Nentan languages: Difference between revisions
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'''Nenta''' ([[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: [{{IPA|ˌnɛntaꜜ}}]) is a kanva language family whose languages are primarily spoken in northern Quillan. | '''Nenta''' ([[w:International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: [{{IPA|ˌnɛntaꜜ}}]) is a kanva language family whose languages are primarily spoken in northern Quillan. It is one of the two daughter language families of the primary language family [[Nenta—Caligan languages|Nenta—Caligan]]. | ||
Kanvas are a species of cat-like anthropomorphic beings unique to Spectradom, the world in which this language family is placed, and the languages in the family reflect that in some ways. | Kanvas are a species of cat-like anthropomorphic beings unique to Spectradom, the world in which this language family is placed, and the languages in the family reflect that in some ways. | ||
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** Caliganyuan | ** Caliganyuan | ||
** Yudirayan | ** Yudirayan | ||
** Hayabian | |||
* Low Kanafan | * Low Kanafan | ||
** Citalian | ** Citalian | ||
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Ideally, Proto-Nenta should be the ancestor of Classical Nenta and both families of Kanafan. However, given the Kanafan subfamilies only have contemporaneous attestation from late Classical Nentan/early Middle Nenta sources, the weight to place on Low and High Kanafan languages varies among different analyses. Some linguists even propose that Proto-Nenta and Proto-Nenta—Caligan are the same language. | Ideally, Proto-Nenta should be the ancestor of Classical Nenta and both families of Kanafan. However, given the Kanafan subfamilies only have contemporaneous attestation from late Classical Nentan/early Middle Nenta sources, the weight to place on Low and High Kanafan languages varies among different analyses. Some linguists even propose that Proto-Nenta and Proto-Nenta—Caligan are the same language. | ||
==Phonology== | ===Phonology=== | ||
{{main|Proto-Nenta phonology}} | {{main|Proto-Nenta phonology}} | ||
===Consonants=== | ====Consonants==== | ||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||
|+ Consonant phonemes | |+ Consonant phonemes | ||
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| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | [[w:Voiced uvular trill|r₂]] | | style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | [[w:Voiced uvular trill|r₂]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
====Notes==== | =====Notes===== | ||
* Proto-Nenta is typically considered a CCV language, where any singular consonant, any plosive before /x/, and any plosive after /s/ is allowed. Null onset is also allowed, though in Classical Nenta these seem to have become coda approximants. As the consonant clusters near-universally simplified, however, sometimes these clusters are considered a single consonant. | * Proto-Nenta is typically considered a CCV language, where any singular consonant, any plosive before /x/, and any plosive after /s/ is allowed. Null onset is also allowed, though in Classical Nenta these seem to have become coda approximants. As the consonant clusters near-universally simplified, however, sometimes these clusters are considered a single consonant. | ||
* The uvular consonants reconstructed for Proto-Nenta—Caligan have been merged into the velar consonants. The so-called "uvular stop" shown above corresponds to the Proto-Nenta—Caligan glottal stop /ʔ/, though its value is uncertain, as it has glottal reflexes in Old Rokadong, but uvular in ancient Kanafan, and freely-varying in Karanesa. The use of the uvular stop letter is also partially a matter of convenience, as it is more difficult to type ʔ than q. | * The uvular consonants reconstructed for Proto-Nenta—Caligan have been merged into the velar consonants. The so-called "uvular stop" shown above corresponds to the Proto-Nenta—Caligan glottal stop /ʔ/, though its value is uncertain, as it has glottal reflexes in Old Rokadong, but uvular in ancient Kanafan, and freely-varying in Karanesa. The use of the uvular stop letter is also partially a matter of convenience, as it is more difficult to type ʔ than q. | ||
* The two rhotic consonants here are present because while evidence from Old Rokadong, modern Kairitelan, New Karanesa, and even some Caligan languages show two rhotic phonemes - with Old Rokadong in particular having /r ʀ/ as its two rhotics - the exact values they correspond to further back in the timeline is uncertain. In the case of Proto-Nenta, one of the rhotics, typically notated r₁ or just r, is said to be derived from a Proto-Nenta—Caligan r, typically characterized as an alveolar trill, as it corresponds to Old Rokadong /r/. The second rhotic, r₂, is the reconstruction given for Old Rokadong /ʀ/, but its value in Proto-Nenta is unclear. Proto-Nencali is usually reconstructed with two uvular fricatives, /χ ʁ/, the former of which is said to correspond to Proto-Nenta /x/. However, where /ʁ/ ended up is uncertain. It is a candidate for r₂, but then, it could also have become a voiced velar fricative, as seen in Karane-Puram. Or, seeing as no Nentan language is known to have both /ɣ/ and two rhotics except New Karanesa, it could be that /ɣ/ is instead descended from a uvular r₂. In acknowledgement of this issue, some Proto-Nentan reconstructions have, either instead of or in addition to r₁ and r₂, a second velar fricative, corresponding to a Proto-Nenta /ɣ/, is added. Usually the two velar fricatives are represented as <h x>. | * The two rhotic consonants here are present because while evidence from Old Rokadong, modern Kairitelan, New Karanesa, and even some Caligan languages show two rhotic phonemes - with Old Rokadong in particular having /r ʀ/ as its two rhotics - the exact values they correspond to further back in the timeline is uncertain. In the case of Proto-Nenta, one of the rhotics, typically notated r₁ or just r, is said to be derived from a Proto-Nenta—Caligan r, typically characterized as an alveolar trill, as it corresponds to Old Rokadong /r/. The second rhotic, r₂, is the reconstruction given for Old Rokadong /ʀ/, but its value in Proto-Nenta is unclear. Proto-Nencali is usually reconstructed with two uvular fricatives, /χ ʁ/, the former of which is said to correspond to Proto-Nenta /x/. However, where /ʁ/ ended up is uncertain. It is a candidate for r₂, but then, it could also have become a voiced velar fricative, as seen in Karane-Puram. Or, seeing as no Nentan language is known to have both /ɣ/ and two rhotics except New Karanesa, it could be that /ɣ/ is instead descended from a uvular r₂. In acknowledgement of this issue, some Proto-Nentan reconstructions have, either instead of or in addition to r₁ and r₂, a second velar fricative, corresponding to a Proto-Nenta /ɣ/, is added. Usually the two velar fricatives are represented as <h x>. | ||
===Vowels=== | ====Vowels==== | ||
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | {|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||
|+ Vowel phonemes | |+ Vowel phonemes | ||
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|} | |} | ||
====Notes==== | =====Notes===== | ||
* There are two /i/ and /u/ phonemes, both of which are considered a carryover from Proto-Nencali. The 2-variants color the consonant before them, while the 1-variants do not. The exact value of each /i/ and /u/ is unknown, but a popular reconstruction from Quillan linguist Kuila Júnakoromiyo lists them as /i₁ i₂ u₁ u₂/ [ij je uw wo]. This reconstruction is popular because it also aligns with the common reconstructions for /a₂ a₄/. However, other common reconstructions are [iː ej uː ow], [ɪ i ʊ u], or any combination. What is more certain is that /i₂ u₂/ evolved into consonant-coloring /ʲi₁ ʷu₁/ in Classical Nenta or Old Rokadong. | * There are two /i/ and /u/ phonemes, both of which are considered a carryover from Proto-Nencali. The 2-variants color the consonant before them, while the 1-variants do not. The exact value of each /i/ and /u/ is unknown, but a popular reconstruction from Quillan linguist Kuila Júnakoromiyo lists them as /i₁ i₂ u₁ u₂/ [ij je uw wo]. This reconstruction is popular because it also aligns with the common reconstructions for /a₂ a₄/. However, other common reconstructions are [iː ej uː ow], [ɪ i ʊ u], or any combination. What is more certain is that /i₂ u₂/ evolved into consonant-coloring /ʲi₁ ʷu₁/ in Classical Nenta or Old Rokadong. | ||
* There are also four /a/ phonemes, so noted because all four have turned into /a/ in all members of the Rokaselan subfamily and Karane-Puram. Unlike /i/ and /u/, the four /a/ phonemes see relative agreement as to their values. /a₁ a₃/ are unambiguously front and back. /a₂ a₄/ are effectively equivalent to /ja₁ wa₃/; the same applies here as did to /i₂ u₂/. | * There are also four /a/ phonemes, so noted because all four have turned into /a/ in all members of the Rokaselan subfamily and Karane-Puram. Unlike /i/ and /u/, the four /a/ phonemes see relative agreement as to their values. /a₁ a₃/ are unambiguously front and back. /a₂ a₄/ are effectively equivalent to /ja₁ wa₃/; the same applies here as did to /i₂ u₂/. | ||
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[[Category:Rokadong]] | [[Category:Rokadong]] | ||
[[Category:New Karanesa]] | |||
[[Category:High Karanesa]] | |||
[[Category:Languages]] | [[Category:Languages]] | ||
[[Category:Conlangs]] | [[Category:Conlangs]] | ||