As always, I should start assembling a table of contents of sorts, like so:
Rokhanese: The Basics
Rokhana: The Five Princes
Rokhanese: Modality Prefixes
Pfarilian: The Basics (Part 1)
The Nature of the World
Anyway, onto the Basics of Rokhanese:
Outline
Rokhanese (locally Rokhanabyazda or Byazda Turgadîn Rokhanan) is the main language spoken in the vast empire of Rokhana, covering something like 25% of the world's surface. The empire, only a hundred and seventy-five years old, is divided into fourteen provinces (ruled by dukes), nine sees (ruled by bishops), twelve territories (ruled by the House of Echoes), and eighteen possessions (ruled by the Emperor or Empress). Rokhanese is the most conservative language among the daughters of Old Zyovonjian, spoken in an empire that covered barely a fifth of what Rokhana now holds and yet considered the foundation of all true civilization. Certainly the speakers of her sister languages, united under the League of Aureon, have much to say about "upholding the empire of old"...
Phonology
- Consonants:
Labial | Dental-Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
Nasal | m /m/ my /mj/ | n /n/ ny /nj/ | |||
Unv. Stop | p /p/ py /pj/ | t /t/ ty /tj/ | k /k/ k /kj/ | ||
Voic. Stop | b /b/ by /bj/ | d /d/ dy /dj/ | g /g/ gy /gj/ | ||
Trill | r /r/ ry /rj/ | ||||
Unv. Fric. | f /f/ fy /fj/ | s /s/ | sh /ʃ/ | khy /ç/ | kh /x/ |
Voic. Fric. | v /v/ vy /vj/ | z /z/ | zh /ʒ/ | h /ɣ/ | |
Unv. Affr. | c /ts/ | ch /tʃ/ | |||
Voic. Affr. | dz /dz/ | j /dʒ/ | |||
Approx. | y /j/ | ||||
Lat. Approx. | l /l/ ly /lj/ |
- Vowels: a /ɐ/ â /a:/ e /ɛ/ ê /e:/ i /ɪ/ î /i:/ o /ɔ/ ô /o:/ u /ʊ/ û /u:/
- Diphthongs: ai /ɐɪ̯/ au /ɒʊ̯/ ei /ɛɪ̯/ eu /ɛʊ̯/ oi /ɔɪ̯/ ou /ɔʊ̯/ ui /ʊɪ̯/ uo /uə̯/
- Stress is (almost) always on the penultimate syllable.
- Verbs have five conjugations, each based on a different root vowel, and mark for singular, dual, and plural. They also have aorist, perfect, imperfect, and irrealis forms.
-A | -A/I | -A/U | -I | -U | |
Aorist | 1s: -au 2s: -ai 3s: -akh, -â- 1d: -ou 2d: -oi 3d: -okh, -ô- 1p: -eu 2p: -ei 3p: -ekh, -ê- | 1s: -au 2s: -i 3s: -a 1d: -ou 2d: -oi 3d: -okh 1p: -eyu 2p: -ikh 3p: -eya | 1s: -u 2s: -ai 3s: -a 1d: -ukh, -û- 2d: -ovi 3d: -ova 1p: -eu 2p: -ei 3p: -ekh, -ê- | 1s: -yu 2s: -ikh, -î- 3s: -ya 1d: -yukh, -yû- 2d: -ivi 3d: -iva 1p: -eyu 2p: -ikh, -î- 3p: -eya | 1s: -ukh, -û- 2s: -vi 3s: -va 1d: -ukh, -û- 2d: -ovi 3d: -ova 1p: -ui 2p: -vikh, -vî- 3p: -uya |
Perfect | 1s: -asu 2s: -asi 3s: -asa 1d: -ausu 2d: -ausi 3d: -ausa 1p: -aisu 2p: -aisi 3p: -aisa | 1s: -asu 2s: -is 3s: -as 1d: -ausu 2d: -ausi 3d: -ausa 1p: -aisu 2p: -isi 3p: -aisa | 1s: -us 2s: -asi 3s: -as 1d: -usu 2d: -usi 3d: -usa 1p: -aisu 2p: -aisi 3p: -aisa | 1s: -isu 2s: -isi 3s: -isa 1d: -eusu 2d: -eusi 3d: -eusa 1p: -eisu 2p: -eisi 3p: -eisa | 1s: -usu 2s: -usi 3s: -usa 1d: -uosu 2d: -uosi 3d: -uosa 1p: -oisu 2p: -oisi 3p: -oisa |
Imperfect | 1s: -aru 2s: -ari 3s: -ara 1d: -auru 2d: -auri 3d: -aura 1p: -airu 2p: -airi 3p: -aira | 1s: -aru 2s: -ir 3s: -ar 1d: -auru 2d: -auri 3d: -aura 1p: -airu 2p: -iri 3p: -aira | 1s: -ur 2s: -ari 3s: -ar 1d: -uru 2d: -uri 3d: -ura 1p: -airu 2p: -airi 3p: -aira | 1s: -iru 2s: -iri 3s: -ira 1d: -euru 2d: -euri 3d: -eura 1p: -eiru 2p: -eiri 3p: -eira | 1s: -uru 2s: -uri 3s: -ura 1d: -uoru 2d: -uori 3d: -uora 1p: -oiru 2p: -oiri 3p: -oira |
Irrealis | 1s: -ahu 2s: -ahi 3s: -aha 1d: -avu 2d: -avi 3d: -ava 1p: -ayu 2p: -ayi 3p: -aya | 1s: -ahu 2s: -ihi 3s: -aha 1d: -avu 2d: -avi 3d: -ava 1p: -ayu 2p: -ikh, -î- 3p: -aya | 1s: -uhu 2s: -ahi 3s: -aha 1d: -uvu 2d: -uvi 3d: -uva 1p: -ayu 2p: -ayi 3p: -aya | 1s: -ihu 2s: -ihi 3s: -iha 1d: -ivu 2d: -ivii 3d: -iva 1p: -eyu 2p: -ikh, -î- 3p: -eya | 1s: -uhu 2s: -uhi 3s: -uha 1d: -uvu 2d: -uvi 3d: -uva 1p: -uyu 2p: -uyi 3p: -uya |
- There are also ergative suffixes to be added to the verb for extra context:
1s | 2s | 3s | 1d | 2d | 3d | 1p | 2p | 3p | Reflex. | |
Ergative | -nna | -mma | -tta | -nya | -vya | -cha | -nta | -mpa | -sta | -lla |
Causative | -nni | -mmi | -tti | -nyakh, -nyê- | -vyakh, -vyê- | -chakh, -chê- | -nti | -mpi | -sti | -lli |
Donative | -nnu | -mmu | -ttu | -nyu | -vyu | -chu | -ntu | -mpu | -stu | -llu |
- Nouns have five declensions, derived originally from six (two of the inanimate forms, masculine and neuter, merged), three cases (absolutive, ergative, and genitive), and two numbers (singular and plural--the earlier dual was lost).
Nouns | Singular | Plural |
Masculine Animate | Abs: -V/-Ø Gen: -Vun/-un Erg: -Vur/-ur | Abs: -Vussa/-ussa Gen: -Vussan/-ussan Erg: -Vussir/-ussir |
Feminine Animate | Abs: -Vi/-i Gen: -Vin/-in Erg: -Vir/-ir | Abs: -Vissa/-issa Gen: -Vissan/-issan Erg: -Vissir/-issir |
Neuter Animate | Abs: -V/-Ø Gen: -Vn/-an Erg: -Vr/-ar | Abs: -Vssa/-assa Gen: -Vssan/-assan Erg: -Vssir/-assir |
Common Inanimate | Abs: -V/-Ø Gen: -Vn/-an Erg: -Vir/-ir | Abs: -Vkh/-akh Gen: -Vng/-ang Erg: -Vrag/-arag |
Feminine Inanimate | Abs: -Vi/-i Gen: -Vin/-ain Erg: -Vir/-ir | Abs: -Vikh/-ikh Gen: -Vng/-ang Erg: -Virig/-irig |
- Adjectives are derived from nouns and take nominal endings.
- Participles are formed using infixes followed by the nominal endings: -Vs-/-us- for perfect participles, -Vr-/-ar- for imperfect participles, and -Vkh-/-ikh- for gerundives.
- Rokhanese has a base-12 number system, for which the numbers are, in turn: tsou, kan, mis, nur, mon, kyor, gen, nas, reu, khyâ, tsur, van.
- Standard word order is VAE (Verb-Absolutive-Ergative).
- Numbers and adjectives precede nouns (in that order), genitives follow them.
- Noun and verb phrases are inserted before the main noun/verb, with verbs replaced with participles and nouns in whatever case they need to be in, followed by the particle hau (pronounced au after an aspirated consonant).