Riphean

Riphean/Lexicon

Riphean (rivška) is an Indo-European language of Tdūrzů, spoken in our Poland, Prussia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is inspired by Czech and Dutch and contains vocabulary we think of as Balto-Slavic and non-English Germanic.

TODO

Split-ergative past tense using a -n- passive participle?

UDHR

Wiži dzíni kimeđ walni im lejki in zwem chejn im zwame đejžam.

/ˈʋɪʒɪ ˈdziːɲɪ ˈkɪməθ ˈʋalɲɪ ɪm ˈlɛjkɪ ɪn zʋɛm xɛjn ɪm ˈzʋamə ˈðɛjʒɐm/

(im ~ Latin ambō)

hejn ~ τῑμή 'honor', đejše ~ teisė

Phonology

Riphean has consistent initial stress.

Voiceless stops are not aspirated

w and v as in Dutch

c č ď dz dž ň ř š ž h ch as in Czech, ľ as in Slovak, ř devoices word-finally

h devoices to [x]

đ = [ð], devoices to [θ]

Stressed a e i o u = [a ɛ ɪ ɔ u]

á é í ó ů = [aː e̞ː iː o̞ː uː]

ej ui ou = [ɛj œɥ ɔw]

l is velarized, r may be an approximant. Both can be syllabic: wlch 'wolf', crn 'grain'.

Auslautverhärtung

Unstressed a = [ɐ] (like Portuguese)

Morphology

Nouns and adjectives

Masculine animate

The dative singular has replaced the regular accusative singular for masculine animate nouns (cf. a in Spanish).

manč "man"

• nom. manč, manči
• gen. mančez, manču
• dat. manče, mančem
• acc. manče, mančuz
• ins. manču, mančiz

Masculine inanimate

Dialectally, these nouns may merge with neuter nouns: tam, tama

tam "house"

• nom. tam, tami
• gen. tamez, tamu
• dat. tame, tamem
• acc. tam, tamuz
• ins. tamu, tamiz

Feminine -a

kena "woman"

• nom. kena, kenaz
• gen. kenaz, kenu
• dat. kene, kenam
• acc. kenou, kenouz
• ins. kenam, kenami

Other feminine

váni (< vađni < potnih2) "lady, Mrs."

• nom. váni, vániz
• gen. vániz, váňu
• dat. váni, vánim
• acc. váni, vániz
• ins. vánim, vánimi

nacht "night"

• nom. nacht, nachtiz
• gen. nachtiz, nachťu
• dat. nachti, nachtim
• acc. nachti, nachtiz
• ins. nachtim, nachtmi

Neuter

céđ "child" (<- ģenh1tom, ~ Kind)

• nom. céđ, céđa
• gen. céđez, céđu
• dat. céđe, céđem
• acc. céđ, céđa
• ins. céđu, céđiz

Adjectives

Indefinite and definite declensions

Verbs

etež "to eat"

ec etem, ji eteđ, ež eteđ, đam etar, jíľud eteđ, í eteđ

(Polite pronoun?)

negative ne

buiž 'to be'

ec em, ji eđ, ež es, đam ér, jiľud eđ, í zouđ

Negative ec nem, ji neđ, ež nes, đam nér, jiľud neđ, í nezouđ

Reflexive verbs

ouchiž ze "to learn"

ec ouchim ze, ji ouchiđ ze, ež ouchiđ ze, đam ouchir ze, jiľud ouchiđ ze, í ouchiđ ze

Numerals

ejn, tů, đrí, cheđur, véch, zest, zevouđ, astuđ, ňouđ, tezou

ejnľez, twejľez, đríľez, cheđurľez, véľez, zesľez, zevaľez, astľez, ňouľez, twejcouđi

đrícouđi, cheđurcouđi, vécouđi, zescouđi, zevacouđi, ascouđi, ňucouđi, stou? (random change from kmtom -> ktom, influenced by the ordinal stouđe <- ktm-tos)

đouzuđ

ejn "1" declines as follows:

• nom. ejn, ejna, ejn

tů "2" declines as follows:

• nom. tů, twí, twej
• gen. tweju
• dat. twím
• acc. tů, twí, twej
• ins. twími

đrí "3" declines as follows:

• nom. đrí
• gen. đríu
• dat. đrím
• acc. đrí
• ins. đrími

Syntax

German-like?

Swadesh list

I: ec
thou: ji
he/she/it: ež/já/it
we: đam (originally a dummy word used with the impersonal, from đám "there")
ye: jíľud
they: í/jáz/đá
this: siđe
that: đađe
here: sím
there: đám

Texts

Schleicher's fable

Ra oucha um ri dzrki

Oucha, čá wlnou ne [had], [saw] dzrkuz