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A Brief Introduction
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by
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Institut Lingistic Bovlai
Bovlai Institute of Linguistics |
Xliponian (the letter x is pronounced like a sh) is an Indo-European language spoken almost exclusively in the Kingdom of Xliponia. It is derived from the vulgar Latin of the Roman imperial conquerors who occupied the region in the early centuries of the Common Era. The main feature that distinguishes Xliponian from other Romance languages is the soundshift suffered very early by some consonantal sounds. The labials, velars and dentals of the original (vulgar) Latin were transformed as follows:
b > p > f > v > b
g > k > kh > g
d > t > ts > z > d
[The kh sound – as in German Bach – is currently written
as h; the ts sound is written ç]
This Lautverschiebung affected word-initial consonants, but
not all, and some medial and (to a lesser extent) final consonants were
also shifted.
The alphabet – with pronunciations – is as follows:
a b c [k] ç [ts] d e f g h [h
or kh according to position and dialect]
i j [zh*] k [*] l m n o p q [tsh]
r s t u v w [*] x [sh] y [*] z
The sh sound – written x – derives mainly from the
Latin word-initial clusters cl, fl, pl, which became
xl.
Xliponian q comes to a large extent from Latin x.
Another characteristic aspect of Xliponian phonology is diphthongisation. The main vowel of the original Latin word becomes affected by that of the ending, generating evolutions like L panem > Xl fain, and likewise cantus > haunt, salix > sailq. Latin ae and oe became ai and oi respectively.
The stress pattern is generally as follows: words ending in vowels are stressed on the penultimate, and words ending in consonants on the ultimate.
As an example, the numerals from 1 to 10 are as follows in Modern Xliponian:
on – tou – çers – hautor – henc – seq – seft – ohto – nou – teih