Nurian/Old

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Nurian/Old
nūrimai
Pronunciation[/ˈnˠuːrʲɪmˠɐɪ/]
Created byIlL
SettingVerse:Tricin
Quame
Language codes
ISO 639-3qnr
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Nurian (/ˈnʊəɹiən/, Nurian: gaffai nūrimai /ˈgɐfˠːɐɪ ˈnˠuːrʲɪmˠɐɪ/, Eevo: Nwrib or brits Nwrée) is a Talmic language and a sister of Tigol, aesthetically inspired by Pali, Italian, Lithuanian and Arabic. Nurian is one of the classical languages of Bjeheond, along with Classical Netagin. (In Modern Netagin, an Old Nurian-imitating word ďaccarabaccara is used for 'unintelligible', cf. Japanese chinpunkanpun.)

Todo

  • Explain Lithuanian-like vowel system as a result of Idavic substrate?
  • should be P-Talmic
  • Did Thensarian have intensive noun/adjective suffixes that Nurian preserves?
  • -tl-, -dl- > -ċċ-, -ġġ- used mainly in names
  • -tą = instrument/patient suffix
  • massah = dark
  • Tamīħinai = Wen Dămea
  • ħammih = wheat (~ sñyrm)
  • dallhatuh = strife
  • hienaθini = sleep soundly
  • -zzah = deverbal noun
    • muoġiazzah = food
  • nhuobai = jaw
  • natterai = chain

Historical phonology

  • -am -em -im -om -um -ām -ēm -īm -ōm -ūm > -ą -ę -į -ą -ų -ą -ę -į -ų -ų
  • -s > -h
  • Thn. cia ce ci cio ciu gia ge gi gio giu > ċia ċe ċi ċio ċiu ġia ġe ġi ġio ġiu
  • e ē ei ea eā > e ē ei ia iā
  • o, ō > a, uo; word final -uo >
  • ae oe ui ao eo iu > ai ȳ ui au iuo iū

Cluster assimilations

Nurian is rich in geminate consonants, most of which arise from the following historical assimilations. Geminate consonants become degeminate word-initially.

  • bl ml fl tl dl θl δl cl gl ngl > bbi mmi ffi ċċi ġġi ṡṡi żżi kki ggi ngi
  • ħl, ȝl > ħħ, ȝȝ
  • nl, rl > both ll
  • sp, st, sc, sȝ, sn, sl, sr > pph, tth, kkh, ħħ, tth, nnh, llh, rrh
  • sb, sd, sg > bb, zz, gg
  • pr, fr, tr, θr, cr, ngr, ħr > pph, ff, tth, θθ, kkh, ng, ħħ
  • br, dr, δr, gr, ȝr > bb, dd, δδ, gg, ȝȝ
  • mr > mm
  • cn, gn > ngh, ng
  • mn > nn
  • rC > CC
  • lC > :C; lv > vv
  • ct > tt
  • VN + fricative > V[+nasal] + fricative
  • tv dv θv δv > pp bb ff vv

Co-reflexes with Eevo

  • aw ~ uo, ā, a+C
  • ia ~ ei
  • i ~ ȳ, ī, ē, a/e/i+C

Numbers

Phonology

The Old Nurian sound system has a large inventory of around 58 consonants and 10 vowels. A notable feature of the phonology of most Nurian accents is phonemic velarization vs. palatalization in hard-soft pairs. All consonants except /ħ ʕ h j/ are members of a hard-soft-pair. /ħ ʕ h j/ color the /a/ vowel as if they were soft, and /ħ ʕ/ tend to lower adjacent vowels.

Phonotactics

Old Nurian forbids all consonant clusters other than those of the form homorganic nasal + consonant. Word-medially, every consonant can be geminated except /j/ and /h/. Word-finally, usually only /n/, /l/, /ʔ/ (as an allophone of /r/), /h/, /s/, /t/, and vowels are allowed.

Consonants

Consonant phonemes in Old Nurian
Labial Dental Alveolar/Retroflex Postalveolar Velar Radical Glottal
hard soft hard soft hard soft soft hard
Nasal voiceless mh m̊ˠ mhi m̊ʲ nh n̪̊ˠ nhi n̊ʲ nghi ŋ̊ʲ ngh ŋ̊
voiced m mi n n̪ˠ ni ngi ŋʲ ng ŋ
Stop tenuis p pi θ t̪ˠ θi t̪ˢʲ t tˠ~ʈˠ ti ċi ki k k -r ʔ
aspirated ph pˠʰ phi pʲʰ θh t̪ˠʰ θhi t̪ˢʲʰ th tˠʰ~ʈˠʰ thi tʲʰ ċhi tʃʰ khi kʲʰ kh
voiced b bi δ d̪ˠ δi d̪ᶻʲ d dˠ~ɖˠ di ġi gi ɡʲ g ɡ
Fricative voiceless f fi s s̪ˠ si ṡi ʃ ħ, ħi ħ h, hi h
voiced v vi z z̪ˠ zi żi ʒ
Trill voiceless rh r̥ˠ rhi r̥ʲ
voiced r ri
Lateral voiceless lh l̥ˠ lhi l̥ʲ
voiced l li
Approximant j j ȝ, ȝi ʕ
Notes
  • Voiceless stops and affricates are unaspirated.
  • All hard consonants are velarized (especially /rˠ, lˠ, t̪ˠ, d̪ˠ/, which are uvularized).
  • All consonants are labialized before the back vowels /u, uː, uɔ/.
  • /rˠ/ is uvularized apical alveolar [r̺ʶ] or postalveolar [r̠ʶ]. When not geminated, it can either be a trill [rʶ] or a flap [ɾʶ].
  • /rʲ/ is palatalized alveolar flap [ɾ̪ʲ] and less commonly a trill [r̺ʲ]. It is always a trill [r̺ːʲ] when geminated.
  • /lˠ/ is a uvularized apical alveolar [l̺ʶ] or uvularized laminal denti-alveolar [l̪ʶ].
  • /lʲ/ is laminal alveolar [l̻ʲ].
  • /ɲ/ is postpalatal [ɲ̄].
  • /tʃ, dʒ, ʃ, ʒ/ are laminal palatalized alveolar [tʃʲ, dʒʲ, ʃʲ, ʒʲ].
  • Before /k, ɡ/, /n/ is realized as velar [ŋ].
  • /ħ/ has been variously described as pharyngeal [ħ] and epiglottal [ʜ].
  • /ʕ/ is an epiglottal approximant [ʕ̞].
  • /h/ is voiced [ɦ] after vowels and voiced consonants.

Vowels

Old Nurian has three short, three long and three nasal monophthongs. There is a considerable degree of allophony in low vowels.

Vowel phonemes
Front Central Back
short long nasal short long nasal short long nasal
Close /ɪ~ɪ̞/ /iː/ /ĩː/ /ʊ/ /uː/ /ũː/
Open [ɛ~æ] [æː] /a/ /aː/ /ãː/ [ɑ] [ɑː]

Diphthongs: /aɪ aʊ iɛ uɔ ʊi/

Notes
  • /a aː/ each have three allophones:
    • [ɐ~ɑ ɑː] after non-radical hard consonants. /aː/ in this environment may be pronounced [ɔː] or [ʌː] by many younger speakers of the Fiuṡṡērah accent.
    • [ɛ~æ æː] after soft consonants, radicals and /h/
  • Allophony of /a aː/ is, however, reduced in the speech of many younger speakers of the Dagȳne accent, who pronounce both as [ɐ aː]

Stress

Nurian stress is similar to Modern Standard Arabic:

  • Stress falls on the heavy (CV: or CVC) syllable closest to the end, if it is not the final syllable;
  • if neither the penult nor the antepenult are heavy, the antepenult is stressed.

Orthography

Nurian is written in an Ancient Gwnax-based script.

Consonants

Consonants
Grapheme m p b f v n t d θ δ s z r l ng k g ħ ȝ h j
Hard /mˠ/ /pˠ/ /bˠ/ /fˠ/ /vˠ/ /nˠ/ /tˠ/ /dˠ/ /θˠ/ /ðˠ/ /sˠ/ /zˠ/ /rˠ/ /ɫ/ /ŋ/ /k/ /ɡ/ /ħ/ /ʕ/ /h/ /j/
Soft /mʲ/ /pʲ/ /bʲ/ /fʲ/ /vʲ/ /nʲ/ /tʲ/ /dʲ/ /θ/ /ð/ /sʲ/ /zʲ/ /rʲ/ /lʲ/ /ɲ/ /t͡ʃ/ /d͡ʒ/

The pairs of aspirated plosives and voiceless resonants /pʰˠ pʰʲ/, /tʰˠ tʰʲ/, /tʃʰ/, /kʲʰ kʰ/, /m̊ˠ m̊ʲ/, /n̪̊ˠ n̊ʲ/, /ɲ̊ ŋ̊/, /l̥ˠ l̥ʲ/, /r̥ˠ r̥ʲ/ are written ph, th, ċh, kh, mh, nh, ngh, lh, rh.

Final -r is pronounced /ʔ/.

Vowels

  • a: hard /a/ [ɐ~ɑ]
  • ā: hard /aː/ [ɑː]
  • ą: hard /ãː/
  • ai: hard /aɪ/ [ɐɪ~ɑɪ]
  • au: hard /aʊ/ [ɐʊ~ɑʊ]
  • u: hard /ʊ/
  • ui: hard /ʊɪ/
  • uo: hard /uɔ/
  • ū: hard /uː/
  • ų: hard /ũː/

  • ia, e: soft /a/ [ɛ]
  • iā, ē: soft /aː/ [æː]
  • ią, ę: soft /ãː/
  • iai, ei: soft /aɪ/ [ɛɪ]
  • iau: soft /aʊ/ [ɛʊ]
  • i: soft /ɪ/
  • ī: soft /iː/
  • į: soft /ĩː/
  • iu: soft /ʊ/
  • ui: soft /ʊɪ/
  • iuo: soft /uɔ/
  • : soft /uː/
  • : soft /ũː/
  • ie: soft /iə/


Morphology

Main article: Nurian/Old/Morphology

Numerals

Nurian uses a vigesimal numeral system. 1-20: pēm, θiuor, naġġį, δiaubį, salle, thām, ruodih, laddih, habbih, ħuor, ħuopphēm, ħuoθθhiur, ħuonnaġġį, ħuonδiaubį, ħųsalle, ħųthām, ħuorruodih, ħuolladdih, ħuorrhabbih, miekah

  • pēm, pēmai, pēmah '1', thām, thāmai, thāmah '6' and their teen counterparts decline as o-stem adjectives
  • θiuor '2', ħuor '10', and ħuoθθiur '12' decline like a dual adjective
  • naġġį '3', δiaubį '4' and their teen counterparts are i-stem masculines
  • salle (< saliθe) '5' is indeclinable
  • ruodih, laddih, habbih are i-stem neuters
  • miekah is an o-stem noun

Syntax

Nurian uses SVO, head-initial syntax. There are no articles.

Guoδati damibeh jāni betthar.
[ˈguɔðˠɑtʲi ˈdˠɑmʲɪbʲæh ˈjæːnʲi ˈbʲættʰˠɑɾ]
guoδ-ti tam-ibeh jāni betth-ar
remain-3PL leaf-PL.CST laurel.SG.ABS.NOM green-PL.F.ABS.NOM
Laurel leaves stay green.

Particles

  • kaC-, kat = 'and'
    • ħuġġiah kap pālei = 'bread and milk'
  • ei (/ɛɪ/) = 'not'
  • /fʲiː/ = 'if'

Relative clauses

Nurian uses the resumptive pronoun strategy when the head is not the subject. A resumptive pronoun must be fronted, if it is not embedded in another clause within the relative clause.

Sample texts

UDHR, Article 1

Kakarai ħausį gatthāną kaθ θeθeivų di khussiū kat iġġiatū; ammimīdīnį nai ȝabbī kad dȳkaluttī, ṡiūȝą danθū hieθariākah ħaibatthah di helą venghimę.
[ˈkɐkɐrˠɐɪ ˈħæʊsʲĩː gɐˈtʰˠːɑːnˠɑ̃ː kɐθ θʲɛˈθʲɛɪvˠũː dʲɪ ˈkʰʊsʲːuː kɐʔ ˈɪdʒːætˠuː | æmʲːɪmʲiːˈdʲiːnʲĩː nɐɪ ʕæbʲːiː kɐd dˠiːkɐlˠʊtʲːiː, ʃuːʕãː dˠɐnθˠuː fʲɛɪtˠɐrʲæːkɐh ħæɪbˠɐtʰˠːɐh dʲɪ hælˠɑ̃ː vʲɛŋ̊ʲːɪmʲæ̃ː]
human.COL.DEF be.born-3SG.M.PRES free.COL.INDEF.M and equal.COL.INDEF.M in dignity-3SG.M and right-3SG.M; gifted-COL.INDEF.M INS reason and conscience, duty upon-3SG.M behave-INFV mutually in spirit-SGV.DEF brotherly-SGV.DEF.F
All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Poetry

Greek and Latin quantitative meters, no rhyming