nu Nulang Course Guided study from the language spec

Spec Map

Curated major sections extracted from the language specification.

Section 1

1 Phonology

**17 phonemes total.** One-to-one mapping; no digraphs.

Section 2

2 Morphology

**Number:** - Singular — unmarked

Section 3

3 Postpositions

Postpositions are invariant words placed **after** noun phrases. A noun phrase carries at most one postposition. There are **eleven postpositions** in two layers. The four core postpositions share `n`-onset and cover spatial, possessive, and temporal-endpoint relations.

Section 4

4 Classifiers

Six **universal classifiers** are productive short-form head morphemes for compounding. Each assigns a compound to one of six ontological categories. **Positional disambiguation** — several classifier syllables share forms with domain/semantic particles. The rule is absolute:

Section 5

5 Word Building

Two tiers of **hint morphemes** — domain particles and semantic particles — work alongside classifiers and free compounding. Both carry vague, motivated meaning rather than strict definitions: a word built from two particles is a motivated suggestion, not a rigid definition. Speakers interpret combinations by feel. **Monosyllabicity.** Domain and semantic particles target monosyllabic output. When adapting source forms, particles use a **truncation-first strategy** — final syllables may be dropped, clusters reduced, vowels elided. This overrides the general lexical epenthesis rule (which adds a final vowel to source-final consonants other than `n/s/r`).

Section 6

6 Syntax

- Intransitive: `S V` or `S Adv V` - Transitive: `S O V` or `S O Adv V`

Section 7

7 Lexicon

- All roots are phonotactically legal per [§1 Phonology](#1-phonology). - Roots are interpreted by position; no obligatory part-of-speech suffixes.

Section 8

8 Disambiguation Master Reference

Shared phonological forms are resolved by **position only** — no additional marking is ever required. This section consolidates all disambiguation notes from across the spec.

Section 9

Appendix A — Question Particle `po`

`po` is the **interrogative pro-form**. It stands in for an unknown participant or circumstance and, fused with postpositions, produces a full set of question words. `po` occupies whatever syntactic slot the unknown would occupy in a declarative clause — word order is identical to non-interrogative sentences.

Section 11

Appendix C — Conversational Responses and Fragments

Full clauses remain the formal default. In conversation, however, the language distinguishes between two different reductions: - **discourse particles** — standalone interactional moves such as confirmation, acknowledgement, repair, and uncertainty