|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| Emeigu (Emeigu: The language of Eigu) is a largely isolating nominative-dechticaetiative language spoken in Tarbaithenu. | | Emeigu (Emeigu: The language of Eigu) is an isolating-fusional ergative-dechticaetiative language. |
| | |
|
| |
|
| == Phonology == | | == Phonology == |
| Line 66: |
Line 65: |
| -Unstressed vowels, and stressed vowels in closed syllables, tend to be realised as lax [ɪ ɛ ɐ ɔ ʊ], except after a palatal, where /a/ tends to be realised as [æ]. | | -Unstressed vowels, and stressed vowels in closed syllables, tend to be realised as lax [ɪ ɛ ɐ ɔ ʊ], except after a palatal, where /a/ tends to be realised as [æ]. |
|
| |
|
| ==Syntax==
| |
|
| |
| Emeigu is quite strongly isolating, and has often been accused of being a 'word soup' language, and syntactic rules can be a bit complicated.
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| ===Syntactic Categories and Parts of Speech===
| |
|
| |
| Emeigu is generally considered to distinguish three types of speech: Nouns, Verbs, and Particles. The majority of adjectives or adverbs are actually either nouns (e.g '''fawas''' - strenght, strong), or stative verbs (like '''mran''' - (to be) afraid), whilst some fall under the (rather nebulous, really) particles category, such as '''seu''' - other, or '''ei''' - too, also.
| |
|
| |
| ===Basic Word Order===
| |
|
| |
| The basic word order in Emeigu is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), as in English:
| |
| <pre>
| |
| Ari dau shono
| |
| Man look dog
| |
| the man looks/looked/will look at the dog
| |
| </pre>
| |
|
| |
| and
| |
|
| |
| <pre>
| |
| Ari kimdi
| |
| Man eat
| |
| The man eats/ate/will eat
| |
| </pre>
| |
|
| |
| Adverbial phrases can occur in two possible positions: immediately after the verb they modify, or at the end of the clause, so '''SVX1OX2''' is our word order when non-core arguments are included. Generally, simple time phrases such as '''imah''' ''today'' and '''braya''' ''soon''; adverbial particles such as ''ei'' ''too, also'' and '''a''' ''thus''; simple directional particles such as '''risi''' ''here'', and dechticaetiative formations occur in X2 position, whereas more complex temporal and locative phrases occur in X1. Verbal particles occur directly after X1. Thus:
| |
|
| |
| <pre>
| |
| Ari dau shono imah
| |
| Man look dog today
| |
| The man looked at the dog today
| |
|
| |
| Ari dau u srahi shono
| |
| Man look in town dog
| |
| The man looked at the dog in town
| |
|
| |
| Ari dau u srahi shono yam
| |
| Man look in town dog already
| |
| The man has already looked at the dog in town
| |
| </pre>
| |
|
| |
| Prepositions in the X1 position can often be dropped, especially if there is a verbal particle to demarkate it from the object:
| |
|
| |
| <pre>
| |
| Ari dau srahi thi shono
| |
| Man look town PERF dog
| |
| The man saw the dog in town
| |
| </pre>
| |
|
| |
| ==Morphology==
| |
|
| |
| Emeigu has very little nominal or verbal morphology, being a largely isolating language. It does have a richer derivational morphology and word compounding system, however
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| ===Plurality===
| |
|
| |
| Emeigu has a plural morpheme, '''-u''' ('''-yu''' after /i u/). However, when plurality is marked by a number or a word such as '''jana''' ''many'', the noun is always left unmarked.
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| ===Derivational Morphology===
| |
|
| |
| Emeigu uses a mix of compounding and derivational affixes to derive new words. Some derivational affixes are not standalone morphemes, for example:
| |
|
| |
| The prefix '''en-''' produces an inaminate agent or tool from a verb or adjective:
| |
| '''maru''' ''to pierce'' - '''emmaru''' ''thorn'' ; '''jau''' ''black'' - '''enjau''' ''ink''
| |
|
| |
| Similarly, '''y(e)-''' means 'one who does X':
| |
| '''tirni''' ''to dance'' - '''yetirni''' ''dancer''; '''amem''' ''to know'' - '''yamem''' ''savant, scholar''
| |
|
| |
|
| Abstractions of nouns are made with '''kei-''' (verbs can be abstract nouns, too):
| | ==Verbal Morphology== |
| '''yat''' ''farmer'' - '''keiyat''' '' agriculture'' but '''gamne''' ''to die, death'' ; '''arbai''' ''to join, joint, alliance''
| |
|
| |
|
| A place is formed with '''was-''':
| | Emeigu verbs are conjugated for voice, mood, tense and transitivity. |
| '''wasyat''' ''farm'' ; '''wajau''' ''the underworld''
| |
Emeigu (Emeigu: The language of Eigu) is an isolating-fusional ergative-dechticaetiative language.
Phonology
Phoneme Inventory
Emeigu distinguishes the following consonants:
|
|
Labial
|
Dental
|
Alveolar
|
Palatal
|
Velar
|
Glottal
|
| Plosive/Affricate
|
p /p/ b /b/
|
t /t/ d /d/
|
|
č /ʨ/
|
k /k/ g /g/
|
|
| Fricative
|
|
|
s /s/
|
š /ɕ/
|
|
h /h/
|
| Nasal
|
m /m/
|
|
n /n/
|
ny /ɲ/
|
ng /ŋ/
|
|
| Liquid
|
w /w/
|
|
r /ɾ/ l /l/
|
y /j/
|
|
|
There are five vowel phonemes, /i e a o u/, represented by i e a o u, as well as five diphthongs, all falling: /ai au ei eu oi ou/, ai au ei eu ou. In native words, /o u/ only occur in closed syllables.
Orthographically, the diphthongs are distinguished from two discrete vowel nuclei with an apostrophe, e.g. tai /tai/ ta'i /ta.i/. /ng/ is distinguished from /ŋ/ the same way.
Syllable Structure
Emeigu has a simple (C)V(m n t s) syllable structure, with the caveat that coda s only occurs after /a/.
Allophony
-/n/ assimilates to the point of articulation of any following consonant /ankas/ [ɐŋ'kas]
-Unstressed vowels, and stressed vowels in closed syllables, tend to be realised as lax [ɪ ɛ ɐ ɔ ʊ], except after a palatal, where /a/ tends to be realised as [æ].
Verbal Morphology
Emeigu verbs are conjugated for voice, mood, tense and transitivity.
