Uínlītska

Holding Page

This is a holding page for Fínlǣsk /viːnlãʒ/ (Eng. Finlanz), one of the languages of my forthcoming AU North America. It is based on the idea that the colonization of Vinland survived long enough to become stable and eventually grow, to become the nation of Fínlǣ (Eng. Finla).

It is derived from Old Norse, with adstrates from Scots, Scots Gaelic, English, Algic, Iroquoian, Eskimo-Aleut and Beothuk.

The tentative alphabet is something like

a b d ð e f g h i k l m n o p r s t u v x y z æ œ ᵫ (Orthographic)

ᚨ ᛒ ᛞ ᚦ ᛖ ᚠ ᚷ ᛁ ᚳ ᛚ ᛗ ᚾ ᛝ ᛟ ᛈ ᚱ ᛋ ᛏ ᚢ ᚥ ᚻ ᛇ ᚧ ᛅ ᛡ ᛨ (Runic)

ɑ b d * e f g † i k l m n o p r s t u v x ə z a ø y (IPA)

Before the advent of printing, the orthography used an uncial hand similar to the Insular script. This is usually transliterated using the printed insular letters, e.g. d, g, r, s, and so on.

* The glyph ð marks either interdental fricative.

† The glyph h is used to prefix voiceless liquids where phonotactic devoicing is not expected.

Doubled ðð, ff, kk, pp, ss, tt, xx force voiceless sounds where phonotactic voicing would be expected.

Doubled bb, dd, ðð, gg and liquids force voiced sounds where phonotactic devoicing would be expected.

Diacritics include acute for long vowels, and macron for nasal vowels. I don't know whether there will be long nasal vowels yet, nor whether tone or phonation will be employed.

Right now, I don't know enough about the language families involved, so this is about all I can say.

Other Languages

Other languages in this AU presume the gradual creation and growth of European colonies in North & Central America starting around 1000CE instead of the rapid colonization of Central America starting around 1500CE and of North America starting around 1600CE.

Finla was the first major consolidation of power, followed by "Nova Scotia" (provisional name), consisting mostly of Christian Celtic and Anglo-Saxon missionaries from England and France who established their major centers on the southwest coast of Greenland and to the south of Finla between 1100CE and 1250CE. Their Hibernian language is a Celtic koine of Old Gaelic, Old Welsh, Old Breton and Old Cornish with adstrates from Old English and Old French and a significant superstrate from Church Latin.