Náŋifi Fasúxa
| Náŋifi Fasúxa | |
|---|---|
| Pronounced: | ['ná.ŋi.fi fa.'sú.xa] |
| Timeline and Universe: | Semiramis Universe, Post-Catastrophe |
| Species: | Post-Catastrophe Hominid |
| Spoken: | pine forest ecosystem |
| Total speakers: | Unknown (9 villages) |
| Writing system: | Syllabic |
| Genealogy: | Isolate |
| Typology: | |
| Morphology: | Word-based |
| Morphosyntax: | {{{ms}}} |
| Word order: | VSO |
| Credits | |
| Creator: | Linguarum Magister |
| Created: | 2010 |
Náŋifi Fasúxa (the Common Language) is the native language of the Pínaax (the People).
Phonology
The phonology is relatively simple, with 9 consonants (p,t,k,m,n,ŋ,f,s,x). There are 3 basic vowels. which may be short or long (a,i,u; aa, ii, uu). The pure long vowel arise from the contact of two similar vowels. There are also six diphthongs (ai [aj], au [aw], iu [ju], ia [ja], ui [wi], ua [wa], which arise from the contact of two dissimilar vowels. Adjacent consonants do not assimilate, as that would confuse trisyllabic radicals to too great an extent.
| Consonants | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | ||||||||||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||||||||||
| Plosive | p | t | k | |||||||||||||
| Fricative | f | s | x | |||||||||||||
| Vowels | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Central | Back | ||||||||
| High | i | u | ||||||||
| Low | a | |||||||||
| Long Vowels | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | I | U | ||||||||||||||
| A | a: | ja | wa | |||||||||||||
| I | aj | i: | wi | |||||||||||||
| U | aw | ju | u: | |||||||||||||
Stress-and-Pitch Accent
The acute accent on a vowel or diphthong indicates stress and a rising pitch; the unmarked vowels have a falling pitch, but may be stressed. The acute accent may disappear in the spoken form of the word if the stress vowel becomes a diphthong. Thus, the noun pínaxa ['pí.na.xa] 'man' is stressed and high-pitched on the initial syllable, but the equivalent feminine form pianxa ['pjan.xa] woman is not stressed on the initial (spoken) syllable. The equivalent adjectival forms, pina'xa [pi.'ná.xa] 'manly (m.sg.)' and piánxa ['pján.xa] 'womanly (f.sg.)', which place stress on the medial radical syllable, both possess stressed and high-pitched vowel.
For the purposes of stress-and-pitch accent, the long non-diphthongal vowels are considered to be composed of a vowel and the related semi-vowel. This rule applies even to aa [a:], even though there is no equivalent semivowel.
Radical Syllables and Spoken Syllables
A peculiarity of Náŋifi Fasúxa is the ability of the syllables in its three-syllable CVCVCV roots to flip form CV to VC depending on the use of the root in the sentence. A CV syllable is herein referred as unflipped or taken as basic and unmarked; a VC syllable is referred to as 'flipped'. In discussion of the grammar of Náŋifi Fasúxa, the terms 'initial syllable', 'medial syllable', and 'final syllable' refer to the syllables of the masculine singular CVCVCV root before any flipping; the feminine plural adjective kuáŋit ['kwá.ŋit] 'the big (feminine things)' has stress on the flipped medial syllable -aŋ-, even though the realization of the stress is on the initial syllable of the word as pronounced.
Nouns, Adjectives, and Prepositions
Nouns, adjectives, and prepositions are characterized by an unflipped intial syllable.
Nouns
Nouns indicate gender and grammatical number. The masculine singular retains all the syllables as CV; plurality is indicated by flipping the final syllable, femininity by flipping the medial syllable. Nouns are accented on the initial syllable. Thus:
pínaxa ['pí.na.xa] man
pínaax ['pí.na:x] men
pianxa ['pjan.xa] woman
pianax ['pja.nax] women
Adjectives
Adjectives are similar to nouns, and agree with the noun they modify in gender and number (the exceptions are the possessive pronouns). Adjectives are accented on the medial syllable and follow the nouns they modify. Thus:
pínaxa kuŋáti ['pí.na.xa ku.'ŋá.ti] a great man
pínaax kuŋáit ['pí.na:x ku.'ŋájt] great men
pianxa kuáŋti ['pjan.xa 'kwáŋ.ti] a great woman
pianax kuáŋit ['pja.nax 'kwá.ŋit] great women
Prepositions
Prepositions are accented on the final syllable and agree with the noun which the prepositional phrase modifies in gender and number. Thus:
páŋasa tamapú múfaxa ['pá.ŋa.sa ta.ma.'pú 'mú.fa.xa] the house above the camp
páaŋas taamíx múfaxa ['pá:.ŋas ta:.'míx 'mú.fa.xa] the huts below the camp
Verbs and Adverbs
Verbs and adverbs are characterized by a flipped initial syllable.
Active Verbs
Active verbs and intransitive verbs are accented on the initial syllable. The verbs agree in gender and number with the subject. Náŋifi Fasúxa is a VSO language. Thus:
átmaxi pínaxa kuŋáti ['át.ma.xi 'pí.na.xa ku.'ŋá.ti] a great man descends
átmaix pínaax kuŋáit ['át.majx 'pí.na:x ku.'ŋájt] great men descend
átamxi pianxa kuáŋti ['á.tam.xi pjan.xa 'kwáŋ.ti] a great woman descends
átamix pianax kuáŋit ['á.ta.mix pja.nax 'kwá.ŋit] great women descend
An active verb may function as an active participle after a noun. Thus:
páŋaas úŋxauk ['pá.ŋa:s 'úŋ.xawk] the burning houses
pianxa átamxi ['pjan.'xa:.tam.xi] the women who are descending
The active participle may not be used as a substitute for the equivalent nouns. Thus there is a difference between:
táamxi ['tá:m.xi] the descending ones (feminine plural) vs. pianxa átamxi ['pjan.'xa.tam.xi] the women who are descending
Passive Verbs
Passive verbs are accented on the medial syllable. They agree in gender and number with the subject. Thus:
uŋxáuk páŋaas [uŋ.'xáwk 'pá.ŋa:s] the houses are burning
A passive verb may function as a passive participle after a noun. As with the active form, the passive participle is strictly adjectival. Thus:
páŋaas uŋxáuk ['pá.ŋa:s uŋ.'xáwk] the burnt houses
Adverbs
Adverbs are accented on the final syllable. They agree in gender and number with the verb they modify. The chief adverbs are the temporal participles atkamí (past), itŋafí (present), and ixpunú (future). Just as adjectives follow the noun they modify, so too do the adverbs follow the verb.
átamxi atakmí pianxa ['á.tam.xja.tak.'mí 'pjan.xa] the woman descended
átamxi itaŋfí pianxa ['á.tam.xi:.taŋ.'fí 'pjan.xa]the woman descends
átamxi ixupnú pianxa ['á.tam.xi:.xup.'nú 'pjan.xa] the woman will descend
Adverbs may modify adjectives, including active and passive participles.
páŋasa kuŋáti ukŋatí ['pá.ŋa.sa ku.'ŋá.tjuk.ŋa.'tí] the very big house
páŋasa úŋxaku ukŋatí ['pá.ŋa.'sawŋ.xa.ku:k.ŋa.'tí] the great burning house
túnasi uŋxáku ukŋatí ['tu.na.sjuŋ.'xá.ku:k.ŋa.'tí] the big burned stone
Pronouns
There are three basic pronominal roots (ŋasipu, natufi, pumafa), which inflect for gender and number. Thus the complete set of pronouns is:
ŋásipu he
ŋásiup they (masculine)
ŋáispu she
ŋáisup they (feminine)
nátufi you (masculine singular)
nátuif you (masculine plural)
náutfi you (feminine singular)
náutif you (feminine plural)
púmafa I (masculine)
púmaaf we (masculine)
puamfa I (feminine)
puamaf we (feminine)
In addition to these three, there are five other personal pronominal forms referring to relative rank of the speaker and the addressee:
púmapu I (higher rank than addressee)
púmaxi I (lower rank than addressee)
púmasu I (no rank reference; often used affectionately)
nátupu you (higher rank than speaker)
nátuxi you (lower rank than speaker)
nátunu you (in general; often used contemptuously)
Genitive Prepositional Construct
The genitive relationship, rather than by transposition or a specific genitive adjective, is indicated by the formation of a preposition that agrees with its object in its root, but the noun it modifies in gender and number. Thus:
páaŋsa pianxá pianax ['pá:ŋ.sa pjan.'xá 'pja.nax] the hut of the women
Interrogative Sentences
The normal construction of the Náŋifi Fasúxa question is Verb + Negative Adverb aŋsixi' + Temporal Adverb (the reverse of a negative statement). The negative marker retains its negativity rather than becoming an interrogative marker; at the same time, however the negative impact of the question is not highlighting. Thus the sentence
uŋxáuk aŋsixi' páŋaas [uŋ.'xáw.kaŋ,si.'xi.'pá.ŋa:s] aren't the houses burning?
implies no desire for arson. There is an affirmative counterpart in which the affirmative adverb aŋsixu' is used and in which there is a sense of emphasis. Thus an arsonist might say
uŋxáuk aŋsixu' páŋaas [uŋ.'xáw.kaŋ,si.'xu.'pá.ŋa:s] aren't the houses burning?
Imperatives
The Náŋifi Fasúxa imperative is conjugated for number and gender. The positive form consists of the bare stem of the verb. Thus one might say
ínixpi speak! (fsg)
The negative form adds the negative adverb to the bare stem. Thus one can say,
ínixpi aŋsixí don't speak (fsg)!
The grammatical person of the imperative is inherently second person, but if the addressee is a noun or the direct object of the imperative is the same number and gender as the addressee, a noun, pronoun, or pronominal phrase may be placed in front of the imperative. Thus the following sentences are possible.
ŋítaif, ínixip aŋisíx sisters, do not speak!
xípufi pumafá puamfa, úmfasa tákafi natufí nátufi (said by a mother) my son, obey your father!
Irrealis Tenses and Moods
(Moods will multiply)
The Náŋifi Fasúxa Subjunctive (which covers most of the irrealis aspects of language) is formed by placing the affirmative adverb aŋsinu' after the bare verb; the noun or pronoun follows the affirmative adverb. The negative subjunctive places the negative adverb between the affirmative adverb and the pronoun. Thus a chief of the Pínaax might say:
úmfaas aŋsinú kánuux púmapu May the villagers obey me.
ípnasa aŋsinú aŋsixí púmaxi múfaxu pumaxí púmaxi May I not fail my chief!
The Specific Subjunctive is used when the basic Subjunctive refers to a specific person (the personal pronouns are an exception to this rule). The adverb is aŋsixú. Thus:
úmafpi aŋisxú xiupxi puamfá púmapu múfaxu May my daughter assist the chief!
The Impersonal Gnomic Aorist is used for proverbs about moral conduct when the intended addressee (if any) is not present. The proper adverb is agsipú. Thus:
ípnaxi aŋsipú pínaxa kanafú kánaxi A person would die in the wastelands.
The Personal Gnomic Aorist is similar to the Impersonal, but is used when the intended addressee (not necessarily the person with whom the speaker is talking) is present. Its adverb is antufí. Thus:
ípnaxi antufí pínaxa kanafú kánaxi A person would die in the wastelands.
The Perjorative Gnomic Aorist is similar to the Personal, but conveys contempt. Its adverb is antunú. Thus:
ípnaxi antunú pínaxa kanafú kánaxi A person (you moron!) would die in the wastelands.
The General Gnomic Aorist is similar to the Personal and Impersonal Forms, but has no moral implications, merely a connotation of "everyone knows this". Its adverb is afsuxá.
ípnaxi afsuxá pínaxa kanafú kánaxi A person would die in the wastelands.
The Opinative indicates "in my/your/his opinion". Its adverb is upmasú.
áfusfa upamsú ŋáispu ŋásinu. In my opinion, she's sleeping with someone.
Language Sample
This passage is taken from an epic about a young man curious (perhaps too curious) about the world outside the fertile mountain oases of his world. The second verse is about a similar young woman and her mother.
átkami atkamí tíŋaxa kuŋása
ínxipi atkamí tákaxa ŋasipú ŋásipu:
ítŋafi itŋafí xípuxa pumafá púmasu
úmfasa múfaxu pumafá púmaup
átmaxi aŋsixí tamaxí kánaxi
átmapu aŋsixí tamapú kánapu
ípnapu afsuxá aŋsixí nátufi
ípnaxi afsuxá nátufi kanafú kánaxi
íknafu kanafú múfaxa pumafá púmapu
úmfasa atkamí aŋsixí tíŋaxa tákaxa ŋasipú ŋásipu
úmfasa atkamí aŋsixí ŋásipu múfaxu mufaxá múfaxa
Once there was a young man.
His father said:
You are my son!
Obey our chief!
Do not go down to the valley wasteland*.
Do not go up to the mountain wasteland.
You will not survive.
You will perish in the wasteland.
Remain in our village!
The young man* did not obey his father.
He did not obey the chief of the village.
Notes: kánaxi can mean either valley wasteland or wasteland in general. tíŋaxa in the penultimate line strictly means "brother", but here it is short for tíŋaxa kuŋása, "young man" from the first line.
átakmi atakmí tiaŋxa kuáŋsa
ínixpi atakmí táakxa ŋaispú ŋáispu:
ítaŋfi itaŋfí xiupxa puamfá puamsu
úmafsa múfaxu pumafá puamup
átamxi aŋisxí tamaxí kánaxi
átampu aŋisxí tamapú kánapu
ípanpu afusxá aŋisxí náutfi
ípanxi afusxá náutfi kanafú kánaxi
íkanfu kanafú múfaxa pumafá puamup
úmafsa atakmí aŋisxí tiaŋxa táakxa ŋaispú ŋáispu
úmafsa atakmí aŋisxí ŋáispu múfaxu mufaxá múfaxa
Once there was a young woman.
Her mother said:
You are my daughter!
Obey our chief!
Do not go down to the valley wasteland.
Do not go up to the mountain wasteland.
You will not survive.
You will perish in the wasteland.
Remain in our village!
The young woman did not obey her mother.
She did not obey the chief of the village.
