Dwendish

Pictish is a language isolate spoken in the British Isles by members of the Thurse phenotype. It is in a sprachbund with the Celtic languages and shares features such as VSOX word order and initial consonant mutation.

Introduction

The intent of Pictish is to have a non-Celtic language being in a sprachbund with the Celtic languages without being too obviously Celtic in aesthetics. The main inspiration was Jörg Rhiemeier's article in the League of Lost Languages on the British Isles Linguistic Area. The phonetics were influenced by Valarin Quenya and the phonotactics by Láadan. Irish and Breton influenced Pictish initial consonant mutation.

Phonology

Orthography

Pictish is written in a Latin script. The letters "b", "c", "e", "j", "o", "p", "s", "v", "w", "y" and "z" are not used.

Pictish Alphabet

"a" = /a/

"d" = /ð/

"dh" = /θ/

"f" = /w/

"fh" = /xʷ/

"g" = /j/

"gh" = /ç/

"h" = /h/

"i" = /i/

"k" = /k/

"l" = /l/

"l" = /ɬ/

"m" = /m/

"mq" = /ŋɡʷ/

"n" = /n/

"ng" = /ɲ/

"nk" = /ŋɡ/

"nr" = /ŋ/

"nt" = /nd/

"nx" = /ɲɟ/

"q" = /kʷ/

"r" = /ɣ/

"rh" = /x/

"t" = /t/

"u" = /u/

"x" = /c/

Note:

The glottal stop only occurs word-initially and its radical form is not written.

Consonants

NASAL: /n, ɲ, ŋ, m/

PLOSIVE:

-surd: /t, c, k, kʷ/

-prenasal: /nd, ɲɟ, ŋɡ, ŋɡʷ/

FRICATIVE: /θ, ɬ, ç, x, xʷ/

CONTINUANT:

-liquid: /l, ɣ/

-approximant: /ð, j, w/

GLOTTAL:

-stop: /ʔ/

-resonance: /h/

Vowels

HIGH: /i, u/

LOW: /a/

Allophony

1) /ɲ/ is realised as [dʒ] in word-final position

2) surds are aspirated in word-initial position

3) /c/ is realised as [tʃ] in word-final position

4) /kʷ/ is realised as [p] in word-final position

5) prenasals are realised as plain voiced plosives in word-initial position

6) /nd, ŋɡ/ are voiceless in word-final position

7) /ɲɟ/ and /ŋɡʷ/ are realised as [ɲtʃ] and [mp] in word-final position

8) /ɣ/ is realised as [ʃ] in word-final position

9) high vowels are lowered to [ɛ, ɔ] after a palatal or labial onset

10) high vowels are lowered to [ɛ, ɔ] before a word-final liquid

Prosody

Stress

Pictish polysyllables bear the primary stress on the second syllable.

Intonation

Pictish polysyllables bear secondary stress on every alternate syllable after the one bearing the primary stress. Rhythm type is iambic.