Old Shax

Shax – Morráni
Morphological Type:	Synthetic
Morphosyntactic Alignment:	Nominative-Accusative
Linguistic Head:	Head Initial
Word Order:	SVO, SOV*
Tonal?	No
Made by:	Maxseptillion77

General Information

This is the long lost North African romance language. It manifested in the Maghreb: specifically in modern-day Morocco, the Roman Empire's Mauritania. Shax's country is of the same name, Mauritania, in Shax, Morráni ([mɐrˈrani]). The East Roman Empire's side of North Africa was influenced by Greek and gave birth to Coptic and other such languages. Though, influence from Western Romance languages, namely Iberian, have made it closer to those such languages phonetically. Its sister language, Vandalic, followed a much different path, though is still highly respected among the inhabitants of Mauritania.

(*) Look at Word Order under Verbial in Syntax

Morrania, Xarràña, Vandal King., Cirtania

In the photo, Morráni (Shax's constate) is in blue taking the place of modern day Morocco and parts of western Algeria. The Vandal Kingdom (Vandalic's constate) in purple is taking the place of Tunisia, coastal Algeria, Sicily, the Balearic Islands, Corsica, and Sardinia. Xarràña (Xarrano's constate) is in yellow taking the place of a conland around a volcano called Ezgo. Cirtania (Cirtanian's constate) is in dark blue next to Greece and is a fictional island that had been heavily influenced by Greece and Italy.

Sound Changes for Shax are here. 

The lexicon is found here .

Phonology

Consonant

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m	n		ŋ
Plosive	p b	t d		k g
Fricative	ɸ β	s z			h
Liquid	w ʍ	l r	j

​All phonemes except [w], [j], and [ʍ] can be geminate. [ŋ] is only geminate as an allophone to [n] 
[wː] > [βː], [jː] > [jz], [ʍː] > [ɸʍ]

Note that [β], [ɸ], and [ʍ] are very unstable. [β] may also be [b] or [w] allophonically (usuallly [b] starting a word or before another consonant and [w] elsewhere). [ɸ] and [ʍ] also occasionally turn into [h] allophonically. Remember that these allophone are not considard standard and are phonemically their original/standard phoneme.

Vowel

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Open-Mid	ɛ		ɔ
Near-Low		ɐ
Low		a

Stress

Stress falls on primarily on the closed syllable (except if it's ultimate) or a pre-rhotic syllable; if there isn't one of those conditions, the stress falls on the penultimate. Note that stress on the ultimate syllable is on an open syllable followed by a closed syllable in a two syllable word.

Orthography

Alphabet

Letter	Sound	Letter	Sound
A a	[ɐ], [a]	B b	[b]
C c	[k]	D d	[d]
E e	[ɛ]	F f	[ɸ]
G g	[g]	H h	[h]
I i	[i], [j]	J j	[j]
K k	[k]	L l	[l]
M m	[m]	N n	[n], [ŋ]
O o	[ɔ], [ɐ]	P p	[p]
Q q	[k]	Ų ų	[ʍ]
R r	[r]	S s	[s]
T t	[t]	U u	[u], [w]
V v	[v]	X x	[ks]
Y y	[i], [j]	Z z	[z]

• (*) Ų looks more like a ɥ written (U with descender). Basically the written Armenian Z, զ. 
• I and U are [j] and [w] respectially before and after another vowel except with an acute on it. 
• Stressed A and O are [a] and [ɔ] respectivally
• N is [ŋ] before C, K, Q, and X
• K, Q, and W are purely etymological (W isn't considard part of the alphabet but a foreign letter; to type it on a keyboard in Shax, one would press control+shift+grave V. Q is replaced by Ų on the keyboard; to write Q, one would press control+shift+grave Ų).

Multigraphs

Letters	Sound
double letter	geminate
ng	[ŋ(g)]
qû	[k]

• NG is [ng] intervocallically 
• QÛ is used for etymological purposes

Diacritics

Letter	Sound
acute	stress
grave	homophone
Á á	[ˈa]
Ó ó	[ˈɔ]
 â	[a]
Ô ô	[ɔ]
Û û	[ɐ]

• Very important to note that the acute is used on every word to mark stress except those with only one vowel since the stress is obvious :) ; Also, in cursive and unofficial works, the stress mark is usually left out unless it could be confused

Grammar 

Nouns and Modifiers

Noun Declension

Noun cases simplified very quickly: they were standardized quickly based gender where the feminine 1st and 5th merged and the masculine 3st, 2nd, and 4th merged. There are two cases: base and oblique. The base case is used in the nominative, most prepositional cases, and accusative, and oblique in most other cases. Sometimes a certain preposition will require the oblique case.

Masculine

V - vowel base. The vowel base can be (base-oblique): e-o, i-a, o-u, u-a, i-u, a-o. The vowel base comes from the original Latin forms in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th declensions. There is no standard way of knowing the vowel base just from the word itself, but most will follow the i-u structure. The stem and vowel are separated by either h or j (j for after e or i, and h elsewhere) if the stem already ends in a vowel.

A common irregularity is nouns that end in -s: in the oblique, the consonant that precedes the S becomes geminite, or the S becomes geminite if it stands alone (e.g., pats, father, in the singular oblique becomes patts). Another irregularity is with L which, before a consonant, becomes u (as a /w/). Because it happened before certain vowel combinations merged, it may appear as a U, O, or AU, as the old sound change was /ɛw > u/, /ɔw > aw/, and /aw > ɔ/ (e.g., cel, sky, in the singular oblique becomes cus).

Masculine

	Base	Oblique
Singular	-	-s
Plural	-V	-Vr

Feminine

V - vowel base. The separation of stem vowel to affix vowel is the same as in the masculine. 

	Base	Oblique
Singular	-	-e
Plural	-e	-er

Adjective Declension

Adjectives have been heavily simplified. Feminine adjectives follow the first declension nouns. Masculine nouns follow the structure of stem for singular and stem-s for plural. Though, there are a relatively good amount of irregulars. The basic declension:

		Masculine		Feminine
		Base	Oblique	Base	Oblique
Positive	Singular	-	-s	-	-e
	Plural	-i	-ur	-e	-er
Comparative	Singular	-ô	-ue	-â	-ie
	Plural	-ôs	-ues	-âs	-ies
Superlative	Singular	-éssm	-éssmu	-éssm	-éssme
	Plural	-éssmi		-éssme	-éssmâ

Suffixes

• -ins: demonym 
• -ans: makes an adjective from latin and greek nouns 
• -(û)s: makes an adjective from the gerund of a verb; makes a gerundive 
• -í: makes an adjective from Arabic nouns
• -phón: identifies a language or area/people that speak[s] the specific language 
• -tór: makes a "doer" noun
• See others in the lexicon

Pronouns

Pronouns are unique in Shax as they take the nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, emphatic, and possessive cases. They are placed before the verb rather than after.

Personal

Emphatic corralates to the Latin vocative, the English marked-nominative, and the French stressed pronouns

		Singular					Plural
		Nom.	Acc.	Dat.	Gen.	Emph.	Nom.	Acc.	Dat.	Gen.	Emph.
First		ju	mi		mej, maj	mé	nos		nov	notts	nós
Second		tu	ti	tiv	ti, ta	té	vos		vov	vetts	bós
Third	Masculine	es	jun	ej	si	és	ji	jor	jis	jor	éj
	Feminine	as	jan	aj	sa	ás	je	jar		jar
	Reflexive		se	sev				sem	sevûm

Possessive

Owner ↓	Owned →	Singular		Plural
		Mas	Fem	Mas	Fem
First	Singular	mus	ma	mej	me
	Plural	notts		nottsi
Second	Singular	tus	ta	toj	te
	Plural	votts		vottsi
Third	Singular	sus	sa	soj	se
	Plural	jor	jar	jor	jar

Verbs

In the indicative, the past tense was formed from the Latin perfect tense. The future, as most Romance Languages, was formed from the indicative + HABĒRE construction.

The subjunctive in Shax is used in hypothetical situations, if statements, that clauses (that are subordinant to must, shall, can, wish, want, and occasionally need), and various other phrases. The future is made through a paraphrastic phrase. The optative was formed in a similar way to the future. The subjunctive was growing to be less "optative" semantically, therefore the requirement for copér, to wish, to go before the main verb in the 3rd singular person (the main verb is still conjugated) was developed. Eventually, they mixed semantically and syntactually and like the future in Shax, became a new conjugation. This developed into two prefixes: co- before consonants where the consonant in geminate, and cop- before vowels. Note that these prefixes can never be stressed. 

The imperitive is identified by how it does not use a pronoun (where the other moods do). The subjunctive imperitive, or jussive, came about by the conjugating divér, must, in the subjunctive present and the imperitive.

The origininal Latin 3rd conjugation merged into the 2nd, 4th, or Irregular Class depending of the verb. Note that arabic loan verbs will use the Class II conjugation usually.

Paraphrastic Phrases

The subjunctive and optative futures are formed by to go in the present of either subjunctive or optative and the future participle. The passive is formed by a paraphrastic phrase of to be in the desired tense and the present participle.

Morphology

Class I

Paradigm
potar [pɐˈtar]
Indicative			Present	Past	Future
Singular	1st		pot	potáu	potarávu
	2nd		potás	potást	potarávis
	3rd		potát	potád	potarávit
Plural	1st		potáms	potávims	potarvéms
	2nd		potáts	potávits	potaréts
	3rd		potánt	potavént	potarvén
Subjunctive
Singular	1st		pot	potuér	to go + future participle
	2nd		pots	potuéz
	3rd		pott	potuétt
Plural	1st		potéms	potuémms
	2nd		potéts	potuétts
	3rd		potént	potuénnt
Optative
Singular	1st		coppót	coppotuér	to go + future participle
	2nd		coppóts	coppotuéz
	3rd		coppótt	coppotuétt
Plural	1st		coppotéms	coppotuémms
	2nd		coppotéts	coppotuétts
	3rd		coppotént	coppotuénnt
Extra
Participle			potáns	potáts	potatúz
Imperative	2nd	Singular	potá
		Plural	potát

Class II

Paradigm
timér [tiˈmɛr] - to fear
Indicative			Present	Past	Future
Singular	1st		tímu	timué	timerávu
	2nd		timés	timuést	timerávis
	3rd		timét	timuéd	timerávit
Plural	1st		timéms	timuéms	timervéms
	2nd		timéts	timuéts	timervéts
	3rd		timént	timuént	timervén
Subjunctive
Singular	1st		tim	timuér	to go + future participle
	2nd		tims	timuéz
	3rd		timt	timuétt
Plural	1st		timáms	timuémms
	2nd		timáts	timuétts
	3rd		timánt	timuénnt
Optative
Singular	1st		cottim	cottimuér	to go + future participle
	2nd		cottims	cottimuéz
	3rd		cottimt	cottimuétt
Plural	1st		cottimáms	cottimuémms
	2nd		cottimáts	cottimuétts
	3rd		cottimánt	cottimuénnt
Extra
Participle			timéns	timíts	timitúz
Imperitive	2nd	Sing	timé
		Plur	timét

Class III

Paradigm
dommiár [dɐmˈmjar] - to sleep
Indicative			Present	Past	Future
Singular	1st		dómmi	dommíu	dommirávu
	2nd		dommís	dommíst	dommirávis
	3rd		dommít	dommíd	dommirávit
Plural	1st		dommíms	dommívims	dommirvéms
	2nd		dommíts	dommívits	dommirvéts
	3rd		dommiónt	dommivúnt	dommirvén
Subjunctive
Singular	1st		dómmi	dommuír	to go + future participle
	2nd		dommiás	dommuíz
	3rd		dommiát	dommuítt
Plural	1st		dommiáms	dommuímms
	2nd		dommiáts	dommuítts
	3rd		dommiánt	dommuínnt
Optative
Singular	1st		coddommi	coddommuír	to go + future participle
	2nd		coddommiás	coddommuíz
	3rd		coddommiát	coddommuítt
Plural	1st		coddommiáms	coddommuímms
	2nd		coddommiáts	coddommuítts
	3rd		coddommiánt	coddommuínnt
Extra
Participle			dommiéns	dommíts	dommitúz
Imperative	2nd	Sing	dommí
		Plur	dommít

estiár - to be

Paradigm
estiár [ɛsˈtjar] - to sleep
Indicative			Present	Past	Future
Singular	1st		su	fúi	sirávu
	2nd		es	fúis	sirávis
	3rd		é	fúit	sirávit
Plural	1st		sums	fúims	sirvéms
	2nd		esti	fúisti	sirvéts
	3rd		sun	fuirúnt	sirvén
Subjunctive
Singular	1st		se	fúissi	to go + future participle
	2nd		ses	fúissis
	3rd		set	fúissit
Plural	1st		sems	fuisséms
	2nd		seti	fuisséts
	3rd		sen	fuissént
Optative
Singular	1st		cossé	coffúissi	to go + future participle
	2nd		cossés	coffúissis
	3rd		cossét	coffúissit
Plural	1st		cosséms	coffuisséms
	2nd		cosséti	coffuisséts
	3rd		cossén	coffuissént
Misc.
Participle			istiéns	istíts	istitúz
Imperative	2nd	Sing	és
		Plur	isté

Extra

Gerund

To make the gerund, you take the present participle, and change the -n- to -d- (ex: dommiéns > dommiénd). The gerund declines like any other noun. The vowel stem in gerunds is a-e, e-i, and i-ia for Classes I, II, and III respectivally.

Reflexive

Reflexives are made with the corresponding pronoun to the subject of the verb in the accusative. In the third person, there are special reflexive pronouns.  

T-V Distinction

Note that when speaking to one's god, one would use the respectful form.

• T: use the singular form without the pronoun
• V:
  • ​Respectful: use the singular form with the pronoun (note that emphasis of the pronoun is pejorative)
  • Professional: use the plural form without the pronoun
  • Formal: use the plural form with the pronoun (this is also used to those of higher social rank and by children to adults)
  • Very Formal: use the plural form with the pronoun and the honorific before the pronoun (this may be sir or ma'am to your highness or even Mr./Mrs. President anything that mentions the rank or social status of the adressee)

Syntax

Phrases

Prepositional

Being a head initial language, Shax puts its prepositions before the noun. Usually, the nominative case will be taken, but some prepositions use the oblique case historically. In all prepositional phrases however, 

Nominal

Nouns with adjectives

A nominal phrase has the noun at the head with adjectives following it. Adjectives follow it in a logical order of which descibes the noun best or which is the most important quality. Therefore, a change in the adjective can also change the semantic of the noun. Though in colloquial speech, the order is irrelevant and one would simply list to their whim.

Genitive Nouns

The owner takes the oblique case and turns into a modifier, but it is placed before the owned noun. (mus patts lop - "my father's wolf"). A more uncommon and overall formal way of making genitive phrases is with the preposition di which means "of", coming from Latin DĒ (lop di mus pats - "the wolf of my father").

Verbial

Personal Pronouns and Pejorative

Personal pronouns are rarely used in the nominative with verbs because the conjugation reveils this information already. As mentioned in T-V Distinction above, the emphasis of a pronoun in any T-V form is pejorative. This gets more and more pejorative as you get father from the particular T-V form: for example, using the basic T form to a king would be the ultimate pejorative in terms of morphology while using the Very Formal V form in a sarcastic tone to one of the same or lower social status would represent the same kind of offense. 

Negation

The general negation marker is a non before the main verb and after the main pronoun. Though, specific types of negation may be placed by using non as a prefix (i.e.: nobody, never, nobody ever, no where).

Word Order

Pronouns and reflexives go before the verb (ex: I'm doing it = «le fáci»).

Other

• Supine: ųer + gerund (ex: I went down to the pool to swim = «Cemav ad piscín ųer natáns»)

Interrogative

For certain instances, you would make a question different ways: for simple questions with a noun and a verb, invert the noun and verb or change your intonation to a rising tone, [˩˥] (note that most questions like this would simply use the rising tone); for questions requiring an explination (using why, how, what, etc), use the given phrase and the verb normally. More complex questions just use the rising intonation. 

Clauses

Conditional Clauses

There are various conditional clauses (where X = the first verb and Y = the second verb separated by ~̣̇):

• if X is true, Y will happen (indicative.present ~̣̇ indicative.future)
• if X is true, Y would happen (indicative.present ~̣̇ subjunctive.present)
• if X will be true, Y will also happen (indicative.future ~̣̇ indicative.future)
• if X was true, Y would happen (indicative.past ~̣̇ subjunctive.present)
• if X was true, Y would have happended as well (indicative.past ~̣̇ subjunctive.past)
• if X be true, Y would happen (subjunctive.present ~̣̇ subjunctive.future)
• if X were true, Y would happen (subjunctive.past ~̣̇ subjunctive.present)
• if X will be true, Y would also happen (subjunctive.future ~̣̇ subjunctive.future)
• if X would have been true, Y would have happened (subjunctive.past ~̣̇ subjunctive.past)
• if X would have been true, Y will have heppended (subjunctvie.past ~̣̇ subjunctive.present)

In sentences where there is only a condition (like I'd do that), the verb would be in the subjunctive.

Note that all conditional phrases begin with if, «si». 

Subordinate Clauses

These are introduced with either ųi (if it's a conjunction) or hod (if it's a pronoun). The introductory words are necessary and almost never omitted except in very informal or uneducated speech. Subordinate clauses go after independent clauses and are separated by a comma before ųi or hod. The verb conjugates to the person taking the nominative in the independent clause. Subjunctives can only happen after these words and si. Note that nouns in a subordinate clause take the base case.

Copula

There are two auxillary verbs used for a copula: to be and to have. These generally work in the same way as French.

Lexicon and Texts

The Lord's Prayer

Prayer
English
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespasses against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Shax
Text	Notts pats ųi é en cel, Ųi tos nom cossét senctifhás. Ųi ta renn covveniát. Ųi ta vuents cossét faciéns en Tér sic cus. Don nov pen di dés.
IPA
Literal Translation
Gloss	our father.BASE.SING that be.SING.3rd.INDIC.PRES in sky.BASE.SING, that your.SING.MAS name.BASE.SING be.SING.3rd.OPT.PRES sanctify.PART.PAST . that your.SING.FEM Kingdom.BASE.SING come.SING.3rd.OPT.PRES . that your.SING.FEM will.BASE.SING be.SING.3rd.OPT.PRES done.PART.PAST in Earth.BASE.SING as sky.OBL.SING . give.SING.2nd.IMP we.DAT bread.BASE.SING of day.BASE-SING
Lit.

The Tower of Babel

Exerpt: Genesis 11
English
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.  As the men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.  They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.  Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."  But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.  The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."  So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.  That is why it was called Babel – because there, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there, the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Shax
Text
IPA
Literal Translation
Lit. 1
Lit. 2

Other Links

• GSFA Sentences
• Excerpts

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