Barejine

Barejine Barzhinrizhe
Type
Fusional
Alignment
Accusative
Head direction
head-initial
Tonal
No
Declensions
Yes
Conjugations
Yes
Genders
Yes
Nouns decline according to...
Case	Number
Definiteness	Gender
Verbs conjugate according to...
Voice	Mood
Person	Number
Tense	Aspect

General information

Barejine (native Barzhinrizhe /bɑɾʒɪ̃ɾíʒə/) is a spoken language of the alien Patronans (Parneve /pɑɾnéɸə/) on the planet Patrona (Parune /pɑɾʊ̃́nə/). It is the official language of the country of Barejinia (Barjine /bɑɾxɪ̃́nə/), and its many former colonies. Barejinia is situated in the Chevin peninsula (Tshevi), a sub-peninsula of the Edalith peninsula (Aezlez), which is itself a subcontinent of the largest continent of the planet, Chiwar (Tshivar).

Classification

Barejine is a Chevin language (see Proto-Chevin), closely related to Alemarese. It is a direct descendant of True Chevin (Proto-Alemar-Barejine). As a Chevin language, it is also a member of the Edalith macrofamily (see Proto-Edalith).

Phonology

Consonants

	bilabial	alveolar	palatal	velar	glottal
nasal	m	n	ɲ
stop	p b	t d	tʃ dʒ	k g
fricative	ɸ	s z	ʃ ʒ	x	h
approximant		l	ʎ
flap		ɾ

m, n, ny, p, b, t, d, tsh, dzh, k, g, q, g, f, v, s, z, sh, zh, j, h, l, ly, r

• [q] is an allophone of /k/ before back vowels.
• [ɢ] is an allophone of /g/ before back vowels.
• [χ] is an allophone of /x/ before back vowels.
• [β] is an allophone of /ɸ/ between vowels.

Vowels

Monophthongs

	front	back
close	i y	u
close-mid	e ø	o
open-mid	ɛ œ	ɔ
open	æ	ɑ

i, oi, u, e, eu, o, ê, êu, ô, ae, a, in, oin, un, an, e, en

• There are only four non-marginal nasal monophthongs, not included in the table for brevity: /ɪ̃/, /ʏ̃/, /ʊ̃/, and /ɐ̃/.
• /u/, /o/, and /ɔ/ are allophonically unrounded to [ɯ], [ɤ], and [ʌ], respectively before the liquids: /l/, /ʎ/, and /ɾ/.
• There are two marginal phonemes: /ə/ & /ə̃/, which occur only in unstressed word-initial and word-final syllables. Most word-final instances are the result of weakening of low vowels.

Diphthongs

	front	back
close-mid	ye
open-mid	yɛ
open	yæ	uɑ

oe, oê, oae, oa, oian, oan, -oie, -oe, -oien, -oen

• There are also two nasal diphthongs, not included in the table for brevity: /yɐ̃/, and /uɐ̃/.
• [yə], [uə], [yə̃], and [uə̃] are allophones of /yæ/, /uɑ/, /yɐ̃/, and /uɐ̃/ when unstressed word-finally.

Stress

Stress is usually on the last syllable of a stem, unless that syllable contains a reduced vowel, in which case the penultimate is stressed. Some suffixes attract stress. Stress is marked if it occurs earlier than the penult, if it occurs on a final vowel, if it occurs before a word final <n> or <g>, or if it occurs on the penult of a word ending in a consonant that is not <n> or <g>.

Sound Changes

1. Initial and final epenthesis of /ǝ/
2. First palatalization
   1. Palatalization of /k/ and /g/ before front vowels
   2. /k/ becomes /j/ before an obstruent
3. Intervocalic & word-final non-geminate obstruents and those preceding /l/ and /r/ lenite except when they begin stressed syllables: voiced fricatives > 0, voiced stops > voiced fricatives, voiceless obstruents > voiced obstruents.
4. [θ, ð] > [s, z] / V_, > [t, d] elsewhere
5. [t, d, h, x]u > [ts, dz, ɸ, ɸ] / _[V, #]
6. /p/ & /k/ > /h/ / _[m, n]
7. pC > C:
8. Second palatalization
   1. jn, nj, gn, ng > ɲ & ni word-finally
   2. jl, lj, gl, lg > ʎ & li word-finally
   3. jt, tj, ts > tʃ & jd, dj, dz > dʒ & ti/tsi/di/dzi word-finally
   4. js, sj, jx, xj, jh, hj > ʃ & jz, zj, ɣ > ʒ & si/zi/xi/ɣi/hi word-finally
9. monophthongs disappear word-finally after a liquid immediately following a stressed vowel
10. [u, i] > [β, ʒ] before a vowel unless directly following a consonant
11. [u, i] > 0 before a mid-vowel of the same roundedness
12. lowering of monophthongs & diphthongs with a first element of /u/ & /i/ before obstruent and liquid codas
13. monophthongization:
    1. /ei/ > /e/
    2. /ou/ > /o/
    3. /au/, /ao/, /uau/, /uao/, /oau/, /oao/ > /ɔ/
    4. /ia/, /ea/, /ae/, /ai/, /iae/, /iai/ > /æ/
    5. /eu/, /eo/, /ueu/, /ueo/, /io/ > /ø/
    6. [u, o] > ɥ / _F and > w / _B
    7. /iu/, /ɥi/ > /y/
    8. /iɔ/ > /œ/
14. /a/>/ɑ/
15. unrounding of vowels before liquids
16. Nasalization
    1. nasal consonants induce nasalization of preceding vowels
    2. coda nasal consonants disappear
    3. nasal vowels collapse to /ɪ̃/, /ʏ̃/, /ʊ̃/, and /ɐ̃/
17. consonants are lost before liquids
18. Loss of intertonic (between a stressed syllable and the beginning or end of a word) vowels
19. Unstressed low vowels become /ǝ/ when word-final (/ə̃/ when nasal)
20. final /h/ and /hǝ/, as well as /ǝ/ after a vowel disappear
21. /k/ and /q/, as well as /g/ and /ɢ/ merge
    1. [q, ɢ] > [k, g]
    2. [k, g, x] > [q, ɢ, χ] / _B
22. length distinctions are lost
23. /ɸ/ and /β/ merge
    1. β > ɸ
    2. ɸ > β / V_V

Nouns

In dictionaries, regular nouns are given with their genitive singular form if they are inanimate, which along with the nominative is enough to decline any noun fully. Irregular nouns are given with their genitive plural, as well as their allative singular if it is not predictable from the other two or three forms.

Declension table

	Animate		Inanimate
	E		O		I		E
	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl
NOM	-e/01	-e	-0/e2	-(h)oi3	-i/04		-e/0	-e
GEN	-e	-à	-(h)oi	-(h)ù/05	-ì		-ì
ALL	-en		-(h)un	-(h)oin	-in		-en	-in
INSTR	-me		-me		-me		-me
VOC	-à	-e

1. E nouns' nominative singular is -0 for stems ending in a stressed vowel followed by a liquid, a vowel, or a historical /h/ which resurfaces if any other suffix is added.
2. O nouns' nominative singular is -e after consonant clusters or historical consonant clusters. Clusters of an obstruent plus a liquid got simplified. ex. qôle "lower back"
3. O nouns' whose stems ended in an /h/ historically have the /h/ resurface if any other suffix is added.
4. I nouns' nominative is -0 for nouns whose stem ends in /n/, /l/, /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /x/, or /h/. These stem-final consonant will palatalize. It is also -0 for stems ending in a stressed vowel followed by a liquid. ex. suntsh "tail(s)" and rizor "eye(s)"
5. O nouns' genitive plural is -0 after /r/ and /l/, where the /l/ palatalizes. ex. andar "cities'" and qôly "lower backs'"
6. Preceding vowels usually lower before inanimate null suffixes, the presence and degree of lowering is not predictable from the nominative singular. ex. noêzh "game" (stem noezh-)
7. Suffixes which attract stress can change vowels and voicing. ex. olze "arm" > ôlsà (gen. pl. & voc. sg.)

Adjectives

Adjectives come in two classes, with the True Chevin first declension merging with the second. They have similar irregularities to nouns.

Declension table

	I				II
	AN		INAN		AN/INAN
	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl
NOM	-e/0	-e	-i/0		-e/0	-i/0
GEN	-e	-à	-ì		-i/0	-ì
ALL	-en		-in	-en	-en
INSTR	-me				-me
VOC	-à	-e			-è	-e

Examples

hobol "old"

	AN		INAN
	sg	pl	sg	pl
NOM	hobol	hobule	hoboly
GEN	hobule	hoflà	hoflì
ALL	hobulen		hobulin	hobulen
INSTR	hobulme
VOC	hoflà	hobule

kaze "new"

	AN/INAN
	sg	pl
NOM	kaze	kazh
GEN	kazh	kazì
ALL	kazen
INSTR	kazme
VOC	kadè	kaze

Pronouns and Determiners

Personal pronouns

	NOM	RED	ACC	ALL	INSTR	GEN	POSS	RED	VOC
1s	soi	s	zae	soin	soime	soi	zae	z
1p	nave	nav	nôf	naven	nafme	nave	nôve	nôv
2s	tô	t	tô	tun	tume	tô	tô	t	tôhì
2p	tshô	tsh	tshô	tshohun	tshume	tshô	tshô	tsh	tshohù
3s.an	joa	j	joa	joan	joame	joi	joi	j
3p.an	joae		joae			joa
3s.obv	tshe	tsh	tshe	tshin	tshime	tshae	tshe	tsh
3p.obv	tshae		tshae	tshan	tshame	tae
3s.inan			ly	lun	lume	loi	le	l
3p.inan			êly	eloin	elme	ely	ele	el

1. Pronouns are the only part of speech which have a separate accusative case. These are also used after prepositions where nouns would use the nominative.
2. Possessive pronouns are determiners, and agree with following nouns in case, gender, and number.
3. The reduced forms are used before words beginning with vowels.

Definite article

	Animate				Inanimate
	full		reduced		full		reduced
	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl
NOM	goe	goie	g		ge	goi	g
GEN	goie	goe	g		goi	ge	g
ALL	goen	goien	g		gen	goin	g
INSTR	goame	goiame	goem	goiem	gume	goime	gum	goim
VOC	goe	goie	g

Verbs

In dictionaries, regular verbs are given in their 3s along with a specification of their class. Irregular verbs are given with their 1s, as well as any other forms unpredictable from the other two.

Present tense

The present tense is used for ongoing current events and states.

	A		E		U		O
	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl	sg	pl
1	-i/01	-en	-i/01	-en	-i/01	-oin	-i/01	-oin
2	-ag	-ar	-êg	-êr	-og	-or	-ôg	-ôr
3	-e/0	-à	-e/0	-êsh	-u/0	-osh	-e/0	-ôsh

1. 1s is -0 for nouns whose stem ends in /n/, /l/, /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /x/, or /h/. These stem-final consonants will palatalize. It is also -0 for stems ending in a stressed vowel followed by /r/. ex. s aqaly "I am singing" and soi for "I am lying"
2. 3s is -0 for stems ending in a stressed vowel followed by a liquid. ex. joa ler (stem lir-) "he is inventing"
3. Preceding vowels usually lower before 1s null suffixes, but the presence of lowering is not predictable.

Participles

		A	E	U	O
active	present	aer	er	ir	ir
	past	az	êz	oz	ôz
passive	present	ôzh	êg	og	ozh
	past	ôz	ês	os	oz

• A stem-final /l/ in the U-conjugation passives becomes /ʎ/.

Examples

oze/ôdzh (A) "give"

	sg	pl
1	ôdzh	ozen
2	ozag	ozar
3	oze	ozà

Irregular verbs

an/ami (O) "to be"

	sg	pl
1	ami	amoin
2	amôg	môr
3	an	môsh

The 3s has a reduced form, en.

Vocabulary

Conjunctions

oz/z (and), e...e... (either or), tae...tae... (and/or), no (but/yet), gae/pirêl (because/for), uve (if)

Numbers

Though Patronans have ten fingers in total, the most common base for numerals (talantoi) is 8 (octal) which was spread by Alemarese and Barejine-speakers across most of Patrona. Typically, finger-counting starts with the thumbs out, the first finger being the index, etc.

Numbers are nouns declined according to form. The item they tell the quantity of is rendered in the genitive before them. ex. rante dzhan "nine people"

	#	#+8	#*8
1	jan	dzhan	un
2	dinze	ege	tanzeg
3	fôr	forùn	fôrseg
4	mer	mirùn	merseg
5	dôrze	dôrsùn	dôrseg
6	pezhe	peshùn	pesheg
7	dzhezhe	dzhezhùn	dzhezheg
8	un	tanzeg	jêz

Anatomy

• jêroizhe "body"
• qal/qaloi "skin"
• rajne/rêjnì "hair"
• firoine "head"
• meudzhume "face"
• pôldù "mouth"
• fuzhe "lip"
• odzhe "tongue"
• edzh/itshì "tooth plate"
• kè/keui (irr. O-class, gen. pl. keu, all. sg. keun) "head ridge"
• osoanre/osoanroi "nose"
• tshêr "outer ear"
• zheshaer "inner ear"
• rizor/rizurì "eye"
• qamôzh/qamoshì "neck"
• folề/folehoi "throat"
• delyêz/delyedoi "shoulder"
• qôle/qôloi "lower back"
• suntsh/suntì "tail"
• limù (irr. an., gen. pl. limohà, all. sg. limuhen) "buttock"
• mane "chest"
• fale "belly"
• olze (irr. an., gen. pl. ôlsà) "arm"
• far "hand"
• tshez/tshedoi "back of the hand"
• esanze "digit"
• leve/levoi "nail"
• zage "leg"
• jambe "foot"