Vairish

Vairish
Varišö
Pronunciation	[vɑriˈʃø]
Created by	Aenil2
Date	2024
Native speakers	400k (1894 CC)
Dialects	Aonir Vairish (Varišaüniž) Oira Vairish (Varisoir) Taritren Vairish (Värištriten)
Language codes
ISO 639-2	vrs
IETF	avr-vi-vrs

Vairish (autoglossonym: Varišö; Vairish : [vɑriˈʃø]) is an Ano-Vaire language spoken in Aonir (Riukish : Aüniž [ɑyniʒ]). Vairish can be considered as a lingua franca in Aonir and the surrounding regions such as Oira and Taritren, which have different pronunciations, but are almost entirely mutually intelligible. Unless indicated, this article will focus on Varišaüniž (Aonir Vairish).

Phonology

Consonants

The following table is the consonant inventory of Vairish. Dialectal allophones will be indicated in dark cells :

	Labials	Dentals/Alveolars	Post-Alveolars	Dorsals
Nasals	m <m>	n <n>		ŋ <ň>
Plosives	p <p>, b <b>	t <t>, d <d>		k <k>, g <g>
Affricates			t͡ʃ <č>, d͡ʒ <ž>
Fricatives	f <f>, v <v>	s <s>, z <z>	ʃ <š>
Approximants	w <w>	l <l>		j <j>
Trills		r <r>

Dialectal variation :

• /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/ and /ʃ/ are pronounced /t͡ɕ/, /d͡ʑ/ and /ɕ/ in Värištriten (Tariten Vairish)
• /f/ and /v/ are pronounced /ɸ/ and /β/ in Varisoir (Oira Vairish) and Varišaüniž

Vowels

There are 9 vowels in Vairish, with no length distinction :

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i <i>, y <ü>		u <u>
Mid	e <e>, ø <ö>	ɵ~ə <ë>	o <o>
Open	ɑ <a>, æ <ä>

Morphophonology

Final devoicing

When a word-final consonant is voiced, it's pronounced as its voiceless equivalent, and when inflected, the consonant becomes voiced again.

Diaeresis

When 2 "non-close" vowels are in hiatus, the hiatus is broken down using a glide (the use of one preferably from another depends on the hiatus constituents)

Stress and pitch

Primary stress falls on the last syllable of a word, except if the last syllable is composed of a single vowel. In this case, the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable

Morphology

Nouns

Nouns can be inflected for number, case and possession.

Numbers

Nouns can be inflected for 4 numbers : Singulative (sgv), Dual (du), Plurative (plv) and Collective (col). Depending on the noun, the unmarked number can be either the Singulative or the Collective

Singulative

The singulative is the default, unmarked form of count nouns. When put into the singulative, mass nouns define the smallest unit of the noun, which is translated into English as a measure word (e.g. water → drop of water).

tolvä

"cloud"

Dual

The dual is only fully productive for body parts, kinship and animals. The dual still exists for other count nouns (as mass nouns can't take it), but is considered archaic by many.

örpa-man-it teiliä

eye-1s.poss-du brown

"My eyes are brown"

Plurative

The plurative is formed by affixing -ide. When a voiced plosive comes just before the affix, it is pronounced as its voiceless equivalent

sëid-jon-ide Äirade ö Olsü

name-3p.poss-plv Äirade and Olsü

"They are called Äirade and Olsü" (litt. "Their names are Äirade and Olsü")

Collective

The collective is the default, unmarked form of mass nouns. Count nouns can't inflect for the collective

siöre

water

Cases

Vairish nouns can be using a set of 8 noun cases :

Nominative and Accusative

Simple morphosyntactic cases. The nominative can also be used for marking the predicate.

Dative

Dative proper

The dative proper is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence

Dative of measure

The dative of measure is used to indicate the difference of measure between 2 objects

Instrumental

The instrumental is used to indicate the instrument of an action

Lative

The lative is used to indicate motion to a location

Ablative

Ablative proper

The ablative proper is used to indicate motion away from a location

Ablative of location

The ablative of location is used to indicate a location

Causal

The causal indicates that the noun is the cause/reason of the action

Essive

Essive proper

The essive proper is used to indicate that the noun is a state of being

Essive of location

The essive of location is used to indicate that the noun is a temporary location

Essive of equality

The essive of equality is used to indicate the first noun is equal to the second

Past essive

The past essive is used when wanting to cojugate a verb in the past tense

Possession

Nouns in Vairish can be marked for possession. The basic suffixes are -mVn, -sVn, -ňVn and -jVn.

E.g.

Possession markers of raväi "hope"
Person	Singulative	Dual	Plurative
1st (exclusive)	raväiman	raväimën	raväimon
1st (inclusive)		raväisin	raväison
2nd	raväiňän	raväiňen	raväiňön
3rd	raväijan	raväiin	raväijön

Paradigms

Declension of sëid "name"
Case markers
Case	Singulative	Dual	Plurative
Nominative	sëid	sëidit	sëidide
Accusative	sëidan	sëiditan	sëididen
Dative	sëidi	sëidiit	sëididei
Instrumental	sëidäte	sëidität	sëididät
Lative	sëidnë	sëidilnë	sëididenë
Ablative	sëidev	sëidite	sëididev
Causal	sëidnu	sëiduit	sëididenü
Essive	sëidör	sëiditör	sëidideör
Possessive markers
Person	Singulative	Dual	Plurative
1st (exclusive)	sëidman	sëidmën	sëidmon
1st (inclusive)		sëidsin	sëidson
2nd	sëidňän	sëidňen	sëidňön
3rd	sëidjan	sëidin	sëidjön

Declension of siöre "water"
Case markers
Case		Singulative	Collective
Nominative		siörene	siöre
Accusative		siörenea	siöreta
Dative		siörenö	siöreö
Instrumental		siöreneru	siöreru
Lative		siörenetë	siörettë
Ablative		siörenär	siöreäre
Causal		siöreneu	siöreu
Essive		siörenemü	siöremü
Possessive markers
Person	Singulative	Dual	Plurative
1st (exclusive)	siöreman	siöremën	siöremon
1st (inclusive)		siöresin	siöreson
2nd	siöreňän	siöreňen	siöreňön
3rd	siörejan	siörein	siörejön

Pronouns

Pronouns can be inflected for number, case and modality

Numbers

Pronouns numbers are the same as noun numbers (minus the collective and the dual)

Case

Vairish pronouns are inflected with a limited array of cases, those cases being :

• Nominative
• Accusative
• Dative (proper)

The last case for pronouns is the Pegative case, which is inexistant everywhere else in the language.

Modality

In Vairish, pronouns use a system of nominal mood to convey more informations. Pronouns can inflect for 5 modal usages, as follows :

Modality inflections
Vairish suffix	English translation
-tta	should/shall
-lve	can
-rë	want
-šče	ought
-orü	may/wish

Paradigms

1st person pronouns

Declension of mä "I"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	mä	mätta	mälve	märë	mäšče	mäorü
Accusative	mäan	mäatta	mäalve	mäarë	mäašče	mäanorü
Dative	mäi	mäitta	mäivle	mäirë	mäišče	mäirü
Pegative	mäkä	mäkätta	mäkälve	mäkärë	mäkäšče	mäkorü

Declension of të "we"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	të	tëtta	tëlve	tërë	tëšče	tëorü
Accusative	tëan	tëatta	tëalve	tëarë	tëašče	tëanorü
Dative	tëi	tëitta	tëivle	tëirë	tëišče	tëirü
Pegative	tëkä	tëkätta	tëkälve	tëkärë	tëkäšče	tëkorü

2nd person pronouns

Declension of sä "you"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	sä	sätta	sälve	särë	säšče	säorü
Accusative	säan	säatta	säalve	säarë	säašče	säanorü
Dative	säi	säitta	säivle	säirë	säišče	säirü
Pegative	säkä	säkätta	säkälve	säkärë	säkäšče	säkorü

Declension of ü "you"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	ü	ütta	ülve	ürë	üšče	üorü
Accusative	üan	üatta	üalve	üarë	üašče	üanorü
Dative	üi	üitta	üivle	üirë	üišče	üirü
Pegative	ükä	ükätta	ükälve	ükärë	ükäšče	ükorü

3rd person pronouns

Declension of häi "he/she/it"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	häi	häitta	häilve	häirë	häišče	häiorü
Accusative	häian	häiatta	häialve	häiarë	häiašče	häianorü
Dative	häii	häiitta	häiivle	häiirë	häiišče	häiirü
Pegative	häikä	häikätta	häikälve	häikärë	häikäšče	häikorü

Declension of ina "they"
	Not modal	should/shall	can	want	ought	may/wish
Nominative	ina	inatta	inalve	inarë	inašče	inaorü
Accusative	inaan	inaatta	inaalve	inaarë	inaašče	inaanorü
Dative	inai	inaitta	inaivle	inairë	inaišče	inairü
Pegative	inakä	inakätta	inakälve	inakärë	inakäšče	inakorü

Verbs

Verbs can inflect for tense, aspect, mood, politeness and inverse marking

Tenses and aspects

Tenses and aspects are intricately linked in Vairish, as one cannot exist without the other.

The Vairish language uses a set of 3 tenses (more on that later) and 3 aspects :

Non-Future

Perfective non-future

The perfective non-future indicates that the action is occuring/occured

Gnomic non-future

The gnomic non-future indicated that the action is/was a general truth

Episodic non-future

The episodic non-future is the contrary of the gnomic non-future

Future

Perfective future

The perfective future indicates that the action will occur

Gnomic future

The gnomic future indicated that the action will be a general truth

Episodic future

The episodic future is the contrary of the gnomic non-future

The past is not marked on the verb but rather on the object, as its construction is : Non-Future Verb + Object in the Essive

Moods

Vairish verbs can inflect for 7 moods, which are the following :

Indicative

The indicative is the default, unmarked mood of verbs. It is used to indicate that the action is a statement for the speaker.

Optative

The optative can be used to indicate wishes or hopes. It can also be used to indicate that the action is encouraged.

Imprecative

The imprecative can be used to indicate misfortune upon another person/thing. It can also be used to indicate that the action is discouraged.

Imperative

The imperative is used to create commands/requests. More rarely, it could also be used to indicate that the action is a requirement.

Hypothetical

The hypothetical mood is used to indicate that an action could have happened, but didn't. It is only used in the Non-Future tense.

Deductive

The deductive mood is used to indicate that the statement was deducted from another source, and wasn't known beforehand.

Inferential

The inferential mood is used to report a non-witnessed action without confirming it.

Politeness

Vairish verbs change roots depending on the listener's hierarchy :

Higher

When speaking to a person higher in the hierarchy, you must infix -ka- after the first syllable

Same

If the listener is from the same hierarchy level as yours, you can just use the "basic" root

Lower

You have two options if the person listening to you is from lower hierarchy : you can used the "basic" root, or add -še- to form a sort of pejorative root (which is often use to mock someone)

Inverse marking

Sometimes, the inverse marker "-a" is affixed onto the verb root to indicate that the object is the main focus of the sentence

Paradigm

Conjugation of čenita ("to see")
Main inflections
		Indicative	Optative	Imprecative	Imperative	Hypothetical	Deductive	Inferential
Non-Future	Perfective	čenita	čenitaä	čenitainü	čenitabo	čenitaze	čenitaju	čenitaši
	Gnomic	čenitate	čenitattä	čenitatin	čenitabëdin	čenitadü	čenitaiut	čenitačei
	Episodal	čenitada	čenitadä	čenitadi	čenitadlin	čenitadëze	čenitaidu	čenitažai
Future	Perfective	čenitani	čenitanä	čenitaininü	čenitabio	čenitazeni	čenitajü	čenitanši
	Gnomic	čenitanite	čenitatiä	čenitanitin	čenitabiedin	čenitadüi	čenitainut	čenitačinei
	Episodal	čenitanida	čenitanidä	čenitadini	čenitadilin	čenitadënze	čenitaidun	čenitažnai
Miscellaneous Affixes
Inverse marker		čenitaa
Higher hierarchy listener		čekanita
Lower hierarchy listener		češenita

Copulae

Vairish has multiple deictic copulae, that are used depending on the proximity to the object.

äo

äo is the proximal verb, it is used to describe an object close to the speaker

Syntax

Word order

The most used word orders are VSO and SOV, even though VOS is also used to indicate a passive-like construction, and might also be used to replace the inverse marker.

For exemple : "karë ronän čenitaa" and "čenita ronän karë" both mean "The citizen looks at the king", but the second sentence doesn't need an inverse marker.