Avalonian

Common Mavortian (CM: Qīnakwa Telkun) is a polysynthetic, fluid-S split intransitive language with VSOX word order that is employed as a lingua franca by the Mavortian Economic Community: Qiniqrawa Anakte Telkun) on Mavors (CM: Telku). It has become the language of international trade and science and most Mavortians know it as at least a second language. Mavors is the fourth planet from the sun. Mavors has two moons, Timor (CM: Lūhi) and Metus (CM: Sinha).

Introduction

Mavortians are currently believed to have been transplanted to Mavors by unknown means about a 100,000 years ago. Thus Common Mavortian cannot feasibly be linked to any known language family on Terra although the more enthusiastic 'lumpers' and outright Goropists among linguistic scholars have certainly given it a try. Common Mavortian derives from the primary language spoken in the former Empire of Qelidad and its trading sphere. The standard dialect of the language as prescribed by the Mavortian Economic Community is described here.

Phonology

Orthoɡraphy

Common Mavortian is written in a variant of the script commonly used in Qabre which was derived from an earlier featural abugida. The spelling of Common Mavortian is phonemic although it does change to reflect the effects of morphophonology.

Common Mavortian Alphabet:

Common Mavortian Letter	IPA Value	Latin Transliteration
⟨o⟩	/h/	⟨h⟩
⟨ɵ⟩	/b/	⟨b⟩
⟨c⟩	/m/	⟨m⟩
⟨ɔ⟩	/w/	⟨w⟩
⟨v⟩	/t/	⟨t⟩
⟨ʌ⟩	/d/	⟨d⟩
⟨x⟩	/n/	⟨n⟩
⟨ɴ⟩	/ɹ/	⟨r⟩
⟨z⟩	/l/	⟨l⟩
⟨w⟩	/ts/	⟨s⟩
⟨ʍ⟩	/dz/	⟨z⟩
⟨e⟩	/tʃ/	⟨q⟩
⟨ə⟩	/dʒ/	⟨x⟩
⟨n⟩	/k/	⟨k⟩
⟨u⟩	/j/	⟨y⟩
⟨h⟩	/i/	⟨i⟩
⟨hh⟩	/eɪ/	⟨ī⟩
⟨ɥ⟩	/ɛ/	⟨e⟩
⟨ɥɥ⟩	/aɪ/	⟨ē⟩
⟨b⟩	/u/	⟨u⟩
⟨bb⟩	/oʊ/	⟨ū⟩
⟨q⟩	/ɑ/	⟨a⟩
⟨qq⟩	/aʊ/	⟨ā⟩

Consonants

Common Mavortian has a total of 15 consonants which according to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Stucture is a moderately small inventory. The most striking features of the inventory, according to WALS, are missing /p, ɡ/ and the absence of phonemic fricatives. The lack of phonemic fricatives is an areal feature of the languages of Qabre. The consonants are displayed in the table below:

	Labial	Plain Alveolar	Lateral Alveolar	Sibilant Alveolar	Postalveolar	Dorsal	Glottal
Voiceless Stop		/t/		/ts/	/tʃ/	/k/
Voiced Stop	/b/	/d/		/dz/	/dʒ/
Nasal	/m/	/n/	/l/†
Approximant	/w/				/ɹ̠/	/j/
Transition							/h/

† Although not phonetically a nasal, /l/ patterns the same as nasals in Common Mavortian

Vowels

Common Mavortian has a total of 8 vowels. It has 4 vowel qualities. According to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Structures this is a small vowel quality inventory. Common Mavortian has a consonant to vowel quality ratio of 3.75 which according to WALS is an average ratio. The diphthongs are phonologically long vowels. The vowels are displayed in the table below:

	Short Front	Long Front	Short Back	Long Back
Hiɡh	/i/	/eɪ/	/u/	/oʊ/
Low	/ɛ/	/aɪ/	/ɑ/	/aʊ/

Allophony

1) Voiceless stops are aspirated in word-initial position.

2) In intervocalic position, /b, d, dz, dʒ/ are realised as [v, ð̠, z, ʒ].

3) When part of a syllable onset cluster /ts, dz/ are realised as [s, z].

4) When part of a syllable onset cluster /tʃ/, /dʒ/ are realised as [ʃ, ʒ].

5) /n/ is realised as [ŋ] in coda position

6) The consonant clusters /th, tsh, tʃh, kh/ are realised as [θ̠, s, ʃ, x].

7) The consonant clusters /nw, nɹ̠, nj/ are realised as [ɡw, ɡɹ, ɲ].

Prosody

1) Words in Common Mavortian bear primary stress on the initial syllable.

2) Common Mavortian words bear secondary stress on every odd-numbered syllable following the initial syllable.

3) Rhythm type is trochaic.

4) Common Mavortian is spoken with a slower tempo than English is.

Phonotactics

1) The syllable template is (C)(C)V(C).

2) Only stops and nasals are permitted in syllable coda position.

3) Consonant clusters may not have more than two seɡments.

4) Consonant clusters may only occur in the syllable onset or across syllable boundaries.

5) Permitted consonant clusters are as per the table below:

T

S

Q

K

B

D

Z

X

M

N

L

H

-

st

qt

kt

-

-

-

-

mt

nt

lt

-

T

-

-

qs

ks

-

-

-

-

ms

ns

ls

-

S

-

sq

-

qk

-

-

-

-

mq

nq

lq

-

Q

tk

sk

qk

-

-

-

-

-

mk

nk

lk

-

K

-

-

-

-

-

db

zb

xb

mb

nb

lb

-

B

-

-

-

-

bd

-

zd

xd

md

nd

ld

-

D

-

-

-

-

bz

-

-

xz

mz

nz

lz

-

Z

-

-

-

-

bx

-

zx

-

mx

nx

lx

-

X

tm

sm

qm

km

bm

dm

zm

xm

-

nm

lm

-

M

tn

sn

qn

kn

bn

dn

zn

xn

mn

-

ln

-

N

tl

sl

ql

kl

bl

dl

zl

xl

ml

nl

-

-

L

tw*

sw*

qw*

kw*

bw*

dw*

zw*

xw*

mw*

nw*

lw*

hl*

W

tr*

sr*

qr*

kr*

br*

dr*

zr*

xr*

mr*

nr*

lr*

hr*

R

th

sh

qh

kh

-

-

-

-

mh

nh

lh

-

H

6) Permitted syllable boundary clusters are:

a) voiceless stop + voiceless stop

b) voiceless stop + /h/

c) voiced stop + voiced stop

d) /b/ + /j/

e) nasal + stop

f) nasal + nasal

g) nasal + approximant

7) Geminates do not occur.

8) The clusters /ttʃ, ddʒ/ do not occur.

9) /j/ may not follow a long front vowel.

10) /w/ may not follow a long back vowel.

11) Vowel clusters do not occur.

12) A lonɡ vowel may not occur before a coda consonant.

13) Roots and prefixes must consist of properly formed syllables.

14) Suffixes may begin with a syllable boundary cluster.

15) Suffixes may consist of a single coda consonant.

16) Roots must consist of more than one and no more than three syllables.

17) No affix may have more than two syllables.

Morphophonology

1) If a two-seɡment consonant cluster results from affixation or compoundinɡ then these consonant clusters are treated as per the table below:

T	Q	K	B	D	X	M	N
Vːt	qt	kt	Vːt	Vːt	qt	mt	nt	T
Vːq	Vːq	kq	Vːq	Vːq	Vːq	mk	nk	Q
tk	qk	Vːk	Vːk	tk	qk	mk	nk	K
db	xb	Vːb	Vːb	db	xd	mb	nb	B
Vːd	xd	Vːd	bd	Vːd	xd	md	nd	D
Vːx	Vːx	Vːx	bx	Vːx	Vːx	mx	nd	X
tw	qw	kw	bw	dw	xw	Vːm	nm	M
tl	ql	kl	bl	dl	xl	mn	Vːn	N
tw	qw	kw	bw	dw	xw	mw	nw	W
tr	qr	kr	br	dr	xr	mr	nr	R
tl	ql	kl	bl	dl	xl	ml	nl	L
x	x	Vːy	by	x	x	my	ny	Y
th	qh	kh	Vːh	th	qh	mh	nh	H

NOTES:

a) Latin transliteration used for clarity.

b) First consonant of consonant cluster can be found on top of table, second consonant of consonant cluster down riɡht of table.

c) Vː indicates precedinɡ vowel is lenɡthened

2) If a three-segment consonant cluster results from affixation then an epenthetic /i/ is inserted between the affix and the stem.

3) If a vowel sequence results from affixation then an epenthetic /j/ after a front vowel, or an epenthetic /w/ after a back vowel, is inserted after the first vowel to break up the vowel sequence.

4) If through suffixation a long vowel should precede a coda consonant then it is reduced to its corresponding short vowel.

5) If through affixation /j/ should follow a front long vowel then that front long vowel is reduced to its corresponding short vowel.

6) If through affixation /w/ should follow a long back vowel then that long back vowel is reduced to its corresponding short vowel.

Morphology

General Remarks On Morpholoɡy

1) The morphological cateɡories used in Teckovian are summarised in the table below:

Category	Description	Inflected?
Noun	Nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals	yes
Verb	Verbs	yes
Particle	Conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs	no

2) Tecklovian 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, Tecklovian has a moderate preference for suffixinɡ.

5) A postbase is a derivational or adjunctival suffix. Postbases are scope-ordered.

Nominal Morphology

General Remarks On Nominal Morphology

1) Nouns indicate distinct entities or nouns proper and states of being or adjectives. Nouns are inflected for number, possessor, demonstration or case.

2) Structure of a noun:

possessive prefix + nominal or verbal root + postbase + number suffix or demonstrative suffix + case suffix + vector suffix

Number

1) There are two main systems of nominal number in Common Mavortian:

a) Sinɡular-Plural

b) Collective-Singulative

2) Singular nouns are singular by default and take the plural suffix to indicate more than four instances.

3) Collective nouns indicate more than four instances by default or are mass nouns. They take the singulative suffix to indicate a singular instance or a small part of the whole.

4) Common Mavortian also has a paucal number which is used to mark nouns that are greater than one or fewer than five in number. When used with mass nouns has the sense of 'some'.

5) Number suffixes are summarised in the table below:

Number	Suffix
Plural	-uk
Singulative	-in
Paucal	-at

Case

1) Case marks relationships between noun and noun or noun and verb.

2) Common Mavortian cases are summarised in the table below:

Case	Abbreviation	Suffix (Allomorph)	Function
Absolutive	ABS	-∅	a) Marks citation form of noun b) Indicates O argument of a transitive verb c) Marks S argument of a stative intransitive verb
Nominative	NOM	-na (-n)	a) Indicates A argument of a transitive verb b) Marks S arɡument of an active intransitive verb c) Indicates the possessor
Dative	DAT	-hē	a) Marks X argument of active intransitive verb b) Marks beneficiary of action c) Indicates purpose or intent
Instrumental	INST	-tik	a) Marks X argument of stative intransitive verb b) Marks use of tool or instrument c) Indicates proximal cause
Equative	EQU	-te (-t)	a) Indicates similarity in function, manner or behaviour b) Marks similarity to, alike to c) Made or consisting of a particular substance d) Indicates the comparative
Comitative	COM	-dwe	a) Marks physical proximity or social connection to someone b) Indicates collaborative effort with someone in a joint activity c) Marks reciprocicity
Locative	LOC	-tla	a) Indicates place where b) Marks time when
Allative	ALL	-bu (-b)	a) Marks motion towards b) Indicates time until c) Marks destination or goal
Ablative	ABL	-yā	a) Indicates motion away from b) Marks time since c) Indicates the source or origin d) Marks aversion to or opposition to e) Indicates the source of comparison
Perlative	PERL	-am	a) Marks motion along, through or by way of b) Indicates duration c) Marks mode or means of transport or transmission d) Indicates reason, motive or ultimate cause e) Marks topic of conversation f) When used with a vector suffix indicates between or among

NB: Parenthesised allomorphs are used following a short vowel.

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

1) Common Mavortian personal pronouns and their associated possessive suffixes are summarised in the table below:

Person	Pronoun	Possessive Prefix
1st Singular	mi	min-
2nd Singular	ki	kin-
3rd Singular	qi	qin-
1st Paucal Exclusive	mat	matla-
1st Paucal Inclusive	bat	batla-
2nd Paucal	kat	katla-
3rd Paucal	qat	qatla-
1st Plural Exclusive	muk	mukla-
1st Plural Inclusive	buk	bukla-
2nd Plural	kuk	kukla-
3rd Plural	quk	qukla-

2) Personal pronouns take case in the same manner as nouns.

Demonstratives

1) Adnominal demonstratives are suffixes attached to the noun as per the table below:

Name	Locus	English Equivalent	Suffix
Proximal	Near speaker	this, these	-nti
Medial	Near listener(s)	that, those	-nku
Distal	Away from speaker and listener(s)	yon	-nqa

2) Demonstrative pronouns are formed by adding the appropriate demonstrative suffix to the appropriate third person pronoun.

Emphatic Pronouns

These are formed by addinɡ the auɡmentative suffix -qhak to the appropriate pronoun. Eɡ: kiqhak 'thou thyself'.

Reflexive Pronouns

These are formed by affixinɡ the appropriate pronominal possessive prefix to the reflexive pronoun gebet. Gebet is also the word for shadows. Eɡ: qigebet "herself, himself, itself.

Interrogative Pronouns

1) There are two interroɡative pronouns:

a) ku "who?"

b) mi "what?"

2) All other interrogatives are built from these two by taking the appropriate case. Eɡ: muted "where?", kudme "with whom?"

3) The canonical word-order of Tecklovian is VSOX. Interrogative pronouns violate this by being fronted to before the verb.

Indefinite Pronouns

These are formed by suffixing the appropriate interrogative pronoun to the reflexive pronoun gebet:

1) gebetikmen "somebody, someone, anyone".

2) gebetmak "somethinɡ, anythinɡ".

Verbal Morphology

Person	Absolutive Suffix (Allomorph)	Nominative Prefix
1st Person Singular	-mi (-m)	min-
2nd Person Singular	-ki(-k)	kin-
3rd Person Singular	-qi(-q)	qin-
1st Person Paucal Exclusive	-mat	matla-
1st Person Paucal Inclusive	-bat	bakla-
2nd Person Paucal	-kat	katla-
3rd Person Paucal	-qat	qatla-
1st Person Plural Exclusive	-muk	mukla-
1st Person Plural Exclusive	-buk	bukla-
2nd Person Plural	-tuk	tukla-
3rd Person Plural	-quk	qukla-

NB: Parenthesised allomorphs are used following a short vowel.