Hirathic
Hirathic (hirathis χiˈɾaθis] or vepos hirathōn ˈvɛpɔs ˈχiˈɾaθɔːn]) is the name of the Indo-European language spoken in antiquity around the Mediterranean basin. A centum language, it is believed by some to be closely related to Greek, by some to Armenian and by yet others to Albanian.
| 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'.
Notes on transcription
Transcribing Hirathic to the Latin alphabet is usually straightforward as Hirathic uses an older variant of the Greek alphabet. The only problem to this is the treatment of Χ, χ. The most common way to write this sound /χ/ is <h> (e.g., Hirathic), though an older method, using <kh>, is still encountered in some publications (cf. the common use of 'ph', 'th' for letters φ and θ respectively.) Some incorrectly use <x> because of its graphical similarity, <x> represents the consonant cluster /ks/ in all widespread systems.
- Ϝ, ϝ is transcribed as <v> and not <w>.
- ύ is transcribed as <ū> or <y> depending on author preference except where it stands for an accented /u/ where it is written <ú>
- φ, θ; <ph>,
- the long vowels η ω are transcribed as <ē>, <ō>
Features
Phonology
Vowels
TODO
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | ||
| Close | 
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Loans
A specific subset of the lexicon contains a substantial amount of loanwords from an unidentified substrate language, primarily in marine, religious and warfare contexts. The Hirathic substrate language does not appear to be related to any known language and is usually considered an isolate.
Some examples:
- χαφταψ χaphtaps 'warlord', from xaphdáph of the same meaning.
- δαϝοτυς davotus 'priest of a particular god', from dáwátus 'lighter of the flame'
- φεθαχς phethax 'axe-bearer, bodyguard', from fexa 'axe'
- nωθη nōthē 'the Ocean', from nōthē of the same meaning.
- θηθυψ thēthups 'temple', from sēdhuf of the same meaning.
- ϝυχοτυς vuχotus 'orator', from wuhkotus 'who makes speech'.
- ϝυναχς vunax 'poet', from wuhnako 'who has speech as a profession', from wuhko + infix -na- 'profession'
- νωναθηι nōnathēi 'fisherman' from nōnathē 'who has the sea as a profession', from nōthē + infix -na- 'profession'
Language sample
Hymn to Vukhodava (local deity),
- 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!