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Consonants
p t k --p t k--
b d g --b d g--
m n --m n--
f s x --f s h--
v z --v z--
w j --w j--
r --r--
l --l--
Vowels
i u
e o
a
l m n r
(C)(C)V(C)
In non-initial syllables the second consonant can only be a semivowel, liquid, or nasal.
Stress
Words are lightly stressed on the first syllable
Allophony
/k/, /g/, /x/ = [c], [J\], [C] when preceding /j/ or a front vowel.
/tj/, /dj/, /sj/, /zj/ = [tS], [dZ], [S], [Z].
/ti/, /di/, /si/, /zi/ = [tSi], [dZi], [Si], [Zi].
/tu/, /du/, /su/, /zu/ = [tSu], [dZu], [Su], [Zu].
/r/ = [4] intervocalically.
Unvoiced fricatives are voiced when following a voiced stop, /r/, or /l/.
/x/ = [G] intervocalically.
/x/ = [h] word-initially.
/a/, /e/, /o/ = /6/, /E/, /O/ in closed syllables.
Vowels are long in open syllables and short in closed syllables.
Nouns & Adjectives
DETERMINERS CASE-ROOT-NUMBER
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CASE | Animate | Inanimate |
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Direct | Ø- | Subject, Agent, or Patient.
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Possessive | s(o)- | u(w)- | Marks the posessor of a noun.
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Dative | i(j)- | Indirect Object and object of a preposition.
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Instrumental | ag(a)- | h(e)- | By which means a verb is done.
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NUMBER | |
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Singular | -Ø |
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Dual | -ttu- |
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Plural | -ta- |
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ADJECTIVE | SG | DU | PL |
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Comparative | -sei | -sittu | -sida |
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Superlative | -zbo | -sattu | -sapta |
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Definite | SG | DU | PL |
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Definite | -na | -nattu | -nada |
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Indefinite | -tou | -tuttu | -tuda |
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A-ROOT-VOICE.MOOD.TENSE-P
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VOICE-MOOD-TENSE | Indicative | Subjunctive | Conditional | Optative | Imperative |
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Active Non-Past | -Ø- | -l- | -fa- | -ne- | -r- |
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Active Past | -zi- | -li- | -vvi- | -di- | -rri- |
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Medio-Passive Non-Past | -hu- | -gl- | -ffa- | -gne- | -rru- |
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Medio-Passive Past | -ssi- | -kli- | -ppi- | -kti- | -gri- |
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Conditional: Used for stating possibilities and hypotheticals.
Optative: Used to indicate a wish or hope by the speaker.
Imperative: Used for direct commands.
The Medio-Passive is used to form reflexive and passive statements. If a medio-passive verb has no oblique arguments it is reflexive, if it has an instrumental oblique argument it is passive.
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AGREEMENT | Agent C | Agent V | Patient |
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1SG | mi- | mj- | -ma |
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2SG | ti- | tj- | -tu |
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3SG Animate | pi- | pj- | -pau |
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3SG Inanimate | si- | sj- | -sa |
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4SG | po- | pw- | -pa |
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1PL | o- | ow- | -wa |
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2PL | je- | j- | -jai |
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3PL Animate | fwi- | fw- | -fwu |
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3PL Inanimate | so- | s- | -su |
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4PL | be- | bj- | -bau |
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Impersonal | ge- | gj- | -gwa |
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NON-FINITE | Active | Middle |
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Agentive | -ma- | -mpu- | "AP"
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Patientive | -va- | -fku- | "PP"
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Infinitive | -l- | "INF"
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European in it's usage, also used as a gerund.
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Aspect | Active | Stative | glel, aul = to be
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Perfect | lul + PP | aul + PP | lul = to have
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Progressive | glel + AP | kjol = to make
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Causative | yal + AP | kjol + PP | yal = to go
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Predictive | yal + INF | Periphastic "Future"
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Pronouns
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PRONOUNS | Agent | Patient | Genitive | Dative | Instrumental |
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1SG | mi | ma | mane | mjo | ema |
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2SG | ti | tu | tune | tjo | etu |
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3SG Animate | pi | pau | pune | pjo | epo |
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3SG Inanimate | si | sa | sne | sjo | esa |
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4SG | po | pa | pne | pai | epa |
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1PL | ow | wa | nwe | ojo | ewa |
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2PL | je | jai | nje | jei | eje |
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3PL Animate | fwi | fwu | fune | fjo | efo |
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3PL Inanimate | so | su | sune | swi | esu |
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4PL | be | bau | bne | bjo | ebe |
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Impersonal | ge | gwa | gne | gwi | ego |
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Relative | dwo | dwa | dune | dwi | edu |
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Interogative | ki | ko | kne | kwi | eko |
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Derivation
roots can be very easily used as nouns, adjectives, or verbs but just using Noun, Adjective, or Verb inflections. For other forms of derivation (like from concrete noun to abstract noun), there are many derivational suffixes (which I have yet to work out).
Morphosyntax
all verbs fall into 2 classes, Fluid, Accusative, and Ergative, with the majority being Fluid. In fluid verbs the intransitive subject can be either an agent or patient depending on the volition and control the intransitive subject has regarding the verb. In Accusative verbs the intransitive Subject is always the Agent. in Ergative verbs the intransitive Subject is always the Patient.
Syntax
Basic word order is Agent-Verb-Patient. Indirect objects and other complements follow the Patient. Adverbs follow the verb. Determiners and adpositions precede the noun, all other modifiers, including relative clauses, follow the noun. Modifiers agree with their noun in case and gender. Relative pronouns precede the relative clause. The finite erb moves to the front of the sentence in polar questions.
History
Alpic is a Eurasiatic language distantly related to both Indo-European, WeepingElf's hypothetical "Hesperic", and, if language blogger Glen Gordon's angry rants are right, Etruscan. But, it lies outside the IE-Hesperic-Etruscan grouping, though it is closer to them then it is to Uralic and Altaic, and shares with IE a number of roots, such as <pro>, "fire", and <du>, "two". it also shares with IE the distinctive Eurasiatic M-T pronouns.
Early Proto-Danubian was originally spoken in around 6000 BCE in the Middle Danube basin, around modern-day Hungary. It had a simple CV vowel system. the noun system was isolating and the verb system was isolating with a rich system of a auxiliary verbs marking voice, mood, and aspect. word order was APV.
Late PD was spoken around 4000BCE, still in the middle Danube but also spreading NW into modern Austria and SW Germany; and west into Croatia, Slovenia, western Switzerland, and NE Italy. The noun system was still isolating, but the verbs were developing agglutinating morphology. These speakers that moved into the Alps are associated with the start of the Copper Age in central Europe, as shown by The Iceman's famous copper hatchet. These were a society of mountain herders and simple farmers skilled in the emerging technologies of mining and working metal. A source of legends about dwarves, perhaps, given the old racialist stereotypes of "Alpines" as short and stout?
Proto-SE Danubian was spoken around 1500BCE, the other branches were driven into extinction by the expansion of PIE, Proto-SED surviving in the mountains of the Eastern Alps and in some locations in the Po River valley. Word order switched to VAP and a rich system of case prefixes developed from prepositions. Unstressed vowels dropped out, creating a CCVC maximum syllable structure, making the verb system fusional and causing the formation of verbal ablaut between Perfective and Imperfective verb forms.
The first written attestations of Alpic are in the 10th century. By this time the word order had switched to AVP and the case system was decaying. the Perfective-Imperfective distinction had become a Past/Non-Past one. Alpic was starting to develop more and more "Standard Average European" features like periphrastic aspect marking, but it still retains a Active Stative morphosyntax, a 4th person, and polypersonal agreement.