Nurian (gaħēs nūrimēs /ˈgɐħæːs ˈn̪ˠʊɚrʲɪmʲæːs/) is a Talmic language descending from Thensarian, aesthetically inspired by Lithuanian, Russian, Italian and English.

Introduction

Nurian is spoken on the west coast of the continent called Kuderau by Wiebians. It is easily the most conservative Talmic language, though with signficant Meetzarric influences. It is spoken alongside Meetzarric languages, Clofabic languages and New World Reber Wiebian.

Historical phonology

  • Cl > Cj > Cʲ (Italian style): pl bl ml fl cl gl ngl chl ghl > pi bi mi fi ci gi ngi chi ghi
    • Exceptions: ħl ȝl; nl, rl > ll
  • C1C2 > C2C2 (similarly to Italian)
  • mlīd - conclusion, end > mīd /mʲiːdˠ/
  • ar- > aC- (ar- before vowels); as- > s-

Numbers

  • 1: cēma /ˈt͡ʃæːmˠɐ/
  • 2: tiħōr /tʲɪˈħɔɚ/
  • 3: nargь /ˈnˠɑɚd͡ʒ/
  • 4: dhaufь /ˈðˠɐʊfʲ/
  • 5: saliħь /sˠɐˈlʲɪħ/
  • 6: stāma /ˈsˠtˠɑːmɐ/
  • 7: rōdь /ˈrˠoːdʲ/
  • 8: loreħь /ɫɔɚˈrʲæħ/
  • 9: farvь /ˈfˠɑɚvʲ/
  • 10: ħiler /ˈħɪlʲɛɚ/ (influenced by Meetzarri ulyerre)
  • 11: cēmara /ˈt͡ʃæːmˠɑɚrˠɐ/ (< Themsarian cēmiħiore, influenced by Meetzarri emarra)
  • 12: pidь /ˈpʲɪdʲ/ (Zutarl pirdi)
  • 144: tarþь /ˈtˠɑɚθʲ/
  • 1728: ūbyc /ˈuːbˠɪ̞k/

Phonology

Accent 1

The standard [Standard A] Nurian consonant inventory contains around 42 consonants and 12 vowels.

Consonants

A notable feature of Nurian phonology is phonemic palatalization, similar to Lithuanian and Russian. 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.

Consonant phonemes in Nurian [Accent 1]
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Radical Glottal
vel. pal. vel. pal. vel. pal.
Nasal n̪ˠ ɲ~ɲ̄ ŋ
Stop tenuis t̪ˠ k
voiced d̪ˠ ɡ
Fricative voiceless θˠ θ ʃ x ħ h
voiced ðˠ ð ʒ ɣ ʕ
Trill
Approximant central j
lateral ɫ

Vowels

Nurian shows an unusual vowel system, with rhotic vowels and a relative lack of phonemic front vowels. There is a three-way contrast between short, long and rhotic vowels. There is a considerable degree of allophony in low short and rhotic vowels.

Vowel phonemes in Nurian [Accent 1]
Front Central Back
short long rhotic short rhotic short long rhotic
Close /ɪ~ɪ̞/ /iː/ /ɪ˞/ /ʊ/ /uː/ /ʊ˞/
Mid [ɛ~æ] [ɛ˞] [ə] /ɝ/ /ɔ/ /oː/ /ɔ˞/
Open [æː] /ɐ/ /ɑː/ [ɑ˞]

Diphthongs: /ɐɪ/ /ɐʊ/ /iə~iɛ/

  • Short /ɪ/ is lowered to [ɪ̞] after hard consonants.
  • /a aː/ has two allophones:
    • [ɐ~ɑ ɑː] after hard consonants
    • [ɛ~æ æː] after soft consonants
  • /ɝ/ has three allophones:
    • [ɑ˞] after hard consonants (in or before a stressed syllable)
    • [ɛ˞] after soft consonants (in or before a stressed syllable)
    • [a˞] after radicals
    • [ɝ] in posttonic positions
  • [ə] occurs as an epenthetic vowel after word-final geminates except before another vowel.

Accent 2

Polishy

  • ci gi chi ghi = [tʂ dʐ ʂ ʐ]
  • sci = [ʂtʂ]
  • ti di si zi = [tɕ dʑ ɕ ʑ]
  • ni ngi > [ɲ]
  • li > [ʎ]
  • ri > [dʲ]
  • θˠ ðˠ > fˠ vˠ

Consonants

Consonant phonemes in Standard Nurian [Accent 2]
Labial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Radical Glottal
vel. pal. vel. pal. vel. pal.
Nasal n̪ˠ ɲ~ɲ̄ ŋ
Stop tenuis t̪ˠ k
voiced d̪ˠ ɡ
Fricative voiceless θˠ θ ʂ ɕ x ħ h
voiced ðˠ ð ʐ ʑ ɣ ʕ
Flap ɾˠ ɾʲ
Approximant central j
lateral ɫ ʎ

Accent 3

Conservative

  • ci gi chi ghi = [kʲ gʲ xʲ ɣʲ]
  • sci = [skʲ]

Accent 4

Fiuschēra [fuʃˈʃæːrˁɑ] accent (Arabic-esque)

  • Hard consonants > pharyngealized; soft consonants > plain
  • o and ō are centralized
  • θˠ ðˠ > fˁ vˁ
  • Non-rhotic

Consonants

Consonant phonemes in Fiuschērian Nurian
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Postvelar Radical Glottal
phar. plain phar. plain phar. plain
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ̠
Stop tenuis p t
voiced b d ɡ̄
Fricative voiceless f θ s ʃ x~χ ħ h
voiced ð z ʒ ɣ~ʁ ʕ
Trill r
Approximant central w j
lateral l̪ˁ l

Vowels

Vowel phonemes in Fiuschērian Nurian
Front Central Back
short long short long short long
Close /ɪ~ɪ̞/ /iː/ /ʊ/ /uː/
Mid [ɛ~æ] /ə/ /ɵː/ [ɤ] [oː]
Open [æː] /a/ /aː/ [ɑ] [ɑː]

Dialect 4

Scottish Gaelic pseudo-gib

Palatalization

Word-final soft consonants use a soft sign ь.

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

r = r-coloring before a consonant or word-finally

Stress

Stress is phonemic in Nurian. Nurian stress can be derived by applying the following stress pattern in Thensarian and then Thensarian > Nurian sound changes:

  • A short final vowel cannot be stressed.
  • Only one of the last 3 syllables can be stressed.
  • the last heavy syllable is stressed if not the final syllable; if there is a final heavy syllable, the penult is stressed. (e.g. burgent [ˈbʊɚdʒænt])
  • If no heavy syllables, the 3rd from last is stressed.
  • piudiinъ - final stress;
  • piudiin - penult stress

Grammar

Somewhat unusually, Nurian is verb-final with prepositions and modifier-modified order.

Nouns

Sgv-clv-plv system.