Tsoąićęn
Intro
This project started off as a reworking of Tsaihänni, however, it eventually grew beyond that and can now not be considered anything but its own work.
Tsoąićen is a work-in-progress name and subject to change.
Culture
There is no culture yet, but I imagine that there will be soon.
Phonology
| Phonemes | Labial | Coronal | Dorsal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ |
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g |
| Fricative | s z ʃ ʒ | ç x ɣ | |
| Other | w | l ɾ | j |
| Phonemes | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | iː ɪ | ɨ | ɯ~u |
| Mid | eː ɛ | ə | o ʌ |
| Low | æ | ɑ ɒ | |
| Dipthongs | ʌɪ ɑʊ ʌu ɒɪ | ||
| Graphemes | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | ii i | u | w |
| Mid | ee e | a | o a |
| Low | ę | ą oą | |
| Dipthongs | ai ąo ao oąi | ||
Allophony
- Before /ɾ/, the following changes occur:
Original New Original New t θ d ð s sə z zə ʃ ʃə ʒ ʒə - /ɾ/ becomes [d] after a nasal; the nasal is geminated.
- /ç/ is allophonous with [ɸ] before /ɯ/.
General rules
- All plosives are devoiced at word-finally.
- All consonant clusters assimilate to the voicing of the initial consonant, except for /x/, which does not have an analysed voiced counterpart.
- Nasals tend to assimilate in place with following consonants.
Syllable Structure
The syllable structure I've imagined is quite complex to me, so I may not write it down right. Here's my best shot: syllables are analysed as being of two different structures, to simplify the overall model.
Structure 1: Normal Structure
((F)C|F|C(F)|(F)N)(R)V(l|F|N)(C)(t|s(t))
Where:
- C: /p b t d k g/
- F: /s ʃ ʒ ç x/
- N: /m n ŋ/
- R: /w l ɾ j/
- V: Any vowel.
Final /t/ may only occur when not immediately preceeded by another /t/. /ɾ/ may not appear after a nasal consonant. The long vowels /eː/ and /iː/ may only appear in stressed syllables; elsewhere, they are reduced to /ɛ/ and /ɪ/, respectively.
Structure 2: Non-vowel Structure
Additionally, a non-dorsal fricative may stand in as the nucleus.
(C)F
Where C is any of /p b t d k/, and F is any of /s ʃ ʒ x/. Except for when /x/ is the nucleus, any onset consonant must have the same voicing as the nucleus fricative.