Talk:Shirerothian language

Phonology & Orthography

Consonants

	Bilabial		Labiodental		Dental		Alveolar		Postalveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Nasal	⟨ m ⟩ / m /						⟨ n ⟩ / n /						⟨ ng ⟩ / ŋ /
Plosive	⟨ p ⟩ / p /	⟨ b ⟩ / b /					⟨ t ⟩ / t /	⟨ d ⟩ / d /					⟨ k ⟩ / k /	⟨ g ⟩ / g /
Affricate									⟨ tx ⟩ / tʃ /	⟨ dj ⟩ / dʒ /
Fricative			⟨ f ⟩ / f /	⟨ v ⟩ / v /	⟨ þ ⟩ / θ /	⟨ ð ⟩ / ð /	⟨ s ⟩ / s /	⟨ z ⟩ / z /	⟨ x ⟩ / ʃ /	⟨ j ⟩ / ʒ /			⟨   ⟩ / x /		⟨ h ⟩ / h /
Approximant							⟨ l ⟩ / l /				⟨ ȝ ⟩ / j /		⟨   ⟩ / ʍ /	⟨ w ⟩ / w /
Trill							⟨ r ⟩ / r /
Lateral Fricative							⟨ ɬ ⟩ / ɬ /

Vowels

	Front		Back
High	⟨ i ⟩ / i /	⟨ ü ⟩ / y /	⟨ u ⟩ / u /
Mid	⟨ e ⟩ / e /	⟨ ö ⟩ / ø /	⟨ o ⟩ / o /
Low	⟨ æ ⟩ / æ /		⟨ a ⟩ / ɑ /

/ j / + / i / between consonants is realized as / ej / and written ⟨ ei ⟩

There are five diphthongs: [æj], [æw], [iw], [oj], and [øj]. They are best analyzed phonemically as /Vj/ rather than /Vɪ̯/.

Changes from Middle Praeta

1st Declension nouns whose stems ended / w / in Middle Præta acquired a u-mutation, lost the / w / and shifted into the 2nd Declension in New Præta.

e.g. MP. magwъ, magwis "child" => NP. mog, mogos "child"

Preterit suffix -u- + Preterit personal endings in Middle Præta has become a u-mutation + Preterit personal endings in New Præta.

e.g. MP. haziwi "I praised" => NP. hozei [hozy- + -i] "I praised" versus hazia "I praise"

Verbal morphology collapsed down from multiple conjugations into a single paradigm based on the increasingly productive -a- or weak conjugation.

Loss of vowel harmony in inflectional and derivational suffixes.

Nominal Morphology

The underlying morphophoneme ъ is realized differently according to different stem endings:

• / j /- + -/ ъ / => / i /
• / w /- + -/ ъ /# => /  /
• / l /- + -/ ъ /# => / e /
• / r /- + -/ ъ /# => / e /
• C/ ъ /C => C/ a /C
• otherwise -/ ъ /# ==> -/  /

1st Declension

Animate and Inanimate Genders. Distinguished by Genitive Singular as -is. If the stem ends in a vowel, the Vocative has the same form as the Nominative and Accusative, and the vowel is dropped in the plural.

	Animate					Inanimate
	Underlying	"Sovereign" kaȝsar-	"Shepherd" airdȝ-	"speech" præta-		Underlying	"might" alf-	"cliff" nasj-
Vocative	-e	kaȝsare	airdȝe	præta		-ъ	alf	nasi
Nominative	-ъ	kaȝsar	airdi
Accusative
Genitive	-is	kaȝsaris	airdeis	prætais		-is	alfis	nasis
Dative	-i	kaȝsari	airdei	prætai		-i	alfi	nasi
Nominative	-ъs	kaȝsaras	airdȝas	prætas	-a	alfa	nasja
Accusative
Genitive	-on	kaȝsaron	airdȝon	præton	-on	alfon	nasjon
Dative	-ъm	kaȝsaram	airdim	prætam	-ъm	alfam	nasim

2nd Declension

Animate Genders only. Distinguished by Genitive Singular as -os.

	Animate
	Underlying	"mango" gollet-	"child" magw-/mog-
Vocative	-ъ	gollet	mag/mog
Nominative
Accusative
Genitive	-os	golletos	magus/mogos
Dative	-u	golletu	magu/mogu
Nominative	-ъs	golletas	magus/mogas
Accusative
Genitive	-on	golleton	magun/mogon
Dative	-ъm	golletam	magum/mogam

3rd Declension

Animate and Inanimate Genders. Distinguished by Genitive Singular as -in.

	Animate					Inanimate
	Underlying	"worm" maþ-				Underlying	"eye" og-
Vocative	-a	maþa				-a	oga
Nominative
Accusative	-ъn	maþan
Genitive	-in	maþin				-in	ogin
Dative	-in	maþin				-in	ogin
Nominative	-ъn	maþan			-ъn	ogan
Accusative
Genitive	-on	maþon			-on	ogon
Dative	-ъm	maþam			-ъm	ogam

Verbal Morphology

oj- "run"		Ending		Present (-a-)	Imperfect (-ala-)	Subjunctive (-e-)
Imperfective stem	1s	-		oja	ojala	oje
	2s	-s		ojas	ojalas	ojes
	3s	-t		ojat	ojalat	ojet
	1p	-ne		ojane	ojalane	ojene
	2p	-þ		ojaþ	ojalaþ	ojeþ
	3p	-re		ojare	ojalare	ojere
uj- "ran"		Ending	Preterit Tense
Perfective u-mutated stem	1s	-1	uji
	2s	-is	ujis
	3s	-it	ujit
	1p	-imen	ujimen
	2p	-iten	ujiten
	3p	-iren	ujiren
oj- "run!"		Ending	Imperative
Imperative stem	1s	-	-
	2s	-i	oji
	3s	-
	1p	-	-
	2p	-ite	ojite
	3p	-	-
oj- "running"		Ending	Infinitive
Non-Finite 1st Declension		-osa	ojosa
		Ending	Present Participle
		-anȝ-	ojani
		Ending	Preterit Participle
		(u)-az-	ujaz

Tenses and Aspects

Tenses and Aspects in the Subjunctive Mood

Present

1. Subordinate Phrase

Used more broadly than in English, such as instead of most infinitive constructions,

e.g.

ulla pos txite ȝu Præta - "I want to write in Praeta", lit. "I want that I write in Praeta"

ulla pos txitet ȝu Præta - "I want him to write in Praeta", lit. "I want that he write in Praeta"

1. "Should" statements, which may be used as indirect commands or recommendations.

e.g.

Idjene. - "We should go"

Tenses and Aspects in the Imperative Mood

Present

Only productive form in the Imperative Mood. Used to issue commands.

Preterit

Only exists in modern Praeta as a form of "to do", tuisse/tuissete. Used in an infinitive construction or with a nominal in the accusative to mean "have (the action) done" or "finish (the action)".

e.g.

Tuisse takosa. - "Finish eating."

Tuissete se slattin. - "Finish the battle."

Voice

Passive construction

Useful phrases for the Steward

• Agnȝe, frataki ainwarja(n): " O Agni (fire, spirit of fire), consume everything(everyone)." aka "Burn them all."

The Steward's wishlist

• Government offices and titles
• Ranks and Units
• "It is prudent to obey/submit."
• "Do not question the Steward's sanity."
• "It is wrong to suffer in silence for the actions of another."
• "Those who cooperate will be afforded preferential treatment."
• "A prompt confession averts needless suffering."
• "Obedience is the highest virtue."
• "The sons and daughters of this [town/city/county/land] shall be honoured guests of the Imperial Republic."
• "Work redeems the soul."
• "I am the Imperial Mother and above grammar."