Eridanian, [ɛɹɪdænɪjən] (Natively Rdaanssboox, [ʁdaːnsspoːx]), is an Anglic language spoken on Epsilon Eridani III in the year AD 4000, one of many languages that evolved from English. It is a synthetic 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 Rdaans, 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 qʰ/ p t k q
Lenis Plosives: /p t k q ʔ/ b d g q '
Nasals: /m n ɲ ŋ/ m n ny ng
Affricates: /ʧʰ ʧ/ c j
Unvoiced Fricative: /f s ɕ ʃ x h/ f s sy sh x h
Voiced Fricatives: /v z ʑ ʒ ʁ/ v z zy zh r
Liquids: /ɫ ɬ r/ l lh rr
Semivowels: /j w/ y w
Vowels[]
Front: /e e: i i:/ e ee i ii
Mid: /a: ɐ/ aa a
Back: /o o: u u:/ o oo u uu
Short Diphthongs: /ai au ei eu oi ou iu/ ai au ei eu oi ou iu
Long Diphthongs: /a:j e:w i:w o:w/ aaw eew iiw oow
Allophony[]
/k/ weakens to a voiced velar fricative ɣ between vowels.
/d ʔ/ are realized as a alveolar flap ɾ between vowels.
/ɫ ʁ m n ɲ ŋ/ have syllabic allophones
/a: ɐ e e: i i:/ are [ɑ: ʌ ɘ ɘ: ɯ ɯ:] when adjacent to /q qʰ ʁ/
Phonotactics[]
Syllable structure is (C)(C)(C)V(C)(C)(d/s)
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[]
Plural[]
"-as" after siblants & affricates, "-s" elsewhere.
Articles[]
Definite
- "j-" before vowels
- "da-" before consonants
- "j-" before vowels
Indefinite
- "a-"before consonants
- "n-" before vowels
- "som-/sm-" when plural -- sombwes/smornjas
- "a-"before consonants
Adjectival Affixes[]
Adjectival Affixes are derived from common English adjectives.
"-liu-" ("Little")
"-bix-" ("big")
"-xiizh-" ("huge")
Case Affixes[]
Impersonal Ergative: boo-
Impersonal Absolutive: no affix
Personal Nominative: no affix
Personal Accusative: ta-
Genitive: ov-
Dative: eto-
Benefactive: foo-
Prepositions[]
en = in
e' = at
aan = on
aaf = off
fraa = from
vit = with
irrou = into
aarrou = onto
ooda = out of
aafa =off of
deen = than
ndiu = until
of = up
doon = down
baan = upon
taud = toward
viden = within
vidoo' = without
nyudo = by/near to
Pronouns[]
Personal Pronouns[]
The Personal Pronouns inflect for case somewhat irregularly
Nominative-Absolutive[]
1stS: ou
2ndS: jii
3rdSA: xei
3rdSI: i'
1stP: vei
2ndP: jau
3rdP: deu
Accusative[]
1stS: mou
2ndS: jii
3rdSA: xem
3rdSI: i'
1stP: os
2ndP: jau
3rdP: dem
Ergative[]
1stS: bou
2ndS: bii
3rdSA: bom
3rdSI: boi'
1stP: boos
2ndP: bau
3rdP: bom
Genitive[]
1stS: vmou
2ndS: vii
3rdSA: vem
3rdSI: vi'
1stP: vos
2ndP: vyau
3rdP: vem
Dative[]
1stS: etmou
2ndS: eecii
3rdSA: tom
3rdSI: eto'
1stP: etwos
2ndP: ecau
3rdP: etom
Benefactive[]
1stS: fomou
2ndS: fii
3rdSA: fom
3rdSI: fo'
1stP: fos
2ndP: fyau
3rdP: fom
Other Pronouns[]
Singilar/Plural
"dis-/dees-" = Proximate Demonstrative
"de'-/daus-" = Medial Demonstrative
"dedeu-/dorreu-" = Distal Demonstrative
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.
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[]
Nomminative-Absolutive/Accusative/Ergative
1stS: ou(w)-/-mou-/-bou-
2ndS: ji(y)-/yii-/-bii-
3rdSA: xei(y)-/-am-/-bam-
3rdSI: ti-/-ti-/-boid-
1stP: vei(y)-/-os-/-bos-
2ndP: jau-/-yau-/-bau-
3rdP: dei-/-am-/-bam-
Reflexive Indicative[]
1stS: moosu-
2ndS: joosu-
3rdSA: xemsu-
3rdSI: itsu-
1stP: auso-
2ndP: alsu-
3rdP: deisu-
Active Subjunctive[]
Nomminative-Absolutive/Accusative/Ergative
1stS: shwou(w)-/-mou-/-shbou-
2ndS: shuji(y)-/-yii-/-shbii-
3rdSA: shwei(y)-/-am-/-shbom-
3rdSI: shti-/-ti-/-shboid-
1stP: shvei(y)-/-os-/-shbos-
2ndP: shujau-/-yau-/-shbau-
3rdP: shdei-/-am/-shbam-
Reflexive Subjunctive[]
1stS: shmoosu-
2ndS: shujoosu-
3rdSA: shwemsu-
3rdSI: shwitsu-
1stP: shwauso-
2ndP: shwalsu-
3rdP: shdeisu-
Tense and Aspect[]
Eridanian has 5 tenses, Present, Past, Future, Present Conditional and Past Conditional; 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 "-on" 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).The Present conditional is derived from "can". The Past Conditional is formed from the English "was gonna" Future-in-the-Past.
Eridanian marks for Perfect and Progressive aspects and retains the odd semantics of English's Present Progressive and Simple Present in active verbs.
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Stative Present/Active Habitual
- ou-syaaf = I stop
- ou-bou = I buy
- ou-syaaf = I stop
Active Present/Stative Progressive
- ou-m-syaabn = I am stopping
- ou-m-boun = I am buying
- ou-m-syaabn = I am stopping
Perfect
- ou-v-syaaf = I have stopped
- ou-v-bou = I have bought
- ou-v-syaaf = I have stopped
Perfect Progressive
- ou-v-ve-syaabn = I have been stopping
- ou-v-ve-boun = I have been buying
- ou-v-ve-syaabn = I have been stopping
Past Aorist
- ou-di-syaaf = I stopped
- ou-di-bou = I bought
- ou-di-syaaf = I stopped
Past Progressive
- ou-vo-syaabn = I was stopping
- ou-vo-boun = I was buying
- ou-vo-syaabn = I was stopping
Past Perfect
- ou-d-syaaf = I had stopped
- ou-d-bou = I had bought
- ou-d-syaaf = I had stopped
Past Perfect Progressive
- ou-d-ve-syaabn = I had been stopping
- ou-d-ve-boun = I had been buying
- ou-d-ve-syaabn = I had been stopping
Future
- ow-on-syaaf = I will stop
- ow-on-bou = I will buy
- ow-on-syaaf = I will stop
Future Progressive
- ow-on-bi-syaabn = I will be stopping
- ow-on-bi-boun = I will be buying
- ow-on-bi-syaabn = I will be stopping
Future Perfect
- ow-on-av-syaaf = I will have stopped
- ow-on-av-bou = I will have bought
- ow-on-av-syaaf = I will have stopped
Future Perfect Progressive
- ow-on-av-ve-syaabn = I will have been stopping
- ow-on-av-ve-boun = I will have been buying
- ow-on-av-ve-syaabn = I will have been stopping
Conditional
- ou-ke-syaaf = I can stop
- ou-ke-bou = I can buy
- ou-ke-syaaf = I can stop
Conditional Progressive
- ou-ke-bi-syaabn = I can be stopping
- ou-ke-bi-boun = I can be buying
- ou-ke-bi-syaabn = I can be stopping
Conditional Perfect
- ou-ke-v-syaaf = I can have stopped
- ou-ke-v-bou = I can have bought
- ou-ke-v-syaaf = I can have stopped
Conditional Perfect Progressive
- ou-ke-v-ve-syaabn = I can have been stopping
- ou-ke-v-ve-boun = I can have been buying
- ou-ke-v-ve-syaabn = I can have been stopping
Past Conditional
- ou-rro-syaaf = I could stop
- ou-rro-bou = I could buy
- ou-rro-syaaf = I could stop
Past Conditional Progressive
- ou-rro-bi-syaabn = I could be stopping
- ou-rro-bi-boun = I could be buying
- ou-rro-bi-syaabn = I could be stopping
Past Conditional Perfect
- ou-ke-v-syaaf = I could have stopped
- ou-ke-v-bou = I could have bought
- ou-ke-v-syaaf = I could have stopped
Past Conditional Perfect Progressive
- ou-rro-v-ve-syaabn = I could have been stopping
- ou-rro-v-ve-boun = I could have been buying
- ou-rro-v-ve-syaabn = I could have been stopping
---
Progressive: ou-m-syaabn = I am stopping
Perfect: ou-v-syaaf = I have stopped
Progressive Perfect: ou-v-ve-syaabn = I have been stopping
Forms of the Progressive Affix[]
When with the Perfect affix it is always "-ve".
Non-Past Simple Aspect/Non-Past Subjunctive and aspectual forms/Past
1st Singlular: -m-/-bi-/-vo-
2nd Singlular: -r-/-bi-/-vo-
3rd Singlular: -s-/-bi-/-vo-
All Plural: -r-/-bi-/-vo-
Forms of the Perfect Affix[]
Non-Past: -v-
Past: -d-
Mood[]
Eridanian has 6 moods, Indicative, Subjunctive, Optative, Imperative, Obligative and Interrogative. The old Germanic Subjunctive is preserved only in the verb "to be", the result of it stubbornly refusing to disappear in American English. A new Subjunctive formed from "should" 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. The imperative marker is derived from "let's
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Subjunctive: shwou-vo-syaabn = If I were stopping
Obligative: ou-gaa-syaaf = I must stop/I got to stop
Optative: ou-waan-syaaf = "I want to stop/I would like to stop
Interrogative (Animate): hou-s-syaabn = Who is stopping?
Interrogative (Inanimate): wa'-s-syaabn = What is stopping?
Imperative: las-syahf! = STOP!
Voice[]
Eridanian has 3 morphological voices, Active, Passive, and Reflexive. The Passive Voice is derived from the English "got + Past Particple" construction. The Reflexive Voice originated from the fusion of the reflexive pronouns onto the verb.
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Passive: e-go'-shaaft = "I was stopped"
Reflexive: mousu-shaaf = "(I) stop myself"
Verbal derivation[]
Verbal derivational affixes are placed before the verb root.
Inchoative: -syau'-
Causative: -mea-
Continuative: -syiu-
Cessative: -ki'-
Resumptive: -kyon-
Infinitive, Gerund, and Participle forms[]
Infinitive: t(a)-ROOT
Gerund: ROOT-ag
Present Participle: ROOT-n
Past Participle: Identical to the Simple Past form of the verb except for a few strong verbs.
Syntax[]
Eridanian is nominally a SVO language, but has many VSO elements as well. Informal conversations tends more towards verb-first placement. The verb is always at the start of the sentence in polar ("Yes-No") questions, but the Subject is always first when it is the emphasized or topical point of the sentence. Adpositions are always prepositional, located at the start of the adpositional noun phrase. Adjectives follow nouns.
Dictionary[]
...
Example text[]
The Lord's Prayer[]
O Faarr Vos en Habn,
boNeem Vii boid haali.
BoRoow Vii boidonkom,
BoViu Vii boidonbedon,
en davoud loox en Habn.
Shujiheupos tsovoof tadadei,
shujifogivos tsens vos,
n veifogivam tadoos
de' deisen etwos.
Shujiin'leedos irrou raagdoon,
bo' shujiiseevos fraa eevu.
Kos bodarou, pawo, n qoorei
bomo au Vii, fravo n avo.
Amen.
