Aarlaansc
| Aarlaansk | |
|---|---|
| Aarlaansk | |
| Pronunciation | [[Help:IPA|'ɑ:rlɑ:nsk]] |
| Created by | – |
| Native to | The Aarlaans |
| Native speakers | 80 millions (2012) |
Indo-European
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | The Aarlaans |
| Regulated by | Ikkeddemie ies Aarlaansk Leng (Aarlaansk Language Accademy) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | aa |
| ISO 639-2 | aak |
| ISO 639-3 | aak |
 The Aarlaans | |
General informations
Aarlaansk is a language spoken in Hies Aarlaans (= The Aarlaans), a country that, in a different reality, inclues The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a part of our Germany and our Denmark. The term Aarlaansk means "(the language) of the Aarlaans". The origin of the ethnonym hasn't been completely explained yet: the most probable hypothesis explains that "Aarlaans" is a contraction of "Aarvers plaans", that is "plains of the tree", aarvers is an archaic genitive case of the term aarf, "tree", and plaans is the plural form of the term plaan, "plain". The fact that in old documents, the ethnonym Aarlane is also found and that the word plaan has got an archaic plural form plane, supports this hypothesis. But why should the Romans have given this place the name of "plains of the tree"? The explanation was found only in 2609 ab U.c. (that is circa 1856 of our era): during an archaeological excavation it was found a table that dates back to 867 ab U.c. (circa 114 of our era), on this table was written the anecdote of the defeat of Germanic Tribes in a Northern territory by the Roman army of Trajan. According to this narration, the emperor had a prophetic dream: the Roman army would have won, only if it had attacked the Germanic tribes far from the forest, in an endless plain. The sign that would have shown the right place would have been a solitary tree, the only one within this immense plain. History teaches us that in the Battle of Vloerijgen (866 ab U.c., that is 113 d.C.) the future country of Aarlaans became a part of Roman Empire.
Aarlaansk is a Romance language that descends from Vulgar Latin, even if, in spite of other languages of the same family, in Aarlaansk many common terms derive from Classical latin. The lexicon is almost completely of Latin origin (99% of Aarlaansk words derive from Latin).
Phonology
Alphabet
The Aarlaansk alphabet contains 23 letters and 1 digraph that is considered a distinct letter:
| Letters | Pronunciation | Further informations |
|---|---|---|
| a | short [a] - long [ɑ:] | - |
| b | [b] | - |
| c | [k] | it is used only in digraphs and trigraphs |
| d | [d] | - |
| e | short [ɛ] - long [e:] | - |
| f | [f] | - |
| g | [g] | - |
| h | [h] | - |
| i | [ɪ] | always short |
| j | [j] | a palatal approximant |
| ij | [ɛi̯] | when unstressed it is a schwa [ə] |
| k | [k] | - |
| l | [l] | - |
| m | [m] | - |
| n | [n] | - |
| o | short [ɔ] - long [o:] | - |
| p | [p] | - |
| r | [r] | trilled as in Italian |
| s | [s] | - |
| t | [t] | - |
| u | short [œ] - long [y:] | - |
| v | [v] | - |
| w | [v] | - |
| z | [z] | - |
When voiced consonants are found in final position, they are devoiced and become voiceless. The g, z and v can be pronounced respectively [χ], [s] and [f] when at the beginning of a word, this pronounciation is not compulsory and is rather dialectal.
Vowels
The vocalic phonemes of Aarlaansk are the following:
| Phonemes | Short | Long | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Front | Back | |
| Closed | ɪ | ʊ | i: y: | u: |
| Mid-closed | e: ø: | o: | ||
| Mid-open | ɛ œ | ɔ | ||
| Open | a | ɑ: | ||
The [a] and the [ɑ:] are rather centralised.
Diphthongs, false diphthongs and vowel length
In Aarlaansk there are only three diphthongs:
- ei [ɛi̯];
- ou [au̯];
- ui [œy].
There are also other "vocalic combinations" that represent a long vowel instead, thus they are called false diphthongs or just long vowels:
- eu [ø:];
- ie [i:];
- oe [u:].
A diaeresis divides two vowels that, otherwise, would form a diphthong, ex.: ïe [‘ie], "they"; zoüüt [zo'y:t], "greeting". The diphthongs, the false diphthongs and the letter ij (that really indicates the same diphthong as ei) are always long in Aarlaansk, while the letters i and y are always short. The letters a, e, o, and u can be both short and long, instead. To indicate the vowel length of these four vowels, this language uses a special system that is based on the kind of syllables.
There are two kind of syllables: they can be both open and closed. A syllable is open when it ends with a vowel (so ma, te, ko, su are all open syllables); a syllable is closed when it ends with a consonant (so mat, tek, kos, sum are all closed syllables).
The rules to indicate the length of a, e, o, and u says that:
«When a long vowel is found in an open syllable, it is written once, whereas if it is found in a closed syllable, it is written twice.»
That is to say that short vowels are never found in open syllables, but only in closed ones. In both these cases (short vowel in closed syllable and long vowel in open syllable) the vowels are written once. When a long vowel occurs in a closed syllable, then it is written twice,ex.:
- in ma and maat the a's are long; in mat the a is short;
- in te and teek the e's are long; in tek the e is short;
- in ko and koos the o's are long; in kos the o is short;
- in su and suum the u's are long; in sum the u is short.
This rule has got one last implication: if the syllabic division changes, then there could be grafic changes, ex.:
- maat (a is long) > mate (a remains long, but it is now found in an open syllable, so it is written once);
- mat (a is short) > matte (a remains short, but a short vowel occurs never in an open syllable, so we need to double the following consonant to maintain the syllable closed).
Digraphs and trigraphs
Aarlaansk has got two digraphs, that are ch, that is read [χ], and ck, that is read [k] and represents the double k. There is only a trigraph, sch that is read [ʃ].
Stress
The stress usually falls on the last syllable, this is particularly true for the infinitive and for the simple past of the verbs, for the feminine nouns that end in -el, for the nouns that end in -ie. Generally the nouns and the adjective ending in e-, -em, -en, -el (except for the feminine nouns) and -er are stressed on the last but one syllable. However it is advisable to learn the pronunciation of every word as you learn them.
Grammar
Nouns, gender and number
Nouns in Aarlaansk can be either common or neuter: the previously masculine and feminine genders have merged into the common one, whereas the neuter has remained the same. Nouns have got two forms: singular, that indicates one object, person, animal, concept, and so forth, and plural, that indicates more than one object, person, animal, concept, and so on.
Generally the plural is formed with the terminations:
1) -s, if the noun ends with a vowel or -l, -n, -r;
2) -e, if the noun ends with a consonant (except -l, -n, -r).
The substantives that end with -f or -s mutate f into v and s into z, ex.: zilf, "wood, forest", has got a plural zilve, "woods, forests"; tens, "time", has got a plural tenze, "times".
Here are some nouns with their gender, their plural and their meaning:
| Singular | Plural | Gender | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| vloer | vloers | common | flower |
| luin | luins | common | moon |
| lup | luppe | common | wolf |
| zoel | zoels | common | sun |
| nocht | nochte | common | night |
| rikel | rikels | neuter | ear |
| koul | kouls | common | horse |
| stiel | stiels | common | star |
| zilf | zilve | common | wood, forest |
| vijl | vijls | common | son |
| vijlel | vijlels | common | daughter |
| tens | tenze | neuter | time |
| zier | ziers | common | lord |
| zierel | zierels | common | lady |
| masie | masies | common | home, house |
| taat | tate | common | father |
| mam | mamme | common | mother |
| baas | baze | neuter | kiss |
| vraat | vrate | common | brother |
| zoer | zoers | common | sister |
| oor | oors | neuter | gold |
| keel | keels | common | sky |
| kor | kors | neuter | heart |
| ouw | ouwe | common | bird |
| mijster | mijsters | common | master, male teacher |
| meistrel | meistrels | common | mistress, female teacher |
Some nouns show some changes in their structure:
- zilf > zilve;
- baas > baze.
This is due to the phonetic rules: in the word zilf, the f becomes voiced due to its position between a voiced consonant and a vowel, so zilf becomes zilve. The last word, baas, shows a change in the written form of the long vowel and at the same time a voicing of the last consonant.
Articles
In Aarlaansk there are two kinds of article: definite article and indefinite article. The first is used to talk about things, people, concepts that are already known by both the speaker and the listener, whereas the indefinite article introduces concepts, things, people that are new. The indefinite article is just one: uin and it is used with both common and neuter nouns, it hasn't got a plural form, so the only way to make an indefinite plural is to omit it, ex.: uin masie, "a house", masies, "houses", but also "some houses".
The definite article has got a gender differentiation in the singular but a common form in the plural:
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Common | hij | hies |
| Neuter | hoe | hies |
The articles always precede the noun they are referred to.
Adjectives
The adjectives always precede the noun they are referred to and they don't change according to gender nor number, ex.:
- Hij kat est magen - The cat is big.
- Uin magen kat - A big cat;
- Hij magen kat - The big cat;
- Nuin magen kat - No big cat;
- Gouvin oor - Yellow gold;
- Hoe gouvin oor - The yellow gold.
Comparative and superlative
The lower degree comparative is formed with the pattern min + adjective + de + 2nd term (in the same case of the first, if it is a pronoun), ex.:
- Noes zunt min vackiet de toe - We are less beautiful than you.
The same degree comparative is formed with the pattern tam + adjective + kant + 2nd term (in the same case of the first, if it is a pronoun), ex.:
- Noes zunt tam vackiet kant toe - We are as beautiful as you.
The higher degree comparative is formed with the pattern pluis + adjective + de + 2nd term (in the same case of the first, if it is a pronouns), ex.:
- Noes zunt pluis vackiet de toe - We are more beautiful than you.
The superlative is formed with the pattern wou(d) + adjective, ex.:
- Toe est wou vackiet - You are most beautiful.
If it is used as a relative superlative, wou(d) is substituted for hij/hoe pluis + adjective + de, ex.:
- Toe est hij pluis vackiet de hij uurf - You are the most beautiful in the world.
Some adjectives: koud (hot), vrijcht (cold), zimplek (simple), vackel (easy), veed (ugly), zacker (sacred), verroek (fierce), kruidiel (cruel).
There are also adjectives that have got irregular higher degree comparative and superlative:
| Normal degree | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bon | mellier / pluis bon | optem / wou bon | good |
| emprof | peier / pluis emprof | pessem / woud emprof | bad |
| magen | maier / pluis magen | massem / wou magen | big, great |
| parf | minoer / pluis parf | minem / wou parf | little |
| out | pluis out | zupriem / woud out | high, tall |
| kurt | pluis kurt | infem / wou kurt | low, short |
The higher degree comparatives are always used with de, ex.:
- Toe est mellier de eg - You are better than I.
The synthetic forms are more used in the written language, whereas the analytical ones are found mostly in the spoken language.
Pronouns and other kinds of adjectives
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are the only words that inflect according to case. They have a nominative case, that is the case of the subject, and two kinds of accusative case, the case of the object - both direct and indirect. The accusative case has an unstressed form and a stressed one. The reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of the action are the same, as in "I wash (myself)":
| Pronouns | Nominative | Unstressed accusative | Stressed accusative | Reflexive | Comitative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | eg | me | mie | me | miek |
| thou | toe | te | tie | te | tiek |
| he | is | im | iem | ze | ziek |
| she | ëe | em | eem | ze | ziek |
| it | id | id | id | ze | ziek |
| we | noes | ne | noes | ne | nuusk |
| you | woes | we | woes | we | wuusk |
| they | ïe | es | ees | ze | ziek |
The unstressed accusative form precedes the verb, while the stressed one follows it. The stressed forms are used after prepositions or to emphasize complements. The comitative forms represent the locution with + pronouns.
Some examples:
- Me oodt toe? - Do you hear me?
- Toe widt ym - You see him.
- Eg ood im, nek tie - I hear him, not you.
- Eg zom tiek - I am with you.
- Is dijkt id ar noes - He says it to us.
- Noes ne laen - We wash (ourselves).
- Eg me klaam Toen - My name is Tony.
- Went toe nuusk? - Do you come with us?
Possessives
Possessive adjectives are never preceded by article and they always precede the noun they are referred to:
| Possessive | Adjective | Pronouns |
|---|---|---|
| my | mies | hij / hoe mies |
| thy | tuis | hij / hoe tuis |
| his / its | zuis | hij / hoe zuis |
| her | ijs | hij / hoe ijs |
| our | noost | hij / hoe noost |
| your | weest | hij / hoe weest |
| their | zuis | hij / hoe zuis |
Possessive pronouns are always preceded by article, ex.:
- Is est mies mijk, nek hij tuis - He's my friend, not yours.
Sometimes the possessor is specified with de + pronoun to avoid ambiguity, above all in the case of the 3rd person, ex.:
- Zuis mijk de iem or Hij mijk de iem - His friend (of him);
- Zuis mijks de ees or Hies mijks de ees - Their friends (of them).
In the speech the possessive pronouns are usually formed without using the article, but using the pronouns uin after the possessive, ex.:
- Is est mies mijk, nek tuis uin - He's my friend, not your one.
Demonstratives
In this language, demonstratives always follow the name they are referred to when they are used as adjectives. Demonstratives are never preceded by article, not even if they are used as pronouns. There are three kinds of demonstratives:
- those that show proximity to the speaker;
- those that show proximity to the hearer;
- those that show distance from both the speaker and the hearer.
| Proximity to the speaker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Common singular | Neuter singular | Plural |
| heik | huuk | hieske |
| Proximity to the hearer | ||
| Common singular | Neuter singular | Plural |
| ist | stud | sties |
| Proximity to the hearer | ||
| Common singular | Neuter singular | Plural |
| ill | lud | lies |
Ex.:
- Ill kat est nit - That cat is cute;
- Ist liver est hij tuis - That book (near you) is yours;
- Eg wol huuk maal - I want this apple.
Indefinites
These pronouns and adjectives neither determine nor specify the substantives, that is they don't tell us anything about their quantity or identity:
| Singular pronoun | Plural pronoun | Meaning | Adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nuin | - | nobody | nuin | no |
| ries | - | nothing | - | - |
| kiduin | - | everyone | om | every |
| oukuin | - | anyone | ouk | any |
| oukries | - | anything | - | - |
| kwaal | kwaals | which one(s) | kwaal | which / what |
| - | - | - | taal | such |
| pook | pooks | a little / few | pook | a little / few |
| muut | mute | much / many | muut | much / many |
| tant | tante | so much / so many | tant | so much / so many |
| kuucht / toet | kuuchte / toete | all / everybody | kuucht / toet | all |
Some pronominal forms have got both a singular and a plural voice, but adjective forms have got ONLY one voice, that is both singular and plural. Except for nuin / ries and oukuin / oukries, indefinites don't have a gender distinction.