SamSkandinavisk: Difference between revisions

It is intended to be a tool for inter-Nordic communication and integration. It also is intended to be used as a tool for people from outside the Scandinavian region to communicate with Scandinavians -- as an alternative to learning one or all of the natural Scandinavian languages.

The status of the language is currently under construction. There is a lexicon of approximately 3000 words available, but it still lacks many essential words for basic conversation.

It is generally intended that linguistic features that are common to two or more of the Scandinavian languages will be included in the language. A linguistic feature is for example a word carrying a particular meaning, a sound in the phonology, a spelling practice or a grammatical rule.

In regards to the grammar, grammatical features must be present in all three of the source languages to be represented in SamSka. This allows certain complex grammatical features and irregularities to be present, but only when they are present in all the source languages and are thus considered intrinsic to the Scandinavian linguistic experience. When there is not total agreement in the grammar, it defaults to what is considered the most regular, simple and schematic solution used by one the source languages.

For a word to be represented in SamSka, it needs to have cognates with the same meaning in two or more of the source languages. When cognates are present in all three languages but due to semantic drift no common meanings, then a cognate word will not be present in SamSka. Where a word has cognates with multiple meanings in all three languages, only the meanings that are shared will be in the canonical definition of the SamSka cognate.

SamSka uses the standard 26 letter Roman alphabet, plus three additional letters; '''å''', '''ä''', and '''ö'''. The letters q, w, x are rare - only used in names and in very recent borrowings. '''ä''' and '''ö''' can be substituted with '''æ''' and '''ø''' which are considered equally valid substitutes. When '''å''', '''ä''' and '''ö''' may not be easily used or input (for example on primitive computer systems or manual typewriters), they may be substituted with the digraphs '''aa, ae''' and '''oe'''.

The pronunciation of letters in the orthography is often dependent on neighboring letters in the same word. For example the letter '''g''' may be pronounced as /ɡ/ or as /j/ depending on the following vowels. (It is /j/ before '''e,i,y,ä''' or '''ö'''). The length of vowels is marked by the following consonants. Short vowels tend to be followed by a cluster of consonants or a doubled consonant. The same sound may be spelled in more than one way, the choice of letters depends on the etymology of the word and related words. For example short '''e''' /ɛ/ can be spelled in some words with '''e''', in other words with '''ä'''.

SamSka’s phonology resembles its Scandinavian source languages – it is particularly close to Norwegian and Swedish. It has a large number of vowels which have a long and short distinction. Consonants also have a long-short distinction. Consonant length and vowel length have complimentary relationship. Short vowels are followed by long consonants, long vowels are followed by short consonants.

Many consonants have been subject to palatization when before a frontal vowel. For example '''sk-''' is normally /sk/ but before '''e, i, y, ä''' and '''ö''' it is /ʃ/. This means that related words may have quite different consonants. This can even be the case with the inflections of a word - if the vowel changes due to an inflection, then the consonant may be palatized as a result.  

Some phonemes have allophones that are quite far from the phonemic pronunciation. For example '''v''' after a vowel, at the end of a word can be pronounced as /ʋ/ or even as the vowel /ʊ/. If /ʊ/ it will form a diphthong with the preceding vowel. For example '''brav''' (good, great) can be pronounced /brɑːv/, /brɑːʋ/ or /braʊ/. This also applies to '''v''' at the end of a syllable when the following syllable begins with a consonant. For example '''havde''' (past tense of '''ha''') may be pronounced as /ˈhɑːʊdə/

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There are two grammatical genders for nouns; common and neuter. Common gender nouns account for approximately 75% of nouns. The common gender originates in the merger of the Feminine and Masculine gender in earlier phases of the source languages.

Nouns have two cases, a common subject/object case and a genitive/possessive case.

Pronouns have 3 cases: subjective, objective and possessive. In the third person there is also a reflexive case and a reflexive-possessive case. Third person singular pronouns have three genders; feminine ('''hon'''), masculine ('''han''') and neuter ('''det'''). There is also '''den''' - a third person singular pronoun which can be used for common gender nouns when they have no natural gender -- such as in the case of inanimate objects or abstract concepts. It may also be used of people when the gender is not known or considered irrelevant.  

The second person pronoun has two numbers -- singular ('''du''') and plural ('''i'''). Unlike in German or French for example, it is socially acceptable to address an adult stranger as '''du'''. '''i''' is thus restricted in usage to addressing groups of people.

Adjectives must have a '''-t''' suffix added to be used as adverbs.

Transitive verbs can have a passive form which is made by adding '''-es''' to the stem.

== Sample Texts ==

[[File:Samska_snart_skall_vi_dverger.ogg]]

(Soon we dwarfs will finally defeat our current enemies and avenge all ancient dishonors. Then it will be a new golden age for the bearded race. If the men and halflings know their place, they will have the honor of serving us. The halflings will stir our porridge and bear our ale tankards. The men will toil in our gold mines and fetch for us things that are located on high shelves.)

(In the dark void of time's beginning, the giant Ymir was born of poison and frost, and he suckled at the great cow Auðumbla. From her came the being Búri who begat Burr who begat the gods Óðinn, Vili and Vé. Burr's sons slew Ymir and created the Earth from his corpse. The first man and woman, Ask and Embla were created from an ash-tree and an elm respectively.)

''Durianen er en tropiskt frukt som er meket populär i landerne i Sydöstasie. Den omdömes at have en meket sterk ok särskilt lukt ok mange folk anser den at have en motbjudelig smak. Men hvardan smaker durianen faktiskt?''

''Min hustru er uenig. Hon seger at det er likesom at kysse mig tidlig på morgenen förut för jeg har rengort mine tänner. Likesom smaken af denne kysse men med ekstra sukker.''

''Underligt, efter den förste provning af Durian, blir smaken ok den vämmelige duft ufornuftigt tvingende — likesom stanken af de svetige trusser af den Brazilianiske kvinners volleyballlag.''

(The Durian is a tropical fruit that is very popular in the lands of South-East-Asia. It has a repuation to have a very strong and distinctive odour and many people consider to have a revolting flavour. But in fact how does the durian taste?

My wife doesn't agree. She says that it is like kissing me early in the morning before I have cleaned my teeth. Like the smell of this kiss but with extra sugar.

[[Category:Germanic languages]]