Scellan/Middle
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Middle Skellan is the direct descendant of Tigol that was spoken in Skella. It had become Early Modern Skellan around fT 1150.
Phonology
Consonants
The Skellan spirantization had taken place: The Tigol lenited consonants ḃ ṗ ḋ ṫ ġ ċ /b bʰ d dʰ g gʰ/ had shifted to /v f ð θ ɣ x/. Compare Anbiric (Anbirese and Ciètian), which experienced a different consonant shift.
| Labial | Dental/Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | fortis | mm /M/ | nn /N/ | ññ /Ŋ/ | ||
| lenis | m /m/ | n /n/ | ñ /ŋ/ | |||
| Plosive | aspirated | p /pʰ/ | t /tʰ/ | c /kʰ/ | ||
| plain | b /p/ | d /t/ | g /k/ | |||
| Non-sibilant | unvoiced | f /f/ | þ /θ/ | ç /x/ | h /h/ | |
| voiced | v /v/ | ð /ð/ | ȝ /ɣ/ | |||
| Sibilant | s /s̻/, z /s̺/ | x /ʃ/ | ||||
| Affricate | ts /ts/ | tx /tʃ/ | ||||
| Resonant | fortis | rr /R/, ll /L̃/ | ||||
| lenis | r /r/, l /l̃/ | |||||
Vowels
Middle Skellan had an asymmetric vowel system:
| Front | Central | Back | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | ||||
| short | long | short | long | short | long | short | long | ||
| Close | i /ɪ/ | í /iː/ | ü /ʏ/ | ú /ʉː/ | u /ʊ/ | ||||
| Mid | e /ɛ/ | é /eː/ | ö /œ/ | o /ɔ/ | ó /oː/ | ||||
| Open | a /a/ | å /ɒː/ | |||||||
Diphthongs: ai aü ei eu iu oe ui ia ua = /ai ay ei eu iu oe ui iɐ uɐ/
Morphology
Nouns
Verbs
Syntax
Topic-comment 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.
- Sani dy ell ee Maið, ah twm Hmorill.
- Sani loves Maið, but Hmorill does not [love him].
- Sani dy ell ee Maið, ah twm ym Gelli.
- Sani loves Maið, but she does not love Gelli.