Hirathic
| Hirathic | |
|---|---|
| ΧΙΡΑΘΙΣ hirathis | |
| Pronunciation | [[Help:IPA|χiˈɾaθis]] |
| Created by | – |
| Native speakers | - (2013) |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | hi |
| ISO 639-2 | hi |
| ISO 639-3 | qhi |
Background
Hirathic is my latest attempt at making an a posteriori language based on Proto-Indo-European. It is primarily inspired by developments found in the Greek and Albanian branches of the Indo-European language family. It also serves as yet another opportunity for me to delve into Indo-European linguistics. Hirathic has furthermore a set of words from an in-universe pre-Indo-European language termed the Hirathic substrate language which is basically my excuse to plop in words here and there without having to take them from a PIE root.
Unlike Dhannuá which was originally envisioned as a plausible modern Indo-European-descended language, I aim for Hirathic to be more like Old Norse, Sanskrit, Old Latin, Ancient Greek, that is, a language of epic cants and myths that is no longer spoken.
Name
Hirathic's English name derives from the autoglottonym hirathis~khirathis which is believed to be a derivation of PIE *gʰreH- 'to grow' with a suffix *-tis 'abstract', thus meaning 'that which is grown', 'that which is cultivated', and by extension 'that which is refined'. Related is the auto-ethnonym hirathēi 'the high ones'.
Other names for the language include hirathōn 'of the high ones', vepos 'speech', a combination of both (as seen in the Smyrna cave inscription ϜΕΠΟΣΧΙ(Ρ)ΑΘ(Ω)Ν), vepos nim 'our speech'.
Linguistic classification
Hirathic is a centum language which bears similarity to Greek in its development of the inherited voiced plosive series of Proto-Indo-European. It is believed to share some innovations with early Albanian though whether or not this points to a common origin is still hotly debated.
Features
Phonology
Language sample
Hymn to Vukhodava,
- Hirathic (Greek): θη θανες εθι τυ φρατηρ η ϝατε ϝυναχωι δε θυγον ορεχων
- Hirathic: thē thānes ethi tu phratēr ē vāte vunakhōi de thugon orekhōn
- English: O wind of poet, how thou art the brother of thought and yoke of kings!
Adapted from Beowulf,
- Hirathic (Greek): θη ϝη περθενων ην δαθηδιτε τύθωρεχων νωρεν εχίλευμος δε θη τοι χαφταφωι βελτων μιμων
- Hirathic (Latin): thē vē perthenōn ēn dathēdite, tūthōrekhōn nōren ekhíleumos, de thē toi khaphtaphōi beltōn mimōn
- English: How we of the spear-danes in yesterdays, of people-kings' glory heard, and how those warlords courage took!