Brithenig
| Brithenig Brithenig | |
| Spoken in: | Kemr |
| Timeline/Universe: | Ill Bethisad |
| Total speakers: | |
| Genealogical classification: | Indo-European
|
| Basic word order: | SVO |
| Morphological type: | fusional |
| Morphosyntactic alignment: | accusative |
| Created by: | |
| Andrew Smith | 1996 |
Brithenig is a Romance conlang devised by Andrew Smith from New Zealand, starting in 1996, and the foundation of the Ill Bethisad alternative timeline. Brithenig is based on a Brythonic substratum, thus resembling Welsh in its phonology. The language was received with enthusiasm in the conlang community, and inspired many conlangers to come up with their own Romance conlangs, such as Breathanach (Goidelic substratum; Geoff Eddy), Wenedyk (Polish substratum; Jan van Steenbergen), Judajca (Hebrew substratum; Steg Belsky) and Roman Germanech (German substratum; Jörg Rhiemeier).
Brithenig won the 2013 Smiley Award.
Vocabulary
Most of Brithenig's vocabulary is distinctively Romance, even though it is disguised as Welsh. The following list of 30 words gives an impression of what Brithenig looks like in comparison to nine other Romance languages including Wenedyk, and to Welsh. The similarity of about one-quarter of the Welsh words to Brithenig words is due to their common Indo-European background.
Contents
A mirror of the Brithenig website:
| English | Latin | Portuguese | Spanish | French | Italian | Rhaeto-Romance | Romanian | Wenedyk | Brithenig | (Welsh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| arm | brachium | braço | brazo | bras | braccio | bratsch | braţ | brocz | breich | (braich) |
| black | nĭger | negro | negro | noir | nero | nair | negru | niegry | nîr | (du) |
| city, town | cīvĭtas | cidade | ciudad | cité | città | citad | oraş | czytać | ciwdad | (dinas) |
| death | mŏrs | morte | muerte | mort | morte | mort | moarte | mroć | morth | (angau) |
| dog | canis | cão | perro | chien | cane | chaun | cîine | kań | can | (ci) |
| ear | auris, aurĭcŭla | orelha | oreja | oreille | orecchio | ureglia | ureche | urzykła | origl | (clust) |
| egg | ovum | ovo | huevo | œuf | uovo | ov | ou | ów | ew | (yw) |
| eye | ŏcŭlus | olho | ojo | œil | occhio | egl | ochi | okieł | ogl | (llygad) |
| father | pater | pai | padre | père | padre | bab | tată | poterz | padr | (tad) |
| fire | ignis, fŏcus | fogo | fuego | feu | fuoco | fieu | foc | fok | ffog | (tân) |
| fish | pĭscis | peixe | pez, pescado | poisson | pesce | pesch | peşte | pieszcz | pisc | (pysgod) |
| foot | pĕs | pé | pie | pied | piede | pe | picior | piedź | pedd | (troed) |
| friend | amīcus | amigo | amigo | ami | amico | ami | prieten, amic | omik | efig | (cyfaill) |
| green | vĭrĭdis | verde | verde | vert | verde | verd | verde | wierdzi | gwirdd | (gwyrdd) |
| horse | ĕquus, cabăllus | cavalo | caballo | cheval | cavallo | chaval | cal | kawał | cafall | (ceffyl) |
| I | ĕgo | eu | yo | je | io | jau | eu | jo | eo | (i) |
| island | īnsŭla | ilha | isla | île | isola | insla | insulă | izła | ysl | (ynys) |
| language, tongue | lĭngua | língua | lengua | langue | lingua | linguatg, lieunga | limbă | lęgwa | llinghedig, llingw | (iaith) |
| life | vīta | vida | vida | vie | vita | vita | viaţă | wita | gwid | (bywyd) |
| milk | lac | leite | leche | lait | latte | latg | lapte | łoc | llaeth | (llaeth) |
| name | nōmen | nome | nombre | nom | nome | num | nume | numię | nôn | (enw) |
| night | nŏx | noite | noche | nuit | notte | notg | noapte | noc | noeth | (nos) |
| old | vĕtus | velho | viejo | vieux | vecchio | vegl | vechi | wiekły | gwegl | (hen) |
| school | schŏla | escola | escuela | école | scuola | scola | şcoală | szkoła | yscol | (ysgol) |
| sky | caelum | céu | cielo | ciel | cielo | tschiel | cer | czał | cel | (wybr) |
| star | stēlla | estrela | estrella | étoile | stella | staila | stea | ścioła | ystuil | (seren) |
| tooth | dēns, dĕntem | dente | diente | dent | dente | dent | dinte | dzięć | dent | (dant) |
| voice | vōx | voz | voz | voix | voce | vusch | voce | wucz | gwg | (llais) |
| water | aqua | água | agua | eau | acqua | aua | apă | jekwa | ag | (dŵr) |
| wind | vĕntus | vento | viento | vent | vento | vent | vînt | więt | gwent | (gwynt) |
Examples
The Lord's Prayer:
- Nustr Padr, ke sia i llo gel:
- sia senghid tew nôn:
- gwein tew rheon:
- sia ffaeth tew wolont,
- syrs lla der sig i llo gel.
- Dun nustr pan diwrnal a nu h-eidd;
- e pharddun llo nustr phechad a nu,
- si nu pharddunan llo nustr phechadur.
- E ngheidd rhen di nu in ill temp di drial,
- mai llifr nu di'll mal.
- Per ill rheon, ill cofaeth e lla leir es ill tew,
- per segl e segl. Amen.
From a Parish Bulletin:
ill prestr new
ill prestr new er dan narfus a sew prif offrenn ke ne pothef parolar ben rhen. inawant di lla affarencia segunn in ill pylffid, ys rhuaf all monseniwr ke pothrew rhilaesarsi. ill monseniwr lle dith: “ill Doneg ill proesif, sa both aydarti si dy bon alch fodka in lla baiol. dibos di dew o drui sorfidd, sa ddef ir fen.” ill Doneg ill proesif, ill prestr new seguïf lla sugestiwn dill monseniwr, e mab car ys parolaf! — ne osstant, cann ys tornaf a lla rheitheir, ys discobrif yn garth dill monseniwr:
1. ill temp ill proesif, sorfith n’inglyth rhen;
2. af deg commannfent, ne rhen dewddig;
3. af dewddig dyscibl, ne rhen deg;
4. nu ne referen rhen all Cryg comodd ill grann “Ti”;
5. lla gracia recommendad inawant di mannugar n’es rhen “greiden dew ffa-la-la, per llo grew tra-la-ffa-la!”;
6. ne refeir rhen a nustr Salwadur, Iesu Crist, e sew affoissul comodd “I.C. e llo Meib”;
7. Dewydd mawaf a Goliadd, ys ne calchaf sew cul;
8. ill Padr, Ffeil e hYsperid Saeth ne rhen se referenn nonc comodd “Grann Taddo, Yniwr e’ll Bugun”;
9. sempr saes lla Gwirgen Maria, ne rhen nonc lla Maria cun lla ceresa;
10. e h-yllif, mai ne muinisaf rhen, ill Merchyr ill proesif, afra yn gonthuyst dill traer llo ddulch a lla egluis Saeth Pedr, ne rhen yn gonthuyst dill traer llo Pedr a lla egluis Saeth Dulchen.
External link
http://steen.free.fr/brithenig/introduction.html - Andrew
Old article below this line.
Brithenig was devised by Andrew Smith in about 1996 and thereafter. It is a fictional diachronic language of the Romance family and has about 2500 words in its lexicon. See the link at the end of the article for the grammar and lexicon pages. The following was copied from Langmaker.
One of the best of the fictional languages on the web. Brithenig is the language of an alternate history, Ill Bethisad being the Romance language that might have evolved if Latin speakers had displaced Celtic speakers in Britain. Brithenig has undergone sound changes similar to those of Welsh, and has borrowed from Old Celtic and from Old, Middle and Modern English.
Included in The Traveller's Phrasebook:
In your tour you are approaching the border of a new country. The sign says: BENWENID A GHEMR and in smaller letters underneath: Welcome to Cambria. As Kemr is a member of the Economic Community customs is easily dealt with, but the guidebook is a different matter altogether:
| 1. | Hello | Helo |
| 2. | How are you? (or similar greeting question) | Co es'gw |
| 3. | My name is... | Mew no^n es ... |
| 4. | What is your name? | Ke gos es-sa wstr no^n? |
| 5. | I am lost. | Eo su berdded |
| 6. | Where am I? | K'log su-eo? |
| 7. | Where is... | K'log es-sa... |
| - the bathroom (WC/toilet/human waste collection center)? | - ill ystafl baen? | |
| - my luggage? | - mew fuly? | |
| - the tourist center? | - ill sedd turist? | |
| - the embassy? | - lla ambasciad? | |
| 8. | I'm sorry. | Fal meg. |
| 9. | Please | Se ddeg a'w |
| 10. | Thank you! | Greid! |
| 11. | Help! | Aydath! |
| 12. | I don't speak Brithenig very well. | Eo mharol rhen Brithenig fenisaf. |
| 13. | I don't understand. | Eo nhompruin rhen. |
| 14. | Speak more slowly please. | Parolath bly lentfent, se ddeg a'w. |
| 15. | It was my wife's/husband's idea to come here for vacation! | Sa er buinsad mew briwad wenir ci per ill gweil! (The noun 'priwad' can be masculine or feminine in Brithenig according to which spouse is being referred to, so there is no difference here) |
| 16. | Could you recommend... | Arybarew'gw... |
| - a good restaurant? | - yn rhestawrant bon? | |
| - something good to eat? | - alch gos fon fannuger? | |
| - a good hotel? | - yn hotel bon? | |
| - a good doctor? | - yn meddig bon? | |
| 17. | That was a lovely meal. What was it? | Sa er yn temp di'll gweith bel. Ke gos er-sa? |
| 18. | How much do we owe you... | Cant defen-nu... |
| - for the meal? | - per ill temp di'll gweith? | |
| - for the room? | - per ill ystafl? | |
| - for the things that we broke? | - per llo chos ke nu rumpefan? | |
| 19. | How much did you say it cost again? | Cant dige'gu sa gost ancor? |
| 20. | You are joking, aren't you? | Mellta'gw, si? |
| 21. | I am sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. | Fal meg, eo mhuinsaf rhen affrontar gw. |
| 22. | Our customs are very different from yours. | Nustr ddefad sun ddifferentisaf di wstr hyn. |
| 23. | I don't know anything about local politics, I'm afraid. | Eo sab rhen alch am ill politig llog, eo dif. |
| 24. | Our guide did not tell us that there was a (revolution/war/soccer[football] championship) going on in this country. | Nustr gwidadur nu haddigef ke sa er yn (cluinediwn/wer/gwiadig Rugby) awen in ill paes ci. Ill gwiadig Rugby literally means 'Rugby tour'. Rugby is generically similar to American Football but is played with less protective padding. Rugby-playing nations regullarly tour each other to play national and regional teams. The Chemran do not consider Rugby to be a religion, quite the reverse. |
| 25. | Thank you for your hospitality. We enjoyed our visit very much, but now we must be going home because we have many important things to do there. | Greididd per gwstr benwenid. Nu hinweidafan nustr gwisit mulltisaf, mai hur nu ddefen wenir a lla gas perch nu hafan mullt di llo chos far ffager. |
