Phonology
The consonants are common to most European languages, though exact articulation of certain forms may vary from region to region. For example, the palatal sibilants (actually post-alveolars, ideally) are often realized as actual palatals in parts of Eastern Europe, while in the Nordic countries they may be closer to a retroflex. Similarly, the rhotic consonant (R), as in most languages, can have different realizations from region to region and even from town to town.
The vowels are rather simplistic: a classic five-vowel system. There is no distinction of vowel length, and no nasalization. There are no diphthongs. There are no syllabic consonants.
| Consonants |
Labial |
Coronal |
Palatal |
Dorsal |
|
Vowels |
Front |
Back |
| Stop |
p · b |
t · d |
|
k · g |
|
High |
i |
u |
| |
/p/ · /b/ |
/t/ · /d/ |
|
/k/ · /ɡ/ |
|
|
/i/ |
/u/ |
| Affricate |
|
|
tc · dj |
|
|
Med |
e |
o |
| |
|
|
/ʧ/ · /ʤ/ |
|
|
|
/e̞/ |
/o̞/ |
| Fricative |
f · v |
s · z |
c · j |
· h |
|
Low |
a |
| |
/f/ · /v/ |
/s/ · /z/ |
/ʃ/ · /ʒ/ |
/x/ |
|
|
/ä/ |
| Nasal |
m · |
n · |
|
(n) |
|
|
|
|
| |
/m/ |
/n/ |
|
/ŋ/ |
|
|
|
|
| Lateral |
|
l · |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
/l/ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tap/Trill |
|
r · |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
/r/ [ɾ] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Approximant |
w · |
|
y · |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
/w/ |
|
/j/ |
|
|
|
|
|
See Basics > Orthography & Romanization for more information.
Onsets
All words must have a C onset. A standard root is (s)CVC, (s)CRVC, (s)CVRC, (s)CVCR, or (s)CVSC, where (s) can only be followed by p, t, or k; where R is a glide or liquid (r, l, y, w); and where S is a sonorant (r, l, y, w, m, n). The maximum root is CCVSCR, e.g. vringl-. The following is a comprehensive list of all licit word-initial onsets:
| |
+∅ |
+l |
+r |
+w |
+y |
s+ |
| p |
p |
pl |
pr |
|
py |
sp |
| t |
t |
|
tr |
tw |
|
st |
| k |
k |
kl |
kr |
kw |
ky |
sk |
| b |
b |
bl |
br |
bw |
by |
|
| d |
d |
|
dr |
dw |
|
|
| g |
g |
gl |
gr |
gw |
gy |
|
| tc |
tc |
|
|
|
|
|
| dj |
dj |
|
|
|
|
|
| f |
f |
fl |
fr |
|
fy |
|
| s |
s |
|
|
sw |
|
|
| c |
c |
|
|
|
|
|
| h |
h |
|
|
hw |
hy |
|
| v |
v |
vl |
vr |
|
|
|
| z |
z |
|
|
|
|
|
| j |
j¹ |
|
|
|
|
|
| m |
m |
|
|
mw |
my |
|
| n |
n |
|
|
nw |
ny |
|
| l |
l |
|
|
lw |
ly |
|
| r |
r |
|
|
|
|
|
| w |
w |
|
|
|
|
(sw) |
| y |
y |
|
|
|
|
|
¹ Initial J only occurs as an onset for suffixes to convert them into standalone words, e.g. –anglu ‘-Vgon’ → janglu ‘polygon’.
Nuclei
All vowels must be separated by a C; i.e., there are no sequential vowels and no diphthongs.
Medial (intervocalic) consonant clusters can be:
| |
+∅ |
+l |
l+ |
+r |
r+ |
+w |
+y |
N+ |
N+l |
N+r |
N+w |
s+ |
c+ |
s+r |
| p |
p |
pl |
lp |
pr |
rp |
|
py |
mp |
mpl |
mpr |
|
sp |
|
|
| t |
t |
|
lt |
tr |
rt |
tw |
|
nt |
|
ntr |
|
st |
ct |
str² |
| k |
k |
kl |
lk |
kr |
rk |
kw |
ky |
nk |
nkl |
nkr |
nkw |
sk |
ck |
skr² |
| b |
b |
bl |
lb |
br |
rb |
bw |
by |
mb |
mbl |
mbr |
|
|
|
|
| d |
d |
|
ld |
dr |
rd |
dw |
|
nd |
|
ndr |
|
|
|
|
| g |
g |
gl |
lg |
gr |
rg |
gw |
gy |
ng |
ngl |
ngr |
ngw |
|
|
|
| tc |
tc |
|
ltc |
|
rtc |
|
|
ntc |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| dj |
dj |
|
ldj |
|
rdj |
|
|
ndj |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| f |
f |
fl |
lf |
fr |
rf |
|
fy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| s |
s |
sl |
ls |
|
rs |
sw |
|
ns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| c |
c |
|
lc |
|
rc |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| h |
h |
hl |
lh |
hr |
rh |
hw |
hy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| v |
v |
vl |
lv |
vr |
rv |
vw |
vy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| z |
z |
zl |
lz |
|
rz |
zw |
|
nz |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| j |
j |
|
lj |
|
rj |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| m |
m |
|
|
|
|
mw |
my |
|
|
|
|
sm |
|
|
| n |
n |
|
|
|
|
nw |
ny |
|
|
|
|
sn |
|
|
| l |
l |
|
|
|
|
lw |
ly |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| r |
r |
|
|
|
|
rw |
ry |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| w |
w |
|
|
|
(rw) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(sw) |
|
|
| y |
y |
|
(ly) |
|
(ry) |
|
|
(ny) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
² The clusters /str/ and /skr/ are not part of the phonology of Europic. They are another tell-tale sign of borrowing, appearing first in Late Western Europic (a.k.a. Vulgar European).
Codas
There are no consonantal codas permitted in Europic.
For the most part, and by design, most phonemes in the language are identical to their actual phonetic realization. However, as with any language, there is some slight variation.
Allophones
- /r/ - [r] → [ɾ] / C[+dnt]___. That is to say, /r/ is tapped ([ɾ]) rather than trilled ([r]) after a dental consonant, which, within the phonotactics of the language, is limited to the clusters /tr/ [tɾ] and /dr/ [dɾ].
- /n/ - [n] → [ŋ] / ___C[+vlr]. This is to say, /n/ is velarized ([ŋ]) before a velar consonant i.e. [ŋɡ], [ŋk].
Dialectal Variations
- In most Southern and Western dialects, the non-sibilant alveolar consonants (/t, d, n, l/) are dental ([t̪, d̪, n̪, l̪]).
- In Northern and Western dialects spoken in Germanic-prominent areas, syllable-initial stop consonants (/p, t, k/) are aspirated ([pʰ, tʰ, kʰ]).
- Vulgar European - a version of the language spoken after 2250 - has both the dental and aspirated consonants as above, and the phonotactics are a bit looser:
- Onsets are no longer required (some words can start with vowels, e.g. ite ‘go’ from earlier yite)
- Vowels don’t require a consonant boundary (e.g. tria ‘3’ from earlier triya)
- Some diphthongs emerge (mainly /uj/ and /aj/, e.g. mui ‘we’ from mu-ya, mai ‘our’ from ma-ya).
- Some new consonant clusters emerge, e.g. /str/ vostri ‘eastward’,
Ideally, any good auxiliary language should have no compounding strategy beyond combining elements together to form larger words with no changes to said elements. For the most part, this is true of Europic, but Chrysanthi had an eye for the aesthetic as well, and did insist on some minor sandhi variations for the sake of euphony. Specifically:
- The final -u of noun elements becomes -o when followed by another element, e.g.:
- bevu ‘beverage’ + ke ‘consume’ → bevoke ‘drink’
- kasu ‘cheese’ + plena ‘full’ → kasoplena ‘full of cheese’
- The final -i of multisyllabic³ adverb elements becomes -e when followed by another element, e.g.:
- vigri ‘away’ + we ‘to throw’ → vigrewe ‘to throw away’
- podi ‘by foot’ + ye ‘to go’ → podeye ‘to walk’
- Although a grammatical function rather than a phonetic one, I would also include here that the final -u of noun elements becomes -a when followed by another noun element, but in essence it is being converted into an adjective. These types of constructions are often hyphenated. (La Memetatu has flip-flopped on the issue of hyphenation a number of times over the years. Chrysanthi originally proposed that all complete elements in compounds be hyphenated.) E.g.:
- kervu ‘deer’ + klagru ‘meat’ → kerva-klagru ‘venison’
- bratu ‘sibling’ + camu ‘spouse’ → brata-camu ‘brother-in-law’
³ Note that this does not apply to particles or prepositions ending with -i, so for example, mi ‘between’ + kepe ‘get’ → mi-kepe ‘to intercept’, not **me-kepe ‘to conceive’.
Stress falls on the penultimate syllable of polysyllabic words, or on the only syllable of monosyllabic words. Most monosyllabic prepositions, particles, and conjunctions are not stressed.
Europic is not tonal.
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