Danan

The Danan language is an imaginary language made by Francesco Bravin as part of the setting of the role playing game Madatarn, where it is spoken by the Danan people (Dananes).

The Danan is an ancient western Indoeuropean language. Its phonology, lexicon, grammar and syntax are all derived from those of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European [1] language (PIE). Amongst the Indoeuropean family, Danan is closest to the ancient Italic [2] languages, with some minor similarities with Celtic [3]languages. In some features, Danan is very close to Archaic Latin[4], even if they have some important differences, and even closer to ancient Venetic[5].

The Danan is an inflectional language, having a noun inflection and a verbal inflection, similar to those of the other Indoeuropean languages. The order of the words is quite free, thanks to the inflection, but the non-marked order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) for the sentences and AN (Adjective-Noun) for the nominal syntagmata. Other orders can be used for expressive reasons, especially in rhetoric and poetic contexts.

The Danan shows some varieties: Classic Danan is the standard language, Archaic Danan is an older, literate and more aulic variety, Folkish Danan is the variety spoken by common people. Folkish Danan also can show some dialects, grouped by area: western, eastern, northern and southern dialects. Actually, every spoken dialect can show some features from a main group and some from another: for example, a north-western dialect will show both some northern and some western features.

Danan Alphabet, Script and Phonology

The Danan language has its own alphabet, made by 20 letters. This alphabet is very similar to the Lepontic, that derived from the Etruscan.

Danan Alphabet Roman Script IPA Notes

A A a

B B b

Γ G ɡ

Δ D d

E E ɛ, e

F F f not used in Archaic Danan

H H h

Z Z z not common, used mostly for foreign words

I I i

K K k

˂ L l

M M m

N N n

Ω O ɔ, o

П P p

Ρ R r

S S s, z often used also instead of Z

T T t

V U/W u, w in Archaic Danan it's only u, in Classic Danan also w before another vowel

|= V v in Archaic Danan, used both for V and F, in Classic Danan only for V, later also instead of U for W

Vowels

Danan vocalism is quite conservative, generally keeping the same vowels of PIE and just losing the vowel lenght perception. A new vowel lenght perception can come from the contraction of diphthongs; furthermore, the closed syllables are considered long ones for metric reasons, but contracted vowels are seen as longer than closed syllables.

PIE --> Danan

*a --> a

*e --> e

*o --> o

*i/y --> i

*u/w --> u/w ("w" is still pronounced as "u" in Archaic Danan, but it is pronounced as "v" in Classic Danan, and in Folkish Danan it is often written as "v"). For example: watis "bard" is pronounced "uatis" in AD and "vatis" in both CD and FD, but in the last one it is written vatis. Also, in Classic Danan, w falls when following an obclusive consonant (as the labiovelars lose their labial component). In Classic Danan, unaccented e falls, for example AD daberos (smith) in DC is dabros.

*ai --> ai

*ei --> i

*oi --> oi

*au/aw --> au/aw

*eu/ew --> u/ew

*ou/ow --> ou/ow (where "ou" is pronounced "û" since Classic Danan)

*Ə --> a

Improper diphthongs, still open in Archaic Danan, get contracted in Classic Danan, giving new long vowels. The same happens with double vowels. The vowel E always loses its timber in favour of A and O.

ae --> â

ao --> ao

aa --> â

oe --> ô

oo --> ô

oa --> ô

ee --> ê

eo --> ô

ea --> â

ii --> î

uu --> û

The Danan doesn't have any semi-vowel sonant. The PIE semi-vowel sonants usually develop a supporting vowel in Danan. The long ones are developed as sonant+@, that means liquid+a. The liquids develop an "o", except when preceded by a "w": in this case the supporting vowel is u. The nasals develop an a except when preceeded by a w or by a labiovelar: in this case the supporting vowel is u. In Classic Danan the final ms and those followed by a dental or velar obclusive always become n.

PIE Danan *r, *ŗ, *ṝ --> r, or/ur, ra

*l, *ļ, *ḹ --> l, ol/ul, la

*m, *ṃ --> m, am/um (an/un if at the end of the word)

*n, *ṇ --> n, an/un

Apophony The roots with apophonic alternance e/o, show o in nouns at upright cases, and e in verbs at present tense. Nouns with o at the nominative and accusative, show e in the other cases. At perfect tense there is o in the root and e in the doubling. Some examples with nouns:

-os, -esos -on, -enos -or, -eros

Consonants All the non-aspirated occlusives remain the same. The dental aspirated just loses the aspiration. The labial aspirated becomes a fricative, but it becomes voiceless in voiceless context, especially at the beginning of a word. In AD these are not yet fully distinguished, so the same letter is used. In CD, a new letter is used for f, and the other letter is only used for v. In FD, the letter for v is used also for w. The guttural aspirated becomes h in voiceless context and g in voiced context. The labiodentals lose the labial item in CD, but they still have it in AD. The aspirated labiodental has a different behaviour: the AD hw loses its h in CD, becoming just w.

*p --> p *b --> b *bh --> f/v *t --> t *d --> d *dh --> d *k --> k *g --> g *gh --> g/h *kw --> k *gw --> g *ghw --> g/w

The spirant *s always remains the same, but it is pronounced z in voiced context. Dental+spirant becomes loses the dental. Voiced occlusives lose their voice when in ending of a word.

*s --> s/z, but always written as S *ts, ds --> s *ks, gs --> ks

Voiced consonants, followed by a voiceless lose their voice. Any difficult consonant cluster can develop a supporting "e" vowel, more often in AD than in CD. Dentals always develop this supportin "e". *pt, bt --> pt, pt/bet *tt, dt --> tet, det *kt, gt --> kt, kt/get

The PIE cluster *dhgh is always simplified as just *gh, and then developed in the same manner.

Stress The stress always falls on the last long syllable. Long syllables are those with diphthongs, contracted vowels or vowels followed by two consonants. If there is no long syllable, the stress falls on the most retracted sillable, but anyway not further than the antepenultimate.

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