Voehn ('The Voice')

Public linguanthropological record
Property of the Royal Atheneum of Hövnís, Eörpe

Ongoing Project

Missing sections will be added one at a time as they are finished.

Voehn is a polysynthetic, agglutinative language natively spoken by the Lusoyan. It's also the official state language of The Ascendancy.
It incorporates several sounds impossible for many other species to produce (or even discern), and has a heavy reliance on Lusoyan's exceptional capacity for memorizing and retaining large volumes of information to support its complex phono- and morphosyntactics.

Etymology & Definition

Voehn is the definite form of ‘ehn’ and translates to ‘the wind/breath/voice’. It’s fairly certain the contextual meaning of the name is ‘the voice’.

History

Origin

Voehn is an intentionally engineered hybrid between the former lingua franca, Apvaturji and Ehrebvha, of the world Lusoya. It belongs to the Proto-Gjevasudit family and Rotsahvse subfamily, and while technically stemming from both the Konbi and Turyic infrafamilies it's most commonly categorized under the latter.

Simplified Cladogram

by Nimin N.

Early History

Lusoyan have always exhibited a strong desire for cultural and national cohesion, which translated into a number of measures being taken to make the Ascendancy more homogenous in several societal and cultural areas soon after its formation. One of these measures was the creation of a single, national language.
A group within the former Ascended Family of Ahvossnhi were tasked with creating a complete system of grammar and vocabulary, including an accompanying writing system, to the current Ascendant Worlds Congress assembly. They presented Voehn circa 25 years after the Ascendancy's formation, and since its implementation remained the state's only accepted language until 100-150 years ago.
Voehn have grown increasingly complex and expansive in the centuries since, a development that appears to be largely considered positive by the lusoyan population. The ability to learn and use such an involved language is a source of pride, and especially among the lusocentralists considered a demonstration of their intellectual superiority.

Modern Day

The Directorate for Conservation of Cultural Integrity, a governmental entity that currently fall under the Nksumiri Family’s jurisdiction, is the primary regulatory body for the advancement and cultivation of the Voehn language. Part of their duties encompass ensuring Voehn remains the primary language within the Ascendancy, and that appropriate measures are taken to minimize dialectal and accentual heterogenization.
All citizens of the Ascendancy are still required by law to learn and use Voehn as per the official guidelines given by the Directorate, but there’s been a noticeable increase in tolerance toward the use of colloquial language under certain circumstances.
Outside pressure from other major galactic states also lead to increased lenience toward citizens who, due to inherent anatomical limitations or different handicaps, cannot properly learn or use the language. Most notably, 'misuse of state language' and 'illegal use of non-sanctioned languages' were abolished as punishable offences from Ascendancy law less than 100 years ago.
This change primarily affected the non-Lusoyan population of the Cheitosnu social class, who prior to it were forced to remain mute while in the presence of higher-status citizens. In many places, Cheitosnu couldn't communicate verbally unless safely within the confines of their own homes. Lusoyan citizens living with certain types of handicaps were also subjected to forced muteness prior to the change.

Linguistical Data

Classification

Planned Natural Language
State Language

Phonology

Large Consonant Inventory
Large Vowel Inventory
Tonal

Morphology

Polysynthetic
Agglutinative

Morphosyntax

Object-Subject-Verb (OSV)
Time-Manner-Place (TMP)

Syntactic Categories

Pithosifs
Transmogrifs
Seimosifs

Word Forms

Root > Stem > Leaf

Taxonomic Data

Origin(s)

Apvaturji
Ehrebvha

Family

Proto-Gjevasudit

Subfamily

Rotsahvse

Branch(es)

Aolkili
Jinatsu

Creole(s)

Eimkjan
Huuju
Iwarji
Äeline

Writing System

Cajluohn

Signed Form

Chitba

Anthropological Data

Status

Native To

Lusoyan

Native Speakers

XX

Distribution

Rosepetal's AW-HW & HW-DT quadrants.
Estimated spread on ~69 worlds.

Official Language In

The Ascendancy

Recognized Minority In

The Hextlan Accord
The Twin Suns Alliance
The United Worlds
Haarbo
Uratan

Regulated By

The Directorate for Conservation of Cultural Integrity
Nksumiri Family

Grammar

Phonology WIP

Voehn has an extensive inventory of phonemes split into three major categories: vowels, consonants, and segmentals. All vowels and consonants have an average voiced length of ~0.12s, with vowel diphthongs and co-articulated consonants only slightly longer. Features are added either to acknowledge phonotactic rules or as suprasegmental modifications for prosodic or paralinguistic context.

Vowels

Vowel Inventory: i i_↓ y I Y e e_↓ ø ɛ œ æ æ_↓ a ȸ ȹ ʉ ɩ ɩ_↓ ұ ɵ ƛ ꬰ ꬰ_↓ u o ʌ ʌ_↓ ɔ ȼ ɑ ɑ_↓ ʖ ʖ_↓ ʮ ʮ_↓ ɥ w j
^{Three of the approximant semivowels are categorized as, and follow the same phonotactic rules, as vowels.}
Diphthongs: Coming Soon

	Front	Pre-Central	Central	Post-Central	Back	Pharyngal
Close	i i↓ / y		/ ʉ		/ u
Near-Close	I / Y		ɩ ɩ↓ / ұ	ƛ /		ʖ ʖ↓ /
Close-Mid	e e↓ / ø		/ ɵ		/ o
Mid		ȸ / ȹ				ʮ ʮ↓ /
Open-Mid	ɛ / œ				ʌ ʌ↓ / ɔ
Near-Open	æ æ↓ /				/ ȼ
Open	a /			ꬰ ꬰ↓ /	ɑ ɑ↓ /

^{unrounded / rounded sound}

^{ʖ ʖ_↓ are reminiscent of a paralingual huff and gasp}

^{ʮ ʮ_↓ are reminiscent of a short, paralingual sigh and yawn}

	Labial-Palatal	Labial-Velar	Palatal
Approximant	ɥ	w	j

Phonotactic Rules

• Vowels may not be adjacent to each other. If this occurs due to affixing or compounding, one of two things can happen:
1. The vowels are replaced with it's diph/triphthong equivalent. Ingressive vowels will in this case be treated as if they were their egressive equivalent. i_↓œ → iœ
2. The second vowel is deleted. ie → i
• Diph/Triphthongs are treated as single vowel phonemes in terms of phonotactic rules under most circumstances.
• Ingressive vowels are treated as separate phonemes. These are marked with a subscript downward ↓ arrow.
• Vowel sounds will harmonize with nearby consonants by receiving a secondary articulation. Vowels with secondary articulation are allophones and not treated as separate phonemes.
1. Pharyngal vowels and the semivowels are exceptions to this.
2. If flanked by consonants on both sides, they will harmonize with the one on their left.
3. In diph/triphthongs, each sound is treated separately for this purpose.
4. In triphthongs, the middle sound can never receive a secondary articulation.
5. In triphthongs, the last vowel sound will take on the same secondary articulation as the first sound if no other rule applies. myIes → mỹIẽs myIer → mỹIẽr
• If adjacent to a nasal consonant m̥ m n̥ n ŋ̊ ŋ, the vowel becomes nasalized. ma → mã.
• If adjacent to a trilled consonant r̥ r r̥ʼ Ꙫ Ꙫ_↓, the vowel becomes rhotacized ra → ra˞
• If adjacent to a velar consonant k k_↓ g kx ɡɣ x, the vowel becomes pharyngealized. ka → kaˤ

Diph/Triphthong Formations

• They cannot contain ingressive sounds.
• They can only contain one semivowel sound.
• The palatal approximant j have to be the first sound if adjacent to a front vowel, and the last sound if adjacent to a back vowel. It cannot be the second sound of a triphthong. jø ʌɒj ejœ
• The labial-palatal and labial-velar approximants ɥ w aren't allowed in triphthongs. iw Yɥ iwe Yɥe
• If the initial vowel sound is pharyngal the following sounds have to be height-harmonic, and the last vowel sound is pharyngealized and can't be modified again by an adjacent consonant. SʖYˤm SʖỸm
• Closing and opening diphthongs are wide.
• Closing and opening triphthongs are narrow.
• Centering diphthongs and triphthongs are narrow.
• Triphthongs can feature a backstep in the third sound, as long as it’s not the same vowel as the first.eyI eye
• Sound backstep isn’t allowed for centering triphthongs, or if the beginning vowel is pharyngal.

Consonants

Consonant Inventory: m̥ m n̥ n ŋ̊ ŋ p p_↓ b t d c c_↓ k k_↓ g pf bv ʦ ʣ ks kz t̠ʃ d̠ʒ cç kx ɡɣ ɸ ɸ_↓ f f_↓ v s s_↓ ɕ ɕ_↓ ʃ ʃ_↓ ʒ ʯ ɧ x r̥ r r̥ʼ Ꙫ Ꙫ_↓ ʋ ɟ ł l ʎ
Co-articulations: v͡h n͡m t͡p d͡b k͡p ɡ͡b ɠ͜ɓ ƙ͜ƥ ʍ q͡p q͡ɓ ʀ͡r ŋg
^{Co-articulated consonants are always of the doubly articulated class.}

	Bilabial	Labio-Dental	Alveolar	Alveolo-Palatal	Alveolo-Velar	Post-Alveolar	Palatal	Palato-Velar	Velar
Nasal	m̥ / m		n̥ / n						ŋ̊ / ŋ
Plosive	p p↓ / b		t / d				c c↓ /		k k↓ / g
Affricate		pf / bv	ʦ / ʣ		ks / kz	t̠ʃ / d̠ʒ	cç /		kx / ɡɣ
Fricative	ɸ ɸ↓ /	f f↓ / v	s s↓ / z	/ ɕ ɕ↓		ʃ ʃ↓ / ʒ	ç ç↓ /	ʯ / ɧ	x /
Trill			r̥ r̥ʼ / r						Ꙫ Ꙫ↓ /
Approximant		/ ʋ
Lateral Approximant		ɟ / ł	l /				/ ʎ

^{voiceless / voiced sound}

^{Ꙫ Ꙫ_↓ are reminiscent of a short snort}

Phonotactic Rules

Under Construction

• Ingressive consonants are treated as separate phonemes. These are marked with a subscript downward ↓ arrow.

Segmentals

Segmental Inventory: ɴ̥ ɴ Ԛ ꓨ q ɢ qʡ ʞ ʡ ʖ ʔ ʗ ȣ ʡʜ ʡʢ ʔh ʔɦ ɣ χ ʁ ħ ʕ h ɦ ʋħ ʋʕ ʀ̥ ʀ ω ʜ ʢ ɦr ʜr

Segmentals is a phonemic category unique to the Proto-Gjevasudit family. It contains phonemes that have a closer relation to suprasegmentals, and their primary use is for prosody and punctuation marking. All languages that make use of segmentals exclude them from units valid for word formation.
In Voehn, this includes all sounds with a primary place of articulation of the uvular or farther back. An exception to the rule is the voiceless fricative /ɣ/ which is also placed with the segmentals, while the rest of the velar sounds are consonants.

The Lusoyan are capable of combining a laminal or apical manner with an epiglottal or pharyngeal place of articulation. Voehn don’t utilize them on purpose due to the high risk of swallowing one’s own tongue in the process.
- Notation by Dr. Eirin Karst

	Velar	Post-Velar	Uvular	Uvular-Glottal	Pharyngal	Glottal
Nasal			ɴ̥ / ɴ
Plosive		Ԛ / ꓨ	q / ɢ	/ qʡ	ʞ / ʡ	ʖ / ʔ
Affricate			ʗ / ȣ		ʡʜ / ʡʢ	ʔh / ʔɦ
Fricative	/ ɣ		χ / ʁ		ħ / ʕ	h / ɦ
Trill					ʋħ / ʋʕ
Approximant			ʀ̥ / ʀ	/ ω	ʜ / ʢ	ɦr / ʜr

^{voiceless / voiced sound}

^{ω is reminiscent of a nasalized/rhotic groan}

^{ɦr is reminiscent of a purr}

^{ʜr is reminiscent of a throat clear}

Phonotactic Rules

Under Construction

• Ingressive segmentals are treated as separate phonemes. These are marked with a subscript downward ↓ arrow.

Suprasegmentals

Coming soon

Morphology Not started

Under Construction.

Syntax Not started

Under Construction.

Prosody & Pragmatics Not started

Under Construction.

Dictionary Not started

Under Construction.

Orthography

Caljuohn Not started

Under Construction.

Transliteration Guide Not started

Under Construction.