Scellan/Middle: Difference between revisions

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 80: Line 80:
===Verbs===
===Verbs===
==Syntax==
==Syntax==
Predicate-first syntax
Topic-comment syntax
===Predicates===
===Predicates===



Revision as of 04:02, 25 January 2019

Middle Skellan is the direct descendant of Tigol that was spoken in Skella. It had become Early Modern Skellan around fT 1150.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental/Alveolar Lateral Velar Glottal
Nasal fortis mm /M/ nn /N/ ŋŋ /Ŋ/
lenis m /m/ n /n/ ŋ /ŋ/
Plosive fortis p /p/ t /t/ c /k/
lenis b /b/ d /d/ g /g/
Non-sibilant unvoiced f, ph /f/ th /θ/ ch /x/ sh, h /h/
voiced bh /v/ dh /ð/ gh /ɣ/
Sibilant s /s̻/, z /s̺/ x /ɬ/
Affricate ts /ts/ tx /tɬ/
Resonant fortis rr /R/ ll /L/
lenis r /r/ l /l/

Vowels

a á e é i í y o ó ö ő u ú ü ai ei eu iu oi ui ia ua

Morphology

Nouns

Verbs

Syntax

Topic-comment syntax

Predicates

Að smøøh bo sbenopats, twm øráð bo [toxrorégin] syrŋ a go þarcǿma ŋe.
SG world COL dinosaur NEG only COL evolve-PASS.PART new DET PST.IPFV inhabit it
The world of the dinosaurs was not solely occupied by the newly-evolved. [The world of the dinosaurs, not only the newly evolved inhabited it.]

In some tenses (progressive, perfect) the particle fa can be used after the a when fronting.

Dy iant a duvwŋ.
The teacher is sleeping.
Duvwŋ a (fa) dy iant.
It's the teacher who is sleeping.

Contrasting

Contrastive "partial clauses" borrow the syntax used in focused clauses.

Dy ell Sani Maið, ah twm a ry Hmorill.
Sani loves Maið, but Hmorill does not [love him].
Dy ell Sani Maið, ah twm Gelli.
Sani loves Maið, but she does not love Gelli.