Illanī

The Illani language is the main language of the Islands in the Rhêghîlian Sea, and is part of another branch of the Samerian family; it is one of the Insular tounges, and gives its name to this branch of the family. Ergative patterning is extremely common, which is amazing given that the Proto-Insular/Illanī language, which we have records of from the Šiffaraxti archives, was most certainly a Nominative-Accusative language. Dialects tend to be varied. The Insular languages have been influenced culturally by Sanskrit and Pāli, and most learned words are from Sanskrit or Pāli.

Sounds

Labial alveolar palato-alveolar palatal velar

Stop p^h b t^h d č^h ĵ - - k^h g

Nasal m - n ñ

Fricative f v - - ś ź

Liquid - - l/r

Morphology

Illani is an ergative language, with postpositions, and SOV word order; some dialects show less verb inflections, as these inflections are clictic pronouns in origin; the tense-signs are adverbial particles which have gained a special meaning. The –n[1] of the infinitive is removed, and the signs added. The Ergative system emerged when the verb stems, originally passive participles, were re-analysed as active verb forms. The –n of the infinitive is one of the remnants of the noun inflections that were inherited by Proto-Illani from Proto-Šiffaraxtī, and it marked the object of a clause; this later came to be used as an infinitive by means of the indirect statement clause, which used the verbal nouns.

Transitive Verb inflection:

Present Ergative Past Ergative Future Ergative

1 -k^həU 1 -k^ha i 1 -k^həU ak^h

2 -t^həU 2 -t^ha i 2 -t^həU ak^h

3 -p^həU 3 -p^ha i 3 - p^həU ak^h

Present Absolutive Past Absolutive Future Absolutive

1 -gεU 1 -gε � 1 -gεU ak^h

2 -dεU 2 -dε � 2 -dεU ak^h

3 -bεU 3 -bε � 3 -bεU ak^h

Intransitive Verb inflection:

Present Absolutive Past Absolutive Future Absolutive

1 -ga 1 -ga � 1 -ga ak^h

2 -da 2 -da � 2 -da ak^h

3 -ba 3 -ba � 3 -ba ak^h

Texts

<�)øεr, fiüur-U9aI» fača-k^ha-dε-Un_�-i.>

<therefore war(Obl)-Instr walk(1 erg.; 2 Obj.)-dat past(obj) past(erg)>

Therefore, we had walked to you by means of the war.

Lexicon:

The Illanī language has, as a language of culture, the Ancient /saṃskr8ta-/ Sanskrit, and also the Pāli. The ancient Indic study of grammar has survived here, producing the quality grammars of Illanī and her sister languages. The various dialects are named according to their pronounciation of /ś/, namely [s], [S], [þ], [ç], [x], and [χ].

p^h b t^h d č^h ĵ k^h g f v ś ź m n ñ r i I e ε a � o U u

eśa-island Abs: eźa; Obl:eźε

č^hε.in-to be (use of Sanskrit bhū/as is a sign of sophistication; for Transitives, the personal forms are inflected for the Ergative noun of the sentence, while the Illanī subject/object markers are also used; for intransitives, the 3^rd person singular (bhavati/asti) is used.)

č^hein-to have

fač^han- to walk

faśan- to fish

k^ha-I\me\we\us (ergative); ga- me\I\us\we (absolutive); gε-me\us (oblique) (< Prae-Insular *kxa)

Un- postpositional Dative

u9ai»- postpositional Instrumental

mIś-general invective (cognate to Drydic nix)

�)ñεr-therefore (1^st in it’s clause)

Iv-postposition in

fIśUr-war Abs: fIźUr; Obl:fIźur

ak^h-postpositional genitive; also future marker (cognate to PDU *-æ˘k)

t^hoi-snake; Abs:doi; Obl: doi

t^ha-thou (ergative); da- thou\thee (absolutive); dε- thee (oblique) (<OI *ca < OIns saḥ< PŠ *sə-sĕ, influenced by Prae-Insular *cå)

en-postposition on

p^ha-thou (ergative); ba- thou\thee (absolutive); bε- thee (oblique) (<OI *φa < OIns p^ha < Prae-Insular *på)

UñoIt^h-arrow

śai�-earth (from Proto-Illani śaλ-oḥ, Šaol)

t^hUk^h-falcon

m�r-famous

oinət^haIñ-farmer

ñas-father

eIriU-fighter

aUt^haič^h-flowering

t^heim-forest

Iot^hi-fortunate

k^hiseU-turtle

üUs-battle

met^h- bear-like

ak^heu-bearer of good news

naIś-beloved

k^hoiñ-bitter

uñan-bless

ik^h-brave

geUś-brightness

ñaip^h-chief

t^houk^h-compassionate

t^hUg-sword

auI-constant

ouoin-counselor

εam-crown

iUiUt^h-defender

aiźoi-desired

(d)eUč^h-divine (d- is from Sankrit devas)

devas-god; (from Sanskrit deva-, god); devasya vr8k^ha, wolf god (-asya is the Sanskrit

Genitive; the forms of deva- and other Sanskrit loans are taken from Sanskrit:

deva-: god	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nom (Erg)	devas	devau	devās
Voc	deva	devau	devās
Acc (Erg./Abs.)	devam	devau	devān
Dat (Obl. + Un)	devāya	devābhyām	devebhyas
Abl (Obl)	devāt	devābhyām	devebhyas
Instr (Obl.+u9aI»)	devena	devābhyām	devais
Gen (Obl. + ak^h)	devasya	devayos	devānām
Loc	deve	devayos	deveṣu

vr8k^ha-wolf (from Proto-Illani wr8ga; cf. Sanskrit vr8ka-, wolf) (an important Illanī god is the wolf hunter, and they borrowed the Sanskrit term for 'wolf' out of deference to this deity)

eum-dweller

ñInoIk^h-eagle

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[1] The fact that the Infinitve marker of –(a)n is the same as in Drydic is a coincidence, as the Drydic is from the Dative Plural of the present participle, and has lost the –s of this plural case-form.