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

Grayis vowels have phonemic length, and phonetic differences based on stress. Where unstressed vowels have a different phonetic realization, it appears on the right of the tilde in square brackets.

Short Vowels: Long Vowels:
Front Central Back Front Central Back
High i
[i ~ i]
u
[u ~ ʊ]
High ī
[iː]
ū
[uː]
Mid Mid ai
[ai̯ ~ e̞ː]
au
[au̯ ~ o̞ː]
Low a
[ä]
Low ā
[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 3 morae in the rime (VVC). When determining stress, the following order takes precedence:

VːC > VVC > Vː > VV > VC > V

(E.g. āt > aut > ā > au > at > a)

If syllabic weights are equal, the left-most of the equal syllables is stressed. E.g. tā́kkum ‘wide’ /ˈtaːk.kʊm/, grawukkái ‘worm’ /gra.wukˈkai/, irúntutim ‘cold weather’ /iˈrun.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 chillīkka 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

Grayis personal pronouns are divided into five categories which may be considered registers of formality, though rather than describing hierarchical relationships, they are determined by the familial and educational relationships between the speakers.

Equal Family Stranger / Neutral Teacher / Parent Student / Child
The Equal register is used with friends, acquaint-ances, coworkers, and others you interact with regularly who do not fall into any of the other categories. This is the “default” formality re-gister in Grayis. The Family register is similar to the Equal re-gister, except that it denotes that the listener is a member of the speaker’s family. The Stranger register is used with anyone whom the speaker does not know personally. The Teacher register is used when addressing teachers, parents, men-tors, sometimes grand-parents. The Student register is used when addressing students, the speaker’s own children or grand-children, or anyone who is being taught, trained, or mentored by the speaker.
chal cham chā1 char chāh2 first person singular, ‘I’
kit kāl kālli chit3 second person singular ‘you’
yun yumi yun yunum yunīllah third person singular animate ‘he / she’4
wih third person singular inanimate ‘it’
kichal kicham (chā ha kāl)5 chakrālli6 jachīt first person dual inclusive ‘you and I, we’7
jāla jahla jal jālinum jahla first person plural, ‘we’
gīs gīt gillā gailinūh gīt second person plural, ‘you (all)’
yaum yaunūh8 yaunīllah9 third person plural animate, ‘they’
waih third person plural inanimate, ‘they, those things’10

1 Etymological reference to chātturharri ‘second brother’, indicates friendship.
2 Etymological reference to laichāh, the yellow shadow from the red sun, indicates compliance.
3 Etymological reference to chitir, the red shadow from the yellow sun, indicates truculence.
4 There is no gender distinction in the third person pronouns, though there is a distinction between animate (“he/she”) and inanimate (“it”).
5 There is not a single pronoun to represent this idea; instead it is rendered simply as “I and you”.
6 Metathesis of char+kālli, because /rk/ is not a legal intrasyllabic sequence.
7 The first person dual inclusive pronoun (“you and I”) 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.
8 “They who are my parents/mentors/teachers.”
9 “They who are my children/students.”
10 As with the third person singular, there is an animacy distinction in the third person plural (both rendered as ‘they’ in English).

Phrase Book

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

Swadesh List

For those of you who like this sort of thing!

  Grayis English   Grayis English   Grayis English
001 chal I 070 tidīntipi feather 139 raichillā to count
002 kit you 071 tunu hair (on head) 140 dimi to say
003 yun, wih he, she, it 072 upam head (anatomy) 141 tūranā to sing
004 jāla, kichal we 073 grigi ear 142 ayattan to play
005 gīs you 074 ruyu eye 143 achar to float
006 waih, yaum they 075 unna nose 144 tratūm to flow
007 itta this 076 chabah mouth 145 aitu to freeze
008 utta that 077 rakkas tooth 146 arib to swell
009 iddu here 078 mannī tongue 147 krīmuttād, lūpupaus sun
010 uddu there 079 ūgīttī fingernail 148 ailā moon
011 julkās who 080 tugi foot 149 ikī star
012 julkāt what 081 wuch leg 150 wīch water
013 julkād where 082 īju knee 151 chukutta rain
014 julkīn when 083 tāga hand 152 plīnum river
015 julkīl how 084 krillu wing 153 ūkkai lake
016 jai not 085 rudduk belly, abdomen 154 chamai sea
017 nakī all 086 īmus guts, entrails, intestines 155 tauki salt
018 mikidj many 087 ūta neck 156 brūk stone
019 limā some 088 chīlāk back 157 ikak sand
020 munnu few 089 durudj breast 158 mauddulā dust
021 iyūr other 090 trāchai heart 159 runar earth, soil, dirt
022 one 091 willunān liver 160 gakwai cloud
023 ai two 092 tudī to drink 161 trāki fog, mist
024 chil three 093 idwam to eat 162 iyatur sky
025 chirri four 094 kanna to bite 163 gribinta wind
026 kilai five 095 drūbat to suck 164 innirri snow
027 mīkkidj big, large 096 aikīch to spit 165 khihchis ice
028 luklai long 097 #N/A #N/A 166 īrra smoke (not steam)
029 tākkum wide, broad 098 wahyāh blow 167 pakwā fire
030 ruchi thick 099 ahman to breathe 168 mūnak ash, ashes
031 tattūmu heavy 100 khalāh to laugh 169 pakku burn
032 ina small, little 101 ijun to see 170 radal path, road, trail
033 īnaik short 102 ihka to hear 171 maunis mountain
034 bīru narrow 103 nibahkai to know 172 khūn red
035 mīrrichi thin 104 arūn to think 173 ruchī green
036 kanā woman 105 naram to smell 174 grāla yellow
037 raiwai man (adult male) 106 akkai to fear 175 yilūr white
038 lān person 107 jīttā to sleep 176 iyūb black
039 mikit child 108 akūra to live 177 līna night
040 īmmikanā wife 109 igī to die 178 gintā day
041 īmmiraiwai husband 110 ichak to kill 179 jannik year
042 ummā mother 111 pikat to fight 180 trabākutim hot (of weather)
043 tuma father 112 hantijus to hunt 181 iruntutim cold
044 mīka animal 113 igach to hit 182 tanū full
045 plati fish 114 chappa to cut 183 chupi new
046 ugīttī bird 115 chappai to split 184 trayi old
047 murāgi dog 116 tahkah to stab, to pierce 185 mūri good
048 īh louse 117 kitlig to scratch 186 kaita bad
049 katas snake 118 tantaichīyun to dig 187 ipis rotten
050 grawukkai worm 119 itān to swim 188 khaukku dirty
051 tānū tree 120 puyat to fly 189 wāchīn straight
052 tiradūntāt forest, woods 121 trala to walk 190 ūyu round
053 griyuch stick 122 tānu come 191 traigu sharp (of a knife)
054 rūna fruit 123 dārai to lie 192 mudub dull (of a knife)
055 īrit seed 124 sittan to sit 193 ās smooth
056 kadūn leaf 125 āmīd to stand 194 ichīs wet
057 bāru root 126 duru to turn 195 krās dry
058 rīkkud bark (of tree) 127 akīt to fall 196 braidim correct, right
059 tina flower 128 gaillāk to give 197 pichit near
060 dunidj grass 129 grauntā to hold 198 nunta far
061 īkaittā rope 130 būjih to squeeze 199 dijaiwi right, right-hand
062 grinin skin 131 brijar to rub 200 kurauwi left, left-hand
063 juchī flesh, meat 132 ganauri to wash 201 uk at
064 khūlunna blood 133 maunti to wipe 202 ji in
065 pūkkīch bone 134 attis to pull 203 nu with
066 tuya grease, fat 135 akkā to push 204 ha, ku and
067 addi egg 136 wiyīr to throw 205 if
068 kurunat horn 137 dalūh to tie, bind 206 udj because
069 tikkilai tail 138 gribbun to sew 207 turuh name