Thesome
Thesome [⁸tʰe.zɔ.mɛ] is a constructed language. It is similiar to Ancient Greek in terms of phonology and Finnish in terms of morphology. - THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Phonology
Vowels
Phonemes
/a e i o u y/ <a e i o u y>
Allophony
All vowels have a lax counterpart: /a/ - [ɐ], /e/ - [ɛ], /i/ - [ɪ], /o/ - [ɔ], /u/ - [ʊ] and /y/ - [ʏ]. Lax vowels appear instead of the tense ones
- always in closed syllables; e.g. emnathon ["ɛm.nɐ.tʰɔn]
- in the syllable following a stressed vowel; e.g. Thesome["tʰe.zɔ.mɛ]
- in the last syllable of a word; e.g. deromi ["de.ɾɔ.mɪ]
Word final [ɛ] may be realised as [ə] in fast speech: Thesome /"tʰe.zɔ.mə/
When the penultimate syllable is stressed, the vowel is usually pronounced longer; contrast deromi ["de.ɾɔ.mɪ] with derthi ["dɛ:ɾ.tʰɪ]
Diphthongs
Phonemes
/aɪ eɪ ɔɪ aʊ/ <ai ei eu/oi au>
/ɔɪ/ is written <eu> in the first syllable of a word, <oi> anywhere else; probably a sound change that has occurred in an earlier stage but that has been undone.
Glide Insertion
When another vowel follows a diphthong,
- in formal speech diphthongs ending in /ɪ/ add a /j/-glide before the next vowel whereas after /aʊ/ a /w/ is added.
- in colloquial speech diphthongs become (long) monophthongs with a glide onset on the following syllable.
E.g. andromeía: 1. [an.dɾo."meɪ.ja] 2. [an.dɾo."me:.ja] and Sauos: 1. [saʊ.wɔs] 2. [sa:.wɔs]
Consonants
Phonemes
Plosives: /p pʰ b t tʰ d k kʰ g/ < p ph b t th d k kh g>
Fricatives: /f s x h/ <f s ch h>
Nasals: /m n/ <m n>
Liquid: /ɾ l/ <r l>
Allophony
The voiced stops /b d/ may be softened to [v ð] between vowels: eudein ["ɔɪ.ðeɪn]
/k kʰ g/ are usually pronounced [c cʰ ɟ] before the vowels /e i y/.
/s/ becomes [z] in the onset cluster sm- (pronounced [zm]) and between vowels: contrast thesomi ["tʰe.zɔ.mɪ] with thesthi ["tʰɛ:s.tʰɪ]
Nasals, if preceding plosives, assimilate to the latter's point of articulation (with the exception of compounds).
Stress
Stress usually falls on the antepenultimate syllable. If stress falls on any other syllable, it is marked with an acute accent (which is placed on the second part of a diphthong). If the penultimate syllable is stressed, it is pronounced longer than usual. E.g. mnathygata [mna."tʰy.ga.ta] mnathygataí [mna.tʰy.ga."taɪ] mnathygatánen [mna.tʰy.ga.ta:.nɛn]
Syllables
Onset
Any single consonant
Plosive + Liquid: pr-, phr-, br-, pl-, phl-, bl- etc.
/f/ or /x/ + Voiceless Plosive (except Bilabials): ft-, fth-, cht-, chth- etc.
/s/ + /m/ or Voiceless Plosive: sm-, sp-, sph-, st- etc.
/p/ or /k/ + /t/: pt-, kt-
/m/ + /n/: mn-
Nucleus
Any vowel or diphthong.
Coda
Except for the word's final syllable, any consonant except /h/ is allowed. Word finally, only /ɾ/, /l/, /n/, /s/ and /t/ are used.
Morphophonology
Vowels and Diphthongs
Also have a look at allophony of simple vowels and glide-insertion after diphthongs, which were discussed before (under section 1.1 and 1.2).
The diphthong /eɪ/ changes in formal speech commonly if preceeded or followed by a syllable with the same nucleus /eI/ (except when there are no consonant between the two nuclei). Whether the first or second diphthong changes, depends on the stress:
- When the second diphthong is not stressed, its /eɪ/ changes /i/.
- When the second diphthong is stressed, the preceding diphthong changes to /e/.
These changes aren't usually written.
2nd /ei/ | unstressed | stressed |
---|---|---|
Thesome | smeidein | smeideí |
Pronunciation | zmeɪdɪn | zmedeɪ |
Meaning | I fear | he fears |
Consonants
Especially /tʰ/ is prone to many changes.
/tʰ/ > [s] / C_ (C=voiceless stop), e.g. hekthi > heksi
/ntʰ/, /mtʰ/ > [s], e.g. famthi > fasi, helenthi > helesi
/tʰ/ > ø / CC_, e.g. lapsthi > lapsi
/tʰ/ > [s] / _#, e.g. eude:thi > eudeith > eudeis
/m/ > [n] / _#, e.g. eude:mi > eudeim > eudein
F > ø / _s (F=fricative/sonorant), e.g. lalsme > lasme, thessme > thesme, kerofsme > kerosme
/h/ > [ɪ] / e_V, e.g. ehelenthe:mi > eieleseín, ehekthe:thi > eiekseís
/l/ > ø / r_, e.g. farlje > fairle > faire
ø > o / C_m (unless the previous syllable contains /o/, e.g. lalmi > lalomi, but kerofmi > kerofmi
Morphology
Verbal Morphology
Personal Endings
With verbs, Thesome distinguishes four persons, three tenses, four numbers and two genera verbi.
Persons
- 1st person: the speaker(s): I, we
- 2nd person: the adressee(s): you
- 3rd person: other(s): he, she, they
- NC (Noun Compound): used when the subject is a noun
Tenses
- Present: reports things that happen now
- Past: reports things that happened in the past
- Future: reports things that will happen in the future
Numbers
- Singular: denoting singularity
- Paucal: denoting only a part of a previous mentioned group
- Dual: denoting duality
- Plural: denoting many or all
Genera Verbi
- Active
- Passive
There are two sets of endings in the active (very similar to each other and in fact only differing greatly in 1&2SG):
Vocalic Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | -ein | -esme | -esmet | -emen | 1st | -mi | -sme | -smet | -men |
2nd | -eis | -esthe | -esthet | -ethen | 2nd | -thi | -sthe | -sthet | -then |
3rd | -eí | -eseí | -eset | -eíen | 3rd | -eí | -seí | -set | -eíen |
NC | -én | NC | -én |
The Passive endings:
Present Tense
Vocalic Endings
Vocalic Endings are simply attached to the verb's stem, e.g. eud- see:
Active | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | eudein | I see | eudesme | some of us see | eudesmet | we two see | eudemen | we see |
2nd | eudeis | you see | eudesthe | some of you see | eudesthet | you two see | eudethen | you see |
3rd | eudeí | he sees | eudeseí | some of them see | eudeset | they two see | eudeíen | they see |
NC | eudén | X see(s) | ||||||
Passive | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
1st | eudemai | I am seen | eudefme | some of us are seen | eudemne | we two are seen | eudemnai | we are seen |
2nd | eudethai | you are seen | eudefthe | some of you are seen | eudetne | you two are seen | eudetnai | you are seen |
3rd | eudeíai | he is seen | eudefeí | some of them are seen | eudeneí | they two are seen | eudenaí | they are seen |
NC | eudaí | X is/are seen |
Consonant Endings
Consonant Endings are attached to the verb's stem; they trigger, however, modifications, depending on the last sound of the verbal stem.
Liquid Stems
Liquid Stems are stems ending in -l, -r, and -s, e.g. lal- speak, der- stay and thes- lie.
Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | lalomi | I speak | lasme | some of us speak | lasmet | we two speak | lalomen | we speak |
2nd | lalthi | you speak | lasthe | some of you speak | lasthet | you two speak | lalthen | you speak |
3rd | laleí | he speaks | laseí | some of them speak | laset | they two speak | laleíen | they speak |
NC | lalén | X speak(s) |
Modifications:
- They insert a vowel -o- in 1SG and 1PL. (lal-o-mi, der-o-mi, thes-o-mi)
- They lose their final consonant when appended with the Paucal- and Dual-endings. (la-sme, de-sme, the-sme).
Stop Stems
Stop Stems are stems ending in -p, -t, and -k, e.g. hek- strike.
Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | hekomi | I strike | hekosme | some of us strike | hekosmet | we two strike | hekomen | we strike |
2nd | heksi | you strike | hekosthe | some of you strike | hekosthet | you two strike | heksen | you strike |
3rd | hekeí | he strikes | hekseí | some of them strike | hekset | they two strike | hekeíen | they strike |
NC | hekén | X strike(s) |
Modifications:
- They insert a vowel -o- in all first persons and in 2PC/DU. (hek-o-mi, hek-o-sme, hek-o-men, hek-o-sthe)
- The aspirated voiceless stop /tʰ/ in 2SG and 2PL becomes /s/. (hek-si)
Nasal Stems
Nasal Stems are stems ending in -m and -n, e.g. fam- say and helen- sing.
Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | fami | I say | fasme | some of us say | fasmet | we two say | famen | we say |
2nd | fasi | you say | fasthe | some of you say | fasthet | you two say | fathen | you say |
3rd | fameí | he says | faseí | some of them say | faset | they two say | fameíen | they say |
NC | famén | X say(s) |
Modifications:
- The final consonant is lost in all forms except 3SG, 3PL and NC.
- The aspirated voiceless stop /tʰ/ in 2SG becomes /s/ (but not in 2PL). (fa-si vs. fa-then)
Stop-S Stems
Stop-S Stems are stems ending in an unvoiced stop followed by an /s/, e.g. laps- sleep and kleits- to be captive.
Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | laposmi | I sleep | laposme | some of us sleep | laposmet | we two sleep | laposmen | we sleep |
2nd | lapsi | you sleep | laposthe | some of you sleep | laposthet | you two sleep | lapsen | you sleep |
3rd | lapseí | he sleeps | laposeí | some of them sleep | laposet | they two sleep | lapseíen | they sleep |
NC | lapsén | X sleep(s) |
Modifications:
- In 1SG and 1PL, an <o> intrudes between the stop and the /s/ of the stem. (laposmi I sleep).
- In all Paucal and Dual forms, the /s/ of the stem is lost and replaced by an <o>. (laposthe some of you sleep)
- In 2SG and 2PL, the /tʰ/ of the personal ending is lost. (lapsi you sleep)
Irregular
Ei- be is an irregular verb.
Consonant Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | eimi | I am | esme | some of us are | esmet | we two are | eimen | we are |
2nd | eis | you are | esthe | some of you are | esthet | you two are | eithen | you are |
3rd | ei | he is | eseí | some of them are | eset | they two are | eíen | they are |
NC | en | X is |
Past Tense
The Past Stem
The Past Stem is formed via a circumfix consisting of an augment and a dental suffix, which will be dealt with seperately in this section.
The Augment is - like in Ancient Greek - a vowel, e- which is prefixed to the stem. This leads to no difficulties with verbal stems beginning with a consonant (except h-) and verbal stems beginning with the vowel i- (thus forming the diphthong ei-).
- der- > eder-
- lal- > elal-
- thes- > ethes-
- ir- > eir-
When the stem begins with the vowels a-, e- and o-, the augment becomes an infix i- (thus forming the diphthongs ai-, ei- and eu-).
- ar- > air-
- echt- > eicht-
- op- > eup-
Verbal stems beginning with eu- replace the diphthong with y-, those beginning with h- replace the consonant with ei-.
- eumath- > ymath-
- helen- > eielen-
Verbal stems beginning with any other diphthong than eu- (ai-, ei- or au-) and those beginning with the vowels u- or y- do not use the augment.
- eib- > eib-
- uk- > uk-
The Dental Suffix is with the verbal stems that use the vocalic endings in present tense always -eth.
- met- > emeteth-
- eud- > ydeth-
With the verbal stems using the consonantal endings in the present tense, the dental suffix usually corresponds to the ending of the 2SG without the final vowel -i.
- lal- > elalth- (2SG: lalthi)
- thes- > ethesth- (2SG: thesthi)
- hek- > eieks- (2SG: heksi)
- helen- > eieles- (2SG: helesi)
- laps- > elaps- (2SG: lapsi)
- eib- > eib- (2SG: eibi)
One additional change in the past stem of verbal stems that occurs quite frequently (however, not always) is the change of an a to an e if in the syllable before the past tense dental suffix and followed by s (which may be part of the verbal stem or the past tense dental suffix itself).
- gelas- > egelesth-
- fam- > efes-
Some interesting tidbits that arise from these rules:
- Thes- lie and thas- hear share the same past stem ethesth-.
- Eibeí (from eib- stand) means both he stands and he stood.
- Ukseí (from uk- free) means both some of them free and he freed.
Endings in the Past Tense
The Endings in the Past Tense are the Vocalic Endings of the Present Tense with the exception of the NC-ending, which - in Past Tense - is -és rather than Present Tense -én. Also note, that in Singular Number, it is always the Ending that is stressed.
Two Example Conjugations: ydeth- (from eud- see) and elalth- (from lal- speak).
Vocalic Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | ydetheín | I saw | ydethesme | some of us saw | ydethesmet | we two saw | ydethemen | we saw |
2nd | ydetheís | you saw | ydethesthe | some of you saw | ydethesthet | you two saw | ydethethen | you saw |
3rd | ydetheí | he saw | ydetheseí | some of them saw | ydetheset | they two saw | ydetheíen | they saw |
NC | ydethés | X saw | ||||||
Vocalic Endings | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | ||||
1st | elaltheín | I spoke | elalthesme | some of us spoke | elalthesmet | we two spoke | elalthemen | we spoke |
2nd | elaltheís | you spoke | elalthesthe | some of you spoke | elalthesthet | you two spoke | elalthethen | you spoke |
3rd | elaltheí | he spoke | elaltheseí | some of them spoke | elaltheset | they two spoke | elaltheíen | they spoke |
NC | elalthés | X spoke |
Future Tense
Nominal Morphology
With nouns, Thesome distinguishes three (biological) sexes (Masculine, Feminine and Neuter), five numbers (Singular, Paucal, Dual, Plural and Collective) and eight cases (Nominative, Subjective, Accusative, Genitive, Benefactive, Instrumental, Allative and Ablativ).
Masculine | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | Collective | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominative | far | king | xxx | some kings | faroi | two kings | xxx | kings | ilfarmai | all kings |
Subjective | farun | king | xxx | some kings | fary | two kings | xxx | kings | ilfarmai | all kings |
Accusative | faren | king | xxx | some kings | faryn | two kings | xxx | kings | xxx | all kings |
Genitive | fares | of the king | xxx | of some kings | farys | of two kings | xxx | of kings | xxx | of all kings |
Benefactive | faré | for the/a king | xxx | for some kings | farý | for two kings | xxx | for kings | xxx | for all kings |
Instrumental | farénen | with the/a king | xxx | with some kings | farýnen | with two kings | xxx | with kings | xxx | with all kings |
Allative | faremna | to the/a king | xxx | to some kings | faryna | to two kings | xxx | to kings | ilfarmain | to all kings |
Ablative | fareksa | from the/a king | xxx | from some kings | farysa | from two kings | xxx | from kings | ilfarmais | from all kings |
Feminine | Singular | Paucal | Dual | Plural | Collective | |||||
Nominative | faire | queen | xxx | some queens | fairet | two queens | faireía | queens | ilfairai | all queens |
Subjective | fairé | queen | xxx | some queens | fairet | two queens | faireíai | queens | ilfairai | all queens |
Accusative | fairen | queen | xxx | some queens | fairetse | two queens | xxx | queens | ilfairain | all queens |
Genitive | faires | of the queen | xxx | of some queen | faireptós | of two queens | xxx | of queens | ilfairais | of all queens |
Benefactive | faireí | for the/a queen | xxx | for some queens | fairepté | for two queens | xxx | for queens | ilfairaí | for all queens |
Instrumental | fairénen | with the/a queen | xxx | with some queens | fairepténen | with two queens | xxx | with queens | ilfairánen | with all queens |
Allative | fairemna | to the/a queen | xxx | to some queens | fairetna | to two queens | xxx | to queens | ilfairain | to all queens |
Ablative | faireksa | from the/a queen | xxx | from some queens | faretsa | from two queens | xxx | from queens | ilfairais | from all queens |
Adjectives
There are three big classes of adjectives: those ending in -is, those ending in -ys and the rest (consonant adjectives).
-is adjectives
Adjectives ending in -is, e.g. ftelmis red or hyklis little.
-ys adjectives
Adjectives ending in -ys in the unmarked form, e.g. ektys black.
Consonant adjectives
Numerals
Cardinalia | Ordinalia | Multiplicative | Partitive | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arabic | Thesome | English | Thesome | English | Thesome | English | Thesome | English |
1 | urun | one | eute | first | uruseít | once | ??? | whole |
2 | at | two | aitse | second | atseít | twice | ??? | half |
3 | tair | three | tairthe | third | tartheít | thrice | ??? | third |
4 | leir | four | leirthe | fourth | lertheít | four times | ??? | quarter |
5 | peben | five | pebeise | fifth | pebeseít | five times | ??? | fifth part |
6 | laian | six | laiaise | sixth | laiaseít | six times | ??? | sixth part |
7 | meil | seven | meilthe | seventh | meltheít | seven times | ??? | seventh part |
8 | hebat | eight | hebaitse | eighth | hebatseít | eight times | ??? | eighth part |
9 | nefteír | nine | nefteírthe | ninth | neftertheít | nine times | ??? | ninth part |
10 | theichte | ten | theichtite | tenth | ??? | ten times | ??? | tenth part |