Dohron language
| Dohron | |
|---|---|
| Dohron | |
| Region | Nagu |
| Ethnicity | Dohroda |
| Language family | |
| Dialects | Island Dohron, Mountain Dohron (sometimes not considered a dialect) |
| Writing system | Dohron Abuguida |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Dohria |
| CWS code | – |
Background
Basic stuff Dohron is part of the Macro-Vajusan language family. It is one of the most divergent languages, as it split off (along with Deinau) from the main branch of the family very early on. A lot of the words are Deinau words changed slightly through sound changes, but, as of now, Deinau doesn't have many words so a lot of words are original.
Sound The language is mostly CV syllables only, apart from PF (plosive-fricative) or FP clusters (the only ones allowed). This, along with the retroflex series and abuguida script, gives the language a very south-west Asian, somewhat Indian-y feel.
Remove clickbab from premises An interesting quirk which somewhat breaks the Asian-ness of it all are clicks. While Dohron does indeed feature clicks, they are very rare and only present in some regions of the country. The reasons for their rarity are: 1. Realism. I wanted an interesting feature to make it easily stand out from other vajusan languages but, at the same time, not be too drastic. 2. How they are formed. There are only 2 clicks: alveolar and retroflex. They occur only when an alveolar or retroflex plosive clusters with a /w/. There are no nearby click languages to steal clicks from, so I wanted them to only form in specific and appropriate (given that I actually find it very hard to pronounce the aforementioned clusters without a click) environments.
Phonology
Phonemes
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Labio-Velar | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɳ <n> * | ŋ <n> ** | |
| Plosive | p b | t tʰ <t d> | ʈ ʈʰ <ŧ đ> | k g | |
| Fricative | s sʰ |
ʂ ʂʰ <z zh> | |||
| Approximant | w | ||||
| Click | ! <nw> | ‼ <nw> * |
- Occurs as a realisation of an alveolar when near a retroflex
- Occurs as a realisation of an alveolar when near a velar
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Open | a * | ɒ <o> |
- inherent vowel in abuguida script