Vennan

Natively known as: venna /ˈvennɑ/

...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
thï ding et negïnro nik jer thï yu nik thor vota ya tannath
Pronunciation: /θɪ diŋ et neˈgɪnɹo nik ʤeɹ θɪ jʌ nik θoɹ ˈvotɑ jɑ ˈtɑnnɑθ/
Vennan word order: and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind

Spelling & Phonology

Consonant inventory: d g j k n t v z ŋ ɹ ʤ ʧ θ

↓Manner/Place→	Labiodental	Dental	Alveolar	Palato-alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Nasal			n			ŋ
Stop			t d			k g
Affricate				ʧ ʤ
Fricative	v	θ	z
Approximant			ɹ		j

Vowel inventory: e i o ɑ ɪ ʌ

	Front	Back
High	i
Near-high	ɪ
High-mid	e	o
Low-mid		ʌ
Low		ɑ

Syllable structure: (C)V(C) ?
Stress pattern: Penultimate — stress is on the second last syllable ?
Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
ɑ	a
ʌ	u
ɪ	ï
j	y
ŋ	ng
ɹ	r
ʤ	j
ʧ	ch
θ	th

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Grammar

Main word order: Subject Verb Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: prepositions ?

Nouns

Singular	No affix goya /ˈgojɑ/ dog
Plural	Reduplicate last part of last syllable goyaa /goˈjɑɑ/ dogs

Articles

Definite	tïg /tɪg/ the
Indefinite	thiv /θiv/ a, some

Uses of indefinite article that differ from English:

• Not used for non-specific mass (uncountable) nouns: non-specific means ‘Would you like some (any) tea?’ whereas specific means ‘Some tea (a specific amount) fell off the truck’

Pronouns

	Nominative	Accusative
1st singular	ga /gɑ/ I	yï /jɪ/ me
2nd singular	thu /θʌ/ you	rïv /ɹɪv/ you
3rd singular	ding /diŋ/ he, she, it	jeg /ʤeg/ his, her, it
1st plural	thok /θok/ we	thi /θi/ us
2nd plural	the /θe/ you all	cho /ʧo/ you all
3rd plural	o /o/ they	iv /iv/ them

Possessive determiners

	Possessive
1st singular	vach /vɑʧ/ my
2nd singular	u /ʌ/ your
3rd singular	nik /nik/ his, her, its
1st plural	chuk /ʧʌk/ our
2nd plural	yit /jit/ your (pl)
3rd plural	go /go/ their

Verbs

Present	No affix jek /ʤek/ learn
Past	Prefix gʌ- gujek /ˈgʌʤek/ learned
Remote past	If starts with vowel: Prefix n- Else: Prefix ni- nijek /ˈniʤek/ learned (long ago)

Vennan uses a standalone particle word for future tense:

Future

Particle before the verb: tʌ - tu jek /tʌ ʤek/ will learn

Imperfective aspect

The ‘imperfective’ aspect refers to ongoing actions, such as I am learning and habitual actions, such as I learn (something new every day).
Vennan uses an affix for imperfective:

Imperfective

If starts with vowel: Prefix n- Else: Prefix nɑ- najek /ˈnɑʤek/ learns/is learning

Perfect aspect

The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.
Vennan uses an affix for the perfect aspect:

Perfect

If starts with vowel: Prefix t- Else: Prefix tɪ- tïjek /ˈtɪʤek/ have learned

Numbers

Vennan has a base-20 number system:
1 - rï
2 - te
3 - yij
4 - gag
5 - or
6 - rïgu
7 - de
8 - ïyyo
9 - vï
10 - i
11 - ve
12 - di
13 - chiyvav
14 - akchong
15 - jong
16 - nan
17 - cher
18 - nok
19 - nïng
20 - ta
400 - ire
8000 - thich

Derivational morphology

Adjective → adverb = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʌjk-
Else: Prefix ʌjkɪ-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix n-
Else: Prefix no-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Prefix ɹi-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ejj-
Else: Prefix ejjɑ-
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʤ-
Else: Prefix ʤi-
Noun to verb = Prefix ʧɑ-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix onʧ-
Else: Prefix onʧi-
Tending to = Prefix jɑ-
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ɪj-
Else: Prefix ɪjɪ-
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If starts with vowel: Prefix t-
Else: Prefix tɪ-
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If starts with vowel: Prefix ɑj-
Else: Prefix ɑjɪ-
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Prefix jo-
Diminutive = If starts with vowel: Prefix ʤ-
Else: Prefix ʤʌ-
Augmentative = Prefix tɪ-

Vennan is widely spoken in various dialects by the ethnic Vanu people, far to the north of Keta. Most Vanu live in small, isolated communities typically comprising six to fifteen distinct clans. The only recognized city-state Vennan is spoken in as the common language is Nangï, a port city on the East Ocean.

Dictionary

3071 Words.

Spoken by

• Vanu

Common Phrases

ding guju vungna tochaa thï gannug akïï

"He had goat eyes and snake teeth", a way of calling someone untrustworthy or a liar. It also gave life the the term "vungna jitocha gannug" or "goat-eyed snake", a shorter version of the insult.

nï tïg tayïk thï thu, thiv thïzdï

This phrase is a mourning prayer, traditionally spoken only at funerals or amongst the dead, and considered a curse if spoken to the living. It roughly translates to "Of the sun and sky, a whisper."

Common Female Names

Eyyogga, Rirnu, Nïrnetya, Ozna, Gernï

Common Male Names

Ratheng, Nïkev, Antavriv, Ayïrïj, Vachkir

Common Unisex Names

Geyi, Guzdin, Thete, Nïtïrchuj, Ikdej

Common Family Names

Ayïnek, Tagnag Gare, Ayïvantïte, Ayïchinge