Celabrian
Celabrian (Celabrian: gərṭeʒ [ɡəɾˈtʼed͡z]) is an Indo-European language.
| Celabrian | |
|---|---|
| gərṭeʒ | |
| Pronunciation | [ɡəɾˈtʼed͡z] |
| Created by | Shariifka |
Indo-European
| |
Early forms | Proto-Celabrian
|
Introduction
Etymology
The name Celabrian comes from the tribal name Celabri (Greek: Κελαβροί) < Proto-Celabrian *kelabʰras "warrior" (compare Modern Celabrian č̣łavṙ [t͡ʃʼɫavr]) < *kelas "spear" (< PIE *gʷelH- "to throw, pierce"; compare Modern Celabrian č̣ał [t͡ʃʼaɫ] "weapon") + *-bʰras "bearer" (thematization of earlier *-bʰēr < PIE *bʰer- "to bear, carry").
The endonym gərṭeʒ comes from gər "Celabrian" (< PC *wīras "man" < PIE *wiHrós "man, warrior") + ṭeʒ "language" (< PC *tancūs "tongue" < PIE *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s). The formal language is known as bonṭeʒ [bonˈtʼed͡z], from bon "clear, eloquent" (< PC *bʰānas < PIE *bʰeh₂- "to shine; to speak"). The classical language is known as akṙəṭeʒ [ˌakʰrəˈtʼed͡z] (Classical Celabrian: akʰra tanci [ˈakʰɾa ˈtant͡si]), from akṙ "precise, sharp" (< PC *akʰras "sharp" < PIE *h₂ḱrós). The colloquial language is known as łøðṭeʒ [ɫ̪œtʼˈtʼed͡z], from łøð "masses, common folk" (< PC *aleudʰis < PIE *h₁léwdʰis "people").
Phonology
Orthography
Celabrian is written with the Celabrian alphabet, which is ultimately derived from the Phoenician alphabet via Ancient Greek. In this article, a Romanization is used for convenience.
The majority of the letters are inherited from Ancient Greek. Some are internal developments, from variants or ligatures of other letters, and some are later borrowings from Greek. A few letters have an unknown or uncertain origin.
The names of the letters are Celabrian innovations.
Celabrian alphabet
| Letter | Romanization | IPA | Name | Origin | Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanization | IPA | Meaning | Script | Letter | ||||
| a | /ɑ/ | až | /ɑʒ/ | snake | Greek | Α | Inherited. | |
| b | /b/ | boz | /boz/ | arm | Greek | Β | Inherited. | |
| h | /ɦ ~ ʁ/ | haθ | /ɦɑθ/ | stranger, foreigner | Greek | Γ | Inherited. | |
| d | /d/ | dur | /duɾ/ | door | Greek | Δ | Inherited. | |
| e | /e/ | ječ | /jet͡ʃʰ/ | belly, guts, inside | Greek | Ε | Inherited. | |
| g | /ɡ/ | got | /ɡotʰ/ | axe | Greek | F | Inherited. | |
| z | /z/ | zan | /zɑn/ | goose | Greek | Ζ | Inherited. | |
| æ | /æ/ | jæʒ | /jæd͡z/ | goat | Greek | Η | Inherited. | |
| t | /tʰ/ | tøk | /tʰøkʰ/ | sprout, seedling | Greek | Θ | Inherited. | |
| ǵ | /ɟ/ | ǵuq | /ɟuʔ/ | yoke | Greek | Ι | From an early variant of jič. | |
| i | /i/ | jič | /jit͡ʃʰ/ | road, path | Greek | Ι | Inherited. | |
| ḳ | /kʼ/ | ḳṙiv | /kʼriv/ | carving | Greek | Κ | Inherited. | |
| ł | /ɫ/ | łæš | /ɫæʃ/ | (< læše "plough") | Greek | Λ | Inherited. | |
| c | /t͡sʰ/ | cək | /t͡sʰəkʰ/ | peg, hook | Greek | Ψ | From an early variant of sap. | |
| m | /m/ | myš | /myʃ/ | mouse | Greek | Μ | Inherited. | |
| n | /n/ | niθ | /niθ/ | seat, chair; sitting, meeting; situation | Greek | Ν | Inherited. | |
| č | /t͡ʃʰ/ | čar | /t͡ʃʰɑɾ/ | dry | Greek | Ξ | Inherited. | |
| u | /u/ | vun | /vun/ | water | Greek | Ο | Inherited. | |
| ṗ | /pʼ/ | ṗak | /pʼɑkʰ/ | club | Greek | Π | Inherited. | |
| c̣ | /t͡sʼ/ | c̣əm | /t͡sʼəm/ | molar | Greek | Ϻ (san) | Inherited. | |
| ḳ́ | /cʼ/ | ḳ́ø | /cʼø/ | cattle | Greek | Ϙ | Inherited. | |
| r | /ɾ/ | rot | /ɾotʰ/ | (< ṙot "cane") | Greek | Ρ | Inherited. | |
| ǯ | /d͡ʒ/ | ǯarm | /d͡ʒɑɾm/ | warm | ? | ? | Origin unknown. | |
| š | /ʃ/ | šaš | /ʃɑʃ/ | (< šašə "comb") | Greek | Σ | Inherited. | |
| ṭ | /tʼ/ | ṭaš | /tʼɑʃ/ | tear | Greek | Τ | Inherited. | |
| ň | /ɲ/ | ňam | /ɲɑm/ | shoot | ? | ? | Origin unknown. | |
| v | /v/ | vuš | /vuʃ/ | ox | Greek | Υ | Inherited. | |
| p | /pʰ/ | pit | /pʰitʰ/ | feather | Greek | Φ | Inherited. | |
| č̣ | /t͡ʃʼ/ | č̣alč | /t͡ʃʼɑltʃʰ/ | crossbow | ? | ? | Origin unknown. | |
| k | /kʰ/ | kap | /kʰɑpʰ/ | head | Greek | Χ | Inherited. | |
| ř | /ɹ/ | řeł | /ɹeɫ/ | gerboa | Greek? | Ϻ? | Origin uncertain. Probably from Greek Ϻ (san). | |
| s | /s/ | sap | /sɑpʰ/ | hoof | Greek | Ψ | Inherited. | |
| o | /o/ | vobl | /vobl/ | apple | Greek | Ω | Inherited. | |
| j | /j/ | jeł | /jeɫ/ | deer | Greek | Ι | Originally a variant of jič. | |
| ó | /o/ | vóḱ | /voc/ | eye | Greek | Ο | A later borrowing. | |
| l | /l/ | løv | /løv/ | child | ? | ? | Origin unknown. | |
| x́ | /ç/ | x́æł | /çæɫ/ | heat of the sun | ? | ? | Origin uncertain. | |
| ə | /ə/ | ət | /ətʰ/ | face | Armenian | Ը | Borrowed from Armenian. | |
| θ | /θ/ | θæh | /θæʁ/ | path | Greek | Θ | A later borrowing. | |
| f | /f/ | far | /fɑɾ/ | sparrow | Greek | Φ | A later borrowing. | |
| x | /h ~ χ/ | xał | /hɑɫ ~ χɑɫ/ | large fish, whale | Greek | Χ | A later borrowing. | |
| y | /y/ | vyrḱ | /vyɾcʰ/ | jar | Greek | Υ | A later borrowing. | |
| ø | /ø/ | vøš | /vøʃ/ | ear | Greek | ΟΙ | Originally a ligature of vun + jič. | |
| ŋ | /ŋ/ | ŋaš | /ŋɑʃ/ | silence | Greek | ΓΓ | Originally a ligature of haθ + haθ. | |
| ž | /ʒ/ | žam | /ʒɑm/ | hour | ? | ? | Originally a variant of ǯar. | |
| q | /ʔ ~ q/ | qłuθ | /qɫuθ/ | servant | Greek | Κ | Originally a variant of ḳṙiv. | |
| ḱ | /cʰ/ | ḱøt | /cʰøtʰ/ | fight | Greek | Χ | Originally a variant of kap. | |
| ʒ | /d͡z/ | ʒoč | /d͡zot͡ʃʰ/ | (< ʒočə "whip") | Greek | Ζ | Originally a variant of zan. | |
| ð | /ð/ | ðiš | /ðiʃ/ | axe, adze | Greek | Δ | Originally a variant of dur. | |
| ṙ | /r/ | ṙuž | /ruʒ/ | rye | Latin? | R? | Mostly likely borrowed from Latin R. Alternatively, may be from a variant of rot. | |
Consonants
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal1 | Velar2 | Uvular3 | Glottal3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | ň /ɲ/ | ŋ /ŋ/ | |||||
| Plosive | voiceless | p /pʰ/ | t /tʰ/ | ḱ /cʰ/ | k /kʰ/ | q /q ~ ʔ/ | |||
| voiced | b /b/ | d /d/ | ǵ /ɟ/ | g /ɡ/ | |||||
| ejective | ṗ /pʼ/ | ṭ /tʼ/ | ḳ́ /cʼ/ | ḳ /kʼ/ | |||||
| Affricate | voiceless | c /t͡sʰ/ | č /t͡ʃʰ/ | ||||||
| voiced | ʒ /d͡z/ | ǯ /d͡ʒ/ | |||||||
| ejective | c̣ /t͡sʼ/ | č̣ /t͡ʃʼ/ | |||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f /f/ | θ /θ/ | s /s/ | š /ʃ/ | x́ /ç/ | x /χ ~ h/ | ||
| voiced | v /v/ | ð /ð/ | z /z/ | ž /ʒ/ | j /ʝ ~ j/6 | h /ɦ ~ ʁ/ | |||
| Approximant | central | ř /ɹ/ | |||||||
| lateral | ł /ɫ/4 | l /l/5 | |||||||
| Trill | ṙ /r/7 | ||||||||
| Flap | r /ɾ/ | ||||||||
Notes:
1 Depending on dialect, the palatal obstruents ḱ, ǵ, ḳ́, x́, j /cʰ, ɟ, cʼ, ç, ʝ/ may be fronted to [t͡ɕʰ, d͡ʑ, t͡ɕʼ, ɕ, ʑ] or even [t͡ʃʰ, d͡ʒ, t͡ʃʼ, ʃ, ʒ] (merging with the corresponding postalveolars).
2 The velar consonants are truly velar when adjacent to front vowels and postvelar otherwise.
3 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 | In roots | In affixes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjacent to consonant in same morpheme |
Otherwise | Adjacent to non-root consonant | Otherwise | |||
| initial | medial | final | ||||
| q | q | ʔ ~ q | q | ʔ | ||
| x | χ | χ ~ h | h ~ χ | χ | h | |
| h | ʁ | ɦ | ɦ ~ ʁ | ʁ | ʁ | ɦ |
Note that in some dialects q is not guttural and is instead merged with g.
4 Alveolar [ɫ] before consonants, dental [ɫ̪] otherwise. Unless preceded by a consonant, the dental allophone may instead be pronounced [ð(ˠ)] or [ɮ̪(ˠ)] depending on dialect.
5 May be palatalized when adjacent to front vowels.
6 Pronounced [ʝ] syllable-initially. Otherwise, pronounced [j]. In non-careful or hypercorrect speech (particularly for speakers of dialects that front palatals), may be pronounced [j] in all environments.
7 Pronounced non-distinctively as [r ~ ɾ] after consonants. Otherwise, ṙ /r/ and r /ɾ/ are distinct.
Vowels
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | |
| Close | i /i/ | y /y/ | ə /ə/ | u /u/ |
| Mid | e /e/ | ø /ø/ | o, ó /o/1 | |
| Open | æ /æ/ | a /ɑ/ | ||
Notes:
1 The vowels o and ó are pronounced identically in Standard Celabrian. The different graphemes represent an etymological distinction: o comes Classical Celabrian long ō, while ó corresponds to Classical Celabrian short o (which was only present in loanwords). Some dialects distinguish these phonemes, pronouncing o as /ɔ/ and ó as /o/.
Prosody
Stress
Intonation
Phonotactics
Morphophonology
Vowel harmony
Celabrian has three vowel harmony systems: high, low, and mixed. These are shown in the table below:
| Harmony system | Front | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | unrounded | rounded | |
| High | i | y | ə | u |
| Low | e | a | ||
| Mixed | e | ə | ||
In this article, the following notation is used to represent vowel harmony in affixes:
- ə: high harmonizing vowel (ə/u/i/y)
- Represents back allomorphs (ə/u) when contrasted with i (= i/y), and unrounded allomorphs (ə/i) when contrasted with u (= u/y).
- a: low harmonizing vowel (a/e)
- e: mixed harmonizing vowel (ə/e)
Harmonizing affixes harmonize with the nearest vowel in the word they are attached to. Vowels within a word do not have to agree in frontness/backness, but they usually do except in compound words.
The mid rounded vowels o, ó, and ø are not affected by vowel harmony.
Palatalization
Velar and guttural consonants in harmonizing affixes are often palatalized when the harmonizing vowel is fronted. In this article, this is indicated with a ring above the consonant:
- k̊: k ~ ḱ
- g̊: g ~ ǵ
- ḳ̊: ḳ ~ ḳ́
- x̊: x ~ x́
- h̊: h ~ j
- q̊: q ~ ǵ
- ŋ̊: ŋ ~ ň
Voice assimilation
When a prefix beginning in an obstruent attaches to a word ending in an obstruent, the initial consonant of the prefix assimilates to the final consonant of the root in voicing. If their places of articulation are close enough, there may be complete assimilation. Similarly, a final obstruent in a prefix assimilates to a following obstruent. A similar process takes place with the first component of compound words, but this is not indicated in writing.
Palatal assimilation
This occurs when a prefix beginning in n or ł follows a word ending in a palatal consonant. In this circumstance:
- n > ň
- ł > l
Hiatus resolution
When vowels meet at morpheme boundaries, the following changes take place:
- ə + ə > a
- any other identical vowels merge into one of the same vowel
- a + æ, æ + a > æ
- æ + e, e + æ > e
- ə > disappears / before or after any vowel except ə
- close vowel > disappears / adjacent to homorganic mid vowel
- v is inserted between rounded vowel (o, ø, ó, u, y) and any adjacent vowel
- e; i > je; ji / after any non-rounded vowel
- a > ja / after unrounded front vowel
Vowel epenthesis
When an illegal consonant cluster would occur at a morpheme boundary, an epenthetic high vowel is inserted. This vowel harmonizes with the preceding vowel, or the following vowel if there is no preceding vowel.
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 significant sound change: *y > j *Vy > Vi *Vu > Vu
Early PC to Late PC
ē > ī / _ns ē > ā 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 / i_, ī_ (ruki is still productive at this point) 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 + t(ʰ) > ttʰ ns > s / when non-final (lengthens preceding vowel) s > š / ī_ -s, -š, -t > disappear / _# -r > disappear / ō_# s- > ž / #_ -s- > h / V_V sT; sP; sC; sČ; sK > htʰ /θ͡t̪͡θ/; hpʰ /φ͡p͡φ/; hcʰ /s͡t͡s/; hčʰ /ʃ͡t͡ʃ/; hkʰ /x͡k͡x/ Kš > ččʰ Ps, Ts, ss > ccʰ sw > xv w > gʷ / #_, after sonorant Pj > *Pš > ččʰ (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, V_# mj > mň Kn > ň-, -ňň- Tn > nn Pn > mn j > ǵ / #_ bʰ; dʰ; ʒʰ; ǯʰ > b; d; ʒ; ǯ gʰ > g / adjacent to nasal gʰ > ɣ / otherwise e > ja / before a; in non-final closed syllables e > je / except when final, in diphthong, or immediately followed by nasal *Note: The above two changes do not affect "e" in loanwords, probably because they differed in quality. After these changes occurred, the borrowed "e" merged with its native equivalent. ō > vø̄-, -ø̄- ū > vȳ, -ȳ- ai > jē-, -ē- eu > jø̄, -ø̄- au > vø̄, -ø̄- o (from loanwords) > vo / #_ e > je / #_ ē > jē / #_ ā > vā / #_
Transcription differences without significant sound change: w > v
Old Celabrian to Classical Celabrian
htʰ; hpʰ; hcʰ; hčʰ; hkʰ > θ; f; s; š; x cʰ; ʒ; čʰ > s; z; š / except after n, l ž, ř > ř /ɹ/ ā > ō / except in final syllable nasal + liquid > stop homorganic to nasal is inserted between them NC > C / #_ Unstressed final syllable vowels (does not affect monosyllabic words): short vowel > ə / when not followed by consonant, if dropping would lead to forbidden consonant cluster short vowel > disappears / when not followed by consonant, otherwise 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
v > ʷ / C_ a > ə / before nasal in closed syllable -ə > disappears / word-finally final unstressed -a > -ə ē > æ / _C long vowel > short e; i; ø; y > a; ɨ; o; u / Cʷ_ (but not v_) a; ə; e; o; ɨ; u > e; e; i; ø; i; y / when followed by i in following syllable ji > i / C_ gʷ > g velar > palatal / before front vowel or j Cʷ > uC / after stressed, open vowel Cʷ > C / otherwise iu > ju / _C nj; (l)lj; (r)rj > ň; ľ; ř j > disappears / after palatal or post-alveolar consonant v > disappears / after rounded vowel in unstressed syllables ou > o / _C u > f/v / V_C (agrees with following consonant in voicing) final unstressed -i > disappears b; d; ǯ; ǵ; g > v; ð; ž; j; ɣ / V_, r_ mb; nd; nʒ; nǯ; ňǵ; ŋg > nasal is dropped / _r, _l mb; nd; nʒ; nǯ; ňǵ; ŋg > m; n; n; ň; ň; ŋ / otherwise mp; nt; nc; nč; ňḱ; ŋk > b; d; ʒ; ǯ; ǵ; g mpʰ; ntʰ; ncʰ; nčʰ; ŋkʰ > nasal is dropped p; t; c; č; ḱ; k > ṗ; ṭ; c̣; č̣; ḳ́; ḳ / #_ p; t; c; č; ḱ; k > b; d; ʒ; ǯ; ǵ; q / V_, r_, l_ p; t; c; č; ḱ; k > pʰ; tʰ; cʰ; čʰ; ḱʰ; kʰ / s_, š_ h, x > x /χ ~ h/ r > ṙ /r/ / when initial or geminated r > r /ɾ/ / otherwise l > ł /ɫ/ / between vowels ɣ > disappears / before sonorant mn > m mň > ň geminate consonant > single consonant Tr > Č (in some dialects, preserved or instead > Ḱ) θr; ðr > š; ž Kl, Tl > Ḱ ľ > l pre-tonic vowel loss whenever possible, otherwise generally > ə (but sometimes preserved) Forms consonant clusters that are resolved as follows: nasal + obstruent > nasal assimilates to place of articulation of obstruent obstruent clusters assimilate to voicing of final obstruent ṙ > r / in clusters N + r/ř/l/ł > stop homorganic to nasal is inserted (but ň + r > ndr; n/ň + l/ł > nd) N + ľ > ňǵ s + r/ř/l/ł > str/stř/stṙ/skl/skł š + r/ř/ṙ/l/ł > štr/štř/štṙ/škl/škł z/ž + r/ř/ṙ > epenthetic -d- inserted affricate + stop > affricate becomes corresponding appropriately voiced fricative initial ř + consonant > ř becomes post-alveolar fricative T + s/z > c/ʒ Č + s/z > č/ǯ etc vowel harmony: unstressed vowels harmonize with stressed vowel in frontedness and sometimes roundedness (especially with high vowels) back (a; ə; ɨ, u) <-> front (e; e; i, y) unrounded (ɨ, i) <-> rounded (u, y) frontedness of stressed vowel may be affected by adjacent consonants (details TBD) stressed a sometimes > æ l, ł > merge before obstruents - become ł before velar/post-velar, and l otherwise r, ṙ, ř > merge before obstruents - become ř before dental, and r otherwise r > ṙ / _n r > ṙ / after consonants ɨ, ə > merge to ə (trace of distinction remains in low vs mixed vowel harmony)
Transcription differences without significant sound change: ɣ > h /ɦ ~ ʁ/ Cʰ > C
Morphology
Pronouns
Personal pronouns
| Person and number | Absolutive | Emphatic1 | Ergative | Dative | Genitive | Ablative | Locative | Instrumental | Adverbial | Vocative | Possessive suffix2 | Copulative suffix3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0th | jæk | akak | jækiq | jækid | jækix | jæke | jækim | jækiv | jæken | jæko | -ak | -ak | ||
| 1st | Singular | jam | akam | jaməq | jaməd | jaməx | jama | jaməm | jaməv | jaman | jamo | -am | -am | |
| Dual | ned | aknad | nediq | nedid | nedix | nede | nedim | nediv | neden | nedo | -nad | -om | ||
| Plural | vom | eḱňe | vomuq | vomud | vomux | voma | vomum | vomuv | voman | vomo | -na | -om | ||
| 2nd | Singular | Informal | tjev | akət | tjeviq | tjevid | tjevix | tjeve | tjevim | tjeviv | tjeven | tjevo | -ət | -as |
| Formal | řan | akka | řanəq | řanəd | řanəx | řana | řanəm | řanəv | řanan | řano | -g̊a | -ot | ||
| Dual | gad | akkad | gadəq | gadəd | gadəx | gada | gadəm | gadəv | gadan | gado | -g̊ad | -ot | ||
| Plural | vym | eḱḱe | vymyq | vymyd | vymyx | vyme | vymym | vymyv | vymen | vymo | -g̊a | -ot | ||
| 3rd | Singular | Animate | řev | akəř | řeviq | řevid | řevix | řeve | řevim | řeviv | řeven | řevo | -əř | -aθ |
| Inanimate | an | akən | (anəq) | anəd | anəx | ana | anəm | anəv | anan | ano | -ən | -an | ||
| Dual | Animate | ṭyn | akəš | ṭynyq | ṭynyd | ṭynyx | ṭyne | ṭynym | ṭynyv | ṭynen | ṭyno | -əš | -at | |
| Plural | Animate | tøt | eḱiš | tøtyq | tøtyd | tøtyx | tøte | tøtym | tøtyv | tøten | tøto | -əš | -at | |
| Inanimate | peł | eḱin | (pełiq) | pełid | pełix | pełe | pełim | pełiv | pełen | peło | -ən | -an | ||
| Reflexive | xon | akəx | xonuq | xonud | xonux | xona | xonum | xonuv | xonan | xono | -əx̊ | -ax̊ | ||
Notes:
1 Formed from the noun ak (pl. eḱ) "self" with possessive suffixes.
2 Possessive suffixes are stressed. The third person inanimate suffix -ən is distinguished from the definite article by stress.
3 Copulative suffixes are unstressed.
Nouns
Cases
Case endings are unstressed.
| Case | Usage | Ending | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | Citation form; subject of intransitive verb; object of transitive verb; object of adposition | – | |
| Ergative | Animate agent of transitive verb | -əq | |
| Dative | Recipient, destination, motion towards (lative), purpose | -əd | |
| Genitive | Possessor | -əx | Can take additional case endings. |
| Ablative | Origin, motion away, part of something (partitive) | -a | Can take additional case endings. Identical to partitive and plural/mass indefinite article. |
| Locative | Location | -əm | |
| Instrumental | Instrument, means; inanimate agent of transitive verb; cause/reason | -əv | |
| Adverbial | Forms adverbs, "as" | -an | |
| Vocative | Used for addressing someone/something | -o |
Number
Nouns can be singular or plural. Regular plurals are formed with the suffix -an. Many common nouns have irregular plural stems.
Definiteness
There are three levels of definiteness in Celabrian:
- Definite: Something specific that is known to both the speaker and listener, that has been previously mentioned, or that is uniquely specified. Equivalent to English "the" in "I saw the car."
- Semidefinite: Something specific that is identifiable by the speaker but not the listener or that has not been previously mentioned. Equivalent to English "a" in "I saw a car."
- Indefinite: Refers non-specifically to a member of a class. Equivalent to English "a" in "I need a car."
Nouns unmarked for definiteness are semidefinite by default. The definite article is -ən (added before case endings).
The indefinite article for singular, countable nouns is mə-. For plural and mass nouns, it is -a (equivalent to the ablative case ending and the partitive article).
Nouns with possessive suffixes do not take the definite article, but can take the indefinite article. Possessive suffixes come before case endings and the plural/uncountable indefinite suffix.
In addition to definite and indefinite articles, Celabrian has partitive and negative articles. The partitive article is -a (equivalent to the ablative case and the plural/mass indefinite article). It refers to a non-specific quantity of something. It is equivalent to English "some" in "I want some coffee."
The negative article is ka-. It specifies none of something, and is equivalent to English "no" in "I see no car."
All articles are unstressed. The articles are summarized in the table below:
| Article | Usage | Ending | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| possessed | singular countable | plural countable | uncountable | ||
| Definite | Something specific that is known to both speaker and listener, that has been previously mentioned, or that is uniquely specified. | – | -ən | ||
| Semidefinite | Something specific that is identifiable by the speaker but not the listener, or that has not been previously mentioned. | – | |||
| Indefinite | A non-specific member of a class. | (same as unpossessed noun) | mə- | -a | |
| Partitive | A non-specific quantity of something. | -a | |||
| Negative | None of something. | ka- | |||
Demonstratives
The far demonstrative is identical to the definite article. To specify the distance, a place adverb can be added.
Proximity is indicated with the suffix -s, which is added before case endings. When added to a word ending in the definite article, the -n is dropped.
Interrogatives
The interrogative is formed from nouns by suffixing -ǵ after any demonstrative endings and before case endings.
Adjectives
Adjectives are declined the same as nouns, agreeing with them in case and number. An adjective can also be used independently.
Nisba adjectives
Nisba adjectives are formed with the suffix -i.
Numbers
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Verbs
Structure
Verbs are made of the following components: Preverbal particle-Indirect object prefix-Agent prefix-[TAM prefix-(Derivation prefix-Stem-Derivation suffix)-TAM suffix]-Personal suffix
Not all components have to present in a given verb form. The portion within round brackets is known as the derived stem, and the portion within square brackets is known as the tense stem.
Preverbal particles
Personal affixes
There are three kinds of personal affixes, each with its designated position in the verb form. They are (in order of appearance):
- Indirect object prefixes: represent verbal arguments in the dative, ablative, locative, and/or instrumental cases.
- Agent prefixes: represent verbal argument in the ergative case.
- Personal suffixes: represent verbal argument in the absolutive case. They are equivalent to the corresponding copulative suffix.
| Person and Number | Prefix | Suffix | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indirect object | Agent | |||
| 0 | akə- | kə- | -ak | |
| 1 | S | amə- | mə- | -am |
| D + P | ana- | na- | -om | |
| 2 | SI | atə- | tə- | -as |
| SF + D + P | ag̊a- | g̊a- | -ot | |
| 3 | SA | ařə- | řə- | -aθ |
| SI + PI | anə- | – | -an | |
| DA + PA | ata- | ta- | -at | |
| R | ax̊a- | x̊a- | – | |
Stems
A Celabrian verb has three stems, known as the perfective, imperfective, and oblique stems. Regular verbs form the perfective and imperfective stems from the oblique via the suffixes -an- and -as- respectively. Irregular verbs have unpredictable stems.
Derived stems are formed by adding derivational affixes to the primary stem. Derived verbs include causatives, antipassives, and applicatives. Tense stems are formed by adding affixes to the main stem, whether primary or derived.
Tense, mood, aspect
| Tense | Mood | Usage | Stem | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present frame | Non-present frame | ||||
| Aorist | Indicative | Simple action in past. | Simple action in frame of reference. | P- | The aorist is considered the default tense. It expresses a simple action without reference to timeframe or completion. |
| Subjunctive | Simple action in frame of reference. | P-aš- | |||
| Perfect | Indicative | An action in the past that has present relevance. | An action before frame of reference that is still relevant. | ṭa-P- | The perfect prefix ṭa- can be added to other tenses to convert them into perfects. |
| Subjunctive | An action before frame of reference that is still relevant. | ṭa-P-aš- | |||
| Imperfect | Indicative | An ongoing action in frame of reference. | I- | ||
| Subjunctive | I-aš- | ||||
| Habitual | Indicative | A habitual/repeated action in frame of reference. | O-əm- | ||
| Subjunctive | O-əm-aš- | ||||
| Gnomic | Indicative | Expresses general truths. | O-əł- | ||
| Subjunctive | O-əł-aš- | ||||
| Past | Indicative | An action in the past. | An action that took place before frame of reference. | pa-P- | The past prefix pa- can be added to other tenses to place them in a past frame of reference. |
| Subjunctive | An action that took place before frame of reference. | pa-P-aš- | |||
| Future | Indicative | An action in the future. | An action that will take place after frame of reference. | ho-P- | The future prefix ho- can be added to other tenses to place them in a future frame of reference. |
| Subjunctive | An action that will take place after frame of reference. | ho-P-aš- | |||
| Present | Indicative | An action in the present. | An action taking place during frame of reference. | nə-P- | The present prefix nə- can be added to other tenses to place them in a present frame of reference. |
| Subjunctive | An action that is taking place during the frame of reference. | nə-P-aš- | |||
| Imperative | Forms a command or request in the second person. | – | SI: O SF/P:O-(ə)t |
The imperative is only used for the second person, and only when it is the absolutive argument of the verb. Otherwise, the jussive is used. The jussive can also be used as a more gentle/polite affirmative second person command. | |
| Jussive | Forms a command or request, or expresses an obligation. | Expresses an obligation in the frame of reference. | O- | ||
| Optative | Expresses a wish, or encourages an action. | Expresses a wish in the frame of reference. | O-aš- | Can be translated as "should/must" when the subject has control over the action, and "may" when the subject does not. Can also be used as a more gentle alternative to the jussive or imperative. | |
| Conditional | Expresses a hypothetical event/state that is dependent on some condition. | ṭa-O- | Can be translated as "would (have)". | ||
| Presumptive | Expresses a hypothetical event/state that is presupposed to be true. | ṭa-O-aš- | The presumptive is often paired with the conditional. | ||
Notes:
1 P = perfective stem; I = imperfective stem; O = oblique stem; Stress is always on last syllable before personal ending.
Voice
| Voice | Usage | Derived stem |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Default form of a verb. | – | |
| Applicative | Promotes an indirect object to absolutive, and demotes absolutive argument to dative. | et- | |
| Antipassive | Promotes ergative agent to absolutive, and demotes absolutive argument to dative. The cause (if present) takes the instrumental case. | -ar | Unlike the causative, if a cause is mentioned, it is not purposely causing the event. |
| Causative | Promotes ergative agent to absolutive, and demotes absolutive argument to dative. Causer takes ergative case. | -dor | Somewhat similar to antipassive, but it is implied that the causer is purposely causing the event. |
Denominal verbs
Syntax
Constituent order
The most common word order is AXTV, where V = verb, T = theme (absolutive argument: object of transitive, subject of intransitive), A = agent (ergative argument), X = other arguments. However, other words orders are allowed and common. In particular, words may be placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, especially if followed by the emphatic particle ǯe.
Noun phrase
Modifiers may precede or follow the noun they modify.
Verb phrase
The verb most often occurs at the end of the phrase.
Sentence phrase
Dependent clauses
Vocabulary
Time - koxan
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| spring | gəṙ |
| summer | mæ |
| fall | aṙ |
| winter | zmor |
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| January | ǵňoř |
| February | pṙoř |
| March | mařʒ |
| April | bṙił |
| May | maj |
| June | ḳ́aršoř |
| July | ǵyl |
| August | hušt |
| September | štabṙ |
| October | tebṙ |
| November | nebṙ |
| December | ṭjasabṙ |
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| Sunday | řonžvata |
| Monday | ṭyžvata |
| Tuesday | čižvata |
| Wednesday | štyržvata |
| Thursday | pečžvata |
| Friday | ǯumhə |
| Saturday | šəmad |
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| day | løm |
| dawn | røre |
| morning | fšiš |
| noon | mježløm |
| afternoon | gəfṙ |
| evening | šep |
| dusk | vøṙ |
| night | natə |
| midnight | mježnatə |
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| second | θæniye |
| minute | mot |
| hour | koxə |
| day | løm |
| week | řat |
| month | miš |
| season | x́øre |
| year | ǵat |
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| now | ni |
| then | |
| recently, a short time ago | |
| earlier | |
| soon, shortly | |
| later | |
| always | jeje |
| often | |
| sometimes | |
| rarely | |
| never | veve |
| ever | |
| still, yet | |
| already | |
| today | lømys |
| yesterday | ze |
| last night | zenatə |
| tomorrow night | monnatə |
| before yesterday | |
| two nights ago | |
| after tomorrow | |
| this week | |
| last week | |
| next week | |
| this year | ǵatəs |
| next year |
Colours - ṙəŋanən
| English | Celabrian |
|---|---|
| white | barǯə |
| grey | kani |
| black | |
| red | ḱermił |
| orange | narənǯi |
| brown | qaxvi |
| yellow | blør |
| green | zjeł |
| blue | |
| pink | |
| purple | |
| golden | zlati |