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This article needs to be expanded. |
| Seretian | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kýwhi Serhetiq | ||
| Pronunciation | /ˈkuːɸi seˈʁetʰiʃ/ | |
| Spoken in |  Nithalosia
| |
| Total speakers | 7,185,000 | |
| Language family | language isolate
| |
| Writing system | Latin | |
| Official status | ||
| Official language in | None | |
| Recognised minority language in | Nithalosia
| |
| Regulated by | ||
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1 | None | |
| ISO 639-2 | – | |
| ISO 639-3 | – | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
Seretian (Kýwhi Serhetiq natively, Sereta Adeg in Nithalosian) is an official minority language of Nithalosia and official language of Seretia state.
Contents |
Revival
The language was the official language of Independent Seret up until the annexation of the nation in 1906.
Phonology and Orthography
| Aa | Ää | Au | Ei | Ee | Ai | Ii | Yy | Ýý | Oo | Öö | Ou | Uu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /a/ | /æ/ | /aʊ/ | /ei/ | /e/ | /ai/ | /i/ | /ʊ/ | /ʉ/ | /o/ | /ø/ | /oʊ/ | /ɔ/ |
| Bb | Dd | Dh | Ff | Gg | Hh | Jj | Kk | Ll | Mm | Nn | Ng | Pp | Qh | Rr | Rh | Ss | Tt | Th | Vv | Ww | Wh | Xx | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /b/ | /d/ | /ð/ | /f/ | /g/ | /h/, /:/, /ʔ/† | /j/ | /k/ | /l/ | /m/ | /n/ | /ŋ/ | /p/ | /ʃ/ | /ç/ | /r/ | /ʁ/ | /s/ | /t/ | /θ/ | /v/ | /w/ | /ɸ/ | /χ/ |
† The letter <h> varies depending on how it's situated. In an initial position like "hasöqai" it is pronounced /h/ as in /hasøːʃai/. In an intervocalic situation, it is /ʔ/ as in "thehaing" which is /ʔ/ in /θeʔaiŋ/. In a final position it lengthens the vowel(s) before it and automatically shifts the stress to that syllable. Compare "whigä" (/ˈɸiːgæ/) vs "whigäh" (/ɸiˈgæː/).
Morphology
Pronominal
Like the nouns in Seretian, the pronouns decline into 7 cases. There is no distinction between singular and plural pronouns. That is, "I" is the same as "we", and "you" is the same as "you(s)". To specify a singular object, you refer to it by it's proper name.
| 1st Person | 2nd Person | 3rd Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOM | Qou | Ný | Dau |
| ACC | Qoua | Nýa | Daua |
| DAT | Qoue | Nýhe | Daue |
| GEN | Qohi | Nýhi | Daui |
| LOC | Quoam | Nýem | Dauam |
| MOT | Quoxa | Núhxa | Daux |
| INSTR | Quog | Nýhg | Daug |
Nominal
There are seven nominal cases in Seretian. The table below outlines the affixes used and gives an example using pörhon (cow - closed ended noun) and häqivi (horse - open ended noun).
| Case | Affix | pörhon | häqivi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -Ø | pörhon | häqivi |
| Accusative | -(h)a1 | pörhona | häqivia |
| Dative | -(h)e1 | pörhone | häqivie |
| Genitive | -(h)i1 | pörhoni | häqivihi |
| Locative | -em/am | pörhonam | häqiviem |
| Motive | -(i)x2 | pörhonix | häqivix |
| Instrumental | -agi/gi | pörhonagi | häqivigi |
Note 1: The buffer <h> is used to avoid double vowels.
Note 2: The buffer <i> is used only on close ended nouns
Verbal
The verbal system of Seretian is quite complicated, but not too complicated in the same respect.
Verbs in the infinitive form end in -aidh. As well as having six tenses, the verbs conjugate as per the transitiveness of the verb. That is, there is a different ending for intransitive, transitive and ditransitive verbs.
| Intransitive | Transitive | Ditransitive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | -aid syrauhaid | -aud syrauhaud | -äd syrauhäd |
| Immediate Past | -ain syrauhain | -aun syrauhaun | -än syrauh'än |
| Present | -ai syrauhai | -au syrauha | -ä syrauhä |
| Present Continuous | -ýdh syrauhýdh | -ydh syrauhydh | -odh syrauhodh |
| Immediate Future | -öx syrauhöm | -eim syrauheim | -äm syrauhäm |
| Future | -öq syrauhöq | -eiq syrauheiq | -äq syrauhäq |
To demonstrate the point, take a look at the difference in the inflectional suffix for each of these three past tenses (note: rhitaidh = to speak):
| Qou rhitaid | /ʃoʊ ˈʁiːtaid/ | I spoke |
|---|---|---|
| Qou kýwhagihi serhetiq rhitaud | /ʃoʊ kʉˈɸaːgiʔi seˈʁetʰiʃ ˈʁiːtaʊd/ | I spoke (in) Seretian |
| Qou kýwhagihi serhetiq nýhe rhitäd | /ʃoʊ kʉˈɸaːgiʔi seˈʁetʰiʃ ˈnʉːʔə ˈʁiːtæd/ | I spoke to them (in) Seretian |
Syntax
The seretian syntax generally follows the SOV pattern. Additional particles to the verb come after, and adverbs are last in the sentence.
Qou dheivau qou dheivai qen, teha ný dheivai qen wun?
i know.PRES-TRANS i know.PRES-INTRANS not, but you know.PRES-INTRANS not why?
