Grayis
| Grayis | |
|---|---|
| Grayis | |
| Pronunciation | [/ˈgrä.jɪs/] |
| Created by | BenJamin P. Johnson, additionally creator of: |
| Date | 2018 |
| Setting | Planet Oyrigin |
language isolate
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | none |
Grayis is an a priori language created by BenJamin P. Johnson for Infinite Mind Pictures, Inc. to serve as the language of the Grayis Kin, one of six alien races who feature in the board game and upcoming screenplay Pilots of Gallaxia.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i · ī [ɪ · iː] |
u · ū [ʊ · uː] | |
| Mid | ai [e̞ː ~ ai̯] |
au [o̞ː ~ au̯] | |
| Low | a · ā [ä · äː] |
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p · b | t · d | k · g | |
| Affricate | ch [ʧ] · j [ʤ] | |||
| Fricative | s · | kh · [x] | h · | |
| Approximant | · w | · j | ||
| Tap or Trill | · r [r~ɾ] | |||
| Lateral | · l | |||
| Nasal | · m | · n |
Orthography
| / | m | n | p | b | t | d | k | g | ʧ | ʤ | s | x | h | w | j | r | l | i | iː | ai̯ | ä | äː | au̯ | u | uː | / |
| ‹ | m | n | p | b | t | d | k | g | ch | j | s | kh | h | w | j | r | l | i | ī | ai | a | ā | au | u | ū | › |
- /ʤ/ is spelt ‹dj› when word-final.
Phonotactics
- Words cannot start with /s/.
- /h/ cannot occur intervocalically or follow another consonant.
- /s/ can only occur word-finally.
- Words cannot end with /g/ or any consonant cluster.
- Vowels (except for diphthongs) must be separated by a consonant.
- Word-initial consonant clusters are limited to [plosive]+[liquid] (i.e. {ptkbdg} + {lr}), but not /tl/ or /dl/.
- Intervocalic clusters may be:
- Geminate plosives or sonorants: /pp/, /tt/, /kk/, /bb/, /dd/, /ll/, /rr/, /mm/, /nn/; but not /gg/.
- Any [plosive]+[liquid] combination: /pl/, /pl/, /tl/, /tr/, /kl/, /kr/, /bl/, /br/, /dl/, /dr/, /gl/, /gr/
- Any [plosive]+/w/: /pw/, /tw/, /kw/, /bw/, /dw/, /gw/
- Any [nasal]+[unvoiced plosive] or [affricate]: /mp/, /nt/, /nk/, /nʧ/, /nʤ/
- Also: /ngw/, /hk/, /hw/, /hj/
- Unstressed /au/ is realized as [o̞ː]
- Unstressed /ai/ is realized as [e̞ː]
- Unstressed /a/ may be realized as [ə] or [ɐ]
- /ʧ/ may be realized as [ʨ] for some speakers.
Stress
Stress is determined by mora weight of the rime. No syllable can have more than 5 morae (CLVVC) and the rime can have a maximum of three (VVC). When determining stress, the following order takes precedence:
VːC > VVC > Vː > VV > VC > V
If any syllabic weights are equal, the left-most of the equal syllables is stressed. E.g. tā́kkum ‘wide’ /ˈtaːk.kʊm/, grawukkái ‘worm’ /gra.wukˈkai/, irrúntutim ‘cold weather’ /irˈrun.tu.tim/.
When stress deviates from this pattern it is indicated by an acute diacritic. (Examples above are not normally accented, but acute is used for illustrative purposes.)
Numbers
The Grayis number system is nonal (base-9), but has reflexes of an ancient system based on multiples of 3, which can be observed in the etymology of the basic numbers.
| Grayis | Decimal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rī | 1 | (1) |
| ai | 2 | (2) |
| chil | 3 | (3) |
| chirri | 4 | (3+1) |
| kilai | 5 | (3+2) |
| aichī | 6 | (2×3) |
| chalayī | 7 | (4×2-1?) |
| nauri | 8 | (9-1) |
| nā | 9 | (9) (=10 in nonal) |
| chillīkka | 27 | (=30 in nonal: 33, ‘great three’) |
Further numbers are formed by compounding using the word ha ‘and’.
| Na (Teens) | Dec. | Non. | Ayinnā (20) | Dec. | Non. | Tens | Dec. | Non. | Multiples | Dec. | Non. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| narī | 10 | 11 | ayinnā ha rī | 19 | 21 | na- | 9 | 10 | nā | 32 | 10 |
| nanai | 11 | 12 | ayinnā ha ai | 20 | 22 | ayinnā | 18 | 20 | duhkā | 34 | 100 |
| nachil | 12 | 13 | ayinnā ha chil | 21 | 23 | chillā | 27 | 30 | kaigu | 36 | 1,000 |
| nachirri | 13 | 14 | ayinnā ha chirri | 22 | 24 | chirrinnā | 36 | 40 | nakaigu | 38 | 10,000 |
| nakilai | 14 | 15 | ayinnā ha kilai | 23 | 25 | kilinnā | 45 | 50 | duhkakkaigu | 310 | 100,000 |
| nalaichī | 15 | 16 | ayinnā ha aichī | 24 | 26 | aichinnā | 54 | 60 | īlim | 312 | 1,000,000 |
| nachalayī | 16 | 17 | ayinnā ha chalayī | 25 | 27 | chalainā | 63 | 70 | jumai | 314 | 1,000,000,000 |
| nanāli | 17 | 18 | ayinnā ha nauri | 26 | 28 | naurinnā | 72 | 80 | |||
| ayinnā | 18 | 20 | chillīkka | 27 | 30 | duhkā | 81 | 100 |
Pronouns
| Subject | Object | Possessive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| chal I |
challa me |
chalu my |
first person singular |
| kit you |
kitta you |
kitu your |
second person singular |
| yun he/she |
yunna him/her |
yunu his/her |
third person singular animate |
| wih it |
wikha it |
wikhu its |
third person singular inanimate |
| kichal you and I / we |
kichalla you and me / us |
kichalu our |
first person dual inclusive |
| jāla we |
jālaya us |
jālau our |
first person plural |
| gīs you (all) |
gikka you (all) |
gīku your |
second person plural |
| yaum they |
yumma them |
yumu their |
third person plural animate |
| waih they |
waiya them |
waikhu their |
third person plural inanimate |
- There is no gender distinction in the third person pronouns, though there is a distinction between animate (“he/she”) and inanimate (“it”).
- There is a first person dual inclusive pronoun (“you and I”), but it is optional; there is not a plural inclusive, and all other first person non-singular roles are assumed by the first person plural, whether inclusive or exclusive.
- As with the third person singular, there is an animacy distinction in the third person plural.
Phrase Book
| What is your name? | Turuh kitú julkāt? | [tu'ruh ki'tu ʤul'kaːt] |