Masar language

The Masar language, also known as Antang or Green Masar, is a language isolate spoken by the Masars.

Consonants

 * Masar distinguishes between aspirated and strongly aspirated consonants. Strongly aspirated consonants are pronounced with more force than other consonants, and if one precedes a vowel, the pitch of the vowel is raised.
 * All dorsal consonants, with the exception of uvular /ɢ̆/, are velar.
 * /x/ is only present in some dialects. It is usually written as ⟨h⟩ or ⟨x⟩.
 * /n̼/ is realised as [m] before labial consonants.

Vowels

 * Short vowels are written as their IPA symbols. Long vowels are written with macrons, and historically with umlauts.
 * Word-finally, short vowels become devoiced and long vowels become short.

Phonotactics
Masar has a CV(C) syllable structure; additionally, syllables of the form V(C) can appear word-initially.

Only nasals, tenuis consonants, strongly aspirated consonants, and /j/ can appear syllable-finally.

A non-word-final syllable coda must be homorganic with the next consonant in its word. /n̼/ can come before labial consonants, where it is realised as [m].

Stress
Stress is predictable by the following rules:
 * If the first syllable of a word has no onset, the second syllable is stressed.
 * If the first syllable has both an onset and a coda, or if its coda is a long vowel, then it will be stressed.
 * Otherwise, the second syllable will be stressed.

Grammar
Masar uses subject—object—verb word order.

The language is highly analytical. Compound words are formed very rarely, and their frequency has decreased during the last few decades.

Unusually, Masar lacks pronouns. Proper nouns are typically used instead. In cases where the speaker and the listener share the same name, the adjectival phrases matx pheq "primary" and matx gūy "secondary" can be used.

Regular nouns, as well as noun phrases, can be used as well, most commonly in formal situations.

Numerals
Masar uses an octal numeral system. The word phorim "eight" is pronounced [pʰorin̼] in isolation, but before some other numerals, its final consonant assimilates to the place of articulation of the next consonant; for example, phorim kxoky "forty-eight" is realised as [pʰoriŋ kʰʰoc]. This assimilation can occur before the words pheq, kxoky, ngāc, ngāx, and phorim.

The word tag, meaning "all" or "entirety", is sometimes used synonymously with the phrase phorim phorim, meaning "sixty-four".