Scellan/Middle
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. Vowel length, inherited from Tigol, was in the process of being replaced with vowel quality (cf. American English).
| Front | Central | Back | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | ||||
| short | long | short | long | short | long | short | long | ||
| Close | i /ɪ/ | í /i(ː)/ | ü /ʏ/ | y /ɨ/ | ú /ʉ(ː)/ | u /ʊ/ | |||
| Mid | e /ɛ/ | é /e(ː)/ | ö /œ/ | o /ɔ/ | ó /o(ː)/ | ||||
| Open | a /a/ | á /ɒ(ː)/ | |||||||
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.