Ravenish
þiudiskon
Ravenish flag.png
Pronunciation[θiu̯.ðiʃ.køn]
Created bywfosøra
Indo-European
Early form
Old Ravenish (attested)
Dialects
  • Formal
  • Colloquial
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Ravenish (autoglossonym: þiudiskon; Ravenish: [θiu̯.ðiʃ.køn]) is a Germanic language, with strong influence from Finnish. It is the result of a prolonged contact among members of both groups after the Ravenish tribe migrated to the area that is now North Ostrobothnia. These connections slowly formed the modern language, which, under influence of Finnish for centuries, led to the innovation of several new forms, such as a conditional verb form and definiteness distinctions in nouns.

While its vocabulary derives for the most part from Proto-Germanic, Finnish influence is most notable in its phonology and its grammar.

Introduction

Goals

  • Fun
  • Learn more Germanic

Setting

Inspiration

  • Finnish
  • Proto-Germanic
  • My love for old Germanic languages

Etymology

The language name derives from the same source as German Deutsch, þiudiskaz. The English name is in reference to a cultural aspect of the people, their unusually large reverence for Ravens, they place an oddly high importance on Ravens even for a Germanic tribe.

Phonology

Orthography

Orthography
IPA Letter
/ɑ, ɑː/ a, aa
/v/ b
/ʁ/ g
/ð/ d
/e, eː/ e, ee
/ɤ, ɤː/ ë, ëë
/kʷ/ q
/z, ʒ/ z
/ʀ/ ʀ/ŕ
/χ/ h
/θ/ þ
/i, iː/ i, ii
/y, yː/ ï, ïï
/k/ k
/l/ l
/l̥/ hl
/m/ m
/n/ n
/j/ j
/u, uː/ u, uu
/p/ p
/æ, æː/ ä, ää
/r/ r
/r̥/ hr
/s, ʃ/ s
/t/ t
/w/ w
/f/ f
/χʷ/ hw
/o, oː/ o, oo
/ø, øː/ ö, öö

Consonants

Consonants have remained relatively close to Proto-Germanic, except for the few stops that had fricative allophones, these shifted fully to fricatives, the opposite of all other Germanic langs, the Velar fricatives also shifted to Uvular.

Consonant phonemes
Labial Dental alveolar post-
alveolar
palatal Velar Uvular
Nasal m n (ŋ)¹, ŋʷ²
Stop p , t̪ʷ k, kʷ
Fricative f v θ ð s, sʷ z (ʃ (ʒ)⁴ χ, χʷ ʁ, ʁʷ
Approximant w l j
Trill r ʀ
  1. allophone of /n/ before /k/
  2. allophone of /n/ before /kʷ/
  3. allophone of /s/ before velars and at word ends
  4. allophone of /z/ before velars and at word ends

Vowels

Vowels divert from PG more than the consonants, they've shifted closer to Finnish, also gaining harmony from Finnish.

Vowel phonemes
Front Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
short long short long short long short long
Close i y u
mid e ø øː ɤ ɤː o
Open æ æː ɑ ɑː

Diphthongs

Diphthongs Ending with /i/ Ending with /u/ Ending with /y/ Opening
Starting with /ɑ/ ai [ɑi̯] au [ɑu̯]
Starting with /æ/ äi [æi̯] äy [æy̯]
Starting with /o/ oi [oi̯] ou [ou̯]
Starting with /e/ ei [ei̯] eu [eu̯] ey [ey̯]
Starting with /ø/ öi [øi̯] öy [øy̯]
Starting with /u/ ui [ui̯] uo [uo̯]
Starting with /i/ iu [iu̯] iy [iy̯] ie [ie̯]

Sound Changes from OR

Overlong /ɑ/ to /æ/, overlong /e/ to /ɤ/

Prosody

Stress

Stress, like in PG, still lies solely on the first syllable unless prefixed, where stress moves with the root word.

Intonation

Phonotactics

Morphophonology

Morphology

Pronouns

Formal personal pronouns
Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative
first
person
singular ik mik mïïnäz miz
dual wit unk unkëraz unkiz
plural wiz uns unsëraz unsiz
second
person
singular þuu þik þïïnäz þiz
dual jut ïnkw ïnkweräz ïnkwiz
plural juuz izwiz izweräz izwiz
third
person
singular masculine iz ïnön es ïmmäi
feminine sii iijon ezäz ezöi
neuter it it es ïmmäi
plural masculine iiz ïnz ezöön ïmäz
feminine ijääz ijaaz ezöön ïmäz
neuter ijo ijo ezöön ïmäz
reflexive se sik sïïnäz siz

The form used in formal situations by natives and highly fluent speakers.

Standard personal pronouns
Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative
first
person
singular mïk muk mukëraz mukiz
dual ïnk unk unkëraz unkiz
plural ïns uns unsëraz unsiz
second
person
singular þïk þuk þukëraz þukiz
dual ïnkw unkw unkwëraz unkwiz
plural ïzw uzw uzwëraz uzwiz
third
person
singular masculine ïz uz es ymmäi
feminine sïï suu
neuter ït ut
plural masculine ïïz uuz ezöön ymäz
feminine ïjääz ujaaz
neuter ïjö ujo
reflexive se sëëraz sëiz

The standard form taught to foreigners, understood by everyone, like MSA where almost no natives actually speak it.

Colloquial personal pronouns
Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative
first
person
singular mïk muk mukëraz mukiz
dual ïnk unk unkëraz unkiz
plural ïns uns unsëraz unsiz
second
person
singular þïk þuk þukëraz þukiz
dual ïnkw unkw unkwëraz unkwiz
plural ïzw uzw uzwëraz uzwiz
third
person
singular ïz uz es ymmäi
dual ït ut ezäz ezöi
plural ïïz uuz ezöön ymäz
reflexive se sëëraz sëiz

The day-to-day form.

Syntax

Constituent order

The word order is mostly free, the base order is SOV, but this is subject to change when importance needs to be stressed on one word.

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Beowulf Sentemce 1

Language Sentence 1 of Beowulf
English Indeed (or 'Yes!')! We of the Spear-Danes, in days old, had our great kings who discovered the glory of what that man's courage could do.
Old English Hƿæt! Ƿē Gār-Dena in geār‐dagum þēod‐cyninga ⁠þrym gefrūnon, hu ðā æðelingas ellen fremedon.
Ravenish hwat! wiʀ gaizadanjoon ïn jeerööndägämäʀ þeïdöökïnïngön þrumjan gafrëëgun, hwo þo aþulungaaʀ aljano framidëëdun
Pronunciation
(Standard)
/χʷɑt wiʀ ʁɑi̯.zɑ.ðɑn.joːn yn jeː.røːn.ðæ.ʁæ.mæʀ θey̯.ðøː.ky.nyn.ʁøn θrum.jɑn ʁɑ.frɤː.ʁun χʷo θo ɑ.θu.lun.ʁɑːʀ ɑl.jɑ.no frɑ.mi.ðɤː.ðun/

Other resources

Swadesh

Phrases