Romanization Challenge Thread v2.0

[Nortaneous]

it's close enough to Rau that it can be written as it, right (wrong)

p~f pˤ~fˤ t tˤ ʦ ʧ k q ʔ <p pr t r ts c k q '>
b bˤ d dˤ ʣ ʤ ɡ <b̠ b̠r d̠ d̠r j̄ j ḡ>
m mˤ n nˤ ɲ <m mr n nr ñ>
r rˤ <z zr>
s sˤ ʃ x χ ħ h <s sr sh kh h hr h̠>
z zˤ ʒ ɣ ʕ <d dr s̠h r̠ r>
w l lˤ j <b l lr g>
i ɨ u ə a <i ou o u a>
i: u: a: <e au ai>

/á à â/ <á à ả>

/inə̀ʔχːɨrt nɨ̀ɣmɨjtːɨ̂mʃ || tːˤə̂rfɨt jáːʕdˤ nbàːrːif | jɨɣtˤɨ̂lħát || inə̀ʔχːɨrt wànɨɣɨ̀ʦːɨm dˤɨɣâzːˤàʧ || ntˤɨrâː rˤ wàmbˤaʕrúf || inɣɨrtə̂mt ntˤə̂rfɨt nɨxːâmːˤə̀ʔʃ qáːtratˤ/
Inù'hhouzt noùr̠mougttoủmsh. Ttrủzpout gaírd nb̠aìzzip, gour̠troûlhrát. Inù'hhouzt bànour̠oùttsoum d̠rour̠ảddràc. Ntrouraỉ zr bàmb̠rarzóp. Inr̠ourtủmt ntrủzpout noukhkhảmmrù'sh qaítzatr.

[Karch]

as Mhra, sort of (everything that could go wrong went wrong)

p~f pˤ~fˤ t tˤ ʦ ʧ k q ʔ <f fh t th ts c k kh '>
b bˤ d dˤ ʣ ʤ ɡ <b bh d dh dz j g>
m mˤ n nˤ ɲ <m mh n nh ny>
r rˤ <r rh>
s sˤ ʃ x χ ħ h <s sh p x xh hh h>
z zˤ ʒ ɣ ʕ <z zh v q qh>
w l lˤ j <w l lh y>

i ɨ u a <i e u a> (ə is counted as ɨː for the purpose of this romanization)
á à â á: à: â: a: <as ab ap ac ao ag ah>, ambiguities resolved with hyphens

/inə̀ʔχːɨrt nɨ̀ɣmɨjtːɨ̂mʃ || tːˤə̂rfɨt jáːʕdˤ nbàːrːif | jɨɣtˤɨ̂lħát || inə̀ʔχːɨrt wànɨɣɨ̀ʦːɨm dˤɨɣâzːˤàʧ || ntˤɨrâː rˤ wàmbˤaʕrúf || inɣɨrtə̂mt ntˤə̂rfɨt nɨxːâmːˤə̀ʔʃ qáːtratˤ/
Ineo'xxhert nebqmeyttepmp. Tthegrfet yapqdh nbaorrif, yeqtheplhhats. Ineo'xxhert wasneqesttsem dheqapzzhacb. Ntherag rh wabmbhaqhrufs. Inqertegmt nthegrfet nexxapmmheo'p khactrath.

[Karch]

speaking of which here's Mhra:

/p t ʈ c k q/
/(b d)/
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/
/r/
/θ s ʂ/
/w l j/

/i ɨ u e o æ a/

Stress can occur on any syllable of the word - it's mostly predictable, though - stressed syllables usually have a long vowel, an initial consonant cluster, or both.
In stressed syllables, there are four tones, some of which can occur together with vowel length, producing the following six combinations: short high, short low, long high, long low, long rising and long falling. Most words only have one stressed syllable, though recent compounds can have several, in which case the first one takes primary stress and the others secondary.
There are also many diphthongs, which pattern with the long vowels - they can only occur in stressed syllables and can take falling and rising tone.
All vowels (both unstressed and stressed) can also be glottalized.
/b d/ occur only in recent loanwords.

The Nargun dialect has undergone a few sound changes - the phonemic inventory, however, stayed the same with the exception of reduced vowels:
- prevocalic stops (or stops before an approximant) are voiced after nasals and [r]
- word-initial stops are aspirated in stressed syllables and fricated in unstressed syllables (p t ʈ c k q > [ɸ θ ʂ ɕ x ʜ])
- the inventory of unstressed vowels is now [ə ɪ], with [ə] corresponding to non-high vowels and [ɪ] corresponding to high vowels (except when ambiguous, as can be seen in the text) in Standard (Court) Mhra.
- /l r/ are devoiced before voiceless stops and fricatives and the sequences /ls rs/ are pronounced as [ɬ r̥]
- /q/ is pronounced as an epiglottal [ʡ~ʢ~ʜ] (corresponding to [k~ɡ~kʰ] by all except the oldest speakers, who pronounce it as an uvular fricative with varying voicing.
- stops are pronounced as half-voiced intervocalically (but the epiglottal can either be a fully voiced fricative or an unvoiced stop, depending on the speaker)
- /w/ and /j/ are fricativized in wC and jC clusters and devoiced before voiceless consonants

The following text (and additional sentences) will be provided both in Standard (Court) Mhra (phonemic) and in the Nargun dialect (phonetic).

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
[ˈɳbà ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈnéatːɪŋ ˈɸʂæ̀irdən ˈmèo ˈŋθáŋsɪt || ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈɳæ̀ir xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ ˈtměa sθəŋˈkʂéant]

/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wkeʈòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wʈòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
[ˈwáuk ˈpːàːŋdəŋ ɸkəˈɖ̥òːɲərk ˈwánn || ˈnàkən ˈndâːŋ ˈɸʈòːɲənt || ɸəˈŋúr ʜəŋləkˈmàont || ˈɬú ˈŋmàn ˈʈʰɨ̌ːmɪn ŋɡəˈtːùˀt xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ || ˈŋárʢənˌɖŋàt ˈŋmàn ˈŋdùˀt || ˈnbáməŋjəmp ˈʡmèaɖ̥əɲdən ʜəndˈjòat || məˈpjàː ŋbəsˈɳùːnɪŋ ŋəˈmjád̥ɪp ˈtʰjárɟənː]

[Rounin Ryuuji]

/p t ʈ c k q/ < p t tr ty c q >
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ < m n nr ny ng >
/r/ < r >
/θ s ʂ/ < th s sr >
/w l j/ < w l y >

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ < i eo u e o ae a >

Tones and lengths are marked as follows:

Short High: < i eu >
Short Low: < ì èu >
Long High: < í éu >
Long Low: < ī ēu >
Long Falling: < î êu >
Long Rising: < ǐ ěu >

Geminates are written with doubled consonants, vowel digraphs are

Nargun /p t ʈ c k q/ > [b d ɖ ɟ g ɢ] in Nargun are spelled < b d dr dy g q >

Nargun [ɸ θ ʂ ɕ x ʜ] are spelled < f th sr sy h qh > .

Nargun reduced vowels are spelled < ĭ ŏ > .

Nargun [ɬ r̥] remain with historical spelling < ls rs > .

Nargun /w j/ to ?[v~f ʑ~ɕ] are spelled < v j >.

Pharyngealisation is marked with < h > following the vowel, aspiration by an apostrophe following the consonant.

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
Nrpà ccūng nganéatting wsràeirtan mèo ngthángset. Ccūng nganraeir cetāng ccung tměa sthangcsréant

[ˈɳbà ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈnéatːɪŋ ˈɸʂæ̀irdən ˈmèo ˈŋθáŋsɪt || ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈɳæ̀ir xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ ˈtměa sθəŋˈkʂéant]
Nrbà ccūng ngŏnéattĭng fsràeidŏn mèo ngthángsĭt. Ccūng ngŏnràeir hŏtāng ccung tměa sthŏngcsréant

/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wketòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wtòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
Wáuc ppāngtang wketōnyarc wann. Nàcan ntâng wtōnyant. Pangur ganglacmàont. Lsu ngmàn trěumun ngcettùht cetāng ccùng. Ngárkantrngàt ngman ngtùht. Npamang'yomp kmèatronytan kant'yòat. Mapyā ngpasnrūnung ngamyatup t'yartyenn.

[ˈwáuk ˈpːàːŋdəŋ ɸkəˈd̥òːɲərk ˈwánn || ˈnàkən ˈndâːŋ ˈɸtòːɲənt || ɸəˈŋúr ʜəŋləkˈmàont || ˈɬú ˈŋmàn ˈʈʰɨ̌ːmɪn ŋɡəˈtːùˀt xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ || ˈŋárʢənˌɖŋàt ˈŋmàn ˈŋdùˀt || ˈnbáməŋjəmp ˈʡmèaɖ̥əɲdən ʜəndˈjòat || məˈpjàː ŋbəsˈɳùːnɪŋ ŋəˈmjád̥ɪp ˈtʰjárcənː]
Wáuc ppāngdŏng fkŏtōnyŏrc wann. Nàcŏn ndâng ftōnyŏnt. Fŏngur qhŏnglŏcmàont. Lsu ngmàn trěumĭn ngcŏttùht hŏtāng ccùng. Ngárqhŏdrngàt ngman ngdùht. Nbamŏng'yŏmp qhmèadrŏnytŏn qhŏnt'yòat. Mŏpyā ngbŏsnrūnĭng ngŏmyadĭp t'yartyŏnn.

Well, this looks horrendous, but I suppose the challenge was to Romanise it, not to produce a pleasing orthography.

[Karch]

there's no way to make this not look horrendous without resorting to using Americanist, so I just said "fuck it" and adapted the Pan-Swampish alphabet:

/p t ʈ c k q/ <p t d c k kh>
/(b d)/ <b tb>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n z j ñ>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <f s q>
/w l j/ <w l y>

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i v u e o x a>
/á à á: à: â: ǎ:/ <ah af ag ab as aq>
[ə ɪ] <v i>

[ˈɳbà ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈnéatːɪŋ ˈɸʂæ̀irdən ˈmèo ˈŋθáŋsɪt || ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈɳæ̀ir xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ ˈtměa sθəŋˈkʂéant]
Zpaf kkuñb ñvneahttiñ wqxirftvn meof ñfañhsit. Kkuñb ñvzxirf kvtañb kkuñf tmeaq sfañkqeanth.

[ˈwáuk ˈpːàːŋdəŋ ɸkəˈd̥òːɲərk ˈwánn || ˈnàkən ˈndâːŋ ˈɸtòːɲənt || ɸəˈŋúr ʜəŋləkˈmàont || ˈɬú ˈŋmàn ˈʈʰɨ̌ːmɪn ŋɡəˈtːùˀt xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ || ˈŋárʢənˌɖŋàt ˈŋmàn ˈŋdùˀt || ˈnbáməŋjəmp ˈʡmèaɖ̥əɲdən ʜəndˈjòat || məˈpjàː ŋbəsˈɳùːnɪŋ ŋəˈmjád̥ɪp ˈtʰjárcənː]
Waukh ppañbtvñ wkvdobjvrk wannh! Nafkvn ntañs wtobjvnt. Pvñur khvñlvkmaontf. Lsuh ñmanf dvqmin nkvttutf' kvtañb kkuñf. Ñarhkhvn-dñatf ñmanf ñtutf'. Npahmvñyvmp khmeafdvjtvn khvntyoatb. Mvpyab ñpvszubniñ ñvmyahtip tyahrcvnn.

[bradrn]

there's no way to make this not look horrendous without resorting to using Americanist,

Oh yeah?

/p t ʈ c k q/ ⟨p t dh c k q⟩
/(b d)/ ⟨b d⟩
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ ⟨m n nh ñ ng⟩
/r/ ⟨r⟩
/θ s ʂ/ ⟨th s sh⟩
/w l j/ ⟨w l j⟩

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ ⟨i y u e o ạ a⟩
/á à á: à: â: ǎ:/ ⟨á à áá àà áa àa⟩
/aˀ/ ⟨ah⟩

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
Nhpà kkùùng nganéatting wshạ̀ìrtan mèo ngthángset. Kkùùng nganhạ̀ìr ketààng kkùng tmèa sthangkshéant.


/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wketòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wtòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
Wáuk ppààngtang wketòòñark wánn. Nàkan ntáang wtòoñant. Pangúr qanglakmàont. Lsú ngmàn dhỳymun ngkettùht ketààng kkùng. Ngárqandhngàt ngmàn ngtùht. Npámangjomp qmèadhoñtan qantjòat. Mapjàà ngpasñùùnung ngamjátup tjárcenn.

EDIT: Accidentally used Nargun rather than phonemic transcription

[Darren]

/p t ʈ c k q/ <p t rt ty g k>
/(b d)/ <b d>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n rn ny ng>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <sh s rs>
/w l j/ <w l y>

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i ə u e o æ a>

/rt tj nj nk sVˀ rs/ they are written with an interpunct <r·t t·y n·y n·g s·h r·s> so they aren't confused with <rt ty ny ng sh rs> /ʈ c ɲ ŋ θ ʂ/.
glottalisation shown with <h> before the vowel (as mentioned above, /θa saˀ/ are <sha s·ha>)
/í ì íː ìː ǐː îː/ <i~ij iq ic iv ix if>; <ij> only used in polysyllabic words; tone letters follow both elements of diphthongs but precede any coda consonant(s).


/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wketòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wtòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/

Rnpaq gguvng nganeajtting wrsæiqr·tan meoq ngshajngset. Gguvng ngarnæiqr getavng gguqng tmeax sshanggrseajnt. Waug ppavngtang wgetovnyarg wann. Naqgan ntafng wtovnyant. Pangujr kanglagmaoqnt. Lsu ngmaqn rtəxmun nggetthuqt getavng gguqng. Ngajrkanrtngaqt ngmaqn ngthuqt. Npajmangyomp kmeaqrtonytan kant·yoaqt. Mapyav ngpasrnuvnung ngamyajtup t·yajrtyenn.

[Karch]

here's a proper Nargun orthography:

/p t ʈ c k q/ <bh~b dh~d rdh~rd djh~dj gh~g ʼh~ʻ>
/pp tt ʈʈ cc kk (qq)/ <p t rt tj k ʼ>
/(b d)/ <b d>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n rn ny ng>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <th s sh>
/w l j/ <w l y>
[ɬ r̥] <lh rh>
/rt/ <rʼt> etc.


/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i œ u e o æ a>
/á à á: à: â: ǎ:/ <ă ȁ ā à â á>
[ə ɪ] <a e>
Vˀ <Vʼ>

The single stops are written as <bh dh rdh djh gh ʼh> word-initially before a vowel and intervocalically (except for /q/, which is written <ʻ> in that position). In consonant clusters they're written as <p t rt tj k ʼ>, when pronounced unvoiced (as well as word-finally), and <b d rd dj g ʻ> when voiced.

[ˈɳbà ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈnéatːɪŋ ˈɸʂæ̀irdən ˈmèo ˈŋθáŋsɪt || ˈkːùːŋ ŋəˈɳæ̀ir xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ ˈtměa sθəŋˈkʂéant]
Rnbȁ kùng nganēateng wshæ̀irʼdan mèo ngthăngset. Kùng ngarnæ̀ir ghadhàng kùng tméa sthangkshēant.
[ˈwáuk ˈpːàːŋdəŋ ɸkəˈd̥òːɲərk ˈwánn || ˈnàkən ˈndâːŋ ˈɸtòːɲənt || ɸəˈŋúr ʜəŋləkˈmàont || ˈɬú ˈŋmàn ˈʈʰɨ̌ːmɪn ŋɡəˈtːùˀt xəˈd̥àːŋ ˈkːùŋ || ˈŋárʢənˌɖŋàt ˈŋmàn ˈŋdùˀt || ˈnbáməŋjəmp ˈʡmèaɖ̥əɲdən ʜəndˈjòat || məˈpjàː ŋbəsˈɳùːnɪŋ ŋəˈmjád̥ɪp ˈtʰjárɟənː]
Wāuk pàngdang wkadhònyark wănn. Nȁkan ndâng wtònyant. Bhangŭr ʼhanglakmàont. Lhŭ ngmȁn rdhœ́min nggatŭʼt ghadhàng kùng. Ngărʻan-rtngȁt ngmȁn ngdȕt. Nbămangyamp ʼmèardhayndan ʼhandyòat. Mapyà ngbasrnùneng ngamyădhep dhyărdjann.

[Nortaneous]

/p t ʈ c k q/ <b d ḍ j g q>
/pp tt ʈʈ cc kk qq/ <p t ṭ c k x>
/(b d)/ <bh dh>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n ṇ ny ng>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <th s ṣ>
/w l j/ <v l y>

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i ue u e o ae a>

short high, short low, long high, long low, long rising and long falling
<á à áá àà aá áa>
All vowels (both unstressed and stressed) can also be glottalized.
<a>

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
Ṇbà kùùng nanéáting vṣàèirdan mèò ngthángsed. Kùùng ngaṇàèir gedààng kùng dmeá sthangkṣéánt.

/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wketòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wtòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
Váúg pààngdang vgedòònyarg vánn. Nàgan ndáang vdòònyand. Bangúr qanglagmàònt. Lsú ngmàn ḍuúémun nggetụ̀d gedààng kùng. Ngárqanḍngàt ngmàn ngdụ̀d. Nbámangyomb qmèàḍonydan qandyòàd. Mabyàà ngbasṇùùnung ngamyádub dyárjenn.

[Karch]

/p t ʈ c k q/ <p t rh ch k q>
/(b d)/ <b d>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n nh ny ng>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <th s sh>
/w l j/ <w l y>

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i ü u e o ä a>
/á à á: à: â: ǎ:/ <á à áa àa áà àá>
/aˀ/ <aʼ>

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
Nhpà kkùung nganéatting wshä̀irtan mèo ngthángset. Kkùng nganhä̀ir ketàang kkùng tmèá sthangkshéant.

/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wkeʈòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wʈòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
Wáuk ppàangtang wkerhòonyark wánn. Nàkan ntáàng wrhòonyant. Pangúr qanglakmàont. Lsú ngmàn rhǜǘmun ngkettùʼt ketàang kkùng. Ngárqanrhngàt ngmàn ngtùʼt. Npámangyomp qmèarhonytan qantyòat. Mapyaa ngpasnhùunung ngamyátup tyárchenn.

[Nortaneous]

/p t ʈ c k q/ <p t th tj k q>
/(b d)/ <p' t'>
/m n ɳ ɲ ŋ/ <m n nh nj ñ>
/r/ <r>
/θ s ʂ/ <z s sh>
/w l j/ <w l y>

/i ɨ u e o æ a/ <i v u e o x a>
/á à á: à: â: ǎ:/ <af ac ah ag ab ad>
/aˀ/ <aa>

/ɳpà kkùːŋ ŋanéattiŋ wʂæ̀irtan mèo ŋθáŋset || kkùːŋ ŋaɳæ̀ir ketàːŋ kkùŋ tměa sθaŋkʂéant/
Nhpac kkuñg ñaneafttiñ wshxirctan meoc ñzañfset. Kkuñg ñanhxirc ketañg kkuñc tmead szañksheantf.

/wáuk ppàːŋtaŋ wkeʈòːɲark wánn || nàkan ntâːŋ wʈòːɲant || paŋúr qaŋlakmàont || lsú ŋmàn ʈɨ̌ːmun ŋkettùˀt ketàːŋ kkùŋ || ŋárqanʈŋàt ŋmàn ŋtùˀt || npámaŋjomp qmèaʈoɲtan qantjòat || mapjàː ŋpasɳùːnuŋ ŋamjátup tjárcenn/
Waukf ppañgtañ wkethognjark wannf. Nackan ntañb wthognjant. Pañurf qañlakmaontc. Lsuf ñmanc thvdmun ñkettuutc ketañg kkuñc. Ñarfqanthñatc ñmanc ñtuutc. Npafmañyomp qmeacthonjtan qantyoatc. Mapyag ñpasnhugnuñ ñamyaftup tyarftjenn.

Waukf ppañgtañ wkeťogńark wannf. Najkan ntañb wťogňant. Pañurf qañlakmaontj. Lsuf ñmanj thvdmun ñkettuutj ketañg kkuñj. Ñarfqanťñatj ñmanj ñtuutj. Npafmañyomp qmeajťońtan qantyoatj. Mapyag ñpasňugnuñ ñamyaftup tyarfćenn.

[Darren]

Something complicated with tone and nasal harmony, inspired by Gokona (a little bit). Feel free to be as phonemic or phonetic as you like. The underlying phonemes can be analysed as

/p t s k/
/b d ɟ ɡ/
/v ð j/

/i e o a/

While suprasegmental [+nasal] can be added to morphemes or words, which causes

/b d ɟ ɡ/ → [m n ɲ ŋ]
/v ð j/ → [ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j̃]
/i e o a/ → [ĩ ɛ̃ õ ɑ̃]

Note that the segment /a/ always carries with it [+nasal], i.e. oral [a] never occurs. Any morpheme, including affixes but not clitics, can carry [+nasal] and spread this to a word. Oral /i e o/ tend to be [i e~ɛ o~ʊ] in free variation.

There is also a tone system, which requires a bit of syllable structure to explain. The maximum syllable is CVX, where C is any consonant, V is any vowel and X is one of three archiphonemic moraic coda consonants notated V R Y. When any X precedes one of /v ð j/, the result is a devoiced geminate – in [–nasal] words [fː ɬː~t͡ɬː çː], in [+nasal] words [ɱ̊f n̥t͡ɬ ɲ̊ç~ɲ̊c͡ç]. When word-final and [+nasal], V R Y become [ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j̃] or in fast speech [ũ̯ᶹ ə̯̃ ĩ̯̝]. Otherwise they have no surface realisation.
One of two tones, H (/i⁴/) and M (/i²~i³/), is then ascribed to every mora. A mora is any vowel or coda X, although the tone surfaces only on the vowel. This means that in bimoraic syllables, there are tone sequences which assimilate like this:

Code: Select all

H + H  >  H+  [i⁵]
H + M  >  ML  [i³¹]
M + H  >  MH  [i³⁵]
M + M  >  L   [i¹]

So in total there are six surface tones; four level and two contour (there appear to be minimal pairs between these, e.g. [bo˦] vs. [bo˥], but they're best analysed as /bo^H/ and /bo^HX^H/). There are also some rules on how tones can be ordered in morae, but that wouldn't affect romanisation. Here's a meaningless sample – note that X represents one of V R Y when it can't be determined which one it is, and /ᴺ/ represents word-level nasalisation. Underlying H and M tone are shown with acute and macron, while surface tones are shown with those funny stick things.

/ɡósīðē béᴺ éX̄tājóðīR̄ᴺ | béᴺ ɡósīðē-dáᴺ píX́tāX̄ðíᴺ || vēvēɟóV̄-kō bóᴺ āᴺ ɟōȲ | bóᴺ ðépésō || ɡósīðē béᴺ ɟōX̄jóX́ ɡáɡōðōᴺ píR̄píŔ āᴺ téðōvōdóV̄ᴺ-dāᴺ sēR̄ðí/

[ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɛ̃˧˩.tɑ̃˨.j̃o˦.ð̞̃ĩə̯̃˩ | mɛ̃˦ ŋõ˦.sĩ˨.ð̞̃ɛ̃˨.nɑ̃˦ pĩ˥.tɑ̃˩.n̥t͡ɬĩ˦ || ve˨.ve˨.ɟo˧˩.ko˨ mõ˦ ɑ̃˨ ɟo˩ | mõ˦ ðe˦.pe˦.so˨ || ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɟo˩.çːo˥ ŋɑ̃˦.ŋõ˨.ð̞̃õ˨ pi˧˩.pi˥ ɑ̃˨ tɛ̃˦.ð̞̃õ˦.ʋ̃õ˦.nõ˧˩.nɑ̃˦ se˩.ɬːi˦]

More: show

Phonetic inventory
[p b t d ɟ k ɡ]
[m n ɲ ŋ]
[ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j j̃]
[fː v ð s ɬː çː]
[ɱ̊f n̥t͡ɬ ɲ̊ç]

[​i e o a]
[​ĩ õ ɛ̃ ɑ̃]
[​i˥ i˦ i˨ i˩ i˧˥ i˧˩]
all [​i e o a] + [ũ̯ᶹ ə̯̃ ĩ̯̝] (only with tones [​i˥ i˩ i˧˥ i˧˩])

[bradrn]

Interesting challenge… I’m still thinking about how best to romanise it. Some questions/comments:

Oral /i e o a/ tend to be [i e~ɛ a~ɑ o~ʊ] in free variation.

But I thought you said /a/ is always nasal? Also, did you accidentally swap the phonetic transcriptions of /o/ and /a/ here?

Underlying H and M tone are shown with acute and macron, while surface tones are shown with those funny stick things.

‘Chao tone letters’, they’re called.

[Darren]

Interesting challenge… I’m still thinking about how best to romanise it. Some questions/comments:

Oral /i e o a/ tend to be [i e~ɛ a~ɑ o~ʊ] in free variation.

But I thought you said /a/ is always nasal? Also, did you accidentally swap the phonetic transcriptions of /o/ and /a/ here?

Right on both counts, I'll go fix that.

Underlying H and M tone are shown with acute and macron, while surface tones are shown with those funny stick things.

‘Chao tone letters’, they’re called.

Good to know!

[bradrn]

Consonants

/p t s k/ ⟨p t s k⟩
[b d ɟ ɡ] ⟨b d j g⟩
[m n ɲ ŋ] ⟨m n ñ ng⟩
/v ð j/ ⟨v r y⟩

[fː ɬː~t͡ɬː çː] ⟨hv hr hy⟩
[ɱ̊f n̥t͡ɬ ɲ̊ç~ɲ̊c͡ç] ⟨mf nr ny⟩
[ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j̃] ⟨v r y⟩

Vowels

Vowels are /i e o a/ ⟨i e o a⟩. Nasality is not marked explicitly; it can be deduced from how the rest of the word is written. If it cannot be deduced, ⟨-n⟩ is added to the end of the word.

Tones are somewhat complex. The basic monomoraic tones are /i⁴ i²~i³/ ⟨í i⟩. For bimoraic tones:

• If the following mora is not realised phonetically, tones are written /i⁵ i³¹ i³⁵ i¹/ ⟨íh î ih ì⟩
• If the following mora is realised phonetically, tones are written /i⁵ i³¹ i³⁵ i¹/ ⟨í î i ì⟩, with the following letter being one of ⟨h m n v r y⟩ depending on the next consonant

The net effect is that tones are written /i⁴ i²~i³ i⁵ i³¹ i³⁵ i¹/ ⟨í i í î i ì⟩, where any ambiguity is resolved by the next letter or two.

Sample text

/ɡósīðē béᴺ éX̄tājóðīR̄ᴺ | béᴺ ɡósīðē-dáᴺ píX́tāX̄ðíᴺ || vēvēɟóV̄-kō bóᴺ āᴺ ɟōȲ | bóᴺ ðépésō || ɡósīðē béᴺ ɟōX̄jóX́ ɡáɡōðōᴺ píR̄píŔ āᴺ téðōvōdóV̄ᴺ-dāᴺ sēR̄ðí/

[ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɛ̃˧˩.tɑ̃˨.j̃o˦.ð̞̃ĩə̯̃˩ | mɛ̃˦ ŋõ˦.sĩ˨.ð̞̃ɛ̃˨.nɑ̃˦ pĩ˥.tɑ̃˩.n̥t͡ɬĩ˦ || ve˨.ve˨.ɟo˧˩.ko˨ mõ˦ ɑ̃˨ ɟo˩ | mõ˦ ðe˦.pe˦.so˨ || ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɟo˩.çːo˥ ŋɑ̃˦.ŋõ˨.ð̞̃õ˨ pi˧˩.pi˥ ɑ̃˨ tɛ̃˦.ð̞̃õ˦.ʋ̃õ˦.nõ˧˩.nɑ̃˦ se˩.ɬːi˦]

Gósire mé êtayórìr, mé ngósirená píhtànrí. Vevejôko mó a jò, mó répéso. Gósire mé jòhyóh ngángozo pîpíh a téróvónôná sèhri.

[Dē Graut Bʉr]

/p t s k/ <p t s k>
/b d ɟ ɡ/ <b d j g> when oral, <m n ny ng> when nasal
/v ð j/ <v l y>

/i e o a/ <i e o a>

[fː ɬː~t͡ɬː çː] <ff ll hy>
[ɱ̊f n̥t͡ɬ ɲ̊ç~ɲ̊c͡ç] <mf ntl nhy>
[ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j̃] <v l y>

The three high surface tones (i.e. ˦, ˥, ˧˥) are marked with an acute accent, the others are unmarked.


/ɡósīðē béᴺ éX̄tājóðīR̄ᴺ | béᴺ ɡósīðē-dáᴺ píX́tāX̄ðíᴺ || vēvēɟóV̄-kō bóᴺ āᴺ ɟōȲ | bóᴺ ðépésō || ɡósīðē béᴺ ɟōX̄jóX́ ɡáɡōðōᴺ píR̄píŔ āᴺ téðōvōdóV̄ᴺ-dāᴺ sēR̄ðí/

[ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɛ̃˧˩.tɑ̃˨.j̃o˦.ð̞̃ĩə̯̃˩ | mɛ̃˦ ŋõ˦.sĩ˨.ð̞̃ɛ̃˨.nɑ̃˦ pĩ˥.tɑ̃˩.n̥t͡ɬĩ˦ || ve˨.ve˨.ɟo˧˩.ko˨ mõ˦ ɑ̃˨ ɟo˩ | mõ˦ ðe˦.pe˦.so˨ || ɡo˦.si˨.ðe˨ mɛ̃˦ ɟo˩.çːo˥ ŋɑ̃˦.ŋõ˨.ð̞̃õ˨ pi˧˩.pi˥ ɑ̃˨ tɛ̃˦.ð̞̃õ˦.ʋ̃õ˦.nõ˧˩.nɑ̃˦ se˩.ɬːi˦]

Gósile me etayólil, mé ngósilená pítantlí. Vevejoko mó a jo, mó lépéso. Gosile mé johyó ngángolo pipí a télovonona sellí.

[Killerwhale]

A little challenge for you guys - can you figure out the allophony and one major thing about phonology of my 'lang from just the stuff below?

[d͡ʒyzɾáyʃ] /d͡zɯ sɯdáʲʷ-ɯs/

/p t ts~tʃʲ k/
/b dz~dʒʲ d~ɾ g/
/m n~l~ɲʲ~ʎʲ ŋ/
/β~v s~ʃʲ x ɣ~ɫ~wʷ~jʲ/
/j/

/ɯ~uʷ~iʲ~yʲʷ ʌ~oʷ~eʲ~œʲʷ a/

I'll say that one of the distinctive allophonies not clear from the above is the fricative and affricate dissimilation- after a postalveolarly realised affricate or fricative, the next affricate fricative (wherever it is in the word!) is realised as alveolar regardless of the vowels and everything else.

[Nortaneous]

/p t s k/ <p t s k>
/b d ɟ ɡ/ <b đ j g>
/v ð j/ <v d y>

/i e o a/ <i e o a>

Nasalization is written as one of:
- <m n ñ ŋ>
- <a>
- ogonek on the first vowel

[fː ɬː~t͡ɬː çː] <ff dd cc> (similarly for nasal equivalents)
[ʋ̃ ð̞̃ j̃] <b d y>

/M H/ <e é>

/ɡósīðē béᴺ éX̄tājóðīR̄ᴺ | béᴺ ɡósīðē-dáᴺ píX́tāX̄ðíᴺ || vēvēɟóV̄-kō bóᴺ āᴺ ɟōȲ | bóᴺ ðépésō || ɡósīðē béᴺ ɟōX̄jóX́ ɡáɡōðōᴺ píR̄píŔ āᴺ téðōvōdóV̄ᴺ-dāᴺ sēR̄ðí/
Góside mé éetayódid, mé ŋóside-dá píítaaddí. Vevejóo-ko mó a joo, mó dépéso. Góside mé jooccóó ŋáŋodo píipíí a tédovonóo-na seeddí.

[Nortaneous]

cursed relay lang /tsʼɪɛχzɯə/

/p pʼ b t tʼ d ts tsʼ dz tɬ tɬʼ (d)ɮ k kʼ g qʼ ʔ/
/ɸ β s z ɬ l x ɣ χ ʁ/
/m n ŋ/

/ɪ̆ ʏ̆ ə̆ ɛ̆ œ̆/
/i y ɯə~ɯ u/
/ɪɛ ʏœ uɔ/
/e ø o/
/ɛɪ œʏ ɔu/
/eɛ øɶ ʌ ɔ/
/æ a/
/wʌ wæ wa/
/ɪu oɪ/

Syllable structure: CV(p k χ ʔ m n ŋ)
Tones: complicated, but underlying marked low tone which co-occurs with voicing of final /p k χ/

/bitɛɪdə̆ʔ ʁɪ̆tɬʼøtɬʼø̀də̆ tɬeɛ tsʼʏœp ɸæ̀βœ̀ tøɶ̀ læ tsʼeɛ kø̀ɶtsʌʔ | leɛ dɮøɶχ qʼø̀ βì ìʁxœ̆tɬuɔ leɛ βeɛ βə̆watχɔ̀ubœ̆̀ βɔumgœ̆nbʏ̆n bɪ̆̀mɪ̆ɬə̆χdœ̆n kɪuk tsʼʌ/

[bradrn]

There seem to be a bunch of phonemes in that text which aren’t in the inventory: at least /ə œ v w/, and possibly some others too which I’ve missed.