22_Phonotactics & Euphony

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Grammatical Concept: Flow and Constraints

Asaxi places a high priority on Euphony (pleasant sound flow). The language strictly regulates how sounds connect, utilizing a system of Epenthetic Bridges which serve various purposes. Specific Phonotactic Constraints on what sounds may coexist are also outlined in this note. Various pronunciation nuances are also detailed below.

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Infixes in Asaxi

Bridges in Asaxi may serve a grammatical purpose or simply be inserted to avoid hiatus when specific grammatical particles fuse together. In other cases, they may or may not be necessary—some nouns exhibit vowel hiatus or even doubled vowels while others get the bridge.

A. The Strict Morphological Rule (-n-)

Mandatory when converting a Noun ending in a vowel into a Derived Verb.

• Rule: [Root-V] + n + ů.
• Example: shěso + ů → shěsonů (To read).

B. Common Lexical Bridges (-w- / -x-)

Locatives and verb roots create mandatory bridges when fusing with other elements.

• The -w- Bridge: used in Locative Stacking (vawo) and Ga-Compounds (gamaowo).
• The -x- Bridge:
  • used before Verb Roots fused with other elements (zèxijo). Note: This rule does NOT apply to verbs derived from nouns (paaxanů).
  • used in ga noun

C. I- and W- Coalescence (-x- Bridge Exception)

A specific exception to the rule exists for Verb Roots starting with i (e.g., ijo, ijù).

When a Prefix ending in vowels: “a”, “e”, “o”, or “è” attaches to an i- verb, the vowels coalesce into a diphthong.

• Rule: [Prefix-V] + [Root-i] → [Diphthong]
• Example: zè + ijù → zëjù (Said).
• Example: no + ijo → nőjo (There-see).

For prefixes ending in “u”, “a”, or “o”:

If the following consonant starts with w, the prefix vowel coalesces into a diphthong.

Poetic & Formal Exception: While coalescence is the standard rule for natural speech, the full bridge form (-x-) may be preserved in poetry, song, or high-formal register to maintain syllable count or meter.

• Standard: zëjo (2 syllables).
• Poetic: zèxijo (3 syllables).

Constraint (Word Boundary): This rule applies only to prefixes (bound morphemes) within the verbal complex. It does not apply across word boundaries between separate parts of speech.

• Example: To jo ijo. (“It sees.“)
  • Analysis: jo (Pronoun “It”) ends in o. ijo (Verb “See”) starts with i.
  • Result: No Coalescence. They remain separate words: jo ijo. (NOT jőjo).

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Consonant Mutation & Elision

A. H-Deletion (h Stability)

The glottal fricative /h/ is weak.

• Deletion Rule: If h follows a Consonant or a Diphthong, it is deleted.
  • Rule V (diphthong) OR C + hè → è.
  • e.g. mmbănů + hè → mmbănůè
• Retention Rule: If h follows a Pure Vowel, it remains.
  • dao + hè → daohè.

B. H-Fortition / Assimilation

If a syllable containing the voiced fricative x (/ɦ/) is followed by h, the h changes into x.

• Rule: ...xV + hV... → ...xVxV...
• Example: ná + xă + hù… → náxăxù…

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Syllabic Nasals (Nuclei)

The geminated/syllabic nasals mm, nn, and nŋ function phonotactically as Vowels (Nuclei).

• Status: They occupy the V-slot in a syllable (CV).
• Assimilation:
  • nn becomes mm before Bilabials (p, b).
  • nn becomes nŋ before Velars (k, g).
• Coda Tolerance:
  • Syllabic nasals cannot support plosive codas (p, t, k, b, d, g) at the end of a word.
  • Invalid: kammb, kanŋg.
  • Valid: kammba, kanŋga (Must be followed by a vowel to break the cluster).

Other Pronunciation Quirks

A. Doubled Vowel Length

In cases where identical vowels appear consecutively (such as the double ‘o’ in toonă), the following pronunciation rule applies:

• Vowel Duration: Doubled vowels are not shortened or merged into a single short vowel. They must be pronounced for the length of two full syllables.
• Execution: This can be realized as a slight re-articulation to ensure the two-beat timing is preserved.

The Final Diphthongs

When the diphthongs appear at the end of a phrase or word (common in imperatives), it changes from a diphthong to a pure vowel in pronunciation. This is particular to certain accents and as such isn’t reflected in the main phonetic chart from the note 00_Phonemes of the Asaxi Language.

• shivënwë → /ɕi.veɪnweː/
• pjoŕů → /pʲoɾʊ/

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Phonotactic Constraints

A. Forbidden Codas

• Plosives (p, t, k, b, d, g): Generally forbidden at the end of a word.
  • Restriction: This prohibition extends to clusters involving Syllabic Nasals (e.g., kammb is forbidden).
• Complex Clusters: Clusters like lv or lm cannot end a word (e.g., ilv is invalid; ilva is valid).

B. Liquid Constraints (r / l)

• The l Rule: The liquid l must be adjacent to Pure Vowels (a, i, u, e, o) only.
  • Invalid: ýl, lý.
  • Constraint: l may appear at the onset of a syllable with impure vowels, but may not follow them (e.g., lýshko OK; lýlo NO).
• The r Rule:
  • Rarity: r is exceedingly rare.
  • Permitted Clusters: Only allowed after ch, jh, k, f, p. (Forbidden: tr, dr, sr, gr).
  • Vowel Restriction: r may never be followed by i.
    • Sole Exception: fri (Valid).
  • Glide Restriction: r never appears with glides (w, j).

Special Phenomena

A. The Glottal Stop (')

A distinct consonant (/ʔ/). Orthographically significant.

• Interaction with h- Suffixes (Glottal Elision): When a word ending in a glottal stop meets a suffix starting with h, the glottal stop is deleted.
  • chěcho' + hè → chěchohè (Close it!).
• Interaction with Particles (Boundary Elision): If a word ending in a glottal stop is followed immediately by a Particle or Connector (even if it starts with a consonant), the glottal stop is dropped to maintain flow.
  • Rule: [Word-'] + [Particle] → [Word] [Particle]
  • Example: tomo' (Stop) + kè (Question) → tomo kè? (“Does it stop?”).
  • Note: This prevents the “stutter” of a glottal stop followed immediately by another consonant across a grammatical boundary.

B. Vowel Devoicing

Vowels between voiceless consonants may devoice, creating syllabic fricatives.

• Example: shěso → [ʃ̩so].

Particle Contraction (Rapid Speech)

In casual or rapid speech, disyllabic compound particles often undergo Vowel Elision, where the first vowel is dropped to create a consonant cluster. This is permissible only if the resulting cluster follows Asaxi phonotactic constraints.

Marking: Contracted forms are written with an apostrophe (') to indicate the missing vowel.

Common Contractions

Original	Meaning	Contraction	IPA
sèwo	Because	s’wo	/sʷo/
sèni	So / Therefore	s’ni	/sni/
panå	Not yet	p’nå	/pnau̯/
nanå	Often	n’nå	/n:au̯/
hùnå	Already	h’nå	/hnau̯/
vanå	Still	v’nå	/vnau̯/
Usage Note: These contractions are optional and register-dependent (Casual/Fast). In formal writing or poetry, the full form is preferred for clarity and meter.