Scellan/Middle

< Scellan
Revision as of 16:26, 31 May 2019 by IlL (talk | contribs) (→‎Syntax)

Middle Skellan is the direct descendant of Tigol that was spoken in Skella. It had become Early Modern Skellan around fT 1150.

Phonology

Consonants

The Skellan spirantization had taken place: The Tigol lenited consonants ḃ ṗ ḋ ṫ ġ ċ /b bʰ d dʰ g gʰ/ had shifted to /v f ð θ ɣ x/. Compare Anbiric (Anbirese and Ciètian), which experienced a different consonant shift.

Labial Dental/Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal fortis mm /M/ nn /N/ ññ /Ŋ/
lenis m /m/ n /n/ ñ /ŋ/
Plosive aspirated p /pʰ/ t /tʰ/ c /kʰ/
plain b /p/ d /t/ g /k/
Non-sibilant unvoiced f /f/ þ /θ/ ç /x/ h /h/
voiced v /v/ ð /ð/ ȝ /ɣ/
Sibilant s /s̻/, z /s̺/ x /ʃ/
Affricate ts /ts/ tx /tʃ/
Resonant fortis rr /R/, ll /L̃/
lenis r /r/, l /l̃/

Vowels

Middle Skellan had an asymmetric vowel system. Vowel length, inherited from Tigol, was in the process of being replaced with vowel quality (cf. American English).

Scellan/Middle vowels
Front Central Back
unrounded rounded unrounded rounded unrounded rounded
short long short long short long short long
Close i /ɪ/ í /i(ː)/ ü /ʏ/ y /ɨ/ ú /ʉ(ː)/ u /ʊ/
Mid e /ɛ/ é /e(ː)/ ö /œ/ o /ɔ/ ó /o(ː)/
Open a /a/ á /ɒ(ː)/

Diphthongs: ai aü ei eu iu oe ui ia ua = /ai ay ei eu iu oe ui iɐ uɐ/

Morphology

Nouns

Verbs

Syntax

Tíogall grammar, minus the split-ergativity.