Sarim

Sarim is a language spoken in the Sarmanin region in the west of Yandras.

Phonology

Consonants

-Plosives /p t d ɟ k g/ <p t d j c g>

-Nasals /m n ŋ/ <m n ŋ>

-Fricatives /ɸ β θ s ɕ x/ <f v th s h>

-Rhotic/Approximants: /r l j w/ <r l i u>

Note that /ɸ θ x/ derive from older */p t k/, and so pattern with the stops (i.e., they can appear in onset clusters).

Vowels

/i a u i: a: u:/

<i a u ī ā ū>

Syllable Structure

Sarim has a basic (C)(C)V(C) syllable structure; the only compulsory element is a vowel. In the onset,a limited number of consonant clusters can be found, almost always a sequence of plosive + /r/ in native words.

Word internally, most sequences occur, with the exception of sequences of fricative-fricative (including /ɸ θ x/). Geminate consonants do not occur except in compound words (compare English "penny" and "penknife").

Allophony

-Coda /n/ assimilates to the point of articulation of a following consonant, thus /'anka/ "eat", is realised as ['aŋka]. Note that /m/ and /ŋ/ do not undergo this assimilation, so /imni/ "throat, language" is still [ɪmnɪ]

-/r/ is realised as a tap [ɾ] before a vowel and word-finally, but [ɦ] before a consonant.

-/ɟ/ is realised as either palatal affricate [ɟʝ] or postalveolar affricate [dʑ], especially among younger speakers.

-Before /s/, nasals tend to be realised as sequences nasal+voiceless stop, e.g. /ms/ = [mps].

-Short /a i u/ tend to be realised as /ɐ ɪ ʊ/.

-When unstressed, long /a: i: u:/ also tend to be realised as /ɐ: ɪ: ʊ:/

Stress

Stress in Sarim is non-phonemic , always falling on the antipenultimate syllable for words more than 3 syllable long, and on the penult for bisyllabic words, unless that syllable has a short vowel and an adjacent syllable has a long vowel, in which case the stress moves to the syllable with a long vowel. If both adjacent syllables have a long vowel, then the moves rightwards. Monosyllabic lexical words are stressed, but grammatical particles are not.

Sandhi

-If two vowels are adjacent over a word boundary, an epenthetic [ʔ] is inserted: rāya imni ma "that throat" [ra:jɐ ?ɪmnɪ mʙ].

-If a word ends with a fricative, and the proceeding word begins in the different fricative, the coda fricative is elided: tūth hayi "the woman's child " ['tu: 'xɐjɪ].

(More sandhi coming once I think of it :[ )

Sample Sarim Words

/'dun/ ['dʊn], dun "man"

/'arki:ja/ [ɐɦ'ki:ɟɐ] arcīja "break"

/'himnaji/ ['xɪmnɐji]hemnayi "Our sister"