Kin-elleth (language)
The language of the Kin-elleth people, as well as the main lingua franca of the Endri-nâi Confederation.
Phonology
Letters represent standard orthography when written in Latin characters. Where letters appear in pairs, the one on the right is voiced.
Consonants
The Kin-elleth language uses between 19–21 consonants, with some having regional variants. Note that <f> and <v> are bilabial, not labiodental as in English.
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | ||||||
| Nasal | ||||||
| Trill | ||||||
| Tap | ||||||
| Fricative | ||||||
| Lateral Approximant | ||||||
Vowels
The Kin-elleth languages uses from 12–14 vowel sounds. The chart below shows the common orthography when transcribed to the Latin alphabet. Vowels to the left of a | are unrounded; vowels to the right of a | are rounded. Note that a vowel letter may have different sounds, depending on context in a word or by regional variation.
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | |||||
| Near-close | |||||
| Close-mid | |||||
| Mid | |||||
| Open-mid | |||||
| Open |
- ↑ Less common variant.
Diphthongs
Common diphthongs are ai, ei, oi, ui, âi, êi [1], ôi, ûi.
- ↑ Very uncommon; most commonly reduced to ei.
Vowel Mutation
The main vowel in a Kin-elleth word will typically undergo vowel mutation when the word is inflected for case, as well as in some verbal conjugations. The mutations are mostly regular, and follow the patterns below:
| Original | Mutated |
| a | ei |
| e/û | ê |
| ê | î |
| i | û |
| î | ie/e |
| u | ôi/î |
| ô | ûi |
| o | ô |
| â | oi |
Grammar
Pronouns
| Nominative | Inflected | |
| I | pa | pei |
| you | rî | re |
| he/she/it | tha/dhe/nim | thei/dhê/nûm |
| we | mun | mîn |
| you two | riu | rûi |
| you (plural) | rinna | rûnna |
| they (person/thing) | thanâi/thanim | theinâi/theinim |
Nouns
Kin-elleth nouns follow six genders, and inflect either for singular, dual, or plural.
| Gender | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| living being | -ith | -ein | -nâi |
| small object | -un, -no | -in | -nî |
| large object | -ra, -a | -rei | -rim, -im |
| intangible | -er | -rei | -rim, -em |
| collective | -n, -in | -nâi | -nâi |
| area | -a | -ûr | -ui |
Verbs
Kin-elleth verbs follow a regular conjugation, with mutation on the main vowel in the third-person singular, second-person dual/plural, and third-person plural forms.
| dran – to be | sother – to live | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I am | pa dran | I live | pa sother | |
| you are | rî drane | you live | rî sothre | |
| he/she is | tha/dhe drein | he/she lives | tha/dhe sôther | |
| we are | mun drana | we live | mun sothra | |
| you two are | riu dreine | you two live | riu sôthre | |
| you (pl.) are | rinna dreine | you (pl.) live | rinna sôthre | |
| they are | thanâi drein | they live | thanâi sôther | |
Syntax
Sentences in Kin-elleth usually follow an Object-Subject-Verb word order.
Known Words
| Kin-elleth | English |
|---|---|
| dhankumôirin | confederation |
| fin | family |
| endra | rock, mountain, stone |
| sother | live (verb) |
| dran | be (verb) |
| dhaca | speak (verb) |
| dhan | with/together |
| kumo | fly (verb) |
| rin | bond |
| thister | a type of flowering plant |
| landra | star |
| haila/aila | heaven/space |
| al | under |
| dâler | write (verb) |
| ath/hath | among |
| maren | seek/look for (verb) |