Vairish
| Vairish | |
|---|---|
| Varišö | |
| Pronunciation | [vɑriˈʃø] |
| Created by | Aenil2 |
| Date | 2024 |
| Native speakers | 400k (1894 CC) |
Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | vrs |
| IETF | avr-vi-vrs |
Vairish (autoglossonym: Varišö; Vairish : [vɑriˈʃø]) is an Ano-Vaire language spoken in Aonir (Riukish : Aüniž [ɑɯ̯ˈniʒ]). Vairish can be considered as a lingua franca in Aonir and the surrounding regions such as Oira and Taritren, which have different pronunciations, but are almost entirely mutually intelligible. Unless indicated, this article will focus on Varišaüniž (Aonir Vairish).
Phonology
Consonants
The following table is the consonant inventory of Vairish. Dialectal allophones will be indicated in dark cells :
| Labials | Dentals/Alveolars | Post-Alveolars | Dorsals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasals | m <m> | n <n> | ŋ <ň> | |
| Plosives | p <p>, b <b> | t <t>, d <d> | k <k>, g <g> | |
| Affricates | t͡ʃ <č>, d͡ʒ <ž> | |||
| Fricatives | f <f>, v <v> | s <s>, z <z> | ʃ <š> | |
| Approximants | w <w> | l <l> | j <j> | |
| Trills | r <r> |
Dialectal variation :
- /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/ and /ʃ/ are pronounced /t͡ɕ/, /d͡ʑ/ and /ʑ/ in Värištriten (Tariten Vairish)
- /f/ and /v/ are pronounced /ɸ/ and /β/ in Varisoir (Oira Vairish) and Varišaüniž
Vowels
There are 9 vowels in Vairish, with no length distinction :
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i <i> | ɯ <ü>, u <u> | |
| Mid | e <e>, ø <ö> | ɵ~ə <ë> | o <o> |
| Open | ɑ <a>, ɒ <ä> | ||
Morphophonology
Final devoicing
When a word-final consonant is voiced, it's pronounced as its voiceless equivalent, and when inflected, the consonant becomes voiced again.
Diaeresis
When 2 "non-close" vowels are in hiatus, the hiatus is broken down using a glide (the use of one preferably from another depends on the hiatus constituents)
Stress and pitch
Primary stress falls on the last syllable of a word, except if the last syllable is composed of a single vowel. In this case, the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable
Morphology
Nouns
Nouns can be inflected for number, case and possession.
Numbers
Nouns can be inflected for 4 numbers : Singulative (sgv), Dual (du), Plurative (plv) and Collective (col). Depending on the noun, the unmarked number can be either the Singulative or the Collective
Singulative
The singulative is the default, unmarked form of count nouns. When put into the singulative, mass nouns define the smallest unit of the noun, which is translated into English as a measure word (e.g. water → drop of water).
- tolvä
- "cloud"
Dual
The dual is only fully productive for body parts, kinship and animals. The dual still exists for other count nouns (as mass nouns can't take it), but is considered archaic by many.
- örpa-man-it teiliä
- eye-1s.poss-du brown
- "My eyes are brown"
Plurative
The plurative is formed by affixing -ide. When a voiced plosive comes just before the affix, it is pronounced as its voiceless equivalent
- sëid-ier-ide Äirade ö Olsü
- name-3p.poss-plv Äirade and Olsü
- "They are called Äirade and Olsü" (litt. "Their names are Äirade and Olsü")
Collective
The collective is the default, unmarked form of mass nouns. Count nouns can't inflect for the collective
- siöre
- water
Cases
Vairish nouns can be using a set of 8 noun cases :
- Nominative and Accusative
- Simple morphosyntactic cases. The nominative can also be used for marking the predicate.
- Dative
- Dative proper
-
- The dative proper is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence
- Dative of measure
-
- The dative of measure is used to indicate the difference of measure between 2 objects
- Instrumental
- The instrumental is used to indicate the instrument of an action
- Lative
- The lative is used to indicate motion to a location
- Ablative
- Ablative proper
-
- The ablative proper is used to indicate motion away from a location
- Ablative of location
-
- The ablative of location is used to indicate a location
- Causal
- The causal indicates that the noun is the cause/reason of the action
- Essive
- Essive proper
-
- The essive proper is used to indicate that the noun is a state of being
- Essive of location
-
- The essive of location is used to indicate that the noun is a temporary location
Possession
Nouns in Vairish can be marked for possession. The basic suffixes are -mVn, -sVn, -ňVn and -jVn.
E.g.
| Declension of raväi "hope" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Person | Singulative | Dual | Plurative |
| 1st (exclusive) | raväiman | raväimën | raväimon |
| 1st (inclusive) | raväisin | raväison | |
| 2nd | raväiňän | raväiňen | raväiňön |
| 3rd | raväijan | raväiin | raväijön |