Celestial
Writing System
Writing Direction
Celestial follows a boustrophedon writing system:
- The first line is written right to left.
- The second line is written left to right.
- This pattern continues, alternating per line.
- The script naturally adjusts its letter orientation when switching direction.
Celestial script is cursive, with letters that change shape depending on their position in a word. Letters have distinct initial, medial, final, and isolated forms to ensure smooth, flowing connections.
Script Structure
Celestial script is alphabetic and cursive, with fluidly connected letters that emphasize graceful movement.
- There is one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds; each letter represents a single phoneme.
- No uppercase/lowercase distinction—Celestial uses a single case for all writing.
- Tone is marked with diacritics, appearing above vowels.
- Vowel length is also indicated with a secondary diacritic, placed below vowels when necessary.
Numerals
Celestial follows a base-10 numeral system, with numbers blending into the script while remaining distinct characters.
- Higher numbers (like 100, 1000) have ligature-like forms, reducing visual clutter.
- 120 is written as "100-ligature + 20".
- Zero has a distinct symbol, often circular or looped, reflecting its conceptual importance.
Phonology
Consonant Inventory
Celestial’s consonant system is designed for fluidity and euphony, favoring soft and airy sounds while avoiding harsh clusters.
Consonant Table
| Place of Articulation | Stops | Nasals | Fricatives | Approximants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | /p/ | /m/ | /f, v/ | /w/ | |
| Alveolar | /t/ | /n/ | /s/ | /l, r/ | |
| Palatal | /ʃ, ʒ/ | /j/ | |||
| Velar | /ŋ/ | ||||
| Glottal | /h/ |
- No consonant clusters are allowed; every consonant must be surrounded by vowels.
- /s/ becomes /z/ between vowels for a more fluid pronunciation.
- /t/ softens between vowels.
Vowel Inventory
Celestial has a rich vowel system, including front, back, and central vowels.
Vowel Chart
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | /i, e/ | /ə/ | /a, u/ |
| Rounded | /y, ä, ö/ | /o/ |
Vowel length is phonemic, meaning long and short vowels can change word meanings. However, not all vowels can be lengthened:
- Allowed to be long: /a, e, i, u, y/
- Always short: /o, ä, ö, ə/
Diphthongs include:
- Rising: /ai, ei, oi/
- Falling: /ia, ua, io/
- Centering: /ie, uo/
Tonal System
Celestial features six distinct tones:
- Level (ˉ) [55] – High and steady (e.g., tā)
- Rising (ˊ) [35] – Starts mid, rises to high (tá)
- Departing (ˋ) [51] – Starts high, drops sharply (tà)
- Entering (ˀ) [32] – Short, clipped, often ending in /p, t/ (tǎp)
- Dipping (ˇ) [214] – Falls, then rises (tǎ)
- Low (˩) [11] – Soft, breathy (tàh)
Tone Sandhi (Tone Changes)
- In compound words, each syllable preserves its original tone.
- Certain grammatical markers may trigger tonal shifts for smoother pronunciation.
Syllable Structure
Syllables follow a (C)V(C) structure, allowing final consonants.
- Acceptable final consonants: /p, t, m, n, ŋ, v, s, l, r/.
Tonal markers and vowel length diacritics ensure each syllable retains its intended pronunciation.
Stress and Intonation
Primary stress falls on the second syllable of a word, but tone is always more important than stress.
Morphology
Word Structure
- Celestial is highly monosyllabic, meaning that most words are single syllables. Polysyllabic words exist but are often compound formations or borrowings.
- Because Celestial is tonal, tone plays an important role in distinguishing words with identical consonant and vowel structures.
Syntax
Word Order
Celestial follows a strict Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order.
| Sentence Type | Structure |
|---|---|
| Declarative | SOV |
| Past Tense | S O Tense Verb |
| Negative | S O Neg Verb |
| Question | (Q-word) S O Verb |
Celestial does not allow flexible word order.
Questions
Celestial questions follow a simple, clear structure.
- Yes/No Questions: A question word appears at the beginning.
- Wh-Questions: Wh-words appear at the beginning of the sentence.
Pronouns
Celestial does not distinguish gender in pronouns.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | ene "I" | enau "we" |
| 2nd Person | tine "you" | tinau "you all" |
| 3rd Person | ine "they (sing.)" | inau "they (plural)" |
Nouns and Case System
Celestial does not inflect nouns for case. Instead, case is marked with a separate word that follows the noun.
Case-Marking Words
| Case | Classifier |
|---|---|
| Nominative | (tbd) |
| Accusative | /et/ |
| Genitive | /en/ |
| Dative | /ety/ |
| Locative | /enä/ |
| Ablative | /efi/ |
| Allative | /ely/ |
| Instrumental | /efä/ |
| Comitative | /esä/ |
The nominative case is unmarked, and case markers appear after the noun they modify.
Verb System
Celestial does not inflect verbs for tense, aspect, mood, person, number, or case. Instead, tense and mood are marked using separate words.
Tense and Mood Particles
Tense and mood is marked after the verb.
| Tense | Marker |
|---|---|
| Present | (unchanged) |
| Past | mà |
| Future | jí |
| Imperative | tala! "Sing!" |
| Subjunctive | talema "might sing" |
Modifiers: Adjectives and Adverbs
- Adjectives follow the noun and do not change form.
- Adverbs appear before the verb.
Plurals
- Plurality words (sē for "many", tī for "all") can be used when needed.
- Plural pronouns automatically indicate plurality, so additional markers are not necessary in those cases.
- Plural pronouns exist for efficiency.
Plurality Words
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (unchanged) | Singular (assumed) |
| sē | Many, multiple |
| tī | All, collective |
Possession
Possession is expressed with the genitive marker (mā).
Negation
- Celestial negation is expressed with a separate negative particle (mē), placed before the verb.
- Celestial follows a Negation → Verb → Tense structure.
