Old High Veriden
Autor: Ola Lisowska
MS-Datum: 10-19-2016
FL-Datum: 12-01-2016
FL-Nummer: FL-00003F-00
Zitat: Lisowska, Ola. 2016. “Old High Veriden.”
FL-00003F-00, Fiat Lingua,
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Old High Veriden
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
2 About Old High Veriden ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
3
Phonetics and Phonology …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
3.1
Consonants …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
3.2
Vowels ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
3.3
Phonological Processes ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
3.4
Syllabic structure…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
3.5
Stress and intonation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
3.6
Romanisation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
4 Nominal Morphology ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
4.1
Gender Classes ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
4.1.1
The Animate Class ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
4.1.2
Inanimate Class ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14
4.1.3
Honorum Class …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15
4.2
Number ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16
4.2.1
Cardinal Numbers ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16
4.2.2
Ordinal Numbers ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 17
4.3
Pronouns ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
4.3.1
Personal Pronouns ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 18
4.3.2
Possessive Pronouns ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 19
4.3.3
Relative Pronouns ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
4.4
Adjectives ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 20
4.5
Derivation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
1
4.5.1
Derivation of nouns …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21
4.5.2
Derivation of Adjectives ……………………………………………………………………………………… 21
4.5.3
Comparation of Adjectives …………………………………………………………………………………… 23
4.5.4
Derivation of Adverbs …………………………………………………………………………………………. 24
5 Verbal Morphology …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
5.1
Conjugational Classes ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
5.2
Zeiten ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 26
5.2.1
Present Tenses ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 26
5.2.2
Past Tenses ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 27
5.2.3
Future Tenses …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 30
5.3
Participles…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 33
5.3.1
Adverbial participles …………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
5.3.2
Inflected participles …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
6
Syntax …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 34
6.1
Clause Structure ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 34
6.1.1
Head Alignment …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 34
6.2
Sentence Structure……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 35
6.3
Syntactical Use of Cases …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
6.3.1
Genitive …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
6.3.2
Dative ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
6.3.3
Accusative …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 35
6.3.4
Locative…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
6.3.5
Instrumental ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 36
7
8
Pragmatics……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
Tables …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
8.1
Irregular Verbs ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
9
Examples, Texts and Translations ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 38
2
3
1 INTRODUCTION
Veriden was initially conceived when I was in my early teens, in an entirely different and likely
unrecognisable form as compared to what it is today. When I was in my mid-twenties and working on my
Master’s degree in Slavic Philology at the University of Oldenburg, Deutschland, I took a course in invented
languages, which analysed various auxiliary and constructed languages from different eras and authors.
Part of the final project of this course was to present a grammar of one’s own creation, which led me to
bring my long-discarded language project back to life. After the ‘grammar skeleton’ was rewarded with a
top grade, I continued working on it sporadically over the following years. Even as it stands now, Veriden
is far from finished, but that can certainly be said about practically every conlang.
Veriden was and remains an ongoing project that is very dear to me on various levels, and any comments,
questions or general feedback will be greatly appreciated.
I would like to use this opportunity to once more thank Professor Franz Januschek for offering the course
and presenting the art of language creation to his students in an academically stimulating and entertaining
Weg, welche (re-)fuelled my fascination to play with words, build grammatical structures, and express my
creative impulses in an entirely different way.
2 ABOUT OLD HIGH VERIDEN
Old High Veriden, often referred to simply as Veriden or OHV, is the first (recorded) language in a series
of chronological segments of linguistic development1. The goal is to demonstrate around one thousand
years of language change, with several descriptive “slices” showing the state of the language at ca.
OHV+500 years, OHV+750 years and finally OHV+1000 years. This is an undertaking of very large
proportions, especially when taking into account contact induced language change that Veriden will
undoubtedly be subjected to as cultures expand.
1 While there is a backdrop of lore, the historical context will be widely disregarded in this grammar for reasons of
Länge. It may however be of interest to the reader that the first recording of Old High Veriden, which corresponds
with the grammatical state as described here, marks the year 0, as the revelation of script is of strong religious
significance. The technological level roughly corresponds with the scientific and mechanical knowledge of central
European around the 9th and 10th centuries. At this stage, OHV can be described as a language used almost exclusively
by clerical, academic and political members of society.
4
Because the creation of Veriden was guided by my aesthetic ideals, there are strong influences of natural
languages, in particular Polish, Russian and older Slavic language states, represented mostly in phonetics
and syntax, as well as German (mostly syntax). Despite the influence of natural languages, I do not strictly
consider Veriden an a posteriori conlang. I borrowed inspiration from languages I admire, and formed the
ingredients into something new. Particularly the lexicon is built from the ground up, with little to no
conscious influence from the above-mentioned languages2.
At a glance, the conlang Old High Veriden carries the following attributes:
Table 1. Attributes of Old High Veriden.
Feature
Typology
Alignment
Affigation
Wert
Fusional
Nominative-Accusative
Largely prefixing
Head alignment
Variable
Declensions
Conjugations
Vowels
Consonants
Ja
Ja
11
27
Consonant to vowel ratio
Moderately low (2.5)
Word order
Gender system
Pluralität
Number of Cases
Number of Tenses
Aspect
SOV, subord. SVO
Animacy, partially sex-based
Singular, Plural
7
7
NEIN
Syllabic structure
(C/L)V(C/L), (C/V)L(V/C)
2 Very few lexical entries are willingly adapted from natural languages, such as zej, fem.-anim. ‘sea, ocean’, welche
was borrowed from Low German (Plattdütsch) ‘See’ (fem.). These cases make up less than 1% of the entire lexicon.
5
3 PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
The choice of the phonemic inventory for Veriden was strongly influenced by Slavic languages, including
(Old) Church Slavonic, Russian and Polish. While most consonants have a palatalised (soft) allophone
brought about by phonological processes, only the content differentiating sounds are listed in the following
table.
3.1 CONSONANTS
Bereitstellen-
alveolar
Palatal
Velar
Bilabial
Labio-
dental
m
P, b
Dental &
alveo-
dental
ist
t, tj, d
ts, dz
tʃ
ich, ð, f, v
s, z
ʃ, ʃjʃj, ʒ,
dʒj
die
ɫ, lj
J
Nasal
Plosive
Affricative
Frikative
Vibrant
Approximant
ŋ
k, g
X
3.2 VOWELS
Schließen
Open-mid
Open
Front
ij3 , und
e, jɛ , œ
Central
(ɨ4)
An, ja
Back
u, ju
ɔ, jɔ
3 The vowel is pronounced with an additional j-sound (/ij/) wenn stressed or at the end of a word. This effect is
non-orthographical, but will be visible within this grammar for the purpose of clarity.
4 The vowel /ɨ/ only appears as an allophone to /i/ in certain environments.
6
3.3 PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES
These phonological rules take place during articulation, either under certain circumstances or at every
speech instance. As of yet, no hierarchy has been implemented for these rules.
Process
Example
/i/ always palatalises antecedent consonant;
(1) /_k/ + /i/ > [_k’ij]
except any nasal consonants, or liquids /ɫ/ and /r/,
(2) /tʃuɫi/ > [tʃulɨj]
which are always followed by [ɨ] (2).
/y/ >
/i/ before bilabial and
labio-dental
*_yd > id
consonants
plosive consonants share voice quality, also
/zp/ > /sp/, /sb/ > /zb/, /zk/ > /sk/, usw.
between words
metathesis when l or r are followed by e or je:
*vesle > vesel
/le/ > /el/, /re/ > /er/
/x/ > /ç/ when articulated following /i/
*[ijxa] > [ijça] (not orthographical)
When /i/ (/ɨ/) is stressed or when it is at the end
ild ‘life’ > [ijld]
of a word, it is pronounced [ij].
selœbi ‘steppe, wilderness’ > [selœbij]
A dental voiced fricative palatises to /z/ wenn
pɑð ‘talent’ + jer ‘to do’ > pazjer ‘to entertain’
followed by /j/ or an iotised vowel:
/ð_/ + /j, jV/ > zj
3.4 SYLLABIC STRUCTURE
Syllables may be open or closed. The following syllable patterns are permissible:
(C)V(C)
at
gegenüber
tat
V(V)
An
au
(C)(L)V(L)(C)
tra
trat
tart
trart
ra
ar
rar
rart
7
3.5 STRESS AND INTONATION
Word stress is largely regular, with few exceptions. Most word forms are stressed on the first-to-last syllable,
while the count excludes postfixes. Stress does not change during inflection. Irregularities may arise in
composite forms.
Sentence intonation is important to differentiate between statement and question. While it is possible to use
discourse markers to clearly mark an utterance as a question, the matter is usually settled by the intonation.
Statements, including commands, typically end with a slightly lower pitch (as is common in most European
languages).
In questions, the verb is marked with a higher pitch, and an optional raising of pitch at the end of the
sentence. This allows a question to optionally have the same syntactical structure as a statement, Aber
question markers can be used to make it unambiguous.
3.6 ROMANISATION
For practical purposes, I want to stick as close to the IPA as is legible for the documentation of Veriden.
The following table gives an overview of the entire romanised alphabet.
The iotised vowels however are not romanised in the traditional sense: I chose graphemes that most closely
represented the letter in question plus in front of it, borrowing heavily from cyrillic. This may cause
some confusion in readers who are familiar with cyrillic scripts, as the Slavic <ю> denotes /ju/ – wohingegen
for Veriden, I chose <ю> for /jɔ/ as it looks more like a ligature of und
of transparency here. I applied the same logic to the graphical representation of /ju/ with the symbol <µ>.
I will use complete romanisation in addition to the cyrillic-inspired iotised vowels along with minor use of
diacritics in this grammar. The graphemes < ð >, < ŋ > und < ʒ >, which are taken directly from the IPA,
will also be used. A Veridian orthography is planned for the future.
8
3.6.1.1 Vowels
Phoneme
Graphical
Darstellung
(romanisation)
An
ja
e
jɛ
ij, ɨ
ɔ
jɔ
u
ju
und
œ
An
ꙗ (ja)
e
ѥ (je)
Ich
o
ю (jo)
u
µ (ju)
und
œ/oe
3.6.1.2 Consonants
Graphemes that differ from the IPA symbol are bolded.
Phoneme
Graphical
Darstellung
(romanisation)
b
d
dz
ð
ich
f
g
X
J
b
d
dz
ð
th
f
g
X
J
9
k
lj
ɫ
m
ist
ŋ
P
die
s
ʃ
ʃjʃj
ts
t
tj
tʃ
v
ʒ
z
k
l‘
l
m
ist
ŋ
P
die
s
ṡ
ṩ
ts
t
ћ (t')
ċ
v
ʒ
z
4 NOMINAL MORPHOLOGY
4.1 GENDER CLASSES
Veriden’s nouns are sorted into two main gender classes, animate (anim.) and inanimate (inan.). Der
animate class contains two sub-classes, namely animate and feminine-animate (fem.-anim.). Außerdem
to the animate and inanimate genders, there is a third, optional, overriding gender class called honorum,
which will be presented after the grammatically inherent genders.
Nouns are classified into the gender classes based on semantic attributes, primarily animacy and sex. Dort
is no way to deduce a noun’s grammatical gender by its formal appearance. If a noun is semantically
10
inanimate (objects, Institutionen, usw.), it is grammatically inanimate. If a noun is semantically alive, it is
grammatically animate. If the designatum is additionally female, it is feminine-animate.
Table 2. Graphical depiction of grammatical gender in Old High Veriden.
Animatum
Inanimatum
Most biologically living beings,
All objects, many plants and insects,
deities and spirits,
non-living natural entities, usw.
some natural phenomena and entities
(z.B. zej fem.-anim. ‘sea, ocean’)
Animatum
Femininum-
Default class, as above
Animatum
All specifically female
animate entities, plus
lexicalised exceptions
[Honorum]
—
Optional gender that “overrides” the naturally assigned gender.
This applies only to nouns, not to attributes.
4.1.1 The Animate Class
Nouns referring to biologically living beings (humans, animals) as well as religious entities (spirits, gods,
usw.) are considered grammatically animate. Nouns are classified as animatum or femininum-animatum,
which both follow seperate paradigms. Adjectives, pronouns, usw. follow animated paradigms in congruence,
but do not differentiate between general and feminine animacy5. Observe:
(1) Jenerilik ikal’ rillje.
ACC.-rich-DET. ACC.-woman see-I.
(2) Jenerilik ohel’ rillje.
ACC.-rich-DET. ACC.-man see-I.
5 A speaker of Veriden has the choice to use inanimate markers for an animate noun, but this is considered a verbal
offense and should be practised with caution.
11
The words for ‘woman’ kal’ and ‘man’ hel’ inflect differently: kal’ is fem.-anim. and hel’ is anim. Der
adjective erilik ‘rich’ however inflects only for the quality of animacy by using the accusative marker
{jen-}6, ignoring the sex-based differentiation between the anim. and fem.-anim. Klasse.
The animatum class contains two specific traits that are not shared by the inanimatum gender. Erste, Die
accusitive and genitive cases are always syncretic in animate paradigms, which is a trait inspired by Slavic
languages. Zweite, the plural forms of animate nouns follow specific derivational patterns, which will be
implemented in a future update.
The declension of animate nouns is shown in the table below. Veridian nouns inflect according to the
following pattern:
[case marker] – [STEM] – [case and number] – [opt. postfix]
The prefix is the case marker while the suffix denotes case and number, and as such the absence of the
suffix implies singularity7. An additional vowel (shown in parenthesis) is added to the suffix in some cases
to aid pronounciation.
Table 3. Vocalic declension of animate nouns.
Case
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Loc.
Instr.
Animate
Feminine-Animate
Example (sg., pl.)
–
-(m)in8
l-
-(Ich)ist
ð-
-(An)ist
l-
-(Ich)ist
m-
-(e)t
k-
-(e)t
–
-(An)J
lj-
-(An)ist
ð-
-(An)ist
lj-
-(An)ist
m-
-(e)t
ts-
-(e)t
ame ‘Master’, amemin
enjiv ‘aunt’, enjivaj ‘aunts’
lame, lamen
ljenjiv, ljenjivan
ðame, ðamen
ðenjiv, ðenjivan
lame, lamen
ljenjiv, ljenjivan
mame, mamet
menjiv, menjivet
kame, kamet
tsenjiv, tsenjivet
6 The marker for inanimate adjectives (and entities inflecting as adjectives) Ist {je-, jej-}.
7 When referring to humans or respected entities, the vocative must always be used in the plural form, d.h. with the
suffix. Using it without the suffix, d.h. as a would-be singular form, is perceived at best as a sarcastic adress (as in:
"Oh, housework, won’t you do yourself?”) and at worst as a personal affront.
8 Lexeme-specific allomorphs are not noted in this table and are discussed at a later chapter in this grammar.
12
Voc.
es- -ðor
Ist- -ðor
esameðor
isenjivðor
Table 4. j-Declension of animate nouns.
Case
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Loc.
Instr.
Voc.
Animate
Feminine-Animate
Example
–
-(m)in
l- -(Ich)ist
–
-(An)J
l- -(An)ist
z- -(An)ist
z- -(An)ist
l- -(Ich)ist
l- (An)ist
jujut ‘eunuch’, jujutin
joris ‘Madame, Mistress’, jorisaj
ljujut, ljututin
ljoris, ljorisan
zjujut, zjututan
zjoris, zjorisan
ljujut, ljujutin
ljoris, ljorisan
m- -(e)t
m- -(e)t
mjujut, mjujutet
k- -(e)t
t'- (e)t
s- -ðor
s- -ðor
mjoris, mjorist
kjujut, kjututet
t’joris, t’jorist
sjujutðor
sjorisðor
Table 5. Consonantal declension of animate nouns.
Case
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Loc.
Animate
–
-(m)in
o-
-(Ich)ist
ða-
-(An)ist
o-
-(Ich)ist
Feminine-Animate
Example
–
-(An)J
Ich-
-(e)ist
thi-
-(An)ist
Ich-
-(e)ist
xel’ ‘man’, xel’in
kal’ ‘woman’, kal’i9
oxel’, oxel’in
ikal’, ikal’en
ðaxel’, ðaxel’an
thikal’, thikal’an
oxel’, oxel’in
ikal’, ikal’en
ma- -(e)t
ma- -(e)t
maxel’, maxel’et
9 Kal’i uses an allomorph for the nominative plural, which is discussed elsewhere.
13
Instr.
Voc.
xa- -(e)t
xa- -(e)t
(e)(s)- -ðor
(Ich)(s)- -ðor
makal’, makal’et
xaxel’, xaxel’et
xakal’, xakal’et
esxel’ðor
iskal’ðor
4.1.2 Inanimate Class
All nouns that do not fall into the animate class default into the inanimate class. Unlike the animate
paradigm, the inanimate declension does not have syncretism between accusative and genitive. Stattdessen, Die
nominative and accusative forms are the same. The three declension paradigms for inanimate nouns are
displayed in the table below. Wieder, suffixes are added to denote plurality.
Table 6. Consonantal, vocalic, and j-declension for inanimate nouns.
Case
Consonantal
Vocalic
j-declension
Examples
Nom.
–
-(An)t
o-
-(An)t
ne-
-(An)t
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
–
-(An)t
ma-
-(An)t
xa-
-(An)t
Loc.
Instr.
Voc.
–
–
-(An)t
l-
-(An)t
ist-
-(An)t
–
-(An)t
m-
-(An)t
X-
-(An)t
–
–
-(An)t
l-
-(An)t
ist-
-(An)t
–
-(An)t
m-
-(An)t
ṩ-
-(An)t
–
kimery ‘garden’, kimeryt
ithrun ‘flame’, ithrunat
jeva ‘quill’, jevat
okimery, okimeryt
lithrun, lithrunat
ljeva, ljevat
nekimery, nekimeryt
nithrun, nithrunat
njeva, njevat
kimery, kimeryt
ithrun, ithrunat
jeva, jevat
makimery, makimeryt
mithrun, mithrunat
mjeva, mjevat
xakimery, xakimeryt
xithrun, xithrunat
ṩjeva, ṩjevat
14
4.1.3 Honorum Class
While gender in Veriden is inherent for all nouns, there is a third class that can override the inherent gender
of a noun. This “gender”, the honorum, is used to treat the noun it is applied to with high regard and respect.
It is part of Veriden’s extensive tradition of politeness and, with only one exception, cannot appear as an
inherent gender10. The honorum carries strong semantic weight and is used on nouns that demand high
respect or reverence, including items (such as holy relics, or jokingly for mundane objects).
A speaker may refer to a person or an item with intentional regard by adding the postfix {-ðor} to the noun
in question, which derived from the vocative form of the honorum declension. Using this as a postfix does
not alter the noun’s inherent grammatical gender. Alternativ, a speaker may decline the noun according
to the honorum paradigm, which is described below. This phenomenon and its pragmatic possibilities will
be explored in detail in a later chapter.
Der (in)animacy of the noun is shown through the congruent elements, which are not affected by the
honorum.
The table below shows the honorum paradigm, as it would be applied to a chosen word. Elements in
parenthesis are added if the begins (or in the case of plurals, ends) with a consonants. Just as in animate
nouns, the genitive and accusative are syncretic.
Table 7. Honorum nominal declension.
Case
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Consonantal
Vocalic
Example
–
-ris
o-
-ris
ða-
-rim
o-
–
-ris
lj-
-ris
ð-
-rim
lj-
saṡufaða ‘a kind of spirit’,
saṡufaðris
ild ‘life’, ildris
osaṡufaða, osaṡufaðris
ljild, ljildris
ðasaṡufaða, ðasaṡufaðrim
ðild, ðildrim
osaṡufaða, osaṡufaðris
10 This is the formal address ðor, which translates to a combination of “Lord/Lady”, “Master/Mistress”, “Sir/Madame”.
It is coincidentally also the vocative marker for animate nouns. When used as an adress (and not as a purely
grammatical element), it must follow the honorum declension. In combination with any other gender paradigm, it
would be considered ungrammatical. When using it as an address in conversation (spoken or written), it is considered
proper to use the plural form ðɔrijn, particularly when in contact with a person of considerably higher rank
15
Loc.
Instr.
-ris
ma-
-res
xa-
-res
-ris
m-
-res
X- / ṩ-
-res
Voc.
(e)(s)- -ðor
(Ich)(s)- -ðor
ljild, ljildris
masaṡufaða, maṡufaðres
mild, mildres
xasaṡufaða, xasaṡufaðres
xild, xildres
esaṡufaða-ðor
sild-ðor
4.2 NUMBER
4.2.1 Cardinal Numbers
Veriden has a decimal system with a largely regular structure.
1) tet’
2) ka
3) sin
4) kat’
5) pet’
6) prat’
7) pit’
8) ota
9) oka
10) talje
11) tal’te
12) tal’ka
13) tal’sin
14) tal’kat’
15) tal’pet’
16) tal’prat’
17) tal’pit’
18) tal’ota
30) sinta
40) katta
50) petsta
60) pratta
70) pitta
80) otanta
90) okanta
100) ṡut
101) ṡut-tet’
117) ṡut-tal’pit’
147) ṡut-pitskatta
200)
300)
400)
500)
600)
kaṡt
siṡt
kaċit
peċit
praċit
16
19) tal’oka
20) kanta
21)
tekanta
22) kakanta
23) sinkanta
24) katskanta
25) petskanta
26) pratskanta
27) pitskanta
28) otkanta
29) okakanta
700)
800)
900)
1000)
2000)
3000)
9000)
piċit
otaṡt
okaṡt
oċ
ka oċt
sin oċt
oka oċt
10000)
talje oċt
20000)
kanta oċt
4.2.2 Ordinal Numbers
The derivation of ordinal numbers is regular: the suffix {-me} (or allomorph {-m}) is attached to the root
of the cardinal number. There are only few irregular forms. Ordinal numbers are inflected using adjective
prefixes, choosing the non-syllabic variant, z.B. the morpheme for animated instrumental adjectives can be
expressed as {my-} oder {m-}. Ordinal numbers will never inflected with {my-} in diesem Fall, but always with
{-m}. The only exception to this rule is the inanimate genitive marker, which cannot be {j-} before a
consonant, which case the allomorph {ja-} is preferred.
In grammatical context, only the first numeral is inflected for case, but every numeral is used as an ordinal
number (as opposed to e.g. Englisch, which only uses the last digit as a cardinal). Examples follow below.
First – al’me
Second – kme
Third – sime
Fourth – katme
Fifth – petme
Sixth – prame
Seventh – pitme
Eighth – otme
Ninth – okeme
11th – tal’tme
12th – tal’kme
13th – tal’sime
…
20th – kantam
25th – petskantam
30th – sintam
40th – kattam
100th – ṡetem
200th – kaṡtem
300th – simtem
400th – katem
500th – peċem
600th – pramem
700th – pitem
800th – oċtem
900th – okṡtem
17
Tenth – tal’me
50th – petstam
60th – pratame
70th – pitame
80th – ottam
90th – okkam
543rd – peċem simekattam
1000th – tet’-oċem
2000th – ka-oċtem
3000th – sin-oċtem…
(3) Jal’me ohel’ rillje.
GEN.-first GEN.-man see-1STPERSSGPRES.
I see the first man.
(4) Đerdabue sime dabue ep japiċit-tal’ka að, ðeratr-ði kop otme-ottam.
DAT.-player-his third game out of GEN.-sevenhundred-twelve was-3RDPERSSGPAST, DAT.-
opponent-his but NOM.-eighty-eighth.
It was the player’s third game out of sevenhundred and twelve, but it was the opponent’s eigthy-
eighth.
4.3 PRONOUNS
4.3.1 Personal Pronouns
Veridian personal pronouns are highly regular and systematic, but they are relatively rarely used in
conversation or written word as nominatives. Thanks to the breadth of nominal and verbal inflection, Die
actors become evident without needing to be specifically named. When personal pronouns are used in the
nominative case, it is usually to bring explicit awareness to the actor.
1st Pers. Sg. 2nd Pers.
3rd Pers.
3rd Pers.
1st
Pers.
2nd Pers.
3rd Pers.
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
sa
sja
si
Sg.
va
vija
vi
Sg., m.,ist.
Sg., f.
Pl.
ða
ðija
ði
ðe
ðeja
ðej
alem
alija
al’a
Pl.
da
dja
daja
Pl.
gegenüber
t’ja
taja
18
Acc.
Instr.
Loc.
Voc.
sje
sam
vje
vam
thje
ðam
ðeje
ðam
alje
almy
dalje
damy
talje
tamy
samoe
vamoe
ðamoe
ðamoe
almoe
damoe
tamoe
—
vale!
—
—
—
dale!
—
4.3.2 Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns do not inflect and are typically added to the possessed noun as a postfix (ex. (5)).
My
Your
His/her
Unser
Saj
Vaj
Ðej
Sej
Your (pl.)
Their
Von
Ðom
(5) Kimeryvai rillje.
ACC.-garden-POSSPRON-your see-1STPERSSGPRES.
‘I see your garden.’
If the speaker wishes to bring special awareness to the possessor, he may express it by setting the NP of the
possessor into the dative case, followed by the possessive pronoun, also in the dative case, as in example
(6). Note that the possessed object continues to be governed by the predicate.
(6) Zjoris ðej kimery rillje.
DAT.-Mistress POSSPRONDAT-her ACC.-garden see-1STPERSSGPRES.
‘I see the Mistress’ garden.’
The same principle can be applied on a pronoun instead of a noun, as in ‘I see your garden, but not mine.’
In diesem Fall, the pronoun and possessive marker merge into one wordform (Hier: vevaj and sesaj).
(7) Vevaj kimery rillje, kop sesaj eċ.
19
DAT.PERS.PRON.You-POSS.PRON.DAT.-your ACC.-garden see-1STPERSSGPRES, Aber
PERS.PRON.DAT.me-POSS.PRON.DAT.-my not.
‘I see your garden, but not mine.’
4.3.3 Relative Pronouns
animate sg.
feminine-
inanimate sg. plural
animate sg.
kan
jekan
nakan
jekan
Nom.
kos
jekos
nakos
jekos
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Instr.
Loc.
mykos
mykan
oekos
oekan
da
jada
nada
jeda
myda
oeda
rod
jarod
narod
jerod
myrod
oerod
4.4 ADJECTIVES
Wieder, some forms have allomorphs that depend on the phonetic environment. The plural endings are the
same as the noun they are syntactically connected to.
Inanimatum
Animatum
Examples (undetermined)
Case
Nom.
–
Gen.
ja-, J-
–
jen-
erilin xel’ – rich man
mit dabue – good game
jenerilin oxel’ – of a rich man
jamit odabue – of a good game
Dat.
na-, ist-
na-, ist-
nerilin ðaxel’ – to/for a rich man
Acc.
je-, jej-
jen-
namit nedabue – to/for a good game
jenerilin oxel’ – a rich man
jemit dabue – a good game
Instr.
am-, m-
my-, m-
merilin maahel’ – with a rich man
ammit madabue – with a good game
20
Loc.
œm-
œm-
œmerilin xahel’ – on/about a rich man
œmmit xadabue – on/about a good game
Voc.
–
–
4.5 DERIVATION
4.5.1 Derivation of nouns
The following derivational morphs are used in Veriden:
Formant
Usage
Example
ER-
An-
personifier, someone who does or
er + drak ‘blood’ > erdrak ‘murderer’
causes this (negative connotation)
er + atr ‘against’ > opponent, competition
personifier, someone who deals with
to + drak ‘blood’ > todrak ‘bloodletter’
this in a positive way
jol’n-
beyond
Die
scope;
weiter;
jol’n + ild ‘life’ > jol’nild ‘survival’
continuous over…
jol’n + idu ‘time’ > jol’nidu ‘afterlife’
-esten, -isten
substantivation of verbs
prad-ja ‘to meet’ + -esten > pradjesten
‘meeting’
tla-ja ‘to drink’ + -esten > tlajesten
(drinking)
korat-ij ‘to wait, meditate’ + -isten >
koratisten ‘meditation; waiting’
4.5.2 Derivation of Adjectives
In order to derive an adjective from a noun, the stressed vowel of the stem of the noun from which the
adjective is derived undergoes a systematic vowel shift (barring exceptions and natural processes). Das
process is based on the rounding/unrounding of the vowel. The case markers themselves are derived from
21
the personal pronouns. Note: colours do not adhere to the vowel shift rule, so for example ar ‘red’, ist. will
as an adjective be arn.
Vowel alternations:
Ich <> und
e <> œ
An <> i or o
o <> e
u <> o or a
+ {-n} oder {-in}
Adjectives can be determined or undetermined, which becomes apparent in the suffix. The suffix {-n}/{-
in} ({-n} when the stem ends on a vowel, barring exceptions) is attached to the stem when the adjective is
undetermined. Determined adjectives carry the suffix {-k} oder {-ik}. In some cases, the last syllable is
shortened in favour of the adjective marker (as in mitoma > mite min, ‘sharp’, see examples).
Examples (undetermined):
(cid:131) kali, ist. ‘girl’ > kilin, adj. ‘girlish, childlike’
(cid:131) gald, ist. ‘autumn’ > goldin, adj. ‘autumn’
(cid:131) mitoma, ist. ‘thorn, blade’ > mitemin, adj. ‘sharp’
(cid:131)
thrun, ist. ‘fire’ > thronin, adj. ‘firey’
Examples (bestimmt):
(cid:131) vrel, ist. ‘wisdom’ > vrœlik, adj. ‘this wise’
(cid:131) œril, ist. ‘money, coin’ > erilik, adj. ‘this rich’
22
Notable exceptions:
These adjectives (along with some others) are further relics from Veriden’s linguistic past, and are
exceptions to the above rule. In this list, the first form is the undetermined adjective, the second is
bestimmt.
(cid:131) kojœ, ist. ‘cleanliness, pureness’ > kojœm/ikojœ, adj. ‘clean, pure’
(cid:131) xeŋesij, ist. ‘holy wisdom’ > xeŋ/xenek, adj. ‘enlightened’
(cid:131) mit/imit, adj. ‘good’
(cid:131) xak/ixak, adj. ‘dangerous, intimidating’
(cid:131) oja/ixoja, adj. ‘shapely, round, full, satisfying, enticing’
(cid:131) mivatrij/mivatrik, adj. ‘beautiful’
(cid:131) nimlaarij/nimlaarik, adj. ‘strong’
(cid:131)
frinjem/frinik, adj. ‘cold’
4.5.3 Comparation of Adjectives
The comparative form of adjectives is created with the addition of the prefix {-itr-, -itra-}, the superlative
form is created by using {-itrait-}. The adjective case markers are placed in front of the prefix. Der
following table demonstrates several adjectives as they would appear in various cases.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Translation
thronin
mitrathronin
mitraitronin [reduction of
firey > more firey >
-tth- to -t-]
most firey; instr. sg.
nerilin
nitrerilin
nitraiterilin
rich > richer >
richest; sg. animate,
undetermined
inanimate,
bestimmt
23
Table 8. Selection of irregular adjective comparations.
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Translation
mit / imit
jenljet / iljet
jenljejet / jeniljejet
good > better > best;
acc. sg. determined/
undetermined
nimlaarij / nimlaarik
nolarij / nolarik
nalarij / nalarik
strong > stronger >
strongest
4.5.4 Derivation of Adverbs
Adverbs are derived from the root of the adjective in question, to which the prefix {ċik-}, {ċi-}, oder {ċ-} Ist
added. The choice of prefix depends largely on the length of the adjective, as Veriden strives for an optimum
of shortness of form and phonetical clarity. The following examples demonstrate the entire derivation
process as begun with the noun, including some irregular patterns, which are marked by colour. Sentences
using these words follow.
Noun
Adjective root
Adverb
Bedeutung
uexa
rajthura
uoxa
rajthora
ċikuoxa
ċrajthora
love > love-like > lovingly
twilight > half-dark, half-light >
shady (as in shady business)
ċuli
ċal
ċiċal
home > comfortable, familiar >
nimlaar
nimlaar
ċnimlaar
strength >
strong >
strongly,
powerfully
friendly/intimately, comforting in
the way that only a member of a
person’s closest circle can be
(8) The man kissed his wife lovingly.
Hel’ ikal’ðej ċikuoxa mil’as.
Man ACC.-woman-HIS lovingly kiss-3RDPERSAORIST.
24
(9) The thieves exchange coins shadily.
(10)
She embraced me intimately.
Ða sje ċiċal dadjis.
(11)
The wind blew strongly over the land.
5 VERBAL MORPHOLOGY
5.1 CONJUGATIONAL CLASSES
In Veriden, there are two main flectional classes. The larger of the two, conjugation I, contains all transitive
verbs and most non-transitive verbs. Conjugation II is smaller and is semantically motivated: it contains all
verbs of movement, as well as verbs that fall into the area of metaphysics, abstract terms for existing, usw.
(z.B. to transcend, to live/exist, to die, to go, to dream prophetically…) This reflects traditional Veridian
Philosophie, which will be elaborated on elsewhere.
If the stem of a verb (historisch!) ends on a consonant, the infinitive marker is {-ij}, such as in nir
‘swiftness’ > nirij ‘to hurry’. If a stem historically ends on a vowel, as łauexa ‘love’, the infinitive marker
will be {-ja}: łauexaja ‘to love’. Both infinitive types, {-ij} und {-ja}, imply the conjugation according to
conjugational class I.
For conjugation II, the infinitive is typically {-dʒij}, as in ildʒij, ‘to live’. While the infinitive ending is
always dropped during conjugation, the /d/ remains on the stem in certain environments. Some verbs also
carry the ending {-ij}, and fall into this category based on their semantics, not their formal appearance.
25
5.2 TENSES
5.2.1 Present Tenses
Old High Veriden has two present tenses: the Currens and the Inchoative.
5.2.1.1 Currens
The Currens Present designates current states and continuous actions as well as one-time actions taking
place during the moment of speech. This tense is used to describe any state or action that is taking place at
the moment of utterance, and therefore comes very close to the English present continuous. The Currens is
the simplest of all tenses.
Currens Present: Conjugation I
sg.
1. -lje
2. -el
3. -la
Example: jevja, ‘to write’
sg.
1. jevlje
2. jevel
3. jevla
pl.
1. -lim
2. -l‘em
3. -l‘am
pl.
1. jevlim
2. jevl‘em
3. jevl‘am
Currens Present: Conjugation II
sg.
1. -djij
2. -djej
3. -dja
pl.
1. -dim
2. -de
3. -dar
26
Example: adʒij, ‘to know’
sg. [dd > d]
1. adjij
2. adjej
3. adja
5.2.1.2 Inchoative
pl.
1. addim
2. adde
3. addar
The Inchoative designates actions about to begin, relative to the moment of utterance.
[work in progress]
5.2.2 Past Tenses
5.2.2.1 Praeteritum
The Praeteritum, or simple past, is used to describe actions (or states) that took place regularly in the past,
and may or may not still reach into the present. The Praeteritum is derived from the stem of the infinitive,
to which the formant {-a-}/{-eja-} and the personal ending is added. Plural forms also follow this pattern,
but contain phonological contractions.
Praeteritum: Conjugation I
sg.
1. -aj /-ejaj
2. -al / ejal
3. -a / -eja
pl.
1. ejim [>ejajim]
2. ejem [>ejajem]
3. ejaam [>ejajam]
27
Example: vlemja, ‘to give, to make a gift’
sg.
1. vlemejaj
2. vlemejal
3. vlemeja
pl.
1. vlemejim [>ejajim]
2. vlemejem [>ejajem]
3. vlemejaam [>ejajam]
Praeteritum: Conjugation II
sg.
1. -m / -am
2. -n /-en
3. -d / -ad
Example: ildʒij, ‘to live’
sg.
1. ildjam
2. ildjen
3. ildjad
pl.
-ot (all plurals)
pl.
ildjot (alle)
5.2.2.2 Aorist
The Aorist is used to describe actions that took place once (=not recurringly) in the past and are completed.
The Aorist is derived from the infinitive stem, which is modified phonetically according to the following
pattern:
(cid:131)
e, i > a
(cid:131) u > o
(cid:131)
An, o, œ > i
The resulting stem is known as the Aorist stem and is used in the derivation of participles.
28
Examples:
(cid:131) pradja ‘to meet’ > prid-
(cid:131)
isudʒij ‘to die’ > isod’-
(cid:131) ðoxeja ‘to wait’ > ðixe-
(cid:131)
lauexaja ‘to love’ > laaxa- [contraction of
sg.
1. laaxaj
2. laaxal
3. laaxas
Aorist o-conjugation
sg.
1. -j / -ij
2. -l / -al
3. -t / -it
pl.
laaṡus
pl.
-jut
29
Examples: isudʒij ‘to die’ > isod’-
sg.
1. isodij
2. isodal
3. isodit
Aorist i-conjugation
sg.
1. -j / -aj
2. -l / -al
3. -t / -at
pl.
isodjut
pl.
-at
Examples: pradja ‘to meet’ > prid-
sg.
1. pridaj
2. pridal
3. prit (!)
pl.
pridat
The third person plural form is prit to avoid homonymy with the plural form.
5.2.3 Future Tenses
Old High Veriden has three future tenses, two of which are periphrastic and make use of the auxiliary ṩa.
The other is a synthetic tense, using only one verb form.
5.2.3.1 Simple Future
The future perfect tense describes actions and states that will be completed in the future – its function is
similar to the Slavic perfective aspect. The paradigm is derived from the infinitive stem, to which the
formant {-ru-} and the personal endings are added.
30
Simple Future: Conjugation I
sg.
1. -ruje
2. -ruel’
3. -rula
pl.
1. -ruim
2. -ruem
3. -ruam
Example: jevja, ‘to write’
sg.
1. jevruje
2. jevruel’
3. jevrula
pl.
1. jevruim
2. jevruem
3. jevruam
Simple Future: Conjugation II
The plural of conjugation II is syncretic with the plural of conjugation I, only the singular paradigms differ.
sg.
1. -rud
2. -rudje
3. -rudja
Example: adʒij, ‘to know’
sg.
1. arud
2. arudje
3. arudja
pl.
1. -ruim
2. -ruem
3. -ruam
pl.
1. adruim
2. adruem
3. adruam
31
5.2.3.2 ṩa-Future and Plusquamperfect
The ṩa-future tense describes actions and states that will begin in the future. This future is formed
periphrastically, d.h. with the auxiliary ṩa, which is derived from the Old Veriden ṩak, ‘to want, desire’.
Despite its etymological background, ṩa does not carry the implications of a desired or potential action; it
has evolved into a purely grammatical function word.
The auxiliary ṩa has its own conjugation pattern, though it is very similar to the conjugation of iðri and
modal verbs:
sg.
1. ṩa
2. ṩak
3. ṩa
pl.
1. ṩim
2. ṩem
3. ṩim
The conjugated ṩa is then combined with the infinitive to create the ṩa-future (Beispiele (12) und (13)), oder
the perfect participle to create the plusquamperfect (example (14)). The auxiliary may be placed relatively
freely, but should be placed either before the connected NP, or behind it with the full verb (see examples).
Syntactically, the auxiliary takes the slot where the optional personal/demonstrative pronouns would go.
(12)
Thlef ṩa jevja.
NOM-Book shall-1ST.PERS.SG. write-INF.
‘I shall write [and finish] a book’.
(13)
Ṩak eaka kjujut iðri.
Shall-2ND.PERS.SG. eternally INSTR.-eunuch be-INF.
‘You shall always be a eunuch.’
(14)
Thlef ṩa javge.
NOM-Book shall-1ST.PERS.SG. written-PERF.PART.
32
5.3 PARTICIPLES
Veriden uses participles to modify nouns (ie. a startled child, an on-going event, usw.). Participles are also
used to create the passive, the conditional, as well as in various syntactical settings (as adjectives,
adverbs…). Veriden makes use of adverbial participles, which cannot be inflected, and adjective participles,
which can be inflected.
5.3.1 Adverbial participles
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
[infinitive stem] + {-ʃti}
reflexive markers combine with the suffix: {-lʃti}
always bind to the subject of the sentence
cannot be declined
o Tlaalʃti dœja, ʒecejem.
o Drinking beer, we talked.
o Ʒeʃti, tlaajemlje dœja.
o Talking, we drank beer.
5.3.2 Inflected participles
(cid:131) Show simultaneous actions and states
(cid:131) Can be declined into all cases (except vocative)
Present active participle
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
[adj. case marker] + [infinitive stem] + {-koj}
carried out by the noun it modifies
o “We walked beneath the twinkling stars.”
Present passive:
(cid:131)
[adj. case marker] + [infinitive stem] + {-tje}
33
(cid:131)
Is carried out on the noun it modifies
o Eċtek ralij oternamr janjexatje opejsaj.
o Not-yet see-1STAOR GEN.-play GEN.-mentioned by GEN.-teacher-my.
o “I haven’t yet seen the play mentioned by my teacher.”
Perfect participles
(cid:131) Demonstrate an action that took place before the action of the main clause
(cid:131) Bind to the subject of the phrase, and are therefore always in the nominative case
(cid:131) Most easily translated with “After…” or phrases such as “Having done something,…”
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
(cid:131)
“Having finished his coffee, the man left for work.” or
“Finished with breakfast, the man left for work.”
[aorist stem] + {-ŋe} oder {-ge} (after most consonants)
6 SYNTAX
6.1 CLAUSE STRUCTURE
6.1.1 Head Alignment
Most Veridian Noun Phrases containing complements are head-final (ex. (15) und (16)). Noun Phrases
containing participles are head-final.
(15)
[VP VRillje [NP mivatrik Nvarel]].
I see the beautiful sunrise.
(16)
[VP VRillje [NP mivatrik Nvarel], [CP jeda [VP Vnjexal] ] ].
I see the beautiful sunrise which you mentioned
34
Verbal Phrases (VPs) are typically head-final, but the alignment shifts to head-initial in subordinate and
embedded clauses.
Veriden has varying structures for Adjective Phrases (APs). An AP may be head-initial or head-final,
depending on semantics. (…)
6.2 SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Thanks to its variety of cases, Old High Veriden is very flexible in terms of sentence structure. Aber,
there are several typical patterns that are used most frequently. These are displayed in the table below.
Simple sentence,
SOV
Rilje mivatrik varel.
ICH
sehen
the beautiful
standard utterance
sunrise.
Simple sentence II
OSV
Mivatrek varel rilje.
ICH
sehen
the beautiful
sunrise. => Pointing out
that I see the sunrise in
particular.
Subordinate and
SVO
…
embedded clauses
6.3 SYNTACTICAL USE OF CASES
6.3.1 Genitive
Genitive of time, z.B. “orajthura” – “by twilight”, used for particular times of day/month/year
6.3.2 Dative
6.3.3 Accusative
35
6.3.4 Locative
6.3.5 Instrumental
Instrumental of time: (like Pol. “każdego dnia”, only in instr.), used for stretches of time or regular
occurences
7 PRAGMATICS
[work in progress]
8 TABLES
8.1 IRREGULAR VERBS
iðri
(to be)
Currens
Praeteritum
Aorist
Future
Adverbial
Gegenwärtig
Vergangenheit
Gegenwärtig
Participle
Participles
Participle
sg.
sg.
= Praet-
sg.
iṡti
aktiv:
ðiŋe
1.
ij
2.
Ist
3.
ið
1.
ijm
2.
jen
3. að
pl.
pl. (alle)
1. edim
iðut
2. edis
3. eda
eritum
1. ðeim
itkoj
passiv:
istje
2. ðak
3. ðaim
pl.
1. ruim
2. ruem
3. ruam
Weil
sg.
sg.
(to have)
1.
jeje
1.
jaruj
= Praet-
eritum
2.
Weil
2.
jar
3.
je
3.
jaje
36
pl.
pl.
1.
jejem
1.
jarim
2.
jerem
2.
jarem
3.
jeju
3.
jaram
37
9 EXAMPLES, TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Ich. Amnaxar xaje ry ðuniversitet thidlim.
INSTR.-every INSTR.-day to DAT.-university go-1STPERSPL.
We go to university every day.
Ii.
Tir fl’itan – Like a butterfly
Tir fl’itan
Nebirl’a jolnirla
Omejl’il’ ju seċla
Tharnsaj ry vi nirla.
Like a butterfly
Like butterfly
Tir fl’itan
Flies around a flower
DAT.-flower around-flies-3RDSGCURR
Nebirl’a jolnirla
38
And tastes its honeydew
GEN.-Honeydew-its and tastes-3RDSGCURR
Omejl’il’ ju seċla
My soul flies to you.
Soul-my to you flies-3RDSGCURR.
Tharnsaj ry vi nirla.
39
iii. Dat Du Min Leevsten Büst (Folk song from Northwest Germany)
Va xatrissaj is
Nimlœ adjel
Thidruje
Orajthura
Lauexalje vje
Oṡax dunruje
Lepnin omoeda
ðoram falla
ðorma falla
Tekto falel
You love-my are
Surely you-know
I will come
By twilight
Dat du min Leevsten büst
Dat du wohl weest
Kumm bi de nacht
Kumm bi de nacht
I love you (not lit. trans.)
Segg, wo du heest
I-will-come by night
Ik kumm um Middernacht
By light of moon
Ik kumm klock een
Father sleeps
Mother sleeps
Vader slöpt
Moder slöpt
Alone you-sleep
Du slöpst aleen
Amrajbet-vje pokruje
Bedroom-door-yours I-knock
Klopp an de Kammerdör
Danruje keln
ðoram vardja
ðorma vardja
Da tet’a thalth
Va xatrissaj is
Nimlœ adjel
Thidruje
Orajthura
Lauexalje vje
Touch the handle
Faat an de Klink
Father thinks
Mother thinks
Vader meent
Moder meent
It’s only the wind
Dat dei de Wind
You love-my are
Surely you-know
I will come
By twilight
I love you
Dat du min Leevsten büst
Dat du wohl weest
Kumm bi de nacht
Kumm bi de nacht
Segg, wo du heest
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