From: Surinna Curtis Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2024 20:58:53 +0000 (-0300) Subject: Initial notes on conlang Ifadätels. X-Git-Url: https://git.ladys.computer/Wiki/commitdiff_plain/79c0c880ceb064ba203440e44d0613bcf45fb328 Initial notes on conlang Ifadätels. --- diff --git "a/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.djot" "b/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.djot" new file mode 100644 index 0000000..598980b --- /dev/null +++ "b/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.djot" @@ -0,0 +1,138 @@ +# Ifadätels + +**WARNING: Players in the _Great Labyrinth_ game should not read this +page.** + +Ifadätels [if.'ɑd.æt.els] is a constructed language being developed by +[][@:Rinna] for use in one of faese role-playing games. +It is intended for use as a language used by some sort of mysterious +beings in the titular labyrinth of that, mostly evidenced in +inscriptions and other ancient texts. + +It is very much a work-in-progress. + +## Phonology + +### Phonemic inventory + +Ifadätels uses the following vowels (notated using the +[International Phonetic +Alphabet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet){title="Wikipedia +on the International Phonetic Alphabet"}): + +| | front | central | back | +|--------|-------|---------|------| +| high | i | | u | +| middle | e | | | +| low | æ | | ɑ | + +and these consonants : + +| | bilabial | labio-dental | dental | alveolar | post-alvelolar | +|-------------|----------|--------------|--------|----------|----------------| +| stop | p b | | t d | | | +| nasal | m | | | n | | +| fricative | | | | s z | ʃ ʒ | +| approximant | | f v | | | ɹ | +| lateral | | | | l | | + +### Phonotactics + +Phonemes other than /l/ and /ɹ/ are categorized into one of two +classes: the I-class and the A-class. +The I-class includes /n/, voiceless consonants, and front vowels. +The A-class includes /m/, voiced consonants, and back vowels. +The vowel /e/ is special and may function as either class. +Liquid consonants have a special role and are not considered to belong +to either class. + +A syllable consists of a vowel followed by a consonant of the same +class as the vowel. +The syllable is said to have the same class as its vowel and +consonant. +For example, /æp/ is an I-class syllable, while /ev/ is an A-class +syllable. +An I-class syllable _may_ include either /l/ between the vowel and +consonant or /ɹ/ after the consonant, but not both. +An A-class syllable _may_ include either /ɹ/ between the vowel and +consonant or /l/ after the consonant, but not both. + +## Orthography + +Ifadätels is romanized using the following rules: + +* /æ/ is written ä, +* /ɑ/ is written a, +* /ɹ/ is written r, +* /ʃ/ is written š (with a caron) or sh (when technical limitations + interfere), +* /ʒ/ is written ž or zh, +* and other phonemes are written with the same character as in IPA. + +[][@:Rinna] hopes to eventually develop a native writing system for +Ifadätels, but has not yet done so. + +## Morphology + +### Class alternation and syllabic structure of words + +In general, a word may begin with either class of syllable and +alternates classes. +Syllables containing liquids in either position are special, and must +instead be of the same class as the preceding syllable. +Loan words and certain other words may deviate from these rules, but +unsurprisingly they often undergo regularization (either through the +addition of a liquid or modification of a syllable to a similar +syllable of the alternate class). + +A word may not begin with a syllable that contains a liquid and cannot +end with a syllable that ends with a liquid. + +Root content words typically have an odd number of syllables (prior to +any inflection or other derivation), while function words typically +have either one syllable or an even number of syllables. + +### Stress + +The primary stress within a word falls on the last syllable of a +different class than the final syllable of a word. For words whose +syllables all share a class, the penultimate syllable is stressed. + +### Inflection of nouns + +At one point, Ifadätels heavily declined nouns, but by the time of the +texts surviving in the Labyrinth, all but pluralization and the +genitive case were lost. + +Non-genitive nouns are pluralized by duplicating the initial syllable +at the end, adding the appropriate liquid between the vowel and +consonant if necessary for class alternation. + +For example, «änitrum» (enclosed space, room, forest clearing, etc.) +has the plural «änitrumän», while «ezetum» (individual person) has the +plural «ezetumerz» (the "r" is necessary to allow a second consecutive +A-class syllable). + +The genitive case is marked in the singular with the suffix «-iš» or +«-už» according to the final syllable of the noun. +Genitive plurals use the suffix «-emliš» or «-enriž», a borrowing from +another now-extinct language. + + + +## A very partial lexicon + +Each word is labelled with its part of speech, an English gloss, and +optionally additional notes. + +The repository for the wiki also contains a record-jar-format lexicon +next to the source for this page. +That lexicon is currently approximately equally partial but will +probably get more things added to it than the one here. + +* _änitrum_ • noun • enclosed space • a room in a building, a clearing + in a forest, or an area marked out by lines drawn on the ground are + all änitrumän +* _ezetum_ • noun • individual person • primarily refers to a legally + independent person under an archaic legal system diff --git "a/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.txt" "b/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.txt" new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bc8563a --- /dev/null +++ "b/Sources/Page/Languages/Ifad\303\244tels.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@ +%% +Word: änitrum +Type: noun +Pronunciation: [æn.'itɹ.um] +Gloss: enclosed space +Notes: a room in a building, a clearing in a forest, or an area marked out by lines drawn on the ground are all änitrumän + +%% +Word: ezetum +Type: noun +Pronunciation: [ez.'et.um.] +Gloss: individual, person +Notes: primarily refers to a legally independent person under an archaic legal system + +%% +Word: ifadätels +Type: proper noun +Pronunciation: [if.'ɑd.æt.els] +Gloss: the Ifadätels language +Notes: etymology not yet decided + +%%