Kerno

Kerno
Spoken in:	Dûnein, Kemr, Cornouaille, France, NAL, Australasia
Region:	Southern Kemr
Total speakers:	several millions worldwide
Genetic classification:	Indo-European  Italic   Romance    Western Romance     Britanno-Romance      Kerno
Extra information
Discoverer:	Padraic Brown | Elemtilas

Introduction

     Kerno is one of several Western Britanno-Romance languages that exist in Ill Bethisad. Kerno was born of the proliferation of Vulgar Latin and British Romance in the aftermath of the evacuation of Roman troops during the 5th century. Three principal dialect centres coalesced: the Eastern at Londinium, the Northern at Castra Legionis (Castreleon) and the Western at Esca Dumnonum (Ysca). Between 700 and 1350 AD, Kerno flourished as a literary language, and much prose, poetry and scholarly material was produced. The Arthurian legendarium was also expressed in Kerno. After the late XIV century, Brithenig became ascendant and by turns became the official language of government, business and society in general. Between 1425 and 1875 practically nothing of note was written in Kerno; but the last quarter of the XIX century saw a cultural renaissance in Kemr. It was this movement that spurned the resurgence of Kerno as a literary language and paved the way for the dismantling of the Brithenig only policies that had become enshrined in law and tradition. In the first decade of the XXJ century, one finds that Kerno is moribund in its own homeland. Much blame has been placed on the Language Boards who were charged with choosing a standard form of the language and devising a standard orthography. They failed in their challenge, leaving the province's schools a shambles and causing about 75% of the population to become L1 Paesan (Brithenig) speakers. The language is flourishing in all the lands it has colonised.

     Kerno's immediate relatives include Brehonecq (the form spoken in France) and Duro, spoken in the southeastern quarter of Dûnein. Near kin include Paesan (a dialect of Brithenig) and Brithenig itself.

     Dûnein is a rather cosmopolitan province, and especially its capital city, Ysca. Other languages spoken in the province are Castilian, Francien, Angli, Cantonese and Gaulhosc. Kerno is planned for use in Relay 13.

Phonology

Sounds

Consonants b, as in ball: /b/ bh, as in veil: /v/ c, before e or i as in cell or church: /s/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/ c, before a, o or u as in call: /k/ ch, as in loch: /x/ ci, as in ship: /ʃ/ ck, as in clock: /k/ coeu and cou, as in quick: /kw/ d, as in day: /d/ dd and dh, as in them: /D/ f, as in fish: /f/ g, as in go: /g/ geo, as in lozenge: /ʒ/ gh, like ch but voiced: /ɣ/ goeu and gou, as in Gwent: /gw/ h, like high: /h/ j, as in jump: /dʒ/ jeo, as in azure: /ʒ/ k, as in call: /k/ kh, as in loch: /x/ l, as in look: /l/ ll, often as in look: /l/; sometimes h and l together: /hl/ m, as in milk: /m/ mh, as in veil: /v/ n and nh, as in new: /n/ p, as in pick: /p/ ph, as in flip: /f/ r, can be rolled or back in the throat: /r/, /ʁ/ rh, like h and r together: /hr/ s, as in sit: /s/ si, as in ship: /ʃ/ t, as in tell: /t/ th and ti, as in thorn: /θ/ v, as in van or wall: /v/, /w/ w, as in wall: /w/ x, as in loch, shape or rex: /x/, /ʃ/, /ks/ y, as in yet: /j/ z, as in zing or breathe: /z/, /ð/

Vowels a, as in father or cut: /a/, /ə/ e, as in pay or pen: /e/, /ɛ/ i, as in sleep or kin: /i/, /ɪ/ o, as in broken or pot: /o/, /ɔ/ u, as in food or mud: /u/, /ʌ/ y, as in sleep: /i/ ao, as in coo: /u/ ay, as in eye: /aɪ/ aw, as in cow: /aw/ ea, “eh” followed by “uh”: /eʌ/ ei, as in say: /eɪ/ eo, “eh” followed by “eu”: /eø/ ey, as in pay: /eɪ/ eu, as in French “heure”: /ø/ eou, as in “eh” plus “eu”: /eø/ ew, “eh” followed by “oo”: /eu/ io, as in yoke: /jo/ iw, as in yew: /ju/ oa, “eu” plus “oh” plus “ah”: /oa/ oi, as in boy: /oj/ ou, as in owe: /ow/ oy, as in boy: /oj/ ui, as in hay: /e/

Grammar Notes

     Kerno is VSO in nature; still exhibits word initial mutations; has articles definite and indefinite; nouns of masc., fem. and epicene genders; no adj-noun agreement; two nominal cases, nominative and oblique with vestigial dative, possessive and instrumental; base-20 number system; full supply of personal, reflexive, demonstrative and possessive pronouns; object pronouns are usually found conjoined to preverbs (preverbs are kind of like nominal prepositions); three verbal conjugations with a variety of simple and compound tenses, the latter of which can become rather complicated; there are a large number of irregular nouns and verbs. The copula is often omitted, and sometimes the personal pronoun when the antecedant is not (or should not be) in question.

Sample Text

     The Tower of Babel myth is a very common sample text, and can be found in the texts page linked to below. Here, I'll offer a little snippet from Lla Sul, one of Kemr's preeminent news papers, from 14 July, 1898:

dol' omèn il sezlonds le llongfrangeièn: Pernauigasot c' om perry vor, et durant ke domonis.se az al isel, rompus sa la sew llonga. Gouiuefas y pluzeor ans; et-z-eliverasot-el la Armada Reyal. Dondrhuasot-li il capetans: Quhit wye daes ye hae twae kirkes, mon? Savus il capetans, Albaneck, ionte a nemez y Chomrow, mays y chapeuw y zew per li yen omèn ast po en var! Doponus il wortó a-z-el yen et deckis: C' aquel, moniem a nemez y Zi la Sulis. An at yin thonder? rhuasot il capetans. Ay, c' aquels. Ieo n' moniem pass nonck a nemez y Zi la Sulis!

The Story of the Shipwrecked Man: A man was sailing upon the sea and as he approached an island, his boat wrecked. He lived several years and at last was recued by the Royal Navy. The captain asked him: "Why do you have two chapels here?" The captain, a Scot, knew that the Comro were ardent church goers, but two chapels for one man is too much! He pointed out one of them and said: "That's where I go to church of a Sunday." "And the other?" asked the captain. "Ah, that one. I don't never go there of a Sunday!"

To get a feel for what the Kerno speaker is actually reading:

At the man, the story of the shipwreck: Sailed this man upon the sea, and while that he came on to the island, broke she his ship. Lived several years; and rescued-him the Royal Navy. To him asked the captain: "Quit wye daes ye hae twae kirkes, mon?" Knew the captain, a Scot, goers to church the Comro, but chapels two for the one man is at the beyond! He put-to the finger at the one and said: "That thonder, go I to church the Sunday." "An at yin thonder?" asked the captain. "Ay. That thonder. I don't never go to church (there) at all the Sunday!"

Links

See this article for a good synopsis of Kerno grammar. All the chief paradigms are here along with some detailed paragraphs on the history and inner workings of the language.

See this page for a wide variety of text samples.

See this page for links to the forgoing as well as to the lexicon pages.