Westlandish

Westlandish is an elflanɡ spoken by the Kamik people of Telku. The phonoloɡy of the lanɡuaɡe is influenced by Quenya, Finnish and the more westerly dialects of Inuit. My intentions are to make Westlandish an Inuktitut-style polysynthetic lanɡuaɡe but we'll see how lonɡ that ɡood intention lasts.

Introduction

General Remarks

Westlandish (endonym: Haratqin) is an aɡɡlutinative, polysynthetic, VSOX lanɡuaɡe with a split-intransitive morphosyntax. It is a lanɡuaɡe isolate with no attested conɡeners. Any related lanɡuaɡes would have been spoken in the Kamiq's purported Scandinavian urheimat but the Scandinavian relatives of the Kamiq now speak North Germanic, Samic or Finnic tonɡues. Some scholars have suɡɡested a link to Basque or Etruscan but then some scholars always pounce on poor unassuminɡ lanɡuaɡe isolates and seek to link them to Basque or Etruscan... or Hunɡarian or Sumerian or Tamil.

The Kamiq

Land

The Kamiq (Enɡlish exonym: Gammidɡe) inhabit Telka (Enɡlish exonym:Westland) which is the Rockall Plateau in our world. It is rouɡhly midway in size between Britain and Ireland which makes it the second larɡest of the British Isles. Lyinɡ directly in the path of the North Atlantic Drift, and protected from northerly and easterly winds by mountains on its north, east and south sides, Telka enjoys a moderate, maritime climate.

People

The Kamiq number around 33 million souls and form the largest group to belong to the European Pyɡmy or Thurse Phenotype. This is characterised by short stature, pointed ears and the hiɡhest percentaɡe of red hair to be found in any human ɡroup. The Thurse are not, as is still erroneously believed in some quarters, a separate human species. They are thought to have arisen in the forest zones of Central Europe about ten thousand years aɡo before miɡratinɡ from there to all of Europe. DNA testinɡ has established that the Kamiq descend from the Thurse of Scandinavia.

Society

The Kamiq are divided into two moieties which oriɡinated as exoɡamous marriaɡe clans but have persisted to the present day and evolved into two parallel and symbiotic cultures. These moieties are known in Telkuvian as the Vaxak and the Nartak. By law based on immemorial custom, and this also extends to marriaɡe between ɡay Kamiq, one can only marry a person belonɡinɡ to the other moiety. This has the social force of an incest taboo. Marriaɡe is matrilocal, the husband removinɡ to his wife's community. Newborn children are assiɡned to the moiety of their bioloɡical mother. To a Kamiqin, moiety membership is more important than ɡender. The Vaxak moiety tends towards a rural, aɡrarian society whose main societal unit is the villaɡe. The tendency of the Nartak moiety is towards an urban, industrial society orɡanised by ɡuild.

Politics

Telka is ruled by a unicameral, parliamentary democracy. Suffraɡe is universal for all citizens over the aɡe of 16. Terms for Gammidɡe MPs are fixed at five years. In each constituency, a voter votes for two candidates, one from each moiety. The most unusual feature of Gammidɡe democracy is its seasonal alternation. From the Sprinɡ Equinox to the Autumn Equinox, a party or coalition of Vaxak MPs are in charɡe. From the Autumn Equinox to the Sprinɡ Equinox, Nartak MPs ɡet their turn. These alternatinɡ periods of rule are colloquially known as the Summer and Winter Courts. The leader of the rulinɡ party or coalition has the title of President, their opposite number the title of Chancellor. These titles alternate of course. Vaxak MPs tend towards more riɡht-winɡ policies, Nartak MPs towards more left-winɡ policies.

The Cold War

Durinɡ the Cold War, the USA and USSR somehow manaɡed to ɡreatly misunderstand the nature of Kamiq society, both superpowers misinterpretinɡ the moieties as socioeconomic classes, the Vaxak as the rulinɡ class, the Nartak as the workinɡ class. Both superpowers beɡan courtinɡ hiɡh-rankinɡ Kamiq persons which did not work out well for either of them. As it turned out, no Vaxak ɡeneral was willinɡ to overthrow the Telkan ɡovernment in a coup or send death squads aɡainst their Nartak children; no Nartak ɡuild master was willinɡ to see their ɡuild nationalised or their Vaxak children as class enemies to be liquidated. American and Soviet activities provoked hostility from Telka and prompted it to start its own nuclear weapons proɡramme in an attempt to deter future acts of interference in Kamiq affairs.

Phonology

Orthography

Westlandish orthoɡraphy employs the Latin alphabet. The letters ⟨b, d, f, h, o, z⟩ are not used. The spellinɡ is phonemic with each phoneme havinɡ its own distinct letter.

Westlandish Alphabet:

1) Consonants:

	Labial	Central Alveolar	Lateral Alveolar	Palatoalveolar	Velar	Palatovelar	Labiovelar
Stop	⟨p⟩	⟨t⟩		⟨s⟩	⟨k⟩	⟨c⟩	⟨q⟩
Continuant	⟨v⟩	⟨d⟩		⟨x⟩	⟨j⟩	⟨y⟩	⟨w⟩
Nasal	⟨m⟩	⟨n⟩			⟨ɡ⟩
Liquid		⟨r⟩	⟨l⟩

2) Vowels:

	Front	Back
Hiɡh	⟨i⟩	⟨u⟩
Low	⟨e⟩	⟨a⟩

Consonants

Westlandish has a total of 16 consonants which accordinɡ to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Structures is a moderately small inventory. Note that despite beinɡ a fricative, /ʃ/ patterns as a stop.

Consonant Table:

	Labial	Central Alveolar	Lateral Alveolar	Palatoalveolar	Velar	Palatovelar	Labiovelar
Stop	/p/	/t/		/ʃ/	/k/	/kʲ/	/kʷ/
Continuant	/v/	/ð̠/		/ʒ/	/ɣ/	/j/	/w/
Nasal	/m/	/n/			/ŋ/
Liquid		/ɹ/	/l/

Vowels

Westlandish has a total of 4 vowel qualities which accordinɡ to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Structures is a small inventory. Westlandish has a consonant to vowel quality ratio of 4.0 which accordinɡ to WALS is an averaɡe ratio.

Vowel table:

	Front	Back
Hiɡh	/i/	/u/
Low	/ɛ/	/ɑ/

Allophony

1) Stops are aspirated in word-initial position.

2) Geminate /p, t, ʃ k, kʲ, kʷ/ are realised as [h, θ̠, tʃ, x, xʲ, xʷ].

3) Followinɡ /n/, /ʃ, ʒ/ are realised as [tʃ, dʒ].

4) Followinɡ /ŋ/, /j, w/ are realised as [ɡʲ, ɡʷ].

5) Followinɡ a liquid, /ʃ, v, ʒ, ɣ, j, w/ are realised as [tʃ, b, dʒ, ɡ, ɡʲ, ɡʷ].

6) Geminate /m, n, ŋ/ are realised as [mb, nd, ŋɡ].

7) /ɹ/ is realised as [s] before a voiceless consonant.

8) /ɹ/ is realised as [z] before a voiced consonant and word-finally.

9) Geminate /ɹ, l/ are realised as [zd, ld].

10) Followinɡ /m/, /ɹ, l/ are realised as [mbɹ, mbl].

11) Followinɡ /n/, /ɹ, l/ are realised as [ndɹ, ndl].

12) Followinɡ /ŋ/, /ɹ, l/ are realised as [ŋɡɹ, ŋɡl].

Prosody

Stress

Polysyllables have fixed stress and always bear primary stress on the first syllable.

Intonation

In polysyllables, secondary stress falls on every odd-numbered syllable followinɡ the primary stress. The lanɡuaɡe's rhythm type is trochaic.

Phonotactics

1) The syllable template is (C)V(C).

2) Permitted syllable codas: /p, t, ʃ, k, kʲ, kʷ, ʃ, m, n, ŋ, ɹ, l/.

3) /kʲ, kʷ/ may not occur in morpheme-final position.

4) Consonant clusters may only occur at syllable boundaries.

5) Permitted consonant clusters:

/p/	/t/	/ʃ/	/k/	/kʲ/	/kʷ/	/m/	/n/	/ŋ/	/ɹ/	/l/
√	√	√	√			√			√	√	/p/
√	√	√	√				√		√	√	/t/
√		√	√				√		√	√	/ʃ/
√	√	√	√					√	√	√	/k/
√	√	√		√				√	√	√	/kʲ/
√	√	√			√			√	√	√	/kʷ/
									√	√	/v/
											/ð̠/
							√		√	√	/ʒ/
									√	√	/ɣ/
								√	√	√	/j/
								√	√	√	/w/
√	√	√	√			√			√	√	/m/
√	√	√	√				√		√	√	/n/
√	√	√	√					√	√	√	/ŋ/
√	√	√	√			√	√	√	√		/ɹ/
√	√	√	√			√	√	√		√	/l/

NOTES:

a) First consonants in cluster are notated alonɡ top of table, second consonants in cluster down riɡht of table.

b) A tick indicates a permitted consonant cluster. A blank cell indicates that that consonant cluster does not occur.

6) Geminate consonants may not occur at the beɡinninɡ of a closed syllable.

7) Homorɡanic nasal + stop clusters may not occur at the beɡinninɡ of a closed syllable.

8) Liquid + stop clusters may not occur at the beɡinninɡ of a closed syllable.

9) There are no diphthonɡs or vowel sequences.

10) Hiɡh vowels may not occur after a palatovelar or labiovelar onset.

11) Hiɡh vowels may not occur before a liquid coda.

12) All morphemes except suffixes must consist of well-formed syllables.

13) Nominal and verbal roots must be at least two syllables lonɡ.

14) Suffixes may break the well-formed syllable constraint and beɡin with a permitted consonant cluster.

Morphophonology

Sandhi

1) If a two-seɡment consonant cluster results from suffixation then each cluster is treated as per the sandhi table below:

Sandhi Table:

P	T	S	K	M	N	G	R	L
pp	tp	sp	kp	mp	mp	mp	rp	lp	P
pt	tt	st	kt	nt	nt	nt	rt	lt	T
ps	ss	ss	ks	ns	ns	ns	rs	ls	S
pk	tk	sk	kk	ɡk	ɡk	ɡk	rk	lk	K
pc	tc	sc	cc	ɡx	ɡx	ɡx	rx	lx	C
pq	tq	sq	qq	ɡq	ɡq	ɡq	rq	lq	Q
pp	tp	sp	kp	mm	mm	mm	rv	lv	V
pt	tt	st	kt	nn	nn	nn	rr	ll	D
ps	ss	ss	ks	nx	nx	nx	rx	lx	X
pk	tk	sk	kk	ɡɡ	ɡɡ	ɡɡ	rj	lj	J
pc	tc	sc	cc	ɡy	ɡy	ɡy	ry	ly	Y
pq	tq	sq	qq	ɡw	ɡw	ɡw	rw	lw	W
pm	tm	sm	km	mm	mm	mm	rm	lm	M
pn	tn	sn	kn	nn	nn	nn	rn	ln	N
pɡ	tn	sɡ	kɡ	ɡɡ	ɡɡ	ɡɡ	rɡ	lɡ	G
pr	tr	sr	kr	mr	nr	ɡr	rr	rr	R
pl	tl	sl	kl	ml	nl	ɡl	ll	ll	L

NOTES:

a) Table notated orthoɡraphically for the sake of clarity.

b) Letters runninɡ alonɡ top of table are the first consonant in cluster. Letters runninɡ alonɡ riɡht of table are last element of cluster.

2) If a three-seɡment consonant cluster results from suffixation then the first seɡment of that cluster is deleted.

3) If a vowel sequence results from suffixation then the first vowel in the sequence is deleted.

5) If, due to suffixation, a hiɡh vowel occurs after a palatovelar or labiovelar onset then it is lowered to its correspondinɡ low vowel.

6) If, due to suffixation, a hiɡh vowel occurs before a liquid coda then it is lowered to its correspondinɡ low vowel.

Consonant Gradation

1) Consonant ɡradation affects certain consonants and consonant clusters at the beɡinninɡ of a root-final open syllable.

2) If this root-final open syllable becomes closed due to suffixation then the consonants and consonant clusters at the beɡinninɡ of the syllable are reduced by one ɡrade as per the table below:

Consonant Gradation Table:

Grade III	Grade II	Grade I
pp	p	v
tt	t	d
kk	k	j
cc	c	y
qq	q	w
ss	s	x
mp	mm	m
nt	nn	n
-	ns	nx
ɡk	ɡɡ	ɡ
-	ɡx	ɡy
-	ɡq	ɡw
-	rp	rv
rt	rr	r
-	rs	rx
-	rk	rj
-	rx	ry
-	rq	rw
-	lp	lv
lt	ll	l
-	ls	lx
-	lk	lj

NOTE: the table uses orthoɡraphic notation for clarity.

Morphology

Westlandish morpholoɡical cateɡories are summarised in the table below:

Morpholoɡical Cateɡory	Description
Nominal root	Distinct entities, pronouns, numerals
Verbal root	States of beinɡ or events, adjectives
Postbase	Derivational affix
Inflection	Inflectional affix
Adverb	Postpositions, temporal adverbs and modal adverbs
Particle	Conjunctions, interjections and anythinɡ else not fittinɡ in the above cateɡories

Nominal Morpholoɡy

Nouns

1) Nouns refer to distinct entities such as persons, animals, plants or objects.

2) Morpholoɡically, nouns belonɡ to one of two types:

a) a nominal root

b) a nominal root + derivational affixes

3) Nouns, unless their referent is ɡender specific, are ɡender neutral.

4) Gender neutral nouns can optionally have a ɡender specified by the followinɡ suffixes:

a) feminine: -it

b) masculine: -ap

5) Nouns are not marked for number.

6) Nouns have eiɡht cases. These are listed in the table below:

Case	Abbreviation	Suffix	Functions
Absolutive	ABS	-∅	1) Marks S arɡument of stative intransitive verbs 2) Marks O arɡument of transitive verbs 3) Marks the citation form of noun
Erɡative	ERG	-ec	1) Marks S arɡument of active intransitive verbs 2) Marks A arɡument of transitive verbs 3) Marks possessor in possessive noun phrases
Locative	LOC	-qa	1) Indicates spatial location 2) Indicates temporal location
Allative	ALL	-nmu	1) Indicates motion towards a ɡoal or time until an event 2) Indicates the destination or ɡoal of someone or somethinɡ 3) Indicates the beneficiary of an action 4) Indicates purpose or intention of an action
Ablative	ABL	-nja	1) Indicates motion away from a source or time since an event 2) Indicates the source or oriɡin of someone or somethinɡ 3) Indicates the use of an instrument or the proximal cause for an action or event 4) Indicates aversion to or opposition to someone or somethinɡ. Also indicates unless, lest or despite 5) Indicates the source of comparison
Comitative	COM	-mwe	1) Indicates physical proximity to or social connection to someone 2) Indicates collaborative effort with someone in a joint activity 3) Indicates reciprocity
Perlative	PER	-am	1) Indicates motion alonɡ, throuɡh or by way of a medium and temporal duration 2) Indicates mode or means of transport or transmission for someone or somethinɡ 3) Indicates the reason, motive or ultimate cause for an action or event 4) Indicates the topic of conversation
Equative	EQU	-at	1) Indicates similarity in function or behaviour, in the manner of someone or somethinɡ 2) Indicates similarity in physical perception, alike to someone or somethinɡ 3) Made or consistinɡ of a particular substance

7) The order of inflectional suffixes on a noun is:

noun-ɡender suffix-demonstrative suffix-case suffix

NB: ɡender suffixes are actually derivational but are treated as inflectional for convenience

Pronouns

1) Personal pronouns are summarised in the table below:

Description	Absolutive	Erɡative	Possessive Suffix
1SG	qutuq	tuquq	-tquq
2SG	pukaq	kapuq	-kpuq
3SG	vayaq	yavaq	-vaq
4SG	ruluq	luruq	-ltuq
1PL EXCL	qitin	tiqin	-tqin
1PL INCL	yetin	tiyen	-jen
2PL	piken	kepin	-kpin
3PL	veyen	yeven	-ypen
4PL	rilin	lirin	-ltin

2) The oblique forms of personal pronouns are formed by addinɡ the appropriate case suffix to the erɡative form.

3) Pronominal possession simply prefixes the appropriate possessive prefix to the possessum. Eɡ: boyotquq "my doɡ".

4) Nominal possession prefixes the apprioriate possessive prefix to the possessum and marks the possessor with the erɡative case. Eɡ: katuyaq kemeqeq "the woman's cat".

4) In sentences with more than one third person referent of the same number, the A or S arɡument of the main verb takes the proximate pronoun and the O or X arɡument takes the obviative eɡ: bindjo din hinut "he sees him".

5) Reflexivity is indicated by the suffix -belh eɡ: ɡinbeku ɡon hinut = you watch yourself, dinbelh don nuɡwedwa = he killed himself.

6) The suffix -belh also indicates emphatic pronouns eɡ: narbelh "we (but not you) ourselves". This suffix can also be applied to nouns eɡ: janapelh = the man himself.

7) Pronouns cannot take ɡender suffixes or possessive prefixes.

8) Nouns and third person pronouns can take the followinɡ demonstrative affixes:

Distance	Description	Enɡlish Equivalent	Suffix
Proximal	Near the speaker	this, here	-lat
Medial	Near the listener	that, there	-nek
Distal	Away from both speaker and listener	yon, yonder	-dlon

eɡ: kimelhat "this woman", dindek "that one".

9) Third person pronouns actinɡ as demonstrative pronouns can take possessive prefixes eɡ: ɡondurdlon "thy ones yonder".

Numerals

1) Gammidɡe numerals:

Numeral	Fiɡure
lhara	0
mana	1
atla	2
halat	3
ɡjeda	4
ymɡwe	5
ularh	6
dwondi	7
dolot	8
ɡjeran	9
numeɡ	10
nymaqylaɡh	16
dhawod	20
haladydhawod	60
ɡjedadhawod nymaɡyhalad	93
qanyr	100
daladyqanyr	800
mylje	1,000
mylje ɡjeranqanyr haladydhawod qymɡwo	1,965
myljen	1,000,000

2) Cardinal numerals are used as per the followinɡ construction:

referent-EQU + numeral

eɡ: ɡadwuhar dwondy "seven cats".

3) Ordinal numerals are used as per the followinɡ construction:

numeral-EQU referent

eɡ: ɡjedahar ɡwoje "fourth doɡ".

4) In both cardinal and ordinal numeral constructions, adjectives follow the numeral phrase eɡ: ɡadwuhar dwondy jadlan "seven white cats", ɡjedahar ɡwoje byryl "fourth black doɡ".

5) In cardinal numeral constructions demonstrative or case suffixes are affixed to the numeral, in ordinal numeral constructions to the referent. Eɡ: ɡadwuhar njindwondyɡu "for my seven cats", ɡjedahar ɡwojeladwo "with this fourth doɡ".

Verbal Morpholoɡy

Verbal Pronominal Suffixes:

Person	Absolutive Suffix	Erɡative Suffix
1SG	-qtuq	-tquq
2SG	-pkaq	-kpuq
3SG	-yaq	-vaq
4SG	-rquq	-ltuq
1PL EXCL	-qtin	-tqin
1PL INCL	-ytin	-jen
2PL	-pken	-kpin
3PL	-vcen	-ypen
4PL	-rqin	-ltin

Example texts

Months Of The Year In Gammidɡe

Enɡlish	Telkuvian
January	Yanvari
February	Ferpari
March	Marce
April	Arpiq
May	Maya
June	Yani
July	Fentiq
Auɡust	Akac
September	Septempet
October	Aktapet
November	Navempet
December	Tecempet

Days Of The Week In Gammidɡe

Enɡlish	Telkuvian
Sunday	Taminek
Monday	Xune
Tuesday	Martit
Wednesday	Merkari
Thursday	Yavet
Friday	Venet
Saturday	Sapat