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'''Elvarri''' (''elvariu'' or ''elvarriu'' [[Help:IPA|[elˈvarju]]]), also called '''Levarian''', is a [[w:Classical language|classical language]] of the Luxelvic family. Elvarri was originally spoken by the Elvars, a tribe of Fairelves native to Elvod, a region at the mouth of the Separ river on the island of Haparod. It then became a dominant language of Haparod through the short-lived empire of Nagripon, who also oversaw the invention of Nagri script. After the death of Nagripon, his empire fractured into the Nagripu city-states, which then spread Elvarri as a dominant [[w:Trade language|trade language]] across the Inner Waters as these city-states developed into seafaring trade empires. It was the most spoken language in Hamanna in the Age of Stone, and has a large influence on most modern languages, especially the various elf languages. It also still has considerable use as a [[w:Sacred language|liturgical language]] of the Sun Temple (''Vasnadom'') and the Great Bay Nation (''Duvargamiod'').
'''Elvarri''' (''elvariu'' or ''elvarriu'' [[Help:IPA|[elˈvarju]]]), also called '''Levarian''', is a [[w:Classical language|classical language]] of the Luxelvic family. Elvarri was originally spoken by the Elvars, a tribe of Fairelves native to Elvod, a region at the mouth of the Separ river on the island of Haparod. It then became a dominant language of Haparod through the short-lived empire of Nagripon, who also oversaw the invention of Nagri script. After the death of Nagripon, his empire fractured into the Nagripu city-states, which then spread Elvarri as a dominant [[w:Trade language|trade language]] across the Inner Waters as these city-states developed into seafaring trade empires. It was the most spoken language in Hamanna in the Age of Stone, and has a large influence on most modern languages, especially the various elf languages. It also still has considerable use as a [[w:Sacred language|liturgical language]] of the Sun Temple (''Vasnadom'') and the Great Bay Nation (''Duvargamiod'').


Elvarri is a mostly agglutinative, strictly VSO, adjective-noun and informally [[w:Pro-drop language|pro-drop]] language with a complex system of [[w:Grammatical|case inflections]], verb inflections, and a twoway [[w:Animacy|animacy]] distinction of animate and inanimate.
Similarly to [[w:Latin|Latin]] in the real world, Elvarri did not undergo [[w:Language death|language death]], but rather evolved into regional dialects and then distinct languages, including [[Hoklevar]], [[Hespadrin]], [[Whitereed]], [[Tasparin]], [[Macatranese]], [[Amtarese]], [[Moonhind]] and various isolated Inner Water island languages collectively called [[Insular Levarian]]. However, it remained a significantly used common language long after it was no longer spoken as a native language, due to its large influence on scientific, economic, military, horological and naval vocabulary; this dominance remained till the 12th century, when modern languages largely supplanted its traditional use.
 
Elvarri is a [[w:Synthetic language|synthetic]], strictly VSO, adjective-noun and informally [[w:Pro-drop language|pro-drop]] language with a complex system of [[w:Grammatical|case inflections]], verb inflections, and a twoway [[w:Animacy|animacy]] distinction of animate and inanimate.
==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Consonants===
===Consonants===
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|-
|-
! Stop
! Stop
| p || b || colspan=2 | || t || d || || colspan=2 | || k || g || ʔ
| p || b || colspan=2 | || t || d || || colspan=2 | || k || g || (ʔ)
|-
|-
! Fricative
! Fricative
| colspan=2 | || f || v || s || z || ʂ || colspan=2 | || x || (ɣ) || h
| colspan=2 | || f || v || s || z || ʂ || colspan=2 | || x || (ɣ) || (h)
|-
|-
! Rhotic
! Rhotic
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| {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/k/}} || {{ipa|/x/}} || ''ur'''k'''amo'' "to split, to cut"</br>''mur'''k'''ambet'' "aqueduct"
| {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/k/}} || {{ipa|/x/}} || ''ur'''k'''amo'' "to split, to cut"</br>''mur'''k'''ambet'' "aqueduct"
|-
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/t/}} || {{ipa|/ʔ/}} > {{ipa|/∅/}} || ''gor'''t''''' "container"</br>''ennar'''t''''' "inserting"
| rowspan=2 | {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/t/}} || {{ipa|/ʔ/}} > {{ipa|/∅/}} || ''gor'''t''''' "container"</br>''ennar'''t''''' "within"
|-
|-
| {{ipa|/θ/}} or {{ipa|/ts/}} || ''ennar'''t'''o'' "to insert"</br>''ver'''t'''uk'' "healer"
| {{ipa|/θ/}} or {{ipa|/ts/}} || ''ennar'''t'''o'' "to insert"</br>''ver'''t'''uk'' "healer"
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| {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/z/}} || {{ipa|/s/}} > {{ipa|/ʂ/}} || ''ir'''z'''evet'' "period between winter and spring"</br>''asmur'''z'''u'' "religious offering"
| {{ipa|/r/}} + {{ipa|/z/}} || {{ipa|/s/}} > {{ipa|/ʂ/}} || ''ir'''z'''evet'' "period between winter and spring"</br>''asmur'''z'''u'' "religious offering"
|}
|}
===Vowels===
===Vowels===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
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! Open
! Open
| || a ||
| || a ||
|}
{{ipa|/ɛ ɔ/}} become {{ipa|/e o/}} in unstressed syllables. {{ipa|/u/}} was also often dropped between a velar consonant and any other consonant, rendering the latter consonant syllabic, as in ''k'''u'''ruk'' "tailor" [[Help:IPA|[ˈkr̩uk]]].
==Grammar==
Grammatically, Elvarri is a [[w:Synthetic language|synthetic]], mostly [[w:Fusional language|fusional]] [[w:Nominative-accusative language|nominative-accusative]] language. [[w:Noun|Nouns]] (''malor''), [[w:Adjective|adjectives]] (''hemerei'') and [[w:Pronoun|pronouns]] (''yomalor'') are inflected on [[w:Animacy|animacy]], [[w:Grammatical number|number]] and [[w:Grammatical case|case]]. Personal pronouns are also often dropped in spoken or colloquial speech, though only if the subject could be inferred; this is discouraged in standardised literary language. [[w:Verb|Verbs]] are inflected on tense, mood, and (to an extent) [[w:Grammatical person|person]].
===Nouns===
Nouns are primarily infected on case, which then differentiates based on the animacy (broadly, whether the noun is living or not living) and the grammatical number (singular, paucal or plural) of the noun. There are, traditionally, eight noun cases in Elvarri: [[w:Nominative case|nominative]], [[w:Accusative case|accusative]], [[w:Genitive case|genitive]], [[w:Dative case|dative]], [[w:Locative case|locative]], [[w:Instrumental case|instrumental]], [[w:Perlative case|perlative]] and [[w:Vocative case|vocative]].
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! colspan=2 | !! Nominative !! Accusative !! Genitive !! Dative !! Locative !! Instrumental !! Perlative !! Vocative
|-
! rowspan=2 | Singular
! inanimate
| rowspan=2 | — || ''-i'' || ''-os'' || ''-ta'' || ''-si'' || ''-es'' || ''-ess'' || ''-to''
|-
! animate
| ''-a'' || ''-u'' || ''-i'' || ''-ea'' || ''-si'' || ''-se'' || ''-va''
|-
! rowspan=2 | Paucal
! inanimate
| ''-ur'' || ''-ir'' || ''-sro'' || ''-tra'' || ''-sia'' || ''-sur'' || ''-sra'' || ''-tor''
|-
! animate
| ''-om'' || ''-am'' || ''-nem'' || ''-nis'' || ''-nye'' || ''-ams'' || ''-ems'' || ''-va''
|-
! rowspan=2 | Plural
! inanimate
| ''-or'' || ''-er'' || ''-ro'' || ''-tar'' || ''-sa'' || ''-sor'' || ''-srat'' || ''-tor''
|-
! animate
| ''-i'' || ''-e'' || ''-eu'' || ''-im'' || ''-ses'' || ''-is'' || ''-ise'' || ''-vai'' / ''-ve''*
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>The plural animate vocative ''-vai'' was written as ''-ve'' in the ''Book of Whitereed'' and other literary works and inscriptions. This practice expanded in use across most literary societies during the Age of Twilight due to the dominance of Whitereed literature, the sole Elvarri literary institution still sponsored by the state in the Twilight.
{| class="multicol" role="presentation" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none; border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0; background: transparent; width:auto; text-align: center;"
| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top;" |
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|+ Case inflections on regular animate noun ''dud'' ("tree")
! !! Nominative !! Accusative !! Genitive !! Dative !! Locative !! Instrumental !! Perlative !! Vocative
|-
! Singular
| ''dud'' || ''duda'' || ''dudu'' || ''dudi'' || ''dudea'' || ''dudsi'' || ''dudse'' || rowspan=2 | ''dudva''
|-
! Paucal
| ''dudom'' || ''dudam'' || ''dudnem'' || ''dudnis'' || ''dudnye'' || ''dudams'' || ''dudems''
|-
! Plural
| ''dudi'' || ''dude'' || ''dudeu'' || ''dudim'' || ''dudses'' || ''dudis'' || ''dudise'' || ''dudvai'' / ''dudve''
|}
&#32;
| style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top;" |
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|+ Case inflections on regular inanimate noun ''rukum'' ("bread")
! !! Nominative !! Accusative !! Genitive !! Dative !! Locative !! Instrumental !! Perlative !! Vocative
|-
! Singular
| ''rukum'' || ''rukumi'' || ''rukumos'' || ''rukumta'' || ''rukumsi'' || ''rukums'' || ''rukumss'' || ''rukumto''
|-
! Paucal
| ''rukumur'' || ''rukumir'' || ''rukumsro'' || ''rukumtra'' || ''rukumsia'' || ''rukumsur'' || ''rukumsra'' || rowspan=2 | ''rukumtor''
|-
! Plural
| ''rukumor'' || ''rukumer'' || ''rukumro'' || ''rukumtar'' || ''rukumsa'' || ''rukumsor'' || ''rukumsrat''
|}
|}
|}
[[Category:Elvarri]] [[Category:Hamanna]] [[Category:Languages]] [[Category:Conlangs]]
[[Category:Elvarri]] [[Category:Hamanna]] [[Category:Languages]] [[Category:Conlangs]]