Fortunatian

Fortunatian

Uchunatonc
Pronounced:	['rɨm.ba u.ʧu.'na.ta]
Timeline and Universe:	Fortunate Islands Universe (FIU)
Species:	Human
Spoken:	Fortunate Islands
Total speakers:	20,000
Writing system:	Roman script
Genealogy:	Latin   Fortunatian Vulgar Latin   Fortunatian
Typology:
Morphology:	Partly fusional
Morphosyntax:	Marked Nominative
Word order:	VSO
Credits
Creator:	Linguarum Magister
Created:	2004

Fortunatian (Rymba Uchunata or just Uchunata) is a Romance language, with Etruscan and Guanche substrates, spoken in the Fortunate Islands (our world's Canary Islands) in the Fortunate Islands Universe. This is a description of Classical Fortunatian (fl. 12c ACE).

Phonology

The Fortunatian alphabet has 20 letters. There are also four digraphs which are not considered part of the alphabet, but probably should be.

a [a]

b [b]

c [k] before /a/, /o/, /u/, /y/

d [d]

e [e, ɛ]

g [ʤ]

f [f]

h [etymological, or diaeresis marker]

i [i], [j] before another vowel

m [m]

n [n]

o [ə]

p [p]

qu [k] before /e/, /i/

r [r]

s [s]

t [t]

u [u]

x [ʃ]

y [ɨ]

Non-Alphabetic Digraphs

au [o]

ch [ʧ]

hu [w] - this can (rarely) occur before a consonant

nh [ɲ]

Other Writing Systems

Fortunatian expatriates living on the African mainland occasionally use Ajami.

Cases and Declensions

Proto-Fortunatian

Proto-Fortunatian, the stage that set off Fortunatian from the Latin, reduced the Latin cases and declensions to two cases (nominative and accusative) and three declensions (1st declension feminine, 2nd declension masculine and neuter, and 3rd declension). The complete elision of the accusative singular endings in -m changed the nominative-accusative system into a 'marked-nominative' system in all declensions except the 2nd declension neuter, which was unmarked for case in both singular and plural. The 3rd declension also lacked a case distinction in the plural. Under other circumstances, the instability of such a system and the contribution of Etruscan-speakers to Proto-Fortunatian would suggest a sudden collapse into a system of no cases whatsoever. The Proto-Fortunatian speakers, however, contained a large number of Guanche converts, whose native Berber tongue not only contributed much vocabulary, but also pushed the marked-nominative system into a true nominative-absolutive system. Guanche also contributed to the shift from Latin's SOV order to Proto-Fortunatian's dominant VSO, but that is not the subject of this section.

1fem NomSg -a /a/ AccSg -# NomPl -e /e/ AccPl -aʃ /ax/

2masc NomSg -ɨʃ /yx/ AccSg -# NomPl -i /i/ AccPl -oʃ /aux/

2neuter Sg -# Pl -a /a/

3epicene NomSg -s /s/, -ʃ /x/ AccSg -# Pl -eʃ /ex/

First Stage Pre-Fortunatian

In the next stage, from Proto-Fortunatian to First Stage Pre-Fortunatian, the 2nd declension neuters were redistributed to the 2nd declension masculines and 1st declension feminines:

1fem NomSg -a /a/ AccSg -# NomPl -e /e/ AccPl -aʃ /ax/

2masc NomSg -ɨʃ /yx/ AccSg -# NomPl -i /i/ AccPl -oʃ /aux/

3epicene NomSg -s /s/, -ʃ /x/ AccSg -# Pl -eʃ /ex/

Second Stage Pre-Fortunatian

In the next stage, from First Stage Pre-Fortunatian to Second Stage Pre-Fortunatian, the 3rd declension nouns were redistributed between the 1st and 2nd declensions. Now the declensional system of Early Fortunatian matched the male-female dichotomy of the Berber languages:

1fem NomSg -a /a/ AccSg -# NomPl -e /e/ AccPl -aʃ /ax/

2masc NomSg -ɨʃ /yx/ AccSg -# NomPl -i /i/ AccPl -oʃ /aux/

Verbs

Fortunatian retained the four conjugations of Latin. The contraction of unstressed syllable created a stress contrast between the 2nd singular and the 1st plural forms in the 1st conjugation present. Fortunatian phonology is much friendlier than the other Romance languages to complex initial and final consonant clusters.

'to sing' cantár: cántau, cántax, cant, cantáx, cantách, cántan

'to fear' tmér: tymau, tymex, tymt, tméx,tméch, tymen

'to lead' dúcro: dúcau, dúcx, dúct, dúcmyx, dúctyx, dúcun

'to hear' audír: aúdau, aúdix, aúdt, audíx, audích, aúdun

Syntax

Fortunatian syntax is VSO, following a Berber template provided by the early Guanche converts. Under the influence of Guanche and Berber, Fortunatian prefers VSO order, but a large minority of sentences are SVO, due to the Latin component of the pre-Fortunatian peoples. There is no strong difference between the two orders.

nVS0

Naun cypun biri huar. Men do not cook porridge.

SnVO

Biri naun cypun huar. Men do not cook porridge.

OVnS. This order topicalizes O. The verb changes into a participle which agrees with the subject.

Huar cypontex naun biri. Porridge, men don't cook it.

A different form, with the same topicalization has a participle which agrees with the object.

Huar de cypen naun biri.

If the S is topicalized, the relative verb form + the subjunctive is used. The relative verb forms are derived from the relative participle (pi,p-) and the present indicative forms of the verb to be (x, ex, och, xyx, och, xun).

Naun xun biri pixun cypon huar. It's not men who cook porridge.

Naun biri a cypen huar. It's not men who cook porridge.

Biri xun pixun naun cypon huar. Men are not those who cook porridge.

Biri a cypen naun huar. Men are not those who cook porridge.

The forms with 'de' and 'a' are derived from the conflation of the Latin prepositions de and ad and the Berber particles ti- and 'a', together with the Latin gerundive and the Berber verbal forms. These agree with the O of the clause, following the Latin construction: Which forms are used dependant on the level of formality. More Latinate forms are favored for holy writings and oratory, more Guanche forms are favored for secular writing and casual conversation.

Etruscan-Derived Vocabulary

Most of the Etruscan derived vocabulary was borrowed by the early Christians and transformed into Christian sacramental vocabulary.

abbess - ota

abbot - ofyx

anchoress, nun - xecha

anchorite, monk - rubyx

autumn - autynyx

calculation (esp. of Easter) - ocara

caretaker - texintyx, texinta

child - uxiuryx

church - acha

congregation - rauca

cross - tauryx (originally 'tomb', influenced by Greek 'stavros')

cup - curimna, tauna, xanena

the dead - xibaux

diocese - mocla

eagle - copta

font, baptismal - tinha

god, false - ureryx

grandmother - teta

heaven - uratyx

honey - mata

idol - exora

incense - tura

jug - yrfea

June - ocora

king - lucmaunhyx

lion - royx

martyr, saint - xibyx, xiba

monastic - ofan-yx, -a

moon - tia

noon - yranhyx

nurse - nona

offering - arfnyx, arfasyx, clebyx, tyxa

only - tus

pagan - cricyx, crica, rumachyx, rumacha

people - mechyx, rona

prayer - molhenyx

priest - fafyx (m.)

priesthood - arymnatyx

rite - xera

room - queryx

sanctuary - xamyx

September - cheryx

son (esp. Son of God) - crenyx

soul - intiora

sun - uxryx

then - un

tomb - xutyx

town - xfuryx

vase - tina

the Virgin - xnhata

water of baptism - nhera

wife (esp. Zion as bride of Christ), novice nun - fia

year, liturgical - aulyx

Guanche-Derived Vocabulary

astronomer - babilaunyx

chief priest - guadamenhyx

demons - tibisenax

the Devil - guaiautyx

festival - benhesmere (pl.)

moon - achuguayx

Mother of God - chaxiraxa

mountain - tinda

nun, sacred virgins - maguada, arimaguada

priest - faica'nyx

priest, funerary - cancyx

rain - achucana

sky - achama'nyx

Son of God - chixauraxyx

sun - magyx

teacher for boys - samaranyx

teacher for girls - samara