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	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40518</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
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		<updated>2026-06-10T17:25:44Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
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{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change, which is just a basket of minor phonological processes not pervasive enough to warrant their own category. Of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.le.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs. For example,   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(15) &#039;&#039;Heyuk ak-wé uyui za mé-fóf-fe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;hall INAN-entering_into separate_from 1PL go-INAN1.SG-PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/he.juk a.kʷe u.jui̯ za mé.fóf.fe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We went out into the hall to talk.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Here, the uninflected postposition &#039;&#039;uyui&#039;&#039; &#039;separate from, apart, outside of&#039; serves as a particle reinforcing that the conversation will occur privately, separate from that which is presumably going on inside the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40517</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40517"/>
		<updated>2026-06-10T17:24:46Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change, which is just a basket of minor phonological processes not pervasive enough to warrant their own category. Of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.le.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs. For example,   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(15) &#039;&#039;Heyuk ak-wé uyui za mé-fóf-fe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;hall INAN-entering_into separate_from 1PL go-INAN1.SG-PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/he.juk a.kʷe u.jui̯ za mé.fóf.fe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We went out into the hall to talk.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Here, the uninflected postposition &#039;uyui&#039; serves as a particle reinforcing that the conversation will occur privately, separate from that which is presumably going on inside the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40516</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40516"/>
		<updated>2026-06-10T17:24:28Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change, which is just a basket of minor phonological processes not pervasive enough to warrant their own category. Of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.le.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs. For example,   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(15) &#039;&#039;Heyuk ak-wé uyui za mé-fóf-fe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;hall INAN-entering_into separate_from 1PL go-INAN1.SG-PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/he.juk a.kʷe u.jui̯ za mé.fóf.fe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We went out into the hall to talk.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Here, the uninflected postposition &#039;uyui&#039; serves as a particle reinforcing that the conversation will occur privately, separate from that which is presumably going on inside the room. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40515</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40515"/>
		<updated>2026-06-10T17:20:56Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change, which is just a basket of minor phonological processes not pervasive enough to warrant their own category. Of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.le.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs. For example,   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Heyuk ak-wé uyui za mé-fóf-fe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;hall INAN-entering_into separate_from 1PL go-INAN1.SG-PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/he.juk a.kʷe u.jui̯ za mé.fóf.fe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We went out into the hall to talk.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40111</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=40111"/>
		<updated>2026-05-24T18:21:36Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.le.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39958</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39958"/>
		<updated>2026-05-18T16:13:05Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngip&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiapi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39916</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39916"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T23:41:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. Postpositions, when uninflected, can also serve as semantic particles not unlike adverbs.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39915</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39915"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T22:48:55Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14b). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39914</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39914"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T20:42:19Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a) and &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) in (14c). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039; and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39909</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39909"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T15:24:21Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Vowels */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Mid vowels /e, o/ have been tending much more towards [ɛ, ɔ] in recent generations. Additionally, central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039;, &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=Lavvakcesaa&amp;diff=39908</id>
		<title>Lavvakcesaa</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=Lavvakcesaa&amp;diff=39908"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T14:34:24Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Infobox ngation|name=Lavvakcesaa &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[File:Lavvakcesaa-qgicauue.png|Lavvakcesaa|frameless|137x50px]]|ung-member=yes|banner=Lavvakcesaa Banner.png|government=Dictatoship|ruler=[[Saquuaca Vilderu]]|ruler-title=Corporate Dictator;Totalitarian Dictator|&lt;br /&gt;
capital=[[Lavvakcesaa#Lautseq Kceuua|Lautseq Kceuua]]&lt;br /&gt;
|two-digit-code=LK&lt;br /&gt;
|three-digit-code=LVK&lt;br /&gt;
|currency=N/A|demonym=Lavvakcesaa, (misspelt: Lavvakcessa)|population=-34&lt;br /&gt;
|ngational-motto=&amp;quot;...&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|ngational-anthem=[[File:Lavvakcesaan_National_Anthem.wav]]&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Lavvakcessa&#039;&#039;&#039; /la.ʋa.ɟe.saː/ was a ŋation west of [[Tanylezi]] and east of [[Wekañu Skefo]]. Its largest city was Lautseq Kceuua. &lt;br /&gt;
Lavvakcesaa is populated with a bunch of fox people, which they collectively call themselves Kavvakesel, or Lavvakcesaans in English.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans| &lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Chinese|拉夫瓦克切萨}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Araçanic|&#039;&#039;Asorma Labagesa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
{{ipa|[&#039;a.sor.ma &#039;la.bɘ.ɣe.sa]}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Kilvanan|Lavagesanaƕat {{ipa|/lavagesanaɸat/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Léna|&#039;&#039;Lawajesa&#039;&#039; {{ipa|/la.wa.ɟ͡ʑe.sa/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Śácamþaśá|{{script|script=thl|t=satIwAlA}} &#039;&#039;Lawatesá&#039;&#039; {{ipa|/&#039;lɐβ̞ʷɐtɪsɑː/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Lautseq Kceuua [[File:lautseq-kceuua-qgicauue.png|Lautseq Kceuua|frameless|120x65px]]==&lt;br /&gt;
Lautseq Kceuua was the largest and capital city of Lavvakcesaa. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Tree from the Far East ===&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:TreeFromTheFarEast.png|thumb|Donated by ngahia]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A special oak tree has been donated by ngahia of Wanade as an appreciation gift. It is now surrounded by Nate heads :3&lt;br /&gt;
=== Kauleqg Va Tower ===&lt;br /&gt;
A newly constructed tower was built that was shaped like a :3; Hence the name &amp;quot;Kauleqg Va&amp;quot; &#039;&#039;(lit. Colon three)&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Lautseq Trial Chamber ===&lt;br /&gt;
Another Trial Chamber has spawned adjacent to the city of Lautseq Kceuua, it is accessible by Rail and is publicly accessible by everyone &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hweru Cada [[File:hweru-cada-qgicauue.png|frameless|Hweru Cada|120x65px]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hweru Cada was an exclave of the main territory of Lavvakcesaa. It is located in the northwestern part of the Ngorld and currently has a singular nether portal&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Banishment ===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;See main article: [[Banishment]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Banishment is theoretically located at spawn, but it is under the constituency of Hweru Cada, it&#039;s location transcends the normal 3 dimensional world and practically inaccessible by normal travel. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Banishment 2, Campaign for Northern Lavvakcessa board game ===&lt;br /&gt;
On the 6th of February 2026, Nate got banned for griefieng with TNT in [[Krīpetēpla]] and [[Free City of Yetch Bay|Imerchal]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://discord.com/channels/697450809390268467/767569743229747220/1469406365192818763&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. This effectively ended [[World War II]].[[File:KauleqgVa.png|thumb|:3]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Jukcabiuu [[File:Jukcabiuu-qgicauue.png|frameless|85x35px|Jukcabiuu]]==&lt;br /&gt;
A frozen village that now leads to WS by the Lautseq Line. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Ʈarrifs ==&lt;br /&gt;
An announcement on the discord server by Nate aka. Evil ßlanty at 12:37 PM UTC-0 declared [[ʈariff]] policies on a few nations&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &amp;quot;baseline&amp;quot; 0% [[ʈariff|ʈ]]&amp;lt;nowiki/&amp;gt;ariff rate was established between every other country, and specific countries have tarrifs as well&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Kozndenen: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Mziuri: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Myžariky: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Adaria: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Evil Scamming Country: 0.01%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Kingdom of Kyaw Cen: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;UNg Natural Reserve: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Imerchal: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Criticisms ====&lt;br /&gt;
A Representative from Myžariky has gone on to say that she &amp;quot;... is grateful to not be targeted by this act of economic aggression. However, in solidarity with Myžariky, we will levy a 0% tariff on Lavvakcessan goods&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another representative from Evil Scamming Country has also stated, &amp;quot;thank you for the 0.01% tariff&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Train Station ==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Lautseq Kceuua&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKL&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|NO=yes&lt;br /&gt;
|LQ=yes &lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Lautseq Trial Chamber&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKT&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|NO=yes&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Jukcabiuu&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKJ&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|LQ=yes&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
Lavvakcessa had three stations within its borders [LKL] Lautseq Kceuua, [LKT] Lautseq Trial Chamber, [LKJ] Jukcabiuu&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lautseq Kceuua and Lavvakcesaa do not have a specific origin or meaning of their names. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, Jukcabiuu does come from the Qgicauue word for &amp;quot;snowy (obj.) village&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another Station, Hweru Cada, is under construction.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category: Pages with translation sections]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=Lavvakcesaa&amp;diff=39907</id>
		<title>Lavvakcesaa</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=Lavvakcesaa&amp;diff=39907"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T14:33:55Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Infobox ngation|name=Lavvakcesaa &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[File:Lavvakcesaa-qgicauue.png|Lavvakcesaa|frameless|137x50px]]|ung-member=yes|banner=Lavvakcesaa Banner.png|government=Dictatoship|ruler=[[Saquuaca Vilderu]]|ruler-title=Corporate Dictator;Totalitarian Dictator|&lt;br /&gt;
capital=[[Lavvakcesaa#Lautseq Kceuua|Lautseq Kceuua]]&lt;br /&gt;
|two-digit-code=LK&lt;br /&gt;
|three-digit-code=LVK&lt;br /&gt;
|currency=N/A|demonym=Lavvakcesaa, (misspelt: Lavvakcessa)|population=-34&lt;br /&gt;
|ngational-motto=&amp;quot;...&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|ngational-anthem=[[File:Lavvakcesaan_National_Anthem.wav]]&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Lavvakcessa&#039;&#039;&#039; /la.ʋa.ɟe.saː/ was a ŋation west of [[Tanylezi]] and east of [[Wekañu Skefo]]. Its largest city was Lautseq Kceuua. &lt;br /&gt;
Lavvakcesaa is populated with a bunch of fox people, which they collectively call themselves Kavvakesel, or Lavvakcesaans in English.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans| &lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Chinese|拉夫瓦克切萨}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Araçanic|&#039;&#039;Asorma Labagesa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
{{ipa|[&#039;a.sor.ma &#039;la.bɘ.ɣe.sa]}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Kilvanan|Lavagesanaƕat {{ipa|/lavagesanaɸat/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Léna|Lawajesa {{ipa|/la.wa.ɟ͡ʑe.sa/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans/item|Śácamþaśá|{{script|script=thl|t=satIwAlA}} &#039;&#039;Lawatesá&#039;&#039; {{ipa|/&#039;lɐβ̞ʷɐtɪsɑː/}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Lautseq Kceuua [[File:lautseq-kceuua-qgicauue.png|Lautseq Kceuua|frameless|120x65px]]==&lt;br /&gt;
Lautseq Kceuua was the largest and capital city of Lavvakcesaa. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Tree from the Far East ===&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:TreeFromTheFarEast.png|thumb|Donated by ngahia]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A special oak tree has been donated by ngahia of Wanade as an appreciation gift. It is now surrounded by Nate heads :3&lt;br /&gt;
=== Kauleqg Va Tower ===&lt;br /&gt;
A newly constructed tower was built that was shaped like a :3; Hence the name &amp;quot;Kauleqg Va&amp;quot; &#039;&#039;(lit. Colon three)&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Lautseq Trial Chamber ===&lt;br /&gt;
Another Trial Chamber has spawned adjacent to the city of Lautseq Kceuua, it is accessible by Rail and is publicly accessible by everyone &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Hweru Cada [[File:hweru-cada-qgicauue.png|frameless|Hweru Cada|120x65px]] ==&lt;br /&gt;
Hweru Cada was an exclave of the main territory of Lavvakcesaa. It is located in the northwestern part of the Ngorld and currently has a singular nether portal&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Banishment ===&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;See main article: [[Banishment]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Banishment is theoretically located at spawn, but it is under the constituency of Hweru Cada, it&#039;s location transcends the normal 3 dimensional world and practically inaccessible by normal travel. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Banishment 2, Campaign for Northern Lavvakcessa board game ===&lt;br /&gt;
On the 6th of February 2026, Nate got banned for griefieng with TNT in [[Krīpetēpla]] and [[Free City of Yetch Bay|Imerchal]]&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://discord.com/channels/697450809390268467/767569743229747220/1469406365192818763&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;. This effectively ended [[World War II]].[[File:KauleqgVa.png|thumb|:3]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Jukcabiuu [[File:Jukcabiuu-qgicauue.png|frameless|85x35px|Jukcabiuu]]==&lt;br /&gt;
A frozen village that now leads to WS by the Lautseq Line. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Ʈarrifs ==&lt;br /&gt;
An announcement on the discord server by Nate aka. Evil ßlanty at 12:37 PM UTC-0 declared [[ʈariff]] policies on a few nations&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A &amp;quot;baseline&amp;quot; 0% [[ʈariff|ʈ]]&amp;lt;nowiki/&amp;gt;ariff rate was established between every other country, and specific countries have tarrifs as well&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Kozndenen: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Mziuri: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Myžariky: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Adaria: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Evil Scamming Country: 0.01%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Kingdom of Kyaw Cen: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;UNg Natural Reserve: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;code&amp;gt;Imerchal: 0%&amp;lt;/code&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Criticisms ====&lt;br /&gt;
A Representative from Myžariky has gone on to say that she &amp;quot;... is grateful to not be targeted by this act of economic aggression. However, in solidarity with Myžariky, we will levy a 0% tariff on Lavvakcessan goods&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another representative from Evil Scamming Country has also stated, &amp;quot;thank you for the 0.01% tariff&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Train Station ==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Lautseq Kceuua&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKL&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|NO=yes&lt;br /&gt;
|LQ=yes &lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Lautseq Trial Chamber&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKT&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|NO=yes&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox station&lt;br /&gt;
|name=Jukcabiuu&lt;br /&gt;
|code=LKJ&lt;br /&gt;
|image=&lt;br /&gt;
|caption=&lt;br /&gt;
|LQ=yes&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
Lavvakcessa had three stations within its borders [LKL] Lautseq Kceuua, [LKT] Lautseq Trial Chamber, [LKJ] Jukcabiuu&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Lautseq Kceuua and Lavvakcesaa do not have a specific origin or meaning of their names. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
However, Jukcabiuu does come from the Qgicauue word for &amp;quot;snowy (obj.) village&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another Station, Hweru Cada, is under construction.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category: Pages with translation sections]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39901</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39901"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T03:39:35Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Syntax and Sentence Structure */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of phrasal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039;, &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39900</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39900"/>
		<updated>2026-05-14T03:38:25Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039;, &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to, until&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39896</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39896"/>
		<updated>2026-05-13T19:21:12Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;Many postpositions have irregular combining forms, such as &#039;&#039;wé&#039;&#039; &#039;on&#039; in (14a). Other irregular postpositions include &#039;&#039;ye&#039;&#039; &#039;towards&#039;, &#039;&#039;yák&#039;&#039; &#039;under&#039;, &#039;&#039;í&#039;&#039; &#039;destined for, up to&#039; (this is famously difficult to accurately translate) and &#039;&#039;ar&#039;&#039; &#039;from&#039;. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39888</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39888"/>
		<updated>2026-05-13T16:33:10Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Adjectival and Possessive Phrases */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &#039;narrow voice&#039; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &#039;wide voice&#039; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &#039;stops&#039;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &#039;brother&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &#039;my trio of eggs&#039;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
As above, Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple prefix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]). Quantifiers such as &#039;&#039;kép&#039;&#039; &#039;rather, quite&#039; may be placed before Adjectives. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &#039;broad gender&#039; and &#039;narrow gender&#039;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &#039;alternate&#039; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; &#039;finger&#039; and the name of Hárǝsi&#039;s largest city Ƨxeylá. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39886</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39886"/>
		<updated>2026-05-13T13:14:36Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Phrase Structure */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Adjectival and Possessive Phrases ====&lt;br /&gt;
Adjectives and Possessives in Léna are usually placed before the noun, with pronominal Possessives being a simple suffix (see [[Léna Language#Possession|Possession]]).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39885</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39885"/>
		<updated>2026-05-13T13:12:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions and Adverbs */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon.  &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39856</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39856"/>
		<updated>2026-05-12T02:12:27Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-le-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.PL–underneath lie–INAN3.PL–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39855</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39855"/>
		<updated>2026-05-12T02:09:29Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke de-máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together 2PL.POSS–grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke de.má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-e-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.SG–underneath lie–INAN3.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39854</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39854"/>
		<updated>2026-05-12T02:08:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
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&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨt-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;tsá&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwohéhke máráu ƨl-ló ax-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;í&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ikongá-hóu-ná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-e-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.SG–underneath lie–INAN3.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39853</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39853"/>
		<updated>2026-05-12T02:08:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;yé&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Ƨkkukw ƨttsá kwohéhke máráu ƨlló axí ikongáhóuná.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Ƨkkukw HUM.SG–with together grandmother HUM.SG.POSS–house INAN.SG–destined_for walk–INAN1.SG–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ɨk.kukʷ ɨt.t͡sá kʷo.héh.ke má.ráu̯ ɨl.ló a.xí i.ko.ŋá.hóu̯.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You&#039;re going to go to grandma&#039;s with Ƨkkukw.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ƨxme&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; kwehu-e-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.SG–underneath lie–INAN3.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14d) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ajhe&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt; ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39852</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39852"/>
		<updated>2026-05-12T01:18:15Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;Xoccho ƨkkágwe ak-ajhe ar&#039;wo-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN.SG–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The boat sailed past an iceberg.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;Za nez-í chiy-ƨxme kwehu-e-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL tree–PL INAN.SG–underneath lie–INAN3.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ne.zí ɕi.jɨx.me kʷe.hu.e.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;We&#039;re lying between the trees.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;Róssǝp cháyu-si k-yé chie jhesó-ja pá-kwe?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;this2 goat–PL ANI.PL–on why paint–PASS.PTCP LOC–REAL.COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/rós.sǝp ɕá.ju.si kjé ɕi.e ʑe.só.ɟ͡ʑa pá.kʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Why are there things painted on these goats?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39844</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39844"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T19:20:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;. Additionally, an apostrophe marks where a sequence of two consonant letters is not a digraph, in words such as &#039;&#039;zír&#039;woch&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;brother&amp;quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(14a) &#039;&#039;xoccho ƨkkágwe akajhe ar&#039;woxe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the boat sailed past the iceberg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14b) &#039;&#039;LENA&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;GLOSS&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;IPA&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;ENG&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(14c) &#039;&#039;LENA&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;GLOSS&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;IPA&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;ENG&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39843</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39843"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T19:17:34Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Postpositions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;xoccho ƨkkágwe akajhe ar&#039;woxe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;boat iceberg INAN–past sail–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/xoɕ.ɕo ɨk.ká.ɡʷe a.ka.ʑe ar.wo.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the boat sailed past the iceberg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;LENA&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;GLOSS&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;IPA&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;ENG&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;LENA&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;GLOSS&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;IPA&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;ENG&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39842</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39842"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:24:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc.) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39841</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39841"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:24:21Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13a) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(13b) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (13a) and (13b), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39839</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39839"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:20:03Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Nouns */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39838</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39838"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:19:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Nouns */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39837</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39837"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:18:17Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Pluralisation ====&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39836</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39836"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T18:17:50Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot;. The 4 broad and 8 narrow genders, as well as an example word for each, are displayed below.  &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lehéccho&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|council&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Possession ====&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Broadly, if a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables), or if a Human noun ends in the vowel -a, then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. Some examples of sentences with postpositions follow: &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39833</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39833"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T17:36:08Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar and Morphology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Morphologically, Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Nouns ===&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Postpositions ===&lt;br /&gt;
Postpositions in Léna must agree with the nouns they modify in gender by the same prefixes that govern possession. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39831</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39831"/>
		<updated>2026-05-11T17:32:08Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
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&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant, a nasal or /ʎ/, the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú/eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;This stem change is largely unpredictable, except for a few derivational suffixes (-au, -i/-ya, -(h)ǝ́, etc,) which reliably display irregular endings. Additionally, there are a handful of plurales tanta, most notably nouns ending in -ea as well as words like &#039;&#039;xibá&#039;&#039; (finger). &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=WOOFS&amp;diff=39807</id>
		<title>WOOFS</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=WOOFS&amp;diff=39807"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T18:37:34Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Infobox|{{Infobox/above|{{{name|Western Organization Of Free States}}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox/row|Banner|{{{banner|}}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox/row|Map|{{{map|[[File:Map of WOOFS members.png|200x200px]]}}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox/row|Alliance type|{{{alliance|diplomatic}}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox/row|Members|{{{members|[[File:Adnar-banner.png|20x20px]] [[Adnar]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;[[File:Banner_of_Coldba_(Cuba).png|20x20px]] [[Coldba (Cuba)]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;[[File:haresi-banner.png|20x20px]][[Hárǝsi]]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;[[File:Republic of Kaipa Banner.png|20x20px]] [[Kaipa]]}}}}}&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
The &#039;&#039;&#039;Western Organization Of Free States (WOOFS)&#039;&#039;&#039;, is a diplomatic alliance between [[Kaipa]], [[Adnar]], [[Coldba (Cuba)]], and [[Hárǝsi|Hárəsi]]. It was established on 6 January 2026.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{Trans|{{Trans/item|Léna|Efféstinó Míhóchihko Kwelengweuya imAnǝ́hkworonngwa (EMKwA)}}}}&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39805</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39805"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T18:19:22Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–ABST–IRR.GER 2SG.POSS–preference know–ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39804</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39804"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T18:15:46Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Polar Questions */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39798</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39798"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:12:28Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Syllable Structure and Phonotactics */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039; - this is notably not a diphthong /au̯/ but two vowels in sequence, /a.u/. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39797</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39797"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:09:25Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Capitalisation of Prefixes */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see [[Léna Language#ɣ-Affection|ɣ-Affection]])&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39796</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39796"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:09:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Capitalisation of Prefixes */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨx-Xízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨx.xíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
NB: the root in the word &#039;&#039;ƨxXízzía&#039;&#039; is &#039;&#039;kízzí&#039;&#039; (see ɣ-Affection)&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39795</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39795"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:06:51Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Syllable Structure and Phonotactics */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. Additionally, like vowels are not usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39794</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39794"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:05:39Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Syllable Structure and Phonotactics */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, compare sentences (4a) and (4b) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39793</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39793"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T15:00:22Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant or /ʎ/ the plural suffix will be &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039;, though some other nouns take &#039;&#039;-e&#039;&#039; plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39792</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39792"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T14:59:16Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labialised consonant the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39791</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39791"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T14:55:43Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant the plural suffix will be -e, though some other nouns take -e plurals unpredictably. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39790</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39790"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T14:53:42Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39789</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39789"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T14:52:44Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficƨw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ficiwé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|gap&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;márá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjhérw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;lyajjóerwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|speck, stain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;dǝ&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;demá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| father&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39786</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39786"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T04:23:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sǝ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sézá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| clearing&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39785</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39785"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T04:21:56Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Nouns */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sǝ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sézá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| clearing&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39784</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39784"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T04:21:27Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Nouns */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:30%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:30%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sǝ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sézá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| clearing&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39783</id>
		<title>Léna Language</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mc.nguh.org/w/index.php?title=L%C3%A9na_Language&amp;diff=39783"/>
		<updated>2026-05-10T04:20:51Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Omaatje: /* Nouns */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
margin-right:20%; &lt;br /&gt;
hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-webkit-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-moz-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
-ms-hyphens:none !important;&lt;br /&gt;
word-break:keep-all !important;&lt;br /&gt;
overflow-wrap:anywhere !important;&lt;br /&gt;
line-break:normal !important;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{Infobox language|country=[[Hárǝsi]] (national) &amp;lt;br&amp;gt; [[Coldba]] (recognised)|family=[[Hakhpha]]|lang-code=LEN|name=Léna|scripts=Latin Alphabet&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; Cyrillic Alphabet (sporadic)|regulator=[[Hárǝsi Xánǝc uwArássezú]] (Hárǝsi Ministry of Culture)|number=unknown|demonym=Léna, Énnga uLéna}}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Léna&#039;&#039;&#039; /lé.na/ is a Western Hakhpha language spoken primarily in Hárǝsi, where it is the majority and only national language. It is also a recognised minority language in the Empire of Coldba. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Classification ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;position:relative; margin-right:-20%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[File:Lena dialects.png|thumb|the dialects of Léna spoken in Hárǝsi]]&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Hakhpha language family comprises two main branches, Eastern and Western, the latter containing both Léna and the [[Kkeṛhaqom]] language spoken in central and eastern Coldba. Léna itself is a polydialectal language with four main dialect groups spoken throughout the urheimat (i.e. Hárǝsi and the small amount of overspill across the border into Coldba), with the standard variety being based on the dialect of the largest city [[Ƨxeylá]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Phonology ==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Consonants ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 30 phonemic consonants.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
!Labial&lt;br /&gt;
!Alveolar&lt;br /&gt;
!Palatal&lt;br /&gt;
!Velar&lt;br /&gt;
!Glottal&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Nasal&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| m&lt;br /&gt;
| n&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| ŋʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Plosive&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| p b&lt;br /&gt;
| t d&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| k g&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| kʷ gʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Affricate&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| t͡s d͡z&lt;br /&gt;
| c͡ɕ ɟ͡ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Fricative&lt;br /&gt;
| f&lt;br /&gt;
| s z&lt;br /&gt;
| ɕ ʑ&lt;br /&gt;
| x ɣ&lt;br /&gt;
| h&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Liquid&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | plain&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | w&lt;br /&gt;
| r&lt;br /&gt;
| j&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot; rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | (w)&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | labialised&lt;br /&gt;
| rʷ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | Lateral&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
| l&lt;br /&gt;
| ʎ&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
All consonants except /ʎ/ and /h/ can be geminated and are pronounced longer than their non-geminated counterparts. Geminated /w/ is very rare however. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Velar fricatives /x, ɣ/ are realised advanced [x̟, ɣ̟] or occasionally as palatalised [ç, ʝ] around front vowels /e, i/.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Vowels ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna has 7 phonemic vowel qualities and distinguishes two phonemic tones.&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! &lt;br /&gt;
! Front&lt;br /&gt;
! Central&lt;br /&gt;
! Back&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | High&lt;br /&gt;
| i&lt;br /&gt;
| ɨ&lt;br /&gt;
| u&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Mid&lt;br /&gt;
| e&lt;br /&gt;
| ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
| o&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! style=&amp;quot;text-align:left;&amp;quot; | Low&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; | a&lt;br /&gt;
| &lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Central vowels /ɨ, ǝ/ are often pronounced as [ɪ, ʌ] by younger speakers or in informal speech. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Léna also has some diphthongs, namely vowels followed by /u̯/ or /i̯/. Sequences of two vowels are also permitted, but are usually analysed as two syllables. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The tone levels are high /a˦/ and mid /a˧/, though the mid tone is often described as a low tone in literature. In Léna they are called &#039;&#039;xéggwo eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;narrow voice&amp;quot; and &#039;&#039;mox eili&#039;&#039; &amp;quot;wide voice&amp;quot; respectively.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Syllable Structure and Phonotactics ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna has a fairly simple syllable structure of (C)V(C), where C is any consonant or affricate and V is any vowel or diphthong. However, fricatives and plosives/affricates (together &amp;quot;stops&amp;quot;) may not cluster with themselves, so the only clusters permitted are Fricative-Stop and Stop-Fricative. Approximants /w/, /r/ and /j/ can cluster in any order with most any consonant, but /w/ and /j/ cannot cluster with each other (see below). Additionally, laterals do not cluster with other consonants, labialised consonants cannot occur in initial position of a cluster, and nasals cannot occur in final position. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There is a broad phonotactic rule that labials and palatals cannot interact, and whenever a labial consonant and a palatal consonant would occur in sequence, an epenthetic vowel (usually /e/) is inserted between them, see sentence (_) below. In the same vein, labial consonants cannot usually precede high vowels /i, u/, except in some very rare cases where they would cluster with /j/ and the vowel /i/ is inserted, such as in the name of the town &#039;&#039;[[Gwiyƨxxǝp]]&#039;&#039;. There is an increasing tendency among speakers to also do away with this, rendering that word instead &#039;&#039;*Gweyƨxxǝp&#039;&#039;.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Geminates can also only occur inbetween vowels.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Typically, sequences of two vowels cannot occur in closed-syllable environments, i.e. CVVC. As always in language, there are some limited exceptions to this, such as the word &#039;&#039;gauk&#039;&#039; &#039;to search&#039;. In the same vein, like vowels are not  usually permitted in sequence. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== ɣ-Affection ====&lt;br /&gt;
Many verb roots, particularly older and more commonly-used ones, exhibit a kind of internal mutation caused by a historical /ɣ/ sound. This changes the form of suffixes attached to this root, most notably object suffixes as these tend to come directly after the root (see Verb Template below). Below are a non-ɣ-affected root and a ɣ-affected root.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(1a) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ƨzélye-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ksi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for send–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ɨ.zé.ʎek.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I sent you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(1b) &#039;&#039;Bƨzzúw-e enn-í ǝxƨ́-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ssi&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-xe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;axe–PL 2SG–destined_for give–INAN2.PL–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/bɨz.zú.we en.ní ǝ.xɨ́s.si.xe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I gave you axes.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
There is no way to predict this phenomenon, so the individual roots that trigger it must be learnt by heart. Additionally, the third person singular possessive prefix ƨ(gh)- triggers ɣ-affection, resulting in a predictable initial mutation to the initial consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Orthography ==&lt;br /&gt;
As it was primarily an oral language prior to prolonged contact with other Ŋations, there is no native writing system for Léna, though some modern attempts have gained traction in recent years. Instead, a modified Latin alphabet is used, as below. Additionally, since a Cyrillic variant has been used in some limited unofficial capacity, it is displayed as well.&lt;br /&gt;
{| style=&amp;quot;width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; border:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|- style=&amp;quot;vertical-align:top;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:20%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin-right:4%;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
!Léna (Latin) &lt;br /&gt;
!IPA  &lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|a&lt;br /&gt;
|/a/&lt;br /&gt;
|l&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|b&lt;br /&gt;
|/b/&lt;br /&gt;
|ly&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|c&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|m&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ch&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|n&lt;br /&gt;
|/n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|d&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|ng&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|dz&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ngw&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|e&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|o&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ǝ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|p&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|f&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|r&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|g&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|rw&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|s&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|gw&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|t&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|h&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|ts&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|i&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|u&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|w&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|j&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|x&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|jh&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|y&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|k&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|z&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|kw&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
| style=&amp;quot;width:48%; padding:0;&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
! Léna (Cyrillic)&lt;br /&gt;
! IPA&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| а&lt;br /&gt;
| /a/&lt;br /&gt;
| н&lt;br /&gt;
| /n/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| б&lt;br /&gt;
| /b/&lt;br /&gt;
| ң&lt;br /&gt;
| /ŋ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|в&lt;br /&gt;
|/w/&lt;br /&gt;
|ңв&lt;br /&gt;
|/ŋʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|г&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɣ/&lt;br /&gt;
|о&lt;br /&gt;
|/o/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґ&lt;br /&gt;
|/g/&lt;br /&gt;
|п&lt;br /&gt;
|/p/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ґв&lt;br /&gt;
|/gʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|р&lt;br /&gt;
|/r/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|д&lt;br /&gt;
|/d/&lt;br /&gt;
|рв&lt;br /&gt;
|/rʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|е&lt;br /&gt;
|/e/&lt;br /&gt;
|с&lt;br /&gt;
|/s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ж&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ц&lt;br /&gt;
|/t͡s/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|џ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɟ͡ʑ/&lt;br /&gt;
|т&lt;br /&gt;
|/t/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|з&lt;br /&gt;
|/z/&lt;br /&gt;
|у / ў&lt;br /&gt;
|/u/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ѕ&lt;br /&gt;
|/d͡z/&lt;br /&gt;
|ф&lt;br /&gt;
|/f/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|и / й&lt;br /&gt;
|/i/&lt;br /&gt;
|х&lt;br /&gt;
|/x/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|ј&lt;br /&gt;
|/j/&lt;br /&gt;
|ҳ&lt;br /&gt;
|/h/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|к&lt;br /&gt;
|/k/&lt;br /&gt;
|ш&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|кв&lt;br /&gt;
|/kʷ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ч&lt;br /&gt;
|/c͡ɕ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|л&lt;br /&gt;
|/l/&lt;br /&gt;
|ъ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ǝ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|љ&lt;br /&gt;
|/ʎ/&lt;br /&gt;
|ы&lt;br /&gt;
|/ɨ/&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|м&lt;br /&gt;
|/m/&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High tone is represented by an acute accent over the vowel; ⟨á, é, ǝ́, í, ƨ́, ó, ú⟩, or ⟨а́, е́, и́, о́, у́, ъ́, ы́⟩. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Gemination is represented by doubling the consonant. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In polygraphs, only the first element is capitalised, and only the first element is doubled to represent gemination, e.g. &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;Ch, nngw&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Cyrillic glyphs &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;й&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;&#039;⟨&#039;&#039;&#039;ў&#039;&#039;&#039;⟩&#039;&#039;&#039; are used in phonemic diphthongs such as /ai̯/, /au̯/ to contrast them from /a.i/, /a.u/. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Capitalisation of Prefixes ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna employs a number of gender- and number-agreement prefixes on nouns, reminiscent of the Bantu Languages. When these are placed before proper nouns, they do not take capitalisation, and instead the first consonant of the word takes the capitalisation. If the whole word would be capitalised anyway, for example it is at the beginning of a sentence or in title case, then both the prefix and the head word would be capitalised. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(2) &#039;&#039;Hárǝsi ƨ-Kízzí-a&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Hárǝsi HUM.SG.POSS–person–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/há.rǝ.si ɨ.kíz.zí.a/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;The People of Hárǝsi&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
== Syntax and Sentence Structure ==&lt;br /&gt;
The syntactic system of Léna is primarily oriented around the prominence of clausal heads. It also relies heavily on the verb form called the Null Form, which functions similarly to a converb, for clause chaining. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Phrase Structure ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Noun Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
The Noun Phrase in Léna comprises a minimum of a noun and a maximum of a demonstrative/possessor + a quantifier + an adjective + a noun, in that order. A possessed noun must agree with its possessor in gender and number by means of a prefix, such as in (3b). Additionally, a noun modified by a numeral must take a prefix that agrees with itself in gender and number, as in (3c) to (3e).&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(3a) &#039;&#039;hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;an egg / the egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3b) &#039;&#039;o-hí&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS-egg&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hí/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my egg&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3c) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3d) &#039;&#039;oh-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/o.hi.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;my three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(3e) &#039;&#039;gwezí ak-ifi wǝc chi-hím-i&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;albatross ANI.SG.POSS–three large INAN.PL.POSS–egg–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gʷe.zí a.ki.fi wǝc͡ɕ ɕi.hí.mi/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the albatross&#039; three large eggs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is helpful to think of the sentences such as (3c) as meaning more literally something like &amp;quot;my trio of eggs&amp;quot;, as numerals are treated largely as nouns in their own right.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Verb Phrase ====&lt;br /&gt;
A verb is the only part of a sentence fundamentally required to make it so. This is because subjects can most often be inferred through context and objects are marked on the verb; Léna is as a result a fairly heavily pro-drop language, and sentences such as that in (4d) would be fairly uncommon unless expressly emphasising the subject. Because Léna does not employ case marking, role-marking is done by means of verbal object suffixes. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With just a lone verb as the minimum, a maximal verb phrase can consist of the subject + the predicate + any adjuncts/adverbials, and these can be placed virtually anywhere in the VP, though placing them after the verb is uncommon. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(4a) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-eye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook-PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷe.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4b) &#039;&#039;ǝchékw-ǝwǝ-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;cook–ABST–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝ.ɕé.kʷǝ.wǝ.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking something.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4c) &#039;&#039;lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;(I&#039;m) cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4d) &#039;&#039;ǝch lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(4e) &#039;&#039;ǝch rói rúc lyew ǝchék-fóu-ye.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1SG here1 now meat cook–INAN2.SG–PRES.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ǝɕ rói̯ rúc͡ɕ ʎew ǝ.ɕék.fóu̯.je/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;I&#039;m cooking meat right now.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
A very common type of adverbial is another verb in the Null Form (explained in more detail below) which is used to combine two or more syntactically-related verbs into one clause. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(5a) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(5b) &#039;&#039;za chíakƨ́x an-ngi uwóin-i-ke ikongá-e-che.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;1PL forest INAN.SG–through sing–PROG–NULL walk–INAN3.SG–PST.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/za ɕí.a.kɨ́x aŋ.ŋi u.wói̯.ni.ke i.ko.ŋá.e.ɕe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;we walked singing through the forest.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The Null Form can also be used where a verbal infinitive might be used in Indo-European languages:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(6) &#039;&#039;gégwez-á áhpewaly-ifa-rwe-ke zé-innekw.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;child–PL teach–PASS–PRES.INCH–NULL REFL–jump&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/gé.gʷe.zá áh.pe.wa.ʎi.fa.rʷe.ke zé.in.nekʷ/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the children are excited to learn.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Postpositions and Adverbs ====&lt;br /&gt;
The morphology of Léna postpositions is very similar to other head-marking languages such as Nāhuatl, in that they take possessive affixes that agree with the noun being modified by the adposition. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Word Order ===&lt;br /&gt;
Léna is transparently an SOV language, with all indicative sentences taking this basic shape. The imperative mood is marked by inverting this word order to VOS, though the subject is not strictly necessary in most imperative statements. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(7a) &#039;&#039;ne gwowoijh-í kwǝ-lle-rwe.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;2SG mushroom–PL eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ne gʷo.woi̯.ʑí kʷəl.le.rʷe/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;you eat (the) mushrooms.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(7b) &#039;&#039;kwǝ-lle-rwe gwowoijh-í (ne)!&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat–INAN3.PL–PRES.INCH mushroom–PL 2SG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəl.le.rʷe gʷo.woi̯.ʑí (ne)/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;eat (the) mushrooms(, you)!&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Questions ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Polar Questions ====&lt;br /&gt;
The type of polar question morphology used in Léna depends on the social context. In most informal speech, they are usually expressed by a change in the pitch of the final syllable of the question utterance, though this does change depending on the tone of the final syllable of the word involved. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Words with high tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(8a) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You will be staying at home.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(8b) &#039;&#039;Ló ax-xoi ǝjjix-xa-nái?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;house INAN–inside stay–INAN2.SG–FUT.PROG&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/ló ax.xoi̯ ǝɟ.ɟ͡ʑix.xa.nái̯/ […nai̯˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Will you be staying at home?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And words with mid tone:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(9a) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se.&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;You touched the squid.&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(9b) &#039;&#039;Ezíghekw oggwe-s-se?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;squid touch–ANI2.SG–PST&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.zí.ɣekʷ og.gʷes.se/ […se˩˦]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Did you touch the squid?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
If a word has a continuous phonemic tone before the final syllable the first phonetic tone will be held for the duration of that tone throughout the whole word. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(10) &#039;&#039;Ichaza-kch-u-ke ikéké-ná-hé?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;arrive–TEL.APPL–ABST.SG–NULL persevere–FUT–OPT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/i.ɕa.zak.ɕu.ke i.ké.ké.ná.hé/ […ke˥.ke˥.na˥.he˥˩˧]&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Are you going to reach the end?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;However, in formal or official speech, questions make use of the negative copular auxiliary &#039;&#039;sak&#039;&#039; to turn the statement into a question.&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(11) &#039;&#039;Kwǝ-gghǝ-ghan ne-ifettǝk chowƨj-jhá sak?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;eat-ABST-IRR.GER 2SG.POSS-preference know-ACT.PTCP NEG_COP&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷəɣ.ɣə.ɣan ne.i.fet.tək ɕo.wɨʑ.ʑá sak/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;Do you know what you want to eat?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The reason this can work unambiguously is that usually if a verb was actually negated, the suffix -(y)ekw would be added to said verb.&lt;br /&gt;
==== Questions with a Qualifier ====&lt;br /&gt;
These kinds of questions are very simple; the question word goes at the beginning of the phrase being turned into a question. However, further detail can be specified for transitive verbs by changing the object suffix on the verb to reflect qualities of the interrogated argument, as below.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(12a) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;ǝw&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–ABST–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨ.pəw.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(12b) &#039;&#039;Kweffohex ie ne dúyƨp-&amp;lt;u&amp;gt;re&amp;lt;/u&amp;gt;-ná?&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;dinner what 2SG prepare_food–INAN3.PL–FUT&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/kʷef.fo.hex i.e ne dú.jɨp.re.ná/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;What (vegetables) will you make for dinner?&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
== Grammar ==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The grammar of Léna contains most standard features of the Hakhpha languages: a diverse gender system, verbal object agreement and a general tendency towards being head-marking. It is largely suffixing, but does make some use of prefixes (notably for gender agreement on possessed arguments) and there is also a great deal of stem-internal morphology. There is no case marking present, and role-marking is entirely based on verb agreement and word order.   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Morphology ===&lt;br /&gt;
Standard Léna is characterised by being quite fusional in terms of its affixation, but remains underlyingly agglutinative as other Hakhpha languages. This fusionality is mainly expressed in inflectional suffixes but some derivational affixes also exhibit fusional behaviour, e.g. &#039;&#039;míé-&#039;&#039;, the reflexive+causative verbal prefix. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Nouns ====&lt;br /&gt;
Nouns in Léna undergo two main morphological processes; pluralisation and possession, which also includes being the subject of a postposition. Each noun is also assigned a gender, of which there are 8, though these are divided into 4 groups. The two levels of gender distinction are referred to as &amp;quot;broad gender&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;narrow gender&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Human&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Animal&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; |Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!1&lt;br /&gt;
!2&lt;br /&gt;
!3&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;mór&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;jéjew&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ilengweu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ekw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ló&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;ezík&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;chaxa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|&#039;&#039;waly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|mother&lt;br /&gt;
|idea&lt;br /&gt;
|bear&lt;br /&gt;
|mouse&lt;br /&gt;
|house&lt;br /&gt;
|sack&lt;br /&gt;
|water&lt;br /&gt;
|command&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
Possessive prefixes as well as plural suffixes correspond to the broad gender of a noun, whereas verbal object agreement suffixes (see below) correspond to its narrow gender. The possessive prefixes also agree in number with the possessor argument. Again note that the 3rd person singular possessive prefix triggers ɣ-affection.   &lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;text-align:center;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |1st Person&lt;br /&gt;
! rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |2nd Person&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot; |3rd Person&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
!Abstract&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Singular&lt;br /&gt;
|o(h)-&lt;br /&gt;
|n(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ƨ(gh)-*&lt;br /&gt;
| colspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |ak-&lt;br /&gt;
| rowspan=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; |u(w)-&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
!Plural&lt;br /&gt;
|lé-&lt;br /&gt;
|d(e)-&lt;br /&gt;
|i(m)-&lt;br /&gt;
|ki(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|chi(y)-&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Possessed arguments go after their possessor noun:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyú ƨt-táengú&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman HUM.SG–dog&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú ɨt.ta.e.ŋú/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the woman&#039;s dog&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pluralisation in Léna is highly complex. On top of the gender-determined plural suffixes, there is often a high degree of stem volatility when nouns are declined as plural, such that the singular and plural forms of a noun are often very different. The plural suffixes are:&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Human&lt;br /&gt;
!Animal&lt;br /&gt;
!Inanimate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| -a / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
| -si&lt;br /&gt;
| -i / -e / -ya&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
If a Human or Inanimate noun ends in more than a simple vowel (i.e. a diphthong or two vowel syllables) then the plural suffix will be -ya. If an inanimate noun ends in a labial consonant, the plural suffix will be -e. Abstract nouns do not pluralise. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-left:2em; line-height:1.5;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
(_) &#039;&#039;Eyúgh-a i-táengú-si&#039;&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;woman–PL HUM.PL–dog–PL&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;/e.jú.ɣa i.ta.e.ŋú.si/&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&#039;the women&#039;s dogs&#039;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stem change, such as between &#039;&#039;eyú&#039;&#039;/&#039;&#039;eyúgha&#039;&#039; in (_) and (_), is a pervasive feature of Léna plural morphology. There are five broad types of stem change: vowel alternation, diphthongisation, consonant alternation, consonant insertion and &amp;quot;alternate&amp;quot; stem change - of these, consonant alternation is probably the most common. Additionally, some stem change also triggers a high tone in the following vowel, most often vowel alternation. Examples of each follow:&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;width:100%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Vowel Alternation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;áng&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ónga&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| spirit&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhǝk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;irhaká&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| villager&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhóly&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uhálye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lake&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Diphthongisation&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achǝlye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;achielye&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| noise&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;nging&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngiangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| woodblock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;lyéici&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| mountain&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;white-space:nowrap; line-height:0; margin-top:0.4em;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0 1% 0 0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Insertion&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;fu&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;funa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| heart&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwa&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gwami&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| rock&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kala&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kalangi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| droplet&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;display:inline-block; vertical-align:top; width:48.5%; margin:0; line-height:normal;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Consonant Alteration&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ngweza&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| coast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcáp&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;súcábe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| pelt, fur&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúc&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ucchijúzi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| warbler&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:48.5%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Alternate&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehé&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;kwehía&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| fight&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxínen&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;oxína&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lower leg&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajály&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rajáliha&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| councilman&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughau&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;tughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| name&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;uké&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ukéyǝi&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| parchment&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlǝ́&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;ƨlá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| man&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There are also instances where several of these processes happen simultaneously, as below:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;margin-top:0.4em; width:48.5%;&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot; style=&amp;quot;margin:0; width:100%; white-space:nowrap; hyphens:none;&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
! colspan=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; | Mixed-Type&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
! sg.&lt;br /&gt;
! pl.&lt;br /&gt;
! meaning&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bƨch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;bezí&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| flint&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégwech&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;gégweuzá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| child&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnƨk&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;hǝ́zƨnughá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| feast&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;pƨ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;písá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| lip&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;rikw&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;riagwe&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| local shrine&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sǝ́ch&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| &#039;&#039;sézá&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
| clearing&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Omaatje</name></author>
	</entry>
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