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: Qinqada 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⟩ |
| ⟨z⟩ | /l/ | ⟨l⟩ |
| ⟨w⟩ | /ts/ | ⟨z⟩ |
| ⟨ʍ⟩ | /dz/ | ⟨r⟩ |
| ⟨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 14 consonants which according to the World Atlas of Lanɡuaɡe Stucture is a 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/† | ||||
| Semivowel | /w/ | /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 3.5 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, ɹ, 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, nj/ are realised as [ŋw, 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 | Z | Q | K | B | D | R | X | M | N | L | H | |
| - | zt | qt | kt | - | - | - | - | mt | nt | lt | - | T |
| - | - | - | kz | - | - | - | - | mz | nz | lz | - | Z |
| - | - | - | qk | - | - | - | - | mq | nq | lq | - | Q |
| tk | zk | qk | - | - | - | - | - | mk | nk | lk | - | K |
| - | - | - | - | - | db | rb | xb | mb | nb | lb | - | B |
| - | - | - | - | bd | - | rd | xd | md | nd | ld | - | D |
| - | - | - | - | br | - | - | - | mr | nr | lr | - | Z |
| - | - | - | - | bx | - | - | - | mx | nx | lx | - | X |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | nm | lm | - | M |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | mn | - | ln | - | N |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ml | nl | - | - | L |
| tw* | zw* | qw* | kw* | bw* | dw* | rw* | xw* | mw* | nw* | lw* | hl* | W |
| - | - | - | ky* | by* | - | - | - | my* | ny* | ly* | hy* | Y |
| th | zh | qh | kh | - | - | - | - | mh | nh | lh | - | H |
NOTES:
a) Latin transliteration used for clarity.
b) First consonant of cluster runs along top of table, second consonant of cluster runs down right of table.
c) A dash indicates that that consonant cluster does not occur.
d) An asterisk indicates the cluster occurs in the syllable onset. All other clusters occur across syllable boundaries.
6) /j/ may not follow a long front vowel.
7) /w/ may not follow a long back vowel.
8) Vowel clusters do not occur.
9) A lonɡ vowel may not occur before a coda consonant.
10) Roots and prefixes must consist of properly formed syllables.
11) Suffixes may begin with a syllable boundary cluster.
12) Suffixes may consist of a single coda consonant.
13) Roots must consist of more than one and no more than three syllables.
14) 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 | Z | Q | K | B | D | R | X | M | N | L | |
| Vːt | zt | qt | kt | Vːt | Vːt | zt | qt | mt | nt | lt | T |
| Vːz | Vːz | Vːz | kz | Vːz | Vːz | Vːz | Vːz | mz | nz | lz | Z |
| Vːq | Vːq | Vːq | kq | Vːq | Vːq | Vːq | Vːq | mk | nk | lq | Q |
| tk | zk | qk | Vːk | Vːk | tk | zk | qk | mk | nk | lk | K |
| db | rb | xb | Vːb | Vːb | db | rb | xd | mb | nb | lb | B |
| Vːd | rd | xd | Vːd | bd | Vːd | rd | xd | md | nd | ld | D |
| Vːr | Vːr | Vːr | Vːr | br | Vːr | Vːr | Vːr | mr | nr | lr | Z |
| Vːx | Vːx | Vːx | Vːx | bx | Vːx | Vːx | Vːx | mx | nd | lx | X |
| mt | mz | mq | mk | mb | md | mr | mx | Vːm | nm | lm | M |
| nt | nz | nq | nk | nb | nd | nr | nx | mn | Vːn | ln | N |
| lt | lz | lq | lk | lb | ld | lr | lx | ml | nl | Vːl | L |
| tw | zw | qw | kw | bw | dw | rw | xw | mw | nw | lw | W |
| q | q | q | ky | by | x | x | x | my | ny | ly | Y |
| th | zh | qh | kh | Vːh | th | zh | qh | mh | nh | lh | H |
NOTES:
a) Latin transliteration 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) 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 Common Mavortian are summarised in the table below:
| Category | Description | Inflected? |
| Noun | Nouns, many adjectives, pronouns, numerals | Yes |
| Verb | Verbs | Yes |
| Postbase | Suffixes expressing adjunction or derivation | No |
| Particle | Conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs | No |
2) Common Mavortian 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, Common Mavortian 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 | -lta | 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 across, 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 | manta- |
| 1st Paucal Inclusive | bat | banta- |
| 2nd Paucal | kat | kanta- |
| 3rd Paucal | qat | qanta- |
| 1st Plural Exclusive | muk | munka- |
| 1st Plural Inclusive | buk | bunka- |
| 2nd Plural | kuk | kunka- |
| 3rd Plural | quk | qunka- |
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 | manta- |
| 1st Person Paucal Inclusive | -bat | banta- |
| 2nd Person Paucal | -kat | kanta- |
| 3rd Person Paucal | -qat | qanta- |
| 1st Person Plural Exclusive | -muk | munka- |
| 1st Person Plural Exclusive | -buk | bunka- |
| 2nd Person Plural | -tuk | tunka- |
| 3rd Person Plural | -quk | qunka- |
NB: Parenthesised allomorphs are used following a short vowel.