Scellan/Middle

< Scellan
Revision as of 16:25, 31 May 2019 by IlL (talk | contribs) (→‎Vowels)

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).

Scellan/Middle vowels
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.