Linguifex

Mergian: Difference between revisions

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===Phoneme Inventory===
===Phoneme Inventory===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Consonant inventory
|-
!
! Labial
! Dental
! Alveolar
! Palatal
! Velar
|-
! Nasal
| m
| colspan="2" | n
| (ɲ)
| ŋ
|-
! Plosive
| p b
| colspan="2" | t d
|
| k g
|-
! Fricative
| f v
| θ ð
| s z
| (ç)
| x~ɣ*
|-
! Affricate
|
| colspan="2" | ts dz
|
|
|-
! Trill
|
|
| r
|
|
|-
! Approximant
|
|
|
| j
| w
|-
! Lat. Approx.
|
|
| l
|
|
|}
The palatals given in brackets are allophones of how palatalized /n/ and /x~ɣ/.
Although originally separate sounds, /x/ and /ɣ/ have merged and are now interchangeable.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Vowel inventory
|-
!
! Front
! Central
! Back
|-
! Close
| i
|
| u
|-
! Near Close
| ɪ
|
| ʊ
|-
! Close Mid
|
| ɘ
| o*
|-
! Open Mid
| ɛ*
|
| ɔ
|-
! Open
| colspan="3" | a
|} 
The starred vowels have long forms.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Diphthongs
|-
!
! a
! ɛ
! o
|-
! ɪ
| aɪ
| ɛɪ
|
|-
! ʊ
| aʊ
| ɛʊ
| oʊ
|}
The ʊ-series of diphthongs are allophones of /aw/ and /ɛw/. If /oɪ/ is created for some reason, it is pronounced as [ɛɪ].


===Allophony===
===Allophony===
There are four regular allophonic sound changes. They are called ''lasfij'' (lenition), ''korij'' (palatalization), ''usdrezjij'' ("dragging out") and ''inregtij'' ("fixing").
''Lasfij'' or "lenition" and ''korij'' or "palatalization" are self-explanatory by their names. Lenition happens when a consonant is surrounded by vowels. Palatalization happens after j, ij or ei. Dragging out is a sound change that happens to unvoiced stops at the ends of words, wherein they become their voiced fricatives. Their sound changes will be given below:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Sound !! Lenited !! Palatalized !! Dragged out
|-
| /p/
| /b/
| -
| /v/
|-
| /t/
| /d/
| /ts/
| /ð/
|-
| /d/
| /ð/
| /dz/
| -
|-
| /θ/
| /ð/
| /ç/
| -
|-
| /k/
| /ɡ/
| /s/
| /ɣ/
|-
| /ɡ, ɣ/
| -
| /z/
| -
|}


===Stress===
===Stress===


===Orthography===
===Orthography===
The Mergian language is written in two scripts. They are the Latin script (''Latnei'') and clerical script (''Gresjei''). The latter is reserved for religious purposes, but sees usage in rural regions too. The Latin script was introduced by [[w: Johannes_Gutenberg|Johannes Gutenberg]] with the advent of the [[w: Printing_press|printing press]]. At first, the Latin script was adopted and simply replicated the clerical script by appearance (i.e. Latin letters replaced letters that they looked like, not ones that they sounded like). This usage of the script caused widespread confusion among Mergians and non-Mergians alike, since completely unrelated letters merged. After the December Revolution in 1916, the new government sought to reform writing. The reforms refit the Latin script to fit Mergian speech, rather than to fit clerical script characters.
The alphabet is given below
{| class="wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Mergian Alphabet
|-
! Gothic
|𐌰
|𐌱
|𐌲
|𐌳
|𐌴
|𐌵
|𐌶
|𐌷
|𐌸
|𐌹
|𐌺
|𐌻
|𐌼
|𐌽
|𐌾
|𐌿
|𐍀
|𐍂
|𐍃
|𐍄
|𐍅
|𐍆
|𐍇
|𐍈
|𐍉
|
|-
! Pre-1916
|A a
|B b
|C c
|D d
|E e
|U u
|Z z
|H h
|Y y
|I i
|R r
|⅄ ʎ
|M m
|N n
|G g
|∩ n
|∩ n
|R r
|S s
|T t
|Y y
|F f
|X x
|O o
|O o
|D d
|-
! Modern
|A a
|B b
|G g
|D d
|E e
| -
|Z z
|H h
|Þ þ
|I i
|K k
|L l
|M m
|N n
|J j
|U u
|P p
|R r
|S s
|T t
|Ŭ ŭ
|F f
|X x*
|V v
|O o
|Đ ð
|-
! Pronounced
| /a/
| /b/
| /x~ɣ/
| /d/
| /ɛ/, /ɘ/
| -
| /z/
| /h/, /ː/
| /θ/
| /ɪ/, /i/
| /k/
| /l/
| /m/
| /n/
| /j/
| /ʊ/, /u/
| /p/
| /r/
| /s/
| /t/
| /w/
| /f/
| /x/
| /v/
| /ɔ/, /o/
| /ð/
|}
* Vowels with multiple entries use the same letter to write distinct sounds. There are a set of rules determining when to use which pronounciation.
* <H h> is pronounced /h/ word-initially and lengthens the preceding vowel anywhere else
* <Ŭ ŭ> is called ''gamorzjets u'' ("short u") and it is used to transcribe clerical script. In modern text, this character is not used and instead is replaced by <U u>
* <X x> is seen in one word in modern text, ''Xristo'' ("Christ"), and any words containing it.


==Morphology==
==Morphology==
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If a geminate consonant cluster forms due to a prefix, then it should be turned degeminated.  
If a geminate consonant cluster forms due to a prefix, then it should be turned degeminated.  
Prefixes are able to stack, and this is most common seen in perfective verbs which already have a directional or aspectual prefix. If two vowels meet between prefixes, then the second one should be deleted. An example is ''atzjigen'' ("to contact") becoming its perfective form, ''gatzjigen''.  
Prefixes are able to stack, and this is most common seen in perfective verbs which already have a directional or aspectual prefix. If two vowels meet between prefixes, then the second one should be deleted. An example is ''atzjigen'' ("to contact") becoming its perfective form, ''gatzjigen''.
 
Some words take a prefix to make a distinction between multiple meanings, that are normally be distinguished by context, when context cannot provide enough information. This kind of prefix is called the supplemental prefix. Consider an example with the word ''lesjen'' which can mean "to learn" or "to teach". By context alone, you can infer what the speaker means to say, like in the sentences ''Dzijtskalo njuð sijnddekse lesjen'' "The teacher likes to teach/learn grammar" and ''Sibni hade sinddekse lesjen'' "The student hates to teach/learn grammar". However, in a sentence like ''E an Franrig lesjen fravoor'' "He moved to France to teach/learn", it is not immediately evident. For this reason, a less common used form like ''dulesjen'' "teach" or ''inlesjen'' "learn" is used. As evident by the example, normally ''du-'' will mark a causative or dative sense while ''in-'' will mark a passive sense.


==== Tense, aspect and mood ====
==== Tense, aspect and mood ====
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! 1s
! 1s
| -e
| -e
| -Ø
| -
| -au
| -au
| -jau
| -jau
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|-
|-
! 2s
! 2s
| -s
| -ea
| -t
| -t
| -ai
| -ai
| -ee
| -ji
| -Ø
| -Ø
|-
|-
! 3s  
! 3s  
| -t
| -
| -t
| -t
| -ai
| -ai
| -i
| -ji
|
|
|-
|-
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| -em
| -em
| -em
| -em
| -me
| -aime
| -me
| -me
| -em
| -em
|-
|-
! 2p
! 2p
| -eþ
| -ats
| -eþ
| -uts
| -þe
| -jits
| -þe
| -aits
| -iþ
| -iþ
|-
|-
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| -en
| -en
| -en
| -en
| -ne
| -aine
| -ne
| -ne
|
|
|-
|-
! colspan="4" | Mediopassive
! colspan="4" | Mediopassive
| colspan="4" | -ðe
| colspan="4" | -te
|-
|-
! colspan="4" | Participle
! colspan="4" | Participle
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{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | Example with <br/> ''singen'' 'to sing' !! colspan="2" | Indicative !! colspan="2" | Subjunctive !! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Imperative
! rowspan="2" | Example with <br/> ''bijden'' 'to bite' !! colspan="2" | Indicative !! colspan="2" | Subjunctive !! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Imperative
|-
|-
! Present !! Past !! Present !! Past  
! Present !! Past !! Present !! Past  
|-
|-
! 1s
! 1s
| ''singe''
| ''bijde''
| ''sang''
| ''beð''
| ''singau''
| ''bijdau''
| ''sangjau''
| ''bijdzjau''
||   
||   
|-
|-
! 2s
! 2s
| ''sings''
| ''bijdea''
| ''sangt''
| ''best''
| ''singai''
| ''bijdai''
| ''sangee''
| ''bijdzji''
|| ''sing!''
|| ''bið!''
|-
|-
! 3s  
! 3s  
| ''singt''
| ''bið''
| ''sangt''
| ''best''
| ''singai''
| ''bijdai''
| ''sangi''
| ''bijdzji''
||
||
|-
|-
! 1p
! 1p
| ''singem''
| ''bijdem''
| ''sangem''
| ''bedem''
| ''singaim''
| ''bijdaime''
| ''sangme''
| ''baidme''
|| ''singme''
|| ''bijdme''
|-
|-
! 2p
! 2p
| ''singeþ''
| ''bijdats''
| ''sangeþ''
| ''beduts''
| ''singþe''
| ''bijdits''
| ''sangþe''
| ''badaits''
|| ''singiþ''
|| ''bijdiþ''
|-
|-
! 3p
! 3p
| ''singen''
| ''bijden''
| ''sangen''
| ''beden''
| ''singne''
| ''bijdaine''
| ''sangne''
| ''bedne''
||  
||  
|-
|-
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|-
|-
! Mediopassive
! Mediopassive
| colspan="3" | singðe
| colspan="3" | bijste
| colspan="3" | sangðe
| colspan="3" | beste
|-
|-
! Participle
! Participle
| colspan="3" | singens
| colspan="3" | bijdens
| colspan="3" | sangens
| colspan="3" | bedens
|-
|-
! Infintive
! Infintive
| colspan="6" | singen
| colspan="6" | beden
|}
* Note: A regular sound change shifts /tt/ into [st], and word-final /t/ into [ð].
 
The weak verb conjugation is slightly more varied based off the thematic vowel of the verb. The thematic vowel divides verb conjugation into four declensions. The thematic vowel is always indicated by the infinitive. They are as follows:
 
* Class I (inf. ''-jen'', eg. ''souzjen'') with the thematic vowel ''-i''. The ''-i'' becomes a ''-j'' before a vowel.
* Class II (inf. ''-on'', eg. ''salbon'') with the thematic vowel ''-o''. The ''-o'' deletes any vowel after it.
* Class III (inf. ''-en'', eg. ''evan'') with the thematic vowel ''-e''. The ''-e'' is deleted by a preceding vowel, stop or silibant.
* Class IV (inf. ''-nen'', eg. ''fulnen'') with the thematic ending ''-ne''. The ''-e'' is deleted by a preceding vowel, stop or silibant and it becomes ''-no'' in the past tense.
 
The III. class has a small amount of verbs in it. This means that even though it and the strong verbs share an infinitive ending, one can assume that the ''-en'' ending is for a strong verb.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Strong verb conjugation
|-
! !! colspan="5" | I. class !! colspan="5" | II. class
|-
! rowspan="2" | !! colspan="2" | Indicative !! colspan="2" | Subjunctive !! rowspan="2" | Imperative !! colspan="2" | Indicative !! colspan="2" | Subjunctive !! rowspan="2" | Imperative
|-
! Present !! Past !! Present !! Past !! Present !! Past !! Present !! Past
|-
! 1s
| -je
| -ða
| -jau
| -ðjau
|
| rowspan="3" | -ou
| -oðe
| -jou
| -oðje
|
|-
! 2s
| -ea
| -ðei
| -jea
| -ðea
| -ji
|-
! 3s
| -ji
| -ða
| -ea
| -ði
|
|-
! 1p
| -jem
| -ðem
| -jma
| -ðma
| -jem
|
| -om
 
|-
! 2p
| -jats
| -ðuts
| -jets
| -ðits
| -jiþ
|
| -outs
|-
! 3p
| -jen
| -ðen
| -jna
| -ðna
| -on
|
|-
! colspan="4" | Present Mediopassive
| colspan="3" | -ta
|-
! colspan="4" | Past Mediopassive
| colspan="3" | -tva <!--note for self: the -va ending is from the word va "was" -->
|-
! colspan="4" | Present Participle
| colspan="3" | -jends
|-
! colspan="4" | Past Participle
| colspan="3" | -ets
|-
! colspan="4" | Infinitive
| colspan="3" | -jen
|}
|}


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