Seggeynni
Seggeynni is another conlang spoken in my far-future Antarctican conworld. It developed from language contact, when Kämpya speakers settled in lands where Thangha' was spoken (as well as other languages such as Habyela and North-East Antarctican, which although unrelated to Thangha', form part of a Sprachbund). Kämpya speakers were more technologically advanced than Thangha' speakers, and Kämpya was definitely the prestige language, forming the superstrate. Most of Seggeynni's vocabulary and grammar come from Kämpya. On the other hand, Kämpya speakers intermarried extensively with the Thangha' speaking community, and Thangha' has exhibited a very heavy substrate effect.
The language documented here is spoken approximately a century after the initial migration. The vast majority of speakers are mixed-race descendents of Kämpya and Thangha' speakers. In addition to Seggeynni, almost all have a passive command of both Thangha' (still a common trade language in the region) and Kämpya (a liturgical language).
Like Thangha', there are many consonants which contrast secondary articulations, which affect the quality of adjacent vowels. Additionally, Seggeynni is characterised by an underlying simple syllable structure at the phonemic level, however many speakers "drop" vowels, so that consonant clusters are heard in the spoekn language. For example, phonemically the name of the language is /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/, but, except when speaking extremely carefully, most speakers pronounce it as [ˈséɠə̀iɲːì].
Phonology
Vowels
The vowel system is quite similar to Thangha'. In stressed syllables, there are 6 vowel phonemes /iː/, /uː/, /e/, /o/ and /aː/ and /ə/.
As in Thangha', the length of the vowel is more important than the quality in contrasting /iː/ and /uː/ vs. /e/ and /o/. Secondary articulation on surrounding consonants "pulls" the vowels around a fair bit.
In unstressed syllables, the language has a Vertical Vowel System, only contrasting /a/ and /ə/ (however other vowels such as [i], [e], [o] and [u] are heard as allophones of /ə/, depending on the surrounding consonants).
Consonants
The consonant inventory is very similar to Thangha'. Kämpya's aspirated consonants became velarised in Seggeynni.
| Labial | Pal. Labial | Dental / Alveolar | Lab. Dental | Alveolo-Palatal | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Lab. Palatal | Lab. Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | mʲ | n | nʷ | ɲ | ŋ* | (ɲʷ) | ŋʷ* | ||||
| Voiced Stop | b | bʲ | d | dʷ | ɟ | g | (ɟʷ) | gʷ ~ gb | ||||
| Voiceless Stop | p | pʲ | t | tʷ | c | k | (cʷ) | kʷ ~ kp | ʔ | |||
| Voiced Sibilant Affricate | dʑ | |||||||||||
| Voiceless Sibilant Affricate | tɕ | |||||||||||
| Spirant Affricate | tθ | ʈʂ | ||||||||||
| Voiced Sibilant Fricative | z | zʷ | ʑ | |||||||||
| Voiceless Sibilant Fricative | s | sʷ | ɕ | |||||||||
| Spirant Fricative | f | fʲ | ʂ | ç ~ ɬ | χ ~ x | |||||||
| Flap / Trill | ⱱ ~ ʀʷ | ⱱʲ | ɾʲ | ɽ | (ʀ) | |||||||
| Lateral | ʎ | ɫ | (ʎʷ) | ɫʷ | ||||||||
| Semivowel | j | ɥ | w |
- Velar nasals cannot occur word initially.
- Except for /ɥ/, labialised palatal consonants such as /cʷ/ are rare. They only occur in loanwords. Before front vowels, most speakers merge them with labialised velar consonants, and before back vowels, most speakers merge them with plain palatal consonants.
- Labialised velar stops /kʷ/ and /gʷ/ are in free variation with their doubly articulated counterparts.
- For the purposes of phonology, it is useful to draw a distinction between sibilant and spirant (non-sibilant) affricates and fricatives. Sibilants contrast for voicing while spirants do not.
- Between sonorants, /tθ/ is lenited to [θ].
- A sound change is currently in progress which is changing the palatal fricative /ç/ to a lateral fricative /ɬ/, especially in clusters.
- /χ/ has the allophone /x/ between sonorants.
- /ʀ/ is only found in loanwords. Many speakers merge it into /ɽ/.
- Labialised labial consonants /mʷ/, /bʷ/, /pʷ/ occur as separate phonemes in a few dialects. But most dialects have merged these with the plain labials.
Phonotactics
Underylingly, the only syllables permitted are CV and CCV. The latter is rare, and only a few consonant clusters are permitted, namely /pf/, /tf/, /sf/, /kf/, /pχ/, /sχ/, /kχ/, /pç/ and /kç/.
Speakers who are shifting /ç/ to /ɬ/ are especially prone to do so in clusters. In this case, they shift /kç/ to a lateral affricate /tɬ/.
/kχ/ is much more commonly heard as [q].
/kf/ is sometimes heard as [qʷ].
There used to be a cluster */tχ/, but it has now shifted to /tθ/.
Spirant Mutation
Seggeynni has a rule that only one "spirant" consonant can occur in a phonological word. If a process such as cliticisation would cause a violation of this rule, then every spirant consonant except the last undergoes mutation, via the following patterns:
/f/ -> /w/
/fʲ/ -> /ɥ/
/pf/ -> /p/
Other clusters of Consonant + /f/ -> Labialised versions of the initial consonant, with the /f/ deleted e.g. /sf/ -> /sʷ/, /kf/ -> /kʷ/ etc.
/tθ/ -> /t/
/ʈʂ/ -> /tɕ/
/ʂ/ -> /ɕ/
/ç/ -> /j/
/χ/ -> /ʔ/
Stress
The situation here is identical to Kämpya. One syllable in each word bears stress, the location of which is unpredictable. Vowel phonation is phonemic on stressed syllables but not elsewhere. The phonations are tense /a̰/, breathy /a̤/ or /ä/, and glottalised /aʔ/. Glottalised vowels are pronounced with gemination (and glottalisation where possible) of the following consonant (or with a glottal stop [ʔ] in the case of word final syllables). For example, the first syllable of "Seggeynni" has stress with glottalised phonation, meaning that the subsequent /k/ is pronounced as an implosive /ɠː/.
Long vowels with glottalised phonation diphthongise into centering diphthongs. For example, /ˈdʑíːʔpə̀/ - "deep" (descriptive) is pronounced [ˈdʑíəɓə̀].
Short vowels with tense phonation are pronounced with an epiglottal approximant [ʢ] after them e.g. /ɲḛ̂/ - "snare" is pronounced [ɲḭ̂ʢ].
The pronunciation of short vowels with breathy phonation varies depending on a variety of factors. At the end of words, they are normally pronounced with a final /ɦ/, or occasionally [z] or [ɹ]. If the vowel precedes an obstruent (stop, affricate or fricative), then a voiceless fricative is inserted, that is homorganic with the obstruent e.g. /sə́ˈçə̤̀tà/ - "sister" is most often pronounced [síˈçè̤stà]. However this is in free variation with preaspiration, so the word for sister can also be pronounced as [síˈçè̤ʰtà]. If the vowel precedes a sonorant, then it is pronounced geminated and with breathy voice e.g. /dè̤nə̀/ - "to dance" is usually pronounced [dè̤n̤ːə̀].
Tone Patterns
These are also identical to Kämpya. A description of the tone patterns can be found here.
Assimilations / Epenthesis
There are many phonetic processes that result in the deletion of schwa, often leading to consonant clusters. They apply to unstressed syllables, with two major exceptions. The first of these is word-initial syllables. The second of these is the syllable immediately after a stressed syllable.
Nasal Consonants
A schwa has a strong tendency to be lost if it occurs immediately after a nasal consonant, and immediately before an obstruent. In this case, the nasal changes it's place or articulation to be homorganic with the obstruent e.g. .... (here and below, the parts of the word that undergo assimilation have been marked in bold).
If a schwa occurs between two nasal consonants, it is elided, along with the preceding consonant. In its place, the following nasal is geminated e.g. ...
If a schwa occurs word finally and is preceded by a nasal, then the whole syllable is often deleted, with nasalisation of the preceding vowel e.g. ........
The sequence /məjə/ is usually pronounced [mːʲi]. Unlike most other assimilation processes, this can occur in the syllable immediately following the stressed one e.g. /ʔáˈɫʷṳ̀ːmə̀=jə̀/ - "everyone's" (alienable) is usually pronounced [ʔɒ́ɫʷṳ̀ːmːʲì].
A similar process transforms the sequence /nəjə/ to [ɲːi], as in the name of the language, Seggeynni [ˈséɠːə̀iɲːì], underlyingly /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/.
Debuccalisation of Stops
If a word final schwa is preceded by a stop, then it is very common to delete the schwa and debuccalise the stop to a glottal stop e.g. /ˈqóʔɲàtə̀/ - "Hkonat" (the name of a city), is usually pronounced as [ˈqɔ́ɲ̰ːɛ̀ʔ].
If schwa occurs after a stop, and before an obstruent of identical voicing (sequences of tenuis stop + schwa + aspirated consonant are also permissible), then both schwa and the preceding stop are deleted, and the following consonant becomes geminated e.g. /ˈqòʔɲátə́=ká/ - "from Hkonat" is normally pronounced [ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́kːá].
If a schwa is preceded by a stop, and followed by a sonorant, then both the schwa and the preceding stop are deleted, and the sonorant is glottalised and geminated e.g. ......................
Semivowels
An extremely common phonetic process involves /j/, /w/ or /ɥ/ flanked on both sides by /a/ or /ə/. The second vowel is deleted, and the semivowel assimilates with the preceding vowel to form a diphthong. /ajə/ and /aja/ become [ai], /awə/ and /awa/ become [au], /aɥə/ and /aɥa/ become [aʉ]. Likewise /əjə/ and /əja/ become [əi], /əwə/ and /əwa/ become [əu], /əɥə/ and /əɥa/ become [əʉ]. An example of this is in the name of the language, /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/, which is pronounced as [ˈséɠːə̀iɲːì].
This differs from the previous processes in two ways. Firstly because it can delete not only schwa, but also /a/. Secondly because it can delete vowels in any syllable, even if it bears stress or comes after the stressed syllable. For example /ʔáɫáːˈwə̰̀nə̀/ [ʔɑ́ˈɫɑ̀ːṵnə̀] - "alone" (restrictive). If a stressed vowel is deleted in this way, the resulting diphthong bears stress (as in the previous example).
Conflicting Processes
If a word could be transformed in more than one way, then the rules work from left to right across the word. So ..............................
Comparison with Kämpya
At the phonological level, the two languages are completely different, however at the phonetic level, many words are similar. Below is a table comparing words in the two languages, as well as words in the older version of Kämpya that the two languages diverged from.
| Gloss | Seggeynni Phonemic | Seggeynni Phonetic | Kämpya | Old Kämpya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seggeynni | /ˈséʕkə̀jə̀nə̀jə̀/ | [ˈséɠːə̀iɲːì] | [ˈséʔkìnì] | */ˈsɛ́ʔkìnì/ |
| forest | /ˈfò̤ɥə̀/ | [ˈfòy̤ː]] | [ˈpʰò̤wè] | */ˈfɔ̤̀wè/ |
| sister | /sə́ˈçə̤̀tà/ | [síˈçè̤stà] | /ˈsʰì̤tà/ | */ˈsʰì̤tà/ |
| snare | /ɲḛ̂/ | [ɲḭ̂ʢ] | [n̥ḛ̂ː] | */n̥ḛ̂/ |
| forgetful | /jámə́ˈɲì̤ː/ | [jɛ́ˈɲːì̤ː] | [ámˈnèi̤] | */ɛ́mˈnèi̤/ |
| rotten (restrictive) | /zə́ˈwòʔ/ | [zóˈwòʔ] | [ˈzwóʔ] | */ˈzwɔ́ʔ/ |
| everyone | /ʔáˈɫʷṳ̀ːmə̀/ | [ʔɒ́ɫʷṳ̀ːm] | [áˈlòṳⁿ] | */áˈlòṳm/ |
| Hkonat (the name of a city) | /ˈqóʔɲàtə̀/ | [ˈqɔ́ɲ̰ːɛ̀ʔ] | [ˈkʰóʔnàt] | */ˈkʰɔ́ʔnɛ̀t/ |
| at Hkonat | /ˈqòʔɲátə́=ká/ | [ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́kːá] | [ˈkʰòʔnátká] | /ˈkʰɔ̀ʔnɛ́t=ká/ |
| cave | /kʷə́ˈçḛ̂pà/ | [kʷʉ́ˈçḭ̂ʢpà] | [ˈkʰwḛ̂ːpà] | */ˈkʰwḛ̂pà/ |
Telicity
Due to contact with Thangha', Seggeynni has developed a grammatical telicity contrast. Atelic verbs are unmarked, and in Tone Class 1. Telic verbs are in Tone Class 2, are usually take the suffix /ɕə́ŋə́/ (usually pronounced [ɕíⁿ]). This is a grammaticalised form of the verb /ˈɕéʔŋə̀/ - "to become".
For example:
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀ ˈqòʔɲátə́=fámə́ dʑə́ˈpˤâ̰ːɽə̀ ˈwà̰ːnə́ mǎ̤ːnə̀/
[ˈjîʢɲìⁿ ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́fːámə́ ˈdʑɘ́ˈpˤɑ̰̂ːɽʌ̀ ˈwà̰ːnə́ mǎ̤ːnə̀]
enemy Hkónat=from depart.ATEL one month.ADV
The enemy departed from Hkonat for a month (and then they came back)
vs.
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀jə̀ ˈqòʔɲátə́=fámə́ dʑə́ˈpˤâ̰ːɽə̀-ɕə́ŋə́ ˈwà̰ːnə́ mǎ̤ːnə̀/
[ˈjîʢɲìⁿ ˈqɔ̀ɲ̰ːɛ́fːámə́ ˈdʑɘ́ˈpˤɑ̰̀ːɽɘ́ɕíⁿ ˈwà̰ːnə́ mǎ̤ːnə̀]
enemy Hkónat=from depart.TEL one month.ADV
The enemy departed from Hkónat in a month (as in it took them that long to get ready).
Semantic Shifts
Many verbs have completely different meanings when their aspect changes from atelic to telic. For example:
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀ xə́ˈʎíːʔpə̀/
[ˈjîʢɲìⁿ xíˈʎíəɓə̀]
enemy sleep.ATEL
The enemy is asleep.
vs.
/ˈjḛ̂ɲə̀mə̀ xə́ˈʎìːʔpə́-ɕə́ŋə́/
[ˈjêʢɲìⁿ xíˈʎìəɓíɕíⁿ]
enemy sleep-TEL
The enemy is dead.
This (and many other similar semantic shifts) are clearly attributable to influence from Thangha', which inflects the verb root /səʔˈʎiːpə/ into atelic /səʔˈʎiːpə/ to mean "sleep", and telic /mʲaɲəʔ-səʔˈʎiːpə/ to mean "die". In Kämpya (which does not mark telicity), the verb /hléiʔp/ (cognate with /xə́ˈʎíːʔpə̀/) is only used to mean "sleep". There is a separate verb root /dôṵ/ to mean "die". However in Seggeynni, the cognate to this word /dʷḭ̂ː/ means to die insane.
Pronouns
Like Kämpya, Seggeynni has tripartite alignment in pronouns. There is also a distinction between emphatic and non-emphatic forms of pronouns. Unlike Kämpya, there is no proximate / obviate distinction in 3rd person pronouns (null pronouns are used when Kämpya would use a proximate pronoun).
| 1PS Exclusive | 1PS Inclusive | 2PS | 3PS | Interrogative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | /ʔájə́/ | /wájə́/ | /jə́wə́/ | Null | /bá/ |
| Intransitive Emphatic | /wḭ̀ː/ | /ɥḭ̀ː/ | /jṵ̀ː/* | Null | /bà̰ː/ |
| Accusative | /mə́jə́/ | /ʎə́/ | /tɕə́/ | /sə́́wə́jə́/ | /cə́/ |
| Accusative Emphatic | /mə́ˈjà̰/ | /ˈʎè̤sə́/ | /tɕḛ̀/ | /sə́́wə́ˈjà̰/ | /cḛ̀/ |
| Genitive Inalienable | /májə́/ | /jáwə́/ | /ɥə́/ | /ⱱə́jə́/ | /jə́ʍə́/ |
| Genitive Alienable / Ergative | /mḭ̂ː/ | /jṵ̂ː/* | /ɥô̰/ | /ⱱə́ˈjáʔ/ | /çṳ̀ː/ |
| Genitive / Ergative Emphatic | /mḭ̀ː/ | /jṵ̀ː/ | /ɥò̰/ | /ⱱə́ˈjàʔ/ | /çṳ̀ː/ |
Due to a sound change, the emphatic forms of the 2nd person intransitive pronoun and the 1st person inclusive genitive alienable / ergative pronoun have become homophones. However, due to social norms, the 2nd person emphatic pronouns are very rarely used at all. So whenever /jṵ̀ː/ is heard, it can be assumed to be the emphatic form of the 1st person genitive alienable / ergative pronoun.
Alternate Second Person Pronouns
In certain situations, alternate forms of the second person pronoun are used. There are a variety of these, depending on the situation:
- /ˈɥô̰mə̀/ - used by a cleric to a layperson
- /ˈmʲṵ̂ːŋə̀/ - used by a senior cleric to refer to a junior cleric
- /tɕə́ˈjṵ̂ːtèn/ - literally "student", used by a teacher to a student
- /kə́ˈçə̰̂də̀/ - literally "child", used by an adult to a child
- /wṳ̀ː/ - literally "wife", used by a husband to a wife
- /ˈtfóʔɽə̀/ - used by men to slightly younger men (within a generation) that they know well
- /ˈmóʔɽə̀/ - used by women to slightly younger women (within a generation) that they know well
- /sˤâ̰ːnə̀/ - literally "son", used by an older person to much younger men
- /ˈdóʔɽà/ - literally "daughter", used to much younger women
- /wóˈmḛ̂/ - literally "slave", used when talking to slaves.
Most of these are derived from nouns, and indeed they pattern like nouns, not prononus. Notably, they take ergative-absolutive marking (with the enclitic /-zə̀wə̀/ or /-ɽə̀wə̀/ used to mark ergative case) rather than tripartite marking.