Nurian

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Nurian/Lexicon

Nurian
nūrimēn
Created byIlL
Quihum
Language codes
ISO 639-3qnr
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Nurian (gaffēn nūrimēn) is a Talmic language descending from Thensarian, aesthetically inspired by Pali, Italian, and Arabic.

Introduction

Nurian is spoken in the western region of the continent called Cuadhlabh by Tigalls. It is easily the most conservative Talmic language, though with signficant influence from Dwischric, in particular Dūsswaren.

Historical phonology

  • -m > -n
  • -s > -h

Cluster assimilations!

Double consonants become single word-initially.

  • pl bl ml fl cl gl ngl > ppi bbi mmi ffi cci ggi ngi
  • ħl, ȝl > ħħ, ȝȝ
  • nl, rl > both ll
  • sp, st, sc, sȝ, sn, sl, sr > pph, tth, cch, ħħ, tth, nnh, llh, rrh
  • pr, fr, tr, θr, cr, ngr, ħr > pph, ff, tth, θθ, cch, ng, ħħ
  • br, dr, δr, gr, ȝr > bb, dd, δδ, gg, ȝȝ
  • mr > rr
  • cn, gn > ngh, ng
  • mn > nn
  • rC > CC
  • lC > uC/iC/:C
  • ft, ct > tt

Numbers

Phonology

The Nurian consonant inventory contains around 50 consonants and 10 vowels. A notable feature of the phonology of most Nurian accents is phonemic velarization vs. palatalization in hard-soft pairs. All consonants except /ħ ʕ h j/ are members of a hard-soft-pair. /ħ ʕ h j/ color the /a/ vowel as if they were soft, and /ħ ʕ/ tend to lower adjacent vowels. Nurian is quite phonologically conservative among Talmic languages, preserving vowel length and gemination.

Phonotactics

Nurian forbids all consonant clusters other than those of the form homorganic nasal + consonant. In compensation Nurian is rich in geminate consonants; word-medially, every consonant can be geminated except /j/ and /h/. Word-finally, usually only /n/, /h/ and vowels are allowed.

Dagȳne accent

Consonants

Consonant phonemes in Nurian (Dagȳne)
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Radical Glottal
hard soft hard soft hard soft
Nasal voiceless m̊ˠ m̊ʲ n̪̊ˠ n̊ʲ ɲ̊ ŋ̊
voiced n̪ˠ ɲ ŋ
Stop tenuis t̪ˠ k
aspirated pˠʰ pʲʰ t̪ˠʰ tʲʰ tʃʰ
voiced d̪ˠ ɡ
Fricative voiceless θˠ θʲ ħ h
voiced ðˠ ðʲ
Trill voiceless r̥ˠ r̥ʲ
voiced
Lateral voiceless l̥ˠ l̥ʲ
voiced
Approximant j ʕ
Notes
  • Voiceless stops and affricates are unaspirated.
  • All hard consonants are velarized (especially /rˠ, lˠ, θˠ, ðˠ/, which are uvularized).
  • All consonants are labialized before the back vowels /u, uː, uɔ/.
  • /tˠ, dˠ, nˠ/ are laminal denti-alveolar [t̪ˠ, d̪ˠ, n̪ˠ].
  • /tʲ, dʲ, nʲ/ are laminal alveolar [t̻ʲ, d̻ʲ, n̻ʲ].
  • /θˠ, θ, ðˠ, ð/ are dental spirants [θʶ, θ, ðʶ, ð].
  • /sˠ, sʲ, zˠ, zʲ/ are laminal denti-alveolar [s̪ˠ, s̪ʲ, z̪ˠ, z̪ʲ].
  • /rˠ/ is uvularized apical alveolar [r̺ʶ] or postalveolar [r̠ʶ]. When not geminated, it can either be a trill [rʶ] or a flap [ɾʶ].
  • /rʲ/ is palatalized alveolar flap [ɾ̪ʲ] and less commonly a trill [r̺ʲ]. It is always a trill [r̺ːʲ] when geminated.
  • /lˠ/ is a uvularized apical alveolar [l̺ʶ] or uvularized laminal denti-alveolar [l̪ʶ].
  • /lʲ/ is laminal alveolar [l̻ʲ].
  • /ɲ/ is postpalatal [ɲ̄].
  • /tʃ, dʒ, ʃ, ʒ/ are laminal palatalized alveolar [tʃʲ, dʒʲ, ʃʲ, ʒʲ].
  • Before /k, ɡ/, /n/ is realized as velar [ŋ].
  • /ħ/ has been variously described as pharyngeal [ħ] and epiglottal [ʜ].
  • /ʕ/ is an epiglottal approximant [ʕ̞].
  • /h/ is voiced [ɦ] after vowels and voiced consonants.

Vowels

Nurian has three short and three long monophthongs. There is a considerable degree of allophony in low vowels.

Vowel phonemes
Front Central Back
short long short long short long
Close /ɪ~ɪ̞/ /iː/ /ʊ/ /uː/
Open [ɛ~æ] [æː] /a/ /aː/ [ɑ] [ɑː]

Diphthongs: /aɪ aʊ iɛ uɔ/

Notes
  • Short /ɪ/ is lowered to [ɪ̞] after hard consonants.
  • /a aː/ each have three allophones:
    • [ɐ~ɑ ɑː] after non-radical hard consonants
    • [ɛ~æ æː] after soft consonants, radicals and /h/
  • Allophony of /a aː/ is, however, reduced in the speech of many younger speakers, who pronounce both as [ɐ aː]

Fiuggēra accent

The Fiuggēra [fudˈdʒæːrˁɑ] accent turns hard consonants into uvularized consonants, and soft consonants into plain.

  • θˠ ðˠ > fˁ vˁ
  • Non-rhotic

Consonants

Consonant phonemes (Fiuggēra)
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Radical Glottal
hard soft hard soft hard soft
Nasal voiceless m̊ʶ n̥ʶ ɲ̊ ŋ̊
voiced m n̪ʶ n ɲ ŋʶ
Stop tenuis p t
aspirated pʶʰ tʶʰ tʃʰ kʶʰ
voiced b d ɡʶ
Fricative voiceless f θ s ħ h
voiced ð z
Trill voiceless r̥ʶ
voiced r
Lateral voiceless ɬʶ ɬ
voiced l
Approximant w j ʕ


Notes
  • Hard consonants are uvularized, like Arabic emphatic consonants.

Orthography

Consonants

Consonants
Grapheme m p b f v n t d θ δ s z r l ng c g ħ ȝ h j
Hard /mˠ/ /pˠ/ /bˠ/ /fˠ/ /vˠ/ /nˠ/ /tˠ/ /dˠ/ /θˠ/ /ðˠ/ /sˠ/ /zˠ/ /rˠ/ /ɫ/ /ŋ/ /k/ /ɡ/ /ħ/ /ʕ/ /h/ /j/
Soft /mʲ/ /pʲ/ /bʲ/ /fʲ/ /vʲ/ /nʲ/ /tʲ/ /dʲ/ /θ/ /ð/ /sʲ/ /zʲ/ /rʲ/ /lʲ/ /ɲ/ /t͡ʃ/ /d͡ʒ/

Aspirated plosives and voiceless resonants /pʰˠ pʰʲ tʰˠ tʰʲ tʃʰ kʰ m̊ˠ m̊ʲ n̪̊ˠ n̊ʲ ɲ̊ ŋ̊ l̥ˠ l̥ʲ r̥ˠ r̥ʲ/ are written ph th ch mh nh ngh lh rh.

Vowels

  • a: hard /a/ [ɐ~ɑ]
  • ā: hard /aː/ [ɑː]
  • ai: hard /aɪ/ [ɐɪ~ɑɪ]
  • au: hard /aʊ/ [ɐʊ~ɑʊ]
  • y: hard /ɪ/ [ë]
  • y: hard /iː/
  • o, u: hard /ʊ/
  • ō: hard /uɔ/
  • ū: hard /uː/

  • ia, e: soft /a/ [ɛ]
  • iā, ē: soft /aː/ [æː]
  • iai: soft /aɪ/ [ɛɪ]
  • iau: soft /aʊ/ [ɛʊ]
  • i: soft /ɪ/
  • ī: soft /iː/
  • io, iu: soft /ʊ/
  • : soft /uɔ/
  • : soft /uː/
  • ie: soft /iə/


Grammar

Somewhat unusually, Nurian is verb-final with prepositions and modified-modifier order.

Nouns

Sgv-clv-plv system.

Nouns and adjectives

Masculine nouns

θȳron 'bird'
Singulative Collective Plurative
Indefinite θȳron θoθȳron θȳrīh
Definite θȳrae θoθȳrae θȳrinny

Feminine nouns

gondā 'body'
Singulative Collective Plurative
Indefinite gondā gogondā gondār
Definite gondām gogondām gondāsa

Neuter nouns

tettȳ 'child'
Singulative Collective Plurative
Indefinite tetty tetetty tectȳn
Definite tettyh tetettyh tectȳr

Mass nouns

jenā 'water' (n.)
Singulative Collective
Indefinite jenā jenenā
Definite jenaȝeh jenenaȝeh

Raddoppiamento sintattico

Some words or endings trigger a form of raddoppiamento sintattico on the next word, which is written as -r in the orthography.