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Vrkhazhian (ʾEšd Yat-Vṛḵažaẇ) is a Western Hašakam language that is spoken by the Vrkhazhi who live in [[The Vrkhazhians|the Empire of Yat-Vṛḵaž]]. The earliest form of this language, known as Classical Vrkhazhian, was spoken as early as 950 years ago.
{{infobox
|image=Flag-Vrkhazh.png
|size=350px
|bg=#6BB6B6
|name=Vrkhazhian
|native=ʾEšd Yat-Vṛḵažaẇ
|pronounce=/e̞çt jatβɹ̩ˈxaʝao̯/
|in=Vrkhazh (Yat-Vṛḵažu)
|script=ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
|tree=Hašakam Languages
:Himoshian
::Takshian
:::Proto-Vrkhazhian
::::Classical Vrkhazhian
:::::'''Modern Vrkhazhian'''
|morph=highly fusional, weakly agglutinative
|ms=nominative-accusative
|wo=SOV/VSX
|creator=[[User:Ahzoh|Malcolm G. Holborne]]}}
==History==
===Dialects===
Vrkhazhian has two major dialects and several minor dialects. The area of the two dialects are divided by two distinct sides; the north-eastern portion of Vrkhazh contains the majority of speakers of Mukhebic, while the south-western portion of Vrkhazh contains the majority of speakers of Uzerian. The numerous smaller dialects are spread in and around these two halves with varying degrees of density.
The table below lists the two major dialects:
{| class="wikitable" id="letters_chart"
|+Dialects of Vrkhazhian
|-
! Dialect
! Location
|-
| Uzerian
| South-West Vrkhazh (originating from the city of Tom-ʾEzru)
|-
| Mukhebic
| North-East Vrkhazh (originating from the city of Tom-Ṃḵebu)
|}
Mukhebic is considered the dialect of business and trading, and originated from Mukheb, and along with Qazhd, make up the Pillars of Trade and Commerce. Uzerian is considered the dialect of politics and military affairs, originating from Uzer, the Capital City where the Emperor or Empress resides. When conducting business and trading with others, it is expected to communicate in the Mukhebic dialect while the Uzerian dialect is used for everything involving politics and the military. The knowledge and fluency of both dialects is a must for any meaningful life in the Vrkhazhian Empire.
==Phonology==
===Consonants===
The table below shows the 38 consonant phonemes found in the Uzerian dialect of Vrkhazhian:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Vrkhazhian Consonantal Phonemes
|-
!rowspan=2 COLSPAN=2| 
!rowspan=2|Bilabial
!colspan=2|Alveolar
!rowspan=2|Palatal
!rowspan=2|Velar
!rowspan=2|Uvular
!rowspan=2|Glottal
|-
!<small>Central</small>
!<small>Lateral</small>
|-
!colspan=2|Nasal
| '''m''' [m]
| '''n''' [n] ||
|
|
| '''ṉ''' [ɴ]
|
|-
!rowspan=4|Stop
!<small>Preaspirated</small>
| '''p͛''' [ʰp]
| '''t͛''' [ʰt] ||
|
| '''k͛''' [ʰk]
| '''q͛''' [ʰq]
|
|-
!<small>Voiceless</small>
| '''p''' [p]
| '''t''' [t] ||
|
| '''k''' [k]
| '''q''' [q]
| '''ʾ''' [ʔ]
|-
!<small>Emphatic</small>
| '''ṗ''' [ɸ~ʍ̝~w̝]
| '''ṭ''' [θ] ||
|
| '''ḳ''' [q]
| '''q̇''' [χ]
|
|-
!<small>Voiced</small>
| '''b''' [b]
| '''d''' [d] ||
|
| '''g''' [g]
|
|
|-
!rowspan=2|Affricate
!<small>voiceless</small>
|
| '''ẕ''' [t͡s] || '''ć''' [t͡ɬ]
| '''č''' [c]
|
|
|
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|
| ||
| '''j''' [ɟ]
|
|
|
|-
!rowspan=2|Fricative
!<small>voiceless</small>
| '''f''' [ɸ]
| '''s''' [s] || '''ś''' [ɬ]
| '''š''' [ç]
| '''ḵ''' [x]
| '''ḥ''' [χ]
| '''h''' [h]
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
| '''v''' [β]
| '''z''' [z] ||
| '''ž''' [ʝ]
| '''ḡ''' [ɣ]
|
|
|-
!colspan=2|Approximant
|
| '''r''' [ɹ] || '''l''' [l]
| '''y''' [j]
| '''w''' [w]
|
|
|-
!colspan=2|Trill
|
| '''ř''' [r] ||
|
|
| '''ṟ''' [ʀ~ʁ]
|
|-
|}
===Vowels===
{| class="IPA" cellspacing="0px" cellpadding="0" style="text-align:center; background:none;"
|- style="text-align:center; font-size:smaller;"
|style="padding-bottom:3px;"| &nbsp;
| style="width: 60px;" | '''Front'''
| style="width: 60px; word-spacing: -.3em;" | '''Near- front'''
| style="width: 60px;" | '''Central'''
| style="width: 60px;word-spacing: -.3em;" | '''Near- back'''
| style="width: 60px;" | '''Back'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Close'''
| style="height: 210px;" colspan=5 rowspan=7 | <div style="position: relative;">[[File:Blank vowel trapezoid.svg|300px]]<div style="background:none; position:absolute; top:0; left:0;">
{| style="position:relative; width:300px; height:210px; text-align:center; background:none;"
|-
| style="width:300px; height:210px; text-align:center; background:none; font-size:120%;"|
<!-- CLOSE VOWELS -->
<div style="position: absolute; left: 13%; width: 1em; top: 8%; background: none;">'''i'''</div>
<div style="position: absolute; left: 69%; width: 1em; top: 24%; background: none;">'''u'''</div>
<!-- NEAR-CLOSE VOWELS -->
<!-- CLOSE-MID VOWELS -->
<!-- MID VOWELS -->
<div style="position: absolute; left: 40%; width: 1em; top: 45%; background: none;">'''e̞'''</div>
<div style="position: absolute; left: 57%; width: 1em; top: 43%; background: white;">'''ə'''</div>
<div style="position: absolute; left: 78%; width: 1em; top: 46%; background: none;">'''o̞'''</div>
<!-- OPEN-MID VOWELS -->
<!-- NEAR-OPEN VOWELS -->
<!-- OPEN VOWELS -->
<div style="position: absolute; left: 77%; width: 1em; top: 69%; background: none;">
'''a'''</div>
|}
</div></div>
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | &nbsp;&nbsp;'''Near-close'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Close-mid'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Mid'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Open-mid'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Near-open'''
|-
| style="height: 30px; font-size: smaller; text-align: right;" | '''Open'''
|}
<div style="font-size: smaller; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0.33em">''The vowel phoneme /a/ is analyzed as being a continuum of open vowels ranging from front to back that are in free variation.</div>
{|class="wikitable article-table" style="text-align:center;"
|+Romanization of Vowel Phonemes
|-
!
! style="width: 40px; " |Front
! style="width: 40px; " |Central
! style="width: 40px; " |Back
|-
!Close
| '''i''' [i]
|
| '''u''' [u]
|-
!Mid
| '''e''' [e̞]
| '''ə''' [ə]
| '''o''' [o̞]
|-
!Open
|colspan="3"| '''a''' [a]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Vrkhazhian Diphthongs
! IPA
! Letter
! Example
|-
|-
| ae̯
| aẏ
| '''eye''' , p'''ie'''
|-
|-
| ao̯
| aẇ
| c'''ow''', '''ou'''t
|-
|-
| ɛo̯
| eẇ
| m'''ayo'''naise
|-
|}
===Allophony===
*The alveolar stop consonants /t d/ become [θ ð] in word-final positions after front vowels.
*The velar stop consonants /k g/ are assimilated into /q/ near /q ʰq ɴ χ/.
*The nasal consonants /n ɴ/ are analyzed as [n] before alveolar consonants, [ɲ] before palatal consonants, [ŋ] before velar consonants (including /w/), and [ɴ] before uvular consonants.
*The vowels /a i ə u/ are lowered to [ɑ e̞ ɐ o̞] if they occur after /q ʰq ɴ χ/.
===Syllable Structure===
The syllable structure of Vrkhazhian is analyzed as (C)C(V)(C)(C), where C stands for a consonant, V stands for a vowel. The consonants ⟨r m n⟩ also have syllabic counterparts /ɹ̩ m̩ n̩/ which are romanized as ⟨ṛ ṃ ṇ⟩.
Words cannot have a vowel hiatus, so an epenthetic /h/ is added between the two vowels.
===Stress===
Stress is penultimate if the last syllable is open, and ultimate if the last syllable is closed.
==Grammar==
===Morphology===
====Overview====
Vrkhazhian is a highly inflecting language, and morphologically, it is a triconsonatal root language: a kind of non-concatenative morphology whereby its roots consist of an abstract set of consonants which a pattern of vowels called transfixes are placed between. Most of these roots consist of three consonants (triliteral), though there are many words that consist of two-letter (biliteral) and four-letter (quadriliteral) roots. Very rare, however, are five-letter (pentaliteral) roots, all of which are entirely nouns.
====Nominal morphology====
{{main|Nouns in Vrkhazhian}}
Vrkhazhian nouns are called '''maḡimud''' (singular '''maḡimu'''). They are declined for case, gender, and number. Specifically there are five cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, allative, and ablative) and two numbers (singular and plural). Additionally, Vrkhazhian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. These genders are based on sex and strictly semantic, thus most nouns, such as inanimate objects, fall into the category of neuter.
Nouns can also be placed into what are called "states". There are only two states: the governed state ('''taṗšišu'''), or ''status rectus'', and the construct state ('''samlilu'''), or ''status constructus''.
The construct state is used in genitive constructions to mark the head noun (possessed noun), while the Genitive case is used to mark the dependent (modifying) noun or adjective. In Vrkhazhian, the head noun and the modifying noun/adjective are called '''malgigu''' and '''palgugu''', respectively. Nouns that that are not placed in the construct state are considered to be in the governed state, which is the default state of all nouns.
Lastly, Vrkhazhian can be said to have a third noun state, the definite state, which is indicated by the proclitic "ṛ-". A noun placed in this state is indicated to be a particular one (or ones) identifiable to the listener. It may be something already mentioned or uniquely specified. The clitic is attached to the noun and the adjective(s) that modify the noun. When it is placed before a noun starting with ⟨ř⟩, then it is allomorphed to '''ʾoř-'''.
====Adjectival morphology====
Adjectives in Vrkhazhian are marked for gender and number in agreement with the noun they modify. Adjectives follow nouns except for adjectives pertaining to colours, which instead precede the noun. Adjectives are almost entirely derived from verbs, with a few exceptions.
Most adjectives take the form ʾeC₁C₂aC₃, such as this adjective derived from the verb '''d-n-n''' (to be heavy):
{| class="wikitable"
|+ "Heavy"
!
! Adjective (masc.) !! Adjective (fem.) !! Adjective (neut.)
|-
! Singular
| ''ʾednan-i'' || ''ʾednan-a'' || ''ʾednan-u''
|-
! Plural
| ''ʾednan-il'' || ''ʾednan-an'' || ''ʾednan-ud''
|-
|}
Adjectives pertaining to colours take the form C₁aC₂C₂aC₃, such as this adjective derived from the verb '''ḵ-r-m''' (to be white):
{| class="wikitable"
|+ "White"
!
! Adjective (masc.) !! Adjective (fem.) !! Adjective (neut.)
|-
! Singular
| ''ḵarram-i'' || ''ḵarram-a'' || ''ḵarram-u''
|-
! Plural
| ''ḵarram-il'' || ''ḵarram-an'' || ''ḵarram-ud''
|-
|}
Adjectives pertaining to diseases take the form C₁aC₂awaC₃, such as this adjective derived from '''s-ḡ-b''' (to decay, to rot):
{| class="wikitable"
|+ "Necrotic"
!
! Adjective (masc.) !! Adjective (fem.) !! Adjective (neut.)
|-
! Singular
| ''saḡawab-i'' || ''saḡawab-a'' || ''saḡawab-u''
|-
! Plural
| ''saḡaẇb-il'' || ''saḡaẇb-an'' || ''saḡaẇb-ud''
|-
|}
Adjectives also have elative counterparts. The elative takes the form C₁aC₂C₁aC₃ and conveys a superlative meaning in most contexts and a comparative meaning in contexts involving comparisons.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ "Heavier/heaviest"
!
! Adjective (masc.) !! Adjective (fem.) !! Adjective (neut.)
|-
! Singular
| ''dandan-i'' || ''dandan-a'' || ''dandan-u''
|-
! Plural
| ''dandan-il'' || ''dandan-an'' || ''dandan-ud''
|-
|}
Elative adjectives pertaining to colours are formed by suffixing -it to a colour adjective.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ "Whiter/whitest"
!
! Adjective (masc.) !! Adjective (fem.) !! Adjective (neut.)
|-
! Singular
| ''ḵarram-iti'' || ''ḵarram-ita'' || ''ḵarram-itu''
|-
! Plural
| ''ḵarram-itil'' || ''ḵarram-itan'' || ''ḵarram-itud''
|-
|}
====Verbal morphology====
{{main|Verbs in Vrkhazhian}}
Vrkhazhian verbs are called '''madsiṟud''' (singular '''madsiṟu'''). Because Vrkhazhian is a triconsonantal root language, the fundamental part of the verb form is the transfix, a discontinuous affix inserted between a root (which is collectively called '''masčišu''' and translated as "pattern"), though they primarily only convey the grammatical voices (active, passive, causative, and reflexive). There are five tenses (past, past progressive, present, present progressive, and future) and these are indicated by prefixes attached to the base form. There is only one aspect: the perfect, called '''saẕkeru''', which is indicated by reduplicating the entire verb. Additionally, there are also five moods (indicative, jussive, subjunctive, commissive, and propositive) and these are also indicated by prefix, placed closer to the base form than the tense prefixes. Lastly, verbs are also conjugated for number, singular and plural, with the plural indicated by the suffix '''-am'''.
When referring to a particular verb pattern, they are referred to by a derivation of the canonical (exemplary) verb '''d-s-ṟ''' (to do, to perform, to execute, to act). For example, when referring to the verb pattern of the citation form of a verb, which is the active present singular indicative, it is called '''dusaṟ''' because that is the active present singular form of the verb.
===Pronouns===
====Personal Pronouns====
In Vrkhazhian, there are 14 pronouns, each of which have their own forms for each of the five cases. In singular and plural, the 2nd and 3rd persons differentiate gender, while the 1st person does not. Instead, the 1st person plural pronouns are distinguished by clusivity: the inclusive 1st person plural includes the speaker and the addressee, while the exclusive 1st person plural excludes the addressee.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Personal Pronouns
! colspan=2 | || colspan=2 | Nominative || colspan=2 | Accusative || colspan=2 | Genitive || colspan=2 | Allative || colspan=2 | Ablative
|-
! colspan=2|Person || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! rowspan=2|1st
!<small>inclusive</small>
| rowspan=2|žaẏ "I" || yeš "we" || rowspan=2|šadib || ʾažib || rowspan=2|šadik || ʾažik || rowspan=2|šadiš || ʾažiš || rowspan=2|šadit || ʾažit
|-
!<small>exclusive</small>
| ṉal "we" || ṉalib || ṉalak || ṉaleš || ṉalat
|-
!  rowspan=2|2nd
!<small>masculine</small>
| kal "you" ||  ćul "you" || kalib || ćulib || kalak || ćulak || kaleš || ćoleš || kalat || ćulat
|-
!<small>feminine</small>
| kan "you" || ćun "you" || kanib || ćunib || kanak || ćunak || kaneš || ćoneš || kanat || ćunat
|-
! rowspan=3|3rd
!<small>masculine</small>
| ḡal "he" || nul "they" || ḡalib || nulib || ḡalak || nulak || ḡaleš || nuleš || ḡalat || nulat
|-
!<small>feminine</small>
| ḡan "she" || nun "they" || ḡanib || nunib || ḡanak || nunak || ḡaneš || nuneš || ḡanat || nunat
|-
!<small>neuter</small>
| ḥol "they" || ṗal "they" || ḥolib || ṗalib || ḥolak || ṗalak || ḥoleš || ṗaleš || ḥolat || ṗalat
|-
! colspan=2|4th
|colspan=2 Align="center"|ʾaḥ "one" ||colspan=2 Align="center"|ʾaḥib ||colspan=2 Align="center"|ʾaḥak ||colspan=2 Align="center"| ʾaḥeš ||colspan=2 Align="center"|ʾaḥat
|-
|}
The 4th person pronoun is a special pronoun that refers to generic or indefinite persons, usually translated as "one". An example of this is in the sentence:
''ʾAd ʾaḥ tubedu susal, ʾaḥ ḥolib wiplal.''
"If one takes a book, one must give it [back]."
====Demonstrative Pronouns====
There are three kinds demonstrative pronouns for three kinds of deixis: proximal, medial, and distal. The proximal indicates an object near the speaker, the medial indicates an object near the addressee, and the distal indicates and object away from both the speaker and the addressee. Demonstrative pronouns always mark their referent as definite.
{| class="wikitable"
! || colspan=3 | Deixis
|-
! Number || Proximal || Medial || Distal
|- align="center"
|-
|'''Singular''' || ''ʾib'' "this"||''ʾani'' "that" || ''maẏ'' "yonder"
|-
|'''Plural''' || ''ʾibim'' "these"||''ʾanim'' "those" || ''maẏm'' "yonder"
|}
====Interrogative Pronouns and Adverbs====
There are five interrogative pronouns and three interrogative adverbs.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Interrogative Pronouns
! English
! Vrkhazhian
|-
| who? || ''ʾelmu''
|-
| what? || ''maʾlimu''
|-
| where? || ''ʾolmayu''
|-
| which? || ''ʾaqab''
|-
| how many? || ''ʾawar''
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Interrogative Adverbs
! English
! Vrkhazhian
|-
| how? || ''ʾimmamat''
|-
| when? || ''naḵ''
|-
| why? || ''ʾičam''
|-
|}
====Relative Pronouns====
The conjugation of the relative pronoun is as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
! Number !! Nominative !! Accusative !! Genitive !! Allative !! Ablative
|- align="center"
|-
! '''Masculine singular'''
|''noki'' || ''ṇkibi'' ||''sažmi'' ||''ṇkeši'' ||''ṇkati''
|-
!'''Masculine plural'''
|''ṇkil'' || ''nokbil'' ||''sažmil'' ||''nokšil'' ||''noktil''
|-
!'''Feminine singular'''
|''noka'' || ''ṇkiba'' ||''sažma'' ||''ṇkeša'' ||''ṇkata''
|-
!'''Feminine plural'''
|''ṇkan'' || ''nokban'' ||''sažman'' ||''nokšan'' ||''noktan''
|-
!'''Neuter singular'''
|''noku'' || ''ṇkibu'' ||''sažmu'' ||''ṇkešu'' ||''ṇkatu''
|-
!'''Neuter plural'''
|''ṇkud'' || ''nokbud'' ||''sažmud'' ||''nokšud'' ||''noktud''
|}
The relative pronoun agrees in gender and number with its referent. Additionally it changes the word order of a relative clause to OSV if the referent is an object of a relative clause in the active voice. If the relative clause is in the passive voice then the word order is always changed to SVX.
===Numerals===
Vrkhazhian uses a base-12 system of numerals, which is a positional notation numeral system using twelve as its base. In this system, the number ten can be written as ⟨X⟩, and the number eleven as ⟨E⟩.
Cardinal numerals precede the nouns they modify and are placed in the governed state, while ordinal numerals are placed in the absolute state, losing all case endings; cardinal numerals also agree in gender with the noun they modify. An example of this are the nouns ''vakkami'' and ''ʾuldu''; when a numeral is placed before them they become ''tibsi vakkami'' (one king) and ''mastalu ʾuldud'' (six soldiers). The table below lists the numbers from 1 to 12.   
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Numerals
! Numbers
! Cardinal
(masc.)
! Cardinal
(fem.)
! Cardinal
(neut.)
! Ordinal
(neut.)
|-
! 1
| ''tibsi'' || ''tibsa'' || ''tibsu'' || ''ʾayun''
|-
! 2
| ''sasri'' || ''sasra'' || ''sasru'' || ''hassir''
|-
! 3
| ''lamni'' || ''lamna'' || ''lamnu'' || ''halmin''
|-
! 4
| ''pśedi'' || ''pśeda'' || ''pśedu'' || ''hapśid''
|-
! 5
| ''ẕarsi'' || ''ẕarsa'' || ''ẕarsu'' || ''haẕris''
|-
! 6
| ''mastali'' || ''mastala'' || ''mastalu'' || ''hamastil''
|-
! 7
| ''ʾarami'' || ''ʾarama'' || ''ʾaramu'' || ''haʾrim''
|-
! 8
| ''šalbi'' || ''šalba'' || ''šalbu'' || ''hašlib''
|-
! 9
| ''zapri'' || ''zapra'' || ''zapru'' || ''hazpir''
|-
! X (10)
| ''yagmi'' || ''yagma'' || ''yagmu'' || ''haẏgim''
|-
! E (11)
| ''ḵteli'' || ''ḵtela'' || ''ḵtelu'' || ''haḵtil''
|-
! 10 (12)
| ''sẕeki'' || ''sẕeka'' || ''sẕeku'' || ''hasẕik''
|-
|}
===Syntax===
{{main|Syntax in Vrkhazhian}}
====Nominal phrases====
Relative clauses follow the noun while numerals and appositions precede the counted noun. All adjectives except colours follow the noun. An example of some of these features is the nominal phrase ''ṛ-Vakkam Yat-Vṛḵažaẇ, ʾIḥmeki ʾAraš-Hijun, tutṗusu ḡalak numḥaḥ.'' "Ihmeki Arash-Hijun, the Emperor of Vrkhazh, united his people" which is analyzed in the following table:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Word
!Meaning
!Analysis
!Part of the nominal phrase
|-
| ''ṛ-Vakkam'' || emperor || nominative construct state || rowspan='2' valign='middle' | Apposition
|-
| ''Yat-Vṛḵažaẇ'' || Vrkhazh || genitive neuter genitive singular
|-
| ''ʾIḥmeki ʾAraš-Hijun'' || Ihmeki Arash-Hijun || masculine singular || Proper Noun (subject)
|-
| ''tutṗusu'' || people || accusative neuter singular || rowspan='3' valign='middle' | Relative clause
|-
| ''ḡalak'' || his || third person genitive masculine singular
|-
| ''numḥaḥ'' || unite || active past singular
|-
|}
====Sentence syntax====
There are two basic word orders in Vrkhazhian that are used depending on the grammatical voice of the sentence. In sentences with the active voice, the basic word order is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), while in sentences with the passive voice, the basic word order is Verb-Subject-Oblique (VSX). Compare an active sentence:
:'''ʾEšol ṛ-ʾuldud ṛ-t-ʾeldud ʾuldam.'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Align="center" | ''ʾEšol'' || Align="center" | ''ṛ-ʾuldud'' || Align="center" | ''ṛ-t-ʾeldud'' || Align="center" | ''ʾuldam''
|-
| All || Align="center" | DEF=soldier-NOM.NEUT.PL || Align="center" | DEF=ACC-civilian-NEUT.PL || Align="center" | guard\ACT.PRES-PL
|}
:"All of the soldiers guard the civilians."
vs. a passive sentence:
:'''Nikšemam ṛ-makšimud ṛ-maśkafud ʾim Hiqala.'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Align="center" | ''Nikšemam'' || Align="center" | ''ṛ-makšimud'' || Align="center" | ''ṛ-maśkafud'' || Align="center" | ''ʾim'' || Align="center" | ''Hiqala''
|-
| PASS.PST-build\PASS-PL || Align="center" | DEF=golem-NOM.NEUT.PL || Align="center" | DEF-mercury || Align="center" | by || Align="center" | Hiqala-FEM.SG
|}
:"The mercury golems were built by Hiqala"
The verb root '''ʾ-l-d''' (to guard), in the first example, is conjugated for active past singular in the active sentence agreeing in number with the subject "soldiers", while the verb root '''k-š-m''' (to build [physical]) in the second example is conjugated in the passive past plural, agreeing in number with the subject "the mercury golems".
==Writing System==
The Vrkhazhian Akhuva (ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka [axβa jatβɹ̩xaʝae̯ka]) is the official writing script of Vrkhazhian. The script consists of 33 letters, 12 numeral glyphs, and 6 vowel diacritics.
The writing direction of the script is boustrophedon, and can start in any horizontal direction preferred, though the most common starting direction is Right-to-Left.
===History===
The script has been in use for at least 950 years, with few changes and alterations to the letter forms since it's inception. The script is a descendant of the Proto-Vrkhazhian logographic script.
===Letter names===
====Standard letters====
====Standard letters====
The table below lists the 33 letters of the Akhuva:
The table below lists the 33 letters of the Akhuva:
Line 636: Line 52:
| [[File:Pak.PNG|30px|Pak]] || Pak || head || '''p''' [p]
| [[File:Pak.PNG|30px|Pak]] || Pak || head || '''p''' [p]
|-
|-
| [[File:Jim.PNG|30px|Jim]] || Jim || pillar || '''j''' [ɟ͡ʝ]
| [[File:Jim.PNG|30px|Jim]] || Jim || pillar || '''j''' [ɟ]
|-
|-
| [[File:Ru.PNG|30px|Ruḡ]] || Ruḡ || snake || '''r''' [ɹ]
| [[File:Ru.PNG|30px|Ruḡ]] || Ruḡ || snake || '''r''' [ɹ]
Line 651: Line 67:
|-
|-
| [[File:Waj.PNG|30px|Wad]] || Wad || shield || '''w''' [w]
| [[File:Waj.PNG|30px|Wad]] || Wad || shield || '''w''' [w]
|-
| [[File:Tlon.PNG|30px|Ćon]] || Ćon || fish || '''ć''' [t͡ɬ]
|-
|-
| [[File:Tal.PNG|30px|Tal]] || Tal || gate || '''t''' [t]
| [[File:Tal.PNG|30px|Tal]] || Tal || gate || '''t''' [t]
Line 656: Line 74:
| [[File:Rrat.PNG|30px|Ṟaš]] || Ṟaš || shoulder || '''ṟ''' [ʀ]
| [[File:Rrat.PNG|30px|Ṟaš]] || Ṟaš || shoulder || '''ṟ''' [ʀ]
|-
|-
| [[File:Chi.PNG|30px|Čit]] || Čit || hook || '''č''' [c͡ç]
| [[File:Chi.PNG|30px|Čit]] || Čit || hook || '''č''' [c]
|-
|-
| [[File:Zab.PNG|30px|Zab]] || Zab || branch || '''z''' [z]
| [[File:Zab.PNG|30px|Zab]] || Zab || branch || '''z''' [z]
Line 667: Line 85:
|-
|-
| [[File:Qar.PNG|30px|Qut]] || Qut || sheep || '''q''' [q]
| [[File:Qar.PNG|30px|Qut]] || Qut || sheep || '''q''' [q]
|-
| [[File:Nhod.PNG|30px|Ṉod]] || Ṉod || ear || '''ṉ''' [ɴ]
|}
|}
|}
|
 
====Vowel diacritics====
The Akhuva is an abjad, thus vowels are not represented in most texts. However, vowel diacritics may be used to aid learners in reading the text and to reduce ambiguities.
{| class="wikitable" id="letters_chart"
{| class="wikitable" id="letters_chart"
|+Mambinud Yat-Vṛḵažaẏkud
|+ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
|-
|-
! Letter
! Letter !! Name !! width="100px" | Meaning !! Phoneme
! Name
! Meaning
! Phoneme
|-
|-
| [[File:Ah.PNG|30px|Maʾlibu]]
| [[File:Nhod.PNG|30px|Ṉod]] || Ṉod || ear || '''ṉ''' [ɴ]
| Maʾlibu
| exposed
| '''a''' [a]
 
|-
| [[File:Ee.PNG|30px|Mařkiku]]
| Mařkiku
| fallen
|'''e''' [e̞]
 
|-
| [[File:Eh.PNG|30px|Yatu]]
| Yatu
| ground
|'''i''' [i]
 
|-
| [[File:Oh.PNG|30px|Ḵoṭu]]
| Ḵoṭu
| circle
| '''o''' [o̞]
 
|-
| [[File:Oo.PNG|30px|Muḵepu]]
| Ṃḵepu
| emptiness
| '''ə''' [ə]
 
|-
| [[File:Uu.PNG|30px|Ḥmolu]]
| Ḥmolu
| throne
| '''u''' [u]
 
|}
 
{| class="wikitable" id="letters_chart"
|+???
|-
! Letter
! Name
! Phoneme
|-
| [[File:Yay.PNG|30px|ʾAẇdu Yav]]
| ʾAẇdu Yav
| '''ẏ''' [e̯]
 
|-
| [[File:Waw.PNG|30px|ʾAẇdu Wad]]
| ʾAẇdu Wad
| '''ẇ''' [o̯]
 
|}
 
====Numerals====
{| class="wikitable" id="letters_chart"
|+???
|-
! Numeral
! Number
! Name
|-
| [[File:Sxan.PNG|30px|Šemt-]]
| 0
| Šemt- ("none")
 
|-
| [[File:Ayn.PNG|30px|Tibs-]]
| 1
| Tibs-
 
|-
| [[File:Nim.PNG|30px|Sasr-]]
| 2
| Sasr-
 
|-
| [[File:Daj.PNG|30px|Lamn-]]
| 3
| Lamn-
 
|-
| [[File:Hat.PNG|30px|Pśed-]]
| 4
| Pśed-
 
|-
| [[File:Azha.PNG|30px|Ẕars-]]
| 5
| Ẕars-
 
|-
| [[File:Apeth.PNG|30px|Mastal-]]
| 6
| Mastal-
 
|-
| [[File:Aram.PNG|30px|ʾAram-]]
| 7
| ʾAram-
 
|-
| [[File:Shab.PNG|30px|Šalb-]]
| 8
| Šalb-
 
|-
| [[File:Adik.PNG|30px|Zapr-]]
| 9
| Zapr-
 
|-
| [[File:Yam.PNG|30px|Yagm-]]
| 10/X
| Yagm-
 
|-
| [[File:Ijith.PNG|30px|Ḵtel-]]
| 11/E
| Ḵtel-
 
|}
|}
==Vocabulary==
==Example text==
[[Category:Conlangs]] [[Category:A_priori_conlangs]] [[Category:Vrkhazh]]

Revision as of 20:47, 27 September 2016

Standard letters

The table below lists the 33 letters of the Akhuva:

ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
Letter Name Meaning Phoneme
ʾAlaḵ ʾAlaḵ wind, breath ʾ [ʔ]
Ḵav Ḵav human ḵ [x]
Vav Vav cane v [β]
Hit Hit lock h [h]
Dat Dat skull d [d]
Ẕim Ẕim fruit, blood ẕ [t͡s]
Bal Bal path b [b]
Sum Sum tunnel s [s]
Žat Žat helmet ž [ʝ]
Ṭam Ṭam horn, curve ṭ [θ]
Yav Yav scythe y [j]
ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
Letter Name Meaning Phoneme
Kaf Kaf water k [k]
Geb Geb wing g [g]
Lam Lam hand l [l]
Maʾ Maʾ bowl, cup m [m]
Neš Neš peace n [n]
Ḡaẏm Ḡaẏm name ḡ [ɣ]
Ṗas Ṗas poison ṗ [ɸ~ʍ̝~w̝]
Pak Pak head p [p]
Jim Jim pillar j [ɟ]
Ruḡ Ruḡ snake r [ɹ]
Faš Faš vulture f [ɸ]
ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
Letter Name Meaning Phoneme
Šim Šim house š [ç]
Wad Wad shield w [w]
Ćon Ćon fish ć [t͡ɬ]
Tal Tal gate t [t]
Ṟaš Ṟaš shoulder ṟ [ʀ]
Čit Čit hook č [c]
Zab Zab branch z [z]
Řat Řat fear, tail ř [r]
Śam Śam tree ś [ɬ]
Ḥak Ḥak roof ḥ [χ]
Qut Qut sheep q [q]
ʾAḵva Yat-Vṛḵažaẏka
Letter Name Meaning Phoneme
Ṉod Ṉod ear ṉ [ɴ]
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