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Nurian/Old

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Nurian/Old
senNūrima
Created byIlL
SettingVerse:Tricin
Quame
Language codes
ISO 639-3qnr
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Nurian (/ˈnʊəɹiən/, Nurian: senNūrima, 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 ďaccerabaccera is used for 'unintelligible', cf. Japanese chinpunkanpun.)

Language of what begins as basically Buddhism? "What if Buddhism evolved differently"

Euphonic vowels instead of conservative IE endings

Todo

q qw > epiglottal stop

R Rw > ayin

Allow ntt unlike Pali and like Finnish?

Nurian reading traditions in Bjeheond, Txapoalli (and Wiebian in Crackfic Tricin)

  • 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
  • Tamī3inai = Wen Dămea
  • ħammih = wheat (~ sñyrm)
  • dallhatuh = strife
  • hienaθini = sleep soundly
  • -zzah = deverbal noun
    • muoġiazzah = food
  • nhuobai = jaw
  • natterai = chain

Diachronics

φīxs kʷēmos φaro δlanγeweti δe srībou γʷnāmesor δe φīna qrādomāxtim. γonyanθis wli nayesi, smā-deuφrimor briqenskās bakū kardasweis wli φasminō. Sθām lugyeθais wli bosqōr kʷisδalābis, kas φaxθīm φar woltāyessis-do, bar Bouγʷātlom wli qaswīqis. Nai brāyos δe nenmōrus skʷodoxtānis! φirwōd φēs-baxθitor qetibāti meudyūs! Φosnīdyōr daγʷāi δe nosθenqʷētās qʷlāwītor. --> Hīs pēmah hara ġą3auti δe rhībau nhāmesar δe na rhādamattį. 3aniantih vi najesi, mhā-diaurrhimar biqąkhāh bakū kaddaffeih vi hammhinuo. Θhą luġġeθaih vi baqquor piδδalābih, kah haθθį har valtājessittha, bar Bau3āċą vi qaffīqah. Nai bājah δe nemmuoruh phadattānih! Hivvuor hēs-baθθitar qatibāti miauġūh! Hannhīdar davvai δe naθθheqqātāh qāvitar.

i e a o u ī ē ā ō ū ei ai oi ui iu eu au ou → i 'a a a u ī 'ā ā uo ū 'ai ai ai ui 'ū 'au au au; yV → generally, gemination of preceding consonant + 'V

final -uo > -u? (more Lithuanian)

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 > -ū
  • 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
  • ql, ȝl > qq, ȝȝ
  • nl, rl > both ll
  • sp, st, sc, sȝ, sn, sl, sr > pph, tth, kkh, qqh, tth, nnh, llh, rrh
  • sb, sd, sg > bb, zz, gg
  • pr, fr, tr, θr, cr, ngr, qr > pph, ff, tth, θθ, kkh, ng, qqh
  • 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 is phonemic contrast between velarization and palatalization in consonants. 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 mˠ mi mʲ n n̪ˠ ni nʲ ngi ŋʲ ng ŋ
Stop tenuis p pˠ pi pʲ t t̪ˠ ti t̪ˢʲ ṭ tˠ~ʈˠ ṭi tʲ ċi tʃ ki kʲ k k q, qi ʡ -r ʔ
aspirated ph pˠʰ phi pʲʰ th t̪ˠʰ thi t̪ˢʲʰ ṭh tˠʰ~ʈˠʰ ṭhi tʲʰ ċhi tʃʰ khi kʲʰ kh kʰ qh, qhi ʡʰ
voiced b bˠ bi bʲ d d̪ˠ di d̪ᶻʲ ḍ dˠ~ɖˠ ḍi dʲ ġi dʒ gi ɡʲ g ɡ
Fricative voiceless f fˠ fi fʲ s s̪ˠ si sʲ ṡi ʃ h, hi h
voiced v vˠ vi vʲ z z̪ˠ zi zʲ żi ʒ
Trill voiceless rh r̥ˠ rhi r̥ʲ
voiced r rˠ ri rʲ
Lateral voiceless lh l̥ˠ lhi l̥ʲ
voiced l lˠ li lʲ
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: /ɐɪ ɐʊ iɛ uɔ ʊi/

Notes
  • /a aː/ each have two allophones:
    • [ɐ~ɑ ɑː] after non-radical hard consonants.
    • [ɛ~æ æː] after soft consonants, radicals and /h/

Romanization:

  • 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/
  • iū: soft /uː/
  • ių: soft /ũː/
  • ie: soft /iə/


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

Vowels

Morphology

Main article: Nurian/Old/Morphology

Numerals

Nurian uses a vigesimal numeral system. 1-20: pēm, θiuor, naġġį, δiaubį, salle, thām, ruodih, laddih, habbih, quor, quopphēm, quoθθhiur, quonnaġġį, quonδiaubį, qųsalle, qųthām, quorruodih, quolladdih, quorrhabbih, 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'
  • fī /fʲiː/ = 'if'
  • khą = but
  • rį = relativizer
  • fim = complementizer

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 3ausį gatthāną kaθ θeθeivų di khussiū kat iġġiatū; ammimīdīnį nai qabbī kad dȳkaluttī, ṡiūqą danθū hieθariākah 3aibatthah 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

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