Dylathian

In Verse:Angai, Dylathian (bry lleɂang Dylethyzz /prə 'ɬɛʔaŋ tə'lɛθəz/ CLF language Dylath-ADJ) is a highly conservative Trans-Sarnathian language with a Welsh-like grammar and a loosely Welsh-like aesthetic. Dylathian and its closest relatives are spoken in the Dylathian plateau and the Sarnathian mountain range in the borderlands of Aem-Zmaə, which contains Mt. ___, the highest mountain in Angai. Dylathian and its neighboring relatives are vital for reconstructing the early history of the Trans-Sarnathian branch.

Standard Dylathian is the liturgical language of ___ (a version of Tibetan Buddhism).

Lexicon

chy '1SG'

newlywed '200'

PTS tilakt -> Dylath

PTS ʔlars 'life' -> ɂalarch "oneself"

PTS sleʔans -> (pry/yni) lleɂang (no sgv) "speech"

PTS tsʼajbʰ 'water' -> Dyl. (lly) tzɂaf (no sgv)

PTS kʷʼē -> (wy/wng) cwɂe (sgv cwɂelch) 'egg'

mam (no sgv) '(specific person's) mother'

tad (no sgv) '(specific person's) father'

tzɂan '0'

new '2'

llywed '100'

mancwɂynyll (sgv. mancwɂynyllu) 'mother(s) in general'

tacwɂynyll (sgv. tacwɂynyllu) 'father(s) in general'

2ankaj -> ɂanggae 'world'

llwyn 'to learn'

belwyng 'to teach'

llwyng (lēns) 'learning' -> 'law'?

Phonology

Consonants

• m n ng l r ll rh /m n ŋ l r ɬ r̥/
• b d dz ds g gw /p t ts ts̠ k kʷ/
• p t tz ts c cw /pʰ tʰ tsʰ ts̠ʰ kʰ kʷʰ/
• pɂ tɂ tzɂ tsɂ cɂ cwɂ /pʼ tʼ tsʼ ts̠ʼ kʼ kʷʼ/
• ff th z s ch chw h ɂ /f θ s s̠ x xʷ h ʔ/
• f dd zz w /v ð z w/

Notes

• All consonants are longer and use more airflow than in English. In fact, so much airflow is used that final stops are released unlike in the language's monosyllabic tonal relatives.

Vowels

i e u y a w o /i ɛ ɨ ə a u ɔ/

Stress

Stress is consistently penultimate.

Grammar

"Colloquial Welsh with classifiers"

Nouns

As in reconstructed Proto-Trans-Sarnathian, most nouns have an unmarked form and a marked form (called the singulative for sake of convenience) that is only used for indefinite singular nouns. Like Welsh plurals, the singulative is unpredictable and is marked with a suffix (such as -u, -ob, -(y)lch), vowel changes, or both.

For the definite article, the appropriate classifier is used, except for inalienably possessed nouns; the number is marked on the classifier.

Mass nouns and certain nouns for blood relatives have no singulative form, e.g. tzɂaf 'water', mam '(specific person's) mother' and tad '(specific person's) father'.

List of classifiers

• sg. dyn, pl. bôl: people
• sg. wy, pl. wng: round objects
• lly: mass nouns
• sg. rhwng, pl. rhyngi: non-blood social relationships
• sg. pry, pl. yni: abstractions
• sg. un, pl. au: generic classifier

Alienable possession

Alienable possession uses possessed classifiers:

rhwng ɂotɂalab rhyngoch (CLF AGT-love CLF-1SG) or rhyngoch ɂotɂalab (CLF-1SG AGT-love) 'my lover'

Inalienable possession

mam-och (or just mam) 'my mother', tad-och (or just tad) 'my father', ...

(No classifier is used for blood relations)

Numerals

There is no isolated word for "one". Counting uses a word cwyz that was formerly "once/an occurrence" (cf. Slavic raz dva tri...). Otherwise, the singulative form of the noun in question is used, when necessary emphasized with ɂâzz 'only'.

TAM auxiliaries

Inflected for person and number (inherited from Proto-Trans-Sarnathian)

• Present tense: 1sg tsoi, 2sg tsw, 3sg tso, 1pl tsol, 2pl tson, 3pl tsor

Verbs

The word order is "T1 S T2 V O":

• Tso tadoch llos tzɂaf (is_located father-1SG drink.VN water) = My father is drinking water

Tso Mam belwyng rhaw2 'Mom is teaching children'

Tso Mam ew 2odbelwyng (is_at Mom among AGT-teach) 'Mom is a teacher'

Is-a

Tsoi chy'w tacwɂynyll (AUX 1SG among father_in_general) 'I am a father'

Is-the

Chy lym tadal (1SG who_is father-2SG) 'I am your father'