Orlangot

Phonology

Vowel System

Orlangot has a diverse vowel inventory and follows vowel harmony, distinguishing between front and back vowels. Vowel harmony originated in suffixes and later expanded to affect the entire word structure.

Vowel Inventory:

Front vowels: /i, e, ɛ, øː, yː, eː/
Back vowels: /a, aː, o, oː, ɔ, u, uː, ʊ/

Vowel harmony ensures that suffixes and affixes match the front-back distinction of the root word.

Consonant System

Orlangot has a rich consonant inventory with a variety of plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, liquids, and glides. Consonant clusters are permitted in both onset and coda positions, though some historical simplifications have occurred.

Consonant Inventory:

Plosives: /p, t, k, b, d, g/
Fricatives: /f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, x, h, ɣ/
Affricates: /t͡s, t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ/
Nasals: /m, n/
Liquids: /l, r/
Glides: /w, j/

This language does not include palatalization, making consonant sounds more distinct.

Syllable Structure & Phonotactics

Basic Structure: (C)(C)(C)V(C)
Vowel Harmony: Governs affixation and ensures phonological consistency.

Historical Changes

Word-final consonant clusters were simplified in Orlangot's development.
Palatalized consonants depalatalized, though this influenced vowel quality in some roots.
Vowel harmony began in suffixes first and later expanded to full words.

Stress & Intonation

Stress is fixed on the first syllable of words.
Intonation patterns follow a regular, rhythmic flow, with emphasis naturally falling on the stressed syllable.

Morphology

Orlangot follows an agglutinative structure, using stacked suffixes to express grammatical relationships rather than internal word modifications.

Case System

Orlangot has six grammatical cases, each marked by a distinct suffix. Vowel harmony influences the choice of suffix.

Nominative – Base form, used for the subject of a sentence.
Accusative – Marks the direct object.
Genitive – Indicates possession or origin.
Dative – Marks the indirect object.
Instrumental – Expresses the means or tool used for an action.
Prepositional – Appears only in prepositional phrases (inherited from Rongyonikolic).

Each of these cases is formed through suffixation, with the suffix depending on vowel harmony.

Different plural suffixes apply depending on the vowel class of the root word.

Gender System

Rongyonikolic had grammatical gender, marked by suffixes, but this system was lost in Orlangot.
Adjectives do not change based on the noun they modify.

Plural Formation

Pluralization is suffix-based, influenced by vowel harmony.
Different suffixes apply depending on the vowel class of the root word.

Verb Morphology

Verbs in Orlangot express tense, aspect, evidentiality, person, and number through agglutinative suffixation.

Verb Conjugation Features:

Tense – Past, Present, Future.
Aspect – Distinguishes between completed vs. ongoing actions.
Evidentiality – Marks whether the information is firsthand or inferred.
Person & Number – Verbs agree with the subject but do not change internally; all modifications occur via suffixation.

Verb Stem Alternations: Apply primarily to new words:

Glide insertion before vowels:

y is inserted before front vowels.
w is inserted before back vowels.

Consonant lenition in fast speech (leading to fixed changes):

All voiceless stops become voiced after a vowel-final prefix.
Some imperfective forms experience fricativization.

Possession Marking

Possessive constructions use suffix-based marking.
The suffix changes depending on vowel harmony and number.
Possessors precede the noun they modify, but the possessed noun carries the suffix.
Long possessive chains: The suffix reflects the final possessor in the chain.

Syntax

Word Order

Orlangot follows a structured yet flexible word order system:

SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) in main clauses.
SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) in subordinate clauses.

This structure allows clarity in main statements while maintaining a distinct pattern in embedded clauses.

Verb Placement

Orlangot has a verb-final tendency, particularly in subordinate structures.

Negation

Negation precedes the verb, even in SOV subordinate clauses.
No double negation is required.

Question Formation

Yes/no and wh-questions do not require word order changes.
A question particle is added to the end of the sentence to indicate a question. Example: He sees the mountain? → He sees the mountain (Q)?

Subordinate Clauses

Subordinate clauses follow verb-final order.
The main verb moves to the end of the clause, even if the main sentence follows an SVO pattern.
"That" clauses do not force SOV structure.

Relative Clauses

Follow head-final structure.
The relative clause appears before the noun it modifies.
Nested relative clauses maintain strict nesting order.

Vocabulary

Verbs

to work – korɣa
to carve (stone, wood) – dernal
to build – ɣerkho
to celebrate – ʃurgo
to bless – lindo

Nouns (Concepts & Values)

Work – kord
Perseverance – vurzet
Tradition – zinder
Wisdom – zilok
Honor – tsurɣot
Respect – tʃelɣo
Balance / Harmony – zulgan
Sustainability / Preservation – varget
Generosity / Sharing – gulvak
Selfishness – tarsik
Wastefulness – urnak
Trust / Shared Responsibility – zuvok
Respect for Elders – tʃelɣozarit

People & Social Structure

Elder – zarit
Clan – argon
Leader / Chief – ɣuʃor
High Chief - ɣuʃorɣɨnt
Ancestor – nivek
Family – zornat
Friend – fergol
Outsider – zorɣak
Warrior – ɣur
Nomad / Wanderer – urrik
Herd / Moving Group – kurgan
Partner / Equal Companion – rildak

Rituals & Customs

Birth – dʒilav
Sky Burial – orvudak
Offering (to ancestors) – vurʃot
Betrothal – kemɪʃ
Marriage / Bond – lovgar
Binding Ceremony (Marriage Union) – lovgaret
Throat Singing – gurdan
Talisman / Charm – zernak
Outdoor Bonding – kurdan
Sacred Land – zorketur
Sacred Fire – zorketʃak

Nature & Materials

Mountain – kurnat
Cave – ɣelto
Stone/Rock – gornak
Gold – vildo
Iron / Metal – tʃurgen
Copper – tʃurgenik
Silver – tʃurgernat
Pickaxe – merkot
Hammer – markit
Gem / Precious Stone – zirnat
Ice – kultʃak
Fire – tʃak
Liquid – lendak
Tent / Shelter – targak
Horizon / Open Sky – orvok
Wind / Breeze – surlak
Wilderness / Untamed Land – olmak
Crags – tarkun
Dragon – ɣundral

Storm – zurvak
Land – orlan
Nature – zular
Outside – ultur

Qualities & Descriptions

Strong – ɣorkun
Skilled – tʃilget
Brave – ferndo
Sacred – zorke
Grey – surnok
White – tilnok

Suffixes & Other Elements

One Who Wields – -lek
Guardian / Keeper – rin
Great / High-Ranking – ɣunt
Bound / Held – dek
Form/Shape – ɣut (noun), ɣunt (verb)
Collective Place Suffix – -ak
Location Suffix – -tur
Ceremonial Suffix – -et
External – ul-
Harmony – zul-
Essence – -ar

Names

Nikʲolɜkrɨn – Nikorin
Nikʲolɜkgʲɔt – Nikorgot
Nikʲolɜkkʲɨrnɛk – Nikorkurnak
Nikʲolɜk – Nikork

Root Languages

Rongyonikolic

Spoken by

Orlanrin