View source for Mabri

=Sounds=
==Vowels==

Mabri has five phonemic vowels, transcribed as <a>, <e>, &lt;i>, <o>, and &lt;u>. In an unstressed position, their phonetic realizations are respectively [ɐ], [e], [i], [o] and [u]. When stressed, at the end of verbs, they are nasalized: [ɐ̃], [ẽ], [ĩ], [õ] and [ũ]. When stressed, elsewhere, they are pronounced as follows: [a], [ɛ], [i], [ɔ] and [u].

<table width="300px">
   <tr>
      <td>Phoneme</td>
      <td>Stressed (non-V)</td>
      <td>Unstressed</td>
      <td>Stressed (V)</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td>/a/</td>
      <td>a</td>
      <td>ɐ</td>
      <td>ɐ̃</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td>/e/</td>
      <td>ɛ</td>
      <td>e</td>
      <td>ẽ</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td>/i/</td>
      <td>i</td>
      <td>i</td>
      <td>ĩ</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td>/o/</td>
      <td>ɔ</td>
      <td>o</td>
      <td>õ</td>
   </tr>
   <tr>
      <td>/u/</td>
      <td>u</td>
      <td>u</td>
      <td>ũ</td>
   </tr>
</table>
==Consonants==
This is the consonantal system of mabri.

<table width="700px">
   <tr>
      <td></td>
      <td>Bilabial</td>
      <td>Labiodental</td>
      <td>Labiovelar</td>
      <td>Alveolar</td>
      <td>Post-alveolar</td>
      <td>Palatal</td>
      <td>Velar</td>
      <td>Glottal</td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Nasal</td>
      <td>m</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>n</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Plosive</td>
      <td>p b</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>t d</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>k g</td>
      <td></td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Affricate</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>tx, dj</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Fricative</td>
      <td></td>
      <td>f v</td>
      <td></td>
      <td>s z</td>
      <td>x, j</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>h</td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Approximant</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>w</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>y</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Tap</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>r</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
   </tr>

   <tr>
      <td>Lat. Approx.</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td>l</td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
      <td></td>
   </tr></table>

==Phonotactics==
The syllable structure in Mabri is (C)(C)V. Syllables like '''a''', '''re''' and '''pwi''' are valid. Syllables have phonemically no coda, although a written "n" appears at the end of verbs. This final "n" indicates that the previous vowel is nasal and is not always pronounced. An epenthetic [m], [n], [ɱ] or [ŋ] will appear, however, if the next word begins with b/p, d/t/z/s/dj/tx/j/x, v/f and g/k, respectively.

Examples:
<p>'''Kaze txin ha.''' ['kaze tʃĩ ha]</p>
<p>'''Mu men taze.''' ['kaze mẽn 'taze]</p>
<p>'''Mya kon frugyo.''' [mja kõɱ 'fɾugjo]</p>
<p>'''Fa gran bla.''' [fa gɾɐ̃m bla]</p>
<p>'''Ladjo yan katxi.''' ['ladʒo jɐ̃ŋ 'katʃi]</p>

==Word Stress==
*Monosyllabic prepositions, such as '''ga''' and '''po''', are unstressed. Their pronunciations are therefore [gɐ] and [po] (and not [ga] or [pɔ]).

:*All the other monosyllabic words are stressed: '''ka''', '''lo''', '''ban''', '''de''' ([ka], [lɔ], [bɐ̃], [dɛ]).

*Disyllabic verbs are stressed on the last syllable: '''latxin''', '''kyofan''', '''broton''' ([lɐ'tʃĩ], [kjo'fɐ̃], [bɾo'tõ]).

:*All the other disyllabic words are stressed on the first syllable: '''latxi''', '''kyofa''', '''broto''' (['latʃi], ['kjɔfɐ], ['bɾɔto]).

::*That includes disyllabic prepositions: '''potxi''', '''gale''', '''polye''' (['pɔtʃi], ['gale], ['pɔlje]).

*Larger words (hyphenated words) are multiply stressed, each part according to the rules above.

=Grammar=
Words in Mabri can be roughly divided in 4 main groups: verbs, nouns, adjectives and prepositions. Mabri is a pro-drop language.
==Word order==
<p>Mabri is a SVO (subject verb object) language, as English. Other arrangements are possible but marked through special constructions. Sentence-modifying adverbs are placed either before or after the sentence, never in the middle. Examples:</p>
<p>'''xewan'''. (It rains.)</p>
<p>'''lafa nun'''. (She is sleeping.)</p>
<p>'''lafa kon fruno'''. (She is eating an apple.)</p>
<p>'''kon fruno polye lafa'''. (Eating an apple she is.)</p>
<p>'''podo grihe kadjo yan si'''. (Yesterday we went to the city.)</p>
<p>'''kadjo yan si podo grihe'''. (We went to the city yesterday.)</p>

<p>As to noun phrases, mabri is ''head-final'', as Spanish. Adjective-modifying adverbs are placed after the adjective. Intensifiers are placed before the adjectives. Counters come before the nouns. Examples:</p>
<p>'''mwakwi''' (cat)</p>
<p>'''mwakwi du ba''' (big cat)</p>
<p>'''mwakwi du ba gapo ku kii''' (unexpectedly big cat)</p>
<p>'''mwakwi du jaja ga ba''' (very big cat)</p>
<p>'''natxa ga mwakwi''' (two cats)</p>

==Nouns==
*Nouns have no inflection at all.
*There is no grammatical number (exceptions for "pronouns"; see table below). Number is indicated by means of counters (below).
*There is no grammatical gender (exceptions for "pronouns"; see table below). Biological gender is represented through periphrasis.
*There is no declension; the role of the noun phrases is determined by word order.
*There are no true pronouns; instead, there are nouns that can be translated in English as nouns. Below are some of these nouns:
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ 
! || here || there || yonder
|-
| sing. pronoun || '''kaze''' (I) || '''taze''' (you) || '''laze''' (that person)
|-
| sing. masc. pronoun || '''kato''' (I) || '''tato''' (you) || '''lato''' (he)
|-
| sing. fem. pronoun || '''kafa''' (I) || '''tafa''' (you) || '''lafa''' (she)
|-
| plural pronoun || '''kadjo''' (we) || '''tadjo''' (you) || '''ladjo''' (they)
|-
| time || '''kado''' (this moment) || '''tado''' || '''lado''' (that moment)
|-
| place || '''katxi''' (this place) || '''tatxi''' (place near you) || '''latxi''' (place over there)
|-
| reason || '''kari''' (this reason) || '''tari''' (reason of yours) || '''lari''' (that reason)
|}

===Counters===
Counters have two main purposes: numbering nouns and as intensifiers. They are followed by the preposition '''ga'''.
* Numbers always start with the prefix '''na'''. Mabri uses a decimal system. The vowel of each syllable determines the order of magnitude. The consonant determines the digit.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ 
! (digit) || units || tens || hundreds || thousands
|-
| 0 || na-xa || || || ||
|-
| 1 || na-txa || na-txu || na-txi || na-txe
|-
| 2 || na-la || na-lu || na-li || na-le
|-
| 3 || na-ba || na-bu || na-bi || na-be
|-
| 4 || na-ya || na-yu || na-i || na-ye
|-
| 5 || na-fa || na-fu || na-fi || na-fe
|-
| 6 || na-wa || na-u || na-wi || na-we
|-
| 7 || na-ma || na-mu || na-mi || na-me
|-
| 8 || na-ra || na-ru || na-ri || na-re
|-
| 9 || na-ta || na-tu || na-ti || na-te
|}

<p>Examples:</p>
<p>15 persons: '''na-txu-fa ga ze'''</p>
<p>38 computers: '''na-bu-ra ga chu'''</p>
<p>462: '''na-u-i-la ga'''</p>
<p>2007: na-le-ma</p>


<p>'''ni ga''': every, all</p>
<p>'''sha ga''': none</p>
<p>'''ja ga''': so many</p>
<p>'''jaja ga''': many, much</p>
<p>'''jaku ga''': few, little</p>
<p>'''plu ga''': more</p>
<p>'''pluni ga''': most</p>
<p>'''pluku ga''': less, fewer</p>
<p>'''pluku-ni ga''': least, fewest</p>

==Adjectives==
==Verbs==
===Aspect===
==Adverbs==
==Prepositions==
==Conjunctions==
==Dependent clauses==
===Subject and object clauses===
===Relative clauses===
===The prefix "ju"===
===Adverbial clauses===
==Word formation==
===Compounds===
===Affixes===

=Writing System=
The writing system of mabri is '''logosyllabic''' (i. e., it is both '''logographic''' and '''syllabic'''). Each syllable represents a distinct '''morpheme''' and is uniquely written with a '''grapheme'''. 

The transcription into the Latin alphabet is straightforward. The phonemes are generally transcribed as pronounced. The exceptions are <j>, <x> and <y>, which correspond to /ʒ/, /ʃ/ and /j/, respectively. The letter <r> is usually pronounced as a tap [ɾ].

Recently, the transcription system has gone through a minor reform. Former <sh> is now written <x> and former <ch> is now written <tx>.

The <n> at the end of the words marks that the previous vowel is nasal, as explained in Phonotactics.
[[Category:Conlangs]]