Karrnathi
Writing System
Karnatčin employs a runic-derived script, standardized in the age of Galifar. Letters are angular and efficient, designed for inscription on stone as much as for ink. Orthography follows a mostly phonemic principle, though certain clusters simplify in spelling: /t͡ɕ/ is written as č, /ʑ/ as ž. Vowel length is not marked, but palatalization is indicated by diacritics. The script is written left-to-right, with elaborate calligraphy reserved for noble and ecclesiastical documents.
Phonology
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: b d dʲ d͡ʒ g j k l lʲ m n nʲ p r s t tʲ t͡s t͡ʃ v x z ʃ ʒ| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n nʲ | ||||
| Stop | p b | t tʲ d dʲ | k g | |||
| Affricate | t͡ʃ d͡ʒ | |||||
| Fricative | v | s z | ʃ ʒ | x | ||
| Approximant | j | |||||
| Trill | r | |||||
| Lateral approximant | l lʲ |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| High-mid | e | o | |
| Low | a |
Stress pattern: No fixed stress ? Sound changes (in order of application):
- g → ɣ
- dj → ʒ
- o → a
| Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| t͡s | c |
| t͡ʃ | c̆ |
| d͡ʒ | dz̆ |
| ʃ | s̆ |
| ʒ | z̆ |
| x | ch |
| ɨ | y |
| dʲ | ď |
| lʲ | ľ |
| nʲ | n̆ |
| tʲ | ť |
Morphology
Karnatčin is moderately fusional. Nouns inflect for case (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental, locative) and number (singular, plural). Gender is tripartite—masculine, feminine, and neuter—marked primarily by noun endings and agreement patterns. Verbs are conjugated for person, number, and tense, with aspects (perfective vs. imperfective) playing a central role. Derivational morphology is highly productive, with affixes like -nik for agents, -ost for abstract qualities, and prefixes such as ne- for negation.
Grammar
Sentence word order: Subject-Verb-Indirect object-Direct object. “She gave the dog a bone” turns into She gave the dog a bone.Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: prepositions ?
| Past | Suffix -al rajekal /rajeˈkal/ accessed |
| Present | Suffix -a rajeka /rajeˈka/ access |
| Future | Prefix bud-, Suffix -ti budrajekti /ˌbudraˈjekti/ will access |
| Nominative | Genitive | Dative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | No affix dɔm /dɔm/ house (doing the verb) | Suffix -u dɔmu /dɔˈmu/ houseʼs | Suffix -i dɔmi /ˈdɔmi/ to the/a house |
| Plural | Suffix -y dɔmy /ˈdɔmy/ houses (doing the verb) | Suffix -ov dɔmov /dɔˈmav/ housesʼ | Suffix -am dɔmam /ˈdɔmam/ to houses |
1st person
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | ja /ja/ I (m.), me (m.), mine (m.) | ja /ja/ I (f.), me (f.), mine (f.) | ja /ja/ I (nt.), me (nt.), mine (nt.) |
| Plural | my /my/ we (m.), us (m.), ours (m.) | my /my/ we (f.), us (f.), ours (f.) | my /my/ we (nt.), us (nt.), ours (nt.) |
2nd person
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | ty /ty/ you (m.), yours (m.) | ty /ty/ you (f.), yours (f.) | ty /ty/ you (nt.), yours (nt.) |
| Plural | vy /vy/ you (m.) all | vy /vy/ you (f.) all | vy /vy/ you (nt.) all |
3rd person
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | on /an/ he, him, his, it (m.), its (m.) | ona /ˈana/ she, her, hers, it (f.), its (f.) | ono /ˈana/ it (nt.), its (nt.) |
| Plural | oni /aˈni/ they (m.), them (m.), theirs (m.) | ony /ˈany/ they (f.), them (f.), theirs (f.) | ona /ˈana/ they (nt.), them (nt.), theirs (nt.) |
Numbers
Karrnathi has a base-10 number system: 1 - je.din2 - dva
3 - tri
4 - c̆etyr
5 - pʲať
6 - s̆est
7 - sʲem
8 - vos.mʲ
9 - devʲať
10 - desʲať
100 - ťap
1000 - ty.sʲaťa
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = Suffix -oAdjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Suffix -ost
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -iti
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Suffix -ny / -ný
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Suffix -ski / -ský
Noun to verb = Suffix -ovati
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -ba
Tending to = Suffix -iv
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Suffix -anie / -enie
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -ok / -ek
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -nik
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Suffix -išče / -iště
Diminutive = Suffix -ik / -iček
Augmentative = Suffix -isko / -isko
Opposite = Prefix ne-
Lacking = Prefix be-, Suffix -ni
Surpassing = Prefix pre-
Beneath = Prefix pod-
Syntax
The default word order is SVO (Subject–Verb–Object), though pragmatic emphasis can shift elements to the front of the sentence, making it flexible. Possessives precede the noun, while adjectives follow a fixed order: quantity → quality → size → color → material → head noun. Determiners (articles are absent, but demonstratives exist) stand at the very beginning of the noun phrase. Prepositions rather than postpositions dominate, always governing specific cases.
Vocabulary
Lexicon is rich in military and agrarian terminology, reflecting Karrnath’s history as a land of soldiers and farmers. Native roots dominate the core vocabulary, but ancient borrowings from dwarves (mining, stonework), halflings (healing, agriculture), and elves (necromancy, spirituality) are visible in specialized registers. Compounding and derivation ensure a constant expansion of terms, especially for modern innovations like elemental-bound machinery.
Phonetics
Phonetically, Karnatčin emphasizes sharp contrasts between hard and soft consonants. Stops are aspirated only in loanwords, and fricatives are prominent, particularly /ʃ/, /ʒ/, and /x/. Nasals remain stable even in clusters, lending the language a nasal undertone. Word-final devoicing is standard, so voiced stops like /d/ and /g/ surface as [t] and [k] at the end of words.
Tenses
The tense system distinguishes three main points in time: past, present, and future. The past further subdivides into recent past and remote past, marked by different suffixes. The future is formed both by periphrasis (auxiliary + infinitive) and by dedicated suffixes in perfective verbs. Aspect is as crucial as tense: the difference between “I wrote” and “I was writing” depends less on time and more on whether the action is viewed as complete.
Sentence Structure
Sentences are clause-heavy, often linked by coordinating conjunctions such as i (“and”) or no (“but”). Subordinate clauses take verbal markers that shift stress, highlighting the dependent relationship. Questions are indicated by rising intonation and optional particles at the beginning (li for yes/no questions).
Adjective Order
Adjectives follow a precise hierarchy: Determiner → Possessive → Quantity → Opinion → Size → Shape → Color → Material → Head noun. For example: toj moj tri stari veliki černý kamen dom → “that my three old large black stone house.”
Structural Markers
Particles play a subtle role. že emphasizes or intensifies a statement (“indeed, truly”), while li marks interrogatives. Case endings function as the primary structural markers for roles in the sentence, minimizing reliance on strict word order. Prefixes like pod- (“under”) or pre- (“before”) also serve as relational markers that extend beyond literal space into metaphorical domains.