Iermansc

Iermansc is the working title for a Romance language project involving the creation of a hypothetically originating in Bavaria and Austria, influenced by Germanic. The project is in a state of fluidity as I learn more about Romance and Germanic linguistics and try out different models for evolving the language.

A series documents have been prepared:


 * Iermansc 1.0 was the first coherent attempt at a grammar of such a language. It is quite far from perfect, but establishes a general feel for what an end result might look like.  It is by far the most extensive outline yet developed.  The output of the sound changes implemented brought up several challenged which spurred further research.


 * Iermansc 2.0 is the bare outline of a possible direction for Northern Romance and Old High German to influence the languge.


 * Iermansc 2.2 is another scheme for just the stressed vowels.


 * Iermansc 2.3 considers the possible effects of a German Consonant Shift-influenced consonant system. I like this three-phase model.  In which the shift of vowels from Latin to Romance takes place, then one level of consonant shift, followed by further simultaneous vowel and consonant shifts.


 * Iermansc 2.4 is a more detailed and complete scheme. It is based loosely on 1.0, retaining key features such as the lenition of intervocallic stops and the loss of final -s, but informed in an evolutionary sense by Iermansc 2.0-2.3.  In this version, the name is Iermanz pronounced /.jɛrmənts/ and stressed on the initial syllable.

These different sketches represent experimentation and intuitive groping. At this point in the project, we feel it's best to step back and look at the rationale and influences behind the language's evolution.