Naūkeman
zoani ak kai, ceben. naūkenha migari zar naūkeman.
If (you) can read this, welcome! Let's learn to speak Naūkeman!
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Table of Contents
Phonemes
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Close-Mid | o ʊ* | ||
| Mid | e̞** | ə* | |
| Open-Mid | ɛ | ʌ | |
| Open | a | ||
*Allophone of /ʌ/.
**Common allophone of /ɛ/.
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Post-Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | b~p | t~d | k~g | |||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||||
| Affricate | tʃ* | |||||||||
| Fricative | s~z | ʃ ɹ̠˔** | ɻ̝** ʐ*** | h | ||||||
| Approximant | ɹ** | l | j | |||||||
| Tap/Flap | ɾ | |||||||||
*Allophone of /ʃ/.
**Allophones of /ɾ/. Might change if I figure out a better way to represent the exact sound in question. I pronounce it a little like [ɾ]/[d], if instead of stopping with the tongue in the middle, your tongue touches the sides of your mouth and allows air through the center while you make an [ɹ]-like sound, if that makes any sense.
***Another less common allophone for /ɾ/.
Phonotactics
Syllable structure (WIP): (C)(j)V(r/l)(n/m/k/t/r/s/l)
Other Rules
- Midword cluster /kb/ becomes /km/.
- /ŋr/ becomes /kr/.
- /kk/ sometimes becomes /tk/.
- Word-final /o/ tend to become /u/ after /j/.
- Final /ɾ/ is typically some form of [ɹ̠˔] or [ɻ̝], and /ɾ/ before /n/ or sometimes another consonant becomes [ɹ].
- The sequences /tj/ and /sj/ sometimes palatalize towards /ʃ/~/tʃ/ when preceded by alveolar stops and taps, i.e. /ɾ/, /t/. For example, the plural of antor, "hunting bow", is antortya, but typically pronounced /antortʃa/.
- (Nasals don't trigger the same effect because the /t/ or /s/ just tends to become voiced instead.)
- The sequence /ʌɛ/C (ue followed by a consonant) often becomes /ʔɛ/C. For example, kuen, "eat", often gets pronounced /kʔɛn/.
Pronunciation Guide
There is no distinction between sounds t and d, s and z, b and p, k and g, or sh and ch. Their pronunciation can be either by convenience or accent, but tends toward the first. For consistency, all words here are spelled with the first letter and not the second.
Emphasis is typically on the first syllable of a word, or the second and last in words four syllables or longer. However, it is often shifted wherever is convenient in songs or poems, as it does not change the actual meaning of the words.
When speaking quickly or casually, the short "u" sound is often skipped or pronounces as a shwa (ə) instead. Words that have "u" in the first syllable may shift emphasis to the second.
Orthography
| Written | a | e | i | o | u | ū | m | n | ŋ | k | g | y | r |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanized | a | e | i | o | u | ū | m | n | ng | k, ng | k, y | y, i | r |
| IPA | a | e̞~ɛ | i | o | ʊ~ʌ~ə | u | m | n | ŋ | k, ŋ | k, j, ŋ | j, i | ɾ |
| Written | l | t | d | s | z | c | h | b | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanized | l | t | t, n, r | sh | s | sh | h | b | b |
| IPA | l | t | t, n, ɾ | ʃ | s | ʃ | h | b | b |
Naūkeman spelling was semi-standardized in the last several centuries, but still just in time for major consonantal sound shifts. As a result, there are several... eccentric characters, that have variable pronunciation depending on where they are placed in a word. (It's easier to read than write, at least.)
g is pronounced /j/ before /a/ and /ʌ/, /k/ before other vowels, and /ŋ/ at the end of a word.
d is pronounced /t/ most of the time, except in word endings where it's /t/ after u, /ɾ/ after i, and /n/ otherwise.
ŋ is /ŋ/ unless it's at the end of a word, in which case it's /k/.
y is normally /j/, but when written after a vowel at the end of a syllable, it's pronounced /i/.
Vocabulary
Pronouns
Question Words
Common Words and Greetings
Nouns
People and Family Members
Body Parts
Noun Affixes
Nouns marked [NP] do not pluralize.
Some other irregular plurals:
Any word ending in -ng usually loses that consonant to pluralization. Ex: usang (event) ⟶ usangya (events). The final "ng" is still written, though.
oa (tooth) ⟶ oata (teeth)
iel (leg) ⟶ ilitya (legs)
basuntya (mother) ⟶ basuntatya (mothers)
maūk (meat) ⟶ maūtya (meats)
ashuntiros (sailboat) ⟶ ashuntiroska (sailboats) (Sataca'an plural is acintírocke [aʃɪn'tiɹoʃ'ke])
kana (northflower) ⟶ kanamū (northflowers) (From Kintsaya hikanamwe [hθʲikanamwɛ]??)
Verbs
Verb Affixes
(See verb conjugation for better explanation.)
"To be" conjugates irregularly for tenses as follows:
| Tense | Form |
|---|---|
| Future | ongi |
| Present | ngi |
| Near Past | otrangi |
| Far Past | taungi |
Conjunctions, Prepositions, Etc
Time
Adjectives
Ngare, "good", conjugates irregularly as kiskare ("not good").
Numbers
Adjective Affixes
Adverbs
Other Useful Bits
Other Set Phrases & Fun Stuff
Onomotopoeia & Paralinguistics
* Stress falls on first syllable.
[e] Ewa Sio loanword/cognate.
[s] Sateca'an loanword/cognate.
[t] Talnabyak loanword/cognate.
[k] Kintsaya loanword/cognate.
Grammar
Word Order
Word order is typically verb-object-subject (VOS). Adjectives precede nouns, but prepositions follow them (except for kel, "about", which precedes the relevant phrase.) Pronoun dropping is common, especially in less formal speech.
Tulten maūnmi she
They tell a story.
When describing an action as a noun (i.e. forming a gerund) or adjective (i.e. using it to modify the noun), the word order of the described action often changes to SOV. For example:
Rener she maūnmi tultenha na
I want them to tell a story.
Totimaūn she na maūnmi tultenha mūryūn ti she
They said they wanted me to tell a story.
Kanri sohu ūstya maūnmi tultenmil ba
(The) person who tells stories knows many things.
Doing One Thing, (While) Doing Another
The term "ni" is used to indicate an action happening alongside another.
The structure for this is: ACTION1 sū ACTION2 byū ni. ("Byūka" can be used for "byū" when speaking formally.) Both verbs are given the same tense conjugation.
For example:
Kosanmi otrosoani sū otroteūn byū ni na
I read a book while standing
Naūken sū noekin byū ni sa
You talk in your sleep.
In informal speech this can be even further simplified by removing "sū" and "byū".
Onoekin, oteūn ni she
They will sleep standing up.
Shasoanis shailis ni, lusū!
Don't walk while reading, idiot!
Wanting Things
Two different verbs are used, depending on whether the speaker is describing their own desires, or someone else's.
- rener ...: I want...
- rener ... -ha: I want to..., I want (someone/something else) to...
- rener ... -yema: I want (someone/something) to... (do something to me), I want to be (VERB)ed by (something)
- mūryūn ... ... : (Someone) wants...
- mūryūn ...-ha ... : (Someone) wants to..., (Someone) wants (someone/something else) to...
- mūryūn ...-yema ... : (Someone) wants (someone/something else) to... (do something to them), (Someone) wants to be (VERB)ed by (something)
Torener tūe na amsanyema
I wanted them to like me.
Mūryūn noekin Nana
Dad wants to sleep
Mūryūn na tūln obusenha she
They want me to lose the (upcoming) game.
Thinking (About) Things
A couple of different verbs are used. Like with desires, two verbs are used to differentiate one's own thoughts from anothers'.
To say that someone thinks or believes something, one uses tener (for oneself) or samyūn (for others), and ends the thought with quotation marker ti.
tener tanla oyarani anyas she ti
(I) believe they (sg.) will come home tomorrow.
samyūn tanla oyarani anyas she ti ayū she
They (sg.) believe the other will come home tomorrow.
To say someone is thinking about something (a general topic, rather than a specific idea), one would use the phrasing roen loha ke [CONCEPT]le nar, "(the) thought of (CONCEPT) is in (one's) head". If the topic is a person, this is not the same as saying that person's thoughts/ideas are in your head - in that case you would use the word samyūna, "(someone else's) idea/thought/philosophy" instead of nar ("concept/thought").
Purpose and Service
There are several ways to describe a purpose for action, depending on whether the purpose is an object, a living thing, or an action.
Hoye: To do something to enable or prepare for another action. Specifically used for verbs (though they're phrased as gerunds) - if the action is already a noun, you'd probably use "seber".
Seber: To do something for the sake of an inanimate thing, including a concept or situation.
Nimūr: To do something for someone else, or for their sake. Can sometimes apply to inanimate things, but implies a sort of personification. Suggests benevolence and goodwill, or at least some emotional connection, toward the recipient, where "seber" which is often used for more routine actions or obligations.
Zarnem zeper orin ū
Sarnem seber orin ū
(I) will buy it for dinner.
Sele rona zū maenha hoye yunmeli mayūd se
Shele rona sū maenha hoye yunmeli mayūt she
They go to the city to meet with their sister.
Baba nimūr otroyaŋi ūz
Baba nimūr otroyangi ūs
(I) brought something for my mother.
Note that the second sentence, using "hoye", rearranges the phrase "sū maen rona" (VOS) into "rona sū maen" (SOV) for referring to the action like a noun.
Modifying With Verbs and Relative Clauses
One that verbs, one that is verbed
There are generally two ways to modify nouns with verbs, both using normal verb suffixes. The "mi"/"ūmi" suffix marks one that is VERBed, and the "mil" suffix marks one that VERBs.
When the actor other than the given noun is specified in this structure, it goes between the verb and the noun.
uŋi lū anyan torinūmi gomi
Ngi lū anyan torinūmi komi
The drink that was bought is very small.
roen tanla otrozoanimi na kozanmi
Roen tanla otrosoanimi na kosanmi
The book I read is in the house.
roen tanla kagedya elimil kozanmi
Roen tanla kaketya elimil kosanmi
The book that has pictures is in the house.
More Complex Clauses
A relative clause with both subject and object is kept contained between the outermost/primary verb and the noun it modifies.
Roen tanla kel ūs naūken renerūmi sa sū na kosanmi
The book I want to speak with you about is in the house.
Note that to use the phrasing naūken kel, "speak about...", in an SOV clause, a dummy ūs must be inserted. Most prepositions don't need this, but kel is a special case since it precedes topics instead of following them.
Stacking Verb Modifiers
If a verb modifier is applied to a noun that is already a verb derivative, and the clause consists of only the verb, the modifying verbs will also use the adjective suffix -(o)(l)or.
Nouns From Verbs
The most common way to form a noun from a verb is as a gerund, using the suffix -ha.
This suffix goes after the negative but before anything like byū or ang. For verbs ending in vowels, it deletes the final vowel in replacement, and the initial /h/ either becomes /j/ (if the penultimate sound is /n/ or a vowel) or is deleted as well.
tulten (explain) ⟶ tultenha (explanation)
roni (fly) ⟶ ronya (flight)
amyai (argue) ⟶ amyaya (argument)
ili (walk) ⟶ ila (a walk)
kobi (to cut) ⟶ koba (cutting)
Negating Nouns
Nouns and adjectives can be negated without a copula using 'kisa' as a prefix.
Similar to 'tolor', it often loses its final vowel and sometimes final syllable to the beginning of the word it is attached to.
komor (green) ⟶ kisakomor (non-green)
ūs (this) ⟶ kisūs (not this)
salba (flower) ⟶ kisalba (non-flower)
kisalan, kisonen, kisayahi
not near, not far, not soon
If... Then...
Clauses of an if/then statement are connected by a single word in the middle, "kai".
kernse na kay, canaūken na nimūr
Kernse na kai, shanaūken na nimūr
If I am not present, speak on my behalf.
Nouns as Adjectives
Some nouns, like directions already function as adjectives, while others use the suffix -(o)(l)or.
Comparisons, implying -like or -ish, generally use -(o)(l)or. Verb modifiers using the "mi"/"ūmi" and "mil" suffixes use -(o)(l)or if they are being applied to a second verb-based noun.
The suffix varies based on the final sound of the noun. "-or" for nouns ending in /l/, "-lor" for vowel endings (deleting the final vowel if the last consonant is a valid coda), and "-olor" for other consonant endings. Nouns ending in /lV/ lose their final vowel to the suffix.
nias (sun) ⟶ niasolor (sunny)
kol (fragment) ⟶ kolor (fragmented)
tole (fire) ⟶ tolor (fiery)
akūra (gold) ⟶ akūralor (golden)
tasonimil (one who wears (a) cloak) ⟶ tasonimilor nalunmil (cloak-wearing traveler)
Adjective-Based Nouns
To form constructs analogous to "[adjective] one", adjectives can be given the -(ū)mil and -(ū)mi suffixes like verbs. The former usually implies deliberate action or involvement in the quality, while the latter carries connotations of habitual, innate or even accidental qualities outside the noun's control.
Eg:
toūmil = "the calm/untroubled one; the stoic one" (they are deliberately acting to be/stay calm)
toūmi = "the calm/untroubled one; the carefree one" (they're just like that)
Having Things
To say someone has something can take three forms. For inanimate objects and features, the verb "eli" refers to traits or qualities, and "ngen" is used for possession of objects.
eli kagedya ūle kozanmi.
Eli kaketya ūle kosanmi.
This book has pictures.
'ŋen mayūd ke tanla se.
Ngen mayūt ke tanla she.
They (sg.) have a house in the city.
However, when talking about people or animals, one uses the structure "... le X roen" (lit. "...'s X exists").
sele anzun roen kay, uŋi bazundya.
Shele ansun roen kai, ngi basuntya.
If (she) has a child, (she) is a mother.
About...
The term "about" uses the gerund "ha" form and SOV for the topic described, if it's a full sentence or phrase.
tamyai byū kel naile elcihir tahūnha kimin han zū niaz.
Tamyai byū kel naile elshihir tahūnha kimin han sū nias.
The Northern Wind and the Sun were arguing (with each other) about who was stronger.
Otrotūin nanim kel na otrokanemi byū na.
Otrotūin nanim kel na otrokanemi byū na.
I heard someone was asking about me.
Causatives
To say something caused another thing to happen, one typically uses the structure (VERB)ha ilan, "to cause/create [VERB]-ing".
Toilan na ūs sonya baba.
(My) mom made me wear this.
Tag Questions
Can be formed with a final kisa, sometimes even shortened to just sa. The kisa is often drawn out, with a falling tone.
Ber tasayi kel amyar kaketya nanim kisaa.
Someone complained about the rude pictures again, didn't they.
Dialects
Historical Speech
Historical proto-Naūkeman used SVO, but at some point became strongly pro-drop enough that it became common to instead re-introduce the subject at the end of the sentence. Technically, SVO is still recognizable and understood, but sounds very strange outside of deliberately archaic speech!
Proto-NKM also had some evidentiality, which shaped the tenses in modern Naūkeman. Recent-past and distant-past used to be both just past, but with two different levels of confidence in information given, which eventually became recent past (more confident) and distant past (more uncertain). Some speakers will still use these tenses closer to that meaning -- for example, distant past might be used to reflect a time one doesn't remember clearly or that felt like a long time ago, while recent past might be used for old events to imply something like "I remember it like it was yesterday...".
Regional Dialects
In northern areas, nearer to Kintsaya and Talnabyak speakers, the /ʌ/ sound gets emphasized instead of de-emphasized, and the sequence /ʌe/C becomes /ʌ/ followed by a syllabic consonant version of C. For example, kuen would be pronounced [kʌn̩].
This dialect also is beginning to develop some consonant gemination, mostly from affixes. For example, the plural suffix of nouns with final t becomes tta, and the sequence C/h/V is often realized as CCV (e.g. sunas'ha, "rejection", becomes [sunasːa]).