Lingo De Yigo

Overview

The language Lingo De Yigo, spelt alternatively as Lingo de Jigo, is a Nezo-Romance language spoken in the island of Yigó. The language utilizes a three-gender system, contrasting with the two-gender system other Romance languages use.

Origins

The language of Lingo De Yigo originates from the Nezo-Romance branch, though no one knows when the split occured.

Phonology

	Bilabial/Labio-Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive	p, b	t̪~t, d̪~d		k (c), g
Fricative	ɸ~f, β~v	s
Nasal	m	n
Liquid	(w)	l	j (y or j)	w*
Flap		ɾ (r)

* =/w/ is only pronounced in diphthongs beginning with /u/; for example, nuiso=/nwiso/.

	Front	Back
Close	i	u
Mid	e	o
Open		a

Grammar

Lingo De Yigo's grammar includes roots that can take different suffixes to invoke meaning. For example:

Root	mandugr- (eat)
+-o	mandugro "food"
+-ero	mandugrero "eater"
+-i	mandugri "I eat"
+-uiso	mandugruiso "Eat. (imp.)"
+van-	vancomi "I will eat"
+ven-	vencomi "I ate"

Yéshvwae Loanwords

Due to the speakers' proximities, Lingo De Yigo has borrowed a few loanwords from Yéshvwae.