Kyawcenni
This article is about the language. For the people, see Kyawcenni people.
| Kyawcenni | |
|---|---|
| Language family | Sheikan, Kyawcennic |
| Early form(s) | Middle Kyawcenni |
| Era | ca. 2023 to today |
| Writing system | Tanswaiy, sometimes Latin |
| Official status | |
| Spoken in | Kingdom of Kyaw Cen |
| Regulated by | Government of Kyaw Cen |
| Speaker | |
| Demonym | Kyawcenni |
| Number of speakers | ~12 |
| Technical information | |
| Usage | Government language |
| Language code | KYC |
Kyawcenni is an analytic language spoken by Kyawcennis in the Kingdom of Kyaw Cen and written in Tanswaiy. Its early speakers originated from Marcyland, but it is now spoken in the Kyawcenni archipelago and most of Shingtsun.
History
Kyawcenni descends from the Sheikah language spoken in Marcyland before the migration to the Isles of Silly in late 2023.
Orthography
Kyawcenni uses the Tanswaiy and Latin alphabets. The spelling is based on Middle Kyawcenni.
There are two official romanization methods for Tanswaiy: the Kyawcenni Morphological Transliteration System (KMTS) and the Kyawcenni Latin Alphabet (KLA). Unless specified otherwise, this article uses KMTS. When writing Kyawcenni in the Latin alphabet, both Romanization methods are commonly used.
Tanswaiy
TODO
KMTS
The Kyawcenni Morphological Transliteration System (KMTS) is a literal transliteration system of the Tanswaiy script. Therefore, like in Tanswaiy, the spelling reflects the individual morphemes, rather than the pronunciation, and is based on Middle Kyawcenni. In KMTS, every syllable is separated by a space and no capital letters are used.
For example:
- The word /sɔ.wɛɰ̃t~swɛɰ̃t/, meaning “your”, is written as sow ne in KMTS, because it was pronounced as /sɔw.nɛ/ in Middle Kyawcenni and consists of the morphemes sow (“you”) and the genitive ending ne. The genitive ending is always written as ne in KMTS, no matter how it's pronounced.
- The word /ni caɰ̃/, meaning “(to) take”, is written as nę xam in KMTS, because it was pronounced as /ˈnɚ.çam/ in Middle Kyawcenni. The modern pronunciation is irregular, but the spelling remains unchanged.
KLA
The Kyawcenni Latin Alphabet (KLA) is an orthography for the Kyawcenni language that reflects the pronunciation of the words. The individual letters used are the same as in KMTS (also based on the Middle Kyawcenni spelling), but the spelling is regular and based on the modern pronunciation of the words. In KLA, every word is separated by a space. The rules regarding capitalization are the same as in English.
For example:
- The word /sɔ.wɛɰ̃t~swɛɰ̃t/, meaning “your”, can be written as sowen or swen in KLA. The case endings are always written how they are pronounced in Modern Standard Kyawcenni, unlike in Tanswaiy and KMTS, where they are always written the same.
- The word /ni caɰ̃/, meaning “(to) take”, is written as nixang in KLA, despite it being pronounced like “nęxam” in Middle Kyawcenni.
Table
| KMTS | Middle Kyawcenni | Condition | Modern Kyawcenni |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | a | à | |
| ai | ɛː | ɛ́ | |
| au | ɔː | ɑ́ | |
| b- | b | b | |
| c | ts | Onset | s (Standard)
ts (Marcyland) |
| Coda | s (high vowel tone) (Standard)
ts (Marcyland) | ||
| č | tʃ | Onset | ʈʂ |
| Coda | ʈʂ (high vowel tone) | ||
| d- | d | Normally | d |
| Intervocalically | ð | ||
| -di | di | θ | |
| dy | dj | dʑ (Standard)
dʒ (Marcyland)[1] | |
| e | ɛ | Normally | ɛ̀ |
| Start of syllable | jɛ̀ | ||
| ê | eː | ɪ́ | |
| ę, er[2] | ɚ | ɚ | |
| g- | ɡ | Normally | ɤ̯ |
| Before /j, w, ɻ/ | ɡ | ||
| gy- | gj | dʑ | |
| h | χ | χ | |
| i | i | ì | |
| j | dʒ | Onset | ɖʐ |
| ʒ | Coda | ʂ (low vowel tone) | |
| k- | k | k | |
| ky- | kj | tɕ | |
| l | l | Onset | ɮ |
| Coda | w | ||
| -li | li | lʲ | |
| ly- | lj | lj | |
| m | m | Onset | m |
| Coda normally | ɰ̃p | ||
| Coda after /j, w, ɻ/ | mp | ||
| n | n | Onset | n |
| Coda normally | ɰ̃t | ||
| Coda after /j, w, ɻ/ | nt | ||
| -ni | ni | nʲ | |
| -ng | ŋ | Normally | ɰ̃ |
| After /j, w, ɻ/ | ŋ | ||
| o | ɔ | ɔ̀ | |
| ô | oː | ú | |
| p- | p | p | |
| r | ɹ | Normally | ɹ |
| C_V | j | ||
| s | s | Onset | θ (Standard)
s (Marcyland) |
| Coda | θ (high vowel tone) (Standard)
s (high vowel tone) (Marcyland) | ||
| sy- | sj | ɕ | |
| š | ʃ | Onset | ʂ |
| Coda | ʂ (high vowel tone) | ||
| t | t | t | |
| ty- | tj | tɕ (Standard)
tʃ (Marcyland)[1] | |
| u | y | y | |
| w | w | w | |
| x | ç | Onset | c |
| Coda | ç | ||
| y | j | j | |
| z | dz | Onset | dz |
| z | Coda | s (low vowel tone) | |
| zy- | dzj | dʑ |
Phonology
Consonants
Kyawcenni uses following consonants:
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Retroflex | Alveolo-Palatal | Palatal | Velar-Uvular | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unv | v | unv | v | unv | v | unv | v | unv | v | unv | v | unv | v | ||
| Plosive | p | b | t | d | c [c, ç] | k | ɡ [ɡ, ɤ̯] | ||||||||
| Nasal | m [m, ɰ̃p, mp] | n [n, ɰ̃t, nt] | nʲ | (ɰ̃, ŋ)³ | |||||||||||
| Fricative | (θ)¹ | (ð)¹ | s | ʂ | ɕ | χ | |||||||||
| Affricate | (ts)¹ | dz | (tʃ)¹ | (dʒ)¹ | ʈʂ | ɖʐ | tɕ | dʑ | |||||||
| Liquid | w | ɮ | ɻ⁴ | lj~lʲ | j | ||||||||||
¹ depends on the dialect. For more information look at the orthography section above.
² Can be treated as an allophonic realization of the sequence /(C)i/
³ Historically its own phoneme descended from /ŋ/, but is now sometimes seen as an allophone of /g/
⁴ realized as [ɘ̯] before palatal of palatalized consonants
Vowels
Kyawcenni uses following vowels:
| - | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i, y | (u)¹ | |
| Near-close | (ɪ)¹ | (ɚ~ɘ)² | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a~ə | (ɑ)¹ |
¹ [ɪ], [u] and [ɑ] can be treated either as seperate phonemes as allophones of [i], [ɔ] and [ɑ] respectively distinguished by pitch accent. /ɛ/ also has two tonemic realizations.
² Can be treated as an allophonic realization of the sequence /ɛɻ/ (low tone) or /ɛ̂ɻ/ (high tone); realized as [ɘ] before palatal or palatalized consonants
Pitch accent
The following chart shows how pitch accent (sometimes also called tones) works in Kyawcenni.
The italicized IPA are the toneless Middle Kyawcenni phonemes. As examples, this chart uses /ɛ/ and one of the listed coda consonants, but the tones apply to any vowel¹.
Lat, = Latin alphabet
Mid. = Middle Kyawcenni
MSK = Modern Standard Kyawcenni pronunciation
| Coda →
Vowel ↓ |
Lat.: <c, s, č, š> | <z, j> | <m, n, ng> | <x, h> | <y, w, r> | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid.: ts, s, tʃ, ʃ | z, ʒ | m, n, ŋ | ç, χ | j, w, ɹ | ∅ | |
| MSK: ts, s, ʈʂ, ʂ | s, ʂ | ɰ̃p, ɰ̃t, ɰ̃ | ç, χ | j, w, ɻ | ∅ | |
| Lat.: <a, e, ę, o, i, u> | <ec> | <ez> | <eng> | <ex> | <ey> | <e> |
| Mid.: a, ɛ, (ɚ), ɔ, i, y | ɛs | ɛs | ɛŋ | ɛç | ɛj | ɛ |
| MSK: a, ɛ, (ɚ), ɔ, i, y¹ | ɛs˩˥ | ɛs˩ | ɛɰ̃¹ | ɛç¹ | ɛj¹ | ɛ¹ |
| Lat.: <au, ai, ę, ê, ô> | <aic> | <aiz> | <aing> | <aix> | <aiy> | <ai> |
| Mid.: ɔː, ɛː, (ɚ), eː, oː | ɛːts | ɛːz | ɛːŋ | ɛːç | ɛːj | ɛː |
| MSK: ɑ, ɛ, (ɚ), ɪ, u | ɛs˥ | ɛs˥˩ | ɛɰ̃˥˩ | ɛç˥˩ | ɛj˥˩ | ɛ˥˩ |
¹ Toneless vowel: The tone can vary, but it usually contrasts the tone of the previous syllable. In a sequence of toneless syllables the tone tends to drop. /y/ is always toneless.
Phonotactics
See also: Middle Kyawcenni#Phonotactics
Excluding vowels, a syllable can start with the following consonants:
p b t d m n (θ) s (ts) dz ɮ lj ʃ tʃ dʒ c k χ ɡ j w ɻ
Excluding vowels, a syllable can end in the following consonants:
m n nʲ (θ) s (ts) z ʃ tʃ ʒ lʲ ç χ ŋ j w ɻ
If none of them appear directly before or after each other, following consonants can be used between consonant and vowel:
j w ɻ
/w/ cannot appear after affricates
A syllable can also begin with vowels, but it cannot begin with:
y i
/ɻ/ or /ɚ/ next to /ɮ/ or /lj/ is not possible in the same syllable
/j, w, ɻ/ cannot appear directly after affricates (including <c> /(t)s/), /c/ or postalveolar and retroflex consonants in the same syllable
/ɻ/ and /ɚ/ cannot appear in the same syllable
Evolution from Middle Kyawcenni
For now, please look at the orthography section for this
Syntax
The Syntax of Kyawcenni follows VSO word order by standard, but it is not strict. In speech and poetry other word orders can be found as well.
Adjective and adposition appear after the noun they modify.
Morphology
When Kyawcenni words are combined, the first word is often shortened to only one syllable:
jong yi tę nar = Ætérnalism
(First syllable of jong gyaw = religion + nominative of yi tę nar = Ætérnal)
Pronouns
There are several pronouns in Kyawcenni whose use depends on case, formality, gender identity, plurality, species and tense.
First person personal pronouns
| Pronoun | Plurality | Formality | Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hę | singular | informal | dog
human (masculine) |
|
| hrauh | plural | informal | dog
human (masculine) |
|
| yi | singular | casual informal |
cat human (feminine) |
|
| no | singular plural |
polite formal |
any | Used to introduce the past tense only |
| ong | singular plural |
formal casual informal (plural only) |
any | |
| du | singular
plural |
informal | parrot | |
| san | singular
plural |
polite | any |
Second person personal pronouns
| Pronoun | Plurality | Formality | Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| o ni | singular | casual | human (masculine) | |
| no ri | singular
plural |
formal
polite |
any | |
| šo | singular
plural |
informal
casual |
any |
Third person personal pronouns
| Pronou | Plurality | Formality | Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| na | singular | any | any | |
| nô | plural | any | any |
Relative pronouns
| Pronoun Gen Dat Acc Loc |
Plurality | Formality | Species | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pac | singular
plural |
any | inanimate | |
| pa ten | singular | any | animate | |
| pa cin | plural | any | animate |
Nouns
 Notice: | This section is an inconsistent Work in Progress |
Nominalization
Adjectives and verbs can be turned into nouns by adding the -nu suffix.
Case
Kyawcenni has four cases in total: Nominative Genitive-Dative Accusative Vocative
Nominative
The Nominative case doesn’t have any ending, not sure what else to say here:
KMTS: cun, bwis, bim, awč, kyaw, na wiy, ge šeng, en ka wa, boc wau na, yi kow, hwey
KLA: cun, bwis, bim, asč, kyaw, nawiy, gešeng, Enkawa, Bocwauna, Yikow, hwey
IPA: /syɰ̃t, bwǐs, biɰ̃p, awtʃ, tɕaw, na.wij, gɛ.ʂɛɰ̃, ɛɰ̃t.ka.wə, bɔs.wɑ̂.nə, ji.kɔw, χwɛj/
Genitive-Dative
The Genitive-Dative case is used for indirect objects and after prepositions. It is formed by adding either /nɛ/, /mɛ/, /ɛ/, or /ɛɰ̃t/ (always written as <ne> in KMTS) after the noun.
- After most consonants, /ɛɰ̃t/ (written as <ne> in KMTS and <en> in KLA) is added. That consonant then becomes the onset of the syllable after. The tone changes accordingly.
KMTS: bwis ne, awč ne, kyaw ne, na wiy ne
KLA: bwisen, awčen, kyawen, nawiyen
IPA: /bwi.sɛɰ̃t, aw.tʃɛɰ̃t, tɕa.wɛɰ̃t, na.wi.jɛɰ̃t/
- Except for syllables ending in -ɰ̃t <n> or -ɰ̃ <ng>, for which /nɛ/ (written as <ne> in both KMTS and KLA) is added. Phonetically, the nasal endings are replaced with /nɛ/. This is reflected in the KLA spelling by writing the nasal consonant as <nn>.
KMTS: cen ne, ge šeng ne
KLA: cenne, gešenne
IPA: /sɛ.nɛ, gɛ.ʂɛ.nɛ/
- For syllables ending in a vowel, /nɛ/ (written as <ne> in both KMTS and KLA) is added:
KMTS: en ka wa ne
KLA: Enkawane
IPA: /ɛɰ̃t.ka.wa.nɛ/
- For syllables ending in /ɰ̃p/ <m>, /mɛ/ (written as <ne> in KMTS and <me> in KLA) is added. The /mɛ/ thereby replaces the /-ɰ̃p/:
KMTS: bim ne
KLA: bimme
IPA: /bi.mɛ/
- For words ending in n(V), that syllable is replaced with /nɛ/ (written as <ne> in both KMTS and KLA):
KMTS: boc wau ne
KLA: Bocwaune
IPA: /bɔs.wɑ̂.nɛ/
- And for some geographic names ending in /-w/ and /-j/, just /ɛ/ is added:
KMTS: yi kow ne, hwey ne
KLA: Yikowe, Hweye
IPA: /ji.ko.wɛ, χwɛ.jɛ/
Accusative
The Accusative case is formed by adding <ni>:
cun ni, bwis ni, bim ni, awč ni
Except for words ending in -ng, after which -gi is added:
gešeng gi
And words ending in -w or -y, after which just -i is added:
kyawi, nawiyi
and for words ending in -na, which is shortened to -n-
Boc waun ni
Vocative
The Vocative case is formed by adding a -ne suffix:
cun ne, bwis ne, bim ne, awč ne
Except for words ending in -ng, after which -ge is added:
ge šeng ge
And words ending in -w or -y, after which just -e is added. The consonant then becomes the onset of the syllable after. The tone changes accordingly.
kya we, na wi ye
and for words ending in -na, which is shortened to -n-
Boc waun ne
Verbs
There are three suffixes that can be added to verbs in the following order:
Assumption: -si ben zang → ben zang si x ≈ I assume x calculates
Subjunctive: -ga ben zang → ben zang ga x ≈ x would calculate
Past: -dah ben zang → ben zang dah x ≈ x calculated
Those can also be combined:
benzang → benzangsigadah ≈ I assume x would have calculated
Transitive verbs usually end in -em, -en or -me. Those suffixes are omitted in the conjugated form.
Exceptions:
There are some exceptions for verbs that don’t just add suffixes, but change their stem:
bęč (walk) → bih in Past tense, not bęčdah
Adjectives
For comparatives, you just double the last syllable of the adjective:
paš (good) → paš paš (better)
For superlatives, you just add na jen (all in genitive case) after the comparative form.
Vocabulary
For a list of Kyawcenni words, see Kyawcenni vocabulary