Rostherian /rɒʃˈtɛriən/ (erhbaerostherim 'The Rostherian language') is a Talmic language spoken in Northeastern Cuadhlabh, inspired partly by Welsh. It is head-initial and polysynthetic; verbs use bipersonal conjugation, applicative constructions and noun incorporation.
Todo
- cammu-, câmu /kaːmu/ 'wife'
- ôłus-, ôłus /oːˈɬus/ 'wave'
- rondho-, rondh /rɔɳɖ/ = man (male) (*rondwom?)
- breity-, breit /brɛɪt/ (irregularly from bondi- + teit 'child') = woman
- bo- = profession
- bopenicili-, bopenicili /bopɛnikiˈli/ = penicillin player
- nysh-, henysh /hɛˈnəʂ/ = water, liquid
- nysnhoqa-, nysnhoq = sauce (noqa-, noq = 'top')
- nyshołhi-, nyshołhi = fruit juice
- vîpy-, vîp = eye
- nyshvîpy-, nyshvîp = tears
- qeqeqeqeqe... = (laughter or snickering)
- hołhi-, hołhi, hôłhi = fruit
- qârhan = laugh
Numbers
TODO: Combining forms, ordinals, distributives
- 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, uvular 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
|
v /v/
|
r /r/
|
l /l/
|
rh /ʐ~ɻ~ɭ/
|
|
gh /ʁ/
|
|
Northeastern dialects also distinguish lh /ɭ/ from rh /ɻ/.
Vowels
i i: u u:
e e: ə ə: o o:
a a:
aɪ eɪ iə eʊ uə oɪ iʊ
⟨i î u û e ê y ŷ o ô a â ae ei ia eu ua oe iu⟩
Stress
There is no phonemic stress; however, all words are pronounced with weak word-final stress.
Phonotactics
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 > bałhi 'neck, throat' ~ Thn. gaθuā 'throat (also language)'
- *sl-, sm-, sn- > rh-, m-, nh-
- *sɸ-, sr-, sw- > sh-, rh-, sh-
- *st, sk, skʷ > t-/st, th-/sth-, p-
- stas- > tetsil 'gathering' (~ Thn. Stasnyssōs)
- skəttā > thytti 'body' ~ Thn. scyttā
- *bastom > bast 'king' ~ Thn. bastom 'head'
- *sb, sd, sg > rhb, rhdh, rhg
- *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, -r, -s, -t lost; final long vowels shorten (ia, ua > i, u)
- i-affection: The following changes affect V1 in sequences of the form V1 + consonant cluster + (*i/*ī/*j) unless the consonant cluster after V1 contains a retroflex consonant.
- Stress shifts to final
- Some combining forms are altered due to the stress shift (?)
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. Unlike in Thensarian and its descendants, 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 retention of the original single consonant in the reduplicant, as opposed to the stem-initial cluster where the consonants interacted to produce new consonants and clusters.
veiny- 'brother'
| Combining
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| veiny- |
vein |
vevein
|
Possessed forms
Number→
Possessor↓
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| my
|
veinyn |
veveinyn
|
| thy
|
veinys |
veveinys
|
| his/her
|
veinyti |
veveinyti
|
| its
|
veinyt |
veveinyt
|
| our (exc)
|
veinym |
veveinym
|
| our (inc)
|
veinysh |
veveinysh
|
| your (pl)
|
veinyc |
veveinyc
|
| their
|
veinytu |
veveinytu
|
|
loero- 'bird'
| Combining
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| loero- |
loer |
leloer
|
Possessed forms
Number→
Possessor↓
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| my
|
loeron |
leloeron
|
| thy
|
loeros |
leloeros
|
| his/her
|
loeroti |
leloeroti
|
| its
|
loerot |
leloerot
|
| our (exc)
|
loerom |
leloerom
|
| our (inc)
|
loerosh |
leloerosh
|
| your (pl)
|
loeroc |
leloeroc
|
| their
|
loerotu |
leloerotu
|
|
rhîdi- 'knife'
| Combining
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| rhîdi- |
rhîd |
qerhîd
|
Possessed forms
Number→
Possessor↓
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| my
|
rhîdin |
qerhîdin
|
| thy
|
rhîdis |
qerhîdis
|
| his/her
|
rhîditi |
qerhîditi
|
| its
|
rhîdit |
qerhîdit
|
| our (exc)
|
rhîdim |
qerhîdim
|
| our (inc)
|
rhîdish |
qerhîdish
|
| your (pl)
|
rhîdic |
qerhîdic
|
| their
|
rhîditu |
qerhîditu
|
|
qutri- 'blood'
| Combining
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| qutri- |
qutri |
qequtri
|
et sim.
|
bondi- 'person'
| Combining
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| bondi- |
bondi |
bebondi
|
|
Verbs
Evidentiality/Discourse affixes
Object incorporation
hothicâsyn 'eat fruit' < hothi 'fruit' + câsyn 'eat'
Object affixes
Object affixes
|
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
| 1
|
ni-
|
mi-
|
| 1 + 2
|
-
|
łi-
|
| 2
|
ti-
|
hi-
|
| 3
|
bi-
|
ne-
|
Subject+TAM affixes
Progressive tense
| Person |
Affix |
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 |
-v |
ghaemav |
tłiagiv
|
| 3PL |
-t |
ghaemat |
tłiagit
|
|
Habitual tense
| Person |
Affix |
ghaeman 'I fly' |
tłiagin "I believe"
|
| 1SG |
RDP--n |
gheghaeman |
tetłiagin
|
| 2SG |
RDP--r |
gheghaemar |
tetłiagir
|
| 3SG.M |
RDP--m |
gheghaemam |
tetłiagim
|
| 3SG.F |
RDP--s |
gheghaemas |
tetłiagis
|
| 3SG.N |
RDP--0 |
gheghaema |
tetłiagi
|
| 1EX |
RDP--me |
gheghaemame |
tetłiagime
|
| 1IN |
RDP--nt |
gheghaemant |
tetłiagint
|
| 2PL |
RDP--v |
gheghaemav |
tetłiagiv
|
| 3PL |
RDP--t |
gheghaemat |
tetłiagit
|
|
Perfective tense
| Person |
ghaeman "I fly" |
câsyn "I eat"
|
| 1SG |
ghaemân |
cêsŷn
|
| 2SG |
ghaemâr |
cêsŷr
|
| 3SG.M |
ghaemâm |
cêsŷm
|
| 3SG.F |
ghaemâs |
cêsŷs
|
| 3SG.N |
ghaemâ |
cêsŷ
|
| 1EX |
ghaemamer |
cêsymer
|
| 1IN |
ghaemanter |
cêsynter
|
| 2PL |
ghaemaver |
cêsyver
|
| 3PL |
ghaemater |
cêsyter
|
|
Voice affixes
- -ron = passive suffix
- -stan = causative suffix
Syntax
Sample texts