Emeigu

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Emeigu (Emeigu: The language of Eigu) is a largely isolating nominative-dechticaetiative language spoken in Tarbaithenu.


Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Emeigu distinguishes the following vowels and consonants:

Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/Affricate p /p/ b /b/ t /t/ d /d/ j /ɟ/ k /k/ g /g/
Fricative f /ɸ/ v /β/ th /θ/ s /s/ sh /ɕ/ h /ɦ/
Nasal m /m/ n /n/
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 ou/, ai au ei eu ou.

Orthographically, the diphthongs are distinguished from two discrete vowel nuclei with an apostrophe, e.g. tai /tai/ ta'i /ta.i/.

Syllable Structure

Emeigu has a simple (C)(r)V(r s h n m t th) syllable structure, with the following caveats:

-Word-internal coda /s/ does not occur before voiced plosives.

-Coda /th/ does not occur in a syllable with /th/ in the onset, having dissimilated to /t/ at an earlier stage in the language.

-Word-internal coda /t/ does not occur before another plosive.

-Diphthongs do not occur in syllables with a coda consonant.

-Onset /nr lr yr wr vr pr/ do not occur.

Allophony

-/n/ assimilates to the point of articulation of any following consonant.

-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]

- The palatal stop /ɟ/ tends to be realised as an affricate [ɟʝ] or [dʑ].


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, ye(t)- means 'one who does X': tirni to dance - yetirni dancer; amem to know - yetamem savant, scholar

Abstractions of nouns are made with kei- (verbs can be abstract nouns, too): yat farmer - keiyat agriculture ; gamne to die, death ; arbai to join, joint, alliance