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[[Category:Tinarian languages]]
{{privatelang}}
{{privatelang}}
{{construction}}
{{construction}}


{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|image            = Natalician_Flag.png
|image            = Natalician_Flag_Updated.png
|imagesize        = 185px
|imagesize        = 185px
|imagecaption      = Flag of the Natalician Republic
|imagecaption      = Flag of the Natalician Republic
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|nativename        = Nataledhi
|nativename        = Nataledhi
|pronunciation    = na.ta.le.di
|pronunciation    = na.ta.le.di
|pronunciation_key = IPA for Natalician
|states            = Natalicia; Firenia and the Kontamchian Islands
|states            = Natalicia; Firenia and the Kontamchian Islands
|setting          = Hazerworld
|region            = Central-East Tinaria
|region            = Central-East Tinaria
|speakers          = 37,123,487
|speakers          = 37,123,487
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|fam4              = Natalo-Kesperian
|fam4              = Natalo-Kesperian
|fam5              = Old Natalician
|fam5              = Old Natalician
|dia1              = Celician Natalician (''Selis Nataledhi'')
|dia2              = Northern Natalician (''Köpreh Nataledhi'')
|dia3              = Firenic Natalician (''Firen Nataledhi'')
|stand1            = Standard Central Natalician (''Kieneh Rasah Nataledhi'')
|creator          = User:Hazer
|creator          = User:Hazer
|script1          = Latn
|script1          = Latn
|official          = Natalicia, Firenia, Budernie, Nirania, Kannamie
|official          = Natalicia, Firenia, Budernie, Nirania, Kannamie
|minority          = Espidon, Amarania (Dogostania)
|minority          = Espidon, Amarania (Dogostania)
|nation            = Natalicia
|agency            = The Natalician Academic Council for Linguistics
|agency            = The Natalician Academic Council for Linguistics
|map              = Natalician_Distr_Map.png
|map              = Natalician_Distr_Map.png
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|notice            = IPA
|notice            = IPA
|ethnicity        = Natales
|ethnicity        = Natales
|ancestor          = Old Natalician
}}
}}
'''Natalician''' ({{IPA|/nəˈtɑlɪʃən/ or /ˌnɑteɪˈlɪʃ.ən/}}; [[w:Endonym|endonym]]: ''Nataledhi'' {{IPA|[na.ta.le.di]}} or ''Natal Rettive'' {{IPA|/na.tal re.tːive/}}) is a North Kasenian language mainly spoken in Central East Tinaria, primarily in Natalicia, Firenia and North-East Nirania. Outside of Natalica, it is recognized as an official language in Budernie, Nirania, Kannamie and as a minority language in East Espidon and the Dogostanian community in Eastern Amarania. Natalician is closely related to other North Kasenian languages such as Espidan and Niranian.  
'''Natalician''' ({{IPA|/nəˈtɑlɪʃən/ or /ˌnɑteɪˈlɪʃ.ən/}}; [[w:Endonym|endonym]]: ''Nataledhi'' {{IPA|[na.ta.le.di]}} or ''Natal Rettive'' {{IPA|/na.tal re.tːive/}}) is a North Kasenian language predominantly spoken in Central East Tinaria, specifically in Natalicia, Firenia, and North-East Nirania. Beyond Natalicia, it holds official status in Budernie, Nirania, and Kannamie, and is recognized as a minority language in East Espidon and within the Dogostanian community in Eastern Amarania. Natalician shares a close linguistic relationship with other North Kasenian languages, such as Espidan and Niranian.


Modern Natalician gradually developed from Old Natalician, which in turn developed from an extinct unnamed language spoken by the Natalo-Kesperian tribes. Today, Natalician is one of the most important languages in the world, and is the most spoken Kasenian language, both natively and as an additional language. About 65 million people speak Natalician worldwide, 37 of which are natives.
Modern Natalician evolved from Old Natalician, which itself descended from an extinct, unnamed language spoken by the Natalo-Kesperian tribes. Today, Natalician stands as one of the world's most significant languages, boasting the highest number of speakers among the Kasenian languages, both as a native and a second language. Approximately 65 million people worldwide speak Natalician, including 37 million native speakers.


Natalician is a language characterised by the lack of [[w:Grammatical case|cases]], the absence of [[w:Grammatical genders|genders]], nearly no irregularity and a systematic grammar and an orthography with no digraphs, dipthongs or anything of the like, making it such a straightforward language to read and learn.
Natalician is characterised by its lack of [[w:Grammatical case|grammatical cases]], absence of [[w:Grammatical genders|grammatical genders]], minimal irregularity, and a systematic grammar. Its orthography is straightforward, devoid of digraphs, diphthongs, or similar complexities, making it an accessible language to read and learn.


==History==
==History==
The earliest traces of the Natalician language date as far back as the year 334, with a much different vocabulary and grammar as that of the modern descandant, sub-dividing the Natalician language's history into 3 timelines - '''Classic Natalician''' (334 - 1203), '''Old Natalician''' (1203 - 1540) and '''Modern Natalician''' (1540 - present). The language is estimated to be 1687 years old as of 2021.
The earliest traces of the Natalician language date back to the year 334, featuring a vocabulary and grammar markedly different from its modern descendant. The history of the Natalician language is divided into three distinct periods: '''Classic Natalician''' (334–1203), '''Old Natalician''' (1203–1540), and '''Modern Natalician''' (1540–present). As of 2021, the language is estimated to be 1,687 years old.


===Classic Natalician===
===Classic Natalician===
Also known as the '''Poetic Natalician''' or the '''Natalo-Kesperian Language''', the only recorded evidences of the earliest traces of the language are found in ancient poetries and old writings on recovered artifacts. These evidences however are deemed not enough by the NACL to be considered a valid or complete written evidence of the Natalo-Kesperian spoken language, as illiteracy was dominant in the pre-Killisic era and the chosen vocabulary choice is said to be too formal. Classic Natalician's vocabulary has many direct elements from the early Proto-North-Kasenian language which was later ambolished due to the migratory era, culture clashes and the increase of loanwords.
Also known as '''Poetic Natalician''' or the '''Natalo-Kesperian Language''', the earliest traces of this language are found solely in ancient poetry and inscriptions on recovered artifacts. However, the NACL (Natalician Academy of Classical Languages) considers these remnants insufficient to be deemed a complete or valid representation of the spoken Natalo-Kesperian language, largely due to the dominance of illiteracy in the pre-Killistic era and the overly formal nature of the vocabulary used in these writings.


There is no known documents for Classic Natalician that have survived. No known evidence of the development of the language during the primary era have been found.
Classic Natalician's vocabulary contains numerous direct elements from the early Proto-North-Kasenian language, which eventually faded during the migratory era. This decline was influenced by cultural clashes and the increasing incorporation of loanwords.
 
Unfortunately, no documents from the Classic Natalician period have survived. Consequently, there is no known evidence detailing the development of the language during this primary era.


===Old Natalician===
===Old Natalician===
{{Quote box |align=right|quoted=true |
{{Quote box |align=right|quoted=true |
|salign=right
|salign=right
|quote=''Reširi ägsös nör på tånåka if kelševi wezzen fölsi sos.'' <br /> “The people have the right to write and say what they please.”
|quote=''Reširi ägsös nör på tånåka if kelševi wez̊en fölsi sos.'' <br /> “The people have the right to write and say what they please.”
|source= The first quote from the famous Ulun Cilesli Irkete's 1210 language guide
|source= The first quote from the famous Ulun Cilesli Irkete's 1210 language guide
}}
}}




When the Killistic era entered, the Natale tribes have recieved access to knowledge brought by the proclaimed king of the Natales, '''Ribel Zömeri'''. It was the era where literacy skyrocketed in the newly born and united Natale monarchy [1203 - 1834], and printed evidence of the Natalician language have surfaced and bloomed.
With the dawn of the Killistic era, the Natale tribes gained access to invaluable knowledge, brought by the ascension of their proclaimed king, '''Ribel Zömeri'''. This period marked a significant rise in literacy rates within the nascent and unified Natale monarchy, which spanned from 1203 to 1834. During this era, the Natalician language saw its first instances of written records and experienced a flourishing of printed works.
The first recorded book containing written evidence comes from the book "Natåltïå kočåculaï orūnza" (Natalician Guide Book) by late author Ulun Cilesli Irkete, written and published in year 1210. Following that have come multiple documents that have been preserved through generations and found as artifacts in the '''Natalician Grand Museum of Literature and Artifacts''' in Celicia.
 
The earliest known book containing written evidence of the Natalician language is titled "Natåltïå kočåculaï orūnza" (Natalician Guide Book). This seminal work was authored and published by the late Ulun Cilesli Irkete in the year 1210. Subsequently, numerous documents have been preserved through generations and are now treasured artifacts housed in the '''Natalician Grand Museum of Literature and Artifacts''' in Celicia.


[[file:Old_natalician_book.png|thumb|A recovered old copy of Prof. Irkete's Old Natalician guide book]]
[[file:Old_natalician_book.png|thumb|A recovered old copy of Prof. Irkete's Old Natalician guide book]]


Many scholars of history and literature have claimed that Classic and Old Natalician are the same language, but lack of evidence weakened the claims. Scholar '''Iček Friktinäm''' quotes: ''"Old Natalician may be the result of intervention of new local loanwords and the varieties of dialects may have caused a deviation of Kasenian roots from the standard spoken Natalician at that time."''
Many historians and literary scholars have debated the relationship between Classic and Old Natalician, with some arguing that they are identical. However, the scarcity of evidence has left these claims unresolved. Scholar '''Iček Friktinäm''' posits: ''"Old Natalician may be the result of the incorporation of new local loanwords, and the diverse dialects might have led to deviations from the Kasenian roots of the standard spoken Natalician of that time."''


Old Natalician features a drastically different grammar and vocabulary from that of the Natalician of today, the most notable difference is ''vowel harmony'' and ''cases''. The old language features '''4''' vowel harmony types and '''3''' grammatical cases: '''Nominative''', '''Accusative''' and '''Genetive'''. The different suffixes and verb conjugation are majorly notable differences aswell.
Old Natalician is characterized by significantly different grammar and vocabulary compared to modern Natalician. The most notable differences include the presence of ''vowel harmony'' and ''grammatical cases''. The language featured four types of vowel harmony and three grammatical cases: '''Nominative''', '''Accusative''', and '''Genitive'''. Additionally, distinct suffixes and verb conjugations highlight the major grammatical differences.


===Modern Natalician===
===Modern Natalician===
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}}
}}


During the beginning of the decline of the monarchy,  
The Natalician language has been continuously evolving since the 15th century with the decline of the monarchy and the rise of '''Goz Hoz'''. This evolution continued until the establishment of the Republic in 1845 by '''Zafel Sörät Fortla''', when the "Natalician Academic Council for Linguistics" was created and assumed responsibility for tracking the language's development.


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
The name of Natalicia, the Natales and the Natalician language comes from the tribes of Natalo-Kershenian
The name Natalicia, the Natales and the Natalician language, originates from the '''Natala''' tribes of the Natalo-Kesperian community in central east Tinaria. The term derives from the Proto-Kasenian word '''Nåťåla''', meaning "to ensure fairness." This evolved into ''Nåsåla'' in Old Natalician and eventually became ''Nasala'' in Modern Natalician.


== Phonology ==
== Phonology ==
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| l
| l
|
|
| ʎ
|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|
|
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|  
|  
|  
|  
| (ɣ˕)
|
|
|
|
|
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! colspan="2" | [[w:Flap consonant|Flap]]
! colspan="2" | [[w:Flap consonant|Flap]]
|
|
| ɾ
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|ʀ
|
|
|
|}
|}
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The Natalician vowel system can be considered as being three-dimensional, where vowels are characterised by how and where they are articulated focusing on three key features: [[Vowel#Backness|front and back]], rounded and unrounded and [[Vowel#Height|vowel height]].
The Natalician vowel system can be considered as being three-dimensional, where vowels are characterised by how and where they are articulated focusing on three key features: [[Vowel#Backness|front and back]], rounded and unrounded and [[Vowel#Height|vowel height]].


====Notes====
====Note====
* When the  vowels /i/, /u/ precede or succeed another vowel, they become /j/, /w/ respectively. If both vowels meet one another, only the /i/ will transform into a /j/ which the /u/ remains unchanged.
When the  vowels /i/, /u/ precede or succeed another vowel, they become /j/, /w/ respectively. If both vowels meet one another, only the /i/ will transform into a /j/ which the /u/ remains unchanged.
* The only diphthong in the whole language is the ''Object'' second person singular '''Ou''' ''(You)'', pronounced /uː/.


==== Vowel harmony ====
==== Vowel harmony ====
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| style="border-left: 0;" | '''u'''  
| style="border-left: 0;" | '''u'''  
|- style="text-align: center;"
|- style="text-align: center;"
! Type Ĭ (Backness + Rounding)
| colspan="3" | '''i''' || colspan="2" | '''ü''' || colspan="1" | '''a''' || colspan="2" | '''u'''
|-
! Type Ĕ (Backness)
! Type Ĕ (Backness)
| colspan="5" | '''e''' || colspan="5" | '''o'''
| colspan="5" | '''e''' || colspan="5" | '''o'''
|- style="text-align: center;"
|- style="text-align: center;"
! Type Ĭ (Backness + Rounding)
| colspan="3" | '''i''' || colspan="2" | '''ü''' || colspan="1" | '''a''' || colspan="2" | '''u'''
|}
|}


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# '''Native, non-compound words''', e.g. ''Ela'' "then", ''Čela'' "drink", ''Äga'' "by"
# '''Native, non-compound words''', e.g. ''Ela'' "then", ''Čela'' "drink", ''Äga'' "by"
# '''Native compound words''', e.g. ''Pawez'' "for what"
# '''Native compound words''', e.g. ''Pave'' "for what"
# '''Foreign words''', e.g. many English loanwords such as '''Sertifikäht''' (certificate), '''Hospital''' (hospital), '''Komphuter''' (computer)
# '''Foreign words''', e.g. many English loanwords such as '''Sertifikäht''' (certificate), '''Hospital''' (hospital), '''Komphuter''' (computer)
# '''Invariable prefixes / suffixes:'''
# '''Invariable prefixes / suffixes:'''
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! scope="col" | Meaning in English
! scope="col" | Meaning in English
! scope="col" | Remarks
! scope="col" | Remarks
|-
| '''–tüs'''
| ''iantüs'' || "eating"
| From ''ian'' "eat"
|-
|-
| '''–(v)iš'''
| '''–(v)iš'''
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==Orthography==
==Orthography==
===Alphabet===
===Alphabet===
Natalician has a straightforward orthography, meaning very regular spelling with no diphthong or digraph or anything of the sort. In linguistic terms, the writing system is a phonemic orthography. The following are exceptions:
Natalician has a straightforward orthography, meaning regular spelling with (almost) no diphthong or digraph or anything of the sort. In linguistic terms, the writing system is a phonemic orthography. The following are exceptions:




* The letter that is called ''Girbit El'' ("Silent L"), written {{angbr|Ł}} in Natalician orthography, represents vowel lengthening. It never occurs at the beginning of a word or a syllable, always follows a vowel and always preceeds a consonant. The vowel that preceeds it is lengthened.
* The letter that is called ''Girbit El'' ("Silent L"), written {{angbr|Ł}} in Natalician orthography, represents vowel lengthening. It never occurs at the beginning of a word or a syllable, always follows a vowel and always preceeds a consonant. The vowel that preceeds it is lengthened.
* The Object second person singular ''Ou'' is the only digraph in the entire language, making the sound of /uː/.
* The letter {{angbr|H}} in Natalician orthography represents two sounds: The /h/ sound, and the /j/ sound. If the letter {{angbr|H}} is located at the beginning of the word, it takes the /h/ sound, otherwise it takes the /j/ sound. (e.g. ''Hiloh'' /hi.loj/'' "Hello", ''Konah /ko.naj/'' "Beautiful", ''Haz /haz/ "This")
* The letter {{angbr|H}} in Natalician orthography represents two sounds: The /h/ sound, and the /j/ sound. If the letter {{angbr|H}} is located at the beginning of the word, it takes the /h/ sound, otherwise it takes the /j/ sound. (e.g. ''Hiloh'' /hi.loj/'' "Hello", ''Konah /ko.naj/'' "Beautiful", ''Haz /haz/ "This")


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==Grammar==
==Grammar==
Luthic grammar is almost typical of the grammar of Romance languages in general. Cases exist for personal pronouns (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive), and unlike other Romance languages (except Romanian), they also exist for nouns, but are often ignored in common speech, mainly because of the Italian influence, a language who lacks noun cases. There are three basic classes of nouns in Luthic, referred to as genders, masculine, feminine and neuter. Masculine nouns typically end in -o, with plural marked by -i, feminine nouns typically end in -a, with plural marked by -ai, and neuter nouns typically end in -ȯ, with plural marked by -a. A fourth category of nouns is [[w:Marker (linguistics)|unmarked]] for gender, ending in -e in the singular and -i in the plural; a variant of the unmarked declension is found ending in -r in the singular and -i in the plural, it lacks neuter nouns:
Natalician grammar can be compared to that of the English language to an extent. Cases were dropped during the middle stages of the language, and like the rest of the Tinarian languages, there is no gendered nouns.


Examples:
===Pronouns===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
{| class=wikitable
! Definition !! Gender !! Singular nominative !! Plural nominative
!
!colspan=3|Singular
!colspan=3|Plural
|-
! !!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!1st!!2nd!!3rd
|-
|-
| Son || Masculine || Fiġlo || Fiġli
!Personal Pronoun
|''Nei''  ||''On''  ||''Sü'' ||''Namše''  ||''Daš''  ||''So''
|-
|-
| Flower || Feminine || Bloma || Blomai
!Object Pronoun / Possessive Determiner
|''(V)In''  ||''(V)U''  ||''Süs''  ||''Nameš''  ||''Daša''  ||''Soz''
|-
|-
| Fruit || Neuter || Acranȯ || Acrana
!Possessive Pronoun
|''(V)Ini'' ||''(V)Onu'' ||''Süzü'' ||''Nameše'' ||''Dašo'' ||''Sozun''
|}
 
The pronouns ''(V)In'', ''(V)U'', ''(V)Ini'' and ''(V)Onu'' will use the V if the preceding noun ends with a vowel. In a sentence, the possessive determiner will always succeed the object. The object pronoun usually comes after the verb:
 
* ''Haz ensei ianzak '''in''''' - This is '''my''' food
* ''Iandaita ťimana '''vin''''' - You ate '''my''' grape
* ''Rimtiz '''soz''' kołru'' - I saw '''them''' yesterday
 
===Verbs===
 
====Stems of verbs====
Many stems in the dictionary are indivisible; others consist of endings attached to a root.
 
====Verb-stems from nouns====
The verb-stem ''Maršo-'' "Build" is the adjective ''Mar'' "A build" with the suffix ''-šo''.  Many verbs are formed from nouns or adjectives with ''-šĕ'':
:{| class="wikitable"
! Noun !! Verb
|-
|-
| Love || Masculine || Amore || Amori
| ''Ergem'' "negativity" || ''Ergem'''še'''-'' "negate"
|-
|-
| Art || Feminine || Crafte || Crafti
| ''To'' "two" || ''To'''šo'''-'' "Two-ify", that is, "get married"
|-
|-
| Water || Neuter || Vadne || Vadni
| ''Kel'' "word" || ''kel'''še'''-'' "say"
|}
 
====Voice====
A verbal root, or a verb-stem in ''-šĕ'', can be lengthened with certain '''extensions'''.  If present, they appear in the following order, and they indicate distinctions of '''[[Grammatical voice|voice]]''':
:{|class="wikitable"
|+ Extensions for voice
|-
! Voice !! Ending !! Example
|-
|-
| King || Masculine || Regġe || Regġi
!Reflexive
|''-(ĭ)r'';||Kark (wash); Karkar (shower)
|-
|-
| Heart || Neuter || Hairtene || Hairteni
!Reciprocal
|''-cĕ'';||Dol (send); Dolco (exchange)
|-
|-
| Father || Masculine || Fadar || Fadari
!Causative
|''-(&)z'';||Ian (eat); Ianaz (feed)
|-
|-
| Mother || Feminine || Modar || Modari
!Passive
|''-(ĭ)v'';||Artan (help); Artanav (be helped)
|}
|}
These endings might seem to be ''inflectional'' in the sense of the {{section link||Introduction}} above, but their meanings are not always clear from their particular names, and dictionaries do generally give the resulting forms, so in this sense they are ''constructive'' endings.


Declension paradigm in [[w:Formal language|formal]] Standard Luthic:
The causative extension makes an intransitive verb transitive, and a transitive verb '''factitive'''.  Together, the reciprocal and causative extension make the '''repetitive''' extension ''-(i)ştir''.
 
:{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Verb Root/Stem !! New Verb !! Voice
|-
|-
! Number
| rowspan=2 | ''Dol'' "Send"
! Case
| ''Dolco'' "Exchange" || ''-ur'' (reciprocal)
! o-stem <sup>m</sup>
! a-stem <sup>f</sup>
! o-stem <sup>n</sup>
! i-stem <sup>unm</sup>
! r-stem <sup>unm</sup>
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Singular
| ''Doluv'' "Be sent" || ''-uv'' (reflexive)
! {{small|nom.}}
| dago
| geva
| hauviþȯ
| crafte
| broþar
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
| rowspan=2 | ''Ver'' "Fix (something)"
| dagȯ
| ''Veriv'' "wash oneself" || ''-iv'' (reflexive)
| geva
| hauviþȯ
| crafte
| broþare
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
| ''yıkanıl'' "be washed" || ''-n'' (reflexive) + ''-ıl'' (passive)
| dagȧ
| gevȧ
| hauviþȧ
| crafti
| broþari
|-
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
| ''kayna'' "(come to a) boil" || ''kaynat'' "(bring to a) boil" || ''-t'' (causitive)
| dagi
| gevai
| hauviþi
| crafti
| broþari
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Plural
| ''öl'' "die"
! {{small|nom.}}
| ''öldür'' "kill" || ''-dür'' (causitive)
| dagi
| gevai
| hauviþa
| crafti
| broþari
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
|
| dagos
:''öldür'' "kill"
| gevas
| ''öldürt'' "have (someone) killed" || ''-t'' (causitive, factitive)
| hauviþa
| craftes
| broþares
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
| ''ara'' "look for"
| dagom
| ''araştır'' "investigate" || ''-ş'' (reciprocal) + ''-tır'' (causitive) = (repetitive)
| gevam
| hauviþom
| craftivo
| broþarivo
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
| dagoro
| gevaro
| hauviþoro
| craftem
| broþarem
|}
|}


===Pronouns===
====Negation and potential in verb-stems====
Luthic, like Latin and Gothic, inherited the full set of Indo-European pronouns: personal pronouns (including [[w:Reflexive pronoun|reflexive pronouns]] for each of the three [[w:Grammatical person|grammatical persons]]), possessive pronouns, both simple and compound demonstratives, relative pronouns, interrogatives and indefinite pronouns. Each follows a particular pattern of inflection (partially mirroring the noun declension), much like other Indo-European languages. Although Luthic inherited a paradigm extremely close to Gothic (and Common Germanic), the Italic influence is visible in the genitive and plural formations.
A dictionary-stem is '''positive'''; it can be made:
 
*'''negative''', by addition of ''-me'';
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
*'''impotential''', by addition of ''-e'' and then ''-me''.
! PIE !! Latin !! Gothic !! German !! Luthic
Any of these three (kinds of) stems can be made '''potential''' by addition of ''-e'' and then ''-bil''. The ''-bil'' is not enclitic, but represents the verb ''bil-'' "know, be able"; the first syllable of the impotential ending represents an obsolete verb ''u-'' "be powerful, able" [[#References|Lewis]] [VIII,55].
|-
So far then, there are six kinds of stems:
| *u̯ei̯ <sup>nom</sup>, *n̥s <sup>acc</sup> || nōs <sup>nom/acc</sup> || weis <sup>nom</sup>, uns <sup>acc</sup> || wir <sup>nom</sup>, uns <sup>acc</sup> || vi <sup>nom</sup>, unse <sup>acc</sup>
:{|class="wikitable"
|}
|+ Paradigm for stems negative, impotential and potential
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|+Personal pronouns of Standard Luthic
! rowspan=2| Number
! rowspan=2| Case
! rowspan=2| 1<sup>st</sup> person
! rowspan=2| 2<sup>st</sup> person
!colspan=3| 3<sup>rd</sup> person
! rowspan=2| reflexive
|-
|-
! {{small|masculine}}
! ||English infinitive||English finite form
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Singular
|''gel-''||"come"||"come"
! {{small|nom.}}
| ic
| þû
| is
| ia
| ata
| —
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
|''gelme-''||"not come"||"do not come"
| mic
| þuc
| inȯ
| ina
| ata
| sic
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
|''geleme-''||"be unable to come"||"cannot come"
| mis
| þus
| iȧ
| iȧ
| iȧ
| sis
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
|''gelebil-''||"be able to come"||"can come"
| meina
| þeina
| eis
| isai
| eis
| seina
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Singular
|''gelmeyebil-''||"be able to not come"||"may not come"
! {{small|nom.}}
| vi
| gi
| eis
| isai
| ia
| —
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
|''gelemeyebil-''||"able to be unable to come"||"may be unable to come"
| unse
| isve
| eis
| isas
| ia
| sic
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
| unsis
| isvis
| eis
| eis
| eis
| sis
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
| unsara
| isvara
| eisôro
| eisâro
| eisôro
| seina
|}
|}
Such stems are not used for aorist forms, which have their own peculiar means of forming negatives and impotentials.
Note that ''-ebil'' is one of several verbs that can be compounded to enhance meaning. See [[#Auxiliary verbs|Auxiliary verbs]].
===Bases of verbs===
The '''characteristics''' with which verb-'''bases''' are formed from '''stems''' are given under {{section link||Inflectional suffixes}}. Note again that aorist verbs have their own peculiar negative and impotential forms.


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
The '''progressive''' base in ''-mekte'' is discussed under {{section link||Verbal nouns}}.
Another base, namely the '''necessitative''' (''gereklilik''), is formed from a verbal noun.
The characteristic is ''-meli'', where ''-li'' forms adjectives from nouns, and ''-me'' forms gerunds from verb-stems.
A native speaker may perceive the ending ''-meli'' as indivisible; the analysis here is from [[#Lewis]] [VIII,30]).
 
The '''present''' base is derived from the ancient verb ''yorı-'' "go, walk" [[#Lewis]] [VIII,16]; this can be used for ongoing actions, or for contemplated future actions.
 
The meaning of the '''aorist''' base is described under [[#Participles|#Adjectives from verbs: participles]].
 
There is some irregularity in first-person negative and impotential aorists. The full form of the base ''-mez'' (or ''(y)emez'') reappears before the interrogative particle ''mi'':
:''Gelmem'' "I do not come" (cf. ''Gelmez miyim'' "Do I not come?");
:''Gelmeyiz'' "We do not come" (cf. ''Gelmez miyiz'' "Do we not come?")
 
The '''definite past''' or ''di''-past is used to assert that something did happen in the past.
The '''inferential past''' or ''miş''-past can be understood as asserting that a past participle is applicable ''now''; hence it is used when the fact of a past event, as such, is not important; in particular, the inferential past is used when one did not actually witness the past event.
 
A newspaper will generally use the ''di''-past, because it is authoritative.  The need to indicate uncertainty and inference by means of the ''miş''-past may help to explain the extensive use of ''ki'' in the newspaper excerpt at [[Turkish vocabulary#The conjunction ki]].
 
The '''conditional''' (''şart'') verb could also be called "hypothetical"; it is used for remote possibilities, or things one might wish for.  (See also [[#Compound bases]].)
 
The various bases thus give distinctions of tense, aspect and mood.  These can be briefly tabulated:
:{| class="wikitable"
|+ First-person singular verbs
! Form !! Suffix !! Verb !! English Translation
|-
|-
|+Possessive pronouns of Standard Luthic
| Progressive || ''-mekte''
! rowspan=2| Number
|''gelmekteyim''||"I am in the process of coming"
! rowspan=2| Case
!colspan=3| 1<sup>st</sup> person singular
!colspan=3| 2<sup>st</sup> person singular
!colspan=3| 3<sup>rd</sup> person singular
|-
|-
! {{small|masculine}}
| Necessitative || ''-meli''
! {{small|feminine}}
|''gelmeliyim''||"I must come"
! {{small|neuter}}
! {{small|masculine}}
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
! {{small|masculine}}
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Singular
| Positive || ''-(i/e)r''
! {{small|nom.}}
|''gelirim''||"I come"
| meino
| meina
| meinȯ
| þeino
| þeina
| þeinȯ
| seino
| seina
| seinȯ
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
| Negative || ''-me(z)''
| meinȯ
|''gelmem''||"I do not come"
| meina
| meinȯ
| þeinȯ
| þeina
| þeinȯ
| seinȯ
| seina
| seinȯ
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
| Impotential || ''-(y)eme(z)''
| meinȧ
|''gelemem''||"I cannot come"
| meinȧ
| meinȧ
| þeinȧ
| þeinȧ
| þeinȧ
| seinȧ
| seinȧ
| seinȧ
|-
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
| Future || ''-(y)ecek''
| meini
|''geleceğim''||"I will come"
| meinai
| meini
| þeini
| þeinai
| þeini
| seini
| seinai
| seini
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Plural
| Inferential Past || ''-miş''
! {{small|nom.}}
|''gelmişim''||"It seems that I came"
| meini
| meinai
| meina
| þeini
| þeinai
| þeina
| seini
| seinai
| seina
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
| Present/Imperfective || ''-iyor''
| meinos
|''geliyorum''||"I am coming"
| meinas
| meina
| þeinos
| þeinas
| þeina
| seinos
| seinas
| seina
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
| Perfective/Definite Past || ''-di''
| meinom
|''geldim''||"I came"
| meinam
| meinom
| þeinom
| þeinam
| þeinom
| seinom
| seinam
| seinom
|-
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
| Conditional || ''-se''
| meinoro
|''gelsem''||"if only I came"
| meinaro
| meinoro
| þeinoro
| þeinaro
| þeinoro
| seinoro
| seinaro
| seinoro
|}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
===Questions===
|-
The interrogative [[#Particles|particle]] ''mi'' precedes predicative (type-I) endings (except for the 3rd person plural ''-ler''), but follows the complete verb formed from a verbal, type-II ending:
|+Possessive pronouns of Standard Luthic
:''Geliyor  musunuz?'' "Are you coming?" (but: ''Geliyorlar mı?'' "Are they coming?")
! rowspan=2| Number
:''Geldiniz mi?''      "Did you come?"
! rowspan=2| Case
 
!colspan=3| 1<sup>st</sup> person singular
===Optative and imperative moods===
!colspan=3| 2<sup>st</sup> person singular
Usually, in the '''optative''' (''istek''), only the first-person forms are used, and these supply the lack of a first-person '''imperative''' (''emir''). 
!colspan=3| 3<sup>rd</sup> person singular
In common practice then, there is one series of endings to express something wished for:
|-
:{| class="wikitable"
! {{small|masculine}}
|+ Merged Optative & Imperative Moods
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
! {{small|masculine}}
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
! {{small|masculine}}
! {{small|feminine}}
! {{small|neuter}}
|-
!rowspan=4| Singular
! {{small|nom.}}
| unsar
| unsara
| unsarȯ
| isvar
| isvara
| isvarȯ
| seino
| seina
| seinȯ
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
! Number !! Person !! Ending !! Example !! English Translation
| unsare
| unsara
| unsarȯ
| isvare
| isvara
| isvarȯ
| seinȯ
| seina
| seinȯ
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
! rowspan=3 | Singular
| unsari
! 1st
| unsarȧ
| ''-(y)eyim'' ||''Geleyim''||"Let me come"
| unsarȧ
| isvari
| isvarȧ
| isvarȧ
| seinȧ
| seinȧ
| seinȧ
|-
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
! 2nd
| unsari
| — || ''Gel'' ||"Come (you, singular)"
| unsarai
| unsari
| isvari
| isvarai
| isvari
| seini
| seinai
| seini
|-
|-
!rowspan=4| Plural
! 3rd
! {{small|nom.}}
| ''-sin'' || ''Gelsin''|| "Let [her/him/it] come"
| unsari
| unsarai
| unsara
| isvari
| isvarai
| isvara
| seini
| seinai
| seina
|-
|-
! {{small|acc.}}
! rowspan=3 | Plural
| unsares
! 1st
| unsaras
| ''-(y)elim'' || ''Gelelim'' ||"Let us come"
| unsara
| isvares
| isvaras
| isvara
| seinos
| seinas
| seina
|-
|-
! {{small|dat.}}
! 2nd
| unsarivo
| ''-(y)in(iz)'' || ''Gelin'' ||"Come (you, plural)"
| unsaram
| unsarom
| isvarivo
| isvaram
| isvarom
| seinom
| seinam
| seinom
|-
|-
! {{small|gen.}}
! 3rd
| unsarem
| ''-sinler'' || ''Gelsinler''||"Let them come"
| unsararo
| unsaroro
| isvarem
| isvararo
| isvaroro
| seinoro
| seinaro
| seinoro
|}
|}


The pronouns unsar, isvar have an irregular declension, being declined like an unmarked adjective in the masculine gender and marked in the other genders. Every possessive pronoun is declined like an o-stem adjective for masculine and neuter gender, while its feminine counterpart is declined as an a-stem adjective
===Copula===
 
The copula in Turkish appears in only two variants―''*imek'', a defective verb often attached to the noun, and ''olmek'', which is a detached regular auxiliary verb.
 
''*Imek'', derived from the ancient verb ''er-'' [[#Lewis]] [VIII,2], survives in Turkish only in the inferential past, perfective, and conditional:
*''imiş'',
*''idi'',
*''ise''.
The form ''iken'' given under [[#Adverbs from verbs]] is also descended from ''er-''.
Since no more bases are founded on the stem ''i-'', this verb can be called defective. In particular, ''i-'' forms no negative or impotential stems; negation is achieved with the [[#Adverb of negation]], ''değil'', given earlier.
 
The ''i-'' bases are often turned into base-forming suffixes without change in meaning; the corresponding suffixes are
*''-(y)miş'',
*''-(y)di'',
*''-(y)se'',
where the ''y'' is used only after vowels. For example, ''Hasta imiş'' and ''Hastaymış'' both mean, "Apparently/Reportedly, he/she/it is ill".
 
The verb ''i-'' serves as a [[copula (linguistics)|copula]].  When a copula is needed, but the appropriate base in ''i-'' does not exist, then the corresponding base in ''ol-'' is used; when used otherwise this stem means "become". ''Idir'', a variant of ''imek'', is used for emphasis.
 
The verb ''i-'' is irregular in the way it is used in questions: the particle ''mi'' always precedes it:
:''Kuş idi'' or ''Kuştu'' "It was a bird";
:''Kuş muydu?'' "Was it a bird?"


Interrogative and indefinite pronouns are indeclinable by case and number:
===Compound bases===<!-- This section is linked from [[Grammatical mood]] -->
The bases so far considered can be called "simple".  A base in ''i-'' can be attached to another base, forming a compound base.  One can then interpret the result in terms of English verb forms by reading backwards.  The following list is representative, not exhaustive:
*Past tenses:
**'''continuous past:''' ''Geliyordum'' "I was coming";
**'''aorist past:''' ''Gelirdim'' "I used to come";
**'''future past:''' ''Gelecektim'' "I was going to come";
**'''pluperfect:''' ''Gelmiştim'' "I had come";
**'''necessitative past:''' ''Gelmeliydim'' "I had to come";
**'''conditional past:''' ''Gelseydim'' "If only I had come."
*Inferential tenses:
**'''continuous inferential:''' ''Geliyormuşum'' "It seems (they say) I am coming";
**'''future inferential:''' ''Gelecekmişim'' "It seems I shall come";
**'''aorist inferential:''' ''Gelirmişim'' "It seems I come";
**'''necessitative inferential:''' ''Gelmeliymişim'' "They say I must come."
By means of ''ise'' or ''-(y)se'', a verb can be made '''conditional''' in the sense of being the hypothesis or protasis of a complex statement:
:''önemli bir şey yapıyorsunuz'' "You are doing something important";
:''Önemli bir şey yapıyorsanız, rahatsız etmeyelim'' "If you are doing something important, let us not cause disturbance."
The simple conditional can be used for remote conditions:
:''Bakmakla öğrenilse, köpekler kasap olurdu'' "If learning by looking were possible, dogs would be butchers."

Latest revision as of 17:11, 20 June 2024



Natalician
Nataledhi
Natalician Flag Updated.png
Flag of the Natalician Republic
Pronunciation[na.ta.le.di]
Created byHazer
Date2021
SettingHazerworld
Native toNatalicia; Firenia and the Kontamchian Islands
EthnicityNatales
Native speakers37,123,487 (2021)
Tinarian
  • Kasenian
    • North Kasenian
      • Natalo-Kesperian
        • Old Natalician
          • Natalician
Early form
Old Natalician
Standard form
Standard Central Natalician (Kieneh Rasah Nataledhi)
Dialects
  • Celician Natalician (Selis Nataledhi)
  • Northern Natalician (Köpreh Nataledhi)
  • Firenic Natalician (Firen Nataledhi)
Official status
Official language in
Natalicia
Recognised minority
language in
Espidon, Amarania (Dogostania)
Regulated byThe Natalician Academic Council for Linguistics
Natalician Distr Map.png
A map showing the distribution of (native and non-native) speakers of Natalician in Tinaria. Dark blue is native, light blue is secondary language speaker, and cyan is minorities.
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Natalician (/nəˈtɑlɪʃən/ or /ˌnɑteɪˈlɪʃ.ən/; endonym: Nataledhi [na.ta.le.di] or Natal Rettive /na.tal re.tːive/) is a North Kasenian language predominantly spoken in Central East Tinaria, specifically in Natalicia, Firenia, and North-East Nirania. Beyond Natalicia, it holds official status in Budernie, Nirania, and Kannamie, and is recognized as a minority language in East Espidon and within the Dogostanian community in Eastern Amarania. Natalician shares a close linguistic relationship with other North Kasenian languages, such as Espidan and Niranian.

Modern Natalician evolved from Old Natalician, which itself descended from an extinct, unnamed language spoken by the Natalo-Kesperian tribes. Today, Natalician stands as one of the world's most significant languages, boasting the highest number of speakers among the Kasenian languages, both as a native and a second language. Approximately 65 million people worldwide speak Natalician, including 37 million native speakers.

Natalician is characterised by its lack of grammatical cases, absence of grammatical genders, minimal irregularity, and a systematic grammar. Its orthography is straightforward, devoid of digraphs, diphthongs, or similar complexities, making it an accessible language to read and learn.

History

The earliest traces of the Natalician language date back to the year 334, featuring a vocabulary and grammar markedly different from its modern descendant. The history of the Natalician language is divided into three distinct periods: Classic Natalician (334–1203), Old Natalician (1203–1540), and Modern Natalician (1540–present). As of 2021, the language is estimated to be 1,687 years old.

Classic Natalician

Also known as Poetic Natalician or the Natalo-Kesperian Language, the earliest traces of this language are found solely in ancient poetry and inscriptions on recovered artifacts. However, the NACL (Natalician Academy of Classical Languages) considers these remnants insufficient to be deemed a complete or valid representation of the spoken Natalo-Kesperian language, largely due to the dominance of illiteracy in the pre-Killistic era and the overly formal nature of the vocabulary used in these writings.

Classic Natalician's vocabulary contains numerous direct elements from the early Proto-North-Kasenian language, which eventually faded during the migratory era. This decline was influenced by cultural clashes and the increasing incorporation of loanwords.

Unfortunately, no documents from the Classic Natalician period have survived. Consequently, there is no known evidence detailing the development of the language during this primary era.

Old Natalician

Reširi ägsös nör på tånåka if kelševi wez̊en fölsi sos.
“The people have the right to write and say what they please.”

“
”
The first quote from the famous Ulun Cilesli Irkete's 1210 language guide


With the dawn of the Killistic era, the Natale tribes gained access to invaluable knowledge, brought by the ascension of their proclaimed king, Ribel Zömeri. This period marked a significant rise in literacy rates within the nascent and unified Natale monarchy, which spanned from 1203 to 1834. During this era, the Natalician language saw its first instances of written records and experienced a flourishing of printed works.

The earliest known book containing written evidence of the Natalician language is titled "Natåltïå kočåculaï orūnza" (Natalician Guide Book). This seminal work was authored and published by the late Ulun Cilesli Irkete in the year 1210. Subsequently, numerous documents have been preserved through generations and are now treasured artifacts housed in the Natalician Grand Museum of Literature and Artifacts in Celicia.

A recovered old copy of Prof. Irkete's Old Natalician guide book

Many historians and literary scholars have debated the relationship between Classic and Old Natalician, with some arguing that they are identical. However, the scarcity of evidence has left these claims unresolved. Scholar Iček Friktinäm posits: "Old Natalician may be the result of the incorporation of new local loanwords, and the diverse dialects might have led to deviations from the Kasenian roots of the standard spoken Natalician of that time."

Old Natalician is characterized by significantly different grammar and vocabulary compared to modern Natalician. The most notable differences include the presence of vowel harmony and grammatical cases. The language featured four types of vowel harmony and three grammatical cases: Nominative, Accusative, and Genitive. Additionally, distinct suffixes and verb conjugations highlight the major grammatical differences.

Modern Natalician

Äg čan vizih zifekev if savekilivev ensei ťenałr nameš čan özev.
“Our history is filled with rich stories and leaders.”

“
”
Zafel Sörät Fortla, father of the Natales

The Natalician language has been continuously evolving since the 15th century with the decline of the monarchy and the rise of Goz Hoz. This evolution continued until the establishment of the Republic in 1845 by Zafel Sörät Fortla, when the "Natalician Academic Council for Linguistics" was created and assumed responsibility for tracking the language's development.

Etymology

The name Natalicia, the Natales and the Natalician language, originates from the Natala tribes of the Natalo-Kesperian community in central east Tinaria. The term derives from the Proto-Kasenian word Nåťåla, meaning "to ensure fairness." This evolved into Nåsåla in Old Natalician and eventually became Nasala in Modern Natalician.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant phonemes of Standard Natalician
Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Postalveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain labialized
Nasal m n
Plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b d ɡ
Fricative voiceless f s θ ʃ h
voiced v z ð ʒ ʁ
Affricate voiceless t͡ʃ
voiceless d͡ʒ
Approximant semivowel j w
lateral l
Gorgia Toscana
Flap
Trill

Consonant Harmony

Natalician orthography reflects voice sandhi voicing, a form of consonant mutation with two consonants that meet, and the second is voiced and the first is unvoiced. The first unvoiced consonant [p t f ʃ t͡ʃ θ k s] is voiced to [b d v ʒ d͡ʒ ð ɡ z], but the orthography remains unchanged. This usually does not include load words.

Vowels

Natalician vh chart.png

Vowel phonemes of standard Natalician
Front Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
Close i y u
Near-open æ
Open e œ a o


The vowels of the Natalician language are, in their alphabetical order, ⟨a⟩, ⟨ä⟩, ⟨e⟩, ⟨i⟩, ⟨o⟩, ⟨ö⟩, ⟨u⟩, ⟨ü⟩. The Natalician vowel system can be considered as being three-dimensional, where vowels are characterised by how and where they are articulated focusing on three key features: front and back, rounded and unrounded and vowel height.

Note

When the vowels /i/, /u/ precede or succeed another vowel, they become /j/, /w/ respectively. If both vowels meet one another, only the /i/ will transform into a /j/ which the /u/ remains unchanged.

Vowel harmony

Natalician Vowel Harmony Front Vowels Back Vowels
Unrounded Rounded Unrounded Rounded
Vowel ä e i ö ü a o u
Type Ĭ (Backness + Rounding) i ü a u
Type Ĕ (Backness) e o

The principle of vowel harmony

  1. If the first vowel of a word is a back vowel, any subsequent vowel is also a back vowel; if the first is a front vowel, any subsequent vowel is also a front vowel.
  2. If the first vowel is unrounded, so too are subsequent vowels.

The second and third rules minimize muscular effort during speech. More specifically, they are related to the phenomenon of labial assimilation: If the lips are rounded (a process that requires muscular effort) for the first vowel they may stay rounded for subsequent vowels. If they are unrounded for the first vowel, the speaker does not make the additional muscular effort to round them subsequently.

Grammatical affixes have "a chameleon-like quality" and obey one of the following patterns of vowel harmony:

  • Twofold (-e/-o): The article, for example, is -(v)e after front vowels and -(v)o after back vowels.
  • Fourfold (-i/-a/-ü/-u): The verb infinitive suffix, for example, is -i or -a after unrounded vowels (front or back respectively); and -ü or -u after the corresponding rounded vowels.
  • Type & 'and': The adjectival passive voice suffix, for example, is -t&t, the & being the same vowel as the previous one.

Practically, the twofold pattern (usually referred to as the type Ĕ) means that in the environment where the vowel in the word stem is formed in the front of the mouth, the suffix will take the e form, while if it is formed in the back it will take the o form. The fourfold pattern (also called the type Ĭ) accounts for rounding as well as for front/back. The type & pattern is the reppetition of the same last vowel. The following examples, based on the nominal suffix -zĭk, illustrate the principles of type Ĭ vowel harmony in practice: Čikelzik ("Wellness"), Okzuk ("Knowledge"), Ianzak ("Food"), Nörzük ("Living").

Exceptions to vowel harmony

These are four word-classes that are exceptions to the rules of vowel harmony:

  1. Native, non-compound words, e.g. Ela "then", Čela "drink", Äga "by"
  2. Native compound words, e.g. Pave "for what"
  3. Foreign words, e.g. many English loanwords such as Sertifikäht (certificate), Hospital (hospital), Komphuter (computer)
  4. Invariable prefixes / suffixes:
Invariable prefix or suffix Natalician example Meaning in English Remarks
–(v)iš üčiš "exit" From üč "leave."
öz- özhaša "to return" From haša "to come"
gik- gikögültüt "unwanted" From ögültüt "wanted"

Note

  • A native compound does not obey vowel harmony: Ras+cezil ("city center"—a place name)
  • Loanwords also disobeys vowel harmony: Kofi ("Coffee")
  • Every grammatical prefix disobeys the vowel harmony aswell.

Orthography

Alphabet

Natalician has a straightforward orthography, meaning regular spelling with (almost) no diphthong or digraph or anything of the sort. In linguistic terms, the writing system is a phonemic orthography. The following are exceptions:


  • The letter that is called Girbit El ("Silent L"), written ⟨Ł⟩ in Natalician orthography, represents vowel lengthening. It never occurs at the beginning of a word or a syllable, always follows a vowel and always preceeds a consonant. The vowel that preceeds it is lengthened.
  • The letter ⟨H⟩ in Natalician orthography represents two sounds: The /h/ sound, and the /j/ sound. If the letter ⟨H⟩ is located at the beginning of the word, it takes the /h/ sound, otherwise it takes the /j/ sound. (e.g. Hiloh /hi.loj/ "Hello", Konah /ko.naj/ "Beautiful", Haz /haz/ "This")

Standard Natalician alphabet

Letter Name IPA
Aa a [a] /a/
Ää ä [æ] /æ/
Bb be [be] /b/
Cc ce [d͡ʒe] /d͡ʒ/
Čč, če [t͡ʃe] /t͡ʃ/
Dd de [de] /d/
Ďď ďe [ðe] /ð/
Ee e [e] /ɛ/, /e/
Ff ef [ɛf] /f/
Gg ge [ɡ] /g/
Hh ha [ha] /h/, /j/
Ii i [i] /i/, /j/
Jj je [ʒe] /ʒ/
Kk ka [ka] /k/
Ll el [ɛl] /l/
Łł girbit el [gir.bit ɛl] /ː/
Mm em [ɛm] /m/
Nn en [ɛn] /n/
Oo o [o] /o/
Öö ö [œ] /œ/
Pp pe [pe] /p/
Rr er [r] /r/
Řř eř [ɛʁ] /ʁ/
Ss es [s] /s/
Šš eš [ɛʃ] /ʃ/
Tt te [te] /t/
Ťť ťe [θe] /θ/
Uu u [u] /u/
Üü ü [y] /y/
Vv ve [ve] /v/
Ww wa [wa] /w/
Zz ze [ze] /z/
A Natalician AZERTÖ computer keyboard layout.

Grammar

Natalician grammar can be compared to that of the English language to an extent. Cases were dropped during the middle stages of the language, and like the rest of the Tinarian languages, there is no gendered nouns.

Pronouns

Singular Plural
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
Personal Pronoun Nei On Sü Namše Daš So
Object Pronoun / Possessive Determiner (V)In (V)U Süs Nameš Daša Soz
Possessive Pronoun (V)Ini (V)Onu Süzü Nameše Dašo Sozun

The pronouns (V)In, (V)U, (V)Ini and (V)Onu will use the V if the preceding noun ends with a vowel. In a sentence, the possessive determiner will always succeed the object. The object pronoun usually comes after the verb:

  • Haz ensei ianzak in - This is my food
  • Iandaita ťimana vin - You ate my grape
  • Rimtiz soz kołru - I saw them yesterday

Verbs

Stems of verbs

Many stems in the dictionary are indivisible; others consist of endings attached to a root.

Verb-stems from nouns

The verb-stem Maršo- "Build" is the adjective Mar "A build" with the suffix -šo. Many verbs are formed from nouns or adjectives with -šĕ:

Noun Verb
Ergem "negativity" Ergemše- "negate"
To "two" Tošo- "Two-ify", that is, "get married"
Kel "word" kelše- "say"

Voice

A verbal root, or a verb-stem in -šĕ, can be lengthened with certain extensions. If present, they appear in the following order, and they indicate distinctions of voice:

Extensions for voice
Voice Ending Example
Reflexive -(ĭ)r; Kark (wash); Karkar (shower)
Reciprocal -cĕ; Dol (send); Dolco (exchange)
Causative -(&)z; Ian (eat); Ianaz (feed)
Passive -(ĭ)v; Artan (help); Artanav (be helped)

These endings might seem to be inflectional in the sense of the Template:Section link above, but their meanings are not always clear from their particular names, and dictionaries do generally give the resulting forms, so in this sense they are constructive endings.

The causative extension makes an intransitive verb transitive, and a transitive verb factitive. Together, the reciprocal and causative extension make the repetitive extension -(i)ştir.

Verb Root/Stem New Verb Voice
Dol "Send" Dolco "Exchange" -ur (reciprocal)
Doluv "Be sent" -uv (reflexive)
Ver "Fix (something)" Veriv "wash oneself" -iv (reflexive)
yıkanıl "be washed" -n (reflexive) + -ıl (passive)
kayna "(come to a) boil" kaynat "(bring to a) boil" -t (causitive)
öl "die" öldür "kill" -dür (causitive)
öldür "kill"
 öldürt "have (someone) killed" -t (causitive, factitive)
ara "look for" araştır "investigate" -ş (reciprocal) + -tır (causitive) = (repetitive)

Negation and potential in verb-stems

A dictionary-stem is positive; it can be made:

  • negative, by addition of -me;
  • impotential, by addition of -e and then -me.

Any of these three (kinds of) stems can be made potential by addition of -e and then -bil. The -bil is not enclitic, but represents the verb bil- "know, be able"; the first syllable of the impotential ending represents an obsolete verb u- "be powerful, able" Lewis [VIII,55]. So far then, there are six kinds of stems:

Paradigm for stems negative, impotential and potential
English infinitive English finite form
gel- "come" "come"
gelme- "not come" "do not come"
geleme- "be unable to come" "cannot come"
gelebil- "be able to come" "can come"
gelmeyebil- "be able to not come" "may not come"
gelemeyebil- "able to be unable to come" "may be unable to come"

Such stems are not used for aorist forms, which have their own peculiar means of forming negatives and impotentials.

Note that -ebil is one of several verbs that can be compounded to enhance meaning. See Auxiliary verbs.

Bases of verbs

The characteristics with which verb-bases are formed from stems are given under Template:Section link. Note again that aorist verbs have their own peculiar negative and impotential forms.

The progressive base in -mekte is discussed under Template:Section link. Another base, namely the necessitative (gereklilik), is formed from a verbal noun. The characteristic is -meli, where -li forms adjectives from nouns, and -me forms gerunds from verb-stems. A native speaker may perceive the ending -meli as indivisible; the analysis here is from #Lewis [VIII,30]).

The present base is derived from the ancient verb yorı- "go, walk" #Lewis [VIII,16]; this can be used for ongoing actions, or for contemplated future actions.

The meaning of the aorist base is described under #Adjectives from verbs: participles.

There is some irregularity in first-person negative and impotential aorists. The full form of the base -mez (or (y)emez) reappears before the interrogative particle mi:

Gelmem "I do not come" (cf. Gelmez miyim "Do I not come?");
Gelmeyiz "We do not come" (cf. Gelmez miyiz "Do we not come?")

The definite past or di-past is used to assert that something did happen in the past. The inferential past or miş-past can be understood as asserting that a past participle is applicable now; hence it is used when the fact of a past event, as such, is not important; in particular, the inferential past is used when one did not actually witness the past event.

A newspaper will generally use the di-past, because it is authoritative. The need to indicate uncertainty and inference by means of the miş-past may help to explain the extensive use of ki in the newspaper excerpt at Turkish vocabulary#The conjunction ki.

The conditional (şart) verb could also be called "hypothetical"; it is used for remote possibilities, or things one might wish for. (See also #Compound bases.)

The various bases thus give distinctions of tense, aspect and mood. These can be briefly tabulated:

First-person singular verbs
Form Suffix Verb English Translation
Progressive -mekte gelmekteyim "I am in the process of coming"
Necessitative -meli gelmeliyim "I must come"
Positive -(i/e)r gelirim "I come"
Negative -me(z) gelmem "I do not come"
Impotential -(y)eme(z) gelemem "I cannot come"
Future -(y)ecek geleceğim "I will come"
Inferential Past -miş gelmişim "It seems that I came"
Present/Imperfective -iyor geliyorum "I am coming"
Perfective/Definite Past -di geldim "I came"
Conditional -se gelsem "if only I came"

Questions

The interrogative particle mi precedes predicative (type-I) endings (except for the 3rd person plural -ler), but follows the complete verb formed from a verbal, type-II ending:

Geliyor musunuz? "Are you coming?" (but: Geliyorlar mı? "Are they coming?")
Geldiniz mi? "Did you come?"

Optative and imperative moods

Usually, in the optative (istek), only the first-person forms are used, and these supply the lack of a first-person imperative (emir). In common practice then, there is one series of endings to express something wished for:

Merged Optative & Imperative Moods
Number Person Ending Example English Translation
Singular 1st -(y)eyim Geleyim "Let me come"
2nd — Gel "Come (you, singular)"
3rd -sin Gelsin "Let [her/him/it] come"
Plural 1st -(y)elim Gelelim "Let us come"
2nd -(y)in(iz) Gelin "Come (you, plural)"
3rd -sinler Gelsinler "Let them come"

Copula

The copula in Turkish appears in only two variants―*imek, a defective verb often attached to the noun, and olmek, which is a detached regular auxiliary verb.

*Imek, derived from the ancient verb er- #Lewis [VIII,2], survives in Turkish only in the inferential past, perfective, and conditional:

  • imiş,
  • idi,
  • ise.

The form iken given under #Adverbs from verbs is also descended from er-. Since no more bases are founded on the stem i-, this verb can be called defective. In particular, i- forms no negative or impotential stems; negation is achieved with the #Adverb of negation, değil, given earlier.

The i- bases are often turned into base-forming suffixes without change in meaning; the corresponding suffixes are

  • -(y)miş,
  • -(y)di,
  • -(y)se,

where the y is used only after vowels. For example, Hasta imiş and Hastaymış both mean, "Apparently/Reportedly, he/she/it is ill".

The verb i- serves as a copula. When a copula is needed, but the appropriate base in i- does not exist, then the corresponding base in ol- is used; when used otherwise this stem means "become". Idir, a variant of imek, is used for emphasis.

The verb i- is irregular in the way it is used in questions: the particle mi always precedes it:

Kuş idi or Kuştu "It was a bird";
Kuş muydu? "Was it a bird?"

Compound bases

The bases so far considered can be called "simple". A base in i- can be attached to another base, forming a compound base. One can then interpret the result in terms of English verb forms by reading backwards. The following list is representative, not exhaustive:

  • Past tenses:
    • continuous past: Geliyordum "I was coming";
    • aorist past: Gelirdim "I used to come";
    • future past: Gelecektim "I was going to come";
    • pluperfect: Gelmiştim "I had come";
    • necessitative past: Gelmeliydim "I had to come";
    • conditional past: Gelseydim "If only I had come."
  • Inferential tenses:
    • continuous inferential: Geliyormuşum "It seems (they say) I am coming";
    • future inferential: Gelecekmişim "It seems I shall come";
    • aorist inferential: Gelirmişim "It seems I come";
    • necessitative inferential: Gelmeliymişim "They say I must come."

By means of ise or -(y)se, a verb can be made conditional in the sense of being the hypothesis or protasis of a complex statement:

önemli bir şey yapıyorsunuz "You are doing something important";
Önemli bir şey yapıyorsanız, rahatsız etmeyelim "If you are doing something important, let us not cause disturbance."

The simple conditional can be used for remote conditions:

Bakmakla öğrenilse, köpekler kasap olurdu "If learning by looking were possible, dogs would be butchers."
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