Napkožæc

Napkožæc
Pronounced:	/'nɑpkotzɛtʃ/
Timeline and Universe:	Alternate Earth, modern era
Species:	Human (Napž)
Spoken:	Napž-tawra
Total speakers:	unknown
Writing system:	Napžic script
Genealogy:	Indo-European  Indo-Napžic   Napkožæc
Typology
Morphological type:	Fusional
Basic word order:	SVO
Credits
Creator:	DiZ
Created:	late 2006 - early 2007

Napkožæc (literally "language of the Cloud-walkers") is an ancient tongue spoken by the Napž people.

History

Napkožæc branched off from the Indo-Napžic language group during the Æther Crossing, leaving the remainder of Indo-Napžic languages obsolete. Subsequently, Napkožæc went through many historical transitions before resulting in the language we know today. Nonetheless, the language has changed relatively little; many of its linguistic roots are still wholly obvious in modern words.

Vocabulary

Due to the prolonged isolation and unusual environmental influences on culture to the Napž, their language developed a distinct and sporadic lexicon, with many etymologies completely unknown to even the elders, though traces of an original Indo-European proto-language still linger in many of their words, such as twra (three).

A large number of Napkožæc words are influenced by the Napž's religion, such as the word Wi-zæzi, their word for "Sun". It literally means "Far One", referring to the Napž's deification of the Sun and veneration of all things distant and unknown. The sun and moon were at the center of their mystic beliefs.

Alphabet

Napkožæc is usually written in the Napžic cuneiform script. However, the language is often transliterated into the Latin alphabet. Note: For the purposes of convenience, the majority of words will be written using this transliterated Latinized form. The alphabet is as follows:

Aa Ââ Ææ Bb Cc Dd Ðð Ee Êê Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Ôô Pp Rr Ss Šš Tt Uu Vv Ww Zz Žž Þþ 

With three additional graphemes:

Dd, Ng, Wr

These graphemes, while they represent their own distinct sounds, are treated as separate letters in accordance with the original Napžic script.

Phonology

Napkožæc is rich in voiceless stops, t, k, p, as well as fricatives. Voiced consonant stops rarely occur in the middle of words or at the end of syllables. I am not experienced with use of the IPA alphabet. If you see an error, do not hesitate to fix it, or leave a message on my talk page.

Vowels

A - /ɑ/ father
 - /æ/ sat
Æ - /ɛ/ bed
E - /e/
Ê - /ɪ/ pit
I - /i/ meet
O - /o/
Ô - /ə/
U - /u/ too

Consonants

B - /b/ bite
C - /tʃ/ cheat
D - /d/ den
Ð - /θ/ thin
F - /f/ fire
G - /g/ gut
H - /h/ harm
J - /j/ your
K - /k/ cast
L - /l/ lie
M - /m/ mine
N - /n/ no
P - /p/ pit
R - /r/ rolled R
S - /s/ say
Š - /ʃ/ shine
T - /t/ ten
V - (see below)
W - /w/ week
Z - /z/ zoo
Ž - /ts/ mats
Þ - /ð/ then
Dd - /d/ as in ladder
Ng - /ŋ/ long
Wr - /ɺ/ rock

The letter V

V is a tricky sound in the Napkožæc language. The sound evolved from /v/, though the modern sound is more similar to /ʍ/, with the teeth closer to the lips, making it sound remotely like an f. Another unique feature of V is that its sound changes depending on the letter that follows it.

vr - /f/
vwr - /h/
vl - /v/ (as in English vein)

(The second letter is still pronounced)