Verse:Mwail/Ryooteq
| Mwail/Ryooteq | |
|---|---|
| sheg sjowaazhéñ | |
| Pronunciation | [/ʂˑɛk stsʊwɑːʐ̊ɛ́ⁿ/] |
| Created by | IlL |
| Setting | Tricin |
Quihum?
| |
Mwail/Ryooteq (English: soo-wah-ZHEN; native name sheg sjowaazhéñ /ʂˑɛk stsʊwɑːʐ̊ɛ́ⁿ/) is a language spoken in Verse:Tricin/Txapoalli. It is an agglutinative-fusional language, with complex verbal morphology. It is primarily inspired by Navajo, Polish, and Ancient Greek.
Todo
- Wackernagel, "magna cum laude" order
- some l/r merger (in C(r/l) and/or (r/l)C maybe)
- CrV > C'V
- VrC > V:C + falling tone
- V:C > V:C + rising tone
- intervocalic r: VrV > VghV? V'V? VłV?
Get final h's.
Sound changes to remove Cl clusters
- sometimes they become lateral obstruents
- is zl /ɮ̊/ a distinct phoneme?
Numbers: chiíñ, shjhed, naájy, joók', salyíc, k'al, ghoód, lagh, k'ijh, k'iyóoh?
Add pitch accent PQ kwxvétram 'flower' > PSj. czátraṃ > Sj. cháat'
PQ p'rgwés '9' > PSj. k'ıdżéḥ > Sj. k'ijh
PQ wjénəqws 'water' > PSj. wíneʔ > Sj. bíne'
PQ kʷix̌ə́m '1' > PSj. czḗṃ > Sj. chiíñ
PQ sux̌ʷr-ás 'house' > Psj. sūʀáḥ > Sj. zoógh
I don't expect Sjowaazheñ to be head-marking.
Gibberish
Yooñsyekh jyiid biʔiñch'aañ loot' shcheeg, zhoʔkyoo woʔzaagiyeʔ ʔookasdin.
Nyeech’ shaasyodz k’iilyañzhaag bishchezyagi lowaʔazyiin ch’aayekoot’ shiilyohookhin. (LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL)
Looʔsyah cy’asde bishooladeeñt’ zhewot’igii ʔaañsyok’ jighoodziiñ zhjhedaal. (LLLSSLSLSSSLLLSLLSL)
Phonology
Consonants
Sjowaazhéñ has a large consonant inventory (about 40):
| Labial | Dental | Lateral | Retroflex | Alveolo-palatal | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | ny /ɲ/ | ||||||
| Plosive | tenuis | b /p/ | d /t/ | gy /c/ | g /k/ | ' /ʔ/ | |||
| aspirated | t /tʰ/ | ky /cʰ/ | k /kʰ/ | ||||||
| ejective | t' /tʼ/ | ky' /cʼ/ | k' /kʼ/ | ||||||
| Fricative | lenis | z /z̊/ | zh /ʐ̊/ | zy /ʑ̊/ | gh /ɣ̊/ | ||||
| fortis | s /sˑ/ | sl /ɬˑ/ | sh /ʂˑ/ | sy /ɕˑ/ | kh /xˑ/ | h /h/ | |||
| Affricate | tenuis | j /ts/ | jl /tɬ/ | jh /tʂ/ | jy /tɕ/ | ||||
| aspirated | c /tsʰ/ | cl /tɬʰ/ | ch /tʂʰ/ | cy /tɕʰ/ | |||||
| ejective | c' /tsʼ/ | cl' /tɬʼ/ | ch' /tʂʼ/ | cy' /tɕʼ/ | |||||
| Approximant | l /l/ | ly /ʎ/ | y /j/ | w /w/ | |||||
All consonants are long, compared to English: with plain stops the hold is longer, with aspirated stops the aspiration is longer, and with affricates the frication is longer. The voice onset time of the aspirated and ejective stops is twice as long as that found in most other languages.
- Stops and affricates
All stops and affricates, except for the bilabial and glottal, have a three-way laryngeal contrast between unaspirated, aspirated, and ejective. The labials /p, pʰ, m/ are found mainly in grammatical affixes and loanwords. Most of the contrasts in the inventory lie within coronal territory at the alveolar and palatoalveolar places of articulation.
The aspirated stops /tʰ, kʰ/ (orthographic ⟨t⟩, ⟨k⟩) are typically aspirated with velar frication [tx, kx] (they are phonetically affricates — homorganic in the case of [kx], heterorganic in the case of [tx]). The acoustic difference between an affricate and a stop + fricative consonant cluster is the rate of increase in the amplitude of the frication noise (i.e. the rise time); affricates have a short rise time, consonant clusters have a longer rise time between the stop and fricative. There is variation within Mwail/Ryooteq, however, in this respect: some speakers lack strong velar frication having instead a period of aspiration.
Similarly the unaspirated velar /k/ (orthographic ⟨g⟩) is realized as with optional voiced velar frication following the stop burst: [k] ~ [kɣ].
While the aspiration of stops is markedly long compared to most other languages, the aspiration of the affricates is quite short: the main feature distinguishing /ts/, /tɬ/, /tʂ/ and /tɕ/ from /tsʰ/, /tɬʰ/, /tʂʰ/ and /tɕʰ/ is that the frication is half again as long in the latter: [tsʰˑ], [tɬʰˑ], [tʂʰˑ], [tɕʰˑ]. The ejectives /ts'/, /tɬ'/, /tʂ'/, /tɕ'/, on the other hand, have short frication, presumably due to the lack of pulmonic airflow. There is a period of near silence before the glottalized onset of the vowel.
- Fricatives
Mwail/Ryooteq fricatives are noisier than the fricatives that occur in English.
Mwail/Ryooteq also does not have consistent phonetic voicing in the "voiced" fricative members: /z, ʐ, ʑ, ɣ/ may be partially devoiced during the constriction. In stem-initial position, /ʐ/ has a slight tendency to be voiceless near the offset, /z/ and /ʑ/ are often mostly voiceless with phonetic voicing only at the onset, /ɣ/ is also only partially voiced with voicing at onset. A more consistent acoustic correlate of the "voicing" is the duration of the consonant: "voiceless" consonants have longer durations than "voiced" consonants.
- Glottal(ized) consonants
Consonants involving a glottal closure — the glottal stop, ejective stops, and the glottalized sonorants — may have optional creaky voice on voiced sounds adjacent to the glottal gesture. Glottal stops may also be realized entirely as creaky voice instead of single glottal closure.
Vowels
The Mwail/Ryooteq vowel has only 4 qualities, although there is phonemic vowel length and nasalization.
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Suprasegmentals
Standard Sjowaazhéñ has a simple pitch accent system like that of Ancient Greek – namely, only one mora in a word receives high pitch. A mora with high pitch is marked with an acute accent.
Some other Sjowaazhic languages are more strongly tonal. For example, in the Claj'oóny topolect, every word will have at least one high pitched vowel or diphthong but may have more than one, especially in longer words.
Grammar
Word order
The constituent order defaults to SXVO/SVOX, but topicalization may promote a constituent to first position. Adjectives and genitives usually follow the noun unless they are topicalized, focalized or used to form appositional collocations. Genitive/possessive pronouns always precede the possessed NP.
Two types of function words can be recognized in Netagin: proclitics (coordinating conjunctions, topic/focus, etc.), which attach to the host or to another clitic and form what counts as one word, and relators (prepositions and subordinating conjunctions) which occupy second position (a.k.a. Wackernagel's position) in their dependent noun phrases or clauses.
Number
There exist three numbers in Netagin: singular (sg) representing one object, paucal (pc) for a few, and plural (pl) for many. The paucal form usually denotes two to nine items, but the boundary between paucal and plural is quite fluid; a paucal could be used for a larger number for contrast with a much larger number of things. The plural number in pronouns also serves as an honorific; complementarily, using paucal pronouns where a plural is expected entails a "dishonorific", humble or pejorative meaning.
Nominal number
Nouns are declined for all three numbers.
Verbal number
Pluractionality denotes that an action is performed a plural (as opposed to singular or paucal) number of times or places, or the number of objects is plural. Pluractionality with a second person object, or lack of pluractionality with a first person object, may also be used to indicate politeness.
Politeness/Honorific
Honorific suffixes on nouns indicate that the speaker raises the referent. The second person honorific is above the first person in the animacy hierarchy while the second person familiar is below first person. Pluractionality is used for honorific objects.
- הַבֲּ֬תֻורָא תִּרֵּנַפַןּ.
- Ἁ-μΒαθουρώ θθιρραιρναφάνν.
- Ha-mBathúráˀ tirrénaphann.
- ha-N báthúr-áˀ t-[r-n-p]/ˀaCCaC-ann
- FOC=deity-HON.DIR (1,3)-serve/CAUS.IPFV-PLAX
- It is God I/we serve.
Cases
All cases have adpositions that govern them. High-register language relies more on case and less on adpositions.
Direct
The direct case (dir) marks a core argument of a verb, either subject or direct object. It should be noted that Netagin marks the recipient (usually the more animate patient), rather than the theme (the less animate patient), of most ditransitive verbs with the direct case; Netagin is thus a dechticaetiative language. Pronouns, unlike nouns, distinguish nominative (nom) and accusative (acc). The direct/accusative case is the case governed by prepositions that originate from verbs.
Genitive
The genitive case (gen) indicates possession, origin, cause, or concern. It is used also appositionally (in the order genitive-noun), where English would use a compound. The genitive case also has partitive uses.
Possessor-less genitives are possible and, by corollary, headless relative clauses.
Instrumental
The instrumental (ins) indicates instrument/means or comitation (with certain prepositions; the bare instrumental can optionally be used as a comitative for pronouns). What is considered the direct object of ditransitive constructions in dative languages is most often cast in the instrumental in Netagin. (Netagin, although a dechticaetiative language, does not have a dedicated dechticaetiative case.)
The inanimate instrumental singular is used as an adverb for adjectives.
Locative
The locative or allative case (loc) marks location or destination (often with locational prepositions), spatial, temporal or abstract. Some ditransitive verbs cause their themes to take the locative.
Hierarchy
Person, animacy and social status are all factors in the hierarchical person marking. The hierarchy is:
2.honorific > 1 > 2.familiar > 3.human > 3.other animate > 0 > 3.inanimate
By default the direction of transitivity is assumed to be from higher to lower animacy. Generally when a less animate participant acts on a more animate one, the verb is required to take an inverse-marking affix.
If neither participant outranks the other, then the priority is settled with degree of obviation: if the action proceeds from a more obviate to a more proximate one, the verb carries the inverse prefix.
Topic and focus particles
The topic marker, which is also the vocative marker, marks what the sentence is about. It is used frequently (at least to the same degree as in Japanese), but there can be at most one topic in a clause. Topic markers are usually absent in subordinate clauses (always in relative clauses).
The focus is used for new information or contrastive emphasis. The latter sense can be emphasized by fronting the focused constituent in front of the verb.
Nominal/Adjectival predication
Netagin is entirely devoid of copulas. Instead one uses the topic particle ha-L with the subject, and the focus particle ha-N on the predicate nominal.
- הֲזְמָלִ אֶלָּא הַגַּ֬שֻּודָא.
- Ἁ-ζεμώλ ἐλλώ ἁ-νγασζζουδώ.
- Ha-zemhál ˀelláˀ ha-ngaššúdháˀ.
- TOP=person.PL.DIR NEG FOC=thing-INAN.PL.DIR
- People are not objects.
Sentences of this form are not always predication (although the following case could be analyzed as an eclipsed form of "As for me, it's this big one that I get...").
- הֲאַגְדּ, הַמְּטָלֵם זָן; הֲאַןּ, הַמְּרָשִיחַ רָן.
- Ἁ-ἄγδδ, ἁ-μμετωλαίμ ζών, ἁ-ἀνν, ἁ-μμερωσζείαη ρών.
- Ha-ˀaghd, ha-meṭhálémh zán; ha-ˀann, ha-merášíaḥ rán.
- TOP=1SG.NOM, FOC=NOMZ-big.INAN.SG.DIR here; TOP=2SG.NOM, FOC=NOMZ-small.INAN.SG.DIR there
- Me, this big one; you, that small one.
Predication of possession
Predicative possession is constructed similarly to the dative construction in many languages, but the possessor is topicalized.
- הֲאַגְדְּ חֵמָא חִצָּא אַקְדֻּול.
- Ἁ-ἄγδδ ηαιμώ ηιτζζώ ἀκδδούλ.
- Ha-ˀaghd ḥémháˀ ḥittzáˀ ˀaqhdúl.
- TOP-1SG.NOM exist.IPFV-3PL excess.PL.DIR coin.PL.DIR
- I have too many coins. (lit. Me-wise, there are excess coins.)
Other dative-like uses of the topic marker
The topic marker also has absorbed many other functions of the dative in European languages, such as dative of interest or ethical dative. This use of the topic marker is more felicitous and predominant in subordinate clauses.
- הֲאַגְדְּ אֵי נַנְעַש?
- Ἁ-ἄγδδ ἀίϊ νανωάσζ;
- Ha-ˀaghd ˀéi nanˁaš?
- TOP=1SG.DIR what.DIR (2,3)-discuss.PFV
- What did you talk about (that is relevant to me)?
- הֲאַגְדּ לְהֵהּ הַסָבִיעַ.
- Ἁ-ἄγδδ λε-ἁίι ἁ-σώβείαω.
- Ha-ˀaghd le-héhh ha-sábhíaˁ.
- TOP=1SG.DIR RECENT_PAST=3SG(AN).DIR FOC=tender.SG.AN.DIR
- Towards me/In my opinion she was a warm person.
Focus affixes
Focus affixes mark the utterance as an answer to a question. Focused verbs are the usual response to polar questions.
- "ˁAnnú?" "ˁAdtúnáˀ."
- "Are you coming?" "No."
Focused verbs are also used for discourse functions.
- כַּזַגְדִּכֻו רַקּ, נַג מטִּיג, נַג וַבִּיץ, נַג פַרְשִין מַּהְּבִּינִי תֻּובָסָא.
- Χχαζαγδδίχου ράκκ, ναγ ματτείγ, ναγ ϝαββείτζ, ναγ φαρσζείν μααβεινεί ντουβωσώ.
- Cazaghdichú raq, nagh mhaṭígh, nagh fhabítz, nagh pharšín mahhbíní dtúbhásáˀ.
- be_embittered-1SG-AFF.FOC INF.write/IPFV, again INF/tranliterate/IPFV, again INF/vocalize/IPFV, again INF/decode/IPFV example-SG.GEN utterance-PL.DIR
- I'm just sick of having to write, AND transliterate, AND vocalize, AND gloss example sentences.
Relative clauses
Netagin uses deranked relative clauses that employ a possessive construction using the action noun of the verb. Resumptive pronouns are required as oblique arguments in the RC, and may be used in subject/DO positions as well. The position of tense particles in the RC is useful for reconstructing the aspect of the clause; they are found on the most patient-like argument when the verb is perfective and the most agentive argument when the verb is imperfective. Relative clauses are negated with the prefix míl- ('un-, lack of') which is hyphenated to the verb.
- הַוָרָשֹ לְאָ֬תָי דַ֬סִּילַת?
- Ἁ-ϝωρώθζ λε-ὠθώϊ νδασσειλάθ;
- Ha-fháráś le-ˀáthái ndassílath?
- TOP=silver.SG.DIR RECENT_PAST=1PL.GEN earn/AXN-SG.GEN
- What of the money we've been earning? [lit. as for the money of past-our earning]
Using the plural form of the verbal noun indicates pluractionality, which is required for plural absolutive NPs in relative clauses as well as for plural actions.
- כֳּלָל וְּטֻונָא
- χχολώλ ϝϝτουνώ
- colál fṭhúnáˀ
- bird.PL.DIR migrate/AXN.PL-GEN
- birds that migrate
- שְֹבָר אֲ֬גִיםּ שַֹבִּירוֹנָי
- θζβώρ νἀγείμμ θζαββειραυνώϊ
- śbhár nˀaghím śabírónái
- fish.SG.DIR 1SG.GEN fish/AXN-PL.GEN
- the fish I catch
RCs of the form "which is NP" can be rendered with apposition (FOC=[predicate NP]-INS).
- אֲגִיםּ חָ֬שִי, הַמִּזְרֵגָם דְּיוֹם
- ἀγείμμ νηωσζεί, ἁ-μμιζραιγώμ δδιαύμ
- ˀaghím nḥáší, ha-mizréghámh dyómh
- 1SG.GEN sister.SG.DIR FOC=student.SG.INS still
- my sister, who is still a student
Relative clauses may occur before the noun in poetry.
Instrument clauses
The sense of "by X-ing/having X do Y" is conveyed by an isomorphic construction, but the action noun occurs in the instrumental case.
- אַנְעֻונִיָּתֵג גֶּשְלִין צְבָבֵל
- ἀνωουνειιωθαίγ γγεσζλείν τζεβωβαίλ
- ˀanˁúníyáthégh gešlín tzebhábhél
- AXN-press-AXN-INS button-LOC three/times
- by pressing the button thrice
Complement clauses
Complement clauses can be formed in two ways. The first is more common in literary usage, and makes use of raising:
- נְרַמִּיץ הֶתִי דַנּיא לְטַּזְטֵּזֵג.
- Νεραμμείτζ ἑθί δαννεί λετταζτταιζαίγ.
- Neramítz hethí dhanníˀ leṭazṭézégh.
- (2,3)-know.IPFV 3SG.ACC INF/cook mediocre-ADV
- You know him/her to be a mediocre cook.
The second is more active in more common speech and uses a complementizer ṭú.
- רִמַּצַןּ הֵהּ טֻּו לְדַנִּיא לְטַּזְטֵּזֵג.
- Ριμματζανν ἁίι ττού λεδαννεί λετταζτταιζαίγ.
- Rimatzann héhh ṭú ledhanníˀ leṭazṭézégh.
- be.aware.IPFV-2SG 3SG.NOM COMP (0,3)-cook mediocre-ADV
- You know s/he's not the best cook.
Questions
Questions do not use a question particle (except e.g. hén in leading "tag" questions), nor is there normally a change in word order.
| Interrogatives | |
|---|---|
| Netagin | Gloss |
| mí | who |
| ˀéiN | what |
| mah | what (determiner) |
| léimáˀ | which one |
| mánabh | where |
| mór ˀášéináˀ |
when |
| ˀamínáˀ | how |
| michlím | how much/many |
| ˀellú céináˀ |
why |
Clitics
Clitics serve a diversity of functions in Netagin. The order of pre-NP clitics is as follows: epistemic-tense-topic/focus.
Inpositional
Netagin adpositions come in second position (cf. the Latin phrase magna cum laude) unless the object is pronominal, in which case they are prepositional.
- קִּב כִיםּ
- γκιβ χειμμ
- qibh chím
- for 1SG.GEN
- for me
- תִּפְלוֹן אָ֬נָי תַּ֬ל אִ֬מַּת
- θθιφλαύν νὠνώϊ νθαλ νἰμμάθ
- tiphlón nˀánái dtal nˀimath
- letter.INAN.DIR 2PL.GEN from mother-HON.GEN
- a letter from your mother
The following lists common adpositions. If two cases are listed, the accusative case denotes movement to the position.
| Adpositions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Adposition | Case | Gloss |
| talN | genitive | from |
| qibhL | genitive | for the sake of |
| cíL | genitive | in order that |
| qrúthN | genitive | lest, in order that... not |
| ˁarN | instrumental | with (accompanying) |
| ˀelN | instrumental | without |
| déráˀL | accusative | because of |
| hídhL | accusative | towards |
| mašN | locative, accusative | in, within |
| celN | locative, accusative | above, over |
| dónL | genitive, accusative | on, about |
| nótzL | genitive, accusative | before, in front of |
| cadL | locative | when |
| tarN | locative, accusative | after, behind, for (locative) |
| meṭáˀL | locative, accusative | over, beyond, through |
| bachN | locative, accusative | below, under |
| ferrN | genitive, accusative | between, among |
| yirinL | genitive | instead of |
Usage of cí/qrúth/cad/nótz/tar
Purpose clauses and time clauses have a different structure than independent clauses. The subject is declined in the appropriate case and occupies first position, and the infinitive form is used for the verb.
- מִּבְלוֹקִי קְרֻות תַקַם צָּפִיחַ
- Μμιβλαυκεί κρούθ θακαμ τζωφείαη
- Mibhlóqhí qhrúth thaqhamh tzáphíaḥ
- ice-SG.GEN lest INF-melt.PFV early
- lest the ice melt prematurely
Pronominal subjects follow the conjunction:
- תַּר נֻו לָט!
- Θθαρ νου λώτ!
- Tar nú láṭh!
- after 2PC.ACC INF.die.PFV
- After you die! (hostile response to a command/request)
Discourse
| Discourse particles | |
|---|---|
| ha-L | topic, vocative |
| ha-N | focus, new information |
| déL | after all |
| ˀéibháˁ | don't you know? |
| hén | tag question |
Epistemic
| Epistemic modal particles | |
|---|---|
| ṭim | "probably" |
| qáš | "must" |
| ca-L | "can/might" |
| hégh | "I doubt that..." |
Tense
Tense marking can be omitted or shifted depending on the context; narrative texts, for instance, will record tense relative to the present time of the story. Tense is marked on the most patientive argument available if the verb is perfective, and on the most agentive argument if the verb is imperfective.
| Tense particles | |
|---|---|
| Netagin | Gloss |
| l- | recent past |
| š- | historical, >20 years ago |
| ben | future |
Attitudinal
Attitudinal clitics typically precede the verb.
| Attitudinal particles | |
|---|---|
| Netagin | Gloss |
| nacL | happiness, excitement |
| šúN | entreaty for empathy, "so" |
| ˀichL | optative |
| dimL | hope |
| qrúthN | fear/warning, 'lest' |
- דִּיתִיב שֹֻו רַצַמְגְ!
- Δδειθείβ θζού ρατζάμγ!
- Díthíbh śú ratzamhgh!
- today so be_saggy/PFV-1SG
- I've been so exhausted today!
Jussive
- וָּחִין בַּר וֲּעָן!
- Ϝϝωηείν ββαρ ϝϝαωών!
- Fáḥín bar faˁán!
- order.PFV-3SG then INF-come.PFV
- Let her come then! (lit. tell her to come)
Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions always come in second position.
| Conjunctions | |
|---|---|
| Coordinating | |
| Netagin | Gloss |
| fa- (fu- / _C[+labial]) | and (nominal/adjectival) |
| ˀis | and (sentential) |
| mó | or |
| ˀach | but |
| ˀóth | but/rather |
| Subordinating | |
| Netagin | Gloss |
| ṭúL | that [complement clause] |
| haṭhúL | if |
| ˀaph | although, even if |
| barL | then |
| gúnN | because |
| habhráˀL | so, therefore |
Syntax
Sjowaazhéñ is SOV but not completely head-final.