View source for OT2.0

An eclectic language created from texts from the ''Teach Yourself'' language books, originally produced by the English Universities Press, latterly by Hodder and Stoughton.

The guiding principle was to take foreign language words from the contents pages of each grammar and use them as the basis of an imaginary language.  Also used were irregularities affecting verbs and nouns, etc., and descriptions of courtesy language (notably, Japanese, Samoan and Modern Persian).

The language creator is Andrew Smith.

Details of the language speakers and culture are speculative as yet.  My working name for the language is ''Shennian''.  ''Shente'' is the word for 'people, race, gentiles,' and the adjective ''shenni'' is derived from that as an ethnonym.  The native name of the language is ''shennya'' and 'to talk Shennian' is ''bāhant shennyon'', literally talk-language Shennian-thing.'

Clues about the Shennian culture emerge from their vocabulary.  Their language has a respect-based hierarchy.  Their religious tradition has a sky-father god, ''Yeuh''.  They are sabbatarians with ascetic religious leaders - monks, hermits and mendicants.  They use words for technology with which we are familiar.  Their history includes a period of expansion.  Currently they are eclipsed by a global super-culture whom they call the ''Yimbi''.

[[Shennian Lexicon]]

= Pronunciation =

Consonants:

{|
|| ||labial||dental||alveolar||postalveolar||palatal||velar||glottal
|-
||unvoicedstops||p||t|| || || ||k|| 
|-
||voiced stops||b||d|| || || ||g|| 
|-
||affricates|| || || ||tʃ|| || || 
|-
||unvoiced fricatives||f|| ||s||ʃ|| || || 
|-
||voiced fricatives||v|| || || || || ||h
|-
||nasals||m||n|| || || ||ŋ||
|-
||lateral|| || ||l|| || || || 
|-
||approximant|| || ||ɹ|| || 
|-
||semivowels||w|| || || || j|| || 
|}

Vowels:

OT2.0 has the vowels /i ɛ a ʉ ɔ ɑ/.

Orthography:

In the latin alphabet:

'''a b ch d e f g h i k l m n ng o p r s sh t u v w y'''

In the ''Kiriva'', the Shennian alphabet:

'''a b g d e dy ā ty y k l m n s o p ch r sh t y'''

The ''Kiriva'', the writing, is a Semitic-based script, not yet adapted into an available font.  Some letters are written with pointing to mark a sound change.  

The long vowels U, Ō and I are written as abjads either written with pointing over a previous consonant or over a short-A.  

The short-A is called ''Aliv''.  

NG is written as ''Gim'' marked with a nasal.  

H is written as a superscript letter called half-''Āta''.  It is inserted between ''Āta'' and ''Tyeta'' in dictionary practice but not listed in the sequence of the alphabet.

The ''Kiriva'' has two writing styles. Cursive script is the default script. Square script is used for names and proper nouns.  Shennian writing style alternates between both forms.  Not knowing where to change into square script appears clumsy and uneducated, over-using square script feels like reading official, formal language.

=There Is=

''Ten āyet'', it is, there is a..., there are, that is, which takes a direct object.  This may be singular or plural, so ''ten āyet'' means 'there is' or 'there are'.  It is a common and useful expression, used in making statements, not when an object is pointed out.  It is also used in interrogative sentences when it translates 'is there', 'are there'.

The third person ending ''-(e)t'' is silent in spoken Shennian.

It is used in the sense, to be present or to be absent (in a place).  It is used with a non-living subject, always in the third person: it is (somewhere), they are (somewhere).  It forms sentences if where the thing is, is known: ''A konisa belye' pena trepeya? Āyet'' Is the book on the table? Yes, it is.

'There was, there were' is normally ''Ten we dunide'', literally 'there happened'.  In 'there will be', ''ten āyet'' becomes ''ten we dunyet'', literally 'there will happen'.

The third person moves to the head of the sentence and has existential force to mean ‘there is, there are’.

''Ten'' in ''ten āyet'' is considered the secondary subject and the real subject is the noun or pronoun that comes after the verb.  The verb does not change for gender, it changes for number, ''Tye āyen''.

The pronoun ''ten'' means 'it, there.'  It is used in impersonal expressions like ''ten wuet'' it rains and ''ten snyeget'' it snows.

= Shim =
The negative is ''shim'' nothing, followed by a genitive noun or noun phrase.  ''Shim'' is the word used in conversation and written word.  In careful speech it becomes the longer word ''shidim''.  It is placed directly after a verb it negates.  An infinitive verb or a participle will follow after it.  It occurs independently at the end of sentences as 'or not'.

''Bod bovol'' I speak; ''bod bovol shim'' I do not speak.  ''Ta lichet'' He reads; ''Kudin lichet'' he does not read.  Shennian speakers think of the subject pronouns he, she and it, ''ta'', ''da'' and ''ten'', as wrong in negative sentences.  The negative pronouns ''kudin'', ''kudna'' and ''kudnon'', not one, are substituted in their place.  

If noun or pronoun is contradicted, a form of ''kudin'' is used.

''Kudnon'' can be used to contradict statements: ''Ta dāt ishi Sobye. Kudnon, kudin dāt ishi Sobye''  He comes from Sobye. No, he doesn't come from Sobye.

''Kudnon'' is used as negative question tag: ''Ai-ta morigo kerane, kudnon?'' He is the chief clerk, is he not?

With a name or pronoun with ''so'' it means 'not the one who', ''kudin bod so det ten'' it wasn't me who told him.

Occasionally it can mean 'non-': ''kudni shenni'' non-Shennian

''Kudnon shim'', not un-: ''kudin kōt shim'' he is not unwilling.

When a future of a negated verb is fronted before the pronoun it means 'it is unlikely': ''kudin we dāyet'' He won't come; ''dāye'lā kudin'' It is unlikely that he will come; he is unlikely to come.

Other negatives that can be used as adverbs after a verb: ''shame'' never, ''shidim'' nothing, ''pahon'' nobody.  These words can be moved to the start of the sentence and the order of the sentence remains unchanged for the rest of the sentence: ''chota āye'ten?  Ei pahon'' Who is there? Nobody.

''Kem'' is used as a negative adverb, 'only'.

''Okom, okong, okon'' is used as a stronger negative than ''shim'', not at all.

=Hisal=

''Hisal'' means ‘to arise, to come into existence:

''Ya hisen-lā pena keten payade tolke'', and on this point there are stanzas

''Ishipena ōga hist samōn'', from anger arises delusion

An alternative to 'to be' in nominal sentences: ''binon-lā tena ramayon hist pena tache'', the sight of it is delightful to the exhausted.

= Lā =

The two particles ''ai'' and ''lā'' are used to emphasize words.  ''Ai'' being used in questions, and ''lā'' in statements.  A word may be emphasized by moving it forward in a sentence and tagging it with ''ai'' or ''lā''.

At the beginning of a sentence or clause, ''lā'' can replace an impersonal ''ten'': ''dakilbesh-lā ya sodyant keresh suyan'' it is difficult to go across the river.  At other times ''kam'' if, at the beginning of a sentence is balanced by ''lā'' on the first word of the main clause: ''kam na' dā tenyen ast a āgorion simodi, na' dā pochen-lā nawesam ten'' if we have enough money, we can buy it.

''Lā'' softens a command, and makes it less abrupt.



[[Category: Conlangs]]