitives are formed with a simple suffix: 'i

Numbers

Base-8.

1 ala̗
2 ba
3 ta
4 ẖa
5 xa
6 ra
7 za
8 la̗m

8s suffix: 'i

Prepositions and Particles

abaft istär
abeam ismíd
aboard ün
about run
above túp
across usídža
afore isbül
after ārfit
against g̱a̤stir
along síd
amid sandit
aport ilif
around rud
astarboard iriẖ
atop buwa
before ẖin
behind fur
below laġ
beside asdi
between yi̗num
beyond pasit
despite buwin
down dūn
except bud
following ifta
for wir
from fun
in i
including wïḡin
inside inút
into ín
like sum
near nara
next ifa
of u
off fur
on pu
onto til
opposite mirul
out ut
outside udpül
over iwar
past bíyun
since dān
than mil
through du̗ral
to a
toward a'i
under ūnal
underneath unalpül
unlike usum
until tis
up ap
upon appu
via wid
with mad
without umad
negative (part clit) u'
passive wi'
potential dzi̤

Open Class

English Root-Form Sehali
be wi (pst: g̱a̤r / fut: wíy)
bountiful xlb-3 mū̗xlab
brave (adj) ytr yi̗tri̠
burn (n) nfl-1 nufal
come (v) sjx-1 šï̗ju
create (v) ġrr-1 ġurar
do (v) znr-1 zina̤r
language (n) kmn kṳmṳn
live (v) wdm-1 wadam
love (v) šrm-1 šaram
lover (n) šrm-n šaramiġ
place (n) bu
oasis (n) w'l wu'la
pay (v) gln-1 galun
platinum (n) gln galun
sail (n) špn-n ša̗pna̤ġ
sail (v) špn-1 ša̗pan
slave (n) hlm-n halumiġ
slaver (n) hlm-3n mähalumiġ
thank you (int) gln-6 uġalnu
Uwasiq (n) wsq uwasiq
victory (n) ksk kasak
what (n) xm xam
work (v) hlm-1 halum

Keyboard Layout

http://geckat.conlang.org/conlang/fonts/sehali.zip