Avalonian
Introduction
Avalonian (c) Rebecca Ashling 2019-2021. I assert that the Avalonian conlang presented here is my intellectual property and confirm that Linguifex may post this material on their site.
Avalonian (Aval: Nakwatti Telkuq) is a polysynthetic language of the affixal, scopal subtype. It has nominative-accusative morphosyntactic alignment with ergative morphology and canonical VSOX word order.
It is the majority language of the Avalonian Isles (Aval: Telku) and has approximately 36.8 million speakers. The Commonwealth of Avalon (Mag: Karatti Anakte Telkuq) comprises the entirety of the fictional islands of Lāki (OTL: Newfoundland), Rutterye (OTL: Nova Scotia peninsula) and Windumit (OTL: Cape Breton Island).
In this timeline, Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island and the Nova Scotia peninsula ended up in the eastern side of the Atlantic after the breakup of Pangea and became the Avalonian Isles. The archipelago lies south-west of Ireland.
Inspiration
Avalonian grammar and morphology were inspired by the Inuktitut language. Its phonology was inspired by Finnish and Welsh.
Ethnography
The Avalonians are members of the oft-perscuted European Pygmy phenotype which is believed to have originated in the ancient Hercynian forest zone of central Europe some 8,000 years ago. The preferred self-designation by members of the European Pygmy phenotype is Hercynians (Aval: Lūhi Herhigyat).
Phonology
Orthoɡraphy
General Remarks On Orthography
Avalonian had no native script until the arrival of Irish monks in the 10th Century. The Latin alphabet (Aval: Ulyekatti Lumaq) has undergone many changes and revisions over the centuries. The current version was adopted in 1908.
Avalonian spelling in Ulyekatti Lumaq is a phonemic orthography which reflects phonological processes such as sandhi. The letters ⟨c, f, g, h, j, o, p, s, v, x, z⟩ are not used, even to spell foreign names.
Avalonian Alphabet
| Latin Letter | IPA Value |
| ⟨a⟩ | /ɔ/ |
| ⟨ā⟩ | /ɑʊ/ |
| ⟨b⟩ | /b/ |
| ⟨d⟩ | /d/ |
| ⟨e⟩ | /ɛ/ |
| ⟨ē⟩ | /aɪ/ |
| ⟨i⟩ | /i/ |
| ⟨ī⟩ | /eɪ/ |
| ⟨k⟩ | /k/ |
| ⟨l⟩ | /l/ |
| ⟨m⟩ | /m/ |
| ⟨n⟩ | /n/ |
| ⟨q⟩ | /ŋ/ |
| ⟨r⟩ | /ɹ̠/ |
| ⟨t⟩ | /t/ |
| ⟨u⟩ | /u/ |
| ⟨ū⟩ | /oʊ/ |
| ⟨w⟩ | /w/ |
| ⟨y⟩ | /j/ |
Consonants
Avalonian has a total of 11 consonants which according to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Stucture is a small inventory. The most striking feature of the inventory, according to WALS, is the lack of /p, ɡ/ in the plosives, the presence of the initial velar nasal and the absence of phonemic fricatives. The consonants are displayed in the table below:
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
| Voiceless Plosive | /t/ | /k/ | ||
| Voiced Plosive | /b/ | /d/ | ||
| Nasal | /m/ | /n/ | /ŋ/ | |
| Liquid | /l/ | /ɹ̠/ | ||
| Semi-Vowel | /j/ | /w/ |
Vowels
Avalonian has a total of 8 vowels, 4 monophthongs and 4 diphthongs. According to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Structures Magellanican has 4 vowel qualities which is a small inventory. Magellanican has a consonant to vowel quality ratio of 2.75 which according to WALS is an average ratio. Avalonian is unusual for not possesing any low vowels such as /a/. Diphthongs are treated as phonological long vowels. The vowels are displayed in the table below:
| Short Front | Long Front | Short Back | Long Back | |
| High | /i/ | /eɪ/ | /u/ | /oʊ/ |
| Mid | /ɛ/ | /aɪ/ | /ɔ/ | /ɑʊ/ |
Allophony
1) /t, k/ are realised as [tʰ, kʰ] in word-initial position.
2) /ɹ̠/ is realised as [ʃ] in coda position before /t, k/.
3) /ɹ̠/ is realised as [ʒ] in coda position elsewhere.
4) /tt, kk/ are realised as [s, x].
5) /bb, dd/ are realised as [v, z].
6) /mm, nn, ŋŋ/ are realised as [xm, xn, xŋ]. Some analyses give these realisations as voiceless nasals but there is a fair bit of velar friction so the case is ambiguous.
7) /ll, ɹ̠ɹ̠/ are realised as [ɬ, ʃ].
8) /ɹ̠j, ɹ̠w/ are realised as [ʒ, ʒw].
9) In closed syllables /i, u/ are realised as [ɪ, ʊ].
Prosody
1) Words in Avalonian bear primary stress on the initial syllable.
2) Avalonian words bear secondary stress on every odd-numbered syllable following the initial syllable.
3) According to the World Atlas of Language Structures, the rhythm type is trochaic.
4) To an English speaker, Avalonian would appear to be spoken with a slower tempo than English is.
Phonotactics
1) The syllable template is (C)(C)V(C). According to the World Atlas of Language Structures, this is a moderately complex syllable structure.
3) Permitted syllable coda consonants are /t, k, b, d, m, n, ŋ, l, ɹ̠/.
4) Consonant clusters may not have more than two segments.
5) Permitted consonant clusters as per the table below:
| T | K | B | D | M | N | Q | L | R | |
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | T | ||||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | K | ||||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | B | ||||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | D | ||||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | M | ||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | N | ||
| √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | Q | ||
| √* | √* | √* | √* | √ | √ | L | |||
| √* | √* | √* | √* | √ | √ | R | |||
| √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | Y | ||
| √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | √* | W |
a) Latin orthography used for clarity.
b) First consonant of consonant cluster runs along be top of table, second consonant of consonant cluster runs down riɡht of table.
c) √ in a cell means the indicated consonant cluster is permitted.
d) * in a cell means the indicated consonant cluster is a syllable onset cluster. All other consonant clusters occur across syllable boundaries.
8) Consonant clusters are coda consonant + onset consonant in terms of syllabification.
9) /i, eɪ/ may not follow /j/.
10) /u, oʊ/ may not follow /w/.
11) /eɪ, aɪ/ may not precede /j/.
12) /oʊ, ɑʊ/ may not precede /w/.
13) Long vowels may not occur in closed syllables.
14) Vowel clusters do not occur.
15) Canonical morpheme syllabification templates:
a) Roots: (C)(C)V(C)- or (C)(C)V(C)CV(C)-
b) Suffixes: -(C)CV(C) or -CV(C)CV(C)
c) Particles: (C)(C)V(C) or (C)(C)V(C)CV(C)
16) Monosyllabic roots are uncommon and mainly comprise pronouns and certain common nouns and verbs.
17) Monosyllabic suffixes may have a word-final allomorph consisting of a single coda consonant which is employed after a short vowel.
18) Roots originating through foreign borrowings may exceed two syllables.
Morphophonemics
Internal Sandhi
1) Consonant clusters resulting from suffixation undergo sandhi as per the table below:
| T | K | B | D | M | N | Q | L | R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | T |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | K |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | B |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | D |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | M |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | N |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Q |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | L |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | R |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Y |
| Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | W |
| NOTES:
a) Latin script used for clarity. b) First consonant of consonant cluster runs across top of table, second consonant of consonant cluster runs down riɡht of table. 2) If a three-segment consonant cluster results from suffixation then the first consonant of that cluster is deleted. 3) The effects of internal sandhi are indicated in the orthography. External Sandhi1) External sandhi only occurs between words within the same clause. 2) There are two types of inter-word junctures: a) word-final vowel + word-initial consonant b) word-final consonant + word-initial consonant 3) Vowel + consonant junctures do not result in any changes. 4) ) The effects of external sandhi are not indicated in the orthography. MorphologyGeneral Remarks On Morpholoɡy1) The morphological cateɡories used in Avalonian are summarised in the table below:
2) Avalonian is an affixal polysynthetic lanɡuaɡe and only one root per word is permitted. 3) Compoundinɡ of roots does not occur. 4) According to the World Atlas of Language Structures, Avalonian has a predominant preference for suffixinɡ.
Nominal MorphologyGeneral Remarks On Nominal Morphology1) Nouns indicate distinct entities. Nouns are inflected for number, possessor, demonstration or case. 2) Maximal nominal structure: nominal or verbal root + derivational suffix(es) + number suffix + possessive suffix + demonstrative suffix + case suffix Number1) Avalonian has a singulative-plurative number system 2) Nouns are divided into four number classes: a) Class 1 nouns are countable. They have an inherent singular number. They take the plurative suffix -hal to form the plural. b) Class 2 nouns are countable. They have an inherent plural number. They take the singulative suffix -me (-m) to form the singular. NB: -m is a word-final allomorph of -me employed after a short vowel. c) Class 3 nouns are countable but have no inherent number. This class comprises all countable monosyllabic nouns and many countable loan words. They must take the singulative suffix in the singular and the plurative suffix in the plural. d) Class 4 nouns are non-countable. They may optionally take singulative to indicate a small part of the whole or the plurative to indicate many parts of the whole. 4) The number classes are summarised in the table below:
Case1) Case marks relationships between noun and noun or noun and verb. 2) Avalonian cases are summarised in the table below:
NB: Parenthesised forms are word-final allomorphs employed after a short vowel. PronounsPersonal Pronouns1) Avalonian personal pronouns and their associated possessive suffixes are summarised in the table below:
2) Clusivity is a relatively recent innovation in Avalonian and thus the inclusive pronouns and their possessive suffixes differ somewhat in form from the other paucal and plural pronouns. 3) Personal pronouns take case in the same manner as nouns. Demonstrative Pronouns1) Pronominal demonstratives are identical to the 3rd, 4th and 5th person pronouns. 2) Adnominal demonstratives are suffixes, believed derived from compounds of the 3rd, 4th, 5th person pronouns and the sole Old Jamilhin demonstrative ken. 3) Adnominal demonstrative suffixes are rarely used with core arguments except for emphasis. 4) The demonstratives are displayed in the table below:
Emphatic PronounsThese are no dedicated emphatic pronouns, but as verbs mark A, S and O arguments and Avalonian is pro-drop, the use of the pronouns correlating with these can be used for emphasis. Reflexive PronounsThese are no dedicated reflexive pronouns in Avalonian. Using the verbal absolutive pronominal suffix in the same number and person as the verbal ergative pronominal suffix is sufficient to convey reflexivity. Interrogative Pronouns1) There is one interroɡative pronoun: je 'who, what' which is undifferentiated for number. 2) All other interrogatives are built from this by adding the appropriate case. Eɡ: jek 'where?', jep 'with whom?' 3) There is an interrogative pronominal possessive suffix: -jet 'whose?'. 4) Suffixing -je to a noun gives the sense of 'which?'. 5) The canonical word-order of Avalonian is VSOX. Interrogative pronouns or nouns taking an interrogative suffix violate this by being fronted to before the verb. 6) When an interrogative pronoun is used with a verb, that verb takes plural agreement. Relative PronounsMagellanican lacks relative pronouns and therefore uses a strategy of gap relativatisation. Indefinite PronounsThere is one indefinite pronoun: wahu 'somebody, something'. When placed before a noun it indicates the concept of 'any'. When used with a verb that verb uses plural agreement. Negative PronounsThere is one negative pronoun: tahu 'nobody, nothing'. When placed before a noun marks the concept of 'none'. When used with a verb that verb uses plural agreement. Universal PronounsThere is one universal pronoun: kal 'everybody, everything'. When placed before a noun in it indicates the concept of 'all' or 'each'. When used with a verb that verb uses plural agreement. Adjectives1) Avalonian has no true adjectives. 2) There are three types of adjective-equivalents: a) Several derivational suffixes with an adjectival meaning attached to the noun. b) A noun in equative case suffix following the noun they modify. c) Relativised verbs following the noun. Possessive Constructions1) If only pronouns are involved as the possessor then the possessum is marked with the appropriate possessive suffix. 2) If a noun is involved as the possessor then the possessum is marked with the appropriate suffix, most commonly 3rd or 4th person, and the possessor takes the ergative case. Numerals1) Avalonian uses a hybrid vigesimal-decimal system. 2) The numerals of Avalonian are listed in the table below:
3) Numeral strings precede from left to right, highest exponent numerals first. 4) Numerals from 21 to 99 are formed by the appropriate vigesimal numeral plus the appropriate numeral from 1 to 19. 5) The decimal numerals from 100 and over are prefixed with a number from 1-9 as a multiplier. 6) Cardinal numerals precede the noun. 7) Ordinal numerals follow the noun and take the equative case. They take final position in the noun modifier string. Verbal MorphologyGeneral Remarks On Verbal Morphology1) Verbs express actions, processes or states of being. Verbs are inflected for A, S and O arguments, aspect, valency and mood. 2) Maximal verbal structure: verbal or nominal root + derivational suffix(es) + aspect suffix + mood suffix + ergative pronominal suffix + absolutive pronominal suffix Verbal Pronominal Suffixes
NB: Parenthesised forms are word-final allomorphs employed after a short vowel. Voice1) Transitive verbs in Avalonian have three voices: a) Active b) Antipassive c) Passive 2) These are indicated by the presence or absence of verbal pronominal suffices as per the table below:
3) Intransitive verbs do not indicate voice as their S argument is the only topic of the sentence. Mood and Modality1) Avalonian has four formally marked moods. These are listed in the table below:
2) Other distinctions of modality are conveyed by several derivational suffixes. Negation1) Negation is indicated by the particle taa. This precedes the verb. 2) taa can occur independently, having the meaning 'no!' or 'don't!". The Imperative And Prohibitive1) The imperative indicates that an order to perform an action is made. The base form of the verb marks the imperative. 2) The prohibitive marks that an order to not perform an action is made. The prohibitive is formed by placing the negative particle va before the base form of the verb. TenseAvalonian lacks tense as a grammatical category. However, tense-like functions are provided by several derivational suffixes. Aspect1) Avalonian has two aspects. These are listed in the table below:
2) Other aspectual distinctions can be conveyed by several derivational suffixes. The Gerund1) The gerund uses the suffix -ken which is adde in lieu of pronominal ergative or absolutive suffixes 2) It transforms the verb into a noun which can be used much as any noun can. Adverbs1) Avalonian lacks true adverbs. 2) Forms conveying adverbial meanings appear in three classes: a) A noun in equative case following a verb. b) Several derivational suffixes with adverbial meanings attached to the verb. Relativisation1) Avalonian lacks relative pronouns and uses gap relativisation. 2) A relativised clause follows the noun it modifies. Other Parts Of SpeechAdpositions1) Avalonian lacks true adpositions. 2) It does have three classes of adposition-equivalents: a) The non-core cases which have adpositional functions but are often quite general in their application. b) Relativised stative verbs with an adpositional sense which are more specific in application than cases. c) Suffixes on the verb. Derivational Suffixes1) There are hundreds of derivational suffixes in Avalonian and they fall into the following types: a) Denominalisers b) Deverbalisers c) Attributive d) Adverbial e) Miscellaneous 2) Denominalisers turn a noun into a verb. 3) Derverbalisers turn a verb into a noun. 4) Attributives add a descriptive sense to nouns and verbs. 4) Adverbials impart various temporal and locative meanings to verbs 5) Miscellaneous suffixes change the meaning of nouns and verbs without changing their classes. SyntaxConstituent orderNoun phraseVerb phraseSentence phraseDependent clausesLexiconNouns
Verbs
Suffixes
Particles
Example textsOther resources |