Eridanian

Eridanian is an Anglic language spoken on Epsilon Eridani III in the year AD 4000, one of many languages that evolved from English. It is an Agglutinative language with a rich morphology of prefixes derived from English prepositions, articles, axillary verbs, modals, and other grammatical particles and constructions.

=Setting= In 2389 several hundred thousand Americans and Canadians from around the Great Lakes region fled an increasingly totalitarian Terran Federation government to a nearby Earth-like planet that was as yet unsettled, Epsilon Eridani III, about 10 light-years from Earth. When the Federation collapsed in the early 2500's the infrastructure that allowed for interstellar travel collapsed, resulting in a period later generations would call a "dark age" reminiscent of the one following the fall of Rome. The various interstellar colonies, including E. Eridani III, which came to be called Eridanus, later Rdahns, were cut off from the Solar System and on their own. The various dialects of spoken English, which were already quite different from the written language, "Classical English", began thier divergence into separate languages.

=Phonology=

Consonants
Fortis Plosives: /pʰ tʰ kʰ/ p t k Lenis Plosives: /p t k/ b d g Nasals: /m n ɲ ŋ/ m n ny ng Affricates: /ʧʰ ʧ/ c j Unvoiced Fricative: /ɸ s sʲ ʃ x/ f s sy sh x Voiced Fricatives: /β z zʲ ʒ/ v z sy zh Liquids: /ɫ r/ l rr Semivowels: /j ɻ w/ y r w

Oral
Front: /ɛ e i/ e eh i Mid: /a ɜ ɝ/ ah a r Back: /ɔ o u/ o oh u Diphthongs: /eu oi iə uə/ eu oi ia ua

Nasal
Front: /ɛ~ e~ i~/ en ehn in Mid: /a~ ɜ~ ɝ~/ ahn an rn Back: /ɔ~ o~ u~/ on ohn un Diphthongs: /ɛu~ ɔi~ iə~ uə~/ eun oin ian uan

Allophony
/k/ weakens to a voiced velar fricative ɣ between vowels. /d/ is realized as a alveolar flap ɾ between vowels. /ɻ/ is realized as a uvular approximant ʁ following a back vowel. /ɫ/ is realized as a velar approximant ɰ in the syllable coda. /ɫ r m n ɲ ŋ/ have syllabic allophones

Phonotactics
Syllable structure is (C)(C)V(C)(C)(t/s), an example being "shrenkts" (Strengths), [ʃɻe~kts].

Stress and Prosody
Eridanian is a stress-timed language with primary stress located on the first syllable of the root. It also has a pitch accent derived from the elision of consonants. Some roots and morphemes are only distinguished by having a rising falling, or level pitch.

=Basic Grammar=

Noun and Adjective Morphology
Adjectives precede nouns. If a noun has no dependent adjectives the case and article affixes attach to the noun. If the adjective is present the affixes attach to the adjective.

Plural
"-as" after siblants & affricates, "-s" elsewhere.

Articles
Definite
 * "d-" before /i/ -- diavnan "the evening"
 * "j-" before all other vowels -- jefl "the apple"
 * "da-" before consonants --degroin "the ground"

Indefinite
 * "a-"before consonants -- afahdr "a father"
 * "n-" before vowels -- neul "an aisle"
 * "som-/sm-" when plural -- sombwes/smornjas "some boys/some oranges"

Cases
Common: No Affix Genitive: "ov-" ovjois = "of the house" Dative: "fohr-" fohrjois = "for the house" Ablative: "fro-" frojois = "from the house" Lative: "tu-" tujois = "to the house" Locative: "en-" enjois = "in the house" Instrumental: "wet-" wetjois = "with the house" Adessive: "ahn-" ahnjois = "on the house" Illative: "edu-" edujois = "into the house" Allative: "ahdu-" ahdujois = "onto the house" Elative: "oida-" oidajois = "out of the house" Apudessive: "beu-" beujois = by the house Perlative: "tru-" trujois = through the house Subessive: "onr-" onrjois = under the house Superessive "bov-" bovjois = above the house

Adjectival Affixes
Adjectival Affixes are derived from common English adjectives. "-lew-" ("Little") "-bex-" ("big") "-xyuzh-" ("huge")

Personal Pronouns
The Personal Pronouns inflect for case somewhat irregularly due to fusional tendencies with the object pronouns and the case prefixes

Subject
1stS: eu 2ndS: yu 3rdSA: si 3rdSI: e' 1stP: wi 2ndP: yahl 3rdP: dehr

Object
1stS: mi 2ndS: yu 3rdSA: em 3rdSI: e' 1stP: os 2ndP: yahl 3rdP: dem

Genitive
1stS: vmi 2ndS: vyu 3rdSA: vem 3rdSI: ve' 1stP: vos 2ndP: vyahl 3rdP: vem

Dative
1stS: fomi 2ndS: fyu 3rdSA: fem 3rdSI: fe' 1stP: fos 2ndP: fyahl 3rdP: fem

Ablative
1stS: frmi 2ndS: fryu 3rdSA: frem 3rdSI: fr' 1stP: fros 2ndP: fryahl 3rdP: frem

Lative
1stS: tmi 2ndS: cu 3rdSA: twem 3rdSI: twe' 1stP: twos 2ndP: cahl 3rdP: twem

Locative
1stS: emi 2ndS: nyu 3rdSA: enm 3rdSI: ne' 1stP: nos 2ndP: nahl 3rdP: enm

Adessive
1stS: ahmi 2ndS: ahnyu 3rdSA: ahnem 3rdSI: ahne' 1stP: ahnos 2ndP: ahnyahl 3rdP: ahnem

Illative
1stS: edmi 2ndS: edyu 3rdSA: edem 3rdSI: ede' 1stP: edos 2ndP: edyahl 3rdP: edem

Allative
1stS: ahdmi 2ndS: ahdyu 3rdSA: ahdem 3rdSI: ahde' 1stP: ahdos 2ndP: ahdyahl 3rdP: ahdem

Elative
1stS: oidmi 2ndS: oidyu 3rdSA: oidem 3rdSI: oide' 1stP: oidos 2ndP: oidyahl 3rdP: oidem

Apudessive
1stS: beumi 2ndS: beyu 3rdSA: bewem 3rdSI: bewe' 1stP: beus 2ndP: beyahl 3rdP: bewem

Perlative
1stS: trumi 2ndS: tryu 3rdSA: trum 3rdSI: trwe' 1stP: trwos 2ndP: tryahl 3rdP: trem

Subessive
1stS: nrmi 2ndS: nryu 3rdSA: nrem 3rdSI: nre' 1stP: nros 2ndP: nryahl 3rdP: nrem

Superessive
1stS: bomi 2ndS: bovyu 3rdSA: bovem 3rdSI: bove' 1stP: bovos 2ndP: bovyahl 3rdP: bovem

Other Pronouns
Singilar/Plural "des-/diz-" = Proximate Demonstrative "de'-/doz-" = Distal Demonstrative "ua" = Animate Relative "wa'" = Inanimate Relative

Verbal Morphology
Eridanian verbs are agglutinative in structure and inflect for Tense, Aspect, Mood, Voice, and for the person and number or the subject and direct object. Some affixes have various forms marking for number and person, preserving their origin as English's axillary verbs and modal particles.

Weak vs. Strong Verbs
Eridanian retains many verbs that have the old Germanic vowel ablaut in the Simple Past form and in some cases the Perfect and Past Participle forms.

Personal Endings
The number and person of both the subject and direct object are marked on the verb with affixes derived from pronouns. The 3rd Person Singular distinguishes between animate and inanimate nouns.

Active Indicative
Subject/Object 1stS: eu(w)-/-mi 2ndS: yu(w)-/-yu 3rdSA: si(y)-/-(e)m 3rdSI: e'-/-(e)' 1stP: wi(y)-/-(o)s 2ndP: yahl-/-(y)ahl 3rdP: dehr-/-(e)m

Active Subjubctive
Subject/Object 1stS: emo(w)-/-mi 2ndS: efu(w)-/-yu 3rdSA: esi(y)-/-(e)m 3rdSI: efe'-/-(e)' 1st: evi(y)-/-(o)s 2nd: efahl-/-(y)ahl 3rd: ezehr-/-(e)m

Reflexive Indicative
1stS: meusl- 2ndS: yohrsl- 3rdSA: esl- 3rdSI: etl- 1stP: ahrsl- 2ndP: alisl- 3rdP: dehrsl-

Reflexive Subjunctive
1stS: emeusl- 2ndS: efohrsl- 3rdSA: efesl- 3rdSI: efetl- 1stP: efahrsl- 2ndP: efalisl- 3rdP: ezehrsl-

Tense
Eridanian has 3 tenses, Present, Past, and Future; but preserves many elements of the old Germanic Past/Non-Past system, especially in the conjugation of "to be" and the use of the affix "-gan" to mark the future tense, a relic of the modern spoken English periphrastic "be + gonna" Future construction (the old "will/shall" periphrastic Future is gone with little trace). --- Present
 * eu-syahf = I stop
 * eu-beu = I buy

Past
 * eu-syahf-t = I stopped
 * eu-bah' = I bought

Future
 * eu-gan-syahf = I will stop
 * eu-gan-beu = I will buy

Aspect
Eridanian marks for Perfect and Progressive apects and retains the odd semantics of English's Present Progressive and Simple Present in active verbs. --- Progressive: eu-m-syahf-n = I am stopping Perfect: eu-v-syahft = I have stopped Perfecto-Progressive: eu-v-ven-syahfn = I have been stopping

Forms of the Progressive Affix
When with the Perfect affix it is always "-ven". Subjunctive forms in parentheses Non-Past/Past 1stS: -m-/-waz- (-vi-/-wr-) 2ndS: -r-/-wr- (-vi-/-wr-) 3rdS: -s-/-waz- (-vi-/-wr-) 1stP: -r-/-wr- (-vi-/-wr-) 2ndP: -r-/-wr- (-vi-/-wr-) 3rdP: -r-/-wr- (-vi-/-wr-)

Forms of the Perfect Affix
Non-Past: -v- Past: -d-

Mood
Eridanian has 6 moods, Indicative, Conditional, Subjunctive, Imperative, Obligative and Interrogative. The old Germanic Subjunctive is preserved only in the verb "to be", the result of it stubborning refusing to disappear in American English. A new Subjunctive formed from "if" becoming attached to the subject inflections. The Interrogative Mood is the result of interrogative pronouns fusing to the verb and occur in the place of the normal subject inflections. --- Conditional: eu-ken-syahf = I can stop Subjunctive: efoh-wr-syahf-n = If I were stopping Obligative: eu-goda-syahf = I must stop/I got to stop Interrogative: ua-s-syahfn = Who is stopping? Imperative: du-syahf = STOP!

Voice
Eridanian has 2 morphological voices, Active and Reflexive. The Reflexive Voice originated from the fusion of the reflexive pronouns onto the verb. --- Reflexive: Meusaf-syahf = "I stop myself"

Infinitive, Gerund, and Participle forms
Infinitive: tu-ROOT Gerund: ROOT-ng Present Participle: ROOT-n Past Participle: Identical to the Simple Past form of the verb except for a few strong verbs.

=Dictionary= ...

=Example text= ...