Phonemes

Phonemic analysis of Thing is difficult. To spare the paragraphs needed to work forward from an accounting of the phones, one possible phonemic analysis will be given.

/p b ⁿb t d ⁿd tɕ dʑ ⁿdʑ k g ⁿg ʔ/
(/ts dz ⁿdz tʂ dʐ ⁿdʐ/)
/f θ s (ʂ) ɕ h/
/w ð l ɻ j ɣ/
/m n ɲ ŋ/
/a e ɤ o i u ɿ ʅ v̩/
/˨ ˧ ˥ ˨˦/

Unstressed syllables cannot the vowels /a i u/.

The major difficulties of allophony come from the fricated vowels, which have generally eroded to a sequence of a fricative and [ɤ], except where they appear after nasals. The fricated vowels are limited in distribution:
/ɿ/ can only appear after /p b ⁿb k g ⁿg l m n ɲ ŋ 0/, giving [psɤ bzɤ ⁿbzɤ ksɤ gzɤ ⁿgzɤ l̩ m̩ n̩ ɲ̩ ŋ̩ zɤ]. The [ɤ] here varies with [z̩].
/ʅ/ can only appear after /l n 0/, giving [ɭ̩ ɳ̩ ʐɚ].
/v̩/ can only appear after /p b ⁿb t d ⁿd tɕ dʑ ⁿdʑ k g ⁿg m/, giving [pfɤ bvɤ ⁿbvɤ tʙ̥ʉ dʙʉ ⁿdʙʉ tɕfɤ dʑvɤ ⁿdzvɤ kfɤ gvɤ ⁿgvɤ ⁿb̪ɤ~ɱvɤ].

It would, of course, also be possible to analyze Thing as having phonemic /v z/, but many of these clusters can only appear before [ɤ]. The ones that, due to loanwords from languages like Zzyxwqnp, can appear before other vowels - the alveolar affricates and the retroflex obstruents - are analyzed as segments.

The sequence /ɻɤ/ is realized as [ɚ]. Sonorants are devoiced after voiceless consonants. Tone can only appear on the final syllable of a word, for a certain definition of 'word'.

/ɿ-komeθál jelkɻɤ́ɲ ʔeʅ́ pɻámðɤ ɲǐɕ ðɤ̄ tsɤmɣɤnjeˈtɕǒl-mǎ/
[zəkʊmɪˈθál jɪlˈkʂɚ́ʲɲ ɪˈʐɚ́ ˈpʂámðə ɲǐɕ ðɤ̄ tsəmɣənjɪˈtɕǒlmǎ]
ɿ komeθál jelkɻə́ɲ e=ʅ pɻám=ðɤ ɲǐɕ ðɤ́ tsɤ-mɣɤn-ye-tɕ\dʑǒl=mǎ
DEF Komthag myriad of=thing create=3 mankind 3PL in_order_to-D-VN\nourish.MAJ-BEN.3

/θjū ʔɪɲǐɕ li mɣɤngjoⁿdɤmɤⁿdǐmǎ dʑǎɻðɤ/
[θjū ʔɪˈɲǐɕ ʎimɣəngjʊⁿdəməˈⁿdǐmǎ dʑǎɻðə]
θjū i=ɲíɕ li mɣɤn-g<y>u-dəməⁿdí=má dʑǎr=ðɤ
nothing of=mankind REL D-<be_able>return-give.VN=BEN.3 NEG.COP.IPFV=3

Orthography

The orthography is generally phonetic.

[p b ⁿb pf bv ⁿbv ps bz ⁿbz t d ⁿd tʙ̥ dʙ ⁿdʙ ts dz ⁿdz tʂ dʐ ⁿdʐ tɕ dʑ ⁿdʑ tɕf dʑv ⁿdʑv k g ⁿg ks gz ⁿgz ʔ]
<p bb b pf bbv bv ps bbz bz t dd d tv ddv dv ts ddz dz tr ddr dr ch jj j chv jjv jv k gg g ks ggz gz q>
[f θ s ʂ ɕ h]
<f th s sr sh h>
[w ð l~ʎ ɻ~ʐ j ɣ]
<w x l r j gh>
[m n ɳ ɲ ŋ]
<m n nr ny ng>
[a e ɤ/ʉ o i u ə ɪ ʊ ɚ]
<a e u o i ou u/a# e o ru>
/˨ ˧ ˥ ˨˦/
<à ā á ǎ>
[ɭ̩ ɳ]
<lur nur>

[zəkʊmɪˈθál jɪlˈkʂɚ́ʲɲ ʔɪˈʐɚ́ ˈpʂámðə ɲǐɕ ðɤ̄ tsəmɣənjɪˈtɕǒlmǎ || θjū ʔɪˈɲǐɕ ʎimɣəngjʊⁿdəməˈⁿdǐmǎ dʑǎɻðə]
Zukomethál yelkrúny qezrú prámxa nyǐsh xū tsumghunyechǒlmǎ. Thyoū qenyǐsh limghun'ggyodumudǐmǎ jjǎrxa.