Sevvufery
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Sevvufery is a language spoken by the Sevvuferýkilý of Sevvuferý, a country at the centre of contemporary maps of the fictional planet Erad. Its inhabitants are similar to humans, apart from differences in intellectual capacity. Though there has been some change in the language, not much has evolved over time, which is why this page's information was taken from a time when the language has lived for about 200 years.
Phonology
Consonants
Sevvufery has 27 consonants. Some of these are represented using two of the same letter, but they are treated as one letter in writing, and would be considered as such to a native speaker.
| Bilabial | Labio-dental | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p [p] b [b] | t [t] d [d] | k [k] vv [g] | |||||||
| Nasal | m [m] | n[n] | [ɳ]* | [ɲ]* | ΔΓ [ŋ] | |||||
| Trill | r [r] | |||||||||
| Affricate | g[t̠ʃ] | yy [dʑ] | ||||||||
| Fricative | f [f] v [v] | å [θ] ð [ð] | s [s] x [z] | rr [ʃ] ii [ʒ] | hh [χ] | h [h] ʰ [h]* [ɦ]* | ||||
| Lateral Fricative | ∞ [ɬ] | |||||||||
| Approximant | w [ʋ] | j [j] | ||||||||
| Lateral Approximant | l [l] |
n is pronounced [ɳ] if it comes before another consonant. Otherwise, it is just pronounced as [n].
h is pronounced [ɦ] if it is the last letter of a word. ʰ is pronounced as a weaker version of [h] and cannot appear at the start or end of words.
Letters representing consonant clusters
The cluster [ks] is represented by the letter 'z'
The cluster [zχ] is represented by the letters 'zz'
Monopthongs
Sevvufery uses 17 letters to represent vowel/dipthong sounds. Of these, 13 represent monopthongs. Where two sounds are included in the same row, the one on the left represents the unrounded version
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i/ý [i]* u [y] | ö [u] | |
| Near-close | í [ɪ] | ||
| Close-mid | y [e] | ä [ɵ] | |
| Mid | õ [o̞] | ||
| Open-mid | e [ɛ] | o [ɔ] | |
| Near-open | ú [ɐ] | ||
| Open | a [a] | ã [ɑ] |
i and ý both make the [i] sound, but ý is the shorter vowel of the two.
Dipthongs
Vowel clusters are banned in Sevvufery, so other letters are used for dipthongs, as are shown below:
- ÿ [ai]
- ø [aɔ]
- ë [ɛi]
- ï [ɪi]
- ü [ɐi]
Morphology
Sound clusters
Start of a word
Most sound clusters are banned at the start of words, but there are two which are permitted: kr and tr.
For example, in the word 'krut' (/kryt/) meaning 'synagogue'
Middle
However, in the middle of words, consonant clusters are allowed, if they are no longer than two letters (with one exception : ntr), provided that a vowel both preceeds and proceeds them.
For example, the word 'ysry' (/esre/) meaning 'voice'.
End of a word
There is some more lenience at the end of words, although not much. Again though, the clusters must not be any longer than 2 letters. The following are permitted: ns, nt, nk. And here the effect I mentioned earlier occurs, where the n shifts to being pronounced as [ɳ].
For example, the word 'nunk' (/nyɳk/) meaning 'to notice'.
Uses of ʰ
Vowel lengthening
Now, with the exception of 'i' and 'ý' (both pronounced as [i] but the former is the longer version), Sevvufery does not distinguish between long and short vowels with the use of different letters. In order to lengthen another vowel, two of the same vowel are placed on either side of the letter ʰ.
For example: the word "hyliʰi" (/heli:/) meaning 'certain' or 'specific'
