Natively known as: Uktang /ˈuktɑŋ/
...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
yemb e kish nyǎch e punchǎny yemb shen e chopo kak ṣa ṣǎsmung
Pronunciation: /jemb e kiʃ ɲəʧ e ˈpunʧəɲ jemb ʃen e ˈʧopo kɑk ʂɑ ˈʂəsmuŋg/
Uktangian word order: and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: /h j k l m mb n p r s t w ç ŋ ŋg ɲ ʂ ʃ ʎ ʦ ʧ/
| ↓Manner/Place→ |
Bilabial |
Alveolar |
Palato-alveolar |
Retroflex |
Palatal |
Velar |
Glottal |
| Nasal |
m |
n |
|
|
ɲ |
ŋ |
|
| Prenasalized stop |
mb |
|
|
|
|
ŋg |
|
| Stop |
p |
t |
|
|
|
k |
|
| Affricate |
|
ʦ |
ʧ |
|
|
|
|
| Fricative |
|
s |
ʃ |
ʂ |
ç |
|
h |
| Approximant |
|
|
|
|
j |
|
|
| Trill |
|
r |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lateral approximant |
|
l |
|
|
ʎ |
|
|
Co-articulated phonemes
| ↓Manner/Place→ |
Labio-velar |
| Approximant |
w |
Vowel inventory: /e i o u ɑ ə/
|
Front |
Central |
Back |
| High |
i |
|
u |
| High-mid |
e |
|
o |
| Mid |
|
ə |
|
| Low |
|
|
ɑ |
Syllable structure: (C)V(C) ?
Stress pattern: No fixed stress ?
Word initial consonants: h, j, k, m, mb, n, p, r, s, t, w, ç, ŋg, ɲ, ʂ, ʃ, ʎ, ʦ, ʧ
Mid-word consonants: h, hj, hw, j, jj, jk, jm, jr, jʂ, jʃ, k, kh, kj, kk, km, kn, kr, kt, kw, kç, kɲ, l, lh, lm, ln, ls, lʧ, m, mh, mj, mk, mm, mp, mr, ms, mɲ, mʃ, mʦ, mb, n, nk, nm, np, ns, nt, nɲ, nʃ, nʧ, p, pj, pm, pr, pʃ, pʧ, r, rh, rm, rn, rp, rr, rs, rt, rw, rç, rɲ, rʦ, s, sh, sj, sm, st, sw, sç, sʧ, t, tj, tp, tr, tt, tɲ, tʧ, w, wp, ws, ww, ç, çt, ŋ, ŋj, ŋp, ŋr, ŋs, ŋt, ŋg, ɲ, ɲt, ɲɲ, ʂ, ʂl, ʂn, ʃ, ʃk, ʃl, ʃr, ʃɲ, ʎ, ʎʎ, ʦ, ʦl, ʦt, ʦç, ʧ, ʧk, ʧn
Word final consonants: k, l, m, mb, n, p, r, t, w, ç, ŋ, ŋg, ɲ, ʂ, ʃ, ʎ, ʦ, ʧ
Phonological changes (in order of application): ?
- i → iə / _m
- S → F / _S
- u → ь / j_
- t → ʦ / _i
- ʦ → s / #_
- ə → a / V_V
- S → Ø / #_F
- h → j / _E
Spelling rules:
| Pronunciation |
Spelling |
| j |
y |
| mb |
mb |
| ç |
sȟ |
| ŋ |
ng |
| ŋg |
ng |
| ɑ |
a |
| ə |
ǎ |
| ɲ |
ny |
| ʂ |
ṣ |
| ʃ |
sh |
| ʎ |
y̌ |
| ʦ |
ts |
| ʧ |
ch |
Grammar
Main word order: Subject-Verb-Object-Oblique. "Mary opened the door with a key" turns into
Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: prepositions ?
Nouns
Nouns form plural with separate plural word:
| Plural |
a /ɑ/
plural particle |
Articles
|
Definite |
Indefinite |
| Singular |
mbu /mbu/
the |
tso /ʦo/
a |
| Plural |
on /on/
the |
u /u/
some |
Pronouns
| 1st singular |
chok /ʧok/
I, me, mine |
| 2nd singular |
tsi /ʦi/
you, yours |
| 3rd singular masc |
e /e/
he, him, his |
| 3rd singular fem |
sȟe /çe/
she, her, hers |
| 1st plural inclusive |
sa /sɑ/
we, us, ours (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive |
to /to/
we, us, ours (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural |
sȟesȟ /çeç/
you (all), yours |
| 3rd plural |
nyǎ /ɲə/
they, them, theirs |
Possessive determiners
| 1st singular |
chok /ʧok/
my |
| 2nd singular |
tsi /ʦi/
your |
| 3rd singular masc |
e /e/
his |
| 3rd singular fem |
sȟe /çe/
her |
| 1st plural inclusive |
sa /sɑ/
our (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive |
sa /sɑ/
our (excluding you) |
| 2nd plural |
tsi /ʦi/
your |
| 3rd plural |
nyǎ /ɲə/
their |
Verbs
| Present |
No affix
samtsǎṣ /ˈsɑmʦəʂ/
study |
| Past |
Prefix ɲo-
nyosamtsǎṣ /ɲoˈsɑmʦəʂ/
studied |
| Future |
If starts with vowel: Prefix ʃ-
Else: Prefix ʃe-
shesamtsǎṣ /ʃeˈsɑmʦəʂ/
will study |
Perfect aspect
The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.
Uktangian uses the word for ‘finish’ oupmǎ for the perfect aspect.
Numbers
Uktangian has a base-10 number system:
1 - muk
2 - she
3 - mosȟ
4 - to
5 - ṣa
6 - ke
7 - ṣahicho
8 - hots
9 - sȟap
10 - esh
11 - eshmuk “ten-one”
100 - any “hundred”
101 - any yemb muk “hundred and one”
200 - she any
1000 - pǎpmu “thousand”
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = Prefix pu-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix o-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Prefix o-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Prefix o-
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Prefix o-
Noun → verb (to create [noun]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ɲ-
Else: Prefix ɲu-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Prefix tu-
Verb → adjective (likely to do [verb]) = Prefix wə-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Prefix ɲo-
Verb → noun that verb physically produces (e.g. build → building) = If starts with vowel: Prefix uç-
Else: Prefix uço-
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If starts with vowel: Prefix m-
Else: Prefix mu-
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If starts with vowel: Prefix enp-
Else: Prefix enpo-
Diminutive = If starts with vowel: Prefix ərt-
Else: Prefix ərtɑ-
Augmentative = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʧ-
Else: Prefix ʧo-
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