Hakdor

Hakdor (natively known as Iuqilol /juʤiˈlol/) is any of various language modes employed by the Hakdor (also known as “the Blighted”), a genetically modified race of humanoids on Aterra.

• Hakdor words

Phonology

Unlike standard human languages, the language of the Hakdor is not based exclusively on phonology. Instead it is based on a series of “modes,” of which phonology is just one expression. It is possible for a group of Hakdor who primarily use a vocal language to communicate instantly with a group whose language is primarily manual, written, or melodic, since all the modes are just reflexes of the same processes.

However, since spoken language is the theme of this exercise, the average approximate phonology of verbalized Hakdor follows. ̩

Consonants

	Labial	Coronal	Palatal	Dorsal
Stop	p p · b	t t · d	q ʧ · ʤ	k k · ɡ
Fricative	f f · v	s s · z	c ʃ · ʒ	h x · (#h)
Nasal	n · (#m)	n · n		n · (ŋ#)
Approximant	u · w	r · r	i · j	l · l

Vowels

	Front	Back
High	i ·	· u
Mid	e ·	· o
Mid	a ·

Phonotactics

• The standard syllable is CVC with a maximum CC at syllable boundaries.
• 〈N〉 is a homorganic nasal which is realized as [m] in onsets, [n] when intervocalic, and [ŋ] word-finally.
  • E.g. nanan ‘name’ = [manaŋ]
• 〈I〉 and 〈U〉 may be recognized as consonants or vowels depending on adjacent phonemes. The Hakdor language is structured in such a way that nearly every word follows a pattern of CVC(VC), so if they appear adjacent to a consonant, they’re vowels; otherwise, they’re consonants. (The sole exception to the CVCVC rule occurs in verbs when the particle ra is written as a suffix to the verb, resulting in a CVCCV structure.)

Orthography & Romanization

Hak	Rom	IPA	Comp
i	i	i~ɪ	Like 〈i〉 in machine.
e	e	e~ɛ	Like 〈ay〉 in day.
a	a	a~ɑ	Like 〈a〉 in father.
o	o	o~ɔ	Like 〈o〉 in rope.
u	u	u~ʊ	Like 〈oo〉 in food.
p	p	p	Like 〈p〉 in pool.
p	b	b	When between two vowels, 〈p〉 is like 〈b〉 in able.
t	t	t	Like 〈t〉 in take.
t	d	d	When between two vowels, 〈t〉 is like 〈d〉 in radar.
q	ch	ʧ~ʨ	Like 〈ch〉 in cheese.
q	dj	ʤ~ʥ	When between two vowels, 〈q〉 is like 〈g〉 in rages.
k	k	k	Like 〈k〉 in keep.
k	g	ɡ	When between two vowels, 〈k〉 is like 〈g〉 in eagle.
f	f	f~ф	Like 〈f〉 in fine.
f	v	β	When between two vowels, 〈f〉 is like 〈v〉 in every.
s	s	s	Like 〈s〉 in seek.
s	z	z	When between two vowels, 〈s〉 is like 〈z〉 in hazard.
c	sh	ʃ~ɕ	Like 〈sh〉 in shake.
c	zh	ʒ~ʑ	When between two vowels, 〈c〉 is like 〈s〉 in usual.
h	h	h	At the beginning of a word, like 〈h〉 in hand.
h	kh	x	When between two vowels or word-finally, 〈h〉 is like 〈j〉 in Spanish rojo.
n	m	m	At the beginning of a word, like 〈m〉 in moon.
n	n	n	In the middle of a word, like 〈n〉 in any.
n	ng	ŋ	At the end of a word, 〈n〉 is like 〈ng〉 in English singing.
u	w	w	Like 〈w〉 in awake.
r	r	r~ɾ	Like 〈rr〉 in Spanish perro.
i	y	j	Like 〈y〉 in yell.
l	l	l	Like 〈l〉 in like.

For improved readability, our “presentation form” transliteration differentiates between the letters W and U; Y and I; M, N and NG; H and KH; and the voicing pairs P~B, T~D, CH~J, K~G, F~V, S~Z, and SH~ZH; though in the Hakdor alphabet these letters are not distinguished.

The vowels are pronounced roughly as they are in Spanish, though there can be wide variation from one speaker community to another and even from individual to individual.

Morphology

Substantives

Gender and Number

Hakdor nouns lack grammatical gender and number. The pronouns show rudimentary reduplicative plural forms.

Possession

Possession is indicated with the adposition -is which is suffixed to the substantive it modified (very similar to English “-’s”). In addition to standard possession of nouns, it is also used with pronouns to form the basis of the possessive pronouns rather than a separate genitive-like construction. (More under #Adpositions, below.)

• Sitra takuc lauik cekis.

  ‘That is my stone.’ (“Is that-thing stone me-of.”)