Draga
Introduction
draqa (draga) is a personal constructed language, "spoken" by an exile population who call their homeland Qhyra. Technically, "draqa" (with a 'q') refers to an ancient form of the language, and "draga" (with a 'g') to the modern language; however, the spelling "draqa" is often used for either.
The history of draga people is quite mysterious. Apparently, the civilization of Qhrya arose in the North American continent, contemporary with (but not related to) the Atlantean civilization of the second destruction (~13,500 B.C.) Within 1000 years of that cataclysm, Qhrya was completely sacked, leaving fewer than 2000 to wander for close to 200 years. Finding no respite, apparently the nation astrally projected themselves en mass into a parallel reality, where they have continued to thrive. The prophecies say that eventually the nation will reincarnate into this world in the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd centuries, at first scattered across the continents but eventually re-unified into a small nation again.
Phonology
Consonants
| labial | dental | alveolar | palatal | velar | post-velar | glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plosives: | t̪ | tz ʈ | kʷ kʲ | q | ʔ | |||
| ejectives: | p (pʼ) | tʼ | c (cʼ) | |||||
| aspirates: | pʰ | tʰ | cʰ | qʰ | ||||
| fricative: | f (ʰɸ) | (ð) | s | ʃ | (x) | ʜ ɦ | ||
| liquids: | w | l | j | |||||
| trills: | ʙ̥ | r̥ | ʀ̥ | |||||
| nasals: | m | (n̪) | (n) | ɲ | ||||
| implosives: | ɓ (ʘ) | ǃ |
Vowels
| i | ʊ | |||||||||||
| ʷɔˑ | ||||||||||||
| ə | ɚ | |||||||||||
| æ |
Orthography
Transliteration of the draga language uses 25 characters of the Roman alphabet: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,ñ,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,w,x,y,z - and both the single-quote ( ' ) and double-quote ( " ) symbols to represent the sounds. In addition, the acute accent is used to represent pitch-accenting: á í ú.
Consonants
| p | - /pʼ/, /p/ |
| t | - /tʰ/ |
| t' | - /tʼ/ |
| ty | - /ʈ/ |
| c | - /cʼ/, /c/ |
| q | - /q/ |
| kw | - /kʷ/ |
| ky | - /kʲ/ |
| ph | - /pʰ/ |
| ch | - /cʰ/ |
| qh | - /qʰ/ |
| f | - /f/; /ʰɸ/ before 'w': fw /ʰɸw/ |
| s | - /s/ |
| m | - /m/ |
| ñ | - /ɲ/; /n̪/ before 'd': ñd /n̪ð/ |
| w | - /w/; /ʘ/ following initial syllabic 'm': mw /mʘ/ |
| l | - /l/ |
| y | - /j/ |
| d | - /t̪/ initially, /d̪/ medially, /ð/ after 'ñ': ñd /n̪ð/ |
| j | - /tz/ |
| x | - /ʃ/ |
| h | - /ʜ/, /x/ before 'l' or 'w', /ç/ before 'y' |
| g | - /ɦ/ |
| b | - /ɓ/ |
| z | - /ǃ/ |
| p" | - /ʙ̥/ (voiceless bilabial trill) |
| t" | - /r̥/ (voiceless alveolar trill) |
| q" | - /ʀ̥/ (voiceless post-velar trill) |
| ' | - /ʔ/ |
Vowels
| i | /i/ |
| í | /i↑/ , /i↘/ |
| ií | /i↗/ |
| a | /æ/ |
| á | /æ↑/ , /æ↘/ |
| aá | /æ↗/ |
| o | /ʊ/ |
| ú | /ʊ↑/ , /ʊ↘/ |
| uú | /ʊ↗/ |
| e | /ə/ |
| ou | /ʷɔˑ/ |
| r | /ɚ/ |
Syllable and Word Structure
draga Syllables are formed as follows:
C1 = Any Consonsant, or †Cluster ; V = Any Vowel or Compound ; C2 = Any Final Consonant: ( f, m, w, p", s, c, x, ñ, q)
- V (/ʔ/).
- C2.
- C1 - V (/ʔ/).
- C1 - C2.
- C1 - V - C2.
†Allowable Consonant Clusters: pw, py, phw, phy, tw, tl, cw, jw, zw, z', qhw, qhl, xl, hl, hy, gw, gy, fw/hw, fl, ml, lw, ly, bw, by
Sentence Structure
Speech Act Particles
Any draqa sentence begins with a Speech Act Particle (SAP), often used in conjunction with a Qualifier. The SAPs fall into three types: Evidentials, Mood Indicators, and Speech Act Indicators. A complete sentence often may consist of nothing but a Speech Act Particle:
Evidentials
| huia | 1st Person Objective, i.e. "I experienced it (external perception)" |
| fwuia | 1st Person Visual. i.e. "I witnessed it" |
| awo | 1st Person Auditory, i.e. "It sounds to me like" |
| ía | 1st Person Subjective, i.e. "I experienced it (internal perception)" |
| skyea-tae | 1st Person Psionic i.e. "I know it from a dream, vision, intuition, etc." |
| ámiña | ,i.e. "I heard from someone who said s/he experienced it" |
| ámiñ-tae | ,i.e. "I heard from someone who said s/he witnessed it" |
| (a) phx-a | ,i.e. "I heard from someone unreliable who said s/he experienced it" |
| aphx.a-tae | ,i.e. "I heard from someone unreliable who said s/he witnessed it" |
Mood Indicators
| mpaha | Opiniative (Probable) Mood |
| sempa | Opiniative (Negative Probability) Mood |
| xweña | Expectant Mood |
| qhwui-a | 1st Person Imperative Mood |
| fo | Irrealis Mood |
| (a)skyea | Dreaming (Psionic) Mood |
Speech Act Indicators
| eia | Narrative Speech Act |
| a | Subjective (Non-Realis) Speech Act |
| xe'a | Interrogative Speech Act |
| mú | 2nd Person Interrogative Speech Act |
| sei, es | Negative Statement or Negative Imperative Speech Act |
Qualifiers
| ido- | Indicates the Evidential source |
| añ- | Topicalizing Particle |
| -magyi | Indicates a 2nd Person Referent |
Syntax
draga makes no noun-verb distinction, so its syntactical pattern cannot be accurately described in terms of VSO, VOS, etc. The syntactical pattern of draga is best described as a linkage of Predicate - (Relationship Particle) - Argument constructions, which are themselves linked by meta-Relationship Particles. A Predicate will necessarily be present in any sentence. The Argument modifies the idea established by a Predicate, and is optional but usual. The Relator (relationship particle) explicates the relationship between the Predicate and its Argument, and is also optional in many cases. Often, the relationship may be implied from context. The relationship particles themselves fall into two categories: Genitives and Conjunctions.
Root Morphology
draga Roots fall into a single category, i.e. there is no noun-verb distinction. Neither are there adjectives nor adverbs. All morphological functions are available for modification of any Root. Aspectual concepts actually appear as individual Roots in draga. The primary modifications of draga Roots are locative (position / direction) and genitive (relationship), but of course there are many others:
Pronominal
| -xeañ / -(y)ac | 1st Person Exclusive |
| -weax / -weiaqs | 1st Person Inclusive |
| -mei / -(y)añ | Referent (2nd or 3rd Person) |
| -lor | 3rd Person |
| -feas | 4th Person (Obviate) |
Locative
| Unbound | Semi-bound | Fully Bound | ||
| ie | at, in, on, to, toward, from | |||
| -yir | toward | |||
| yr- | -tor | at, in, on | ||
| wíar- | -wir | successfully to | ||
| síar- | -swor | unsuccessfully toward | ||
| jor- | -chou | (originating) from | ||
| -fir | in the general direction of | |||
| -teyou | in a general direction away from |
- Most commonly, it is the Bound form that is used.
- The Semi-bound particles (wíar, síar, jor) usually add emphasis when used to modify a Root. Pronoun-like Roots, however, tend to prefer the semi-bound particles - and the interrogative pronominal 'wañ' ("where?") never takes a bound locative. The semi-bound Locatives are also used to modify whole clauses.
- Locatives yr and -tor/-tar "at,in" are fairly interchangeable, but in this case it is the Bound form -tor that is also used for emphasis, rather than the semi-bound particle. Ordinal numbers (7.1) are typically formed with the semi-bound yr, e.g. 'yr-yifa' = "at-1" (i.e. "first").
- The unbound Locative 'ie' is a very casual particle that basically conveys the general idea of location or direction. It can also be used in combination with the other locatives for emphasis, specification or re-inforcement: e.g.' ie lyaña-yir = lyaña-yir || ie lyaña-teyou = lyaña-teyou || ie lyaña-fwor = lyaña-fwor = ie yr-lyaña .
- ie can also mean "from", in context. For example: mú jor-wañ kwae: ("Where are you coming from?") → (ía) ie lyaña ("From home").
Genitive
| cr- | Of (generic) |
| hañ- | Associated with, Correlated with, Identified with |
| em- | Portion, part of |
| ho-, húa- | Attributed with, Filled with |
| mes- | Composed of |
| war- | Functioning as, In the role of |
Articles
Negative
| sei, sei- | Negative Article |
Definite
| fae- | Plural Definite Article |
| pha- | Strong (Direct) Definite Article |
| -pa | Weak (Iconic) Definite Article |
Indefinite
| híewa- | Indefinite Article |
| yeya- | Generic Article |
Demonstrative
| -síaf | Reflexive |
| -tyigi | Reciprocal |
| -fíar | Immediate |
| -qho | Proximal |
| -yelo | Peri-Proximal |
| -bawo | Distal |
| -t'ou | Absent |
Miscellaneous
Prefixes:
| yíama- | Approaching / arriving at a state |
| sama- | Departure from a state |
| hi-, hiem- | Associated action or result |
| yñ- | Individual instance or part of normally grouped items |
| fía- | Multiple manifestations grouped as a single instance; Done totally, completely, to the fullest extent |
| heu- | Using |
| fi- | Upper |
Suffixes:
| -meu | Strongly postive experience |
| -tui | Strongly visceral experience |
| -phíw | Strongly negative experience |
| -far | Similarity |
| -sieñ | Without, Lacking |
| -kwae | One, Thing |
| -lae | Liquid |
| -jw'áo | Done intentionally |
| -se'ago | Done un-intentionally |
| -xui | Name Indicator |
| -hui | One associated with, Do-er of, sim. '-er' |
| -xa | Pleasure |
| -lyañ | Home, Place |
| -ñou | Lower |
Classification:
| aqa- | person: human, animal, spirit, etc. |
| phoña- | plant |
| dowa- | location, situation |
| hyayou- | action, process, occurrence, state |
| hío- | Tool |
| sbor- | spatial area; integral portion, body part |
| tfuio- (tfoyo-) | flat discrete object |
| xwalo- | mass object |
| peda- | long, narrow object |
| xigi- | round object |
| hyoci- | open sided structure |
| quiyo- | box-shaped object |
| kwú- | type, class; ethnic group |
| sakyií- | flying thing |
| o'ya- | container, ceramic, dish |
| phesqa- | textile, clothing |
| tíeqma- | machine |
