Wistanian Language

Wistanian (IPA: /wɪsˈteɪni.ən/), natively known as anigaliylaun (IPA: /əˈnigaˌlilɑn/), is an auxiliary language spoken on the island nation of Wistania. The language stems from a pidgin created between the Nati and Taliv languages during The Wistanian War. After the peace treaty was signed, the Katapu, who were allies with Nati and Taliv but inactive in the war, documented and refined the Nati-Taliv Pidgin for use in the newly established government. Wistanian features mostly Taliv grammar, Nati vocabulary, Katapu influences, many Bolotil loan words, and scientific terms, mathematics, and the lunar calendar derived from the work of the Uzin. Wistanian's native name, anigaliylaun, is a compound of ani (language) and galiylaun (peace). It is translated as "Peace Language."

The five different people groups of Wistania remained isolated from each other for part of the post-war era. However, trade and intermarriage became more commonplace, requiring a competent lingua franca. This is followed by religious evangelism by the Katapu, engineering from the Uzin, and entertainment from the Nati, all of which Wistanian was the primary language for distribution and promotion. Eventually, the language became taught as a mandatory subject in school. After only 100 years, Wistanian advanced from a government-only auxiliary language into the national language of the island, natively and fluently spoken by all of its citizens.

As a result, Wistanian is mostly regular, with a moderately small phonological inventory and vast dialectal variation. It is the most spoken and embraced by the Taliv and Nati people groups, and the least spoken by the Bolotil people group, who often protest the language's difficulty. The other five languages are still spoken, especially the Bolotil language. Both the Uzin and Katapu have important texts written in their languages, while Taliv and Nati have shifted into archaism, although they are still taught in school.

Phonology and Phonotactics
Wistanian features sixteen consonants, four consonant allophones, five vowels, and two vowel allophones. The phonology mostly comes from Taliv, who originally had a larger inventory, which shrunk after the creation of the Taliv-Nati Pidgin. [w] was not present anywhere in the pidgin, but was later added for Bolotil loanwords.

Consonants
The consonants are as follows (allophones are in [brackets]):

Vowels
The vowels are as follows (allophones in [brackets]):

There is one diphthong: /aɪ/.

Phonotactics
Syllables take on a (C)(A)V(N) structure where A represents an approximant and N represents any consonant that is not /j/, /w/, or /ɦ/. The last consonant in a syllable should not equal the first consonant in the next syllable, and neighboring vowels are always separated with /ɦ/, except for /i/ and /ə/, which are separated with /j/.

Orthography
Wistanian employs its own script, but it is romanized with a system that reflects the script and its spellings. The romanization rules are as follows:


 * 1) m, n, b, d, g, v, z, w, and l are represented with their IPA symbol.
 * 2) p, t, and k are represented by bb, dd, and gg, respectively.
 * 3) ʒ, ɦ, ɾ, and j are represented by j, h, r, and y, respectively.
 * 4) ɯ is represented by u.
 * 5) ə and a are represented by a.
 * 6) i and ɪ are represented by i.
 * 7) aɪ is represented by i, but is often written ii or an underlined i.
 * 8) e is represented by aa.
 * 9) ɑ is represetned by au.

Grammar
Wistanian grammar, most of which is simplified Taliv grammar, was built for the purpose of simplifying communication and aiding quick apprehension. However, due to the variety of linguistic influence, it still proved to be an obstacle for speakers such as the Bolotil. It was strictly regularized, due to pidginization and Katapu influence, and lacks many features typical of the daughter languages. However, over the past couple of hundreds of years, some quirks and special features have emerged.

Word Order
Wistanian has Verb-Subject-Object word order (imperatives are VOS), modifiers that follow their head (except for possessive pronouns, numbers, and colors), post-positional spatial suffixes, and non-spatial prepositions. Modifier phrases will usually come at the beginning or end of the sentence. Auxiliary verbs come before transitive verbs, but after the subject, if the verb is intransitive.

gaura navu miramwi miz ilam din aanaulaman garani ggaun zi vaumu. "The young man is quickly carrying three large melons to the market for his mother."

Nouns
Nouns have two cases: the Accusative Case and the non-accusative case. The accusative case is applied only to the object of the sentence, and is always the prefix aa(h)-.

Non-accusative nouns are usually the subject of a sentence or the head of an adposition, and they are not marked (except for pronouns).

Indirect objects take the postposition -wi (toward) and immediately follow the verb.

There is no special vocative case, although it is considered polite to preview the direct address with jiva (excuse me).

Morphology

 * Pluralization: -(a)n
 * Verbs: -(h)a
 * Possession: -na added to the possessor

Note: Proper Nouns never take morphology, including the accusative.

Verbs
There are three aspects: the default imperfective, the perfective, and the gnomic. Tense is mostly implied, but are marked on the perfective and gnomic auxiliary verbs. This is the full chart for the verb viga (eating).

Moods and other aspects and tenses are expressed through modifiers and phrases.

Derivational Morphology
Infinitives are denoted by the particle di if the verb is the subject, and daa if the verb is the object. The subject of an infinitive is considered the object of the preposition vaul (of). Therefore "to eat food" would translate to di viga vaul garauda. (Lit. "to eat of food").

Other forms of nominalization include:


 * Doer of X: -zaun ("eater" = vigazaun)
 * Place of X: -hani/-huz ("restaraunt" = vigahani / "dining room" = vigahuz)
 * The idea of X: -haun ("The idea of eating" = vigahaun)

Verbs can also become modifiers.

The Noun is carrying out the action: in- ("the eating boy" = dari inviga) The Noun is recieving the action: gaun/vaun/laun ("the boy being eaten" = dari vaun inviga.)

Converbs
There are a few converbs, which act differently than other verbs. The most important of theses converbs is va which essentially means "to be" and is used as a copula, auxiliary verb, and relative conjunction.

As a copula, the word order is psuedo-SVO. Technically, there is only the subject, a relative particle, and an object of the relative clause, and the following sentence is a fragment, which are legal in Wistanian grammar.

viddaru va garauda. [fruit COP food.] "fruit is food."

As an auxiliary verb, it acts as the gnomic particle.

va viga dari aagarauda [GNO eating boy ACC-food] "The boy eats food."

As a relative conjunction, it can be translated as "which is."

viga dari aaviddaru va garauda. [eating boy ACC-fruit which.is food.] "The boy is eating fruit, which is a food."

There are two other converbs: na (having) and vaun (doing).

Modifiers
Modifiers come immediately after their head, except for possessive pronouns, numbers, and colors (which precede their heads). Technically, nouns with postpositions are considered modifiers and therefore follow these rules. There is no morphology between adjectives and adverbs since they rely on word order to convey meaning.

"The loud boy is eating." viga dari urabaa.

"The boy is eating loudly" viga urabaa dari.

Honorifics
Wistanian has a very exciting honorific system with several unique features. Honorifics are used for almost everyone: familial relationships and close friendships, authorities and superiors, and people who are younger than you. They are often said after a proper noun, take inflectional morphology, and can replace the 2nd person pronouns.

Special Links for #Grammar
(Add a bunch of links here!) Ideas, which will eventually be put in a pretty table and alphabetized:

Questions Imperative Sentences Negativity Comparitives and Superlatives Intensifiers Measurement Direction Verb Modality Pronouns Fragments and Run-Ons Stress Dependent Clauses Independent Clauses Compound Nouns Proper Nouns Numbers Colors Demonstratives