Sakha language scratchpad

[Xwtek]

I have a bad habit of creating a project and abandoning it.

Anyways. Sakha language is a language spoken in a world.

In my universe, there is not one, but thousands of worlds. Each one is interconnected and is accessible via the portal. The world is rather small. The biggest world is smaller than in the UK. And the smallest world is only slightly bigger than the New York Metropolitan area. Naturally, most worlds have few languages, with most languages a world have is 10. Most worlds only have one language.

That said, every world also has a dungeon. Each dungeon hides several portals that are hidden and protected by monsters. The closer is the portal, the more monster appears. The monster kills countless humans and takes advantage of human abilities to collect mana and create human-made objects (superior to what any monster have), but on the flip side, human also killed countless of the monsters, and monster drops are essential for human survivability. Portal usually do not teleport people to an area near a portal.

The story is set at the second time a human reaches the portal to another world.

(By the way, I decided to make this more shonen/JRPG-esque than LOTR-esque.)

[Frislander]

Not to be confused with the natlang Sakha

[Xwtek]

The main influence of this language is Native Amerindian languages and English. There is also inspiration from Chinese and SAE languages.

Phonology

I hate using table tags. Too much to be done. And phono can't do a phonologically sophiscated language like typical native American language. So:

Code: Select all

╔════════════╦═════════════╦════════╦═══════════════════════╦══════════════╦═════════╦═════════╗
║            ║             ║ Labial ║ Alveolar              ║ Postalveolar ║ Velar   ║ Glottal ║
╠════════════╬═════════════╣        ╠═══════════╦═══════════╣              ║         ║         ║
║            ║             ║        ║ Central   ║ Lateral   ║              ║         ║         ║
╠════════════╬═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║ Nasal      ║ Plain       ║ m      ║ n         ║           ║              ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Glottalized ║ mʼ<'m> ║ nʼ<'n>    ║           ║              ║         ║         ║
╠════════════╬═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║ Stop       ║ Voiced      ║ b      ║ d         ║           ║              ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Tenuis      ║        ║ t         ║           ║              ║ k       ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Aspirated   ║        ║ tʰ <th>   ║           ║              ║ kʰ <kh> ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Ejective    ║        ║           ║           ║              ║ kʼ<k'>  ║         ║
╠════════════╬═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║ Affricate  ║ Voiced      ║        ║ dz 	║ dɮ <dl>   ║ dʒ <dj>      ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Tenuis      ║        ║ tsʰ <tsh> ║ tɬʰ <tłh> ║ tʃʰ <txh>    ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Aspirated   ║        ║ ts        ║ tɬ <tł>   ║ tʃ <tx>      ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Ejective    ║        ║ tsʼ <ts'> ║ tɬʼ <tł'> ║ tʃʼ <tx'>    ║         ║         ║
╠════════════╬═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║ Continuant ║ Voiced      ║        ║ z         ║ ɬ <ł>     ║ ʒ~j          ║         ║         ║
║            ╠═════════════╬════════╬═══════════╬═══════════╬══════════════╬═════════╬═════════╣
║            ║ Voiceless   ║ f      ║ s         ║ l         ║ ʃ            ║         ║         ║
╚════════════╩═════════════╩════════╩═══════════╩═══════════╩══════════════╩═════════╩═════════╝

Only /m n t k b d ʔ ts tɬ tɕ f s ɬ ɕ h/ is allowed word finally. Also, only /m n t k b d ʔ ts tɕ f s ɕ h/ is allowed word initially before another consonant or word medially between two consonants.
The /d/ is pronounced as [r] intervocalically. Similarly for /b/ and [w].However, /r/ is marginally phonemic since there is /rb/ and /rd/ cluster. These clusters are exclusively word-medial.
Voiced affricate only occurs as assimilation between stop/affricate and voiced fricative, or in the same cluster as a voiced consonant.
Glottalized nasal is pronounced as /ʔ/ + nasal. When geminated, it's pronounced nasal + /ʔ/ + nasal. When forming cluster, it's pronounced C + /ʔ/ + nasal

The vowel inventory is /i ø ɛ ɑ o ɯ/. The vowel may be long or short. There is also diphthong: /æɪ ɑɯ ɪɛ ɯʌ/, written <ei au ie ua>

The language has 2 tones. Each tone is assigned to each mora. (Coda consonant doesn't count as mora, but long vowel and diphthong counts as 2). The tone carries fewer contrast than what Chinese tones have.

[KathTheDragon]

I think your voiced and voiceless lateral continuants are the wrong way around

Edit: for that matter, so are your voiced, voiceless, and aspirated affricates

[Xwtek]

I think your voiced and voiceless lateral continuants are the wrong way around

Edit: for that matter, so are your voiced, voiceless, and aspirated affricates

Nice catch.

[WeepingElf]

Sakha is also a name for the Yakut language.