Giantish


I. Phonology/Orthography

I.1 Vowels

Practical Orthography X-Sampa
Front Back
Highիըո
Midէօ
Lowա
Front Back
Highi1u
Mideo
Low6
Stress is indicated with an acute accent (ի́, է́, ա́, օ́, ո́).

I.2 Consonants

In the tables below, where appropriate, pairs are given of voiceless and voiced.
Practical Orthography X-Sampa
LabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosiveբ պդ տ գ կք
Fricativeֆ վցս զշ խ
Nasalմ ն
Approximantր ռե
Liquidլ
LabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivep bt d k g?
Fricativef vTs zS x
Nasalm n
Approximantw r\j
Liquidl

I.3 Dialectal Variation

There are eight major dialects of Giantish: Cloud, Hill, Stone, Frost, Fire, Storm, Forest, Sun, all derived from the Classical Giantish described herein. We will focus solely on the phonetic differences. Classical Giantish is the dialect described in the rest of the document All dialects will be described by their derivation from Classical Giantish. The samples of dialectical speech:
  1. շգէ́նդի սէ́գընցոն ռիիխօշիկի́նվ
  2. ռիդապա́ռտիլ
  3. կիլիտէ́խի ռիխոկո́վ տախա́նօ
DialectSound ChangesSample Speech
Cloud
  • V --> 0 / V(C*) __ (C)V
  • y --> a / #(C*) __
  • y --> V' / V' (C*) __
  • V --> 0 / __ (C) V'
  • VN --> V'[+nasalized] / __ .
  • Vl --> l'[+syllabic] / __ .
  • Vr --> r'[+syllabic] / __ .
  • V --> 0 / __ #
  1. շգէ́նդ սէգէ́նցոն ռիիխօշկի́նվ
  2. ռիդպռ́տլ
  3. կլ́տէխ ռիխկո́վ տախա́ն
Forest
  • th,q,x,r --> f,0,sh,l
  • l --> w / __ .
  • obstruent --> [-voice] / __ #
  • aj,aw --> e,o
  • b,d,g --> v,z,gh / V __ V
  • p,t,k --> b,d,g / V __ V
  • nt,ns,nd, ms, ... --> nn
  • nv, nth, mp,mv,mb, ... --> mm
  1. շգէ́ննի սէ́կըմմոն լիիշօշիկhի́մմ
  2. լիտավօ́զէ
  3. կիլիզէ́շի լիշոկhո́ֆ տաշա́նօ
Stone
  • tj, dj --> ch, jh
  • 0 --> y / C __ C
  • C --> 0 / __ #
  • V --> 0 / V __
  • t,d,s,z --> ts,dz,sh,zh / __ {i,u}
  1. շըգէ́նըդսի սէ́գընըցոն ռիխօշիկի́նը
  2. ռիդապա́ռըտզի
  3. կիլիտէ́խի ռիխոկո́ տախա́նօ
Hill
  • p,t,k --> w,q,q / V __ V
  • b,d,g --> v,z,l / V __ V
  • V --> 0 / V'(C*) __ .
  • V --> V' / # (C*) __
  • Vr --> VV
  • shp, sht, shk --> ch
  • zhb, zhd, zhg --> jh
  • N C --> C y N
  1. chէ́դըն սէ́քըցընոն ռի́իխօշիլիվըն
  2. ռի́քավաատիլ
  3. կի́լիզէխ ռի́խոլով տա́խան
Fire
  1. գշէ́դնի սէ́գոզhնո ռաեխօշի́ն~իվո
  2. դիռապռա́տլ
  3. կլաետէ́խի ռիխոկվո́ տախնա́ր
Storm
  • V -->[+front] / __ (C*) + (C*) i
  • V -->[+back] / __ (C*) + (C*) u
  • aw,aj,ej,ow --> o,e,i,u
  • ew,oj --> ewo,oji
  • p,b --> k,g / __ V[+front,-low]
  • k,g --> ch,jh / __ V[+back,-low]
  • i,a,u[-stress] --> e,y,o
  • a',e',i',o',u',y' --> aj,i,iw,u,uj,a
  • 0 --> h / # __ V
  • V --> 0 / __ #
New sounds: gh = /G/, ch = /tS/, jh = /dZ/, zh = /Z/,

II. Verbal Morphology

Verb stems are CC*C forms.
CV1C*V2C
VowelV1V2
աpresentinfinitive/participle
իfuturesimple
էfuture perfectivehabitual/repetitive/continuative
ոpastirrealis/hypothetical
օpast perfectiveprophetic/historical
Person Markers
Number
PersonSingDualPlur
1ռի-ռա-ռո-
2դի-դա-ցո-
2(formal)սի-սա-շո-
3ի-ա-ո-
3(formal)իխի-ախա-ոխո-

III. Nominal Morphology

"Cases" marked by postposed clitics:
CaseEnclitic
Ergative/Instrumental=շաե
Absolutive=ի / =ե
Dative/Benefactive=ցոն
Genitive=լօ
Definitiness of NP is marked by having person marker on verb.

Personկիլի-
Thingշիլի-
Timeցոլի-
Place, toտիլի-
Place, atտոլի-
Place, fromտարալի-
Mannerֆալի-
Reasonքալի-
Propertyդիգլի-
Colorպինալի-
"Type"զիվալի-
Heightնիսալի-

Question-րա́խ
IndefiniteA-բէ́խ
B-տէ́խ
C-մէ́խ
D-սէ́խ
DefiniteProximate-վօ́ն
Distal-վի́ն
Universal-պէկա́ն

IV. Syntax


V. Examples


VI. Sample Lexicon

VI.1 Verbs (given in present infinitive form)

զապա́վ
live
ֆա́սախ
sleep
ֆա́նսախ
put to sleep
ֆա́նսախիկ
be put to sleep
խակա́վ
die
խակա́նվ
kill
պա́ռտալ
love/like
դա́աք
go/walk/ride
քա́աք
be
սա́դատ
stand
մազա́տ
fall
կա́մագ
bite
շա́ավ
want
գա́շակ
throw stones

VI.2 Numbers

գռի́
1 (claw)
գիգռի́
2
ցոն
3 (foot)
խոն
4 (hand)
գիխո́ն
5
ցոցո́ն
6
ցօխօ́ն
7
խոխո́ն
8
խոխո́ն գռի́
9

VI.3 Nouns, etc.

սէ́գըն
dog/cat/...
շգէ́նդ
sword
շգէ́լէնդ
dagger
գիդա́բէռ
chosen one
նըկ
again

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Apollo Hogan, Berkeley, California, USA