Verse:Mwail/Bjeheond

Rostherian /rɒʃˈtɛriən/ (erhbaerostherim 'The Rostherian language') is a Talmic language spoken in East Cuadhlabh. It is head-initial and polysynthetic.

Numbers

• 1: pêm
• 2: tiłuar
• 3: narhg
• 4: lôb
• 5: selił
• 6: thiam
• 7: ruad
• 8: lored
• 9: barh
• 10: ghîr
• 11: hunaes?
• 12: naes

Phonology

Among Talmic languages, Rostherian is notable for having retroflex consonants and multiple liquids.

Consonants

		Labial	Dental/Alveolar		Retroflex		Velar	Uvular	Glottal
			central	lateral	central	lateral
Nasal		m /m/	n /n̪/		nh /ɳ/		[ŋ]	[ɴ]
Stop	voiceless	p /p/	t /t̪/		th /ʈ/		c /k/	q /q/
	voiced	b /b/	d /d̪/		dh /ɖ/		g /g/
Continuant	voiceless		s /s/	ł /ɬ/	sh /ʂ/	łh /ɬʵ/			h /h/
	voiced	w /v~w/	r /r/	l /l/	rh /ʐ~ɻ~ɭ/			gh /ʁ/

evidentials, quasi-polysynthetic

Vowels

i i: u u: e e: ə ə: o o: a a: ai ei iə eu uə oi iu

⟨i î u û e ê y ŷ o ô a â ae ei ia eu ua oe iu⟩

Sound changes

The most significant changes characterizing Rostherian are coalescing and altering of consonant clusters.

• *ā > ia (*nā > nia 'I'); *ō > ua; *au > ô; *ou > û; *ū > î
• *qʷ > /χʷ/ > /ɧ/ > sh; *ʁʷ > /ζ/ > rh
  • ʁʷelinə ("6 parts [of 12]") > rhelin 'half'
• *nw, tw, dw, sw, łw, lw, rw > nh, th, dh, sh, łh, rh, rh /ɳ, ʈ, ɖ, ʂ, ɬ̠, ʐ~ɻ~ɭ, ʐ~ɻ~ɭ/
  • gʷałwā > bâłhi 'neck, throat' ~ Thn. gaθuā 'throat (also language)'
• *sl-, sm-, sn- > rh-, m-, nh-
• *sɸ-, sr-, sw- > sh-, rh-, sh-
• *st, sk > t-/st, th-/sth-
  • stas- > tatsil 'gathering' (~ Thn. Stasnyssōs)
  • skəttā > thytti 'body' ~ Thn. scyttā
  • *bastom > bast 'king' ~ Thn. bastom 'head'
• *sb, sd, sg > rhb, rhdh, rhg
  • *nasg- > narhg '3'
• *φn, tn, φl, tl > /ːn, ts, ːɬ, tɬ/
  • łnāgin > tłiagin 'I believe' ~ Thn. θnāginis
  • oφlutsus > ôłus 'wave'
• *kt, qt > /jt, :ʈ/
  • *tektə > teit /teit/ 'child'
  • *neqtə > nêth /neːʈ/ 'cloud'
• *kn, gn, qn, ql, qr > /jn, jn, :ɳ, :ɻ, :ɻ/ (with **/uj/ > /uː/ )
  • sφugnus > shûn 'root' ~ Thn. sφugnus
  • leqnos > lênh 'river' ~ Thn. leānos?
  • qrīdis > rhîd 'knife' ~ Thn. ȝrīdis 'edge'
• *φj, tj, kj, qj > pt ss ts gh
• *φ-, j-, s- > h-
• *skj, stj > th-/sth, s-/ss
• final short vowels lost; final -m, -s, -t lost; final long vowels shorten (ia, ua > i, u)

Morphology

Nouns

Nouns are marked with a singular-plural distinction, and may also take possessive suffixes. However, the lemma form of a noun is typically its combining form, which is the incorporated form of a noun and is also used to form possessed forms and compounds. The Proto-Talmic grammatical gender was lost; pronouns and gender verb affixes no longer mark grammatical gender, but natural gender (as in Naquian).

Nouns may end in a consonant, i, e or u.

The plural form is inherited from the Proto-Talmic reduplicated collective; some irregularities may be present due to the preservation of the original single consonant in the reduplicant (as opposed to the cluster which interacted to produce new consonants and clusters in the stem)

weiny- 'brother'

Combining	Singular	Plural
weiny-	wein	wewein

loero- 'bird'

Combining	Singular	Plural
loero-	loer	leloer

rhîdi- 'knife'

Combining	Singular	Plural
rhîdi-	rhîd	qerhîd

qutria- 'blood'

Combining	Singular	Plural
qutria-	qutri	qequtri

bondia- 'person'

Combining	Singular	Plural
bondia-	bondi	bebondi

Verbs

Subject+TAM affixes

Present tense

Person	Suffix	ghaeman 'I fly'	tłiagin "I believe"
1SG	-n	ghaeman	tłiagin
2SG	-r	ghaemar	tłiagir
3SG.M	-m	ghaemam	tłiagim
3SG.F	-s	ghaemas	tłiagis
3SG.N	-0	ghaema	tłiagi
1EX	-me	ghaemame	tłiagime
1IN	-nt	ghaemant	tłiagint
2PL	-sh	ghaemash	tłiagish
3PL	-t	ghaemat	tłiagit