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Introduction

Goals

To create an aesthetically pleasing, yet easily pronounceable (for me), language for the setting of a habitable alternative Venus.

Setting

The setting is a Venus with a thinner crust which enables convection of heat within the planet's core and, despite Venus' slower rotation, the subsequent generation of a magnetic field sufficient to prevent the loss of the planet's oceans.

Common Venerian (ComVen: Lanakwa) is the predominant lingua franca spoken on Venus (ComVen: Lhinla). It originated from the environs of the mercantile city of Suliriyal on the continent of Yehadramit.

Inspirations

Phonology

A. Orthography

Native Alphabet Practical Orthography IPA
⟨o⟩ ⟨p⟩ /p/
⟨ɵ⟩ ⟨ph⟩ /f/
⟨c⟩ ⟨b⟩ /b/
⟨ɔ⟩ ⟨m⟩ /m/
⟨s⟩ ⟨w⟩ /w/
⟨v⟩ ⟨t⟩ /t/
⟨ʌ⟩ ⟨th⟩ /θ/
⟨w⟩ ⟨d⟩ /d/
⟨ʍ⟩ ⟨n⟩ /n/
⟨x⟩ ⟨s⟩ /s/
⟨ɴ⟩ ⟨r⟩ /ɹ/
⟨ɛ⟩ ⟨x⟩ /ɬ/
⟨ɜ⟩ ⟨l⟩ /l/
⟨n⟩ ⟨k⟩ /k/
⟨u⟩ ⟨kh⟩ /x/
⟨m⟩ ⟨ɡ⟩ /ɡ/
⟨ɯ⟩ ⟨q⟩ /ŋ/
⟨ʜ⟩ ⟨y⟩ /j/
⟨z⟩ ⟨h⟩ /h/

NOTES:

1. The native script was ultimately derived from an ancient featural abugida.

2. The practical orthography was devised by the first terrestrial linguists to reach Venus. It has since become the default scheme of romanisation for Common Venerian.

3. The spelling of both the native alphabet and the practical orthography is morphophonemic in that the spelling is phonemic but does change to reflect morphophonemic changes.

4. The following punctuation marks are in use in the native alphabet:

⟨.⟩ = short pause, equivalent to a comma or semi-colon. ⟨:⟩ = long pause, equivalent to a colon or full stop.

Punctuation marks occur immediately after the last word of a clause and never occur consecutively.

5. Any given word is separated from any following word by a space. There are no equivalents to parentheses, quotation marks, exclamation marks or questions marks.

B. Phoneme Inventory

1. Consonants

Labial Central Coronal Lateral Coronal Dorsal Glottal
Plosive      
-voiceless /p/ /t/ /k/
-voiced /b/ /d/   /ɡ/
Fricative      
-sibilant   /s/ /ɬ/
-spirant /f/ /θ/   /x/
-aspirate       /h/
Sonorant      
-nasal /m/ /n/   /ŋ/
-lateral     /l/
Approximant      
-rhotic   /ɹ/  
-semivowel /w/     /j/

Notes:

1. All coronals are alveolar except for /ɬ/ which is postalveolar.

2. Common Venerian has 19 consonants which, according to the World Atlas of Language Structures, is an average inventory. The most notable features, according to WALs, are the presence of a lateral obstruent, the initial velar nasal and a dental fricative.

2. Vowels

Front Back
High /i/ /u/
Low  /ɛ/ /ɑ/

Notes:

1. /ɑ/ is the result of a merger between earlier /*o, *a/.

2. Common Venerian has 4 vowel qualities which, according to WALS, is a small inventory. The consonant-vowel ratio is 4.75 which is a moderately high ratio.

C. Allophony

1. /p, t, k/ are realised as [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ] when the only consonant in the onset of a stressed syllable.

2. In intervocalic position and when the onset of an unstressed syllable, /b, d, ɡ/ are realised as [v, ð̠, ʒ].

3. Onset /s, ɬ/ is realised as [z, ɮ] after a coda of /b, d/.

4. Coda /s, ɬ/ is realised as [z, ʒ] before an onset of /b, d, ɡ/.

5. The consonant clusters /ɬp, ɬt, ɬk/ are realised as [ʃp, ʃt, ʃk].

6. The consonant clusters /ɬm, ɬn, ɬŋ, ɬl/ are realised as [ʃm, ʃn, ʃŋ, ʃl].

7. The consonant clusters /ɬɹ, ɬw, ɬj/ are realised as [ʃɹ, ʃw, ʃj].

8. The consonant clusters /mm, nn, ŋŋ, ll/ are realised as [bm, dn, ɡŋ, dl].

9. /i, u/ are realised as [ɪ, ʊ] in closed syllables.

D. Phonotactics

1. Syllable template: C(C)V(C).

2. Permitted syllable codas:

/t, k, b, d, s, ɬ, θ, x, m, n, ŋ, l/.

3. /s, ɬ, l/ do not occur as codas in word-final position.

4. /θ, x/ only occur as codas in word-final position.

5. Permitted Syllable Onset Consonant Clusters:

Y
T  -  - tr tw ty
K  -  - - kr kw ky
B -    - br bw by
D - dr dw dy
S sm sn sq sl sr sw sy
X xm xn xq xl xr xw xy
TH  - - thr thw thy
KH  - khr khw khy
M - - - - - mw -
Q - - - - - - qy

Notes:

a. The practical orthography is used here for clarity.

b. First segment of cluster runs along left of table.

c. Second segment of cluster runs along top of table.

6. Permitted Syllable Boundary Consonant Clusters:

S PH  TH KH M L R
T tp - tk  - ts tx tph tkh  - - - -
K kp kt - ks kx kph  kth   -
B bd bg bs  bx -
D db dg ds dx -
S sp st sk sb sd sg -
X xp xt xk xb xd xg -
TH thp - thk - - - - - - - - - - - - -
KH khp kht - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
M mp  mb mph  mm - - - -
N - nt nd - ns  nx - nth - - nn - nl nr
Q - qk qg - qkh - - qq - -
L lp lt lk lb ld lg ls lx lph lth lkh lm ln lq ll lr

Notes:

a. The practical orthography is used here for clarity.

b. First segment of cluster runs along left of table.

c. Second segment of cluster runs along top of table.

7. No consonant cluster may have more than two segments.

8. Consonant clusters do not occur within the syllable coda.

9. Vowel sequences do not occur.

10. /i/ may not occur after onset /j/.

11. /u/ may not occur after onset /w/.

12. Most native roots are disyllabic with monosyllabic roots being restricted to pronouns. Most particles are monosyllabic.

E. Prosody

1. Primary stress falls on the first syllable of the root.

2. Secondary stress is borne on every odd-numbered syllable after the primary stress.

3. Rhythm type is trochaic.

F. Morphophonology

When consonant clusters result from affixation, they are treated as per the table below:

PH TH KH H Y
T tp th tk db dg ts tx tph th tkh th nt nt nt lt tr tw ty
K kp kt kh p ks kx kph kth kh kh qk qk qk lk kr kw ky
B ph  th  kh p bd bg bs bx ph th kh w mb mb mb lb br bw by
D tp  th  tk  db dg ds dx ph th kh nd nd nd ld dr dw dy
TH thp th thk s x ph th kh nth nth nth lth thr thw thy
KH khp kht kh t ph th kh kh qkh qkh qkh lkh khr khw khy
M mp nt qk mb nd qg ns nx mph nth qkh mm nn qq nl nr mw qy
N mp nt qk mb nd qg ns nx mph nth qkh r mm nn qq nl nr mw qy
Q mp nt qk mb nd qg ns nx mph nth qkh y mm nn qq nl nr mw qy

Morphology

Common Venerian morphemes fall into the following classes:

1. Particles.

These do not bear any inflection, have little semantic content and comprise such things as temporal or locative adverbs, conjunctions, interjections and anything else that isn't a root.

2. Roots.

These do bear inflection and contain much of the semantic content of an utterance. Roots are divided into nouns and verbs. Verbs are further divided into transitive and intransitive categories.

Syntax

Constituent order

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Other resources