Naretsov Sketch

Naretsov is a new iteration in the same line as Naretvei and Saadan. It is spoken by the Oran, a race of very humanoid aliens from the planet of Anaret, though this language comes from the colony Naret. The design goals of this language are to sound fluid, drawing from Uralic and Japonic languages, though I may incorporate aspects of Celtic or Slavic languages in this version. Syntactically, the language will be primarily VSO as usual for this line. As with other the Sv-languages Saadan and Naretvei, adjectives and relative precede the noun they modify and most affixes are suffixing. Adverbs may appear anywhere, but generally precede the verb. Case is marked on the head, so each argument may technically shift around anywhere it likes so long as all its friends stay with it; this often happens in colloquial speech and for effect in writing, though is frowned upon in formal registers.

Phonology

The current phonology is inspired by the previous languages in this line, which have drawn from many sources. This particular one is a simplification of the more complex parts, and contains some influence from my recent Njema and Ngjawsu sketchlangs. Allophones are written following the base phoneme in parentheses.

As per usual, all non-approximants may become geminate, this is represented in orthography by doubling the character. For affricates, the stop is geminated, the fricative not.

Vowels are noticeably different from Naretvei, primarily the lack of front rounded vowels (/ø/ has been replaced with /ɘ/). Naretvei's palatalizing /e/ remains on as /je/, the more common counterpart of plain /e/.

Before /i/, /j/, and /je̞/, /s/ and /ts/ become /ʃ/ and /tʃ/, respectively. /je̞/ is pronounced closer to [i] than /e/, and /e̞/ is pronounced closer to [ɛ] than /e/.

/u/ and /i/ are often devoiced or elided syllable-finally.

Syllable Structure

Roughly (Consonant)-(Approximant)-Vowel-(Approximant)-(Consonant).

Syntax

Copy-paste from above:

Syntactically, the language will be primarily VSO as usual for this line. As with other the Sv-languages Saadan and Naretvei, adjectives and relative precede the noun they modify and most affixes are suffixing. Adverbs may appear anywhere, but generally precede the verb. Case is marked on the head, so each argument may technically shift around anywhere it likes so long as all its friends stay with it; this often happens in colloquial speech and for effect in writing, though is frowned upon in formal registers.

Verbs

Verbs do not agree with anything. Many are ambitransitive, as in English

TAM and stuff:

• Imperfective/Citation (hä-ne/-nó)

• Participle (-z- between stem and tense affix)

• Combining form (-ó after stem, before other roots)

• Generic Finite/Present (-∅/-(w)e)

• Past/Perfect (-(y)o)

  • Pluperfect (-(y)oro)

• Future (-(y)a)

  • Future perfect (-(y)ala)

• Progressive. Agrees with tense of verb.

  • Present progressive (auxiliary "es")
  • Past progressive (auxiliary "os")
  • Future progressive (auxiliary "as")

• Gnomic (reduplication of initial nucleus)

  • Habitual uses frequentative adverb and gnomic.

• Subjunctive-Conditional (=ta)

• Imperative (ka(n)-)

• Interrogative (front auxiliary "cu" and/or final particle "ca")

  • Interrogative pronouns/demonstratives are often fronted and used in place of "cu".

• Volitive (=hi, formally/archaically =häl)

Nouns

Nouns are simplified from Naretvei. There is no grammatical gender.

Affixes:

• Pluralization (-em- before the first nucleus)
• Combining/Adjective form (-ci)
  • Adverbial form (-ó, same for pure adjectives)

Case:

• Nominative (no marker)
• Accusative (de=, also =de if moved out of normal position and there is an adjective or relative/participle)
• Passive ("ne" particle between subject and object)