Scellan/Middle: Difference between revisions

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Predicate-first syntax
Predicate-first syntax
===Predicates===
===Predicates===
Eevo has no copula. Instead, the "predicate" or the focused constituent is fronted:


e.g. ''Dy eell naw ee.'' = I love her; ''Ee a (fa) dy eell ren.'' = It's her that I love
:''Að smøøh bo sbenopats twm øráð bo [toxrorégin] syrŋ a go þarcǿma ŋe.''
 
:SG world COL dinosaur NEG only COL evolve-PASS.PART new DET PST.IPFV inhabit it
When fronting of a noun occurs, the remaining verb phrase becomes a noun phrase, thus a determiner must be used.
:The world of the dinosaurs was not solely occupied by the newly-evolved. [The world of the dinosaurs, not only the newly evolved inhabited it.]
 
:''Twm øráð syrŋ bo [toxrorégin] '''a''' go þarcǿma að smøøh bo sbenopats.''
:NEG only new COL evolve-PASS.PART DET PST.IPFV inhabit SG world COL dinosaur
:The world of the dinosaurs was not solely occupied by the newly-evolved.


In some tenses (progressive, perfect) the particle ''fa'' can be used after the ''a'' when fronting.
In some tenses (progressive, perfect) the particle ''fa'' can be used after the ''a'' when fronting.

Revision as of 04:01, 25 January 2019

Middle Skellan is the direct descendant of Tigol that was spoken in Skella. It had become Early Modern Skellan around fT 1150.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental/Alveolar Lateral Velar Glottal
Nasal fortis mm /M/ nn /N/ ŋŋ /Ŋ/
lenis m /m/ n /n/ ŋ /ŋ/
Plosive fortis p /p/ t /t/ c /k/
lenis b /b/ d /d/ g /g/
Non-sibilant unvoiced f, ph /f/ th /θ/ ch /x/ sh, h /h/
voiced bh /v/ dh /ð/ gh /ɣ/
Sibilant s /s̻/, z /s̺/ x /ɬ/
Affricate ts /ts/ tx /tɬ/
Resonant fortis rr /R/ ll /L/
lenis r /r/ l /l/

Vowels

a á e é i í y o ó ö ő u ú ü ai ei eu iu oi ui ia ua

Morphology

Nouns

Verbs

Syntax

Predicate-first syntax

Predicates

Að smøøh bo sbenopats twm øráð bo [toxrorégin] syrŋ a go þarcǿma ŋe.
SG world COL dinosaur NEG only COL evolve-PASS.PART new DET PST.IPFV inhabit it
The world of the dinosaurs was not solely occupied by the newly-evolved. [The world of the dinosaurs, not only the newly evolved inhabited it.]

In some tenses (progressive, perfect) the particle fa can be used after the a when fronting.

Dy iant a duvwŋ.
The teacher is sleeping.
Duvwŋ a (fa) dy iant.
It's the teacher who is sleeping.

Contrasting

Contrastive "partial clauses" borrow the syntax used in focused clauses.

Dy ell Sani Maið, ah twm a ry Hmorill.
Sani loves Maið, but Hmorill does not [love him].
Dy ell Sani Maið, ah twm Gelli.
Sani loves Maið, but she does not love Gelli.