Herevashkian

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Herevashkian

Herevashkian is a language of the Germanic Language Family created for a project of alternate Earth. It is spoken in an Europen country called Herevashky.

Its grammar consists of five noun cases (nominative, accusatie, dative, genitive, locative), with three different declensions. It has a verb system very similar to that of English, but with fewer irregular verbs. Its lexicon has plenty of loanwords from French, but most of it resembles German. It has complex syntax and agreement rules regarding pronouns, but it's still a language that could be easty for most native English speakers to learn with no big trouble.

Sounds

Herevashkian consists of the following vowel system:

• [a]: a
• [æ]: ä, ae
• [ɛ]: eth
• [ɪ]: eh, y
• [ɔ]: oth, o
• [ø]: eu, ue
• [œ]: ö
• [i]: ie, y
• [e]: e, y
• [o]: o, au
• [u]: oh
• [y]: u

With the following diphthongs allowed:

• [aɪ]: i, ei, ij
• [ɔɪ]: ai
• [aʊ]: ou

The phonemic consonants are:

• [ʀ]: r
• [t]: t
• [p]: p
• [s]: ss, sj, c+(front vowel)
• [ʃ]: sch, s+(front vowel)
• [tʃ]: tts, schtts
• [d]: d
• [ð]: x
• [f]: f
• [g]: g
• [h]: h, th
• [j]: j, i+[a, o]
• [k]: k, c+(back/mid vowel)
• [x]: ch
• [l]: l
• [z]: s, z
• [ʒ]: g+(front vowel), z+(front vowel)
• [v]: v
• [vʷ]: w
• [b]: b
• [n]: n
• [m]: m

Maximum syllable structure allowed is:

([s, z])(C)([r, l])V([s, z, ch, n, m])(C)([r])([s, z]), where V stands for any vowel or allowed diphthong.

Allophony:

• final, unstressed ([aɪ]) tends to become [e].
• [s] and [z] change to [ʃ] and [ʒ], respectively, before a consonant (except for [t] and [d]).
• the cluster [st] becomes [s] and the clusters [zt], [zd] and [sd] become [z].
• [ʀ], [x] and [h] aren't pronounced syllable-finally.
• [ng] and [nk] tends to become [ŋ].
• in some dialects [ch] is pronounced [kx] before back vowels.
• all vowels tend to nasalize before [n] or [m]. [i] and [ɪ] don't, though.
• final unstressed [e] becomes a schwa ([ə]).
• unstressed [u] becomes [ʌ].
• final [g] always becomes [ʒ].
• [e] followed by [ʀ] (even if silent) becomes [a].

Stress, which is usually in the second-to-last syllable, can be achieved by means of:

• addition of an accute accent ´;
• insertion of th after the stressed vowel, which changes certain vowels' into others, such as <e>[e] > <eth>[ɛ].

Other than that, stress is unpredictable, like English.

Grammar

Verbal Morphology

Verbs in Herevashkian conjugate in three tenses (present, past and future) and have one gerund, two participles (singular and plural) and two imperatives (singular and plural).

There is only one conjugation pattern in Herevashkian. There are, however, irregular verbs and verbs which take orthographic adjustments (such as verb stems that end with e, ie, s or ss).

The verb oden voln (oden is the infinitive marker, such as English 'to'), meaning 'to see'.

Present Indicative

Ij voln [voln]

Zu volnnst ["vol.n̥s]

Thie/Rie voln

Vie volne ["vol.nə]

Jier volnest ["vol.nəs]

Thien/Rien volne

Past Indicative

Ij volnijch ["vol.naɪ]

Zu volnijchst ["vol.naɪs]

Thie/Rie volnijch

Vie volneich ["vol.naɪ]

Jier volneichst ["vol.naɪs]

Thien/Rien volneich

Future Indicative

Ij volnáth [vol"na]

Zu volnáthst [vol"nas]

Thie/Rie volnáth

Vie volnáthe [vol"na]

Jier volnáthest [vol"nas]

Thien/Rien volnáthe

Gerund: volns

Participe: singular: volnen; plural: volnä

Imperative: singular: volne; plural: volnes.