Vishrian

Since Early Vishrian isn't much different from Latin, this page will concern, for the most part. the Late Vishrian variety.

General information
Vishrian is a Romance language spoken in 5 villages in the eastern Atlas mountains. It's history begins around 1st century B.C. It was spoken by a hellenistic people that was completely killed off via genocide in the 8th century A.D. after resisting arab conversions. Every Vishrian was appropriately buried with their names preserved in capital letters except for one woman whose body remains missing to this day. She has an empty grave with the name "ADREA VASRA."

The native name is Vishrunat, which comes from "avesht-romanat." Apparently, avesht is of Berber origin: compare amasheq & amazigh. Indeed many Berber loanwords seem to have an unusual sound shift of M to V (as well as N to L). Since this is not the case for native Roman words, Vishrian must have taken these words from an unidentified Berber language that has already gone through such sound shifts.

The Vishrian people are typically tan with blond hair. They are a mix Greco-Roman-Berber people & their culture reflected this.

The Vishrians where culturally different from other mediterranean peoples in one aspect. They where women ruled. This could explane why somewords normally considered masculine in most other languages are feminine here.

Alphabet
In Early Vishrian inscriptions, all letters where capitalized. The earliest attested use of lower case was during the 6th century, thus marks the beginning of Late Vishrian. The Lower case from was a modified form of Half-Uncial.

In Late Vishrian, proper nouns are only capitalized when they are at the start of a sentence.

C is pronounced as c after e & i, as k anywhere else.

N is pronounced ng before velar plosives.

Sound Changes
Final s usually disapears when right after a vowel, otherwise it becomes t.

P becomes f when followed by any non-labial plosive.

N is droped when comes right before a voiced plosive.

CVRV, where R represents r, l, j or v, becomes CRV. This does not happen if C is h, j, q, r, l, v, or x.

Grammar
Unlike most Romance languages, Vishrian Adjectives, Articles, & Numerals do not decline to match the Nouns they modify.

Articles
Definate Article: ha

Indefinate Article: ca

Adjectives
Positive: -u

Comparitive: -jul

Superlative: -isnu

Adverb Positive: -e

Adverb Comparative: -iu

Adverb Superlative: -isne

Verbs
The past tense evolved from Latin's pluperfect.

Particles
Infinitive/Supine: ir

Future tense: veru

Subjunctive: ur

Conditional: haba

The Copula
Unlike Latin which has active/passive distinctions, Vishrian uses the copula verb trit "to be". It preserves the future tense.

Numerals
Vishrian has two sets of numbers, Roman & Berber. The Berber numerals translates as "other one", "other two" & so on.

Syntax
Word order is generally free, though VSO is quite common. Check the examples bellow to see finer details of word order tendencies.

Alighnment in the Southwest Dialect
The Southwest Dialect is notable for having an ergative-absolutive alignment. This is especially different from the common Vishrian spoken elsewhere as well as other Romance languages, but that of Berber languages. An example is givin bellow.

Vocabulary
Vishrian has many words borrowed from an unidentified Berber language, but most of it's vocabulary is Roman. Some Berber words include the following.

Example text
English: She always closes the window before she dines.

Latin: Ea semper antequam cenat fenestram claudit.

Vishrian: Clodunt sepre a ha fensran anteqan cenant a.

Literally: Closes always she the window before dines she.

Southwest Dialect: Clodunt sepre a ha fensran anteqan cenant an.

English: I push the door & it opened.

Vishrian: Trudu egu ha janun ac recludunt it.

Literally: Push I the door & opened it.

Southwest Dialect: Trudu egu ha janun ac recludunt jun.

English: If you know, you answer. If you do not know, be silent.

Latin: Si sapis, respondes. Si non sapis, tace, tace. Vishrian: Si sapit tu, respodet tu. Si sapit non tu, trist tacturnut.

Literally: If know you, answer you. If know not you, be silent.

The Mediterranean Pilgrimage. Bibliservu is the only word for christian in Vishrian, while in Late Vishrian, it could be used without any prejudice, It's use in Early Vishrian was a different story. It translates in Early Vishrian as "Bible Slave."

The Strasbourg Oaths