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Phonology Consonants: p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, f, s, h Vowels: a, i, u, e, o /w/: has two sounds: /w/ and /y/ (as in ü in Turkish). Syllable Structure: Primarily (C)V(N) (Consonant-Vowel-Nasal), allowing for simple syllables similar to Cantonese. No consonant clusters are permitted at the beginning or end of words. Grammar Basic Sentence Structure: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) Nouns: * Nouns are generally monosyllabic or disyllabic. * Plurality is indicated by the particle *de* before the noun. * No grammatical cases. Verbs: * Verbs are typically monosyllabic. * Tense is indicated by particles placed before the verb: * *ba-* (future) * *ge-* (past) * no particle (present) * Example: * *Ngo da* (I eat) * *Ngo ge-da* (I ate) * *Ngo ba-da* (I will eat) Adjectives: * Adjectives follow the noun they modify. * Adjectives do not inflect. Adverbs: * Adverbs precede the verb they modify. Possession: Indicated by placing the possessor before the possessed, linked by the particle *no*. * Example: *Ngo no so* (My book - I of book) Prepositions: Most relationships are indicated by prepositions. Spelling/Writing System Uses a simple alphabetic system based on the sounds. Each sound corresponds to a single letter. Example Words *Ngo*: I *So*: Book *Da*: Eat *Be*: Big *Ma*: Mother *Ha de*: Children (Child plural) *Go*: go, move
