---
title: Palæo-lizard
...

"Palæo-lizard" is a placeholder name, obviously.


# Phonology

## Inventory

|             | Linguolabial | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal |
|------------:|:------------:|:------:|:--------:|:---------:|:-------:|:-----:|:------:|:-------:|
|     Plosive |     #(t̼)     |  #(t̪)  |   #(t)   |    #(ʈ)   |   #(c)  |  #(k) |  #(q)  |   #(ʔ)  |
|       Nasal |     #(n̼)     |  #(n̪)  |   #(n)   |    #(ɳ)   |   #(ɲ)  |       |  #(ɴ)  |         |
|     Lateral |     #(l̼)     |  #(l̪)  |   #(l)   |    #(ɭ)   |         |  #(ʟ) |        |         |
|        Flap |     #(ɾ̼)     |  #(ɾ̪)  |   #(ɾ)   |    #(ɽ)   |         |       |        |         |
|       Trill |              |        |   #(r)   |   #(ɽː)   |         |       |  #(ʀ)  |         |

|          | Front | Back |
|---------:|:-----:|:----:|
|     High |  #(i) | #(ɯ) |
|      Mid |  #(e) | #(ɤ) |
|      Low |  #(a) | #(ɑ) |

Some syllables are marked with a high tone, indicated with an acute accent (#(́á)).

## Syllable structure

Syllable structure is CV(C), with the only restriction that #/h/ can't be in a consonant coda.

## Allophony

- Obstruents are voiced in between voiced sounds.
- Front vowels become central after retroflex, velar, and uvular consonants.
- Back vowels become central after linguolabial, dental, and palatal consonants.

# Pronouns

First person (singular) is #/n̪es/. Second person (any number) is #/qɑʀ/. Back references (below) are used instead of third person pronouns.

# Back references

CHANGE THESE

The form of adjacent back references alternate between vowel and consonant forms to form a short word. A single one on its own attaches to a dummy #/h/ in its vowel form.

Subscripts in glosses indicate what a given occurrence of a back reference points to.

|         | Vowel | Consonant |
|--------:|:-----:|:---------:|
| #!REF1! |  #(ɯ) |    #(ɰ)   |
| #!REF2! |  #(i) |    #(j)   |
| #!REF3! |  #(ᴇ) |    #(r̪)   |
| #!REF4! |  #(ɑ) |    #(q)   |
| #!REF5! |  #(a) |    #(t̼)   |
| #!REF6! |  #(ɤ) |    #(n)   |

# Examples

```gloss
n̪ɛs cir jɯ ʔis ɾi jɯ t̼a
[n̪ɛs@a cir@b j@a-ɯ@b ʔis]@c ɾi@d j@c-ɯ@d t̼a
[1SG@a house@b REF2@a-REF1@b go_to]@c quick@d REF2@c-REF1@d do
I go to the house quickly
```


# Word list

- \#/cir/: house
- \#/ɾi/: quick
- \#/t̼a/: do
- \#/ʔis/: go to
- \#/ʔɑs/: go into