Sahax

Phonology

Consonants

p	t	ʧ	k
β	z	ʤ
ɸ	s ~ ʃ		x ~ h
m	n ~ ȵ
	l ~ ȴ

Recent loanwords may additionally include /d ɡ/.

Vowels

Short /i ɨ a/, long /iː ɨː aː oː/. The former has a limited distribution and may be equivalent to /aβV/.

Phonotax

(C)V(C); allowed coda consonants include /p t k s x n/ and, in loans, /l/. Coda stops are lightly glottalized. Nativ clusters include /n/ + obstruent excluding /p h/; /sk/, /sm/, …

Allophony/diacronics

• Coronals /t z s l n/ palatalize to /ʧ ʤ ʃ ȴ ȵ/. Proto-Sahax *n actually turns up as a lateral when palatalized.
• Prevocalic /x/ is originally an initial/intervocalic variant of /ɸ/ before /a/, rephonemicized by loans. Postvocalic /x/ derives from (certain cases of?) *k / a_#.
• Before /ɨ/, /l/ is realized as a retroflex lateral flap; this originally developed from *t.
  • Other coronals are also slightly retracted before /ɨ/, tho the effect is not as clear as palatalization.
  • Also under consideration: labiodentalization of bilabials by the same.
• Proto-Sahax includes *t *k *ɸ *s *β *z *m *n.

Morphology

Regular plural is formed by the suffix //K//, realized as

• /k/ after short vowels, as well as after /x/ which is itself dropped in the process
• /kɨ/ after long vowels and /s n l/
• /ɨk/ after other consonants.

Vocabulary

…Is, to a large extent, loaned. Personal pronouns:

	1	2	3
S	vatan	minji	hasi
D	vaalu	miilu	haasu
P	vatanku	minjik	hasik

(note the regularity of formation in the plurals)

Numerals: 1 kisma, 2 zook, 3 tulipan …