Ienn

''' [This is my first conlang, which I haven't used for a long time. I try to remake this language now by using manuscriptes and earlier documents. Because of discovering newer things and making its grammar more professional there can be temporary notes on this page, sorry.] '''

History
Ienn is a language of a fictional world.

Ienn is a language of the planet Oart. Imagine our Earth with the same age, same attributes, similar continents, same flora and fauna. But a big group of the first human beings did not speak an indo-european language. They spoke the Euny language.

This language family is younger than our indo-european one.

Euny was just a bit different from this Ienn. But today that language does not more exist. After the first changes in Euny, another language started being alive: the Europine. In the middle time of Europine a new language variant appeared; this was the Panorka (today it's died). But there are two languages evolved: Norka, which is really similar to Panorka, and Panora, which is less.

Wait for the whole history later. It'll be interesting...

Phonology
a, b, c [t͡s], d, e, f, g [d͡ʒ], h, i, j [d͡z], k, l, m, n, o, p, q [kv], r, s, t, u, v, w [v], x [ks], y [i] or [j], z [ʒ]

Letters not followed by bracket are pronounced as the corresponding IPA symbols. Letter combinations: gh [g]; ii - [i:]; oa - [ø]; zh [z]. Gh, oa and zh are called in Ienn double letters, because they act grammatically like one letter, while ii is called letter combination, and act like two letters.

q is always pronounced as [kv]

x is always pronounced as [ks]

v and w are pronounced identically, i.e. as [v]. The occurence of v or w in writing is not predictable, instead it must simply be learnt. Both letters are used because in the past there was a distinction between the letters, i.e. [v] and [w].

In the beginning of a word y is pronounced as [j] before a vowel, [i] before a consonant, in other cases after cononants [i], after vowels [j].

The two tables below show IPA symbols with the corresponding letter(s) of the alphabet in parentheses beside them.

Stress
The one-syllabe words have no stress in general.

In other cases the stress is always on the last syllabe of the root.

Any forms of the copula ('oa) take the stress from the root or generate it if it's added to a word with one syllabe root.

Let me remember in brackets that oa is one letter (it is calculated like one syllabe); soa [sø:], while ii is two; sii ['si:].

Length
One syllabe words are basicly short. o and oa are long if they are in the end of the word.

The vowel in a stressed syllabe is always long and the others in the same word are short.

i and y are always short, while ii is always long.

Definite
The definite article is la. It does not change according to number or case. Use it when something is supposed to be known or a concrete thing by the person who you speak with. Do not use before personal names.

Indefinite
The indefinite article is leqe. Do not use in plural.

Nouns
Nouns have no genders. Basicly nouns are in singlar, nominative case. They can have also plural, dual, both and some cases as well.

You use plural when you speak about more then one thing (and they are not one pair). You use it even if something other shows the plurality (for example a number before). The plural ending is -(e)sse. This ending is regular (see: General rules of endings).

mouse - mice: maus - mausesse

city - cities: seloave - seloavesse

You use dual when you speak about pair of things. Do not use dual if it's about two things which are not a pair. The ending of dual is: - (e)nne. You can use also plural of a dual noun. It means more than one pair of things. Then the ending is logically: -''(e)nnesse. ''These endings are regular (see: Grammatical endings )

Adjectives
Adjectives do not decline.

For comparative add -et to the end of the word.

For superlative use article and add -at to the end of the word.

mathus, mathuset, la mathusat

poate, poatet, poateat

Verbs
The verbs have just infinitive forms. We cannot conjugate them. To express the person, mood and aspect the personal pronouns and the copula is used. Actually maybe we can say that there is a real verb, which is the copula itself.

Copula
There is one copula, which is really important in Ienn. in fact we could say that this is the only verb in this language. A word with copula grammatically acts like one word. There are two functions:

In the role of to be: its infinitive form is '''oa. ''It changes according to tenses, mood and person (in the third persons in realis mood, in present tense we have to omit it (its called zero copula)). You have to add it to the subject of the phrase. If the subject is a noun or a pronoun then the copula will be added to that (in case of meaning to be). If the subject is not a noun or a pronoun then we have to add it to the predicate [?]

''Te'e mathus. - You are nice.''

''Oa mathus. - S/he is nice.''

in the role of verb conjugator: it does not have infinitive form (because the verb roots are in infinitive basicly) [?]. We have to add it to the end of the verbs. It shows the tense and the mood of the verb. In this role it does not show the person, it does not dissapear in the third person.

Ay fut'e. - I run./ I'm running.

Day fut'e. - They run./ They're running.

Here are the forms of the copula:

Numbers
eqe, ketoa, drie, fore, froaz, six, siiben, oht, nik, eqess,

tess, tress

Ordinal: eqest, ketoaest, driest, forest, froaest, sixest, siibnest, ohtest, nikest, eqesst

Communal: equm, ketoaum, drium, forum, froazum, sixum, siibnum, ohtum, nikum, eqessum,

Questioning
You have to use the question word qe in the begining of the phrase in yes-no questions. In other cases use just the question word.

Qe te walk'a tu salt dolzan?

Grammatical endings
We can say that grammatical endings (of plural, dual, accusative etc.) are regular. There are some pissible forms:

The words, which ends in consonant, its last vowel is not e and the ending does not start with e; we simply have to add the longest form of the ending.

If the last letter or letters are consonant(s) and the last vowel is e, then the root will change; the e will go to end (still as part of the root) and the ending will be added without its vowel in case if you are able* to spell it;

Possible letter changes if the last vowel

VeC(C)(C) - VC(C)(C)e,

VCvoicedeCvoiced- VCvoicedCvoicede

VCunvoicede(Cunvoiced, l, m, n, r) - VCunvoiced(Cunvoiced, l, m, n, r)e

VCvoicedCvoicede(r, l) - VCvoicedCvoiced(r, l)e

VCunvoicedCunvoicede(r, l) - VCunvoicedCunvoiced(r, l)e

Example: noun + plural -(e)sse

maus - mausesse

sii - siesse

men - mnesse

If the last letter of the word is a, i, o, oa, u or y (so not e, or ii) then we simply have to add the ending. If the last letters of the world are double i, then the second one will dissapear and the first vowel of the ending will form the last letter of the root end the ending will be added wothout its first vowel. If the last letter of the word is e and the first vowel of the ending is also e, then we add the ending without its first vowel. If the last letter of the root is e and the ending does not starts with e, then we simply have to add the ending.

Negation
You have to add the ending -not, or -ot to the end of the root. It is not a regular ending. Use -ot after vowels and not after consonants.

Oa futnot.

You can start a phrase or a clause with the word Not. Then the negation concerns the verb.

Not ay no'e. = Ay noot'e.

Not oa no. = Oa noot.