Vinnish
Vinnish | |
---|---|
Created by | Shinobhi |
Native to | Commonwealth of Vinland |
Indo-European
| |
Official status | |
Official language in | Commonwealth of Vinland |
Regulated by | Vinstmålsråð - Vinnish Language Council |
Introduction
Vinnish is a North Germanic language spoken in the Commonwealth of Vinland. When the Viking expeditions to the New World were launched in our world, the settlements that the Vikings formed died out, but in this timeline, they hold on and eventually fructify into a a country called Vinland. This is the language they speak, descended from Old Norse. While in some ways it resembles its cousins in Iceland, the Faroes, and Scandinavia, in many others, Vinnish has developed in its own direction due to its relative isolation from the other North Germanic languages.
Orthography
Vinnish Alphabet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aa | Bb | Cc | Dd | Ðð | Ee | Ff | Gg | Hh | Ii | Jj | Kk | Ll | Mm | Nn | Oo | Pp | Rr | Ss | Tt | Uu | Vv | Ww | Xx | Yy | Zz | Ææ | Øø | Åå |
The Vinnish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet, with the addition of four extra letters, Ð, Æ, Ø, and Å. The alphabet was codified with the translation of the Bible into Vinnish by scholar Johan Goðmundsson around the time of the Protestant Reformation in Vinland. Until then, Vinnish was largely unwritten, with the exception of a few runestones written in Medieval Runes, as well as several documents in churches written in ad hoc orthographies based on the Latin script.
Phonology
The pronunciation of each letter is as follows. Vinnish words are almost always stressed on the first syllable. In non-diphthong syllables stress is shown by lengthening the vowel.
Pronunciation | Example | IPA | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
a | [aː] when stressed | take | [ˈtʰaːkə] | to take |
[a] when unstressed | vinskap | [viːnʃkap] | friendship (n) | |
[ə] word-finally (only loanwords) | pasta | [ˈpʰaːʂtə] | pasta; noodles (c) | |
au | [oʊ] | ðau | [ˈðoʊ] | they (referring to neuter nouns) |
b | [b] (in some dialects, [p]) | bogi | [ˈboːgi] | bow (c) |
bl | [pl] | blår | [ˈplɔːr] | blue |
br | [pr] | broðar | [ˈproːðər] | brother (c) |
c | same as “k” (loanwords only) | Canade | [ˈkʰaːnadə] | Canada |
[s] before i/e (loanwords only) | center | [ˈseːntr̩] | center; central office (n) | |
ch | same as “k” (loanwords only) | chronologi | [ˈkroːnologi] | chronology (c) |
d | [d] (in some dialects, [t]) | dager | [ˈdaːgr̩] | day (c) |
dr | [tr] | drepe | [ˈtreːpə] | to kill |
ð | [ð] | staðer | [ˈʂtaːðr̩] | town, city (c) |
e | [eː] when stressed | skere | [ʂkeːrə] | to cut, to part |
[e] when unstressed | Vinlendenger | [ˈviːnlendeŋkr̩] | Vinnish (person) | |
[ə] word-finally | Else | [ˈeːlsə] | a proper name; Elsa | |
ei | [ei] | ðeir | [ˈðeir] | they (common pl) |
er | syllabic word-finally | maðer | [ˈmaːðr̩] | man, person (c) |
el | kombel | [ˈkʰoːmbl̩] | grave, monument (n) | |
em | [əm] word-finally | skåpem | [ˈʂkɔːpəm] | “we do” |
en | [ən] word-finally | vaten | [ˈvaːtən] | water (n) |
es | [əs] word-finally in mediopassive verbs | høres | [ˈhøːrəs] | mediopassive infinitive of “høre” |
et | [ət] word-finally in definite articles and neuter adjectives | barnet | [ˈbaːrnət] | the child (n) |
eu | [øy] | Europe | [ˈøyropə] | Europe (c) |
f | [f] | få | [ˈfɔː] | to obtain, to get |
g | [g] (in some dialects, [k]) | gøre | [ˈgøːrə] | to make |
[ʂ] before i/e in certain loanwords | geographi | [ˈʂeːokrafi] | geography | |
[ɣ] word-finally, post-vocalically before a consonant | eg | [ˈeːɣ] | I (first person pronoun) | |
gr | [kr] | grår | [ˈkrɔːr] | gray; gloomy |
gl | [kl] | glåpe | [ˈklɔːpə] | to stare (+d); to focus on (+a) |
gv | [kv] | gver | [ˈkveːr] | who |
h | [h] | hester | [ˈheːstr̩] | horse (c) |
hl | [l̥] for older speakers; otherwise same as “l” | hlaupe | [ˈl̥oʊpə] | to jump |
hr | [r̥]~[ɹ̥] for older speakers; otherwise same as “r” | hringer | [ˈr̥iːŋkr̩] | ring (c) |
i | [iː] when stressed | filgi | [ˈfiːlgi] | friend; pal (c) |
[i] when unstressed | filgi | |||
j | [j] | jeter | [ˈjeːtr̩] | hot (adj.) |
k | [kʰ] prevocalically outside of clusters | kone | [ˈkʰoːnə] | woman (c) |
[k] in clusters and at the end of a word | kristni | [ˈkriːʂtni] | Christianity (c) | |
l | [l] | langer | [ˈlaːŋkr̩] | long, tall (adj) |
m | [m] | mame | [ˈmaːmə] | mom; mama (c) |
n | [n] | neme | [ˈneːmə] | to take; to grab |
ng | [ŋk] | gange | [ˈgaːŋkə] | to go |
o | [oː] when stressed | motor | [ˈmoːtor] | motor (c) |
[o] when unstressed | ||||
p | [pʰ] prevocalically outside of clusters | pape | [ˈpʰaːpʰə] | dad; papa (c) |
[p] in clusters and at the end of a word | skip | [ˈʂkiːp] | ship (n) | |
ph | [f] (only used in Greek loanwords) | photo | [ˈfoːto] | photograph (n) |
qu | [kv]~[gv] (only used in French/Latin loanwords) | quantite | [ˈkvaːntitə] | quantity (c) |
r | [r] | rauðer | [ˈroʊðr̩] | red (adj) |
s | [s] prevocalically and in any cluster where it precedes f, l, n, r, v; also at the end of genitives in compound nouns | sorter | [ˈsoːrtr̩] | black (adj) |
Egilsdottar | [ˈeːɡilsdottər] | a patronymic; daughter of Egil | ||
[ʂ] word-initially/after a vowel and before a consonant | sterker | [ˈʂteːrkr̩] | strong (adj) | |
[ʃ] between two consonants | vinske | [ˈviːnʃkə] | Vinnish (language) (c) | |
sj | [ʂ] | sjør | [ˈʂøːr] | sea (c) |
t | [tʰ] prevocalically outside of clusters | til | [ˈtʰil] | towards; lative preposition |
[t] in clusters and at the end of a word | sort | [ˈsoːrt] | neuter of “sorter” (black) | |
th | same as “t” (only used in Greek loanwords) | theologi | [tʰeˈoːlogi] | theology (c) |
tj | [tʂ] | gvitjøre | [ˈkviːtʂørə] | kenning for a goose; literally “white-ear” (n) |
u | [uː] when stressed | rum | [ˈruːm] | bed (n) |
v | [v] | vinder | [ˈviːndr̩] | wind (c) |
w | [v]~[w] | Wisconsin | [viˈʂkoːnsin] | Wisconsin |
x | [ks] | sex | [ˈseːks] | six |
y | [yː] when stressed | gryn | [ˈkryːn] | green |
z | [z]~[s] | zebre | [ˈzeːprə] | zebra (c) |
æ | [æː] when stressed | sæl | [ˈsæːl] | well, healthy (adj) |
[æ] when unstressed | gvenær | [ˈgveːnær] | when (interrogative) | |
ø | [øː] when stressed | spørje | [ˈʂpøːrjə] | to ask |
[ø] when unstressed | førgefe | [førˈɡeːfə] | to forgive | |
å | [ɔː]~[oː] when stressed | våge | [ˈvɔːgə] | eye (n) |
[ɔ]~[o] when unstressed | Olåfer | [ˈoːlɔfr̩] | Olaf (male name) |
Common Phonological Processes in Vinnish
Elision
Certain letters in Vinnish are subject to elision when inflectional endings follow them. In particular, -en, -er, and -el are prone to this sort of change:
- kristen > kristne
- kombel > kombli
- maðer > maðren
In multisyllabic adjective stems, this is particularly prominent.
Vowel Assimilation
Often, two vowels that are adjacent to each other will undergo elision, with the “double” vowel merging into the first vowel.
- hå-ar -> hår
- hå-e -> hå
- tru-em -> trum
R-Assimilation
In addition, the -er suffix is prone to being dropped when added to stems that end in -l, -n, -r, -s, and -x. This is due to it being a word-final “-r” in Old Norse which would assimilate to one of the aforementioned consonants.
- far + er > far
- mikel + er > mikel
- vinlos + er > vinlos
- gryn + er > gryn
This also shows up with the genitive plural adjectival suffix, -re, which will assimilate by doubling the stem consonant that comes before it:
- far + re > farre
- vinlos + re > vinlosse
- gryn + re > grynne
U-Umlaut
U-umlaut in Vinnish is fairly simple: certain suffixes and grammatical endings trigger u-umlaut, which only surfaces in the vowel “a” earlier on in the word. This change causes the vowel “a” to become “å” instead.
- skap- > skåpem
- barn > bårn
In syllables whose stem vowel is not “a”, this change does not visibly surface.
- mæl- > mælem
- skip > skip
In multisyllabic words (often verbs) that undergo u-umlaut, generally the stressed “a” will mutate to “å” while the remaining “a” vowels until the ending will mutate to “e”.
Throughout this page, the shorthand (+u) will be used to denote the triggering of u-umlaut.
I-Umlaut
I-Umlaut is a somewhat more complicated process: It affects many more vowels than u-umlaut does, and as such, each pattern needs to be memorized separately. Note that also in some cases, one vowel can have multiple realizations after i-umlaut for etymological reasons relating to Old Norse. In these cases, I try to list the most common realization first and the less common ones last.
Vowel | I-Umlauted |
---|---|
a, ja | e |
au, o | ø |
vå | jø |
å | æ, ø |
u, ø, ju, jø, o | y |
Throughout this page, the shorthand (+i) will be used to denote the triggering of i-umlaut.
Dental Assimilation
When a suffix beginning in a dental sound follows another dental, some assimilation takes place between the two sounds.
- ð + d > dd, d word-finally
- fyð- + -de > fydde
- ð + t > tt, t word-finally
- rauð- + t > raut
- ð + t > st word-finally (more in verbs)
- bað- + t > bast
- t + t > tt, t word-finally
- flat- + t > flat
- t + t > st word-finally (more in verbs)
- galt- + t > galst
Nouns
Vinnish nouns fall into one of two genders, common and neuter. The common gender comes from the conflation of the masculine and feminine genders in Old Norse. Nouns inflect for number and case.
Common Nouns
On the whole, common nouns show a much larger variance in declension patterns than neuter nouns. There are two overarching declension patterns among common nouns: strong and weak.
Note that "(u)" refers to the presence of u-umlaut and "∅" refers to a null ending.
Strong Common Nouns
Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | -er, ∅ | ∅ | -i | -s, -ar |
Plural | -ar | -e | (u)-em | -e |
viner - “friend” | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | viner | vin | vini | vinar |
Plural | vinar | vine | vinem | vine |
is - “ice” | ||||
Singular | is | is | isi | isar |
Plural | isar | ise | isem | ise |
fjål - “plank, board, table” | ||||
Singular | fjål | fjål | fjåli | fjålar |
Plural | fjålar | fjåle | fjålem | fjåle |
stein - “stone” | ||||
Singular | stein | stein | steini | steins |
Plural | steinar | steine | steinem | steine |
hrafen - “raven” | ||||
Singular | hrafen | hrafen | hrafni | hrafens |
Plural | hrafnar | hrafne | hråfnem | hrafne |
i-Umlaut Strong Common Nouns
A number of strong common nouns show an i-umlaut in the dative singular and in the nominative and accusative plurals, as well as an ending of -er in the nominative and accusative plurals.
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
hånd - “hand” | ||
Nominative | hånd | hender |
Accusative | hånd | hender |
Dative | hendi | håndem |
Genitive | håndar | hånde |
tån - “tooth” | ||
Nominative | tån | tenner |
Accusative | tån | tenner |
Dative | teni | tånnem |
Genitive | tånar | tånne |
rot - “root” | ||
Nominative | rot | ryter |
Accusative | rot | ryter |
Dative | ryti | rotem |
Genitive | rotar | rote |
The Family Declension
These nouns all refer to family members. They are characterized by a consistent -ar ending in the cases of the singular, and an i-umlaut in the stem in the plural cases.
father | mother | brother | sister | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | ||||
Nom, Acc, Dat | faðar | moðar | broðar | søstar |
Gen | faðars | moðars | broðars | søstars |
Plural | ||||
Nom, Acc | feðer | myðer | bryðer | søster |
Dat | feðrem | myðrem | bryðrem | søstrem |
Gen | feðre | myðre | bryðre | søstre |
I-Final Common Nouns
A few common strong nouns end in -i. These usually refer to abstract concepts, do not have a plural, and only show case marking in the genitive.
Nominative, Accusative, Dative | Genitive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
fryði - “knowledge; science” | ||||
Singular | fryði | fryðis |
Weak Common Nouns
The weak declension pattern of common nouns is somewhat simpler than that of the strong common nouns.
Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | -e, -i | -e | -es | |
Plural | -ar | -e | (u)-em | -e |
Examples of Weak Common Nouns | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive | |
hagi - “meadow” | ||||
Singular | hagi | hage | hages | |
Plural | hagar | hage | hågem | hage |
gofe - “steam” | ||||
Singular | gofe | gofes | ||
Plural | gofar | gofe | gofem | gofe |
There are also some loanwords that end in -a. These are otherwise treated like “standard” weak common nouns, but in the singular retain their -a.
Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Genitive | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | zebra | zebras | ||
Plural | zebrar | zebre | zebrem | zebre |
Neuter Nouns
Definite Article
Definiteness is shown via a cliticized definite article on the end of a noun. This definite article inflects for gender, case, and number.
Common | Neuter | |
---|---|---|
Singular | ||
Nominative | -(e)n | -(e)t |
Accusative | ||
Dative | -inem | -ine |
Genitive | -(e)ns* | |
Plural | ||
Nominative | -nar | -(e)n |
Accusative | -ne | |
Dative | -nem** | |
Genitive | -nne |
*In nouns who end in a vowel in the nominative, the “-s” ending is overridden by the “-ns” definite article; ergo, the words “fryðis”, “hages” and “zebras” have definite counterparts “fryðins”, “hagens” and “zebrans” respectively, rather than “*fryðisins”, “*hagesens” and “*zebrasens”
**The dative plural article also overrides the final “-m” of the dative plural noun form; ergo, the word “hestem” (dat. pl. of hester “horse”) has the definite counterpart “hestenem”, rather than the expected *hestemnem.
Adjectives
Adjectives in Vinnish agree with the nouns they modify in gender, case, number, and definiteness. There are two inflections for adjectives: strong and weak adjectives.
Strong Adjectives
Strong adjectives are used attributively with indefinite nouns and predicatively with all nouns. They inflect for gender, case, and number.
Common | Neuter | |
---|---|---|
Singular | ||
Nom | -er | -t |
Acc | -en | |
Dat | (u)-em | (u)-e |
Gen | -s | |
Plural | ||
Nom | -ar | (u) |
Acc | -e | |
Dat | (u)-em | |
Gen | -re |
Weak Adjectives
Weak adjectives are formed by adding an ending of -e to the stem of the adjective, and do not change form for case or number in Modern Vinnish. They are used with definite nouns and nouns modified by a demonstrative.
In more archaic texts in Vinnish, a naturally or semantically masculine noun can optionally take the ending -i in the nominative singular case. In all other cases of the noun, the ending -e is used.
Verbs
There are two overarching types of verbs in Vinnish, strong and weak verbs. Weak verbs form the past stem via a dental suffix on the present stem, while strong verbs form the past stem via vowel alternation. Vinnish verbs inflect for two tenses (past and present), person, and number. In addition, they make use of certain auxiliary verbs to show aspect, and one of two moods: indicative and subjunctive. Verbs also have both a past and a present participle, and inflect for active and mediopassive voice.
Weak Verbs
Weak verbs are characterized by their usage of a dental consonant to form their past stem. This dental consonant can be either -d, -ð, or -t. Which consonant is used is not always readily predictable for a weak verb, and so must simply be memorized along with the verb; however, the majority of Vinnish verbs use -ð.
The below table shows the basic inflection pattern for a weak verb. Note that the symbol "D" refers to the dental consonant used.
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
Present | ||
1st | -i | (u)-em |
2nd | -ar | -ið |
3rd | -e | |
Past | ||
1st | -De | (u)-Dem |
2nd | -Dar | (u)-Deð |
3rd | -Di | (u)-De |
Strong Verbs
Strong verbs show tense via a change in the stem vowel. There are seven classes of strong verbs in Vinnish, each characterized by a different alternation pattern.
Syntax
Vinnish shows a heavy preference for V2 word order, though this is being worn down in colloquial language.
Constituent order
Noun phrase
Verb phrase
Sentence phrase
Dependent clauses
Example texts
Opening Monologue of First and Final Book in the How To Train Your Dragon Series by Cressida Cowell
“Ðar våre lindormar, ðår om dågenem sem eg var svein. Ðar våre miklar, grimar himenslindormar sem gørðe sin hreiðer i fjallenne hæstem klettem, like storar hræðandi foglar. Litlar, brunar, skriðandi lindormar sem vedde mys ok rotte i flokkem like ølgjar. Otruligvegi jåtenligar sjøslindormar sem våre totge styrðar styrri en styrstar blågvalar, ok sem dråpe jene før leik.
“Ðir ðorfeð at true mit orð, ðvi lindormarnar gverfes ut so fløte ðat må at ðeir bråt skøli verðe utdånar or vårem veråldi.
“Jengver veit ekki gvat gøras. Ðeir søkkve i sjøn sem ðeir kome or, låte ekki ut i jårð jetgvert bein, jengvern tån, slike at men om framdage mege vite at ðeir våre hir i vårem veråldi.
“Af ðvi, før at ðessar konengligar gørnar skøli ekki glømes, eg mon tale ðenne saðen sage af minem barndomi.” - Gvernig at Venje Sin Lindorm
Schleicher's Fable
Jen sauðer sem sir var ekki jetgvert hår leit heste: jen togði ðongen vagen, jen helt å bakine stort bereng, ok jen helt å bakine man fløtevegi. Sauðren sagði hestenem: “Eg em sår i hjartene at eg lit at maðer leðar heste.” Hestarnar sågðe: “Hør ðu, sauðer, vir erem sårar i hjartene at vir litem ðette slike: at maðer, jarlen, gørar sir heitist klæði af sauðshåri. Ok sauðinem er ekki jetgvert hår.” Sauðren hørði ðette ok koms onden i hagene.