Dalkaisk (Language)

Dalkaisk is the majority language spoken in Dalkai, and the Lingua Franca of Tauran communities abroad.

The language is the official language of Dalkai, as well as being spoken by a significant minority in Alphia, as well as in Dalkaisk pockets in Novenae. The Tauran sector in Atlas Valley contains a large amount of Dalkaisk speakers, and is the largest enclave of Dalkaisk language speakers outside of Tauran nations.

History

Srojkja

Dalkaisk was historically written in the Srojkja script, a consonant based alphabet where vowels were written above or below the consonants. Its connective appearance meant each letter possessed an initial, middle, and end version. Srojkja was eventually phased out in favor of the Cyrillic Script used by the Gerbian Language. Srojkja is still used in early Dalkaisk aesthetic and art.

Cyrillic

In 2501, Dalkai, while under the control of SMG, underwent the 2501 Dalkaisk Language Cyrillization, also called Syrilinitsije, outlawing the old Strojkja system. The Cyrillic script is still commonly used in settings representing Revolutionary and Early-Dalkaisk Periods, as well as those, typically older Dalkaisk educated before the switch to the Latin Alphabet.

Tuviet (Tuvyetsk) speakers continue to use the previous Cyrillic script, even as Dalkaisk ceased usages of the alphabet. Along with older Dalkaisk speakers, Cyrillic users have been collectively called Syriliens (Syriliesk)

Latin

During the Anti-SMG political turmoils prior to the Red War, Latinization of Dalkaisk increased in popularity and usage. Unlike Syrilinitsije, Dalkaisk Language Latinization, or Latjinitsije was a gradual process. During this time, Cyrillic was seen as the remnant of an oppressive regime, as well as many other Gerbian cultural symbols. in 2888, the Latjinitsije Decitsije (Latinization Act) set the Latin Alphabet as the official writing system of Dalkaisk. This script is still used to this day, although languages such as Avenian continue to use the Cyrillic script.

Grammar

Dalkaisk is an SVO language, similar to English, and occasionally allows OSV word order. Definite articles (e.g. the, a, etc.) are absent from the language, and are not used. Verbs inflections include morphemes added at the ends of words, and individual words added before the verb.

Noun Inflections

The main noun inflections decline based on number and prepositional phrasing (i.e to-, at-, from-).

The noun inflections are as follows:

Number Affixes:

-(a)n, Plural marker, (a is optional dependent on if the noun ends in a consonant or a vowel.)

Preprepositional Affixes:

av-, to (the/a) #
lo-, by (the/a) #, (when attached onto a noun starting in a vowel, a /β/ "v" sound is usually included when spoken, loajtse, "by the end" sounds more like lovajtse)
on-, in (the/a) #
je-, at (the/a) #
in-, from (the/a) #
por-, with (the/a) #
jaj-, on (the/a) #
las-, about (the/a) #
evo-, among (the/a) #, (see lo#)
-tsi, of (the/a) #, attached after a noun as a stylistic choice or a redundancy reducer, (from tsi # tsi #, to tsi # #tsi)

Order of noun suffixes go: Prep. + Root + Plu. + Prep.(Suffix)

Verb Inflections

-re, Past Tense
-(s)ejn, Future Tense
-te, Continuous Tense, (reduced to -t after the past tense marker)
-(l)ajm, Interrogative (Question) Tense
holje #, Perfect Tense (i.e had #, have #, etc.)
-jen, Habitual Tense, (Informal, dialectal)

Order of verb suffixes go: Past/Fut. + Cont./Hab. + Int.

Other Modifications

-isej / -isam, Adverb modifier for Adjectives
-ij / -esk, Common suffixes for Adjectives

Vocabulary

Dalkaisk	English	POS
embonje	ally	N
ij	and	C
enzhelje	angel	N
jen	are (multiple)	V
strervejn	army	N
assembliskaya	assembly	N
porje	attack	N
retjefre	attention	N
bajnizha	bank	N
angij	big	ADJ
degnalje	billion	NUM
lendve	border	N
peditse	bucket	N
kadiniz	capital	N
kadinizisme	capitalism	N
tsaj	city	N
komunitsme	communism	N
kommunij	community	ADJ
kampatsinat	compassion	N
desoj	create	V
dakj	dark	ADJ
task	day	N
dajdtesk	dedication	N
suse	do	V
otsesk	east	N
nom	eight	NUM
nomerel	eighteen	NUM
nomati	eighty	NUM
anerel	eleven	NUM
ajtse	end	N
etumenje	enter	V
etunije	entrance	N
attsinje	exit	N
attsinje	exit	V
menifaj	factory	N
fenstisije	festival	N
vejzherel	fifteen	NUM
vejzhati	fifty	NUM
rjeflem	fighter	N
vejzh	five	NUM
naj	for	ADP
fansja	force	N
felotse	forest	N
dajti	forty	NUM
daj	four	NUM
dajerfel	fourteen	NUM
dzhabol	gerbil	N
se	go	V
sborkije	group	N
jo	he/she/it/etc	PTC
ren	he/she/it/etc	P
privetsk	hello	I
ranen	his/her/its	P
shenvinsk	honour	N
oraj	hour	N
ne	huh	I
vaj	i	P
sut	if	C
tep	in	ADP
svobonije	independence	N
svobodnojesk	independent	ADJ
insignija	insignia	N
ensajteseje	institution	N
je	is	V
bajle	language	N
vajne	life	N
voje	live	V
lelosine	matter	N
nosvandja	metal	N
delitsija	military	N
sirnalje	million	NUM
menetsiva	ministry	N
tvendjep	mouse	N
mjin	my	P
damjil	nation	N
skej	nine	NUM
skejernil	nineteen	NUM
skejti	ninety	NUM
skejti-skej	ninety-nine	NUM
pjo	no	AFF
nartej	north	N
otsnaraj	northeast	N
petnaraj	northwest	N
tsi	of	ADP
an	one	NUM
tajn	one hundred	NUM
pasin	our	P
narodmjov	person	N
popresheke	please	I
pajsentse	province	N
kupesaj	quartz	N
lajm	question marker	ADP
rosinen	red	ADJ
rjespublika	republic	N
kham	room	N
poshe	room	N
reglen	say	V
gajle	segregation	N
lep	seven	NUM
lepersel	seventeen	NUM
lepeti	seventy	NUM
tsappe	shop	N
sen	six	NUM
senersel	sixteen	NUM
senti	sixty	NUM
otso	small	ADJ
suldjesk	soldier	N
suten	south	N
otsuten	southeast	N
petsuten	southwest	N
zvetsio	special	ADJ
itsapja	spruce	N
otsonije	stairs	N
lajsije	state	N
tensur	study	N
sombleja	symbol	N
rel	ten	NUM
kjem	that	P
renaje	their	P
nejan	then	C
renaj	they	P
zverkhel	thirteen	NUM
zviti	thirty	NUM
gerajn	thousand	NUM
zvi	three	NUM
loj	to	ADP
av	to (Dauija)	ADP
fel	tree	N
nanalje	trillion	NUM
ajkefre	trouble	N
lerertel	twelve	NUM
lerati	twenty	NUM
lerati-nom	twenty-eight	NUM
lerati-vejzh	twenty-five	NUM
lerati-skej	twenty-nine	NUM
lerati-an	twenty-one	NUM
lerati-lep	twenty-seven	NUM
lerati-sen	twenty-six	NUM
lerati-zvi	twenty-three	NUM
lerati-ler	twenty-two	NUM
ler	two	NUM
proge	victim	N
varkhun	warehouse	N
lestale	welcome	I
petesk	west	N
tev	what	I
men	with	ADP
tjene	year	N
tajsk	you (plural)	P
tej	you	P
tujen	your	P
van	zero	NUM

Examples

Example 1

Dalkaisk: Renaj sere avbajnizha an oraj onpruste.

IPA: /ɾeˈnaʲ ˈseɾ(ə) ɑβˈbaʲniˌʒa an̪ ˈoɾaʲ ˌonˈpɾustə/

Literal: They-(3rd person pl.) go-(past) (to)-bank one hour (in)-past

English: They went to the bank one hour ago.

Example 2

Dalkaisk: Tej attsinjesejnte jo lajm?

IPA: /teʲ atˈt͡sinʲeˌseʲntə jo laʲm/

Literal: You-(2nd person sing.) open-(fut.)-(cont.) it (ques. particle)?

English: Will you be opening it? / You will be opening it, right?

Example 3

Dalkaisk: Nartaj tsi Aphjil jen felotsen ij felotsen itapjatsi

IPA: /naɾˈtaʲ t͡s(ɪ) apˈhʲil jen̪ feˈlot͡sen iɨ feˈlot͡sen ˌitaˈpʲat͡s(ɪ)/

Literal: North of Aphil be-(3rd-person-pl.) forest-(pl.) and forest-(pl.) spruce-(of).

English: North of Aphil are forests and forests of spruce.

Dialects

The Standardized Dialect, also known as Mainstream Dalkaisk, is based off the Nankai dialect of Reicala. Regional Dialects vary widely, with some dialects occasionally being written down.

In the Mainstream/Nankai Dialect, the following sentence would be written and spoken as such:

Pjo reglen kjem tej suseretjo sut ren desoj atkefre.

/pʲo ɾegˈlen̪ kʲem teʲ suˈse.ɾe.tʲə su(t) ɾen̪ deˈsoʲ ˈat.ke.fre/

English: Don't say that you did it if it creates trouble.

However, in the Dauija Dialect of Southeastern Reicala, the same sentence would feature more contractions and vowel dropping:

Pj'reglen kjem t'suseretj s'ren des'atkefre.

/pʲ.ɾegˈɫn kʲem t͡sʊˈseˌɾetʲ sɾen deˈsaʔ.ke.fɾə/

In the Avenije Dialect, due to it's 3 vowel phonological tendencies originating from the Avenian language, (/a/, /i/, /u/) the sentence would be:

Pia raglin kam tai susaritiu sut ran dasui atkipru.

/piˈa ragˈlin kam ˈta.i suˈsa.ri.ti.u sut ran daˈsu.i ˈat.ki.pru/