Rannyei grammar
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This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 12 Jan 2024, 11:40.
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1. Rannyei grammar
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This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
Rannyei (rannyėi rannyėi) is a Desanian language spoken by semi-nomads living in the steppes of
Nesyania (about 45,000 people in total, less than 0.1% of the country's population).Its name is actually an exonym derived from the name of the province where it is spoken (Ranawi). Rannyei belongs to the Southern branch of the langfam, so it is closely related to Keranian and Saridzani, and together they form a dialect continuum.
The Zetaha script is sometimes used to write the language, however the orthography remains rather unstandardized and Rannyei itself has never really been a language of education and written literature.
Typically for a South Desanian language, Rannyei nouns have no grammatical gender. They inflect for number (singular vs. plural) and case (there are six: NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument, ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient, DATDative (case)
indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location, GENGenitive (case)
possessive, INSTRInstrumental (case)
'with' 'using' and ESSEssive (case)
'as, similar', just like in Standard Keranian).
Nominal cases
Adding a case affix can cause some phonological changes, eg. metathesis and vowel shifts (depending on the declension pattern of the noun).
| NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument | ACCAccusative (case) TRANS direct object; patient | DATDative (case) indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location | GENGenitive (case) possessive | INSTRInstrumental (case) 'with' 'using' | ESSEssive (case) 'as, similar' | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | ||||||
| Plural |
Declension classes
Like in other Desanian languages (especially Keranian and Saridzani), regular nouns in Rannyei are divided into a few declension patterns or classes, depending on the final sound(s) of the word.
Declension class 1: nouns ending with a consonant: Certain suffixes are added with an epenthetic schwa. When a noun ends with a nasal or a liquid consonant, then the accusative suffix is rendered as -żi.
waq [wɑq] - waqėż [ˈwɑqəʒ]
wėr [wəɾ] - wėrżi [ˈwəɾʒi]
waqėya [ˈwɑqəjɑ] - waqėyaz [ˈwɑqəjɑz]
wėrya [ˈwəɾjɑ] - wėryaz [ˈwəɾjɑz]
Declension class 2: nouns ending with a schwa: Suffixes strenghten the schwa to /a/.
toyė [ˈtʰojə] - toyaż [ˈtʰojaʒ]
toyaya [tʰoˈjɑjɑ] - toyayaz [tʰoˈjɑjɑz]
Declension class 3: nouns ending with /i o u/): Nothing changes in the stucture.
nalo [ˈnɑlo] - naloż [ˈnɑloʒ]
naloya [nɑˈlojɑ] - naloyaz [nɑˈlojɑz]
Declension class 4: nouns ending with a stressed /u/ or /ew/: When a noun ends with /ew/, adding a suffix changes this ending to /o/.
jeru [t͡ʃeˈɾu] - jeruż [t͡ʃeˈɾuʒ]However, class 4 nouns are often abstract and therefore uncountable (eg. rugrayew ‘anger’, ssaru ‘knowledge’).
jeruya [t͡ʃeˈɾujɑ] - jeruyaz [t͡ʃeˈɾujɑz]
akalew [ɑkʰɑˈlew] - akaloż [ɑkʰɑˈloʒ]
akaloya [ɑkʰɑˈlojɑ] - akaloyaz [ɑkʰɑˈlojɑz]
Usage of the cases
(some examples have been borrowed from my other grammar articles)
Nominative
This is the default case, marking the subject of a verb.
Rej ledim.Nouns followed by a postposition take the nominative as well:
rej
horse ledi-m
run-PRESPresent tense (tense)
current.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
The horse runs/is running.
Waqeṡ na qamiro.Accusative
waqeṡ
town na
to qami-ro
go-PRESPresent tense (tense)
current.1PEFirst person plural exclusive (person)
we (exclusive)
We are going to the town.
Marks the direct object of a verb.
Zaqaż cmiṡ.However, when the verb is negated, the direct object appears in the nominative just like the subject (the verb still agrees only with the subject, though).
zaqa-ż
dog-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient cmi-ṡ
see-PRESPresent tense (tense)
current.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I
I see a/the dog.
Zaqė qecmiṡ.Genitive
zaqė
dog qe-cmi-ṡ
NEGNegative (polarity)
not-see-PRESPresent tense (tense)
current.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I
I do not see the dog.
Marks the possessor. It is also the only case to be marked with a prefix (GENGenitive (case)
possessive.PLPlural (number)
more than one/few being marked with a circumfix, as the noun is suffixed with -ya already) and not a suffix.
dessazė rėzIf the noun/proper noun denoting the possessor is preceeded by any adjectives describing it, the genitive prefix ignores them all and is still attached only to the noun.
de-ssazė
GENGenitive (case)
possessive-girl rėz
house
the girl's house
dessazaya rėz
de-ssaza-ya
GENGenitive (case)
possessive-girl-PLPlural (number)
more than one/few rėz
house
the girls' house
yilai dessazė rėzDative
yilai
young de-ssazė
GENGenitive (case)
possessive-girl rėz
house
the young girl's house
Marks the beneficiary/recipient of an action.
Tesė dyal azar emeimė.Instrumental
tesė
woman dyal
GENGenitive (case)
possessive.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee aza-r
child-DATDative (case)
indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location emei-mė
talk-PRESPresent tense (tense)
current.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
The woman is talking to her child.
Marks the means by which the subject accomplishes an action.
Qepawe izraż tojimbun.Essive
qepa-we
stone-INSTRInstrumental (case)
'with' 'using' izra-ż
window-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient toji-mbun
break-PFVPerfective (aspect)
completed action.PTPast tense (tense)
action occurred before moment of speech.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee
He broke the window with a stone.
Denotes a form or role in which the subject is.
Letė nyissaritu ogarė winnė.
letė
3PThird person plural (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, they/them nyissari-tu
teacher-PLPlural (number)
more than one/few.ESSEssive (case)
'as, similar' ogarė
work wi-nnė
AUXAuxilliary-FTFuture tense (tense)
action occurring after the moment of speech.3PThird person plural (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, they/them
They will be working as teachers.
Personal
WIP.
Interrogative
WIP.
WIP.
Tense and aspect
WIP.
Voice
WIP.
Auxiliary verbs
WIP.
Most adjectives end with -ai/-ėi, less commonly with -i or a consonant. Other productive adjectivizers with more specific meanings are -mni “made of”, -qtai “-less” and -awi “-like”, among others.
Adjectives in Rannyei come after the nouns they describe, e.g. ṡmalė lagai ‘black cat’, literally ‘cat black’ (which is unusual in the language family – compare Keranian lagay smále, Rashintu laagəś timaal, etc.) – this is an influence of the Nesyanian language.
Adjectives do not inflect for number nor case. The comparative suffix is -ti and superlatives is created by adding ce- to comparative forms.
Overview
WIP.
Interrogative
WIP.
Relative
WIP.
WIP.
Declarative
WIP.
Negative
WIP.
Interrogative
WIP.
Relative
WIP.
Subordinate
WIP.
Conditional
WIP.
WIP. ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
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