Redkeep Language Family

[name forthcoming] is the language spoken in Redkeep and surrounding land, as well as the more conservative* relative of a number of diaspora languages originating from the refugees of the [gendarme] civil war. It features SVO word order (formerly SOV), ergative-absolutive alignment, and no voicing distinction (in core vocabulary). The Halpost, [lowlands], and [RKcore] lects are all considered parts of standard [RKlang], while [KHlect], [ESClect], and [northilect] are all considered different, related languages. While the [RKlang] varieties are more fusional, the farther forms are far more analytic, having levelled much of the nominal and/or verbal morphology. This page covers the [lowland] and [highland] lects of RKlang.

Here is a list of all RKlang family members, including Halpost RKlang.

*[RK] was originally conceived of as a standalone, isolate namelang - for this reason, and because I usually don't create proto-languages unless I'm planning on fleshing out the whole family, modern RK will usually be treated as the proto-language. If you dislike this choice: (1) know I am with you on this and (2) go soak your head.

I have done so little work on this-these clong(s) it's crazy.

RKlang Core

Phonology

[RKlang] has a consonant inventory comprising 21 consonant phonemes and 5 vowels (you know the ones), with no length or tonal distinctions. Because inserting charts seems like a pain, I have them listed below:

Consonants
In IPA unless otherwise noted.

Plosives: | p | t | <tt>/ʈ | k |

Fricatives: | f | s | <ss>/ʂ | x | h |

Affricates: all homoorganic affricates. Romanized retroflex orthography <tss>

Nasals: | m | n | <ng>/ŋ |

Sonorants: | <w>/ʋ | r | l | j | <g>/ɰ |

Romanization note: In personal names, archaic contexts, and present-day highland RK, nonstandard romanizations are fairly common. Most often, <b> may be used for ʋ, <c> or <sh> may be used for ʂ, and a variety of forms including <ch>, <tch>, <tsh>, <c> and <cc>, may be used for ʈʂ.

Vowels

Vowels: a e i o u
That's the low front [a], not the low back [ɑ].

Phonotactics

Core RKlang features fixed, ultimate stress on most words, which stress is marked by a high pitch and an enlongated vowel.

The max syllable structure is OSVN (obstruent sonorant vowel nasal), with banned clusters: labial-g, retroflex-r, and retroflex-g. Non-homoorganic ON clusters are also impossible: nasals in clusters assimilate totally to the preceding obstruent.

Minimal consonant is V: words a, e, and u make use of this.

Morphology

Nouns and adjectives are marked for case and class. Specifically, there are four declensions, which broadly match up with the four noun classes. There are nine cases: ergative, absolutive, dative, genitive, ablative, allative, vocative, instrumental, and commitative.

There are seven pronoun sets in RKlang (accounting for a first person inclusive and exclusive plural). They are limited to animate referrents (typicaly human) have fewer cases than nouns, lacking vocative, instrumental, and commitative.