Celabrian (Celabrian: girṭeʒ [ˈɡiɾtʼɛd͡z]) is an Indo-European language.

Introduction

Etymology

The name Celabrian comes from the tribal name Celabri (Greek: Κελαβροί) < Proto-Celabrian *kelabʰras "warrior" (compare Modern Celabrian č̣łavr [t͡ʃʼɫavɾ]) < *kelas "spear" (< PIE *gʷelH- "to throw, pierce"; compare Modern Celabrian č̣ał [t͡ʃʼaɫ] "weapon") + *-bʰras "bearer" (< PIE *bʰer- "to bear, carry").

The endonym girṭeʒ comes from gir "Celabrian" (< PC *wīras "man" < PIE *wiHrós "man, warrior") + ṭeʒ "language" (< PC *tancūs "tongue" < PIE *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s). The formal language is known as bonṭeʒ [ˈbontʼɛd͡z], from bon "clear, eloquent" (< PC *bʰānas < PIE *bʰeh₂- "to shine; to speak"). The classical language is known as akrəṭeʒ [ˈakʰɾətʼɛd͡z] (Classical Celabrian: akʰra tanci [ˈakʰɾa ˈtant͡si]), from akr "precise, sharp" (< PC *akʰras "sharp" < PIE *h₂ḱrós). The colloquial language is known as łøðṭeʒ [ˈɫ̪œtʼːɛd͡z], from łøð "masses, common folk" (< PC *aleudʰis < PIE *h₁léwdʰis "people").

Phonology

Orthography

Consonant phonemes of Standard Celabrian
Labial Dental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal m [m] n [n] ň [ɲ] ŋ [ŋ]
Plosive voiceless p [pʰ] t [tʰ] [cʰ] k [kʰ] q [q ~ ʔ]1
voiced b [b] d [d] ǵ [ɟ] g [ɡ]
ejective [pʼ] [tʼ] ḳ́ [cʼ] [kʼ]
Affricate voiceless c [t͡sʰ] č [t͡ʃʰ]
voiced ʒ [d͡z] ǯ [d͡ʒ]
ejective [t͡sʼ] č̣ [t͡ʃʼ]
Fricative voiceless f [f] θ [θ] s [s] š [ʃ] [ç] x [χ ~ h]1
voiced v [v] ð [ð] z [z] ž [ʒ] j [ʝ] h [ɦ ~ ʁ]1
Approximant central ř [ɻ]
lateral ł [ɫ̪] l [l] ľ [ʎ]
Trill [r]
Flap r [ɾ]

Notes:

1 The guttural consonants q, x, and h can be pronounced uvular or glottal depending on environment. The allophones are summarized in the table below. When two pronunciations are given, both are allowed but the first is more common.

Phoneme Adjacent to consonant Not adjacent to consonant
initial medial final
q q ʔ ~ q
x χ χ ~ h h ~ χ
h ʁ ɦ ɦ ~ ʁ ʁ

Vowels

Vowel phonemes of Standard Celabrian
Front Central Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
Close i [i] y [y] u [u]
Mid e [ɛ] ø [œ] ə [ə] o [ɔ]
Open a [a]

Prosody

Stress

Intonation

Phonotactics

Morphophonology

Historical phonology

PIE to Early Proto-Celabrian (PC)

*h1e > e
*a, *h2e > a
*(H)o, *h3e > a 
*ē, *eh1 > ē
*eh2 > ā
*ō, *oH, *eh3 > ō
*iH > ī
*uH > ū
stress shifts (often to penultimate syllable/mora)
*w, *y > Ø / in long diphthongs
*CHC > CaC
*HC- > aC- / #_
*r̥H > ra
*l̥H > la
*n̥H > na
*m̥H > ma
*r̥ > ri, ar
*l̥ > li, al
*m̥ > am
*n̥ > an
-m > -n / _#, _C (assimilates to place of articulation of following consonant)
labiovelar > plain velar
palatovelar > plain velar / _r, _l, _n, _s
*p; *t; *ḱ; *k > pʰ; tʰ; cʰ /t͡sʰ/; kʰ
*b; *d; *ǵ; *g > p; t; c /t͡s/; k
*ǵʰ > *ʒʰ /d͡zʱ/ (other voiced aspirates preserved)
sbʰ; sdʰ; sʒʰ; sgʰ > spʰ; stʰ; scʰ; skʰ
*s > š / r_, u_, K_, i_ (ruki sound law)
Transcription differences (without sound change):
*y > j
*Vy > Vi
*Vu > Vu

Early PC to Late PC

ē > ī / _ns
ē > ā / otherwise
 In some dialects, this takes place after the palatalization of velars, affecting some words that were reborrowed into the standard dialect.
ei, eje > ī
e > i / with i in following syllable
s, š > Ø / _n, _m (lengthen preceding vowel, even if intervening consonant is present)
s > Ø / #_r, #_l
sr, šr > rr / non-initial
sl, šl > ll / non-initial
velar stop (k, kʰ, gʰ) > palatal stop (ḱ, ḱʰ, ǵʰ) / before front vowels or j - at this stage, palatalization is allophonic

Late PC to Old Celabrian

ḱ; ḱʰ; ǵʰ > č /t͡ʃ/; čʰ /t͡ʃʰ/; ǯ /d͡ʒʱ/
stop consonant + tʰ > ttʰ
-s, -t > disappear / _#
s- > ž / #_
-s- > h / V_V
sT; sP; sC; sČ; sK > θ; f; s; š; x
Kš > ččʰ
Ps, Ts > ss
sw > xʷ
w > gʷ / #_, after sonorant
w > ʷ / C_
w > v /V_V
Pj > *Pš > šš (where P represents any labial stop)
Tj > ČČ
Cj > CC
Čj > ČČ
nj; lj; rj; sj > ň; ľ; ř; š / #_, C_
nj; lj; rj; sj > ňň; ľľ; řř; šš / V_V
mj > mň
Kn > ň-, -ňň-
Tn > nn
Pn > mn
j > ǵ / #_
bʰ; dʰ; ʒʰ; ǯʰ > b; d; ʒ; ǯ
gʰ > g / adjacent to sonorant
gʰ > ɣ / otherwise
e > ja / before a, in non-final closed syllables
e > je / except when final, in diphthong, or immediately followed by nasal
ō > vø̄-, -ø̄-
ū > vȳ, -ȳ-
ai > jē-, -ē-
eu > jø̄, -ø̄-
au > vø̄, -ø̄-
o (from loanwords) > vo / #_
e > je / #_
ē > jē / #_

Old Celabrian to Classical Celabrian

cʰ; ʒ; čʰ > s; z; š / except after n, l
ž > ř /ɹ/
ā > ō / except in final syllable
Unstressed final syllable vowels (does not affect monosyllabic words):
 short vowel > disappears
 ā > a
 ī, ē, ø̄, ȳ > i
Stressed final syllable vowels (including in monosyllabic words):
 ȳ; ø̄ > ī; ē

Classical Celabrian to Standard Modern Celabrian

mb; nd; nʒ; nǯ; ŋg > m; n; n; ň; ŋ
a > ə / before nasal in closed syllable
a; o; u > e; ø; y / when followed by /i/ in following syllable - similar changes affect long
final unstressed -a > -ə


Morphology

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

Celabrian personal pronouns
Person and number Absolutive Emphatic Ergative Dative Genitive Ablative Locative Instrumental Adverbial Vocative
1st Singular am anʒ
Plural ne
2nd Singular Informal ti
Formal
Plural ǵi

Nouns

Cases

Number

Adjectives

Verbs

Syntax

Constituent order

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Other resources