Gothic

Gothic is a Salic language native to Gothland in western Sossis, modern Ros. It exists in two main dialects: Oecumenian, spoken in Gothland in western Ros, and Vessian, spoken in Vasmark.

Phonological Differences

Despite their mutual intelligibility, the Gothic spoken in Ros and that spoken in the Uleran colonies, later Vastmark, have spent several centuries developing independent of each other, leading to significant phonological differences between the dialects.

Consonants

Oecumenian Gothic shows r-vocalisation in final positions, manifesting either as a [ɐ] for /r̩/ or [ɐ̯] for /-Vr/. It has also coalesced /rt/, /rd/, /rl/, /rn/, and /rs/ clusters as retroflex consonants: [ʈ], [ɖ], [ɭ], [ɳ], and [ʂ], which gives Oecumenian Gothic a remarkable four-way distinction between coronal sibilants ([θ], [ꜱ], [ʃ], [ʂ]), though the degree to which [ʂ] is analysed as a distinct phoneme rather than a realisation of the /rs/ cluster is debatable.

Vessian Gothic has split the /ɣ/ phoneme, developed from earlier /g/, fortifying it back to /g/ in most cases except where it is [j] before /ɪ/ and /iː/, both of which have since merged with their respective E sounds, though the G-split remains. Oecumenian Gothic retains /g/ only in non-final 〈гк〉. Oecumenian Gothic has lenited /k/ before I and E sounds to [х], and word initial /x/ is realised as [h~ɦ] in Vasmark.

Vowels

Gothic
Гоѳиск
^(goþisk)

Pronunciation:
　 Rossan: [ˈɣɔðɪsk]
　 Vessian: [ˈgoðɪsk]

Ethnicity: Goths

Language Family:
Oecumeno-Davanian

• Salic
  • Old Skorbund
    • Old North Skorbund
      • Gothic

The most notable vowel distinction is Vessian Gothic’s merger of the I and E sounds, the short /ɛ/ merging into [ɪ], and the long /iː/ and /eː/ sounds both converging into [eɪ̯]. As noted above in the consonant differences, the starting point for the sound determines quality of a preceding /ɣ/, leniting to [j] before I and fortifying to [g] before E. Vessian Gothic has also merged /ʊ/ into [o].

Consonants

Vowels

Vessian Gothic has also split several vowel sounds, notably /ø/ becomes [ʉ] in unstressed positions while remaining [ø] in stressed ones. /ɑ/ has raised to [ɔ] in some positions.

The qualities of some of the short vowels have changed in Oecumenian Gothic, with /o/, /ø/ and /æ/ lowering to [ɔ], [œ], and [ɛ], respectively, merging /æ/ with /ɛ/.

The quality of /aɪ̯/ has diverged in the two dialects, raising to [æɪ̯] in Oecumenian Gothic, and backing to [ɑɪ̯] in Vessian Gothic. Other diphthong differences include /oʏ/ becoming [ɔʏ̯] in Oecumenian Gothic and [əʏ̯] in Vessian Gothic, and Vessian Gothic merging some instances of /ɑʊ̯/ into [ɒː] while raising others (in the same instance the short A raises) to [ɔʊ̯].

Мее фаѳер ин Вастмарке ливен. Ег гаѳ фрам Гоѳаланде та Вастмаркс та сее хим.
Oecumenian: [meː ˈfɒːðɛɐ̯‿rɪn ˈvɑstˌmɑrkɛ liːvn̩ ɛɣ‿ɣɒːθ frɑm ˈɣɔðɑˌlɒːndɛ tɑ ˈvɑstmɑrks tɑ seː xɪm]
Vessian: [meɪ̯ ˈfɒːðr̩ ɪn ˈvɔstˌmɑrkɪ leɪ̯vn̩ ɪg‿gɒːθ frɔm ˈgoðɑˌlɒːndɪ tɑ ˈvɔstmɑrks tɑ seɪ̯ hɪm]