The Languages Of Renzinbar, The Dessert Kingdom
First off, if you don't have a good idea of what morphology is or linguistics in general, go here https://www.zompist.com/kitgram.html .
(Note: My knowledge of linguistics, morphology in particular, is very limited and everything here is subject to change)
Writing System
The Renzinbaric alphabet is made of 20 (sounds?) called Turkne. Tu I C L (used only in names and foreign words) R A Sh D Yi Yu Ne Nu B Ru Bi Ji Zin Ri K V Vo Vi Ja O
Geographical Distribution
In the old days, the entirety of modern day Renzinbar used to be filled with different languages. The Naviji, Tunji, Barjiun, and even the Bivaji had different languages, albeit similar languages. However, once the Aethans invaded, they tried to destroyed their languages in an attempt to control the people by making them speak Aethan. In modern day time, many of the people have tried to keep these languages alive by passing them down in their tribes, but they are only spoken in a few very isolated tribes.
Phonology
The "e" is pronounced like "ey" in "hey".
The "r" is pronounced like the "r" in "right".
The "i" is pronounced like "ee" in "see".
The "j" is pronounced like the french "j".
The "a" is pronounced like "ah" in "awesome".
The "yi" is pronounced like the "ey" in "key".
Morphology
The languages were all very similar in some aspects. They are very fusional based languages. Take the word "Yikru'a" or "I haven't" for example. The prefix "Yi" tells us it is both first person singular and that it is present tense. The sufix " 'a" indicates that the verb, 'kru' or 'have', is negative.
Prefixes all change depending on the tense and such. The base prefix is always the first person singular version.
Note that sometimes, depending on the context, a subject and/or prefix is not included. This is usually only the case for times when someone is talking to someone else and the subject is obviously the person they are talking to.
Suffixes are a bit easier, as there is only three. As previously mentioned, there is "a", which modifies a verb to be negative. "A" also means "no" or "nothing", which can make it easier to remember. Then there is "ri", which literally translates to "later" or "soon", depending on the context. So for "bin'ri" or "goodbye", "bin" means "good", so adding the suffix makes it translate to literally to "good later" which doesn't sound right in english but you get the general idea. (you, the person they are talking to, being implied). The final suffix is a bit tricky. "Ic" doesn't really translate to English well, but something along the lines of "from" or "of" (not to be mistaken for "benvo", which is used to tell where a person or thing is from). Take the demonym of Renzinbar (or people of Renzinbar) for example. Renzinbaric translates to "of Renzinbar" or "from Renzinbar". It is really only used in surnames and the names of inanimate objects (like "Sho'ic Bin" or "son of Bin" and "Zinri'ic ..." or "sheet of ...", referring to a window or mirror).
(In the Tunji and Barjiun languages, there are more, but those are the main ones every Renzinbaric language has)
The apostrophe can be used two ways. One is in front of suffixes like "ri". This is the most common use of the apostrophe, and there are some exceptions to this (example: Renzinbaric, the suffix being "ic".) but they are very few and far between. The other use is for changing the meaning of a word like a accent mark would do in Spanish. This can be very unnoticeable changes sound wise but huge differences meaning wise (example: Bin'ru is hello (informal) but Bin ru is Good day (a phrase used to talk about the weather, not a greeting).)
Adjectives will always come before the noun. Always. So "shakri esh kovri" would translate to "purple (is) the dress. (side note: "is" and "to" is always implied. "Is" and "to" don't translate into Renzinbaric. This is because "is" is always implied with "the" or a verb, such as "go". Example is instead of saying "he is going to the party", they would say "he going the party". There is simply no words for "is" or "to".)
Gender... mmm...
Gender in Renzinbaric languages is usually optional. Meaning that depending the language you are speaking, who you are speaking to/about, and the situation that you are talking about can determine whether or not you will have to, or want to, use gender prefixes. The three genders are masculine, feminine, and neutral. It is common to use masculine/feminine gender (-re/-ra) when talking about a person or animal and to use neutral (often called base) gender (-r) for inanimate objects. However, if the gender of the person/animal is obvious and the person you are talking to is not blind, then gender will often be left out in favor of the neutral/base form. However, if you are talking about your pet lizard, in which the gender might not be so obvious, many would use the gendered prefixes. Again though, it really just depends on what language you are speaking.
Syntax
The standard way is Subject:Verb:Object (SVO). However, in Tunji and Naviji, the order is Verb:Object:Subject (VOS). For example, instead of saying "Are you going to the barn?" they would say "Going (to) the barn are you?
Vocabulary
Bin'ru -- Hello
Kar -- Life; Live; Breathe/Breath
Ji -- a; if a; is a
Vozin -- Circle
Koshe -- Jerk (insult)
Bin'rivi -- Goodbye/farewell (formal)
Bin'ri -- Goodbye/bye (informal)
Common Female Names
Biri, Ruva, Shari, Shora, Vivi, Yivi, Zinne, Zinshyi
Common Male Names
Avian, Koru, Nezin, Ruzin, Turash
Common Unisex Names
Rukyi (mostly female), Biru (mostly male), Yivinne (mostly female)
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I love how the grammar you've created uses suffixes, prefixes, and implied omitted words to pack a lot of meaning into a few short sounds. Question: does the apostrophe represent its own sound, or is it a contraction, or something else?
Thank you! The apostrophe can be used two ways. One is in front of suffixes like "ri". This is the most common use of the apostrophe, and there are some exceptions to this (example: Renzinbaric, the suffix being "ic".) but they are very few and far between. The other use is for changing the meaning of a word like a accent mark would do in Spanish. This can be very unnoticeable changes sound wise but huge differences meaning wise (example: Bin'ru is hello (informal) but Bin ru is Good day (a phrase used to talk about the weather, not a greeting).) I hope this helped some!