View source for Mumblese

The language with the least effort-demanding phonology ever!

There are five '''consonants''':
*<tt><m n></tt> are straightforward [m n], tho the latter may vary further back to [ɲ] or [ŋ]. They have syllabic counterparts.
*<tt><h></tt> is generally [ɦ]. Can become a voiceless nasal when occurring before the syllabic nasals. [j] is an acceptable variant before a vowel.
*<tt><f></tt> varies within the [ɸ ~ ʍ ~ β ~ w] ballpark. It does not occur word-initially.
*<tt><:></tt> (yes, a colon) is a glottal stop [ʔ]. There is no contrast with a zero initial (never written in that position).
As well as one true '''vowel''', written as <tt><-></tt> (a dash). The quality may be anything from a nasal shwa [ə̃] to your average [a]. (Given the situation pretty much ''any'' value would be understandable, be it [y] or [l̟] or [s̟], but naturally, anything that contrived would sound incredibly silly.) There is contrastiv length, written by two dashes. A word-final vowel is not written.

A word can only consist of syllables with a vowel, or syllables without.

In a vocalic word, three consonant clusters are possible across syllables: <tt><mf hm hn></tt>. Adjacent long/closed syllables are disallowed, as are final consonants.

A non-vocalic word has a maximum lenght of two syllables, of the structure (glottal consonant)+(nasal consonant)+(optional word-final glottal stop). A syllable without a following (coda or internasalic) glottal stop is somewhat longer in duration and written with a duplicated nasal consonant. So for example <tt><hmm></tt>, <tt><mmhn:></tt> or <tt><hn:nn></tt>, but not <tt><mhn></tt> or <tt><hmm:m></tt>.

==Grammar==
There is no single copula as such: the choice depends on the mood of the utterance.
Affirmation (replies, previous information etc.) is express'd with <tt>mm</tt>, assertions (new information) with <tt>-</tt>, and negation (of both affirmation and assertion) with <tt>n--</tt>.

==Lexicon==
===Non-vocalic===
Principally grammatical. To increase clarity, not all of the 40 possible word-shapes are used. <!--(2*2*(1+2*2)*2 = (h)+m/n+(h/:+m/n)+(:)--> 
*<tt>mm</tt> (affirmation; usually pronounced with initial [ʔ])
*<tt>hmm</tt> ''(reserved as discourse filler)''
*<tt>hm:</tt>
*<tt>hnn</tt>
*<tt>n:</tt>

===Vocalic===
'''Monosyllables''' (again principally grammatical)
*<tt>-</tt> (assertion; usually pronounced with [ʔ]; can be clitickized) <!-- implies no final glottal stop syllables in content words! -->
*<tt>m-</tt> (1st person / proximativ pronoun)
*<tt>h-</tt> (interrogativ pronoun)
*<tt>--</tt> ''(reserved as discourse filler)''
*<tt>n--</tt> (negation)

'''Bisyllables'''
*<tt>-:-</tt> (request, command)

[[Category:Funlangs]]