Proto-Kertha

Proto-Kertha /ˈkɜːθə/ (from *kṟtha /ˈkr̩ːtʰa/, "earth") is the common ancestor of all the languages that exist in my pseudo-Tolkienian conworld, Kertha. This proto-language is vaguely Germanic inspired.

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Labio-dental	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m /m/		n /n/
Plain stop	p /p/		t /t/			k /k/
Aspirated stop	ph /pʰ/		th /tʰ/			kh /kʰ/
Palatalised stop	py /pʲ/		ty /tʲ/			ky /kʲ/
Labialised stop	pw /pʷ/		tw /tʷ/			kw /kʷ/
Fricative		f /f/	s /s/	ś /ʃ/			h /h/
Approximant					y /j/	w /w/
Trill			r /r/
Lateral			l /l/

Vowels

	Front	Near-front	Central	Near-back	Back
Close	i /i/ ī /iː/		ĭ /ɨ/ ŭ /ʉ/		u /u/ ū /uː/
Near-close
Close-mid
Mid	e /e/ ē /eː/		ə /ə/		o /o/ ō /oː/
Open-mid
Near-open			ă /ɐ/
Open	a /a/ ā /aː/

Syllabic consonants	ḻ /l̩ː/	ṟ /r̩ː/

Short vowels (V_S) are unmarked, long vowels (V_L) bare macrons and "super-short" vowels (V_B) are indicated by breves.

Phonotactics

• The most commonly permitted syllable structures are CV, CVC, CVV, CVVC, VC, V, VV, CVCC, VVC, VCC.
• Syllabic consonants may only be followed or preceded consonants and cannot occur word initially or finally.
• Words may only end in short vowels, nasal, plain plosive, alveolar or glottal consonants: a, e, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u.
• V_LV_L > V_LV_S
• V_SV_L > V_LV_S
• VVV > VVwV or VV

Grammar

Overview

• Three numbers: singular, dual, plural.
• Three genders: masculine, feminine, neuter.
• Definiteness shown by a mixture of declinable free-standing articles and invariable suffixes.
• Six cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental, locative.
• Declensions for all numbers, genders and cases.
• Conjugations: present indicative, participles (present and past AKA gerund and preterite), present and past subjunctive, supine ("full" and "subordinate"), imperative.
• Auxiliary verbs: negating, future tense, intensifying, inferential evidential, deontic modal, passive.
• Particles: interrogative, far past, optative.
• For nouns and adjectives stress falls on the first syllable of the first non-grammatical morpheme of a word.
• Stress on verbs falls on the first syllable of the conjugation ending.
• For all other words stress falls on the first syllable.

Declensions

Proto-Kertha made no distinction between nouns and adjectives.

There are nine main declension patterns.

Conjugations

There are six similar conjugation patterns.

Infinitive ↓	Present indicative					Participles		Subjunctive		Supine		Imperative
	1ps	2ps	3ps	Dual	Plural	Present	Past	Present	Past	Full	Sub.
*-an	*-en	*-enat	*-ena	*-ēam	*-enam	*-ener	*-anar	*-ena	*-āna	*(se)-ān	*-ān	*-āon
*-en	*-in	*-inet	*-ine	*-īem	*-inem	*-inir	*-ener	*-ine	*-ēne	*(se)-ēn	*-ēn	*-ēon
*-er	*-il	*-ilet	*-ile	*-eim	*-ilem	*-ilir	*-eret	*-ile	*-ēle	*(se)-ēr	*-ēr	*-ōr
*-in	*-un	*-unit	*-uni	*-ūim	*-unim	*-unur	*-inir	*-uni	*-īni	*(se)-īn	*-īn	*-īon
*-on	*-un	*-unot	*-uno	*-ūom	*-unom	*-unur	*-onor	*-uno	*-ōno	*(se)-ōn	*-ōn	*-ēon
*-un	*-in	*-inut	*-inu	*-īum	*-inum	*-inir	*-unur	*-inu	*-ūnu	*(se)-ūn	*-ūn	*-ūon

Example texts

Lord's Prayer

PK:

1. Kūi phen wōe fisanile men henēe,
2. Sēo esem fisanile hēmōononor.
3. Sēo tyāpṟsito funo fenikēr,
4. Sēo kiphon funo śīrān pīn kṟthēa wēntha men henēe.
5. Kēmit wersona tyafāon kūin sonafane pherilon,
6. Na kūunen furme lōktyafāon wēntha kēmi twa kūunen furīnen lōktyafenam.
7. Na kēmin yēan ālāekēr si sŭperotenn het kēmin pikṟtēon feh təkhe.
8. Kwusoputan.

IPA:

1. /kuːi pʰen woːe fisanile men heneːe/,
2. /seːo esem fisanile heːmoːononor/.
3. /seːo tʲaːpr̩ːsito funo fenikeːr/,
4. /seːo kipʰon funo ʃiːraːn piːn kr̩ːtʰeːa weːntʰa men heneːe/.
5. /keːmit wersona tʲafaːon kuːin sonafane pʰerilon/,
6. /na kuːunen furme loːktʲafaːon weːntʰa keːmi tʷa kuːunen furiːnen loːktʲafenam/.
7. /na keːmin jeːan aːlaːekeːr si sʉperoten het keːmin pikr̩ːteːon feh təkʰe/.
8. /kʷusoputan/.

Translationese:

1. Our father who is in Heaven,
2. Thy name is hallowed.
3. Thy kingdom shall come,
4. Thy will shall manifest on Earth as in Heavan.
5. Us today give our daily bread,
6. And our sins forgive as we too our sinners forgive.
7. And us do not lead to temptation but us release from evil.
8. Verily.

One Ring

PK:

1. Kyina kerĭp sethīkēr mēne ūsōans, Kyina kerĭp sekimarēn mēne,
2. Kyina kerĭp sehīnekēr mēne ūsōans na men ēm nērnir sethēkhān mēne

IPA:

1. /kʲina kerɨp setʰiːkeːr meːne uːsoːans/, /kʲina kerɨp sekirmareːn meːne/,
2. /kʲina kerɨp sehiːnekeːr meːne uːsoːans na men eːm neːrnir setʰeːkʰaːn meːne/

JRR Tolkien, LotR, p 49:

1. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
2. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

Black Speech:

1. Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
2. Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul

Song of Gondor

PK:

1. Kontor! Kontor, para Khepēateh na Winēateh!
2. Hūsa Ayeriteh sĭphanar kwāna; eh sĭtōa pīn Khelēe Śilēateh
3. Pyunirener wēntha sitāe tuna men yōrāomi Tyakonuteh tāonane.
4. Ha phḻsins therons! Saharm herīons! Ha twōneret tyāmi na kwera thīrĭk!
5. Ha Kontor, Kontor! Thio funom tisons phḻtēr Khelēek Śilateh.
6. Wōu kyināh Hūsa Ayeriteh sĭphān para Khepēateh na Winēateh?

IPA:

1. /kontor/! /kontor/, /para kʰepeːateh na wineːateh/!
2. /huːsa ajeriteh sɨpʰanar kʷaːna/; /eh sɨtoːa piːn kʰeleːe ʃileːateh/
3. /pʲunirener weːntʰa sitaːe tuna men joːraːomi tʲakonuteh taːonane/.
4. /ha pʰl̩ːsins tʰerons/! /saharam heriːons/! /ha tʷoːneret tʲaːmi na kʷera tʰiːrɨk/!
5. /ha kontor/, /kontor/! /tʰio funom tisons pʰl̩ːteːr kʰeleːek ʃilateh/.
6. /woːu kʲinaːh huːsa ajeriteh sɨpʰaːn para kʰepeːateh na wineːateh/?

JRR Tolkien, LotR, pp 412-3:

1. Gondor! Gondor, between the Mountains and the Sea!
2. West Wind blew there; the light upon the Silver Tree
3. Fell like bright rain in gardens of the Kings of old.
4. O proud walls! White towers! O wingèd crown and throne of gold!
5. O Gondor, Gondor! Shall men behold the Silver Tree,
6. Or West Wind blow again between the Mountains and the Sea?

Descendants

My basic plan for Kertha's languages is:

• Old Kvalian (Scandinavian inspired), ancestor of the languages of the Northern Men, Central Men and Dwarves.
• (Finnish inspired), ancestor of the languages of the Southern Men and Wood Elves.
• (Welsh inspired), ancestor of the languages of the Lake Elves and Coastal Men.
• (Slavic inspired), ancestor of the languages of the Goblins and Gnomes.
• (Georgian inspired), ancestor of the language of the Trolls.
• (Fijian inspired), ancestor of the languages of the Lake People and Merpeople.
• (Sanskrit inspired), the language of the Gods.

This could take some time...