Grayis

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Grayis
Grayis
Pronunciation[/ˈgrä.jɪs/]
Created byBenJamin P. Johnson,

additionally creator of:

Date2018
SettingPlanet Oyrigin
Language codes
ISO 639-3none

Grayis is an a priori language created by BenJamin P. Johnson for Infinite Mind Pictures, Inc. to serve as the language of the Grayis Kin, one of six alien races who feature in the board game and upcoming screenplay Pilots of Gallaxia.

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i · ī
[ɪ · iː]
u · ū
[ʊ · uː]
Mid ai
[e̞ː ~ ai̯]
au
[o̞ː ~ au̯]
Low a · ā
[ä · äː]

Consonants

Labial Coronal Dorsal Glottal
Plosive p · b t · d k · g
Affricate ch [ʧ] · j [ʤ]
Fricative s · kh · [x] h ·
Approximant · w · j
Tap or Trill · r [r~ɾ]
Lateral · l
Nasal · m · n

Orthography

/ m n p b t d k g ʧ ʤ s x h w j r l i ai̯ ä äː au̯ u /
m n p b t d k g ch j s kh h w j r l i ī ai a ā au u ū
  • /ʤ/ is spelt ‹dj› when word-final.

Phonotactics

  • Words cannot start with /s/.
  • /h/ cannot occur intervocalically or follow another consonant.
  • /s/ can only occur word-finally.
  • Words cannot end with /g/ or any consonant cluster.
  • Vowels (except for diphthongs) must be separated by a consonant.
  • Word-initial consonant clusters are limited to [plosive]+[liquid] (i.e. {ptkbdg} + {lr}), but not /tl/ or /dl/.
  • Intervocalic clusters may be:
    • Geminate plosives or sonorants: /pp/, /tt/, /kk/, /bb/, /dd/, /ll/, /rr/, /mm/, /nn/; but not /gg/.
    • Any [plosive]+[liquid] combination: /pl/, /pl/, /tl/, /tr/, /kl/, /kr/, /bl/, /br/, /dl/, /dr/, /gl/, /gr/
    • Any [plosive]+/w/: /pw/, /tw/, /kw/, /bw/, /dw/, /gw/
    • Any [nasal]+[unvoiced plosive] or [affricate]: /mp/, /nt/, /nk/, /nʧ/, /nʤ/
    • Also: /ngw/, /hk/, /hw/, /hj/
  • Unstressed /au/ is realized as [o̞ː]
  • Unstressed /ai/ is realized as [e̞ː]
  • Unstressed /a/ may be realized as [ə] or [ɐ]
  • /ʧ/ may be realized as [ʨ] for some speakers.

Stress

Stress is determined by mora weight of the rime. No syllable can have more than 5 morae (CLVVC) and the rime can have a maximum of three (VVC). When determining stress, the following order takes precedence:

VːC > VVC > Vː > VV > VC > V

If any syllabic weights are equal, the left-most of the equal syllables is stressed. E.g. tā́kkum ‘wide’ /ˈtaːk.kʊm/, grawukkái ‘worm’ /gra.wukˈkai/, irrúntutim ‘cold weather’ /irˈrun.tu.tim/.

When stress deviates from this pattern it is indicated by an acute diacritic. (Examples above are not normally accented, but acute is used for illustrative purposes.)

Numbers

The Grayis number system is nonal (base-9), but has reflexes of an ancient system based on multiples of 3, which can be observed in the etymology of the basic numbers.

Grayis Decimal Meaning
1 (1)
ai 2 (2)
chil 3 (3)
chirri 4 (3+1)
kilai 5 (3+2)
aichī 6 (2×3)
chalayī 7 (4×2-1?)
nauri 8 (9-1)
9 (9) (=10 in nonal)
chillīkka 27 (=30 in nonal: 33, ‘great three’)

Further numbers are formed by compounding using the word ha ‘and’.

Na (Teens) Dec. Non. Ayinnā (20) Dec. Non. Tens Dec. Non. Multiples Dec. Non.
narī 10 11 ayinnā ha rī 19 21 na- 9 10 32 10
nanai 11 12 ayinnā ha ai 20 22 ayinnā 18 20 duhkā 34 100
nachil 12 13 ayinnā ha chil 21 23 chillā 27 30 kaigu 36 1,000
nachirri 13 14 ayinnā ha chirri 22 24 chirrinnā 36 40 nakaigu 38 10,000
nakilai 14 15 ayinnā ha kilai 23 25 kilinnā 45 50 duhkakkaigu 310 100,000
nalaichī 15 16 ayinnā ha aichī 24 26 aichinnā 54 60 īlim 312 1,000,000
nachalayī 16 17 ayinnā ha chalayī 25 27 chalainā 63 70 jumai 314 1,000,000,000
nanāli 17 18 ayinnā ha nauri 26 28 naurinnā 72 80
ayinnā 18 20 chillīkka 27 30 duhkā 81 100

Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive
chal
I
challa
me
chalu
my
first person singular
kit
you
kitta
you
kitu
your
second person singular
yun
he/she
yunna
him/her
yunu
his/her
third person singular animate
wih
it
wikha
it
wikhu
its
third person singular inanimate
kichal
you and I / we
kichalla
you and me / us
kichalu
our
first person dual inclusive
jāla
we
jālaya
us
jālau
our
first person plural
gīs
you (all)
gikka
you (all)
gīku
your
second person plural
yaum
they
yumma
them
yumu
their
third person plural animate
waih
they
waiya
them
waikhu
their
third person plural inanimate
  • There is no gender distinction in the third person pronouns, though there is a distinction between animate (“he/she”) and inanimate (“it”).
  • There is a first person dual inclusive pronoun (“you and I”), but it is optional; there is not a plural inclusive, and all other first person non-singular roles are assumed by the first person plural, whether inclusive or exclusive.
  • As with the third person singular, there is an animacy distinction in the third person plural.

Phrase Book

What is your name? Turuh kitú julkāt? [tu'ruh ki'tu ʤul'kaːt]