Van

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Van (havan [ʔavãn]) is a small language designed for rapid private use. It is very sparse in its phonology and inflections.

Phonetics and phonology

Consonants

Consonantal phonemes
Labial Dental Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ɳ
Stop p t k
Fricative ʋ s
Trill r
Approximant l j

Vowels

Vowel phonemes
Front Central Back
Closed i
Mid e o
Open a

Vowels are nasalised before nasal consonants (/a/ → [ã], /i/ → [ɛ̃], /o/ → [ɔ̃]), backed and lowered before velar (/a/ → [ɑ̞], /o/ → [ɔ]), raised before j (/a/ → [æ], /o/ → [u]).

Phonotactics

Syllable

The typical syllable in Van is composed of a consonantal onset, a vocalic nucleus, and a consonantal coda. Occasionally, a syllable may be phonemically onset- or codaless; traditionally in Van terminology these are termed faulty. Syllables of this form are typically found as affixes. Phonetically, they have as their onset either a glottal stop [ʔ] or a copy of the preceding syllable's final consonant, e.g. vana [vãn.na] 'speak' (< van). Note: A coda is not required at the end of sentences.

Word

The word is composed out of syllables but has additional properties that set it apart. A word may only end with a nasal, sibilant or a rhotic consonant.

Morphophonology

There are a few monovocalic affixes in Van that violate the normal syllable structure. For the onsetless syllables, they can be said to copy the preceding syllables final consonant, or in the case of there being none, using a glottal stop.

Some examples:

  1. The verbal markers -a, -e always copy the nearest preceding consonant, e.g., /vana/ -> [vãnna] ‘speak’, /tore/ -> [dor.re] ‘to be excited’. Note: No ʔ is appended as the vowel is word final.
  2. The definite and possessum marker a- conjures up a glottal stop, e.g. /avan/ -> [ʔaʋãn] ‘the speech’.

Morphology

Verbal morphology

Verbs are simple. Any noun or root can be turned into a verb by adding -a for dynamic verbs or -e for stative verbs. While there is a morphological opposition between dynamic and stative verbs, there only other verbal inflection is the one for voice -s (active, non-active).

dynamic stative
vana (speak) kore (love)

The distinction between dynamic and stative is most readily gleaned in the example opposition kore tan mir, pa-kon ‘I am in love with you, bacon’ (state) vs. kora tan mir, pa-kon ‘I am loving you, bacon’ (action).

Nominal morphology

Nominal morphology is sparse in Van. Number is not marked, but definiteness and state of possession is (both with syncretic: ha-).

Syntax

Constituent order

The unmarked word order in Van is predominantly (87%) verb-subject-object or VSO. The remaining occurrences (13%) are subject-verb-object or SVO. There appears to be no particular identifiable reason for what makes a sentence SVO or not.

Phrase order

Modifiers

Numerals and determiners precede their head nouns.

(1.)

[ʔɛ̃ŋa tʰaʋ ʔadɔk̚ tʰãn]
hińa tav ha-tok tan
prox.det five poss-chicken 1sg
‘Those five chicken (are) mine’

Genitive constructions

Possessors follow their possessum.

(2.)

ha-van mir
poss-language 2sg
‘Your language’

Verb phrase

Non-active constructions

In non-active constructions (autostative, passive, mediopassive; all formed with [-s]) the word order remains the same as in the default word order.

(3.) autostative

nor-e-s tan
joy-stat-nonact 1sg
‘I am happy with myself’

(4.) passive

not-a-s ras
eat-dyn-nonact 3sg.m
‘He is being eaten’

(5.) reciprocal

pok-a-s sor ha
strike-dyn-nonact 3sg.f pl
‘They (f.) strike each other’

Chain construction

When two verbs follow each other in a modifying-action relationship, the main verb (modifying verb) precedes the secondary verb (action).

(6.)

mań-a laj-a mir tan
try-dyn sing-dyn 2sg 1sg
‘You are trying to sing to me’

Causative constructions

This relationship also holds true for causative constructions where the causative precedes the other verb.

(7.)

vań-a nor-e tan mir
cause-dyn joy-stat 1sg 2sg
‘I make you happy’

Comparative constructions

Comparative constructions are created with the conjunction mar in the pattern VP mar VP. The second VP can be replaced with the common pro-verb vań- as in the second example.

(8.)

par-e johana mar par-e nansi
red-stat Johanna than red-stat Nancy
‘Johanna is redder than Nancy’

(9.)

tnir-e tavi mar vań-e mak
rise-stat David than proverb-stat Mark
‘David is taller than Mark’

Sample wordlist

  • sa- ‘not’, prefix
  • ta- ‘good’, prefix
  • no- general intensifier, prefix
  • vańa, -e, dummy verb, a pro-verb.
  • jin ‘here’
  • laja ‘sing’
  • los ‘end’
  • love ‘alive’
  • jan ‘like’
  • jas ‘sight’
  • kon ‘build’
  • kor ‘love’
  • tir ‘see’
  • tore ‘excite’
  • van ‘speech’
  • nar ‘death’