Essanian

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Essanian (Native: xanhán /ʃaˈɲan/) is an Iberian Romance language descended from Mozarabic.

Essanian
La lengua xanhana
لَلَانْغُوَ شَنَّنَ
Pronunciation[[Help:IPA|la ˈleŋgwa ʃaˈɲana]]
Created byShariifka
Early forms
Mozarabic
  • Old Essanian
    • Middle Essanian

Introduction

Etymology

The endonym xanhán is derived from the place name Xanha, from Latin Hispānia.

The English name Essanian is derived from the Medieval Latin equivalent Essanianus from Middle Essanian exanyán.

Phonology

Orthography

Latin orthography

Alphabet
Letter Name IPA
A a a [ä]
B b be [be̞]
C c ce [t͡ʃe̞]
Ç ç çe [θe̞]
D d de [d̪e̞]
E e e [e̞]
F f efe [ˈe̞fe̞]
G g ge [d͡ʒe̞]
Gh gh ghen [ʕe̞n]
H h haca [ˈhäkä]
Letter Name IPA
I i i [i]
J j jota [ˈd͡ʒo̞t̪ä]
K k ka [kä]
L l ele [ˈe̞le̞]
Lh lh elhe [ˈe̞ʎe̞]
M m eme [ˈe̞me̞]
N n ene [ˈe̞ne̞]
Nh nh enhe [ˈe̞ɲe̞]
O o o [o̞]
P p pe [pe̞]
Letter Name IPA
Q q cu [ku]
R r erre [ˈe̞re̞]
S s esse [ˈe̞se̞]
T t te [t̪e̞]
U u u [u]
V v ve [ve̞]
W w we [we̞]
X x exe [ˈe̞ʃe̞]
Y y ye [je̞]
Z z zeta [ˈðe̞t̪ä]
Consonants
Consonants
Letter Context IPA Examples Remarks
b word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨m⟩ or ⟨n⟩ [b]
elsewhere (i.e. after a vowel, even across a word boundary, or after any consonant other than ⟨m⟩ or ⟨n⟩) [β̞]
c before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ [tʃ] or [ʃ] (depending on the dialect)
elsewhere [k]
before voiced consonants [ɣ˕]
ch everywhere [tʃ] or [ʃ] (depending on the dialect)
ç everywhere [θ] or [s] (depending on the dialect)
d word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨l⟩ or ⟨n⟩ [d̪]
after ⟨n⟩ word-finally Ø
elsewhere [ð̞]
f everywhere [f]
g before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [dʒ]
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts [ʒ]
not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [ɡ]
not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts [ɣ˕]
gh everywhere [ʕ] In Arabic loanwords
gu before ⟨a⟩ or ⟨o⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [ɡw]
before ⟨a⟩ or ⟨o⟩, and not in the above contexts [ɣ˕w]
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [ɡ]
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts [ɣ˕]
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [ɡw]
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts [ɣ˕w]
h everywhere [h] or [ħ] or [x] Generally occurs in loanwords.
everywhere (rare) Ø Occurs in loanwords where the letter is silent in the original language. May be pronounced [h] as a spelling pronunciation.
j either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩ [dʒ]
elsewhere [ʒ]
k rare; only occurs in a few loanwords and sensational spellings [k]
l everywhere [l]
lh everywhere [ʎ]
m everywhere except word-finally [m]
word-final [n] or [ŋ] (depending on the dialect)
n everywhere but before other consonants and word-finally [n]
before other consonants [m]; [ɱ]; [n]; [n̪]; [ɲ]; [ŋ] Assimilates to the following consonant’s place of articulation.
word-finally [n] or [ŋ] (depending on the dialect)
nh everywhere [ɲ]
p everywhere [p]
in the consonant cluster ⟨pt⟩ [β̞]
qu before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ [k]
elsewhere [kw]
only occurs before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ [kw]
r word-initial, morpheme-initial,

or after ⟨l⟩, ⟨n⟩, ⟨s⟩, or ⟨z⟩; in emphatic speech may also be used instead of [ɾ] in syllable-final (especially before ⟨l⟩, ⟨m⟩, ⟨n⟩, ⟨s⟩, ⟨t⟩, or ⟨d⟩) and word-final positions (before pause or consonant-initial words only)

[r]
elsewhere [ɾ]
rr only occurs between vowels [r]
s before a voiced consonant (e.g. ⟨l⟩, ⟨m⟩, ⟨d⟩,⟨g⟩) or between vowels [z]
everywhere else [s]
ss only occurs between vowels [s]
t everywhere [t̪]
before voiced consonants [ð̞]
v everywhere [v]
w everywhere [w]
x everywhere [ʃ]
between vowels and word-finally [ks] In words of Latin or Greek origin; may be replaced with ⟨cs⟩ or ⟨s⟩ (with the associated pronunciation change).
before a consonant [ks] or [s] In words of Latin or Greek origin; may be replaced with ⟨s⟩ (and pronounced accordingly).
in the prefix ex- [z]; [s] before a plosive
y as a semivowel (almost always in a diphthong) [i] or [j]
as a consonant [j]
z everywhere except word-finally [ð] or [z] (depending on the dialect)
word-finally [θ] or [s] (depending on the dialect)
Vowels
Monophthong Vowels
Letter IPA Examples Remarks
a [ä]
e [e̞]
i [i]
y Rare. Only commonly used as a vowel in the conjunction y and the homophonous adverbial pronoun.
o [o̞]
u [u]
Vowel letters behaving as semivowels [1]
Letter IPA Examples Remarks
i i before a vowel [j]
u u before a vowel (but silent in qu, also gu before an e or i) [w]
Stress

Stress in a word is determined from the way it is written by the following rules:

  • If there is any vowel with an acute accent, that vowel is stressed.
  • If there is no vowel with an acute accent:
    1. The penultimate vowel is stressed if the word ends in a vowel, vowel + -n, or vowel + -s.
    2. The ultimate vowel is stressed if the word ends in any consonant other than -n or -s.
    3. i + vowel and u + vowel are treated as one syllable.

Consonants

Vowels

Prosody

Stress

Primary stress may occur in any of the last three syllables of a word.

Intonation

Phonotactics

Morphophonology

Morphology

Articles

Definite Article

Essanian definite article
Singular Plural
Masculine el; l' (before vowels) los
Feminine la; l' (before a) les
Neuter lo

Indefinite Article

Essanian indefinite article
Singular Plural
Masculine un unos
Feminine una unes
Neuter uno

Pronouns

Personal pronouns
Essanian personal pronouns
Person and number Independent Clitic
Subject Object Reflexive Object Possessive Direct object Indirect object Reflexive Possessive
1st Singular yo mi miyu/miyos, miya/miyes, miyo me, m'1 mo(n)2/mos, ma(n)2/mes
Plural nós; nosotros nues/nuesos, nuesa/nueses, nueso nos
2nd Singular Informal tu ti tuw/tuwos, tuwa/tuwes, tuwo te, t'1 to(n)2/tos, ta(n)2/tes
Formal (masc.) vucé suw/suwos, suwa/suwes, suwo lu, l'1, l3 lhi se, s'1 so(n)2/sos, sa(n)2/ses
Formal (fem.) la, l'4
Plural Informal vós; vosotros vues/vuesos, vuesa/vueses, vueso vos
Formal (masc.) vucés lor/loros, lora/lores, loro los lhis se, s'1, sen5
Formal (fem.) les
3rd Singular Masculine elh suw/suwos, suwa/suwes, suwo lu, l'1, l (post-verbal after vowel) lhi, lh'1 se, s'1 so(n)/sos, sa(n)/ses
Feminine elha la, l'4
Neuter elho lo, l'1
Plural Masculine elhos lor/loros, lora/lores, loro los lhis se, s'1, sen5
Feminine elhes les

Notes:

1 Preverbal before vowel.

2 -n is added when following word begins in a vowel. Also note that in more archaic forms of Essanian, a glide may be added after the initial consonant of the clitic possessives (-i- in the first person and -u- in the second and third persons).

3 Post-verbal after vowel.

4 Preverbal before a.

5 Post-verbal after non-finite form (infinitive, participles, etc.).

Syntax

Constituent order

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1)

Totos los seros umanos naxen horros ed equalos en dinitá i dreitos. Dotatos de rachón y conxencha, deven comportar-sen los unos colos otros en ruhu de germantá.

Other resources

Notes

  1. ^ In Essanian, the letters i and u can combine with other vowels to form falling and rising diphthongs. Y can also form falling diphthongs, almost always word-finally.