Version 2
Last update: 2006-03-18
Any series of spoken letters is always preceded by aw'. Any series of spoken letters that represent quantities (as in mathematics) is always preceded by ay'.
Coming soon: allophones and assimilated pronunciations.
| Stress is even, with optional destressing on first syllable. | |||||
| * = Foreign letter. Only used in foreign (non-Ilomi) words and names. | |||||
| Letter | Name | Uppercase name | Lowercase name | Pronunciation | |
| A, a | na | naswe | natwi | father or about | |
| * | B, b | bay | bayswe | baytwi | bet |
| * | C, c | cay | cayswe | caytwi | chop |
| * | D, d | day | dayswe | daytwi | dip |
| E, e | ne | neswe | netwi | bet or bait | |
| F, f | fay | fayswe | faytwi | fan | |
| * | G, g | gay | gayswe | gaytwi | gone |
| * | H, h | hay | hayswe | haytwi | heal |
| I, i | ni | niswe | nitwi | machine | |
| * | J, j | jay | jayswe | jaytwi | measure |
| K, k | kay | kayswe | kaytwi | kit | |
| L, l | lay | layswe | laytwi | gallop | |
| M, m | may | mayswe | maytwi | mat | |
| N, n | nay | nayswe | naytwi | not | |
| O, o | no | noswe | notwi | vote | |
| P, p | pay | payswe | paytwi | pot | |
| * | Q, q | qay | qayswe | qaytwi | ring |
| * | R, r | ray | rayswe | raytwi | sorry |
| S, s | say | sayswe | saytwi | sad | |
| T, t | tay | tayswe | taytwi | tad | |
| U, u | nu | nuswe | nutwi | zoo | |
| * | V, v | vay | vayswe | vaytwi | vine |
| W, w | nuyay | nuyayswe | nuyaytwi | water | |
| X, x | xay | xayswe | xaytwi | shut | |
| Y, y | niway | niwayswe | niwaytwi | yellow | |
| * | Z, z | zay | zayswe | zaytwi | zip |
| Diphthong | Pronunciation |
| ay | mite |
| aw | mound |
Any series of spoken numbers is always preceded by ay'. Any series of spoken numbers that represent glyphs (as in identifiers) is always preceded by aw'.
| Number | Name |
| 0 | lo |
| 1 | me |
| 2 | tu |
| 3 | si |
| 4 | fa |
| 5 | po, ponaw |
| 6 | xe, xenaw |
| 7 | su, sunaw |
| 8 | ki, kinaw |
| 9 | ta, tanaw |
| 10 | me'lo |
| 11 | me'me |
| 12 | me'tu |
| 19 | me'ta |
| 20 | tu'lo |
| 21 | tu'me |
| 30 | si'lo |
| 100 | me'lo'lo |
| 101 | me'lo'me |
~ (tilde) represents the remainder of the word. V represents any vowel.
| Affix / Marker | Meaning |
| a~ | {noun class marker} |
| e~ | {transitive verb class marker} |
| i~ | {name class marker} |
| o~ | {modifier class marker} |
| u~ | {adjectival preposition class marker} |
| aw'~ | {glyph class prefix} |
| ay'~ | {number class prefix} |
| aw~ | {gerund marker} |
| ow~ | {passive participle marker} |
| ey~ | {active participle marker} |
| oyo~ | {adverb class marker} |
| uyu~ | {adverbial preposition class marker} |
| ~ny~ | {compounding hyphen} |
| any~ | {noun conversion prefix} |
| eny~ | {verb conversion prefix} |
| iny~ | {name conversion prefix} |
| ony~ | {modifier conversion prefix} |
| oyony~ | {adverb conversion prefix} |
| uny~ | {adjectival preposition conversion prefix} |
| uyuny~ | {adverbial preposition conversion prefix} |
| ~kya | {feminine suffix} |
| ~twi | {smallness / slightness suffix} |
| ~mwa | {opposite suffix} |
| ~kwe | {neutrality / averageness suffix} |
| ~swe | {largeness / intensity suffix} |
| ~kyu | {masculine suffix} |
| Word | Meaning |
| a | {clause division marker} |
| e | and |
| i | {sentence division marker} |
| o | {vocative / imperative marker} |
| u | {special particle} |
| awa | yes |
| eyo | {copula} |
| iye | no |
| oya | {topic division marker} |
| uwe | {question marker} |
Personal pronouns serve as anaphora — shorthand references — to things that are identified elsewhere in discussion.
| Word | Meaning |
| ami | I; me |
| ate | thou |
| amite | we (you and I) |
| amixa | we (he/she/they and I) |
| axa | he; she; they {human} |
| anma | he; she; it; they {animate but non-human} |
| aso | it; they {inanimate} |
| antisa | it {abstract, non-noun} |
Demonstrative pronouns designate or quantify things out of a larger set.
| Word | Meaning |
| alo | the; this; this one; the one previously mentioned |
| alokwi | that; that one; "not this one" |
| alokwo | that other; that other one; "not this one or that one" |
| anke | which one |
| anli | a; any one; no particular one |
| anla | a; a certain one; one that is particular but newly-mentioned |
| anfo | all; total; entirety |
| ame | many; much |
| afulu | few; little |
| anxa | every one; each one individually |
| anpu | no one |
| apoxi | next one |
| apimi | previous one |
| anpi | other one; another one |
| amema | same one |
| amemamwa | different one |
| asolo | only one; sole one |
| Phrase | Meaning |
| ata anke | who? |
| alu anli | anywhere; somewhere |
| alu alo | there |
| afese anli | sometime; someday |
| afese anla | sometimes |
| akonto anke | how much?; how many? |
| asolo ay'tu | the only two |