äreolang scratchpad

[äreo]

This'll be a general repository to keep me working. We'll start with Msěrsca's phonology (which hasn't changed much since I first posted it in September), orthography (which has), and whatever else this post ends up including.

/p b t d k/
/f s x/
/m n/
/r l j w/
/a ɛ ɪ o ʏ s̩ m̩ n̩/
/aː ɛː iː oː øː ʉː/

-syllables are (c(c))(v)(c(c))
-nasal + stop, nasal + fricative, /f s/ + stop, fricative + nasal, /tf df kf ps bs ts ds ks px tx/, /k/ + other stop, stop + /r l/, and fricative + /r l/ are allowed onsets, as are any of those clusters + /j/
-/mp mps nt nk nks sp st sk ps ts ks ms ns rs rt ls lt tx kt pj bj tj dj kj fj sj hj mj nj rj lj/ are possible codas

-/pj bj tj dj kj fj sj hj mj nj rj lj/ are [pç bʝ tʃ~c dʒ c fç ʃ ç mɲ ɲ ʒ ʎ]; in some dialects, /p b t d k f s x m n r l/ are [pʲ bʲ tʃ dʒ c fʲ ʃ ç mʲ ɲ rʲ ʎ] before /i/
-/ktj kdj/ are [ks gz]
-/r/ is [ɾ] intervocalically and finally
-/b d/ lenite intervocalically to [v ð]; palatalization before /i/ still applies
-/ji jiː wy wʉː/ do not occur beyond loanwords
-/px tx/ are [ʍ θ]
-/mx nx/ are [w ð]
-unvoiced consonants in /mf nf ms ns fb fd sb sd df bs ds kb kd/ assimilate to voiced

-/i o ʏ/ do not occur in stressed open syllables; in some dialects, neither does /ɛ/
-/s̩ m̩ n̩/ only occur in monosyllables or after a consonant, i.e. they do not begin multisyllabic words
-/a/ is [a] in closed syllables, [ɔ] everywhere else
-/i o y/ are [ɪ ɔ ʏ] in closed syllables, [ɪ~i u ʏ~y] in unstressed open syllables
-stress is usually on the first syllable; in words with long vowels, the first long vowel is usually stressed, e.g. sama -[ˈsamɔ] water but samá [sɔˈmoː] expanse; something like [sɔˈmɔ] is possible, but unlikely
-the first consonant in a cluster after a stressed vowel in a multisyllabic word will typically be parsed as a coda, e.g. mosca [ˈmɔs.kɔ] scholar but moscí [muˈsciː] fish

The consonants are represented rather straightforwardly; the written vowels contain a bit more etymological information. We'll explain them, then, diachronically. Msěrsca ~1000 BP had a tame set of short and long vowels—five each, in the typical configuration: /a ɛ i ɔ u aː eː iː oː uː/, whence <a e i o u á é í ó ú>. It also had the diphthongs /aɛ ɛa eːa ia iːa ɔa oːa ua uːa/ <ae ea éa ia ía oa óa ua úa>.

aː → ɔː → Central oː, Southeastern ɔu, Northern ɔɑ
uː → ʉː → Southeastern yː
eː → jɛ, jɛː
oː → wɛ → Central øː, Southeastern œʏ, Northern aɪ
iː → Northern ɛɪ
aɛ → aː
ɛa → ja
eːa → Central/Southeastern jɛː, Central/Northern ɛː
ia → ja
iːa → iː(j)a → Northern iː
ɔa → wa
oːa → Central øːa, Southeastern œɥa, Northern ɔɑ
ua → wa
uːa → Northern uː; Central ʉː(ɥ)a → Southeastern yː(ɥ)a

Some examples:
ául fuel C [oːʏl], S [ɔwʏɫ], N [ɔɑɫ]*
fóa fan, frond C [ˈføːɔ], S [ˈfœɥɔ], N [fɔɑ]
núal rope C [ˈnʉːal], S [ˈnyːaɫ], N [nuːɫ]
tós loaf C [tøːs], S [tœʏs], N [taɪʃ]
ílas all-out C [ˈiːlas], S [ˈiːɫas], N [ˈɛɪlas]
měit honey C [mɲɛc], S [mɲɛc], N [mɲɛtʃ]
dáně originate(s) (v., singular present) C [ˈdoːɲɛ], S [ˈdɔuɲɛ], N [ˈdɔɑɲɪ]
cól wheel C [køːl], S [kœʏɫ], N [kaɪɫ]
*This means that, in Northern dialects, ául fuel and ál beer are homophones—which might be reflective of the Northern way of life if only those icefuckers drank beer or mead (měteál) like the good people of the Center and Southeast instead of dobo [ˈdɔvu] which is more or less vodka and probably originated (dáněte) with barbarian tribes further to the north and east.

[WechtleinUns]

/f s x/ ?

That's pretty bold. I generally suck at examining phonological information, but I'll keep a tab on this thread. Have you got any morphosyntactical information up yet?

[jal]

/f s x/ ?
That's pretty bold.

Why would that be bold? That seems rather straight forward?


JAL

[äreo]

The words nalag tawrat appeared to me in a dream this morning, so I'm making a conlang for them to exist in. We'll start with some nominal morpho(phono)logy.

This language gradates consonants to distinguish case and number, and both nouns and adjectives are marked this way.

nalag tawrat /naˈlag tauˈrat/ nominative sing. — nalai tawradi /naˈlai tauˈradi/ nominative pl.
nalain tawradin /naˈlain tawˈradin/ accusative sing. — nalaina tawradina /naˈlaina tawˈradina/ accusative pl.
nala tawrad /naˈla tauˈrad/ genitive/partitive sing. — nalange tawrande /naˈlange tauˈrande/ genitive/partitive pl.
nalanig tawranit /naˈlanig tauˈranit/ dative sing. — nalanī tawranidi /nalaˈniː tauˈraniˌdi/ dative pl.
nalasag tawrasat /naˈlasag tauˈrasat/ locative sing. — nalasai tawrasadi /nalaˈsai ˌtauraˈsadi/ locative pl.
nalamilag tawramilat /naˈlamilag tawˈramiˌlat/ instrumental sing. — nalamilai tawramiladi /naˌlamiˈlai tawˌramiˈladi/ instrumental pl.

So gradation from the nominative singular to the genitive singular (the stems to which the other affixes are added) goes like this: emphatic consonants lenite to unemphatic voiceless consonants lenite to unemphatic voiced consonants, which third disappear. Thus the genitive of raṭ is rat, that of elas is elaz, and that of maiad is maia.

The above inflections of nalag tawrat also illustrate some phonotactical principles.

Syllables are (C)V(C).

In two-and three-syllable words, stress is generally on the second syllable of a word. But long vowels and diphthongs are weighted so as to give us nalanī /nalaˈniː/ rather than */naˈlaniː/ and nalasai /nalaˈsai/ rather than */naˈlasai/; if there are two long vowels, the first is stressed. In some dialects, closed syllables are similarly weighted, giving /nalaˈsag tauraˈsat/ for nalasag tawrasat.

In four-syllable words, stress is on the second syllable unless the second and third syllables contain the same vowel, in which case the latter is stressed. As above, long vowels and diphthongs can override this rule.

In longer words, an odd number of syllables moves stress to the penultimate syllable, and an even number results in a series of iambs. These rules, too, are affected by the presence of long vowels or diphthongs.

Phoneme inventory will be up in a bit.

The word nalag means pregnant, but also has a more colloquial usage to mean full, heavy, or grand; tawrat means insect or atom in the archaic sense, but is used in slang to refer to mental 'bugs': that is, ideas or memes. Thus nalag tawrat means—depending on register—either pregnant insect or big idea.

[äreo]

Nalag Tawrat phoneme inventory:

/p b t d k ɡ ʔ/
p b t d k g q
/tˤ kˤ/
ṭ ḳ
/m n/
m n
/f v s z ɬ ɮ x ħ/
f v s z x j h ḥ
/vˤ zˤ ɮˤ/
ṿ ẓ x̣
/r l j w/
r l y w

/a e i u aː eː iː uː/
a e i u ā ē ī ū

[Bristel]

Is Msĕrsca a future Anglic language (specifically American)?

[äreo]

Is Msĕrsca a future Anglic language (specifically American)?

No, though it does have some intentional derivations from IE languages, including English. What gave you that impression?

[äreo]

A bit of a story to help flesh out the Nalag Tawrat feel:

Yamī kutesali Arsasan ṿizeḥ.
[jaˈmiː kuˈtæsaˌli arˈsɒsaɱ‿vˤiˈzæħ]
live.PST.3S temples.LOC.PL Arsan.LOC scribe.NOM.SG
There lived in the city of Arsan a scribe.
Martē entarye Ẓarasti, sed mayēwd hami Ḥumarina Nazuye du Peterina ad Sudav.
[marˈtæː enˈtɒrje zˤaˈrɒsti sed maˈjæːwd xaˈmi ħuˈmɒriˌna naˈzuje du peˈtæriˌna ad suˈdɒv]
want.PST.3S join.INF Ẓarasti which.3P call.PASS.3P also master.ACC.PL stillness.GEN.SG or steward.ACC.PL DEF.GEN.SG vision.GEN.SG
He wanted to join the Ẓarasti, who are also called Masters of Stillness or Stewards of the Vision.
Yamirud ki ḥalastirud ūlusat perasaẓ Rukusam.
[jaˈmirud ki ħaˈlɒstiˌrud ˈuːluˌsat peˈrɒsazˤ ruˈkusam]
live.PRES.3P and worship.PRES.3P ancient.LOC.SG palace.LOC.SG Rukum.LOC
They live and worship in an ancient palace in Rukum.
Dame marat ulaya entaryewdin, nundarud ayat, sembarud aymāwrin.
[daˈmæ maˈrɒt uˈlɒja enˈtɒrjewˌdin nunˈdɒrud aˈjɒt semˈbɒrud ajˈmɒːwrin]
when want.PRES.3S person.NOM.SG join.INF-3P.ACC know.PRES.3P 3S send.PRES.3P messenger.ACC.SG
When someone wants to join them, they know, and they send a messenger.
Ka mit ayat aymāru ulayayn, pilat sax̣rin.
[ka ˈmit aˈjɒt ajˈmɒːru uˈlɒjajn piˈlɒt saɮˤˈrin]
NEG be.PRES.3S DEM.3S messenger.NOM.SG person.ACC.SG be.rather.PRES.3S entheogen.ACC.SG
This messenger is not a person, but a drug.

[äreo]

In the spirit of Lexember—though it is too late for us to participate in the usual way—here's a Msěrsca translation of an abridged prayer from Boëthius, which we'll use to develop semantic and grammatical principles over these last few days of the year:

Á tá co i idetemía sáth amina árme, laerne ě ascimn córex,
[oː toː kw‿i ˌɪðɛtɛˈmiːjɔ soːθ ˈamɪnɔ ˈoːɹ̝mɛ laːɹnɛ jɛ ˈascɪmŋ̩‿ˈkøːɾɛks]
VOC 2S REL in repeat-PR.PART reason govern.PRES world earth.GEN and heaven.GEN sew.AGT
Á Patre, fóssia co ála tissas ámosas psonthes cnaras,
[oː ˈpatrɛ ˈføːsːɪjɔ kw‿ˈoːlɔ ˈtɪsːas ˈoːmusas ˈpsɔnθɛs ˈknaɾas]
VOC father grant.IMP2 C mind 2S.GEN-DAT noble-DAT throne-DAT climb-SUBJ
fóssia co minnes mírna frella,
[ˈføːsːɪjɔ ku ˈmɪnːɛs ˈmiːɹ̝nɔ ˈfrɛl̴ːɔ]
grant.IMP2 C find-SUBJ good-GEN fount
fóssia co líscetaemía ála ctěntes-tas lissa xírit lísende.
[ˈføːsːɪjɔ ku ˌliːscɛtaːˈmiːjɔ ˈoːlɔ ˈksɛntɛs tas ˈlɪsːɔ ˈksiːɾɪt ˈliːsɛndɛ]
grant.IMP2 C light-have-PR.PART mind focus-SUBJ 2S.DAT 3S.GEN sharpen-PASS see.GER
Tá é míle asca, tá é sáthorín palli lessende,
[toː jɛː ˈmiːlɛ ˈaskɔ toː jɛː ˈsoːθuɾiːn ˈpal̴ːɪ ˈlɛsːɛndɛ]
2S be.PRES clear sky 2S be.PRES justice.ATT.PL-GEN peace.ATT rest.GER
co líses-ta é lorro—rimbíste, lámax, cdust, bosso, sinna, ěme.
[ku ˈliːsɛs tɔ jɛː ˈlɔru rɪmˈbiːstɛ ˈloːmaks gzʏst ˈbɔsːu ˈsɪnːɔ ˈjɛmɛ]
C see-SUBJ-2S.ACC be.PRES goal beginning move.AGT guide path end same

[äreo]

Some words of note from the prayer above:

sáth—this was ratiō in the original Latin, and was rendered in English as reason. Given the general character of this prayer, its closest equivalent might be the Egyptian Maat. The word sáthorín which occurs later in the prayer is related, deriving from sáthor virtue, justice with the attributive plural suffix -í and the genitive -n.

The vocative Á and the word patre for father are Msěrsca's closest forms to the original Latin, but both words vary dialectally. Northern dialects have Ae for Á, and the variants pětre, pare and pape for patre can be found more or less anywhere.

fóssia—this is an imperative you'd only use with God/the gods, the king, or a nobleman; if speaking to someone of common or lower rank, you'd say fósho.

ála—this translates both mēns and spīritus in the original Latin; includes both ka and ba.

palli—derived like sáthori: palle peace + -i attributive singular.

[äreo]

Idea for a relative of Msěrsca:

[ˈleːrnæ jæ ˈɑskimɑnɑ ˈkɑːɾæinɑksɑ] (~2250 BP)
[ˈlɛːrna ja ˈaskimana ˈkɔːɾɛinaksa] (~1750 BP)
[ˈlɛːrnə jə ˈaskimənə ˈkɔːɾeːnəksə] (~1250 BP)
[ˈlairne je ˈaskimən ˈkoːɾenəks] (~750 BP)
[laːɹnɛ jɛ ˈascɪmŋ̩‿ˈkøːɾɛks]
laerne ě ascimn córex

[ˈleːrnæ jæ ˈɑskimɑnɑ ˈkɑːɾæinɑksɑ] (~2250 BP)
[ˈleːrnɛ jɛ ˈastʃimana ˈkaːɾainaxsa] (~1750 BP)
[ˈleːrne je ˈaʃːimanə ˈkaːɾainasːə] (~1250 BP)
[ˈliːznɪ ʒɪ ˈaʃiman ˈkaːɾaʒnas] (~500 BP)
[ˈliːzni ʒ‿ˈaʃimã ˈkaːɾaɲas]
lízni j'asciman cárañas

/p b t d k ɡ/
/m n ɲ/
/f s z ʃ ʒ h/
/ɾ r l/
/a e i o u/
/aː eː iː oː uː ai au/
/ã ẽ õ ãe ão/
(C)V(t, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, l)

cáraz - to sew
e/ce/se cáz - he/she/it sews
e/ce/se cázta - he/she/it sewed
se j'cárat (bi...) - it is sewn (by...)

añaz - to own
e/ce/se an - he/she/it owns
e/ce/se anta - he/she/it owned
se j'añat - it is owned

iditaz - to repeat
e/ce/se idit - he/she/it repeats
e/ce/se idissa - he/she/it repeated
se j'iditat - it is repeated