Branchidian

Introduction

Branchidian (Βραϸιλιγή Vźašilighî [vʐa.ʃɪ.li.ˈʝiː]) is a Hellenic language spoken by the Branchidian or Askula (Ασκύλα [ə.ˈsku.lə]) people in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It is descended from Ionic Greek, under influence from Bactrian, Tocharian, Sogdian, Persian, and Sanskrit, as well as loanwords from various other languages. The multitude of linguistic influences reflects its position on the Silk Road. It is written using a modified version of the Greek alphabet (see below). The most significant modification is the presence of ϸ ("sho") for [ʃ], and the reuse of ῥ and ρ (or ῤ) for [ʂ] and [ʐ], respectively.

Branchidian was originally conceived of around 2008 by a then-9-year-old Milith Iusiguto under a different name, and was originally a Japonic language. As her goals and interests shifted over the next few years, the idea was revamped and recast as a Hellenic language with Iranian influences, eventually picking up a connection to the real-life Branchidae in 2017, at which point it reached its current state.

Phonology

Consonants of Bactrian

Type		Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar		Glottal
								plain	labialized
Stops	Voiceless	ππ [p]	ττ [t]					κκ [k]
	Voiced	π [b]	τ [d]					κ [g]
Fricatives	Voiceless	φ [f]	θ [θ]	σ [s]	ϸ [ʃ]	ῥ [ʂ]		χ [x]		η [h]
	Voiced	β [v]	δ [ð]	ζ [z]		ρ, ῤ [ʐ]		γ [ʝ]	γ [ɣ]
Nasals		μ [m]	ν [n]
Approximants							ι [j]		ο [w]
Lateral approximants					λ [l]			λ [l]