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'''Folksprak''' is a projected auxilary language based on the Germanic languages. It aims to be to the Germanic languages what [[Interlingua]] is to the Romance languages. In the decades since the project began, its developers have been unable to agree on how the various aspects of the language should be realised, which led to the creation of several "dialects", e.g. [[Middelsprake]], [[Folksprâk]] and [[Sprak]].
== Anthropology ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Anthropology}}
The language can easily be understood by any speaker of a Germanic language (a group numbering over 110 million native speakers with an additional 300 to 900 million speaking English which is nearly-Germanic) without much teaching. For example, a native speaker of German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Afrikaans, Yiddish or some other Germanic language, can understand a sentence like {{Rune|ᛁᛣᛣ ᚻᚪᚹ ᛋᛣᚱᛁᚹᛏ ᛖᚾ ᛞᛖ ᛒᚢᛣ}}/'''Ik hav skrivt en de buk''' with little or no thought.


Certain elements of the language are virtually settled, e.g. definite article '''de''' for all numbers; indefinite article '''en''' for the singular; genitive suffix '''-s''' (or '''-es''' or '''-'s''' sometimes); usage of adjectives as adverbs; comparative and superlative adjectival suffixes '''-er''' and '''-est'''; present/active participle suffix '''-end'''; formation of yes/no question by reversing subject and verb. The plural suffix is open to debate (options include '''-e -er -ar -en -s'''), as are most verb forms, although the preterite suffix and the past/passive participle suffix will certainly be drawn from the following eight options '''-t -d -et -ed -te -de -ete -ede'''.
Design goals include
# intelligible with little or no training to Germanic speakers
# simple enough for ease of learning to write or speak about normal topics
# precise enough to deal with more complex topics (e.g. science, maybe philosophy)
where the importance descends from first to last.


'''Sample Text 1 (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)'''
== Phonology ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Phonology}}
The rhotic varies across the region, and '''h''' is sometimes voiced, but neither of these pose a problem to intelligibility.  Icelandic-speakers would have to learn the traditional voiced-unvoiced distinction whatever language they wanted to learn! 


''All ménshen aere gebéred fri méd gelik wérdighéd ond rihten. Dé érve ferstand ond gewitt ond dé shulle behandele élkén inn én gést av brodershap.''
{| class="wikitable"
! !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Post. !! Velar !! Glottal
|-
! Nasal
| /m/  || /n/  || || *ŋ  ||
|-
! Voiced Stop
| /b/  || /d/  || || /g/ ||
|-
! Unvoiced Stop
| /p/ || /t/  ||  || /k/  ||
|-
! Voiced Fricative
| /v/  || */z/  || */θ~ð/ || ||
|-
! Unvoiced Fricative
| /f/  || /s/  || /ʃ/  || /x/  || /h/
|-
! Approximant
|  || <tt>/r/</tt>|| /j/ || ||
|-
! Lateral
| || /l/ || || ||
|}


\al ˈmɛnʃən ˈɛːrə gəˈbeːrəd friː meːd gəˈliːk ˈʋɛrdɪgˌheːd ɔnd rɪxtən. deː ˈɛrvə fərˈstand ɔnd gəˈʋɪt ɔnd deː ʃʊlə bəˈhandələ ˈeːlkˌeːn ɪn ən gɛst av ˈbroːdərˌʃap.\
There are set digraphs for non-Germanic sounds:
Some non-Germanic sounds are used in transcription:
* '''zj''' = [ž] or [zh] or /ʒ/
* '''cj''' = [č] or [ch] or /tʃ/


'''Sample Text 2 (the same declaration)'''
=== Vowels ===
There are twelve vowels, six short and six long.  All vowels raise when they lengthen, except '''a''', which moves further back.  A vowel is long when it is:
# stressed '''''and'''''
# followed by no more than a single consonant
All other vowels are pronounced short, or even reduced.  Vowels written twice are said over two syllables.


''Ale menske ar bort fri ug glèk in vardighèd ug rète. Di ar utstirt met fernuft ug samvit, ug burd handela to en-ander in en bròderlik gèst.''
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto;"
! !! Round !! Front !! Middle !! Back
|-
! High
| <tt>/ʏ/ /yː/</tt>
| <tt>/ɪ/ /iː/</tt>
|
| <tt>/ʊ/ /uː/</tt>
|-
! Mid.
| <tt>/œ/ /øː/</tt>
| <tt>/ɛ/ /eː/</tt>
| /ə/ *
| <tt>/ɔ/ /oː/</tt>
|-
! Low
|
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center"| <tt>/a/ /äː/</tt>
|
|}
 
Diphthongs are '''oi, ou, ai, ei'''.  '''au''' is the same as '''ou'''.  '''eu''' is just long '''u'''.
 
== Orthography ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Orthography}}
=== Consonants ===
English [th] and [z] are rather late additions to the alphabet, and not part of Folksprak today.  There are, in fact, many such letters which would be needed for place names around Europe. {{Rune|ᛊ}}/'''Z''', {{Rune|ᛢ}}/'''Q''', {{Rune|ᛝ}}/'''Ŋ''', and {{Rune|ᚦ}}/'''Þ''' are not productive and part of "historic" name spellings only.  Swedish /ɧ/ may be written {{Rune|ᚺ}}.  (Other "old" letters include {{Rune|ᛠ}}/'''Ä''', {{Rune|ᚫ}}/'''Æ''', {{Rune|ᛡ}}/'''Ï''', {{Rune|ᛥ}}/'''ST''', {{Rune|ᚸ}}/'''Ȝ''', and {{Rune|ᛤ}}/'''KK'''.)
 
{| class="wikitable"
! !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Post. !! Velar !! Glottal
|-
! Nasal
| /m/ {{Rune|ᛗ}} || /n/ {{Rune|ᚾ}} || || *ŋ *{{Rune|ᛝ}} ||
|-
! Voiced Stop
| /b/ {{Rune|ᛒ}} || /d/ {{Rune|ᛞ}} || || /g/ {{Rune|ᚷ}} ||
|-
! Unvoiced Stop
| /p/ {{Rune|ᛈ}} || /t/ {{Rune|ᛏ}} || */θ~ð/ *{{Rune|ᚦ}} || /k/ {{Rune|ᛣ}} ||
|-
! Voiced Fricative
| /v/ {{Rune|ᚹ}} || */z/ *{{Rune|ᛊ}} || || ||
|-
! Unvoiced Fricative
| /f/ {{Rune|ᚠ}} || /s/ {{Rune|ᛋ}} || /ʃ/ {{Rune|ᚳ}} || /x/ {{Rune|ᛉ}} || /h/ {{Rune|ᚻ}}
|-
! Approximant
|  || <tt>/r/</tt> {{Rune|ᚱ}} || /j/ {{Rune|ᛄ}} || ||
|-
! Lateral
| || /l/ {{Rune|ᛚ}} || || ||
|}
 
 
=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:auto;"
! !! Round !! Front !! Middle !! Back
|-
! High
| <tt>/ʏ/ /yː/</tt> {{Rune|ᚣ}}
| <tt>/ɪ/ /iː/</tt> {{Rune|ᛁ}}
|
| <tt>/ʊ/ /uː/</tt> {{Rune|ᚢ}}
|-
! Mid.
| <tt>/œ/ /øː/</tt> {{Rune|ᛟ}}
| <tt>/ɛ/ /eː/</tt> {{Rune|ᛖ}}
| /ə/ *
| <tt>/ɔ/ /oː/</tt> {{Rune|ᚩ}}
|-
! Low
|
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center"| <tt>/ä/ /aː/</tt> {{Rune|ᚪ}}
|
|}
 
== Morphophonology ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Morphophonology}}
* definite article ᛞᛖ/de
* indefinite article ᛖᚾ/en, same as 'one' (different vowel length)
* possessive (genitive) ending -ᛋ/s
* plural ending -ᛖᚾ/en (pronounced enn)
* Adjectives do not inflect for number, gender, or case
* comparative adjective ending -ᛖᚱ/er (pronounced err)
* superlative adjective ending -ᛖᛋᛏ/est
* ordinal number suffix -ᛞᛖ/de
ᛗᚪᚾᚾmann  ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛖᚾmannen
ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛋmanns ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛖᚾᛋmannens
 
== Morphosyntax ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Morphosyntax}}
# the Subject may not be separated from the finite verb by any other word.
# the ordinary position for the verb in a declarative sentence is as second element and in imperatives or questions as the first element. 
# the grammatical Subject must always come before any objects
 
=== Pronouns ===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | #
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Case
! colspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | Person
|-
! rowspan="2" | First
! rowspan="2" | Second
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | Third
|-
! Masculine !! Feminine !! Neuter !! Reflexive
|-
! rowspan="4" | Singular
! Nominative
| {{Rune|ᛁᛣᛣ}} '''ikk''' || {{Rune|ᛞᚢ}} '''du''' || {{Rune|ᚻᛁ}} '''hi''' || {{Rune|ᛋᛁ}} '''si''' || {{Rune|ᛁᛏᛏ}} '''itt''' || {{No}}
|-
! Genitive
| {{Rune|ᛗᛁᚾ}} '''min''' || {{Rune|ᛞᛁᚾ}} '''din''' || rowspan="2" | {{Rune|ᚻᛁᛋᛋ}} '''hiss''' || {{Rune|ᚻᛁᚱ}} '''hir''' || rowspan="2" |  {{Rune|ᛁᛏᛋ}} '''its''' || {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚾ}} '''sin'''
|-
! Poss.
| {{Rune|ᛗᛁᚾᛋ}} '''mins''' || {{Rune|ᛞᛁᚾᛋ}} '''dins''' || {{Rune|ᚻᛁᚱᛋ}} '''hirs''' || {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚾᛋ}} '''sins'''
|-
! Accusative
| {{Rune|ᛗᛁ}} '''mi''' || {{Rune|ᛞᛁ}} '''di''' || {{Rune|ᚻᛁᛗᛗ}} '''himm''' || {{Rune|ᚻᛁᚱᚱ}} '''hirr''' || {{Rune|ᛁᛏᛏ}} '''itt''' || {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚷ}} '''sig'''
|-
! rowspan="4" | Plural
! Nominative
| {{Rune|ᚹᛁ}} '''vi''' || {{Rune|ᛄᛁ}} '''ji'''
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | {{Rune|ᛞᛖᛁ}} '''dei'''
| {{No}}
|-
! Genitive
| {{Rune|ᚢᚱ}} '''ur''' || {{Rune|ᛄᚢᚱ}} '''jur'''
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | {{Rune|ᛞᛖᛁᚱ}} '''deir'''
| {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚾ}} '''sin'''
|-
! Poss.
| {{Rune|ᚢᚱᛋ}} '''urs''' || {{Rune|ᛄᚢᚱᛋ}} '''jurs'''
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | {{Rune|ᛞᛖᛁᚱᛋ}} '''deirs'''
| {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚾᛋ}} '''sins'''
|-
! Accusative
| {{Rune|ᚢᛋ}} '''us''' || {{Rune|ᛄᚢ}} '''ju'''
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | {{Rune|ᛞᛖᛗᛗ}} '''demm'''
| {{Rune|ᛋᛁᚷ}} '''sig'''
|}
 
 
=== Verbs ===
* Verbs inflect for tense, not number or person.
* The lexical form is the infinitive (+e)
* Infinitive is +{{Rune|ᛖ}}'''e'''
* Present and Imperative are the bare form (-e)
* Past tense is +{{Rune|ᛞᛖ}}'''de'''
* Active participle +{{Rune|ᛖᚾᛞᛖ}}'''ende'''
* Passive participle +{{Rune|ᛏ}}'''t'''
* {{Rune|ᚹᚪᚱᛖ}}'''vare''' (to be) is the only irregular verb
** {{Rune|ᚹᚪᚱᛖ}}'''vare''' - infin.; {{Rune|ᚪᚱ}}'''ar''' - pres.; {{Rune|ᚹᚪᚱ}}'''var''' - imper.,preterite;
* Auxiliaries abound, normally with infin., but sometimes past part.
** {{Rune|ᚹᛁᛚᛚᛖ}}'''ville''' + infin. = future
** {{Rune|ᚻᚪᚹᛖ}} '''have''' + PP = perfect
** {{Rune|ᚹᚪᚱᛖ}} '''vare''' + PP  = passive
** {{Rune|ᛞᚢᚱᚠᛖ}}'''durfe''' to be allowed
** {{Rune|ᛣᚢᚾᚾᛖ}} '''kunne''' can
** {{Rune|ᛗᚪᚷᛖ}} '''mage''' might, may
** {{Rune|ᛗᛟᛏᛖ}} '''møte''' must
** {{Rune|ᚳᚢᛚᛚᛖ}} '''culle''' should


[[Folksprak word formation guidelines]]




== Links ==


Recent dedicated wiki [https://folksprak.org/wiki/doku.php]
Adverb making suffix: -{{Rune|ᛚᛁᛣ}}'''lik''' (cp. English -ly). Elatives need {{Rune|[[ᛗᛖᚱ]]}}'''mer''' more and {{Rune|[[ᛗᛖᛋᛏ]]}}'''mest''' most


English to Folksprak dictionary(pdf) [https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx0T9Dxrods1dVVqaXVyOVZmSTg]
== Lexicography ==
{{Main|Folksprak/Word formation guidelines}}


Folksprak to English dictionary (html) [https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx0T9Dxrods1em9yRGh6d1BacEU]
see also [[Folksprak/Swadesh]]


[[Category: Conlangs]]
== Links ==
[[Category: Auxlangs]]
* https://folksprak.org/wiki/doku.php
[[Category: Germanic conlangs]]
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx0T9Dxrods1dVVqaXVyOVZmSTg/view?resourcekey=0-WYLPqy51AGPHfYAe9-eZcQ
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx0T9Dxrods1em9yRGh6d1BacEU/view?resourcekey=0-Sqd1WLkyjADRQ1rcOeggzQ


{{Auxlangs}}
{{Universal Language}}

Revision as of 07:08, 28 February 2025

Anthropology

Main article: Folksprak/Anthropology

The language can easily be understood by any speaker of a Germanic language (a group numbering over 110 million native speakers with an additional 300 to 900 million speaking English which is nearly-Germanic) without much teaching. For example, a native speaker of German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Afrikaans, Yiddish or some other Germanic language, can understand a sentence like ᛁᛣᛣ ᚻᚪᚹ ᛋᛣᚱᛁᚹᛏ ᛖᚾ ᛞᛖ ᛒᚢᛣ/Ik hav skrivt en de buk with little or no thought.

Design goals include

  1. intelligible with little or no training to Germanic speakers
  2. simple enough for ease of learning to write or speak about normal topics
  3. precise enough to deal with more complex topics (e.g. science, maybe philosophy)

where the importance descends from first to last.

Phonology

Main article: Folksprak/Phonology

The rhotic varies across the region, and h is sometimes voiced, but neither of these pose a problem to intelligibility. Icelandic-speakers would have to learn the traditional voiced-unvoiced distinction whatever language they wanted to learn!

Labial Alveolar Post. Velar Glottal
Nasal /m/ /n/ *ŋ
Voiced Stop /b/ /d/ /g/
Unvoiced Stop /p/ /t/ /k/
Voiced Fricative /v/ */z/ */θ~ð/
Unvoiced Fricative /f/ /s/ /ʃ/ /x/ /h/
Approximant /r/ /j/
Lateral /l/

There are set digraphs for non-Germanic sounds: Some non-Germanic sounds are used in transcription:

  • zj = [ž] or [zh] or /ʒ/
  • cj = [č] or [ch] or /tʃ/

Vowels

There are twelve vowels, six short and six long. All vowels raise when they lengthen, except a, which moves further back. A vowel is long when it is:

  1. stressed and
  2. followed by no more than a single consonant

All other vowels are pronounced short, or even reduced. Vowels written twice are said over two syllables.

Round Front Middle Back
High /ʏ/ /yː/ /ɪ/ /iː/ /ʊ/ /uː/
Mid. /œ/ /øː/ /ɛ/ /eː/ /ə/ * /ɔ/ /oː/
Low /a/ /äː/

Diphthongs are oi, ou, ai, ei. au is the same as ou. eu is just long u.

Orthography

Main article: Folksprak/Orthography

Consonants

English [th] and [z] are rather late additions to the alphabet, and not part of Folksprak today. There are, in fact, many such letters which would be needed for place names around Europe. ᛊ/Z, ᛢ/Q, ᛝ/Ŋ, and ᚦ/Þ are not productive and part of "historic" name spellings only. Swedish /ɧ/ may be written ᚺ. (Other "old" letters include ᛠ/Ä, ᚫ/Æ, ᛡ/Ï, ᛥ/ST, ᚸ/Ȝ, and ᛤ/KK.)

Labial Alveolar Post. Velar Glottal
Nasal /m/ ᛗ /n/ ᚾ *ŋ *ᛝ
Voiced Stop /b/ ᛒ /d/ ᛞ /g/ ᚷ
Unvoiced Stop /p/ ᛈ /t/ ᛏ */θ~ð/ *ᚦ /k/ ᛣ
Voiced Fricative /v/ ᚹ */z/ *ᛊ
Unvoiced Fricative /f/ ᚠ /s/ ᛋ /ʃ/ ᚳ /x/ ᛉ /h/ ᚻ
Approximant /r/ ᚱ /j/ ᛄ
Lateral /l/ ᛚ


Vowels

Round Front Middle Back
High /ʏ/ /yː/ ᚣ /ɪ/ /iː/ ᛁ /ʊ/ /uː/ ᚢ
Mid. /œ/ /øː/ ᛟ /ɛ/ /eː/ ᛖ /ə/ * /ɔ/ /oː/ ᚩ
Low /ä/ /aː/ ᚪ

Morphophonology

Main article: Folksprak/Morphophonology
  • definite article ᛞᛖ/de
  • indefinite article ᛖᚾ/en, same as 'one' (different vowel length)
  • possessive (genitive) ending -ᛋ/s
  • plural ending -ᛖᚾ/en (pronounced enn)
  • Adjectives do not inflect for number, gender, or case
  • comparative adjective ending -ᛖᚱ/er (pronounced err)
  • superlative adjective ending -ᛖᛋᛏ/est
  • ordinal number suffix -ᛞᛖ/de
ᛗᚪᚾᚾmann   ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛖᚾmannen
ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛋmanns ᛗᚪᚾᚾᛖᚾᛋmannens

Morphosyntax

Main article: Folksprak/Morphosyntax
  1. the Subject may not be separated from the finite verb by any other word.
  2. the ordinary position for the verb in a declarative sentence is as second element and in imperatives or questions as the first element.
  3. the grammatical Subject must always come before any objects

Pronouns

# Case Person
First Second Third
Masculine Feminine Neuter Reflexive
Singular Nominative ᛁᛣᛣ ikk ᛞᚢ du ᚻᛁ hi ᛋᛁ si ᛁᛏᛏ itt No
Genitive ᛗᛁᚾ min ᛞᛁᚾ din ᚻᛁᛋᛋ hiss ᚻᛁᚱ hir ᛁᛏᛋ its ᛋᛁᚾ sin
Poss. ᛗᛁᚾᛋ mins ᛞᛁᚾᛋ dins ᚻᛁᚱᛋ hirs ᛋᛁᚾᛋ sins
Accusative ᛗᛁ mi ᛞᛁ di ᚻᛁᛗᛗ himm ᚻᛁᚱᚱ hirr ᛁᛏᛏ itt ᛋᛁᚷ sig
Plural Nominative ᚹᛁ vi ᛄᛁ ji ᛞᛖᛁ dei No
Genitive ᚢᚱ ur ᛄᚢᚱ jur ᛞᛖᛁᚱ deir ᛋᛁᚾ sin
Poss. ᚢᚱᛋ urs ᛄᚢᚱᛋ jurs ᛞᛖᛁᚱᛋ deirs ᛋᛁᚾᛋ sins
Accusative ᚢᛋ us ᛄᚢ ju ᛞᛖᛗᛗ demm ᛋᛁᚷ sig


Verbs

  • Verbs inflect for tense, not number or person.
  • The lexical form is the infinitive (+e)
  • Infinitive is +ᛖe
  • Present and Imperative are the bare form (-e)
  • Past tense is +ᛞᛖde
  • Active participle +ᛖᚾᛞᛖende
  • Passive participle +ᛏt
  • ᚹᚪᚱᛖvare (to be) is the only irregular verb
    • ᚹᚪᚱᛖvare - infin.; ᚪᚱar - pres.; ᚹᚪᚱvar - imper.,preterite;
  • Auxiliaries abound, normally with infin., but sometimes past part.
    • ᚹᛁᛚᛚᛖville + infin. = future
    • ᚻᚪᚹᛖ have + PP = perfect
    • ᚹᚪᚱᛖ vare + PP = passive
    • ᛞᚢᚱᚠᛖdurfe to be allowed
    • ᛣᚢᚾᚾᛖ kunne can
    • ᛗᚪᚷᛖ mage might, may
    • ᛗᛟᛏᛖ møte must
    • ᚳᚢᛚᛚᛖ culle should



Adverb making suffix: -ᛚᛁᛣlik (cp. English -ly). Elatives need ᛗᛖᚱmer more and ᛗᛖᛋᛏmest most

Lexicography

Main article: Folksprak/Word formation guidelines

see also Folksprak/Swadesh

Links

Universal Languages
AFRICA SEDES (Horn of Africa), Middle Semitic (Semitic languages), Kintu (Bantu languages), Guosa (West Africa) Universal Language.png
CENTRAL ASIA Jalpi (Turkic languages), Zens (Iranian languages), Dravindian (Dravidian languages), Neo-Sanskrit (Indo-Aryan languages)
EUROPE Interlingua (Romance languages), Folksprak (Germanic languages), Interslavic Slavic languages, Balkan (Balkans)
FAR EAST Dan'a'yo (CJKV), MSEAL (Mainland Southeast Asia), Indo-Malay (Maritime Southeast Asia)
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