Old Imperial/ Áfæmek

This language was spoken by the people of the Empire of Man, or Shukúm (ˈʃukɯm) in their language. Originally, the language was only spoken by humans in the swamps in the southwestern part of the main continent, but when the people there discovered magic and began to conquer and spread across the world, the language spread across the continent, becoming a lingua franca. Unfortunately, due to Ohn's Bane, the language went through many changes and Old Imperial (Áfæmek) is now archaic, replaced by New Imperial as the lingua franca and changing into many other languages throughout the world. Áfæmek came about as a result of many changes throughout the nation’s history. Originating from a language adapted to a specific environment and a culture without magic, the Empire’s rule over nearly all the world’s lands and races led it to become much more diverse and adaptable. It was heavily influenced by languages like Savas and Sayalan, along with the many dwarven languages. After the Empire’s fall, the language started to change, and it has turned into several other languages, namely Lagrasi, Tharken, and New Imperial (which is the new lingua franca that is spoken in most nations).

Natively known as: áfæmek /ˈɑfæmɛk/

...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
pù ufù ůmøṽìvhmo růvhl̃ũthìlh obahumæl̃ dhìwùføj ewnûbhůb pù øvhorhfho buůjú mirshùhũth dhìwùføj ewnûbhůb fhlhi øræ
Pronunciation: /pʊ ˈufʊ ˈymøˌⱱɪʋmɔ ˈryʋɮɜθɪɬ ˈɔbɐˌhumæɮ ˈðɪwʊføʤ ˈɛwnʌβyb pʊ ˈøʋɔɹfhɔ ˈbuyʤɯ ˈmirʃʊhɜθ ˈðɪwʊføʤ ˈɛwnʌβyb ɸɬi ˈøræ/
Old Imperial word order: and stood he holding hat his and turned his face wet to the wind

Spelling & Phonology

Consonant inventory: b f h k m n p r s v w ð ɬ ɮ ɸ ɹ ʃ ʋ ʒ ʔ ʤ ʧ β θ ⱱ

↓Manner/Place→	Bilabial	Labiodental	Dental	Alveolar	Palato-alveolar	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m			n
Stop	p b					k	ʔ
Affricate					ʧ ʤ
Fricative	ɸ β	f v	θ ð	s	ʃ ʒ		h
Approximant		ʋ		ɹ
Tap		ⱱ
Trill				r
Lateral fricative				ɬ ɮ

Co-articulated phonemes

↓Manner/Place→	Labial-velar
Approximant	w

Vowel inventory: i u y æ ø ɐ ɑ ɔ ə ɛ ɜ ɪ ɯ ʊ ʌ

	Front	Central	Back
High	i y		ɯ u
Near-high	ɪ		ʊ
High-mid	ø
Mid		ə
Low-mid	ɛ	ɜ	ʌ ɔ
Near-low	æ	ɐ
Low			ɑ

Syllable structure: Áfæmek has five main syllable types: CV, VC, CVC, and CCV. They all occur fairly often. /bɐ/ [bɐ] “comfort /ɑɹ/ [ɑɹ] “map” /kuʋ/ [ˈkuʋ] “high” /ʔɸʌ/ [ʔɸʌ] “rumor”
Stress pattern: Initial — Stress occurs on the first syllable of any given word. Some exceptions come about from the influence of other languages (see 4.5). /əɹuɸɪð/ [ˈəɹu.ɸɪð] “raise” /vɪmɐli/ [vɪm’ɐli] Demonym for someone from Vim
Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
ɐ	a
ɛ	e
ɔ	o
ɪ	ì
ə	à
ʊ	ù
ɜ	ũ
y	ů
ɯ	ú
ʌ	û
ɑ	á
b	b
ð	dh
ʤ	j
f	f
h	h
k	k
ɬ	lh
ɮ	l̃
m	m
n	n
p	p
ɸ	fh
r	r
ɹ	rh
s	s
ʃ	sh
ʧ	tsh
v	v
ʋ	vh
ⱱ	ṽ
w	w
ʒ	zh
ʔ	'
β	bh
θ	th

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Grammar

Main word order: Verb Subject Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Opened Mary the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned after the noun.
Adposition: prepositions ?

Verb affixes

Habitual	If ends with vowel: Suffix -b Else: Suffix -ʌ úshib /ˈɯʃib/ learn (often, habitually)
Continuous	If ends with vowel: Suffix -v Else: Suffix -ə úshiv /ˈɯʃiv/ am/are learning
Perfect	If ends with vowel: Suffix -f Else: Suffix -æ úshif /ˈɯʃif/ have learned

Verb affixes

1st person	Prefix ʤɜ- jũúshi /ˈʤɜɯʃi/ (I/we) learn
2nd person	Prefix ɮy- l̃ůúshi /ˈɮyɯʃi/ (you/you all) learn
3rd person	Prefix hɔ- hoúshi /ˈhɔɯʃi/ (he/she/it/they) learn(s)

Verb affixes

Past	If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɮ Else: Suffix -ʊ úshil̃ /ˈɯʃiɮ/ learned
Present	No affix úshi /ˈɯʃi/ learn
Future	If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʃ Else: Suffix -i úshish /ˈɯʃiʃ/ will learn

Verb affixes

Indicative	No affix úshi /ˈɯʃi/ learn
Conditional	Suffix -uʔ úshiu' /ˈɯʃiuʔ/ learn
Subjunctive	Suffix -ih úshiih /ˈɯʃiih/ learn
Imperative	Suffix -ɑr úshiár /ˈɯʃiɑr/ learn
Using magic	If ends with vowel: Suffix -v Else: Suffix -ʊ úshiv /ˈɯʃiv/ learn

Noun affixes

Singular	No affix øpul̃ůmû /ˈøpuˌɮymʌ/ dog
Plural	Prefix βɜ- bhũøpul̃ůmû /ˈβɜøˌpuɮymʌ/ dogs

Noun affixes

Animate	Suffix -ɪv øpul̃ůmûìv /ˈøpuˌɮymʌɪv/ dog
Inanimate	If ends with vowel: Suffix -w Else: Suffix -ə øpul̃ůmûw /ˈøpuˌɮymʌw/ tree

Noun affixes

Nominative	No affix øpul̃ůmû /ˈøpuˌɮymʌ/ dog (doing the verb)
Accusative	Prefix bʌ- bûøpul̃ůmû /ˈbʌøˌpuɮymʌ/ (verb done to) dog
Genitive	If ends with vowel: Suffix -p Else: Suffix -ʌ øpul̃ůmûp /ˈøpuˌɮymʌp/ dogʼs
Instrumental	Suffix -ib øpul̃ůmûib /ˈøpuˌɮymʌib/ with/using dog

Numbers

Old Imperial has a base-10 number system:
1 - hu
2 - ffashdhù
3 - zhejwo
4 - hàbdhuk
5 - ahzhri
6 - rhùshpṽàpu
7 - al̃dhmů
8 - hi
9 - r'ø
10 - pofhvi
100 - fà
1000 - wfha

Derivational morphology

Adjective → adverb = Prefix ðø-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Prefix ʧi-
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Prefix hy-
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ɬ
Else: Suffix -ɛ
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -s
Else: Suffix -ə
Noun to verb = Prefix pʌ-
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Prefix rɔ-
Tending to = Suffix -ɯf
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Prefix su-
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -m
Else: Suffix -ɜ
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -ɜð
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Suffix -øⱱ
Diminutive = Prefix mɜ-
Augmentative = Prefix pu-
Magic = Prefix nɜ-
Not magic = Suffix -øɮ

Phonology

When a tap occurs between two vowels, it undergoes lenition, becoming an approximant. (assimilation to manner)
/əɾæ/ [ˈəɹæ] “night”
/sɜɯⱱɜð/ [ˈsɜɯʋɜð] “visitor”
C [+tap] → C[+approximant] / V_V
When a voiceless fricative or alveolar-palatal affricate occurs after a voiced consonant, it becomes voiced. (assimilation to voicing)
/æʋʃæ/ [ˈæʋʒæ] “fight”
/hʌvʧø/ [ˈhʌvʤø] “stick”
[ʃ] → [ʒ] / C [+voice] _
[ʧ] → [ʤ] / C [+voice] _
When a bilabial stop occurs at the beginning of a word, it becomes aspirated.
/pɐw/ [ˈpʰɐw] “week”
/ˈbinəθ/ [ˈbʰinəθ] “cousin”

→ [pʰ] / #_
→ [bʰ] / #_

Morphology

Many Sayalan words are borrowed in Áfæmek, primarily words pertaining to the sea. This is because the Sayalans were one of the primary seafaring groups the Empire interacted with, aiding them many times against the Vimali. In fact, the name Vimali itself (or /bim’ɐli/) comes from /’bim/, a Sayalan word meaning enemy. In Áfæmek, the words are pronounced /vɪm’ɐli/ and /’vɪm/. /-ɐli/ is a suffix used in Áfæmek, borrowed from Sayalan, which is used for the demonyms of seafaring groups from the Sayali archipelago (and to describe some things that originate from the ocean). Sayalan also places stress wherever a marker occurs over a letter, a process that carried over into Áfæmek.

Syntax

Noun Phrases
Headedness
Áfæmek is head initial. For example, the english phrase “his wet face” would become “face wet his”; i.e. [ˈɬʊnɑ ˈmiɾʃʊhɜθ ɔh].
Plurality, Noun Classes In Áfæmek, nouns are differentiated by being either singular or plural. If a noun is singular, no change is made. If it is plural, βɜ- is prefixed onto the noun.
/øpuɮymʌ/ [ˈøpuˌɮymʌ] “dog” /βɜøpuɮymʌ/ [ˈβɜøˌpuɮymʌ] “dogs”
Áfæmek classifies nouns by whether they are animate or inanimate, an important distinction when dealing with magical items and spells. Affixes are used to differentiate between the two. There is some allophony for expressing these forms, as the form for the affix changes if the word ends in a vowel.
/øpuɮymʌɪv/ [ˈøpuˌɮymʌⱱ] “dog” /rɜsə/ [rɜ.sə] “castle”
Animate: If ends with vowel, Suffix -ⱱ; else: Suffix -ɪⱱ Inanimate: If ends with vowel: Suffix -w; else: Suffix -ə
Case In Áfæmek, there are four noun cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, and instrumental. For the Empire, the instrumental case became very important in referring to things that would be used in magical processes; certain items are needed to make certain spells work, and it became important to differentiate these. Of course, this case is used for more than just material components for a spell, but when used alongside nɜ-, it indicates the item’s use for magic.
Nominative (Used to mark the subject): /øpuɮymʌ/ [ˈøpuˌɮymʌ] “dog”
Accusative (Used to mark a direct object): /əøpuɮymʌ/ [ˈəøpuˌɮymʌ] “(verb done to) dog”
Genitive (Used to mark possession): /ʃɔøpuɮymʌ/ [ˈʃɔøpuˌɮymʌ] “dog’s”
Instrumental (Used to mark as a means of doing [verb]): /pɪøpuɮymʌ/ [ˈpɪøpuˌɮymʌ] “with/using dog”
If used as a material component, the word would look like this: /nɜpɪøpuɮymʌ/ [ˈnɜpɪøpuˌɮymʌ] “with/using dog (for a spell)”
Verb Phrases
Verb Tense/Aspect/Mode Áfæmek uses three verb tenses: Past, Present, and Future. To indicate these, suffixes are used. There is some allophony based on whether or not the verb ends in a vowel.
Present tense: In the present tense, no change is made to the base verb: /ɯʃi/ [ˈɯʃi] “learn”
Past tense: If the verb ends in a vowel, -ɮ is suffixed. Otherwise, -ʊ is used. /ɯʃiɮ/ [ˈɯʃiɮ] “learned”
Future tense: If the verb ends in a vowel, -ʃ is suffixed. Otherwise, -i is used. /ɯʃiʃ/ [ˈɯʃiʃ] “will learn”
Prefixes are used to indicate the subject in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person. These prefixes take the place of a pronoun. If a specific subject is used rather than a pronoun, the 3rd person prefix is removed and a subject is placed after the verb instead. The plural prefix βɜ- (normally used for nouns) is added as another prefix to indicate plural numbers.
1st person: In 1st person, ʤɜ- is prefixed. /ʤɜɯʃi/ [ˈʤɜɯʃi] “I learn” /βɜʤɜɯʃi/ [ˈβɜʤɜɯʃi] “We learn”
2nd person: In 2nd person, ɮy- is prefixed. /ɮyɯʃi/ [ˈɮyɯʃi] “you learn” /βɜɮyɯʃi/ [ˈβɜɮyɯʃi] “you all learn”
3rd person: In 3rd person, hɔ- is prefixed. /hɔɯʃi/ [ˈhɔɯʃi] “he/she/it learns” /βɜhɔɯʃi/ [ˈβɜhɔɯʃi] “they learn”
There are five moods for verbs: indicative, conditional, subjunctive, imperative, and magical. This final mood is used to express when a certain action is taken using magic. Since certain actions can only be taken using magic but others can be done with and without, and still others can be enhanced with magic, this became a very important mood to clarify how an action was taken.
Indicative: Just like with present tense, no change is made for indicative mood. /ɯʃi/ [ˈɯʃi] “learn”
Conditional: To form the conditional, pʊ- is prefixed. /pʊɯʃi/ [ˈpʊɯʃi] “learn”
Subjunctive: To form the subjunctive, ʊ- is prefixed.
Imperative: To form the imperative, ɸʌ- is prefixed, unless the word starts with a vowel, in which case ɸ- is prefixed instead. /ɸɯʃi/ [ˈɸɯʃi] “learn”
Magical: To form the magical, kɜ- is prefixed, unless the word starts with a vowel, in which case k- is prefixed instead. /kɯʃi/ [ˈkɯʃi] “learn” Áfæmek uses habitual, continuous, and perfect aspects.
Habitual: -æʧ is used to form the habitual. /ˈɯʃiæʧ/ [ˈɯʃiæʧ] “learn” (often, habitually)
Continuous: If the verb ends in a vowel, -ʃ is used. If not, -iʃ is used instead. /ɯʃiʃ/ [ˈɯʃiʃ] “am/are learning”
Perfect: To form the perfect aspect, the word is reduplicated. /ɯʃiɯʃi/ [ˈɯʃiˌɯʃi] “have learned”

Phonetics

Consonant allophones When [v] occurs at the end of a word, it becomes tapped. When it occurs between two vowels, it becomes an approximant. /ˈævæɬ/ [ˈæʋæɬ] “experiment” /ˈmɔpbævɪv/ [ˈmɔpbævɪⱱ] “win” /v/ → [ⱱ] / _# /v/ → [ʋ] / V_V /v/ → [v] / elsewhere
When a stop occurs between two vowels, it becomes fricative. /ˈnɛbɛ/ [ˈnɛβɛ] C[stop] → C[fricative] / V_V C[stop] → C[stop] / Elsewhere
Vowel Allophones When a back round vowel occurs next to an unround vowel, it becomes unround. /ˈøɾɔˌivɛɮ/ [ˈøɾʌˌivɛɮ] “air, gas” [ɔ] → [ʌ] / _V [-round] [ɔ] → [ɔ] / Elsewhere → [ɯ] / _V [-round] → / Elsewhere

Dictionary

1828 Words.