View source for Arcadian

'''Arcadian''' is at the other end of the alphabet to [[Zelandish]].  It is a language sketched out by Andrew Smith -- a romance language designed reflect sound changes in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language Scots].  As a designed language it covers no new ground than what I have already achieved in designing [http://hobbit.griffler.co.nz/introduction.html Brithenig], and yet it deserves a repeal from redundancy, so I describe it here.

It was once suggested in correspondence with '''IJzeren Jan''' that Arcadian's homeland lies somewhere between the borders between France and Italy.

The name of the language, ''Arcadian'' was chosen as a reference to the Otago settlement of southern New Zealand under the patronage of the Free Church of Scotland, promoted as a utopian social project called 'Arcadia'.

== Sound changes ==

The changes in the language is treated as if it was conventional romance language.

Short vowels are treated the same as other romance languages in that '''e''' and '''i''' collapse together as ''e'' /ɛ/.  Original short '''u''' in a stressed open position becomes a front rounded vowel ''ö'' /ø/, otherwise '''o''' and '''u''' collapse together as ''o'' /ɔ/.  Short and long '''a''' collapse together /a/.

Long '''u''' is unchanged /u/.

The other long vowels undergo a great vowel shift: long '''i''' becomes a diphthong /ɑɪ/ written ''ai''.  '''E''' rises to replaces it, written ''i''.  '''O''' becomes ''ö'' in all positions.

When a velar consonant after a vowel becomes a ''ʒ'' it creates new vowels before it disappears.
'''Oʒ''' (from short '''u''') becomes ''ou'' /ʌʊ/; '''uʒ''' (from long '''u''') is no different to ''u'' and '''iʒ''' no different to ''i''.  '''Eʒ''' rises to become /e/, written ''è''.  '''A''' in the cluster ''aʒi'' becomes /ɑɪ/, reduced to /ɛ/ in words such as ''mes'', but (from *'''magis'''); otherwise '''aʒ''' becomes ''au'' /aʊ/.

The loss of '''l''' after ''a, o,'' and ''u'' has created new diphthongs: ''au, ou,''  and ''u'' (again not distinguished ''u'' from above).

All vowels are short, except before '''v''', '''s''' /z/, '''d''' /ð/, and r.

Consonants show little change from early romance to Arcadian.  Clusters simplify at the end of words (''nt, nd'' become ''n'', ''st'' to ''s'', etc.), '''mpt''' and '''nct''' become ''nt''.  The cluster '''rd''' becomes ''rt'' at the end of a word.  ''D'' is pronounced as a fricative /ð/ when it occurs between vowels.  Certain consonants have become palatals: '''gn''' and '''ni''' have become ''ny'' /ɲ/ or /nj/, /ŋ/ at the end of a word.  '''ti''' has become '''ci''' /ʧ/ before a vowel, and /ʃ/ where it is word-final.  Likewise ''gi'' is /ʤ/ before a vowel and /ʧ/ where is word-final.  '''Si''' is pronounced /ʃ/.

'''V''' becomes ''f'' when final, it disappears before a closed syllable ending in a nasal,
semivowel or liquid.

'''R''' is pronounced as a retroflex /ɾ/ except when doubled, or at the beginning or end of a word where it is pronounced as /ʀ/.

The '''u''' is pronounced /w/ in the combination '''qu-'''.

== Babel Text ==

To whet the appetite for more:

Accöra le mön entèr avía un lenguagi e las parablas cemas.  Como movían de l'öciden, venayan a un plan en la terra de Sennar e lau's stablayan.

"Venait," daicían a un autre, "alamos far uns briques e corlos a fön."

Avian le bric por la petra, e le bitume por le mortari.

"Venait," daicían, "alamos edifecarnos una ciutá, è un tör que tocci les cels.  Alamos far un nome por nos; autremen seramos disperset söpra la facia de la terra entèra."

Le DOM descendía vedir la ciutá e le tör, que les umanes avian edifecat.

"Vaidit," le DOM daicía, "son un popöl, e tot an un lenguagi; ces es sölamen le començamen de le quau facessen.  Nu que proponyan sera impossibel por lör.  Venait, alamos descendre, e comföndre siu lenguagi lau, por que n' comprendran las parablas d'un autre."

Esai le DOM los dispersía de lau söpra la facia de tota la terra, e lausían edifecar la ciutá.  Car s'appellía Babel, porque lau le DOM comföndía le lenguagi de tota la terra; e de lau le DOM los dispersia söpra la facia de la terra.