Inland North Czech

In the Lõis timeline, Inland North Czech (natively český gazyk /ˈtʃɜskɛj ˈjæzək/) is a descendant of old Bohemian dialects spoken by an Amish-like Christian sect descended from the Bohemian Brethren in Canada and the Inland North area of the United States. It shares certain vowel shifts with Inland North English (which is also the standard Canadian accent in Lõis) and has a stratum of Dutch and Low German loanwords.

The everyday spoken register of Inland North Czech is in diglossia with the liturgical language which is based on the Kralice Bible. The differences mainly lie in morphology, syntax, and vocabulary.

The orthography for Inland North Czech is based on the old Brethren orthography of Czech.

This page will only describe the phonology.

Phonology

Consonants

Similar to Standard Czech, but voiceless stops are sometimes aspirated as in English

mě is [mjɜ]

preserves the distinction between ł and l as [ʁ] (may be [w], or zero depending on dialect) and [l~ɫ]

ǧ (old /g/ in loanwords) is [ɣ~x]

Vowels

Inland North Czech has lost vowel length, having changed the length distinction into a quality/diphthong distinction.

It has the following 11 vowel phonemes, including diphthongs:

• a -> /a/ ⟨a⟩
• o -> /ʌ/ ⟨o⟩
• á -> /eæ̯/ ⟨á⟩
• e -> /ɜ/ ⟨e⟩
• ej -> /aj/ ⟨eg⟩
• é -> /i/ ⟨é⟩
• ou and initial ú -> /o/ ⟨au⟩
• u -> /ɤ/ ⟨u⟩
• ů -> /u/ ⟨ů⟩
• i/y -> /e/ ⟨y/i⟩
• í -> /i/ ⟨j⟩
• ý -> /ɛj/ ⟨ý⟩

Morphology

Nouns

5 cases; acc = gen or nom, entirely depending on animacy

'Dog'

• Nom. /pɜs, pse/
• Gen./Acc. /psa, psu/
• Dat./Loc. /psɤ, psum/
• Ins. /psɜm, psama/

'Tree'

• Nom./Acc. /strʌm, strʌme/
• Gen. /strʌma, strʌmu/
• Dat./Loc. /strʌmʌve, strʌmum/
• Ins. /strʌmɜm, strʌmama/

'Wife'

• Nom. /ʒɜna, ʒɜne/
• Gen./Acc. /ʒɜne, ʒɜn/
• Dat./Loc. /ʒɜnjɜ, ʒɜnum/
• Ins. /ʒɜno, ʒɜnama/

'Leaf'

• nom./acc. /lest, lesce/
• gen. /lesce, lesci/
• dat. /lesce, lescim/
• ins. /lesci, lestma~lescama/

'Word'

• Nom./Acc. /swʌvʌ, swʌva/
• Gen. /swʌva, swʌf/
• Dat./Loc. /swʌvɤ, swʌvum/
• Ins. /swʌvɜm, swʌva/