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

Distribution of the Kyawcenni language

Kyawcenni /kjɒˈsɛn.ni/ (Kyawcenni: bôc kyaw cen ne (KMTS), bôc Kyawcenne (KLA) /bús tɕaw.sɛ.nɛ/) is an analytic language spoken by Kyawcennis in the Kingdom of Kyaw Cen and usually written in Tanswaiy. Its early speakers originated from Marcyland, but it is now also 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. This later developed into Middle Kyawcenni, and later Modern Standard Kyawcenni, which is the variety of the language this article describes.

Orthography

Kyawcenni officially uses the Tanswaiy script, but sometimes the Latin alphabet is used if Tanswaiy is unavailable. The Tanswaiy 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 or even mixed in informal contexts.

Tanswaiy

Tanswaiy is the standard writing system of the Kyawcenni language. The orthography uses the Kyawcenni abugida alongside logographs.

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KMTS

The Kyawcenni Morphological Transliteration System (KMTS) is a literal transliteration system of the Tanswaiy script. Therefore, like in Tanswaiy, the spelling sometimes reflects the individual morphemes, rather than the pronunciation, and is based on Middle Kyawcenni. Foreign proper names written in the Latin alphabet need to be transcribed to match Kyawcenni phonotactics (e.g. Agma eats = lur sem ang ma). In KMTS, every syllable is separated by a space.

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. Foreign proper names written in the Latin alphabet are not transcribed in KLA (e.g. Agma eats = Lursem Agma). In KLA, every word is separated by a space. As a result, it is sometimes not clear whether a consonant is a part of an onset or a coda (e.g. yo-lyu /jɔ ljy/ vs. yol-yu /jɔw jy/), but when translating a text from Kyawcenni, a given KLA transcription can help you find out where the word boundaries are.

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 phonemically as nixang in KLA, despite it being pronounced like “nęxam” in Middle Kyawcenni.

Comparison

Here is an example sentence in both romanizations:

KMTS: lauh dah hę nay nral bweng ne gô pac šô lyu tem dah dya ne su pac lauh dah.
KLA: Lauhdah hę nay nral bwenne gô pac šôlyutemdah dyangsu pac lauhdah.
IPA: [ɮɑ̂χ.daχ hɚ naj njaw bwɛ.nɛ ɤ̯û pás ʂû.ljy.tɛɰ̃p.daχ dʑaɰ̃.θy pás ɮɑ̂χ.daχ]
Gloss: look.PAST (sg they) toward behind door.GEN and (reflexive pronoun) like.NOT.PAST it.GEN what (reflexive pronoun) see PAST
Translation: They looked behind the door and didn't like what they saw.

Table

Latin	Middle Kyawcenni	Condition	Modern Kyawcenni
a	a	Normally	à
		End of syllable	ə
ai	ɛː		ɛ́
au	ɔː		ɑ́
b-	b		b
c	ts	Onset	s (Standard) ts (Marcyland)
		Coda	s (high vowel tone) (Standard) ts (Marcyland)
cy-	tsj		tɕ
č	tʃ	Onset	ʈʂ
		Coda	ʈʂ (high vowel tone)
d-	d	Normally	d
		Intervocalically	ð
-di	di		θ
dy	dj		dʑ (Standard) dʒ (Marcyland)
e	ɛ		ɛ̀
ê	eː		ɪ́
ę, er	ɚ	Normally	ɚ
		Before palatal consonants	ɘ
g-	ɡ	Normally	ɤ̯
		Before /j, w, ɻ/	ɡ
gy-	ɡj		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 Coda after /j, w, ɻ/	m
		Coda normally	ɰ̃
		Coda before vowel or /j, w, ɻ/	ɰ̃m/mm
n	n	Onset Coda after /j, w, ɻ/ Coda before vowel or /j, w, ɻ/	n
		Coda normally	ɰ̃
		Coda normally, before vowel or /j, w, ɻ/	ɰ̃n/nn
-ni	ni		nʲ
-ng	ŋ	Normally	ɰ̃
		After /j, w, ɻ/	ŋ
		Coda before vowel or /j, w, ɻ/	ɰ̃ɡ/ŋɡ
o	ɔ		ɔ̀
ô	oː		ú
p-	p		p
r	ɹ	Normally	ɹ
		C_V	j
s	s	Onset	θ (Standard) s (Marcyland)
		Before /j, w, ɻ/	s
		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)
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]⁵				n						(nʲ)²			ɰ̃, (ŋ)
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. The postalveolar fricatives only appear in Marcian Kyawcenni, which in turn does not have dental fricatives.

² Allophonic realization of the sequence /ni/ after vowels

³ Historically its own phoneme descended from /ŋ/, but can also seen as an allophone of /g/

⁴ Realized as [ɘ̯] before palatal of palatalized consonants

For more information on the pronunciation, take a look at the orthography table above.

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 Allophonic realization of the sequence /ɛɻ/ (low tone) or /ɛ̂ɻ/ (high tone); realized as [ɘ] before palatal 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.

KMTS = KMTS Transliteration

Mid. = Middle Kyawcenni

MSK = IPA in Modern Standard Kyawcenni

Toneme chart

Coda → Vowel ↓	KMTS: <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	∅
KMTS: <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
KMTS: <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

<er> at the beginning of a syllable is pronounced as /ɚ/. <ę> cannot appear at the beginning of a syllable. <air> at the beginning of a syllable is pronounced as /ɛ́ɻ/.

Evolution from Middle Kyawcenni

For now, please look at the orthography section for this

Syntax

The Syntax of Kyawcenni follows VSO word order, but it can be modified to an SVO word order by adding the particle em between the subject and the verb. Adjectives appear after the noun they modify. Prepositions appear before the noun and are used with the Genitive-Dative case, except for ar (“in, inside”) which comes after and uses the Nominative case:

Example:
cow = can; bęč = go/walk; aung = I (formal/non-binary); nay = to/towards; yi ja = Yija; ne = Gen-Dat case particle; ar = in/inside

• I can go to Yija = cow bęč aung nay yi ja ne
• I am in Yija = aung yi ja ar
• I was in Yija = dah aung yi ja ar

Morphology

Kyawcenni words sometimes consist of the first syllable of one word, followed by another word:
jong yi tę nar = Ætérnalism
(First syllable of jong gyaw = religion + yi tę nar = Ætérnal)

Pronouns

There are several pronouns in Kyawcenni whose use depends on formality and gender identity. In order to show possession of something, that something is followed by a pronoun in Gen-Dat case:

Example:
tan tal = paper; aung = I (formal/non-binary); ne = Gen-Dat particle
My paper = tan tal aung ne

First person personal pronouns

There are three first person personal pronouns in Kyawcenni:

• yi (feminine, informal)
• hę (masculine, informal)
• aung (formal or non-binary informal)

Second person personal pronouns

There are three second person personal pronouns in Kyawcenni:

• šo (informal, singular)
• sow (informal, plural)
• no ri (formal)

When declined, the pronoun šo uses the declensions of sow:

• KMTS: Gen-Dat: sow ne, Acc: sow ni, Voc: sow ne!
• KLA: Gen-Dat: sowen/swen, Acc: sowni, Voc: sowne!

There is also the “hyperformal” pronoun san, but nowadays it is only used in ceremonial contexts or when addressing a monarch.

Third person personal pronouns

Kyawcenni has two third person personal pronouns:

• dya (singular)
• dya pay (plural)

Reflexive pronouns

Kyawcenni has three reflexive pronouns:

• pac (singular)
• pa pay (plural)
• pa ri (formal)

In formal contexts, pa ri is only used if it references the person(s) that is/are being talked to, not if they reference a third person.

Example:
sang = have; no ri = you (formal); nuz ni = time (Acc); pa ri ne = reflexive pronoun (formal, Gen-Dat)

• (formal) You have your time = sang no ri nuz ni pa ri ne

Nouns

Case

Kyawcenni has four cases in total: Nominative Genitive-Dative Accusative Vocative

Nominative

The Nominative (Nom) 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 (Gen-Dat) 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 (written as <ne> in KMTS and <e> in KLA):
  

KMTS: yi kow ne, hwey ne
KLA: Yikowe, Hweye
IPA: [ji.ko.wɛ, χwɛ.jɛ]

Accusative

The Accusative (Acc) case is used for direct objects. It is formed by adding [ni], [nʲ], [ɡi] or [i] (always written as <ni> in KMTS) after the noun.

• After words ending in /-ɰ̃/ <-ng>, /ɡi/ is added (written as <ni> in KMTS and <gi> in KLA):
  

KMTS: ge šeng ni
KLA: gešenggi
IPA: [ɤ̯ɛ.ʂɛɰ̃.ɤ̯i]

• After words ending in /-w/ <-w> or /-j/ <-y>, /i/ is added to the last consonant (written as <ni> in KMTS and <-i> in KLA):
  

KMTS: kyaw ni, na wiy ni
KLA: kyawni, nawiyi
IPA: [tɕa.wi, na.wi.ji]

• After words ending in /-ɰ̃t/ <-n>, the /-ɰ̃t/ is omitted and /ni/ is added (written as <ni> in both KMTS and KLA). Phonetically, the nasal ending is replaced with /ni/ (realized as [nʲ] after vowels) This is reflected in the KLA spelling by writing the nasal consonant as <nn>.
  

KMTS: cun ni
KLA: cunni
IPA: [synʲ]

• After words ending in /na/ <na>, that syllable is replaced with /ni/ <ni> (realized as [nʲ] after vowels). This is reflected in the KLA spelling by writing the nasal consonant as <nn>. In the KMTS spelling, the <na> ending persists.
  

KMTS: boc wau na ni
KLA: Bocwaunni
IPA: [bɔ́s.wɑ̂nʲ]

• In all other cases, the Accusative case is formed by adding /ni/ <ni>, (realized as [nʲ] after vowels).
  

KMTS: bwis ni, bim ni, awč ni, en ka wa ni
KLA: bwisni, bimni, awčni, Enkawani
IPA: [bwís.ni, biɰ̃p.ni, áwtʃ.ni, eɰ̃t.ka.wanʲ]

Vocative

The Vocative (Voc) case is used to address a person directly. It is formed by adding either /nɛ/, /ɡɛ/, or /ɛ/ (always written as <ne> in KMTS) after the noun. In order to distinguish it from the Genitive-Dative case, an exclamation mark is always written after the noun.

• After words ending in /-ɰ̃/ <-ng>, /ɡɛ/ is added (written as <ne> in KMTS and <ge> in KLA):
  

KMTS: ge šeng ne!
KLA: gešengge!
IPA: [ɤ̯ɛ.ʂɛɰ̃.ɤ̯ɛ]

• After words ending in /-w/ <-w> or /-j/ <-y>, /i/ is added to the last consonant (written as <ni> in KMTS and <-i> in KLA):
  

KMTS: kyaw ne!, na wiy ne!
KLA: kyawne!, nawiye!
IPA: [tɕa.wɛ, na.wi.jɛ]

• After words ending in /-ɰ̃t/ <-n>, the /-ɰ̃t/ is omitted and /nɛ/ is added (written as <ne> in both KMTS and KLA). Phonetically, the nasal ending is replaced with /nɛ/ This is reflected in the KLA spelling by writing the nasal consonant as <nn>.
  

KMTS: cun ne!
KLA: cunne!
IPA: [sy.nɛ]

• After words ending in /na/ <na>, that syllable is replaced with /nɛ/ <ne>. This is reflected in the KLA spelling by writing the nasal consonant as <nn>. In the KMTS spelling, the <na> ending persists.
  

KMTS: boc waun na ne!
KLA: Bocwaunne!
IPA: [bɔ́s.wɑ̂.nɛ]

• In all other cases, the Vocative case is formed by adding <ne>.
  

KMTS: bwis ne!, bim ne!, awč ne!, en ka wa ne!
KLA: bwisne!, bimne!, awčne!, Enkawane!
IPA: [bwís.nɛ, biɰ́p.nɛ, áwtʃ.nɛ, eɰ̃t.ka.wa.nɛ]

Verbs

There are five particles that can be added to verbs in the following order:

ben zang x = x calculates

• Negation: <kem> after <h> and <ng>, <tem> everywhere else
  • ben zang → ben zang kem x = x doesn't calculate
    
• Assumption: <si>
  • ben zang → ben zang si x = Apparently, x calculates
    
• Subjunctive: <ga>
  • ben zang → ben zang ga x = x would calculate
    
• Past: <dah>
  • ben zang → ben zang dah x = x calculated
• Future: <yoj>
  • ben zang → ben zang yoj x = x will calculate

Those can also be combined:

• benzang → ben zang kem si ga dah x ≈ Apparently, x would not have calculated

Combining the past and future particle results in the future perfect:

• benzang → ben zang dah yoj x ≈ x will have calculated

In KLA romanization, these particles are attached to the verb directly without a space.

Exceptions: There are a few exceptions for verbs that don’t just add suffixes, but change their stem:
bęč (walk) → bih in Past tense, not bęč dah

The copula is unwritten. When talking about an event in the past or the future for example, the past and future particles are used respectively:

yi = I (female), cu tau = quing

• I am the quing: aung cu tau
• I was the quing: tem aung cu tau
• I will be the quing: yoj aung cu tau

Adjectives

For comparatives, you just double the last syllable of the adjective:

paš (good) → paš paš (better)

For superlatives, you just add the word for “all” in genitive case (KMTS: naj ne, KLA: najen) after the adjective.

paš (good) → paš naj ne (best)

Vocabulary

For a list of Kyawcenni words, take a look at the spreadsheet