Frenkisch

Frenkisch is an a-posteriori constructed language. Its eight source languages are English, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, French and Russian. It is an attempt to make a language that is a mixture of multiple modern Germanic languages. It is intended to look like a typical Germanic language in vocabulary and phonology. It also has significant Romance and Slavic influences. The approach in building it, is based on the Interlingua method but with a sample of mainly Germanic languages.

There are five source language units:

1. English
2. Dutch
3. German
4. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish
5. French and Russian.

The three Scandinavian languages are treated as one source language unit. French and Russian are treated as secondary source languages - they count as a maximum of one source language unit.

Linguistic features (such as grammar, words or sounds) require the presence of cognates in at least three of the source language units. The forms of words are derived by regular evolution from etymological prototypes.

Relationship to Folksprak

Frenkisch is related to Folksprak. It is lexically very similar -- the vocabulary building efforts for both languages are largely compatible and re-usable. However Frenkisch uses a different phonology and orthography to Folksprak, so the forms of cognate words are often different. For example Frenkisch ryde [ˈraɪdə] means the same as Folksprak ride [ˈriːdə] and both are based on the same sources. But they have different spelling and pronunciation. Also Frenkisch ryde is a strong/irregular verb (past tense reid-; past participle riden), whereas Folksprak ride is regular (past tense ridede; past participle rided). One of the main criteria for designing Folksprak has been simplicity of learning. This is less of a priority for Frenkisch. Consequently Frenkisch has a more complicated grammar and less regular spelling system.

Phonology

Vowels

There are a relatively large number of vowels, dipthongs and very close minimal pairs.

Proto-Germanic long vowels have evolved into dipthongs in a way very similar to Modern English, German and Dutch. For example PG *rīdaną > ryde [ˈraɪdə] to ride. cf En ride, Nl rijden, De reiten.

It is also notable for retaining the Proto-Germanic *ē phoneme as a distinct vowel, pronounced as [æː]: daid deed. ailfisch eel.

Consonants

Frenkisch is notable for -- like some dialects of English-- retaining a distinction between PG *w and *hw. wair [ʋæːr] true. hwair [hʋæːr] where.

Orthography

The orthography is complicated. Short vowels are marked by doubling the following consonants. Long vowels are followed by a single consonant or occasionally by doubling the vowel. The schwa [ə] sound is very common in unstressed syllables and is normally spelled -e-. But when additional suffixes are added to a word-stem, schwas in the stem often are replaced with apostrophes. For example teiken [ˈteɪkən] when made into a verb becomes teik'ne.

Frenkisch strives for a regular spelling system. However it retains certain spelling conventions for the sake of etymological clarity and aesthetics when such conventions don't interfere too much with regularity. For example qu, x and ck are used where simpler kw, ks and kk would have sufficed. Often there are more than one way to spell the same sound, for the sake of etymology. For example [aɪ] is spelled as y but occasionally as aj. [ʃ] is spelled as sch but sometimes ch. [ts] is normally spelled with c, but with ti in words such as nation, patient and pretentieus. There are many examples of where the orthography is inspired by French orthography. For example ou [uː], ai [æː], u [yː], eu [øː]

Grammar

The grammar of Frenkisch is lightly inflected, having complex features that are typical to most Germanic languages, but it comes nowhere near as complicated as German or Icelandic.

Nouns and Pronouns

Pronouns

Personal pronouns have forms for singular and plural; first, second and third person, and third person singular pronouns also have feminine, masculine or neuter gender. Personal pronouns have three cases; subjective, objective (a merge of accusative and dative) and possessive (genitive). For example dou (subjective), di (objective), dyn (possessive).

Nouns

There is no inflection for case and nouns have no grammatical gender. Nouns form the plural by adding either a -en or a -s suffix -- depending on the stress pattern of the stem. Singular: delfin. Plural: delfinen. Singular: leider. Plural: leiders.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives

Adjectives do not inflect for number, case or gender. The comparative and superlative are formed by adding -er and -est to the stem. There are a small number of irregular adjectives that form the superlative and comparative differently. For example goud good: comparative better; superlative best.

Adverbs

Adjectives can be used freely as adverbs without further modification. When it is desirable for clarity to distinguish them, an adjective can be made unambiguously an adverb by adding a -wis suffix.

Verbs

Finite verbs inflect for number, but not for person. There is a distinction in inflection between finite verbs of singular subject and of plural subjects. The present plural of verbs is identical to the infinitive: Swimme = to swim. Present plural: De fischen swimme = The fish are swimming. The singular plural is simply the verb stem: En delfin swimm = A dolphin is swimming.

The past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding -'d, or -'de to the stem. Present: sege (to say). Past: seg'de (plural), seg'd (singuar).

There are some irregular verbs and these have further distinctions in form which are likewise distinguished by number: Plural: De otters kunne swimme = The otters can swim. Singular: De delfin kann swimme = the dolphin can swim.

There are a large number of strong verbs which are divided into seven ablaut classes. For example binde = to tie; past tense band-; past participle bonden.

Text Sample:

“Werklik, prys ick an de luttel husar,” roup’d de cantinière. “De jong burger ha en dapper hert.” Korporal Aubry marschir’d forby auten sege en word. Acht oder tejn soldaten leup’de fort ond kame tousamen mid him. Hi leided deim tourugg en greut eik, omgeven mid braimberes. Hwann kam hi dair, hi setted deim fort de rand af de bosch, noch auten sege en word, an en wyd streck’d front, eilk mann stond toumindest tejn schreden af de naixte.

("I really recommend the little hussar," called the cantinière. The young bourgeois has a brave heart." Corporal Aubry marched past without saying a word. Eight or ten soldiers ran forth and joined him. He led them behind a large oak, surrounded with brambles. When he came there, he deployed them along the edge of the thicket, still without saying a word, on a widely extended front, each man stood at least ten paces from the next.) Extract of translation of The Charterhouse of Parma, by Stendhal.

Links

Frenkisch Grammar (pdf) [1]

Frenkofonie -- Online English-Frenkisch and Frenkisch-English Dictionaries [2]

The Great Frenkisch Dictionary (pdf) [3]

Frenkisch to English Dictionary (html) [4]

English to Frenkisch Dictionary (html) [5]