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Taung Wai ' | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | |||
Agglutinative | |||
Alignment | |||
Nominative-Accusative | |||
Head direction | |||
Final | |||
Tonal | |||
Yes | |||
Declensions | |||
Yes | |||
Conjugations | |||
Yes | |||
Genders | |||
No | |||
Nouns decline according to... | |||
Case | Number | ||
Definiteness | Gender | ||
Verbs conjugate according to... | |||
Voice | Mood | ||
Person | Number | ||
Tense | Aspect |
General information
Phonology
Consonants
Bilabial | Labio-dental | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | ŋ | |||||
Plosive | p b | t d | k g | ʔ | |||
Fricative | f | s | ʃ ʒ | h | |||
Affricate | tʃ dʒ | ||||||
Approximant | j | w | |||||
Flap or tap | ɾ | ||||||
Lateral app. | l |
Vowels
Front | Near-front | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | ||
Open-mid | ɛ | ʌ |
Dipthongs
Dipthongs are placed in the same vowel category as monopthongs.
aɪ |
aʊ |
eɪ |
ɔɪ |
Romanization
IPA | Romanization |
---|---|
m | m |
ŋ | ng |
p | p |
b | b |
t | t |
d | d |
k | k |
g | g |
ʔ | - |
f | f |
s | s |
ʃ | sh |
ʒ | zh |
h | h |
tʃ | ch |
dʒ | dj |
j | y |
w | w |
ɾ | r |
l | l |
i | ee |
ɛ | er |
ʌ | uh |
aɪ | ai |
aʊ | au |
eɪ | ei |
ɔɪ | oi |
The tones are marked by a number at the end of every syllable.
Phonotactics
Taung Wai syllable structure is CV(n), with n being l, m, ʔ, or ŋ. If there is no consonant, it is replaced with a glottal stop. Words are typically one syllable long, with the exception of compound words. A glottal stop can be inserted in between an initial consonant and a vowel, which signifies a reversal of meaning or otherwise altering the original concept.
Tones
There are six tones in Taung Wai, with three distinct contour categories, which are: flat, falling, and dipping. The first tone is the highest flat tone, while the second tone is the near highest flat tone. Keep in mind the second tone is only slightly below the first, not in the middle range. The third tone is the lowest flat tone, at the lowest range, about the same pitch as the lowest dipping tone. The fourth tone is the highest dipping tone, with the pitch being at the middle range, and the fith tone is the lowest dipping tone. The sixth and final tone is a falling tone that starts at the high range and is similar to the falling tone in Mandarin.
Tone Contours | |
---|---|
Tone 1 | highest flat |
Tone 2 | high flat |
Tone 3 | lowest flat |
Tone 4 | higher dipping |
Tone 5 | lower dipping |
Tone 6 | falling |
Grammar
Gender | Cases | Numbers | Tenses | Persons | Moods | Voices | Aspects | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Verb | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Nouns | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Adjectives | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Numbers | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Participles | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Adverb | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Pronouns | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Adpositions | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Article | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Particle | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
The canonical word order in Taung Wai is Subject Object Verb.
Particles
Particles serve a variety of functions, detailed below.
Tense Particles
Romanization | Meaning | Position |
---|---|---|
guhng4 | presently | beginning of phrase |
djoi5 | in the near past | beginning of phrase |
haum1 | in the near future | beginning of phrase |
hau6 | far in the past | beginning of phrase |
wai2 | far in the future | beginning of phrase |
gai1 | about to happen | beginning of phrase |
Voice Particles
Romanization | Meaning | Position |
---|---|---|
-ei3 | passive | before verb |
meeng1 | active | before verb |
Mood Particles
Romanization | Meaning | Position |
---|---|---|
-aul5 | hypothetical | end of phrase |
kei2 | weak indicative | end of phrase |
muh1 | strong indicative | end of phrase |
-aum3 | unfulfilled necessity | end of phrase |
-aim2 | unfulfilled action | end of phrase |
lee6 | very likely | end of phrase |
suh4 | interrogative | end of phrase |
yeem2 | imperative | end of phrase |
Syntax Particles
Romanization | Meaning | Position |
---|---|---|
ngau3 | links two nouns in descriptive or possesive relationships, with the first noun being the descriptor or possessor | in between two nouns |
tuhng3 | links two nouns in a continuous list, or indicates accompaniment | in between two nouns |
zhoil4 | marks a quotation | before a quotation |
The Glottal Stop
A glottal stop can be inserted inbetween the initial consonant and the vowel to change the meaning of the word to its negative form. It is synonymous with the English "not". It is considered a particle in Taung Wai. It cannot be applied to particles.
Conjunctions
Conjunctions serve to link two clauses together, and are often disyllabic words.
Romanization | Meaning |
---|---|
soi3 ngaim2 | and |
dei2 moi3 | but |
soi3 yee5 | cause and effect |
Nouns
The nouns in Taung Wai have two forms, the nominative and accusative, which allows for flexible word order. The inflection of the noun is usually to such a degree that the two forms do not resemble each other at all. Nouns can be used to describe other nouns using the particle ngau3.
Pronouns
The pronouns do not have a nominative or accusative form, but the case can be inferred by context. There are three persons possible, three genders, and various numbers. The persons and genders are inflected while the number is indicated by a pronoun-exclusive prefix.
Number Prefixes
Romanization | Meaning |
---|---|
yau2 | dual |
shee1 | triple |
ker4 | many |
k-er4 | few |
hau2 | twenty |
Common Pronouns
Romanization | Meaning | Gender | Person |
---|---|---|---|
ngoi3 | referring to oneself | n/a | first |
ngei5 | referring to the addressee | n/a | second |
lee1 | referring to a general entity | n/a | third |
hei3 | referring to a male entity | male | third |
kei3 | referring to a female entity | female | third |
lei3 | referring to a nonhuman entity | nonhuman | third |
Determiners
Demonstratives
The demonstrative always precedes a noun or noun phrase.
Common Demonstratives
Romanization | Meaning |
---|---|
goi2 | this (near me) |
djuhng3 | that (near addressee) |
gau4 | there (away from both) |
gau6 | there (far away from both) |
djer5 | there (out of sight) |
Cardinal Numbers
The number system in Taung Wai is based on a single set of numbers, capable of standing alone or being attached before a noun to modify it.
Romanization | Meaning |
---|---|
yai1 | one |
yee2 | two |
shaum2 | three |
sei4 | four |
nguh5 | five |
lau6 | six |
djuhm3 | seven |
bau2 | eight |
kau4 | nine |
shuh1 | ten |
teing2 | twenty |
her4 | hundred |
maung3 | thousand |
zhai6 | ten thousand |
chee1 | hundred thousand |
cherng5 | million |
Adjectives
Adjectives are a specialized class of words that are always placed behind the modified word. There are three morphological classes of adjectives that are present in Taung Wai.
Verbs
Prepositions
Vocabulary
No. | English | |
---|---|---|
1 | I | — |
2 | you (singular) | — |
3 | he | — |
4 | we | — |
5 | you (plural) | — |
6 | they | — |
7 | this | — |
8 | that | — |
9 | here | — |
10 | there | — |
11 | who | — |
12 | what | — |
13 | where | — |
14 | when | — |
15 | how | — |
16 | not | — |
17 | all | — |
18 | many | — |
19 | some | — |
20 | few | — |
21 | other | — |
22 | one | — |
23 | two | — |
24 | three | — |
25 | four | — |
26 | five | — |
27 | big | — |
28 | long | — |
29 | wide | — |
30 | thick | — |
31 | heavy | — |
32 | small | — |
33 | short | — |
34 | narrow | — |
35 | thin | — |
36 | woman | — |
37 | man (adult male) | — |
38 | man (human being) | — |
39 | child | — |
40 | wife | — |
41 | husband | — |
42 | mother | — |
43 | father | — |
44 | animal | — |
45 | fish | — |
46 | bird | — |
47 | dog | — |
48 | louse | — |
49 | snake | — |
50 | worm | — |
51 | tree | — |
52 | forest | — |
53 | stick | — |
54 | fruit | — |
55 | seed | — |
56 | leaf | — |
57 | root | — |
58 | bark | — |
59 | flower | — |
60 | grass | — |
61 | rope | — |
62 | skin | — |
63 | meat | — |
64 | blood | — |
65 | bone | — |
66 | fat | — |
67 | egg | — |
68 | horn | — |
69 | tail | — |
70 | feather | — |
71 | hair | — |
72 | head | — |
73 | ear | — |
74 | eye | — |
75 | nose | — |
76 | mouth | — |
77 | tooth | — |
78 | tongue | — |
79 | fingernail | — |
80 | foot | — |
81 | leg | — |
82 | knee | — |
83 | hand | — |
84 | wing | — |
85 | belly | — |
86 | guts | — |
87 | neck | — |
88 | back | — |
89 | breast | — |
90 | heart | — |
91 | liver | — |
92 | drink | — |
93 | eat | — |
94 | bite | — |
95 | suck | — |
96 | spit | — |
97 | vomit | — |
98 | blow | — |
99 | breathe | — |
100 | laugh | — |
101 | see | — |
102 | hear | — |
103 | know | — |
104 | think | — |
105 | smell | — |
106 | fear | — |
107 | sleep | — |
108 | live | — |
109 | die | — |
110 | kill | — |
111 | fight | — |
112 | hunt | — |
113 | hit | — |
114 | cut | — |
115 | split | — |
116 | stab | — |
117 | scratch | — |
118 | dig | — |
119 | swim | — |
120 | fly | — |
121 | walk | — |
122 | come | — |
123 | lie | — |
124 | sit | — |
125 | stand | — |
126 | turn | — |
127 | fall | — |
128 | give | — |
129 | hold | — |
130 | squeeze | — |
131 | rub | — |
132 | wash | — |
133 | wipe | — |
134 | pull | — |
135 | push | — |
136 | throw | — |
137 | tie | — |
138 | sew | — |
139 | count | — |
140 | say | — |
141 | sing | — |
142 | play | — |
143 | float | — |
144 | flow | — |
145 | freeze | — |
146 | swell | — |
147 | sun | — |
148 | moon | — |
149 | star | — |
150 | water | — |
151 | rain | — |
152 | river | — |
153 | lake | — |
154 | sea | — |
155 | salt | — |
156 | stone | — |
157 | sand | — |
158 | dust | — |
159 | earth | — |
160 | cloud | — |
161 | fog | — |
162 | sky | — |
163 | wind | — |
164 | snow | — |
165 | ice | — |
166 | smoke | — |
167 | fire | — |
168 | ash | — |
169 | burn | — |
170 | road | — |
171 | mountain | — |
172 | red | — |
173 | green | — |
174 | yellow | — |
175 | white | — |
176 | black | — |
177 | night | — |
178 | day | — |
179 | year | — |
180 | warm | — |
181 | cold | — |
182 | full | — |
183 | new | — |
184 | old | — |
185 | good | — |
186 | bad | — |
187 | rotten | — |
188 | dirty | — |
189 | straight | — |
190 | round | — |
191 | sharp | — |
192 | dull | — |
193 | smooth | — |
194 | wet | — |
195 | dry | — |
196 | correct | — |
197 | near | — |
198 | far | — |
199 | right | — |
200 | left | — |
201 | at | — |
202 | in | — |
203 | with | — |
204 | and | — |
205 | if | — |
206 | because | — |
207 | name | — |