Rikutsaren

Classification and Dialects
The Řicūtšřeb language is an a priori conlang, the largest of 2 remaining members of the Asermian language family, the other being Rowictob.

Rakuietrab
Rakuietrab was the original language of the Asermian family. It was created out of a substitution cipher and an alphabet based on the Immajer Simlish Alphabet. Initially, it used the original Immajer Simlish script, with the addition of lowercase letters created separately by Netwafekzră Vrokă, the creator of the Asermian language family. In an attempt to create a cursive variant, Vrokă found an appealing style of lettering, so he abandoned the original script and created what would eventually become the Old Řicūts̆reb script.

Early Rakwiktrab
Early Rakwiktrab was merely Rakuietrab, except this time it had a newer substitution cipher where no letter occurred twice or corresponding to its mirror (such as H becoming H, or A and L both becoming R). In addition, Early Rakwiktrab had a much larger alphabet than Rakuietrab. Early Rakwiktrab had no verb conjugation system or definite grammatical structure.

Early-Mid Rakwiktrab
Early-Mid Rakwiktrab was the result of a huge reduction of the Rakwiktrab alphabet, and is the last language in the Rakwiktrab branch to have lacked any verb conjugation system.

Rakjiehrab
Rakjiehrab, formerly called Dezisabek Rakwiktrab, was a relatively unused dialect of the Asermian language family. It was created in October of 2013, while Vrokă was still attempting to memorise his own language. He found himself without the sheet that allowed him to translate his words into Rakwiktrab. In response, he reconstructed the cipher as best he could using words he remembered in Rakwiktrab. However, this cipher was not exact, and upon realising this, Vrokă named it Faouarese Asermian. This name was later changed to Dezisabek Rakwiktrab, and then finally to Rakjiehrab. The Rakjiehrab Alphabet was very small compared to the Rakwiktrab alphabet at that time, just 30 or so letters. It was originally intended for scientific use, then for residents of Dezisab, then for scientific use again. It was never used for any of those purposes though, aside from a vague sheet of paper outlining the structure of DNA. Rakjiehrab never expanded as Rakwiktrab did during the transition, and even by then, it had faded into disuse.

Late Rakwiktrab
Late Rakwiktrab was a result of the Transition Period, and possessed a nearly modern alphabet. It also used the Later “NVK” system, at least to the extent of the present and preterit tenses. It was from Late Rakwiktrab that Řicūts̆reb would come to be.

Early Riküçreb
Early Riküçreb was created in late December of 2014. Its major difference from Rakwiktrab was that it now used a complicated cipher, known as the "Variable" Rikuchreb cipher, that restructured the spelling of certain words, and no longer used a simple 1-tier cipher to create new words. However, many words were unchanged between the two languages, especially ones used commonly.

Rowictob
Rowictob was considered a part of the Transition between Early Řiküçreb and Modern Řicūts̆reb until the 11th of August 2015, when it was officially designated as a dialect. Rowictob is basically a testing ground for new concepts and revisions. It has a much smaller orthography than Modern Řicūts̆reb, as well as a completely different cipher known as the "Concrete" Rikuchreb cipher. This cipher originated from experiments with the old Variable Rikuchreb cipher, experiments which also resulted in the implementation of the Flexible Rikuchreb cipher, the one currently used for Modern Řicūts̆reb. Rowictob also retained the Juiscal mood, a verbal mood that has been removed from Modern Řicūts̆reb.

Modern Řicūtšřeb
Modern Řicūtšřeb is the result of a large transition period from Early Riküçreb, and it is predicted that another transition is likely to come in the future. It is currently in use and constantly being tweaked. Modern Řicūtšřeb sees the addition of 4 new persons in the conjugation scheme, and a complete overhaul of the Řicūtšřeb Script. Modern Řicūtšřeb is unique in that it now has a definite grammatical structure and a finalised verb conjugation system. In addition, the Orthography has been completely reconstructed. Information on these new concepts can be found elsewhere on this page.

Allophony

 * 1) the [æ] rule: [æ] occurs when "/ɑ/" is stressed, but ONLY when between the start and end of a word, & when followed by /b/,/s/,/k/,/d/,/g/,/ʒ/, or /p/ (unless preceded by /w/ or /j/*). [æ] ALWAYS occurs when between the start and end of a word & followed by /z/. This is an allophone of /ɑ/.
 * 2) the [ɑː] rule: [ɑː] occurs before a consonant and after the phoneme /dʒ/, but ONLY when in syllable coda. [ɑː] also occurs at the end of a word. This is an allophone of /ɑ/.
 * 3) the [χ] rule: [χ] occurs in syllable coda when the next syllable begins with a vowel. This is an allophone of /x/.
 * 4) the [eɪ] rule: [eɪ] ALWAYS but NOT only occurs when "/ɛ/" at the end of a word is stressed. This is an allophone of /ɛ/.
 * 5) the [ʒ] rule: [ʒ] (which is an allophone of /dʒ/) occurs if preceded by a vowel while either of the following are also true:
 * 6) It is before a consonant and is in syllable coda.
 * 7) It is at the end of a word.
 * 8) the [ɹ] rule: [ɹ] occurs only in syllable onset when preceded by a consonant, and ONLY if it is also followed by a vowel.
 * 9) the [r] rule: [r] occurs at the beginning of a word. Also occurs in a case when R would occur if the consonant preceding it is the phoneme /h/. This is an allophone of /r/.
 * 10) the [ɾ] rule: [ɾ] occurs in syllable onset, and ONLY if preceded and followed by a vowel. Also occurs when NOT at the beginning of a syllable and preceded by a consonant
 * 11) Unless that consonant is /ʃ/, /k/, /d/, or /v/, in which case it becomes [ɹ]. This is an allophone of /ɹ/.

Stress Rules

 * 1) The second vowel in a word is stressed, with the following exceptions:
 * 2) /uː/ and /ø/ are stressed no matter where they fall in a word unless another vowel overtakes them (see Overriding Vowels)
 * 3) If the first two vowels are /ɛ/ or /uː/, the first is stressed.
 * 4) If /ɪ/ comes before /ʒ/ in the same syllable, it is stressed
 * 5) If the second vowel is /ɛ/, and the third vowel is /ɑ/, then the /ɑ/ is stressed.
 * 6) If the first two vowels are the same, and the third is NOT the same, that vowel is stressed.
 * 7) If the first vowel is /ɑ/, and the second is /ɪ/, the /ɑ/ is stressed (unless adjacent to said /ɪ/)
 * 8) Unless followed by another /ɪ/, in which case the 2nd vowel is stressed.
 * 9) /iː/ is NEVER stressed at the end of a word
 * 10) When /ɛ/, /ɪ/, or /iː/ occur after a /w/ that is preceded by another consonant, it is stressed.
 * 11) If a word contains two vowels, and the second vowel is at the end of the word, the first vowel is stressed.

Writing System
This list contains the Latin version of the Řicūtšřeb Alphabet until a proper typeset can be made.

Spelling
The Řicūtšřeb language has many rules that dictate the placement of phonemes. They are listed below. [note: this section is a work in progress, and may be re-formatted later on.]
 * 1) Definition of a "word" as used in this section: A term that has no additions (such as conjugations, suffixes, prefixes, etc.)
 * 2) the UJ rule: When forming an agent noun that describes an inanimate object, "-uj" is used instead of "-wī". This replaces any vowel that falls at the end of the base.
 * 3) the 2nd Ř rule: Ř occurs when in an infinitive.

Nouns
Nouns are the base unit of Řicūtšřeb grammar. Various suffixes and prefixes are added onto the noun to form various different words. When forming count nouns from mass nouns, -z is added to the end of the mass noun. If the mass noun ends in another consonant, the appropriate vowel is placed between said consonant and the z. Řicūtšřeb nouns do not decline. Instead, the plural is represented by the particle "cū", which occurs before the noun. To represent a plural that is also a definite, the word "ec" comes before the word.

Personal Pronouns
Řicūtšřeb has standalone pronouns. Unlike in other languages, there is no distinction between subject and object pronouns. Instead, they occur in either case. However, similar to the Proximate and Obviate persons in Řicūtšřeb verbs, personal pronouns are also split into Proximate and Obviate variants. The Personal Pronouns used in Řicūtšřeb are listed below.


 * The indirect 1st plural personal pronoun, ts̆az, is used to refer to "each one of us" as opposed to "all of us collectively".
 * The indirect 2nd plural personal pronoun, baz, is used to refer to "each one of you" as opposed to "all of you collectively".

Adjectives
Adjectives are formed by adding the suffix -nav to the end of a noun. When conjugating into the degrees of comparison, the adjectival suffix is shortened to -n, thus forming the adjectival root. The comparative suffix is then placed onto the end of the adjectival root.

Adverbs
Adverbs are formed by adding the suffix -gev to the end of a noun. When conjugating into the degrees of comparison, the adverbial suffix is shortened to -g, thus forming the adverbial root. The comparative suffix is then placed onto the end of the adverbial root.

Verbs
Verbs are formed by adding the infinitive -řī to the end of a mass noun, if there is a corresponding mass noun. Verbs are conjugated into the following conjugation table.

Proximate and Obviate Persons
In the Řicūtšřeb language, the singular 3rd person, the plural 1st person, the plural 2nd person, and the plural 3rd person, all have direct and indirect variants. The Proximate Singular 3rd person is used in the following cases:
 * 1) In the present indicative when addressing a 2nd party and referring to a 3rd party that is present (ex."He was not speaking to you." "Ba ox tŕôgiẘo re vaz.").
 * 2) In any tense when referring to an absent 3rd party verb that affects a non-absent 3rd party personal pronoun. (ex. "They (Those things) cause them (these people) to (verb)..." "Cŕedūsef laz...")

The Obviate Plural 1st person is used in the following cases:
 * 1) In any tense when addressing a 2nd person and referring to a group that you are a part of but whose other members are absent.
 * 2) In any tense when relaying a message to a 3rd party that is absent at the time but will be present at a time that you and your group are absent. In this case, the absent 3rd party is referred to in the direct plural 2nd person. (ex. "We are sorry that we were not able to attend, but we have brought to you this gift." "Ots̆ calanav nedas ba ots̆a erbênav řektâkeřī, ozê dots̆ ojatbaẘa es laz edo idžijiŕegez.")

Perfect
The perfect is created by conjugating Dořī and adding that before the past participle of the verb in question. Dořī is conjugated into the Past Indicative to form the Present Perfect, Present Indicative to form the Pluperfect, Future Indicative to form the Future Perfect, and the Conditional to form the Conditional Perfect.

Continuous
The continuous is created by conjugating Ořī and adding that before the gerund of the verb in question. Ořī follows the same conjugation procedure as Dořī follows when conjugated into the Perfect. However, Ořī is only conjugated into the Indicative, and therefore the Continuous only has 3 tenses.

Syntax
Řicūtšřeb is a head-initial language, and all modifiers precede the words the modify. It has the basic word order Subject-Verb-Object. Řicūts̆reb is a null-subject language.

Lexicon
A comprehensive dictionary of the Řicūtšřeb can be found at the Řicūtšřeb/Dictionary page.

Example text
This is the entry for constructedlanguages's Conlang Challenge on deviantART, which was to translate the preamble of the United States Declaration of Independence into one's conlang.

Řicūtšřeb
Nidū tâba e pizicūz sū ežīrcinenav cū apiziz, natemteg būpūctenav džasī abū edžīrcin ūbūřī e habets̆ebnav cū jasbūz netac dof ts̆ebedeẘo maz neþ abseddžī, ñ natemtřī tabneþ ec lapnūl sū e edžīr, e řegeŕonav ñ džezreginav cigerghesâb es neda ec Gren sū Edžīŕat e sū Edžīŕaten Gôd jiŕebef maz, ab nūpūcenav idžiclāpâdeẘa es ec altâbaz sū edžīrcin džatic nedas êgem nūpraŕižřī ec cředūz netac taclūgif maz es e řegeŕo.

English
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.