/a/, /ɛ/, /e/, /i/, /ɔ/, /o/, /u/, /ə/, /ɪ/ and either /ø/ or /y/ - 10 vowels - attested in most dialects. Some have many more.

1.8

Partial - some voice/voiceless contrasts:

Contrast: /p/ and /b/, /k/ and /g/, /f/ and /v/ (<f>), /θ/ (th) and /ð/ (ð).

No contrast: In terms of most fricatives, usually, the language has the voiced consonant but not its voiceless equivalent: /s/ but no /z/, /ç/ (final -g) but no /ʝ/, /χ/ (<ch>) but no /ʁ/ and both /ʂ/ and /ʐ/ allophonically.

Namely, /χ/, written ch.

The obstruent being /ɬ/ (<lh>) though this is only preserved in received pronunciation and the trend with younger generations is to mix it with /l/. Sometimes, the ɬ-less variant is more common - e.g. loilot (stars) has become much more common than the traditional lheulot.

A Celinese syllable can be as complex as (C)(C)(A)(V)(V)(A)(C)(C), whereby A signifies /l/, /ʐ/, /ɾ/, /w/ or /j/. E.g. struinc (overbearing, ruthless). Most syllables are, however, just C(C)VC.

The default stress location is on the penult, but over 30% of words are stressed elsewhere.

When stress is irregular (i.e. not on the penult), the stressed syllable is nearly always marked with either an acute or grave accent, unless the word ends in two separate vowels (i.e. words with aê or oê ending being particularly common), in which the antepenult is always stressed.

Both /θ/ (th) and /ð/ (ð) are common in the language in all positions.

Classical Celinese varieties had up to eight cases, and the vestiges of these are sometimes seen in the most formal and old fashioned language, as well as in a very few set phrases.

Both suffixes and prefixes are used regularly in Celinese, which makes the most of both to express a lot of things. Though prefixes are common, perhaps the most notable elements of the language are suffixes - í (infinitive verb ending), -oê (used to make nouns communicating after-effects), -air (for times), -g (most common adjectival ending) and more.

Commonly referred to as masculine, feminine and neuter, though this is somewhat misleading since physical gender has no implication on Celinese's grammatical gender.

Actually entirely formal, because neither semantic categories, nor physical gender, have any effect on grammatical gender in Celinese. Thus taðír and maiðír (father and mother) are both neuter, mildë (friend) is feminine even if one's friend is a man, and garys (boy) takes the feminine -ot plural because it ends in an s.

Nearly always, an -ím, -ot or -ain suffix denotes the plural form, but the stem is sometimes changed as well - consider lauth>leuthot (person>people) or the many examples of where diacritics must be introduced or removed upon the addition of the plural suffix.

The feminine plural is added to ergative singular pronouns to pluralise:

Ais (I) becomes aisot (exclusive we) Ana (you) becomes anot (you plural) Sà (she, he, it) becomes saiot (they).

This is not true in other circumstances, such as the absolutive, used for direct object pronouns:

Mé (me) but fair (us) Ané (you) but anaith (you plural) Sé (him, her, it) but seith (them)

There are two ways to express the associative plural, depending on whether the person or thing with which the others are associated is included or excluded.

If included, the form 'ar geiot' is used after the name of the person or thing being associated with. 'Ar seiot' is used for objects. Examples:

Sím langofig Maríe ar geiot - Maríe and her lot are boring.

Cé dyscasyrthog ar seiot né polío - S/he can't operate things like computers.

If the associate is excluded, 'geiot go' or 'seiot go' are used in front. Example:

Sím muireg geiot go b-Pafel, mair mereð-séilig rychtío - Pafel's associates are gloomy, but he remains cheery.

'We' is translated in two ways into many idiomatic dialects of Celinese - fyr, which includes the person spoken to, and aisot, 'plural I', which excludes them. This distinction is rare in the written language.

In many colloquial dialects, there is a distinction between inclusive and exclusive we, fyr and aisot, but both use the inclusive verbal inflection, -ím, and so the pronoun must be included if one wants to differentiate and specify inclusive or exclusive.

Byrím fyr/aisot - we(inclusive)/we(exclusive) go.

There is a distinction between something near the speaker, the listener, and something remote from both.

Twys - here; naint - there; echtor/aðgaint - yonder.

Netwys - this one; aitwys - that one; echtwys/aðwys - yonder one.

Sorair aich - that evening

Aichsé syrí - I like that

Aitwys syrí - I like that (one)

Because the conjugation system makes the subject of each verb clear, pronouns generally are only used for distinction:

Thon esfotheg né syrís; mair [sé] syrí ais. You don't like Jinyer food, but /I/ do [like it].

As a consequence, using a pronoun in a non-comparative sentence sounds brusque, particularly when used with a request, and is avoided.

Tyllús mair ana! - "bequiet.SBJV-2SG but you" would usually be translated as "shut up."

Usually created using the prefix elic, "some":

some + how = elicelð, somehow, some way some + place = elicloith = somewhere some + person-suffix = elicír = someone

Reduced pronouns are attached to many propositions in the acrolect and most mesolects.

E.g. cêim and soir (with me; to it) instead of cé mé or lo sé.

Lo r-athlë cé r-Elys anðoí. I went to (the town) with Elys.

Ichrand b-petholog sé foí. I made it with a hammer.

The instrumental is marked by using ichrand "using" rather than cé "with".

-at is the regular ordinal number ending:

1, 2, 3, 4 - Ainh, ðys/ðwy, trín, hyðor. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th - ainhat, ðysat, trínat, hyðorat.

Paraim, sêlm befíthot efroín Sara ar Orthí. = they carried six boxes between them (paraim deriving from parom, amongst/between)

(Elm), sêlm befíthot efroín Sara ar Orthí. = they carried six boxes each (elm, "each", can be omitted.)

Confined to poetic use, except for when used as quantifiers for uncountable objects.

"An" is used:

Leuthain brafast - brave people An brafast - The brave

The distinction between perfect/imperfective is made clear by using different tenses or phrasings instead:

Séilhetor ag lyfrí foím/foím ag lyfrí - I was reading the newspaper (imperfective)

Séilhetor lyfroí - I read the newspaper (perfective)

The future is grammaticalised but not inflectional. It can be produced in either one of two ways:

• Conjugating 'fyðí' ('to move towards') and attaching it to an infinitive.
• Putting the clipped particle fyð next to a conjugated verb.

Thus, we shall go for a walk would be fyðím byrí or byrím fyð.

The verb tasí (to be after, to follow) in the present tense, or the expression tyrú (already) with a past tense verb convey the present in Celinese.

Lyfir lyfroí - I read the book.

Lyfir lyfrí canthí - I'm after reading the book.

Tyrú lyfrir lyfroí - I (have) already read the book.

The imperative is formed by removing the present infinitive ending (-í) and then adding the imperative infinitive (-ú) in its place. Fú, from fí, means 'to have to do' and 'I must do'. Personal endings like those of every other tense and mood are added to this infinitive that apply not only to the 2nd person but to all - byrús (walk! or you must walk!), byrúot (ye must walk!), byrún (they must walk), byrúm (we must walk.)

Word order in Celinese is flexible, but for ordinary statements, OVS is the most common order, though there is no one 'usual order' but rather dozens, depending on context. Other orders are frequently used, but have different nuances.

Despite the language's flexibility, it is rare to see SV outside of poetry.

Celinese has both prepositions and postpositions.

Taðír go Mycha = father of Mycha = Mycha's father

Aich (that) can be used before or after the noun. Neis (this) and aðgaint (yonder) usually come after the noun exclusively.

Thúl eðelío - s/he built a house. Eðelín thúl - a house was built (literally they built a house.)

Purpose clauses are usually expressed by 'dero' (in order to, for the purpose of) and end with an infinitive:

Mereð toroío, dero troðolofot tarochí polúo - he acted good, in order to play football. (Lit. good act.PST-3SG in-order-to foot-ball play.INF can.SBJV-3SG

Hand - flarë (or destë in the West) Arm - brach

Hand - flarë (or destë in the West) Finger - teið

Only partially:

Mo (my), ano (your)

Mé (me), ané (you-ABS)

Moir (to me), toir (to you).

Mo (my), to/ano (your)

Tea - tahàr.