Like other modern Talmic languages, Tigal is written in the Talmic cursive script, which is written from left to right. Some letters are not used in Tigal. Also ''v'' is not used except in loanwords.
Tigal (Tigal: a d-Tigal [ə ˈd̥ɪɡ̊ɤᵝˤ] or a ŋ-goth d-Tigal [ə ŋɔɬ ˈtɪɡ̊ɤᵝˤ] 'the Tigal language'; pronounced "tiggle" in English) is a West Talmic language inspired by German, Irish and Philadelphia English. Like all Talmic languages, Tigal is a descendant of Thensarian. It is spoken on the west coast of the continent Cuadhlabh on Hussmauch.
Like other modern Talmic languages, Tigal is written in the Talmic cursive script, which is written from left to right. Some letters are not used in Tigal. Also v is not used except in loanwords.
Tigal script
Phonology
Consonants
Tigal has a relatively average consonant inventory of around 20 consonants, like most West Talmic languages. The phonology is unusual for distinguishing lateral consonants in fricatives but not in liquids.
Tigal consonants
Labial
Alveolar
Retroflex
Palatal
Velar
Uvular
Glottal
Nasal
m m
n n~ɳ
ŋ ŋ~ɴ
Stop
tenuis
b p
d t~ʈ
g k~q
ʔ
aspirated
p pʰ
t tʰ~ʈʰ
c kʰ~qʰ
Spirant
voiceless
f f
ɬ~ꞎ
ç~x
voiced
v
ɮ~ɮ˞
j~ɣ
Non-spirant
voiceless
s s~ʂ
h
voiced
z z~ʐ
Liquid
r ɽ~ɺ˞~ɭ
l ʀ~ʟ
Approximant
w
j
Notes
An initial /ʔ/ is added to null initials (at least in careful speech).
The aspiration distinction is neutralized word-finally.
Unaspirated consonants /p, t, k/ are half-voiced [b̥, d̥, ɡ̊] between vowels (at least within a word).
/w/ is a labiovelar approximant [ɰʷ] with the vocalic quality of [u].
/n, tʰ, t, ɬ, ɮ/ are usually dental, and are retroflex [ɳ, ʈʰ, ʈ, ꞎ, ɮ˞] adjacent to /ɽ˞~ɭ/.
The sequence /ŋɽ/ may become a retroflex lateral nasal [ɳᶩ] or, for some speakers, even a weak retroflex click [ᵑǃ˞].
/s, z/ are alveolar retracted [s̠, z̠], similar to the Northern/Central Castillan Spanish and Modern Greek counterparts. They have retroflex allophones [ʂ, ʐ] next to /ɺ˞~ɭ/.
/ŋ, kʰ, k/ are usually velar [ŋ, kʰ, k], but are often uvular [ɴ, qʰ, q] next to /ʀ~ʟ/. /kʰʀ/ becomes an affricate or a trilled affricate [qχ].
/x, ɣ/ palatalize to [ç, j] before /iː yː ɪ ʏ eː øː ɛ œ/.
The retroflex liquid /ɽ~ɺ˞~ɭ/:
The [ɽ~ɺ˞] allophone usually occurs before vowels; [ɺ˞] predominates after /s z/.
After vowels the [ɭ] allophone is always used.
The uvular liquid /ʀ~ʟ/:
The [ʀ] allophone occurs before consonants, and can be described as a "trilled Philly L". It is a pharyngealized uvular trill with compressed rounding [ʀᵝˤ] in careful speech, and a fricative or approximant [ʁᵝˤ] in casual speech which devoices to [χᵝˤ] after an aspirate or another fricative.
The allophone transcribed as [ʟ] occurs after vowels but may occur before consonants. but may occur is phonetically a pharyngealized uvular approximant with compressed rounding [ʁ̞ᵝˤ~ʁ̠̞ᵝ]; the vocalic quality resembles [ɤ]. It is similar to the Philadelphia English vocalized L.
In classical singing and some dialects [ɫ] is used in all positions.
Mutations
Consonant mutations
Grapheme
m
p
b
f
n
t
d
s*
z
r
ŋ
c
g
l
0
IPA
/m/
/pʰ/
/p/
/f/
/n/
/tʰ/
/t/
/s/
/z/
/ɺ˞~ɭ/
/ŋ/
/kʰ/
/k/
/ʀ~ʟ/
/ʔ/
Lenited
mh
ph
bh
fh
-
th
dh
sh
zh
-
-
ch
gh
-
-
IPA
/w/
/f/
/v/
silent
-
/ɬ/
/ɮ/
/h/
silent
-
-
/x/
/ɣ/
-
-
Eclipsed
-
b-p
m-b
bh-f
-
d-t
n-d
z-s
-
-
-
g-c
ŋ-g
-
ŋ-
IPA
-
/p/
/m/
/v/
-
/t/
/n/
/z/
-
-
-
/k/
/ŋ/
-
/ŋ/
* s does not mutate in clusters (sm-, sn-, sŋ-, sb-, sd-, sg-, sl-, sr-).
Vowels
Tigal has a vowel system with a complexity comparable to that of German, with 7 basic vowel qualities, vowel length, and the effects of L-vocalization.
Tigal vowels
Front
Central
Back
unrounded
rounded
unrounded
rounded
unrounded
rounded
short
long
short
long
short
long
short
short
long
Close
i /ɪ/
í /iː/
y /ʏ/
ý /yː/
ú /ʉː/
u /ʊ/
ul, úl /ʊˁː/
Mid
e /ɛ/
é /eː/
ø /œ/
ǿ /øː/
a [ə]
ó /ɵː/
el [ɤˁ]
o /ɔ/
ol, ól /ɔˤː/
Open
á /æː/
a /ɐ/
al, ál /ɒˁː/
Diphthongs:
ia ya ua il/íl/ial yl/ýl/yal el él øl ǿl /iə yə uə ɪɤˁ ʏɤˁ ɛɤˁ eɤˁ œɤˁ øɤˁ/
The vowel [ə] occurs only in unstressed syllables, and is written a.
Notes
Close vowels
/iː/ is close front unrounded [iː].
/yː/ is close near-front rounded [yː]. Its rounding is compressed.
/ʉː/ is somewhat retracted close central rounded [ʉ̠ː]. Its rounding is protruded.
/ʊˁː/ is near-close back rounded [ʊ̠ˁː]. Its rounding is compressed.
In careful speech, this is a diphthong [ʊ̠ɤˁ].
/ɪ/ is near-close near-front unrounded [ɪ] or close-mid near-front unrounded [e̠].
/ʏ/ is near-close near-front rounded [ʏ]. Its rounding is compressed.
/ʊ/ is near-close near-back rounded [ʊ] or back rounded [ʊ̠]. Its rounding is protruded.
Mid vowels
/eː/ is close-mid front unrounded [eː].
/øː/ is close-mid near-front rounded [øː] or mid front rounded [ø̞ː]. Its rounding is compressed.
/ɵː/ is somewhat retracted close-mid central rounded [ө̠ː]. Its rounding is protruded.
/ɔˁː/ is open-mid near-back rounded [ɔˁː]. Its rounding is compressed.
In careful speech, this is a diphthong [ʌɤˁ] or [ɔɤˁ].
/ɛ/ is open-mid front unrounded [ɛ] or mid near-front unrounded [ɛ̽].
/œ/ is open-mid near-front rounded [œ]. Its rounding is compressed.
[ə] is mid central unrounded [ə]. It is often fronted [ə̟] when word-final.
[ɤˁ] is close-mid compressed pharyngealized [ɤᵝˁ].
/ɔ/ is open-mid back rounded [ɔ] or mid back rounded [o̞]. Its rounding is protruded.
Open vowels
/ɐ/ is near-open central unrounded [ɐ].
/æː/ is open front unrounded [aː], or near-open front unrounded [æː].
/ɒˁː/ is most often phonetically a diphthong [ɒɤˁ] or [äɤˁ].
Umlaut
Words may undergo i-umlaut or u-umlaut under the addition of some affixes.
Umlaut
Root vowel
a
a
e
é
i
í
ia
o
ó
u
ú
ua
u-umlaut
o
ó
ø
ǿ
y
ý
ya
-
-
-
-
-
i-umlaut
e
é
-
-
-
-
-
ø
ǿ
y
ý
ya
L-colored vowels
Some phonological rules
Unstressed -alan, -aran > -aln [ɤˁn], -arn [ɜɭɳ]
Morphology
Nouns
Masculine vowel declension
Use ~ AW neuter determiner endings?
clúda - 'time'
Number→ State↓
Singular
Plural
Indefinite
clúda-L
clúdan
Definite
a clúda
clúdar
Construct
clúdadh
clúdar
Masculine consonantal declension
The mutation after the noun surfaces on adjectives and genitive nouns.
suar - 'house'
Number→ State↓
Singular
Plural
Indefinite
suar-N
suara-H
Definite
a shuar-L
suaran
Construct
suara-L
suarar
Feminine vowel declension
Feminine consonant declension
iamh - 'mother'
Number→ State↓
Singular
Plural
Indefinite
iamh
iamhar
Definite
a n-iamh-N
a h-iamh-H
Construct
yamha-L
yamhar
Adjectives
Declension paradigms
Sample declensions
siath 'sharp'
Masculine
Feminine
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
Indefinite
ŋuar z-siath
ŋuara siatha
tilŋ siath
tilŋar siathar
Definite
a ŋyar shiath
ŋuaran siathan
a d-tilŋ z-siath
a tilŋ siath
Construct
ŋuara shiath
ŋuarar siathan
tylŋa shiath
tylŋar siath
éthamh 'holy'
Masculine
Feminine
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
Indefinite
ésda éthamh
ésdan h-éthamha
tilŋ éthamh
tilŋar éthamhar
Definite
a ésd éthamh
ésdar éthamhan
a d-tilŋ ŋ-éthamh
a tilŋ h-éthamh
Construct
ésdath éthamh
ésdar éthamhan
tylŋa éthamh
tylŋar éthamh
Pronouns
Prepositions
Prepositions are inflected, as in the ancestor Thensarian.
Prepositions
1sg
2sg.m
2sg.f
3sg.m
3sg.f
1pl.ex
1pl.in
2pl
3pl
de-L, d'- (before a vowel) 'in'
dian
dias
dyas
dý
dí
diamh
diad
diach
dyar
gil 'from'
gilan, giln
gilas
gylas
gyla
gila
gilamh
gilad
gilach
gylar
am 'for, to'
oman
emas
omas
oma
ema
amamh
amad
amach
omar
Verbs
Old Tigal had a verb system with complex alternations, almost comparable to that of Old Irish:
Thn. molyn 'I thank' > OTig molan (prototonic); Thn. tir molyn 'I do not thank' > OTig tí·mlun (deuterotonic)
Cf. Thn. armolyn 'I pursue' > ar·mlun (deuterotonic); Thn. tir armolyn 'I do not pursue' > OTig tír·mol (prototonic)
Thn. duchtym 'he builds' > OTig duchdamh Thn. tir duchtym 'he does not build' > OTig tý·dchdumh (The negative particle undergoes u-umlaut here!)
Modern Tigal simplified this system substantially, leaving behind a mixture of synthetic forms (used without a subject pronoun) and analytic forms (used with a subject noun or pronoun).
Syntax
Constituent order
Like its ancestor Thensarian, Tigal is almost completely head-initial, except for some compound words which are head-final. The constituent order is VSO. However, order may be more flexible in poetry.
