Baltas
From Langmaker
| Conlang | Baltas |
| Author | Andrey Gazibarov |
| Year Began | 2006 |
| Language Type | altlang |
| Lexicon Size | 200 |
| Etymologies | Yes |
| Grammar | Not yet online |
| Sample Texts | Not yet online |
| Primer | No |
Baltas is a fictional diachronic language created by Andrey Gazibarov.
Description
Baltas is a fictional dialect of the earliest Proto-Slavic language. It has branched away from it right after the split of the Balto-Slavic protolanguage to Proto-Baltic and Proto-Slavic, forming a third branch. Literary sources from various moments in time are often cited. The sources are roughly grouped in three periods, provisionally called old, middle and new.
Uniqueness
Baltas exhibits quite a complex system of noun declension and verbal conjugation, but this does not make it unique, since such complexness is considered integral part of all Indo-European languages. Peculiar feature is a fully developed dual number for all nouns, pronouns and verbs. The description of this conlang shows alternate forms, etymologies and variations of single categories, as well as the overall development in time.
Design principles
Flexion is constructed strictly following Slavic, Proto-Slavic and Indo-European data. However, phonetic laws unique to Baltas are applied. This creates quite a complex system of root alterations, especially in verb inflexion, which is generally unpredictable if only synchronic data is used. As a result, almost each simple (i.e. not derived from another one) verb has unique paradigm.
Language sources
Baltas vocabulary and grammar was directly influenced by Indo-European and Proto-Slavic, with additional loans from Greek, Latin and Gothic.
Writing
Baltas is written using three scripts, namely Roman, Greek and a script of its own.
Features of Roman script usage: c always denotes /k/; a moderate amount of diacritics is applied to mark long and nasal vowels, as well as to break a raising difthong, starting with i (e.g. píami 'I should drink' vs. piami 'I should sing').
Features of Greek script usage: ω is used for long /a/, while α is used for short /a/.
Features of own script: its structure generally follows Greek script. Ligatures are widely used, as well as different final and non-final forms for several letters.
Interest of others
Only me.
Sample translation
Langmaker.com Motto
Šandila tāine m-paracą – farei galgalą!
Share the secret vice - Invent a language!
For the sake of the language, I will give a breakdown of the translation.
Šandila comes from the verb šandilvã, which means "to share, to distribute amoung others", and is in the singular second person form, imperative. Paracą is the accusative form of the noun paracas, which means vice. Tāine is secret, an adjective that must agree in gender, number and case with the main noun and as such it adopts masculine, singular, accusative form (basic form is tāins). The m inbetween represents liaison – the 'normal' accusative form of this adjective is tāinę, with a nasal vowel at the end; the nasal resonance is raised to a full consonant in front of the p, which starts the next word. Baltas exhibits quite a complex liaison system, which involves not only nasal vowels, but also historical consonants that otherwise have seized being pronounced. Farei is a verb form – second person singular, imperative of fariã, invent, create. Galgalą is the accusative of galgalas, speech, vernacular, dialect, language (cf. Bulgarian глагол)
External links
- - Broken link: Yes.
(Site author: Andrey Gazibarov. Site language: English)
