Iermansc 1.0

=Introduction=

Iermánsc is a Romance language which developed in an alternate timeline in which the Romans conquered the area we know as southern Germany in the first century A.D. The subsequent Romanized German culture lasted long after the breakdown of the Empire several centuries later. The language has a strong family relationship to Romansh, Venetian, and Old French (its closest Romance neighbors), with a sense of phonological, lexical and grammatical flavor from Germanic. One major repercussion of extensive long-term contact between Germanic and Romance is that the language has radically shifted towards the use of simplified grammatical particles and endings at the expense of rich inflected forms inherited from Latin.

Please note that this is a work in continual progress.

=Phonology= Iermánsc contains 8 vowel sounds / i u e ǝ o ɛ ɔ a / and 20 consonants /p b t d k g f v θ ð s x ʃ ʧ m n l w j r / including the semivowels /w/ and /j/.

=Orthography= The alphabet of Iermánsc consists of 21 letters, developed from the Roman alphabet with the addition of two runic letters:

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ðð Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Rr Ss Tt Þþ Uu Vv The vowels can also be marked for irregular syllabic stress. Stressed vowels are á é í ó ú (initial syllables are stressed by default and therefore these are never capitalized). The above graphemes represent the following sounds:

a	/a/ in most cases, /ɔ/ before a nasal, /ǝ/ in unstressed syllables au      /ɔ/ b 	/b/ c 	/k/ in most cases, /ʧ/ before e or i, /ʃ/ in the digraph sc d 	/d/ ð 	/ð/ e 	/e/ or /ɛ/, /ǝ/ in some unstressed syllables f 	/f/ g 	/g/ h 	/x/ i 	/i/ in most cases, /j/ when in combination with another vowel, /ǝ/ in some unstressed syllables l 	/l/ m	/m/ n 	/n/ in most cases, /ŋ/ before g o 	/o/ or /ɔ/ p 	/p/ r 	/r/ s 	/s/ in most cases, /ʃ/ before p or t. sc	/ʃ/ sch     /ʃk/ t 	/t/ þ	/θ/ u	/u/ in most cases, /w/ in combination with another vowel v 	/v/

=Grammar=

Articles
There are three definite articles: il (m.sg.), la (f.sg.) and le (pl.) and three corresponding indefinite articles in, na and ne. The feminine and plural articles may elide to l' and n', respectively, before vowels (though not before i and u as /j/ and /w/).

il han "the dog" /il xɔn/ le hane "the dogs" /lǝ xɔnǝ/ l'ahua "the water" /laxwǝ/ l'ahue "the waters" /laxwǝ/ na iata "a cat" /na jatǝ/ ne iate "some cats" /nǝ jatǝ/ in om "a man" /in om/ n'one "some men" /nonǝ/

Nouns
Nouns come in two genders, masculine and singular. Most masculine nouns end in a consonant and add -e in the plural. Most feminine nouns end in -a in singular and -e in the plural.

il dent "the tooth" /il dɛnt/ le dente "the teeth"/lǝ dɛntǝ/ na stela "a star" /na ʃtelǝ/ ne stele "some stars" /nǝ ʃtelǝ/

There are some complications, however. There are many alternations in both consonants and vowels between certain masculine plurals. The most common consonant changes are that singular final f þ h  become v ð i (/j/) in the plural. The common vowel alternations are o u become e i in the plural. The following examples have one of each kind.

in foh "a fire" /in fox/ ne feie "some fires" /nǝ fejǝ/ il luf "the wolf" /il luf/ le live "the wolves" /lǝ livǝ/

Some singular words also alternate the final vowel and consonant.

il proveþ "the prophet" /il provǝθ/ le provðe "the prophets" /lǝ provðǝ/ in amih "a friend" /in ɔmǝx/ n'amie "some friends" /nɔmjǝ/

There are also some completely irregular nouns which don’t obey the general rules.

la man "the hand" /la mɔn/ (f. irregular singular) le mane	"the hands" /lǝ mɔnǝ/ in om "a man" /in om/ n’one "some men" /nonǝ/ (m. irregular plural)

Personal Pronouns
There are eight subject pronouns.

iu "I" /ju/ ti "you" /ti/ el "he" /el/ ela "her" /elǝ/ nu "we" /nu/ vu "y'all/you (formal sg.)" /vu/ ele "they" /elǝ/ in "one" /in/

There are seven direct object pronouns.

me "me" /me/ te "you" /te/ le "him/it/they" /le/ la "her" /la/ se "self" /se/ nu "us" /nu/ vu "y'all/you (formal sg.)" /vu/

And two indirect object pronouns.

a mi "to me" /a mi/ a ti "to you" /a ti/

Possessive Pronouns
Each of the five possessive pronouns has a form for m.sg., f.sg., and pl.

mun "my" /mun/ mia "my" /mja/ mie "my" /mjǝ/

tun "your" /tu/ tua "your" /twa/ tue "your" /twǝ/

sun "his/her/its/their" /sun/ sua "his/her/its/their" /swa/ sue "his/her/its/their" /swǝ/

nuster "our" /nuʃtǝr/ nustra "our" /nuʃtrǝ/ nustre "our" /nuʃtrǝ/

vuster "y'all's" /vuʃtǝr/ vustra "y'all's" /vuʃtrǝ/ vustre "y'all's" /vuʃtrǝ/

Demonstrative Pronouns
There are two demonstrative pronuns.

huest "this" /xwɛʃt/ huesta "this" /xwɛʃtǝ/ hueste "this" /xwɛʃtǝ/

huel "that" /xwel/ huela "that" /xwelǝ/ huele "that" /xwelǝ/

Adjectives
Adjectives differ in how they agree with nouns. Some adjectives have distinct forms for all four number/gender combination.

il nof asen "the new donkey" /il nof asǝn/ le neve asne "the new donkeys" /lǝ nevǝ asnǝ/ la nova havra "the new goat" /la novǝ xavrǝ/ le nove havre "the new goats" /lǝ novǝ xavrǝ/

in fort iuven "a strong boy" /in fort juvǝn/ na forta iuvna "a strong girl" /na forta juvnǝ/ ne ferte iuvne "some strong boys/children" /nǝ fertǝ juvnǝ/ ne forte iuvne "some strong girls" /nǝ fortǝ juvnǝ/

Others distinguish only m.sg., f.sg. and pl.

in grand om "a big man" /in grɔnd om/ ne grande one "some big men" /nǝ grɔndǝ onǝ/ na granda fiena	"a big woman" /na grɔndǝ fjɛnǝ/ ne grande fiene	"some big women" /nǝ grɔndǝ fjɛnǝ/ il blau ciel "the blue sky" /il blɔ ʧjɛl/ le blaue ciele "the blue skies" /lǝ blɔwǝ ʧjɛlǝ/ la blaua ahua "the blue water" /la blɔwǝ axwǝ/ le blaue ahue "the blue waters" /lǝ blɔǝ axwǝ/

Numbers
The cardinal numbers are as follows.

nil "zero" /nil/

in "one" /in/ du "two" /du/ tre "three" /tre/ huat "four" /xwat/ huensc "five" /xwɛnʃ/ sesc "six" /seʃ/ seþ "seven" /seθ/ oht "eight" /oxt/ nof "nine" /nof/ desc "ten" /deʃ/

indesc "eleven" /indeʃ/ dudesc "twelve" /dudeʃ/ tredesc "thirteen" /tredeʃ/ huadesc "fourteen" /xwadeʃ/ huendesc "fifteen" /xwendeʃ/ seðesc "sixteen" /sedeʃ/ seþ e desc "seventeen" /seθ e deʃ/ oht e desc "eighteen" /oxt e deʃ/ nof e desc "nineteen" /nof e deʃ/ vente "twenty" /ventǝ/

in e vente "twenty-one" /in e ventǝ/ du e vente "twenty-two" /du e ventǝ/ trenta "thirty" /trentǝ/ huaðránta "fourty" /xwað.rantǝ/ huenénta "fifty" /xwen.entǝ/ sescánta "sixty" /se.ʃantǝ/ seðánta "seventy" /seð.antǝ/ ohtónta "eighty" /oxt.ontǝ/ nonánta "ninety" /non.ontǝ/ cent "one hundred" /ʧɛnt/

du cente "two hundred" /du ʧɛntǝ/ tre cente "three hundred" /tre ʧɛntǝ/ huat cente "four hundred" /xwat ʧɛntǝ/ mil "one thousand" /mil/

du mil tre cente seþ e vente "two thousand three hundred twenty-seven" /du mil tre ʧɛntǝ seθ e ventǝ/

Regular Verbs
There are two classes of verb, a-class and e-class. The present participle is formed by adding nt to the infinitive and stressing the final vowel. The past participle is formed by adding þ to the infinitive. The imperative singular is formed by stressing the final vowel. The imperative plural is formed by stressing the final vowel and adding þ.

a hanta "to sing" /a xɔntǝ/ hantánt "singing" /xɔnt.ant/ hantaþ "sung" /xɔntǝθ/ hantá "sing!" /xɔnt.a/ hantáþ "sing! (pl)" /xɔnt.aθ/

a save  "to know" /a savǝ/ savént "knowing" /sav.ent/ saveþ "known" /savǝθ/ savé  "know!" /a sav.e/ savéþ  "know! (pl)" /sav.eθ/

Simple Present
A-class verbs inflect mostly regularly in the present indicative.

iu hant "i sing" /ju xɔnt/ ti hanta "you sing" /ti xɔntǝ/ el hanta "he sings" /el xɔntǝ/ nu hantan "we sing" /nu xɔntǝn/ vu hantaþ "y'all/you sing" /xɔntǝθ/ ele hantan "they sing" /elǝ xɔntǝn/

E-class verbs inflect very similarly.

iu saf "I know" /ju saf/ ti save "you know" /ti savǝ/ el save "he knows" /el savǝ/ nu saven "we know" /nu savǝn/ vu saveþ "y'all know" /vu savǝθ/ el saven "they know" /el savǝn/

Simple Past
A-class verb simple past is highly regular.

iu hantá "i sang" /ju xɔn.ta/ ti hantá "you sang" /ti xɔn.ta/ el hantá "he sang" /el xɔn.ta/ nu hantán "we sang" /nu xɔn.tan/ vu hantáþ "y'all sang" /vu xɔn.taθ/ ele hantán "they sang" /elə xɔn.tan/

E-class verb simple past is formed similarly.

iu savé "i knew" /ju sa.ve/ ti savé "you knew" /ti sa.ve/ el savé "he knew" /el sa.ve/ nu savén "we knew" /nu sa.ven/ vu savéþ "y'all knew" /vu sa.veθ/ ele savén "they knew" /elə sa.ven/

Subjunctive
A-class and E-class verb subjunctives are highly regular.

iu hantásc "may i sing" /ju xɔn.taʃ/ ti hantásc "may you sang" /ti xɔn.taʃ/ el hantásc "may he sang" /el xɔn.taʃ/ nu hantáscen "may we sang" /nu xɔn.taʃən/ vu hantásceþ "may y'all sang" /vu xɔn.taʃəθ/ ele hantáscen "may they sang" /elə xɔn.taʃən/

iu savésc "may i knew" /ju sa.veʃ/ ti savésc "may you knew" /ti sa.veʃ/ el savésc "may he knew" /el sa.veʃ/ nu savéscen "may we knew" /nu sa.veʃən/ vu savésceþ "may y'all knew" /vu sa.veʃəθ/ ele savéscen "may they knew" /elə sa.veʃən/

Perfect
Form the perfect with the present form of ave + Past Participle.

ti af hantaþ "you have sung" /ti af xɔntəθ/ ela af hantaþ "she has sung" /elə af xɔntəθ/ iu af saveþ "i have known" /ju af savəθ/ nu aven saveþ "we have known" /nu avən savəθ/

Pluperfect
Form the pluperfect tense with the past of ave + Past Participle.

vu avéþ hantaþ "y'all had sung" /ti av.eθ xɔntəθ/ ele avén hantaþ "they had sung" /elə av.en xɔntəθ/ iu avé saveþ "i had known" /ju av.e savəθ/ nu avén saveþ "we had known" /nu av.en savəθ/

Future
Form the future with the present form of vole + Infinitive.

nu volen hanta "we will sing" /nu volǝn xɔntǝ/ vu voleþ hanta "ya'll will sing" /vu volǝθ xɔntǝ/ iu vel save "i will know" /iu vel savǝ/ ti vol save "you will know" /ti vol savǝ/

Future Perfect
Form the future perfect with vole + ave + Past Participle.

nu volen aven hantaþ "we will have sung" /nu volǝn avǝ xntǝþ/ ele volen aven hantaþ "they will have sung" /elǝ volǝn aven xntǝþ/ ela vol af saveþ "she will have known" /elǝ vol af savǝþ/ ti vol af saveþ "you will have known" /ti vol af savǝþ/

Irregular Verbs
Some of the most commonly used verbs are irregular.

Esce and Sta
Esce and sta are both used for "to be". Esce is the usual verb denoting essential qualities.

að esce "to be" /að eʃǝ/ esent "being" /eʃǝnt/ esen "been" /eʃǝn/ esc "be!" /eʃ/ este "be! (pl.)" /eʃtǝ/

iu sun "i am" /ju sun/ ti esc "you are" /ti e/ ela esc "she is" /el eʃ/ nu sun "we are" /nu sun/ vu esc "y'all are" /vu eʃ/ ele sun "they are" /elə sun/

iu ra "i was" /ju rǝ/ ti ra "you were" /ti rǝ/ ela ra "she were" /el rǝ/ nu ran "we were" /nu rǝn/ vu raþ "y'all were" /vu rǝθ/ ele ran "they were" /elə rǝn/

Sta has connotations of expressing location in time and space, and is also used as an auxiliary.

a sta "to be" /a ʃta/ stant "being" /ʃtant/ staþ "been" /ʃtaθ/ sta "be!" /ʃta/ staþ "be! (pl.)" /ʃtaθ/

iu stun "i am" /ju ʃtun/ ti sta "you are" /ti ʃtan/ el sta "he is" /el ʃta/ nu stan "we are" /nu ʃtan/ vu staþ "y'all are" /vu ʃtaθ/ ele stan "they are" /elə ʃtan/

iu stava "i was" /ju ʃtavǝ/ ti stava "you were" /ti ʃtavǝ/ ela stava "she were" /el ʃtavǝ/ nu stavan "we were" /nu ʃtavǝn/ vu stavaþ "y'all were" /vu ʃtavǝθ/ ele stavan "they were" /elə ʃtavǝn/

Ave
Ave is used as both "to have" and used in tense construction.

að ave "to have" /að avǝ/ avént "having" /av.ɛnt/ aveþ "had" /avǝθ/ avé "have!" /av.e/ avéþ "have! (pl)" /av.eθ/

iu af "i have" /ju af/ ti af "you have" /ti af/ el af "he has" /el af/ nu aven "we have" /nu avǝn/ vu aveþ "y'all have" /vu avǝθ/ ele aveþ "they have" /elǝ avǝn/

iu avé "i had" /ju av.e/ ti avé "you had" /ti av.e/ ela avé "she had" /elǝ av.e/ nu avén "we had" /nu av.en/ vu avéþ "y'all had" /vu av.eθ/ ele avén "they had" /elǝ av.en/

Vole
Vole is used for "to will" and as an auxiliary.

a vole "to will" /a vol/ volént "willing" /vol.ent/ voleþ "willed" /volǝθ/ volé "will!" /vol.e/ voléþ "will! (pl.)" /vol.eθ/

iu vel "i will" /ju vel/ ti vol "you will" /ti vol/ el vol "he will" /el vol/ nu volen "we will" /nu volǝn/ vu voleþ "y'all will" /vu volǝθ/ ele volen "they will" /elǝ volǝn/

iu volé "i willed" /iu vol.e/ ti volé "you willed" /ti vol.e/ el volé "he willed" /el vol.e/ nu volén "we willed" /nu vol.en/ vu voléþ "y'all willed" /vu vol.eθ/ ele volén "they willed" /elǝ vol.e/

Da
Da is a common irregular verb.

a da "to give" /a da/ dant "giving" /dɔnt/ daþ "given" /daθ/ da "give!" /da/ daþ "give! (pl.)" /daθ/

iu dun "i give" /ju dun/ ti da "you give" /ti da/ el da "he gives" /el da/ nu dan "we give" /nu dan/ vi daþ "y'all give" /vi daθ/ ele dun "they give" /elǝ dun/

iu deva "i gave" /ju devǝ/ ti deva "you gave" /ti devǝ/ ela deva "she gave" /elǝ devǝ/ nu devan "we gave" /nu devǝn/ vu devaþ "y'all gave" /vu devǝθ/ ele devan "they gave" /elǝ devǝn/

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