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Bźatga: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox language | |||
|name = Bratan | |||
|nativename = Bźatga | |||
|pronunciation = ˈbʒat.gɐ | |||
|creator = Neil Whalley | |||
|setting = Vesha Islands (Veśŕa) | |||
|states = Vesha Islands | |||
|familycolor = Indo-European | |||
|fam2= [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] | |||
|fam3= [[Insular Celtic]] | |||
|fam4= [[Brythonic]] | |||
|ancestor= [[Common Brythonic]] | |||
|script1 = Latn | |||
|image = Bzatga.png | |||
|imagesize = 200px | |||
|imagecaption = The Vesha Islands | |||
}} | |||
'''Bźatga''' (/ˈbʒatgɐ/) is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of ''Veśŕa'', or the ''Ensva Veśru'', an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean which includes ''Ǎĺêsa'' and its neighbouring islands. According to the people of these islands, the language came with their ancestors from a land called ''Prêńa'' along with a knowledge of metalworking and the sacred horse. | '''Bźatga''' (/ˈbʒatgɐ/) is an Indo-European language spoken by the people of ''Veśŕa'', or the ''Ensva Veśru'', an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean which includes ''Ǎĺêsa'' and its neighbouring islands. According to the people of these islands, the language came with their ancestors from a land called ''Prêńa'' along with a knowledge of metalworking and the sacred horse. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===External History=== | |||
====Arrival==== | |||
Veśŕa was previously uninhabited until speakers of Bźatga arrived in in the first century AD, having escaped from civil war and the threat of Roman occupation in their homeland of Prêńa (i.e. Britain). According to tradition, they were brought here by a man named ''Venģa'', who became first king of the islands. | |||
Before his exile, Venģa had been married to ''Cratvadva'', the queen of the Bźați tribe, whose alliance with the ''Rouńi'' (Romans) after AD 43 caused tension within her tribe that led to rebellion and eventually civil war. Venģa led the anti-Roman faction and set up a rival court in the western territories that were under the control of subordinate tribe, the ''Setći''. | |||
After two decades, in AD 69, Venģa ousted Cratvadva, prompting the Rouńi to march on the Bźați capital. Venģa was forced back into the west and, facing a full-scale Roman invasion of the territory, set sail with a large number of his supporters to seek refuge from his northern neighbours. | |||
None of the tribes of western Prêńa were willing to give shelter to the rebels and, having been rejected by the ''Euzagi'' within the Western Isles, they turned south towards Ireland. But strong winds blew them westward to a place called ''Akva'' (possibly meaning 'island of death'), which was inhabited but far too small to support the exiles. Continuing on their journey, apparently guided by the goddess Bźaća and the the god Nôźta, they eventually landed on the uninhabited island of Ǎĺêsa, the easternmost and largest of the islands of Veśŕa. | |||
The exiles landed and chose to settle. The islands they had discovered were large, fertile and untouched by man. The initial settlement was around the bay of ''Margana'' and Venģa established his court at ''Ogla''. | |||
====Establisment==== | |||
Establishing a new life on Veśŕa was not easy. The islands had no native land mammals and were heavily wooded in many places. It is not clear whether the earliest settlers came with domesticated animals onboard their boats, or whether these were obtained from neighbouring lands by force or exchange. It seems likely that in the early years, several return trips were made to Prêńa to bring livestock, materials and people. However, once the colony was established it seems it remained isolated and any knowledge of Veśŕa among those left in the homeland was lost. | |||
Only a small part of Ǎĺêsa was colonised | |||
===Internal History=== | |||
The development of Bźatga is divided into four periods: | The development of Bźatga is divided into four periods: | ||
* '''Proto-Bźatga''' [''*Briɣantigoh''] (1st–8th centuries) begins with the split from Common Brittonic in the late 1st century AD to the earliest written records in the early 8th century. Though the language is unattested, its development can be adduced. The most important developments during this period were the loss of nasals before other consonants + compensatory lengthening (e.g. Brit. ''*pempe'' > PBz ''*pɛːpe''), the development of new rising diphthongs (e.g. Brit. ''*cɛːton'' > PBz. ''*ciada'') and the falling together of the 1st and 2nd declensions, along with the loss of marked gender (e.g. Brit. ''*wiros, banonā'' > PBz. ''vira, banona''). | * '''Proto-Bźatga''' [''*Briɣantigoh''] (1st–8th centuries) begins with the split from Common Brittonic in the late 1st century AD to the earliest written records in the early 8th century. Though the language is unattested, its development can be adduced. The most important developments during this period were the loss of nasals before other consonants + compensatory lengthening (e.g. Brit. ''*pempe'' > PBz ''*pɛːpe''), the development of new rising diphthongs (e.g. Brit. ''*cɛːton'' > PBz. ''*ciada'') and the falling together of the 1st and 2nd declensions, along with the loss of marked gender (e.g. Brit. ''*wiros, banonā'' > PBz. ''vira, banona''). | ||
* '''Old Bźatga''' [''Bríatéga''] (8th–12th centuries) is the period defined by the arrival of writing to Veśŕa to the onset of syncope in the 12th century, which led to iotisation being phonemicised. The key developments of this period are the loss of distinctive vowel quality, leading to the present vowel system, and the development of iotisation. The period is also marked by the earliest loanwords from Old Irish, Ecclesiastical Latin (mostly via Old Irish) and Old Norse. | * '''Old Bźatga''' [''Bríatéga''] (8th–12th centuries) is the period defined by the arrival of writing to Veśŕa to the onset of syncope in the 12th century, which led to iotisation being phonemicised. The key developments of this period are the loss of distinctive vowel quality, leading to the present vowel system, and the development of iotisation. The period is also marked by the earliest loanwords from Old Irish, Ecclesiastical Latin (mostly via Old Irish) and Old Norse. | ||
* '''Middle Bźatga''' [''Br’atga'' or ''Bŕatga''] (12th–16th centuries) begins with the development of syncope in the 12th century and ends with the renewal of contact with the outside world in the 16th. As well as syncope, it is characterised by the reduction of the inflectional system and the growth of more syntactic methods of expression, for example prepositions replaced case endings and pronouns replaced verbal endings. These changes were not fully reflected in the formal written language, leading to a divergence in written and spoken Bźatga. The late MBz. period also saw the development of palatalisation before ''i''. | * '''Middle Bźatga''' [''Br’atga'' or ''Bŕatga''] (12th–16th centuries) begins with the development of syncope in the 12th century and ends with the renewal of contact with the outside world in the 16th. As well as syncope, it is characterised by the reduction of the inflectional system and the growth of more syntactic methods of expression, for example prepositions replaced case endings and pronouns replaced verbal endings. These changes were not fully reflected in the formal written language, leading to a divergence in written and spoken Bźatga. The late MBz. period also saw the development of palatalisation before ''i''. | ||
* '''Modern Bźatga''' [''Bźatga''] (16th century to present) begins with a period of renewed contact with the outside world, which brought new loanwords (particularly of Greek and Latin origin) and resulted in a vernacular written language ousting the archaic formal language. | * '''Modern Bźatga''' [''Bźatga''] (16th century to present) begins with a period of renewed contact with the outside world, which brought new loanwords (particularly of Greek and Latin origin) and resulted in a vernacular written language ousting the archaic formal language. | ||
(see [[Bźatga/History]]) | |||
==Phonology and Orthography== | ==Phonology and Orthography== | ||
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====Nasal Vowels==== | ====Nasal Vowels==== | ||
When nasal consonants (''m, n, ń'') stand before a consonant or in word-final position, they merge with the preceding vowel or diphthong and cause it to nasalise; ''m'' and ''n'' both disappear, leaving the preceding vowel/diphthong slightly lengthened, while ''ń'' becomes [ȷ̃], e.g. ''aun'' "river" [ãũˑ], ''genta'' "girl" [gɛ̃ˑtɐ], ''camvon'' "whelp" [kãˑβɔ̃ˑ], ''dońva'' "people" (GDPl.) [dɔ̃ȷ̃βɐ]. | When nasal consonants (''m, n, ń'') stand before a consonant or in word-final position, they merge with the preceding vowel or diphthong and cause it to nasalise; ''m'' and ''n'' both disappear, leaving the preceding vowel/diphthong slightly lengthened, while ''ń'' becomes [ȷ̃], e.g. ''aun'' "river" [ãũˑ], ''genta'' "girl" [gɛ̃ˑtɐ], ''camvon'' "whelp" [kãˑβɔ̃ˑ], ''dońva'' "people" (GDPl.) [dɔ̃ȷ̃βɐ]. | ||
====Syllabic ''r, n'' and ''l''==== | |||
In medieval and early modern Bźatga the consonants ''r, n, l'' and their secondary forms ''ŕ, ń, ĺ'' could be syllabic /r̩, n̩, l̩/ (i.e. stand between two consononts or between a consonant and pausa in place of a vowel). Over time, the relatively infrequent instances of ''n, l'' were levelled out leaving only syllabic ''r'' surviving, with forms such as MBz. ''eznga'' "bird-like", ''dazldeja'' "meeting-house" being replaced by ModBz. ''eznaga, dazladeja'' but with ''zvegrna'' "father-in-law", ''cadrnga'' "strong one" continuing. Nevertheless, syllabic ''n, l'' are occasionally met with in archaic writing. By today, syllabic ''r'' is largely restricted to higher or more formal registers in both speech and writing while in the vernacular it is replaced by ''a'', e.g. ''zvegana, cadanga''. | |||
===Stress=== | ===Stress=== | ||
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* ''aḑir'' represents a limited class of nouns, all relating to kinship terms, which have a NAsg. in -C''ir'' but the remaining paradigm in -C''r-''. This class includes ''maḑir'' "mother", ''braḑir'' "brother", ''auțir'' "uncle" and the rare, archaic ''dôćir'' "daughter". | * ''aḑir'' represents a limited class of nouns, all relating to kinship terms, which have a NAsg. in -C''ir'' but the remaining paradigm in -C''r-''. This class includes ''maḑir'' "mother", ''braḑir'' "brother", ''auțir'' "uncle" and the rare, archaic ''dôćir'' "daughter". | ||
** related, but irregular, is ''zviur'' "sister" (NAsg.), ''zviare'' (GDsg.), ''zviŕi'' (NApl.), ''zviara'' (GDpl.). | ** related, but irregular, is ''zviur'' "sister" (NAsg.), ''zviare'' (GDsg.), ''zviŕi'' (NApl.), ''zviara'' (GDpl.). | ||
====The Vocative==== | ====The Vocative==== | ||
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|name = aų | |name = aų | ||
|languagecount = 1}} | |languagecount = 1}} | ||
===Norse=== | |||
The majority of Norse borrowings are related to sailing and the sea. E.g. ''ave'' "haaf net", ''acre'' "anchor", ''bata'' "boat", ''brêzenga'' "cargo ship", ''crave'' "galley", ''ńora'' "trading ship", ''ścuta'' "small boat", ''lôna'' "roller", ''vlote'' "fleet", ''ronga'' "ships rib", ''ścêpe'' "ship", ''ścauta'' "corner of sheet or sail", ''śtava'' "stay rope, guy rope", ''ĺutinga'' "stern", ''evela'' "rope for raising sail", ''sese'' "mate, companion, shipmate, comrade". | |||
Some topographic words have been borrowed, particularly those relating to the sea or coast: ''boze'' "breaker, rock in sea", ''ĺeta'' "sea cliff, rock", ''ôse'' "river mouth", ''êźe'' "isthmus", ''ścere'' "skerry, scar" | |||
Words relating to trade and commerce often come from Norse: ''bêzmare'' "scales, balance", ''buza'' "stall, shop", ''caupa'' "trade, business", ''caupma'' (4) "merchant, trader, businessman", ''trela'' "(foreign) slave", | |||
Some words related to governance have been borrowed: ''rama'' (4) "steward, manager, officer", ''źala'' "leader, prince, chief", | |||
A surprising number of insults also more colourful words have also been borrowed: ''bleźa'' "coward", ''ścola'' "mockery, insult, taunting", ''śraka'' "vagabond, vagrant, suspicious person", ''crelenga'' "hag, witch, old woman", ''nizinga'' "wretch, villain'. | |||
==Personal Names== | ==Personal Names== | ||