User:Alessa/Sandbox/Maurit

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Maurit
Lìnnua maurit
/'lin.nwä mɔ'ɾit/
Official inMauretiaFlag-new.svg Mauretia
Also spoken inMauroi diaspora in Flag of the FSA.svg Federal States and elsewhere
Estimated number of speakers~16.3 million (L1)
~5.7 million (L2, estimated)
Regulating bodySa Qollegiat Maurit
Signed formSigned Maurit
Recognized dialectsKabeyit, Azigit, and Tangereyit
Language familyRomantish (Southwestern, Ghetorian)
Maurit Alphabet
Aa Bb Gg Dd Ee Ff Zz Hh Ṭṭ [Øð] Ii Yy Kk
Ll Mm Nn Ss Oo Pp Cc Qq Rr Xx Tt Uu Vv Ww
Norms of linguistic structure
Common constituent word orderVSO (verb–subject–object)
Modifier placementImmediately after except if numbers, determiners, or select exceptions
Noun declensions
CaseGenderNumber
Verb conjugations
AspectMoodNumber
PersonTenseVoice
Adjective declensions
CaseGenderNumber

Maurit, rarely and incorrectly Mauretian, is a Romantish language found in southwestern Uletha. It is spoken in and the official language of Mauretia and the principal liturgical language of the Mauroi Church. The language is still commonly spoken among first and second-generation Mauroi abroad, particularly in places like the Federal States. Maurit evolved from a regional Vulgar Romantish that was highly influenced by the local cultures. The language also developed with nearly nine hundred years of cultural isolation. As a result, Maurit has some notable distinctions from other Romantish languages.

History

Maurit is a Romantish language that is a descendant of a local dialect of Romantish spoken in antiquity. Romantish supplanted the local languages over the course of four centuries. Many words, idioms, and even a few grammatical tendencies became embedded into the regional Romantish dialect. In the seventh century, Old Maurit became the language of the royal court, aristocracy, and merchants of the new "unified" Maureti kingdom. Regional idiosyncrasies continue to the present in pronunciation and vocabulary. The language was unofficially standardized in 1793 with the Royal Lexicon, an official dictionary of Maurit terms and phrases. The lexicon introduced the use of ⟨Ṭ, ṭ⟩ in place of the theta-derived ⟨Ø, ð⟩ pair. It also attempted to remove the ambiguity of a "c duru" (/q/ or /k/) and a "c morru" (/ts/) that remained in about seventy words common enough to appear in the document. Official standardization took place in 1889, as part of wider education and societal reforms. By this point, however, the spellings of the Royal Lexicon were by far the most common in the country. The standardized language protocol allows for three officially recognized dialects, each of which has itself a degree of standardization. All government publications and official commerical documents are required to be in standard Maurit by law, although certain regionalisms do appear in print with regularity.

Othography and phonology

Maurit uses a version of the standard Romantish alphabet as its alphabet. Owing to its Semetic and Hellanesian substrata, the standard alphabet is in a different order than its Romantish counterpart. A few glyphs also represent different sounds than what is found in most Romantish languages. The Maurit alphabet contains 26 letters:

Aa • Bb • Gg • Dd • Ee • Ff • Zz • Hh • Ṭṭ • Ii • Yy • Kk • Ll • Mm • Nn • Ss • Oo • Pp • Cc • Qq • Rr • Xx • Tt • Uu • Vv • Ww

The language has one digraph, ⟨au⟩ that operates as a single sound (/ɔ/). The digraph is included on the chart below on account of its singular sound, but it is not a constituent member of the alphabet in its own right. The digraph ⟨au⟩ is distinguished from the diphthong ⟨aù⟩ by the use of a diacritic. Diacritics do not alter the sound of the vowel in any other instances and are not considered separate letters.

Maurit alphabet
Letter A B G D E F Z H
Maurit name alfa beya gama dela e fa zaya hes ṭeya
Phonetic value /aː/ /b/ /g/ /d/ /e/, /ɛ/ /f/ /z/ /h/[1] /θ/
 
Letter I Y K L M N S O P
Maurit name id yod kaù la me nu so pe
Phonetic value /i/ /j/ /k/ /l/ /m/ /n/ /s/ /o/ /p/
 
Letter C Q R X T U V W AU[2]
Maurit name ce quf rex xix taya umea ve
Phonetic value /t͡s/ /q/ [3] /r/, /ɾ/ /ʃ/ /t/ /uː/ or /y/ /v/ /w/ /ɔ/
  1. Regionally pronounced as /χ/
  2. Although not a unique entry in the alphabet, it is the only digraph in Maurit that represents a single sound. A diphthong of /a/ and /u/ is represented by ⟨aù⟩ to distinguish it from the digraph.
  3. Pronounced as /ʔ/ in interior dialects or allophonic with /k/ in southern cities.
  4. When not marked by a diacritic, syllabic accents are always on the penultimate syllable. There are two notable points to explain: if words end in ⟨i⟩ plus another vowel (⟨–ia⟩, ⟨–io⟩, ⟨–iu⟩), the two vowels together are treated as a single syllable in function; and diacritics mark syllabic accents in places other than the prescribed rule. The type of diacritic used to indicate a rising or falling inflection on the accent, but this fell out of use by the sixteenth century outside aristocratic circles. In modern practice, the direction of diacritic is simply useful to distinguish homophones in written or printed text.

    Grammar

    Word order

    Basic word order: Primary word order in Maurit is verb–subject–object (VSO). Compound sentences that have subordinate clauses or negative conjunctions flip the verb to the end. Interrogatives (questions) also use a subject–object–verb (SOV) structure to mark their syntactic role. In some cases, participles can be separated from their auxiliary verbs with the subject and object in between.

    Amat Diana maritu seu. ("Diana loves her husband.")
    Amat Diana maritu seu qi xartografiam desinnat. ("Diana loves her husband who draws maps.")
    Diana xartografiam desinnat? ("Does Diana draw maps?")
    At Diana xartografiam desinnadu. ("Diana has drawn maps.")

    Modifiers: In most cases, adjectives follow the noun that is being modified. The exceptions are all numbers, all determiners, and a set collection of eleven words. Adjective order is important in most cases, as well. Quantities, some subjective opinion words (e.g. "beautiful"), some words related to size or age proceed the noun, while size, shape, color, and material follow. If a noun has a prepositional clitic attached to it, non-numerical adjectives that proceed it also receive the clitic. Similarly, most adverbs follow the verb that is being modified. In instances of auxiliary verbs, the adverb follows the auxiliary verb and not the participle.

    Declensions and conjugations

    Nouns: In Maurit, nouns can decline (be altered) based on number. Number is marked in three values: singular, dual, and plural. A dual number indicates two of something and is marked by the addition of ⟨–n⟩. In rare cases if a noun ends in a consonant other than ⟨r⟩, the original accent is marked by a diacritic on the accented syllable, and the ⟨–en⟩ suffix is added to indicate a dual number. Plural suffixes indicate three or more of a noun and are marked by ⟨–m⟩ or, in the rare instance, ⟨–em⟩.

    Construct state: Nouns also can decline to indicate grammatical possession by using a construct state on the possessed noun. Construct states affect the first of two nouns only and are not used with pronouns. An example would be the phrase "the hill of the queen." Another way to say it is "the queen's hill," with the ⟨'s⟩ added to indicate which item is possessing. Contrastingly, Maurit marks the possessed item with a suffix. The phrase in Maurit would be "sa qollinat melka," where "hill" (qollina) is marked as the possessed item and not "queen" (melka). There are two potential suffixes that can be added, each reflecting a relation between the two nouns. The construct suffix is added after the dual or plural suffix.

    Affix Explanation Example
    ⟨–s⟩ Used primarily in formal instances. Indicates that the first noun is on behalf of the second noun or standing in representation of the second noun. su documentus linnarore ("the carpenter's identification papers")
    Uncommon. Indicates that the first noun is a general or communal gift from or on behalf of someone. sa donatios su linnarore ("the carpenter's donation")
    ⟨–t⟩ Indicates that the first noun is a constituent part or portion of the second noun. su qappot su linnarore ("the head of the carpenter")
    Indicates that the first noun is a owned by or in bond with the second noun. sa famiriat su linnarore ("the family of the carpenter")

    Pronouns and verbs: It is common in Maurit sentences to exclude a pronoun if it is the subject of a sentence. This is permitted because the pronoun is implied by the conjugation of the verb by person and number. The exception is with the verb essere ("to be"). This verb is highly irregular and is typically dropped when in the present perfect and always when a pronoun is the subject. Essere is not dropped, however, when the verb is in a different tense or mood; it is also not dropped when an auxiliary verb. It is considered extremely bad etiquette in particular to say "seo eo" (I am) in virtually any setting.

    Desinno xartografiam. ("I draw maps.") Not desinno eo xartografiam.
    Eo xartografiadoro. ("I am a cartographer.") Not seo eo xartografiadoro.
    Qi et? Eo mihi. ("Who is? I am [lit. I myself].")

    Sample translation

    Excerpt from "Life, A Modern Fable" (by Alessa Purpurioi, 1999)
    Ingerish text Maurit text
    They have seen and have conquered it all: the sea, the land, and the sky. Boats traverse the waves and cross the oceans. One could say every bay has a city, and every river has a village. From their cities and villages come roads and railways. Valleys are filled with their farms, and mountains host their games. The roads and railways connect them all. But, even the sky is theirs. They take to the sky and travel to places far away, connecting other people like themselves: people who have seen and have conquered it all. An bidu u an bintu issom ad-onne: sam ṭassam, sam terram, u su qelu. Abbulant nabem as-undam u as-ṭassam. Didicit iste qisqu'abaya una urbe ayé, u qisque frumme unu uiku ayé. Erradiant sam viam u sam ferruviam es-urbem u es-uikum. Et ballem ad-agrom issorum impreu, u hospitant sum harm yogum issorum. Qoligent sam viam u sam ferruviam al-onne. Mai, issoru su qelu et. Micint ad-qelu upos abbulant al-loqotarem lonyetàm, qoligando ad-genti arteru siqut issomque: unu genti qi ad-onne an bidu u an bintu.

    Reading Maurit on the map

    Directions and map legend
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    ausriu nmsouth
    ausru, –a adjsouthern
    bolebro nmsoutheast
    brealiu; breu nmnorth
    breu, –a adjnorthern
    disi nmwest
    kauru nmnorthwest
    ocidenci, –a adjwestern
    orienci, –a adjeastern
    solano nmeast
    tarfe nmsouthwest
    tramutta nmnorthwest
    Physical geography and landforms
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    abaya nfbay
    akta nfbeach
    arbolaria nfforest
    arbore nmtree
    arrupe nfcliff
    arxipèlago nmarchipelago
    balle nfbroad valley
    desertu nmdesert
    emka nfvalleyheights on three sides
    fossa nfcanal
    frumme nfriver
    har nmmountainRegionally: hor
    isla nfislandd: iln; p: ilm
    istannu nmlagoon
    laqu nmlakeDiminutive: laquna (nf)
    litoria nmcoast
    nama nfstream
    okeana nfocean
    pratu nmmeadowRegionally: praù
    praya nfshoreline
    qambu nmfieldContracted to qamb– in proper names
    qappo nmpeninsulaCognate of "head"
    qelu nmsky
    qollina nfhill
    sol nmsun
    ṭassa nfsea
    Materials and products
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    aer nmairMost commonly in the irregular plural (arim)
    auru nmgold
    ferru nmiron
    fosfro nmphosphorus
    ismaraggi nmemerald
    karpa nmcotton
    lepi nmrock
    linnu nmwood
    maya nfwaterMost commonly in the plural (mayam)
    olibe nfolive
    petra nfstone
    pixe nmfish
    purpura nfpurple dye
    saxu nmpebble
    Political and social geography
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    albilla nmvillage
    alegatia nfembassy
    biqu nmneighborhood
    cibitate nmcitizenship
    dobana nfcustoms
    etno nmnationality
    famiria nffamily
    géneya nfclanFamiliar division below tribe
    geno nmtribeFamiliar division below nation
    isorio nmboundary
    mauro, –a adjMauro ethnicity
    mauroi adjethnicity of those with Mauro cultureOccasionally declines to maurai
    medna nfcity center
    metròpoli nfmetropolis
    natio, –onala adjnational
    nationa nfnation
    pago nmcountry
    poli nfcity (generic)
    probincia nfprovinceLearned form, since 16th c.
    pubrane nmwardDivision of city
    qolna nfcity with rights
    qommune nmcommunity, settlement
    uiku nmhamlet, settlement
    urbe nftownAlso, city but without rights
    –i suffixdefines ethnicity or progeny of a people group
    Transportation and movement geography
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    abenida nfavenue
    anella nfring, ring road
    ariaportu nmairport
    autodroma nfmotorwayOriginally autovia, hence nf
    bikuklodrome nmcycleway
    cirqu nmroundabout
    ferrovia nfrailroad
    isqambiatoro nminterchange
    israta nfhighway
    isrintu nmalley
    istatio nmtrain station
    nodu nmjunction, intersection
    pevia nmfootway, sidewalk
    peyodrome nmrunning track
    ponte nmbridge
    porṭémino nmferry, ferryboat
    portu nmport
    qalla nfstreet
    sedaro nmboulevard
    via nfroad
    Buildings and facilities
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    agro nmfarm
    amfiṭeatro nmamphitheater
    basiliqa nfbasilica
    biblioṭeqa nflibrary
    domu nmhouse
    emporio nmmarket
    eqlicia nfchurchRegionally, "eklicia"
    foro nmforum
    frabilia nfforge
    funtana nffountain
    galleria nfmall
    horto nmgarden
    hospitale nmhospital
    introtto nmentrance
    isperqa nfclimbing parapet
    isqola nfschool
    istadiu nmstadium
    mayemeya nfmarina
    murru nmwall
    museo nfmuseum
    osaria nfcemeteryLit. "place of bones"
    palacia nfpalace
    parqe nmpark
    porta nfdoor
    pracia nfplaza
    pulla nfgate in city walls
    qapella nfchapel
    qasra nmcastle
    qatedrala nfcathedral
    qentenaria nfpasture
    tempru nmtemple
    ṭeatro nmtheatre
    terrebevarm nmplcatacomb, burial ground
    turre nmtower
    università nfuniversity
    Miscellaneous words
    Maurit wordTranslationNotes
    albu, –a adjwhite
    bellu, –a adjbeautiful
    bene advwell
    betru, –a adjold
    birdi, –a adjgreen
    bonu, –a adjgood
    kalaino, –a adjcyan, turquoise
    kianeo, –a adjblue
    melka nfqueen
    meloke nmking
    nigru, –a adjblack
    niu, nea adjnew
    numa nfMaureti currency
    prannu, –a nmflat
    rosso, –a adjred
    sansu, –a nsaint