Funis

Sample Text

Déneś laxélebga ká?anra, céfeqš

I. Phonology

I.1 Vowels

Practical Orthography

X-Sampa

	Front	Back
High	i	u
Mid	e
Low	a

	Front	Back
High	i	u
Mid	E
Low	6

I.2 Consonants

In the tables below, where appropriate, pairs are given of voiceless and voiced.

Practical Orthography

X-Sampa

	Labial	Dental	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Pharyngeal/Glottal
Stop	p b	t d	c	k g	q	?
Fricative		s z	š	x		h
		ś
Nasal	m	n
Approximant	w		j
Liquid		l	r

	Labial	Dental	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Pharyngeal/Glottal
Stop	p b	t d	c	k g	q	?
Fricative		s z	S	x		?\
		(*)
Nasal	m	n
Approximant	w		j
Liquid		l	r

I.3 Remarks

ś denotes a "whistled" 's' sound with the tongue touching the lower teeth and with frication occurring at the alveolar ridge.
Syllable canon is C(C)V(C) or CV(C)(C) with onsets preferred to codas in syllabification. However, no more than 3 contiguous consonants are tolerated.
Syllable nuclei can be vowels (i,e,a,u), nasals (m,n), or liquids (l,r).
Stress is on the antepenultimate syllable.

II. Inflectional Morphology

Noun case marking:

Inanimate Animate

Singular Plural Singular Plural

Nominative -s -is -- -i

Accusative -- -i -š -iš

Dative -c -ic -b -ib

Genitive -g -r -n -r

Comitative -ga -iga -m -im

Instrumental -d -id -dl -dil

Locative -ga -iga -gan -gin

Ablative -ik -ib -k -ik

Experientive -waz -u?az -z -iz

Oblique -x -ix -x -ix

The definite article is a postposed -a/-?a.

	Inanimate	Animate
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Nominative	-s	-is	--	-i
Accusative	--	-i	-š	-iš
Dative	-c	-ic	-b	-ib
Genitive	-g	-r	-n	-r
Comitative	-ga	-iga	-m	-im
Instrumental	-d	-id	-dl	-dil
Locative	-ga	-iga	-gan	-gin
Ablative	-ik	-ib	-k	-ik
Experientive	-waz	-u?az	-z	-iz
Oblique	-x	-ix	-x	-ix

Verb tense inflection:

Past Present Future

Sing. Plur. Sing. Plur. Sing. Plur.

Person 1 -zar -zik -z -zi -waz -wazi

2 -ka -kis -k -ki -wak -waki

3 -ra -rik -- -in -u -wi

4 -sar -šik -s -ši -su -šu

-jax is a participial nominalizer (transforms verb stem to noun of action).

		Past	Present	Future
		Sing.	Plur.	Sing.	Plur.	Sing.	Plur.
Person	1	-zar	-zik	-z	-zi	-waz	-wazi
2	-ka	-kis	-k	-ki	-wak	-waki
3	-ra	-rik	--	-in	-u	-wi
4	-sar	-šik	-s	-ši	-su	-šu

III. Derivational Morphology

The following table gives the stems derivable from a tri-consonantal root C₁C₂C₃, where dashes (-) indicate where the consonants are filled in.

Stem Form	Meaning (part of speech)
la-é-e-	location for
-é-u-	one who does, habitual agent
--é-	general collective nominal
-ú--(u)	abstract noun (e.g. -ness)
-é-e-	individual of/representative

-á-a-(a)	imperfective verb stem
wa-í-a-(a)	perfective-semelfactive/completed verb stem
-á-i-(i)	habitual/repetitive/iterative verb stem
me-í-a-(e)	perfective-inceptive verb stem
ma-á-e-(e)	perfective-cessative verb stem
na-á-i-(e)	imperfective-inchoative verb stem
ni-í-i-(i)	perfective-inchoative verb stem

IV. Syntax

Basic SOV word order. Discourse Particles, etc.

=geš if
=qul because/since
=zanla "they say"
=wa "I assert"/"by the way"
=xešar "so there!"
gi= and/also
śebe= marker of respect/honorific
qunu= marker of disrespect/contemptific

V. Examples

nébuxa the king (nom.sing.)
dnéśr peoples' (gen. plur.)
nábaxaz I am leading.
nábixiz I am the leader./I lead.
Kwéxga Laségeza City at the Sea
Laqélebga Mesígašik Old Settlement
Núbxun Laségeza Capitol City
mekíwaxu It will start flowing.
naqálibez I am getting old.
niqílibiz I have gotten old.
qéleba the old one
gi-niqílibwak-xešar! You'll get old, too; so there!.

VI. Sample Lexicon

Roots and Derived words

q-l-b	old	qúlb age
n-b-x	rule/lead/guide	nébux king
d-n-ś	people/humanity/person/being	dnéś humanity
k-w-x	water/flow	kwéx sea/ocean
s-g-z	live/reside/dwell	laségez city/town ségez resident/citizen
k-?-n	go/walk	kú?n movement
h-z-g	sugar/sweet	hézeg sugar/candy húzg(u) sweetness
c-f-q	tiger	céfeq tiger
x-l-b	grass	laxéleb field

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