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|date = 2014 | |date = 2014 | ||
|familycolor = Indo-European | |familycolor = Indo-European | ||
|fam1 = Indo-European | |fam1 = [[w:Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] | ||
|fam2 = Germanic | |fam2 = [[w:Germanic languages|Germanic]] | ||
|fam3 = West Germanic | |fam3 = [[w:West Germanic languages|West Germanic]] | ||
|fam4 = High German | |fam4 = [[w:Middle High German|High German]] | ||
|fam5 = Yiddish | |fam5 = [[w:Yiddish language|Yiddish]] | ||
|fam6 = Basque/Hebrew | |fam6 = [[w:Basque language|Basque]]/[[w:Hebrew language|Hebrew]] | ||
|creator = [[User:aquatiki|Robert Murphy]] | |creator = [[User:aquatiki|Robert Murphy]] | ||
|created = 2013 | |created = 2013 | ||
|setting = Jewish intermarriage / Systematic Theology | |setting = [[w:Interfaith marriage in Judaism|Jewish intermarriage]] / [[w:Systematic theology|Systematic Theology]] | ||
|posteriori = Yiddish | |posteriori = Yiddish | ||
|script = [[w:Hebrew script|Hebrew]] | |script = [[w:Hebrew script|Hebrew]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Weddish''' (''Weddish'': '''װעדיש''', ''X"Q'': '''וֶדִש''', ''Romanization'': '''Vediš''') is a constructed, ''a posteriori'', naturalistic [[auxlang]], made from Yiddish with heavy influences from Hebrew, English, German, and some Basque. It has ergative-absolutive [[Linguistics:Morphosyntactic alignment|morphosyntactic alignment]] and a pervasive yet symbolic use of the dual. It is meant to promote the institution of marriage, foster better communication between persons, and improve the | '''Weddish''' (''Weddish'': '''װעדיש''', ''X"Q'': '''וֶדִש''', ''Romanization'': '''Vediš''') is a constructed, ''a posteriori'', naturalistic [[auxlang]], made from Yiddish with heavy influences from Hebrew, English, German, and some Basque. It has ergative-absolutive [[Linguistics:Morphosyntactic alignment|morphosyntactic alignment]] and a pervasive yet symbolic use of the dual. It is meant to promote the institution of marriage, foster better communication between persons, and improve the constructs of Systematic Theological discussions. It is well-suited as an auxlang for Jewish intermarriage. | ||
The language was created in 2013 by [[User:aquatiki|Robert Murphy]] as part of an assignment at [[w:Covenant Theological Seminary|Covenant Theological Seminary]] for Professor Jerram Barrs. | The language was created in 2013 by [[User:aquatiki|Robert Murphy]] as part of an assignment at [[w:Covenant Theological Seminary|Covenant Theological Seminary]] for Professor Jerram Barrs. | ||
== Philosophy == | == Philosophy == | ||
First and foremost, there is the Creator-Creature distinction. That means, God is wholly other than the Universe. Second, human beings are made in the image of God. This means that we are persons -- like God is -- and our ''agency'' is our single-most important feature. Third, we reflect the image of God as females '''''and''''' males. The marriage bond is God-created and a fundamental part of our identity in this life. Hence it is, that we may divide the world into: actors, non-actors, and actions. Stated grammatically, this list becomes: ergative nouns, absolutive nouns, and verbs. Furthermore, ergative nouns may be divided up into married and non-married actors, which we will mark with the ''dual'' or not. | First and foremost, there is the [[w:Monism#Creator-creature_distinction|Creator-Creature distinction]]. That means, God is wholly other than the Universe. Second, human beings are made in the [[w:Image of God|image of God]]. This means that we are persons -- like God is -- and our ''agency'' is our single-most important feature. Third, we reflect the image of God as females '''''and''''' males. The marriage bond is God-created and a fundamental part of our identity in this life. Hence it is, that we may divide the world into: actors, non-actors, and actions. Stated grammatically, this list becomes: ergative nouns, absolutive nouns, and verbs. Furthermore, ergative nouns may be divided up into married and non-married actors, which we will mark with the ''dual'' or not. | ||
We have said that ontologically speaking, there are ultimately only two (God and not-God). However, the 800lb. gorilla in the room -- philosophically speaking -- is abstraction. Since before Pythagoras, abstract nouns (such as numbers, "goodness", etc.) had been held by the Greeks to be ontic. | We have said that ontologically speaking, there are ultimately only two (God and not-God). However, the 800lb. gorilla in the room -- philosophically speaking -- is [[w:Abstraction|abstraction]]. Since before [[w:Pythagoras|Pythagoras]], abstract nouns (such as numbers, "goodness", etc.) had been held by the Greeks to be [[w:Ontology|ontic]]. Westerners betray their affinity to Greek ideals, classifying humanity as ''homo sapiens'' - "thinking man". We seek to disenthrall ourselves from this metaphysic and banish abstract nouns from our language. Numerals are adjectives. Infinity is that which we cannot see the end of. Universals are the same as aggregates ("all" is the same as "sum" ... but not "some"!). | ||
The Language Creation Society ( | The [[w:Language Creation Society|Language Creation Society]] (a fine institution) waves a flag of the [[w:Tower of Babel|Tower of Babel]]. Unlike the hubristic men of the initial chapters ''In the Land of Invented Languages'' ([[w:Arika Okrent|Arika Okrent]]'s chronicle), we do not believe we can undo by human effort what God has done. Our aim is for Jews and Christians to discuss the truth in better terms. The status of English as a ''lingua franca'', German as a language of science, and Hebrew as a holy language suggests that an Indo-European language is still the best option for an ''a posteriori'' auxlang, but with Semitic components. Rather than compete with those vital languages, however, it seems most prudent to build upon a base of all at once, utilizing a language that is already as eclectic as English, similar to German, and utilizing Hebrew. That language is Yiddish. Basque serves as an inspiration for new categories and "outside the box" thinking. | ||
== Phonology == | == Phonology == | ||
Weddish has 25 consonantal sounds, which is typologically average <ref>http://wals.info/chapter/1</ref>, and common in Europe as well as the Middle East. English speakers will find it to be common, apart from the lack of <tt>/w/</tt> and the | Weddish has 25 consonantal sounds, which is typologically average <ref>http://wals.info/chapter/1</ref>, and common in Europe as well as the Middle East. English speakers will find it to be common, apart from the lack of <tt>/w/</tt> and the abundance of <tt>/x/</tt> (like the ''ch'' in ''Bach'' or ''loch''). Weddish has 6 vowels, which is also average<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/2</ref>, as is the resulting consonant-to-vowel ration<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/3</ref>. This is typologically equivalent to Yiddish and Hebrew, but far less than German or English. | ||
{| {{Table/bluetable}} style="float:left;" | {| {{Table/bluetable}} style="float:left;" | ||
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| '''אָו''' = ow | | '''אָו''' = ow | ||
|} | |} | ||
Voicing is contrastive in both plosives and fricatives, like Yiddish and English<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/4</ref>. Vowel nasalization and rounding are not phonemic<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/11</ref> | |||
<br clear="both" /> | <br clear="both" /> | ||
There are several issues in the pronunciation of individual sounds. The rhotic of Weddish is either alveolar or uvular<ref>As in Hebrew, uvular may be seen as the most prestigious form: http://wals.info/chapter/6</ref> and may be anything from a flap, to a trill, to an | There are several issues in the pronunciation of individual sounds. The rhotic of Weddish is either alveolar or uvular<ref>As in Hebrew, uvular may be seen as the most prestigious form: http://wals.info/chapter/6</ref> and may be anything from a fricative, to a flap, to a trill, to an approximant. No R-colors vowels are permitted. Words that begin with a vowel are separated from a prior open syllable by a glottal stop. The velar nasal only occurs when an "n" is assimilated in place of articular before or after an "x", "k", or "g", in a syllable coda<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/9</ref>. '''ng''' is pronounced <tt>/ŋg/</tt>, not just <tt>/ŋ/</tt>. '''L''' is typically dark (aka "velarized") except before '''i'''. '''Ayen''' is always romanized '''e''', but signifies the schwa in unaccented syllables. | ||
In the dialect of the Americas, central vowels retain a color of their original/short form. Elsewhere, they are all central, except <tt>/a/</tt> before glottals and <tt>/ɪ/</tt> before labials. Another dialect difference is that '''c''' and '''dž''' are pronounced <tt>/θ/</tt> and <tt>/ð/</tt><ref>http://wals.info/chapter/19</ref>. However, the rhotic is still not retroflex! | In the dialect of the Americas, central vowels retain a color of their original/short form. Elsewhere, they are all central, except <tt>/a/</tt> before glottals and <tt>/ɪ/</tt> before labials. Another dialect difference is that '''c''' and '''dž''' are sometimes pronounced <tt>/θ/</tt> and <tt>/ð/</tt><ref>http://wals.info/chapter/19</ref>. However, the rhotic is still not retroflex! | ||
=== Orthography === | === Orthography === | ||
Weddish written in the Hebrew alphabet, | Weddish written in the Hebrew alphabet, following the standard of YIVO Yiddish. There is a one-to-one correspondence between grapheme and phoneme, except for three digraphs and one trigraph. Weddish also has its own Romanization scheme, largely Slavic in appearance. In it, <tt>/ʃ/</tt> is written '''š''', <tt>/ʒ/</tt> is written '''ž''', <tt>/j/</tt> is written '''y''', <tt>/ts/</tt> is written '''c''', <tt>/tʃ/</tt> is written '''č''', <tt>/dʒ/</tt> is written '''dž''', and <tt>/ʁ/</tt> is written '''r'''. | ||
If the syllable after a diphthong begins with a vowel, the off-glide of the diphthong is doubled as the onset of that next syllable, '''''without being written again'''''. Thus '''zeyer''' is pronounced <tt>/zey.yer/</tt>. | If the syllable after a diphthong begins with a vowel, the off-glide of the diphthong is doubled as the onset of that next syllable, '''''without being written again'''''. Thus '''zeyer''' is pronounced <tt>/zey.yer/</tt>. | ||
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|} | |} | ||
There is also a highly ornate style of writing Weddish, called '''xtiv qoydeš''' ("holy writing", abbr. x"q) where letters are used not as an alphabet, but as an abjad. Vowels may or may not be written in this style. When written, they are written as diacritical marks ("points") around the consonants. In this style, '''v''' is written as '''ו''' and '''y''' as '''י'''. Vowels are as follows, with the '''א''' written | There is also a highly ornate style of writing Weddish, called '''xtiv qoydeš''' ("holy writing", abbr. x"q) where letters are used not as an alphabet, but as an abjad. Vowels may or may not be written in this style. When written, they are written as diacritical marks ("points") around the consonants. In this style, '''v''' is written as '''ו''' and '''y''' as '''י'''. Vowels are as follows, with the '''א''' written in syllables with no onset: | ||
{| {{Table/bluetable}} | {| {{Table/bluetable}} | ||
! Standard | ! Standard | ||
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| <tt>/ə/</tt> or syllabic | | <tt>/ə/</tt> or syllabic | ||
|} | |} | ||
Handwriting, or cursive, as the same as Hebrew and Yiddish. | |||
[[File:Alfabet.hebrajski.png]] | [[File:Alfabet.hebrajski.png]] | ||
== Phonotactics == | == Phonotactics == | ||
Weddish phonotactics are inherited from Yiddish, which are quite permissive on the world scale<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/12</ref>. While they do not rise to the level of Georgian or Salish, they are nevertheless difficult for English speakers. Gemination only becomes phonemic across word boundaries. Consonant clusters are spontaneously broken up across syllables in order to make codas less complicated and, if necessary, onsets more so. | Weddish phonotactics are inherited from Yiddish, which are quite permissive on the world scale<ref>http://wals.info/chapter/12</ref>. While they do not rise to the level of Georgian or Salish, they are nevertheless sometimes difficult for English speakers. Gemination only becomes phonemic across word boundaries. Consonant clusters are spontaneously broken up across syllables in order to make codas less complicated and, if necessary, onsets more so. | ||
=== Syllabic Consonants === | === Syllabic Consonants === | ||
Liquids and fricatives may be said syllabically. Syllabic consonants occur at the end of a word. In an unstressed syllable, syllabic sonorants and syllables with a reduced vowel are indistinguishable. In stressed syllables, no vowel is written, the onset and coda are optional or may consist of a single stop. | Liquids and fricatives may be said syllabically. Syllabic consonants often occur at the end of a word. In an unstressed syllable, syllabic sonorants and syllables with a reduced vowel are indistinguishable. In stressed syllables, no vowel is written, the onset and coda are optional or may consist of a single stop. | ||
=== Onsets === | === Onsets === | ||
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|} | |} | ||
There are also ''liquids plus stop plus homorganic, alveolar fricative'': '''lps, lbz, lks, lgz, rps, rbz, rks, rgz. | There are also ''liquids plus stop plus homorganic, alveolar fricative'': '''lps, lbz, lks, lgz, rps, rbz, rks, rgz.''' | ||
== Suprasegmentals == | == Suprasegmentals == | ||
Stress is predicable, if one knows the root of a word. The first syllable of the root receives primary stress, with secondary stresses | Stress is predicable, if one knows the root of a word. The first syllable of the root receives primary stress, with secondary stresses proceed out onto alternating syllables, forwards and backwards. (The major exception is the dual, which moves the stress of a word with an odd number of syllables.) The default rhythm of Weddish is ''trochaic'': '''stressed'''-unstressed. Neither vowel length nor stress is phonemic. Long vowels indicate stress. If the word is long, one of the first three syllables must have primary stress. Prefixes and suffixes all have an underlying vowel which is expressed or repressed in order to maintain the rhythm pattern. Two syllables with reduced vowels may not follow each other. | ||
Polar and interrogative questions are both marked by a rising tone at the end of the utterance. | |||
== Syntax == | == Syntax == | ||
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|order = SVO | |order = SVO | ||
}} | }} | ||
Weddish aims to appeal to English speakers. While the verbal-system is somewhat new, the noun-system should be easy. Nouns are not inflected, but pronouns | Weddish aims to appeal to English speakers. While the verbal-system is somewhat new, the noun-system should be easy. Nouns are not inflected, but pronouns have unique forms that show part of speech. Like German, articles inflect. The "genders" of Weddish are actually noun classes, a system taken from Basque. People, animals, and things that can move on their own are "animate", while plants and other objects are "inanimate". Independent third person singular personal pronouns have gender, as system like English's "he/she/it". Adjectives do not inflect unless substantive, and there are not many adjectives. | ||
[[File:MorphSyntAlign2.png|left]] | [[File:MorphSyntAlign2.png|left]]Weddish has an ergative-absolutive morphosyntactic alignment. This was purposefully chosen to stimulate thinking, and done in imitation of Basque. Most languages in the world treat the actor of transitive verb and the subject of an intransitive verb in the same way. The object of a transitive verb is special in these systems. It can be promoted to the subject via the passive voice. Normally, it must come after the verb. Weddish treats the ''object'' of a transitive verb and the subject of a transitive verb the same, called the "absolutive case". Actors of transitive verbs are specially, called the "ergative case". This is the special case in Weddish. It must come before the verb and can be demoted by the anti-passive voice. | ||
<br /> | <br /> | ||
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|} | |} | ||
By default, all nouns are in the ''absolutive'' case. But, if they are placed '''''before''''' the verb, then they are said to be in the ergative case, though their morphology is unchanged. | By default, all nouns are in the ''absolutive'' case. But, if they are placed '''''before''''' the verb, then they are said to be in the ergative case, though their morphology is unchanged. Linguists call these two case the "core cases" of a language, since they are fundamental. There are five additional cases --- called "non-core" cases --- in Weddish that are also very important. Unlike many languages that have ''suffixing'' case marking, Weddish has ''prefixing''. This is because they are derived from Hebrew Inseparable Prepositions (IP's). Phrases in the non-core cases either relate to the verb (and are hence, adverbial), or are in a noun phrase. In relation to nouns, the core cases are all seen as greater specificity ''within'' the genitive case. | ||
Non-core cases all fall under the umbrella term "genitive". The generic genitive is not a case ''per se'', but a preposition (meaning, a separable preposition). An expression like '''dos line fun gelt'''/''the love of money'' is even more ambiguous in Weddish than in English. It may mean ''the love belonging to money'', ''the love in/by money'', ''the love from/composed of money'', or ''the love as/according to money''. After a genitive phrase has been established or is implicitly understood, the phrase may be into a compound noun using the "head-second" structure. | Non-core cases all fall under the umbrella term "genitive". The generic genitive is not a case ''per se'', but a preposition (meaning, a separable preposition). An expression like '''דאַס לינע פֿונ געלט/dos line fun gelt'''/''the love of money'' is even more ambiguous in Weddish than in English. It may mean ''the love belonging to money'' (?), ''the love in/by money'', ''the love from/composed of money'', or ''the love as/according to money''. After a genitive phrase has been established or is implicitly understood, the phrase may incorporated be into a compound noun using the "head-second" structure. | ||
{| {{Table/bluetable}} | {| {{Table/bluetable}} | ||
|+ '''Case, Articles, and IP's''' | |+ '''Case, Articles, and IP's''' | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! | ! | ||
! <small> | ! <small>anim.sg</small> | ||
! <small> | ! <small>dl</small> | ||
! <small> | ! <small>inan.sg/pl</small> | ||
! <small>sg/dl</small> | ! <small>sg/dl</small> | ||
|- | |- | ||
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The dual ending is unique, in that is shifts the accent pattern of the root to itself. It may be written '''-áyim''' to indicate that shift. This shift triggers vowel reduction of of the previous syllable, if it is a diphthong (cutting it down to its first vowel). | The dual ending is unique, in that is shifts the accent pattern of the root to itself. It may be written '''-áyim''' to indicate that shift. This shift triggers vowel reduction of of the previous syllable, if it is a diphthong (cutting it down to its first vowel). | ||
Forms lacking the collective plural endings are automatically distributive. | The number affixes may be summarized as follows: | ||
* '''g-''' is the collective prefix, which turns most groups into "one's" | |||
* '''-áyim''' is the dual suffix, while '''-s/es''' and '''-n/en/in''' are the inanimate and animate distributive plurals respectively. Vowel reduction and/or umlaut may occur. | |||
* '''-z/ez''' is the associative plural | |||
Forms lacking the collective plural endings are automatically distributive unless singular. | |||
=== Pronouns === | === Pronouns === | ||
==== Independent Personal ==== | ==== Independent Personal ==== | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! <small>dl</small> | ! <small>dl</small> | ||
| '''{{C| | | '''{{C|gurekin}}''' | ||
| '''{{C|gu}}''' | | '''{{C|gu}}''' | ||
| '''{{C|gir}}''' | | '''{{C|gir}}''' | ||
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|- | |- | ||
! rowspan="4" | <big>3</big> | ! rowspan="4" | <big>3</big> | ||
! | ! anim. | ||
| '''-o''' | | '''-o''' | ||
| '''ro-''' | | '''ro-''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
! | ! inan. | ||
| '''-a''' | | '''-a''' | ||
| '''ya-''' | | '''ya-''' |
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