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'''Menakan''' (''Menskans'') is an East Vismaric language spoken mainly and orginating from the [[Menako Islands]]. Currently there are around 1 million native speakers of Menakan, almost all of them situated on the Menako Islands themselves. It is sometimes spoken as a second language, with currently there being 300.000 second language speakers. it most closely related to Feinan and Vistrasjorder, spoken in Norsund.
'''Menakan''' (''Menskans'') is an East Vismaric language spoken mainly and orginating from the [[Menako Islands]]. Currently there are around 1 million native speakers of Menakan, almost all of them situated on the Menako Islands themselves. It is sometimes spoken as a second language, with currently there being 300.000 second language speakers. It is most closely related to Feinan and Vistrasjorder, spoken in Norsund.


Due to the language being spoken in an important trading hub for the Hellonian Realm, it has adopted elements from both Hellonian and German. Due to its late standardization and status as a relatively simple language for communication, it is one of the least inflective language in the Vismaric languages. Menakan only has one common gender and officially only has two cases - nominative and genitive (expect for pronouns which are also inflected in the object form). Menakan has two grammatical numbers – plural and singular. Adjectives are only inflected when used with a linking verb for number, otherwise all adjectives are standardly inflected with the suffix -na. The definiteness of nouns is marked primarily through suffixes, complemented with separate definite and indefinite articles. Verbs are entirely regular and are only inflected based on tense.
Due to the language being spoken in an important trading hub for the Hellonian Realm, it has adopted elements from both Hellonian and German. Due to its late standardization and status as a relatively simple language for communication, it is one of the least inflective language in the Vismaric languages. Menakan only has one common gender and officially only has two cases - nominative and genitive (expect for pronouns which are also inflected in the object form). Menakan has two grammatical numbers – plural and singular. Adjectives are only inflected when used with a linking verb for number, otherwise all adjectives are standardly inflected with the suffix -na. The definiteness of nouns is marked primarily through suffixes, complemented with separate definite and indefinite articles. Verbs are entirely regular and are only inflected based on tense.
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==Grammar==
==Grammar==
Nouns in Menakan are only inflected for in number, as there is only a common gender in Menakan. Nouns are inflected with a suffix if definitive and gain a indefinite article if not. This results in a system where the word ''fis'' ("fish") can have the following forms:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! Indefinite form
| ''fis''
| ''fisar''
|-
! Definite form
| ''fisen''
| ''fisarn''
|}
The definite singular form of a noun is created by adding the suffix -en or -n if ending in a vowel. The definite articles den (singular) and de (plural) is used for variations to the definitiveness of a noun. It can double as a demonstrative pronoun or demonstrative determiner when used with adverbs such as ''här'' ("here") or ''där'' ("there") to form ''dennär'' ("this"), dehär ("these"), dendär ("that"), and deddär ("those"). For example, ''dennär fisen'' means "that fish" and refers to a specific fish; ''den fisen'' is less definite and means "that fish" in a more abstract sense, such as that set of fish; while ''fisen'' means "the fish".
Adjectives are inflected in three declensions – indefinite, definite and plural. The indefinite version of the adjective is seen as the base adjective. It can be modified to the definite version by adding the suffix -na or -a if ending on a vowel. This same declension is used for the plural form; ''en skön stul'', ''sköna stolen'', ''sköna stolar'', ''sköna stolarn''.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="4"|Singular
!colspan="4"|Plural
|- align="center"
! Person
! Nominative
! Objective
! Possessive: com./neut./pl.
! Person
! Nominative
! Objective
! Possessive: com./neut./pl.
|- align="center"
! 1st
| ek
| mi
| min
! 1st
| vi
| ons
| ons
|- align="center"
! 2nd
| tu
| ti
| tin
! 2nd<br>
| je
| ji
| jens
|- align="center"
! 3rd masculine
| han
| hunum
| hans
! rowspan="4" | 3rd
| rowspan="4" | di
| rowspan="4" | dän
| rowspan="4" | din
|- align="center"
! 3rd feminine
| su
| si
| sin
|- align="center"
|}


==Orthography==
==Orthography==
Line 152: Line 219:
! Examples
! Examples
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | b
! ᛒ/b
| ''in most cases:''
| [b] unaspirated {{wp|Voiced bilabial stop}}
:{{IPA-is|p|}} unaspirated [[voiceless bilabial stop]]
| ''bok'' [buk] "book"
| ''bær'' {{IPA-is|paːir̥||Is-Bær.ogg}} "town"
|-
|-
| ''between '''m''' and '''d''', '''t''', '''s''', or '''g''':''
! rowspan="2" | ᚦ/d
:{{IPA|∅}}
| [t] unaspirated {{wp|voiceless dental stop}}
| ''kembt'' {{IPA-is|cʰɛm̥t|}} "combed [past participle]"
| ''duk'' [duk] "towel"
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | d
| ''at end of a word''
| ''in most cases:''
:[ð̠] {{Wp|Voiced alveolar fricative#voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative|voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative}}
:{{IPA-is|t|}} unaspirated [[voiceless dental stop]]
| ''bad'' [bɑð̠]
| ''dalur'' {{IPA-is|ˈtaːlʏr̥||Is-dalur.oga}} "valley"
|-
|-
| ''between '''l''' or '''n''' and '''g''', '''n''', '''l''', '''k''', or '''s''':''
! ᚦᚦ/dd
:{{IPA|∅}}
| [ð̠]
| ''lands'' {{IPA-is|lans|}} "land's [genitive]"
| ''deddär'' [dɛð̠ɛːr] "those"
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" | ð
! ᚦᚾ/dn
| ''between vowels, between a vowel and a voiced consonant, or at end of word:''
| [ð̠n]  
:{{IPA-is|ð̠|}} [[Voiced alveolar fricative#voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative|voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative]]
| ''bidner'' [biːð̠nər] "invite"
| ''eða'' {{IPA-is|ˈɛːða||Is-eða.oga}} "or"<br />''bað'' {{IPA-is|paːð||Is-bað.ogg}} "bath"
|-
|-
| ''before a [[voiceless consonant]] and before a pause:''
! ᚠ/f
:{{IPA-is|θ̠|}} [[voiceless alveolar fricative#voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative|voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative]]
| [f]
| ''maðkur'' {{IPA-is|ˈmaθkʏr̥||Is-maðkur.oga}} "worm"
| ''fot'' [fɔt] "foot"
|-
|-
| ''between '''r''' and '''n''', and between '''g''' and '''s''':''
! rowspan="2" | ᚷ/g
:{{IPA|∅}}
| ''in most cases''
| ''harðna'' {{IPA-is|ˈhartna|}} "to harden"<br />''bragðs'' {{IPA-is|praxs|}} "trick's [genitive], flavour's [genitive]"
: [g] {{wp|Voiced velar stop}}
|-
| ''grot'' [grɔt] "big"
! rowspan="4" | f
| ''at the beginning of a word or before a voiceless consonant, and when doubled:''
: {{IPA-is|f|}}
| ''fundur'' {{IPA-is|ˈfʏntʏr̥|}} "meeting"<br />''haft'' {{IPA-is|haft|}} "had [past participle]"
|-
| ''between vowels, between a vowel and a voiced consonant, or at the end of a word:''
: {{IPA-is|v|}}
| ''lofa'' {{IPA-is|ˈlɔːva||lofa.ogg}} "to promise"<br />''horfa'' {{IPA-is|ˈhɔrva|}} "look"
|-
| ''between '''ó''' and a vowel:''
: {{IPA|∅}}
| ''prófa'' {{IPA-is|ˈpʰr̥ou.a||is-prófa.ogg}} "test"<br />''gulrófa'' {{IPA-is|ˈkʏlˌrou.a||is-gulrófa.ogg}} "rutabaga"
|-
| ''before '''l''' or '''n''':''
: {{IPA-is|p|}}
| ''Keflavík'' {{IPA-is|ˈcʰɛplaˌviːk||is-keflavík.ogg}} "[[Keflavík]]"
|-
! fnd
| {{IPA-is|mt|}}
| ''hefnd'' {{IPA-is|hɛmt||is-hefnd.ogg}} "revenge"
|-
! fnt
| {{IPA-is|m̥t|}} (voiceless)
| ''nefnt'' {{IPA-is|nɛm̥t||IsNefnt.ogg}} "named"
|-
! rowspan="6" | g
| ''beginning of word, before a consonant or '''a''', '''á''', '''é''', '''o''', '''ó''', '''u''', '''ú''' or '''ö'''; or between vowel and '''l''' or '''n''':''
: {{IPA-is|k|}} unaspirated [[voiceless velar stop]]
| ''glápa'' {{IPA-is|ˈklaːupa||Is-glápa.oga}} "to stare"<br />''logn'' {{IPA-is|lɔkn||Is-logn.ogg}} "windstill"
|-
| ''beginning of word, before '''e''', '''i''', '''í''', '''j''', '''y''', '''ý''', '''æ''', '''ei''' or '''ey''':''
: {{IPA-is|c|}} unaspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''geta'' {{IPA-is|ˈcɛːta||Is-geta.oga}} "to be able"
|-
| ''between a vowel and '''a''', '''u''', '''ð''', '''l''' or '''r'''; or at end of word:''
: {{IPA-is|ɣ|}} [[voiced velar fricative]]
| ''fluga'' {{IPA-is|ˈflʏːɣa||Is-fluga.oga}} "fly"<br />''lag'' {{IPA-is|laːx||Is-lag.oga}} "layer"
|-
|-
| ''before '''t''' or '''s''' or before a pause:''
| ''before '''t''' or '''s''' or before a pause:''
: {{IPA-is|x|}} [[voiceless velar fricative]]
: [x] [[voiceless velar fricative]]
| ''dragt'' {{IPA-is|traxt|}} "suit"
| ''Magt'' [mɑxt] "power"
|-
| ''between a vowel and '''j''' or '''i''':''
: {{IPA-is|j|}} [[palatal approximant]]
| ''segja'' {{IPA-is|ˈsɛjːa|}} "to say"
|-
| ''between '''á''', '''ó''', '''ú''', and '''a''' or '''u''':''
: {{IPA|∅}}
| ''fljúga'' {{IPA-is|ˈfljuː.a|}} "to fly"
|-
! gj
| {{IPA-is|c|}} unaspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''gjalda'' {{IPA-is|ˈcalta|}} "to pay"
|-
! h
| {{IPA-is|h|}} [[voiceless glottal fricative]]
| ''hár'' {{IPA-is|haːur̥|}} "hair"
|-
! hj
| {{IPA-is|ç|}} [[voiceless palatal fricative]]
| ''hjá'' {{IPA-is|çaːu|}} "next to"
|-
! hl
| {{IPA-is|l̥|}} voiceless [[alveolar lateral approximant]]
| ''hlýr'' {{IPA-is|l̥iːr̥|}} "warm"
|-
! hn
| {{IPA-is|n̥|}} [[voiceless alveolar nasal]]
| ''hné'' {{IPA-is|n̥jɛː|}} "knee"
|-
! hr
| {{IPA-is|r̥|}} [[voiceless alveolar trill]]
| ''hratt'' {{IPA-is|r̥aʰt|}} "fast"
|-
! hv
| {{IPA-is|kʰv|}} ({{IPA-is|xv|}} among some older speakers in southern Iceland)
| ''hvað'' {{IPA-is|kʰvaːθ||Is-hvað.oga}} "what"
|-
! j
| {{IPA-is|j|}}
| ''já'' {{IPA-is|jaːu|}} "yes"
|-
! rowspan="6" | k
| ''beginning of word, before a consonant or '''a''', '''á''', '''é''', '''o''', '''ó''', '''u''', '''ú''' or '''ö''':''
: {{IPA-is|kʰ|}}
| ''kaka'' {{IPA-is|ˈkʰaːka||Is-kaka.oga}} "cake"
|-
| ''beginning of word, before '''e''', '''i''', '''í''', '''y''', '''ý''', '''æ''', '''ei''' or '''ey''':''
: {{IPA-is|cʰ|}} aspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''keyra'' {{IPA-is|ˈcʰeːira|}} "to drive"<br />''kynskiptingur'' {{IPA-is|ˈcʰɪːnscɪftiŋkʏr̥||is-kynskiptingur.ogg}} "transsexual"
|-
| ''other contexts, before '''a''', '''á''', '''é''', '''o''', '''ó''', '''u''', '''ú''' or '''ö''':''
: {{IPA-is|k|}}
| ''skarfur'' {{IPA-is|ˈskarvʏr̥|}} "cormorant"<br />''haka'' {{IPA-is|ˈhaːka|}} "chin"
|-
| ''other contexts, before '''e''', '''i''', '''í''', '''y''', '''ý''', '''æ''', '''ei''' or '''ey''':''
: {{IPA-is|c|}} unaspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''skip'' {{IPA-is|ˈscɪːp|}} "boat"<br />''hroki'' {{IPA-is|ˈr̥ɔːcɪ|}} "arrogance"
|-
| ''before '''n''', '''l''' or '''m''':''
: {{IPA-is|ʰk|}}
| ''vakna'' {{IPA-is|vaʰkna|}} "wake up", ''miklir'' {{IPA-is|mɪʰklɪr̥|}} "great (pl.)"
|-
| ''before '''t''':''
: {{IPA-is|x|}} [[voiceless velar fricative]]
| ''október'' {{IPA-is|ˈɔxtoːupɛr̥|}} "October"
|-
! rowspan="2" | kj
| ''beginning of word:''
: {{IPA-is|cʰ|}} aspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''kjöt'' {{IPA-is|cʰœːt|}} "meat"
|-
| ''other contexts:''
: {{IPA-is|c|}} unaspirated [[voiceless palatal stop]]
| ''þykja'' {{IPA-is|ˈθɪːca|}} "to regard"
|-
! kk
| {{IPA-is|ʰk|}}, {{IPA-is|ʰc|}}
| ''þakka'' {{IPA-is|ˈθaʰka||is-þakka.ogg}} "to thank"<br />''ekki'' {{IPA-is|ˈɛʰcɪ|}} "not"
|-
! rowspan="2" | l
| ''in most cases:''
: {{IPA-is|l|}}
| ''lás'' {{IPA-is|laːus||Is-Lás.ogg}} "lock"
|-
| ''at end of word, or next to a voiceless consonant:''
: {{IPA-is|l̥|}} voiceless [[alveolar lateral approximant]]
| ''sól'' {{IPA-is|soːul̥||Is-sól.oga}} "sun"<br />''stúlka'' {{IPA-is|ˈstul̥ka|}} "girl"
|-
! rowspan="2" | ll
| ''in most cases:''
: {{IPA-is|tl|}}
| ''bolli'' {{IPA-is|ˈpɔtlɪ||Is-bolli.oga}} "cup"<br />''milli'' {{IPA-is|ˈmɪtlɪ||Is-milli.oga}} "between"
|-
| ''in loan words and pet names:''
: {{IPA-is|lː|}}
| ''bolla'' {{IPA-is|ˈpɔlːa||Is-bolla.oga}} "bun, bread roll"<br />''mylla'' {{IPA-is|ˈmɪlːa||Is-mylla.oga}} "mill"
|-
! rowspan="2" | m
| ''in most cases:''
: {{IPA-is|m|}}
| ''mamma'' {{IPA-is|ˈmamːa|}} "mum"
|-
| ''after and before voiceless consonants:''
: {{IPA-is|m̥|}}
| ''lampi'' {{IPA-is|ˈlam̥pɪ|}} "lamp"
|-
! rowspan="2" | n
| ''in most cases:''
: {{IPA-is|n|}}
| ''nafn'' {{IPA-is|napn̥|}} "name"
|-
| ''after and before voiceless consonants:''
: {{IPA-is|n̥|}}
| ''planta'' {{IPA-is|ˈpʰlan̥ta|}} "plant"<br />''hnífur'' {{IPA-is|ˈn̥iːvʏr|}} "knife"
|-
! rowspan="2" | ng
| ''in most cases:''
: {{IPA-is|ŋk|}}, {{IPA-is|ɲc|}}
| ''vængur'' {{IPA-is|ˈvaiŋkʏr̥|}} "wing"<br />''engi'' {{IPA-is|ˈeiɲcɪ|}} "meadow"
|-
| ''before '''d''', '''l''' or '''s''':''
: {{IPA-is|ŋ|}}
| ''kringla'' {{IPA-is|ˈkʰriŋla|}} "disc"<br />''gangs'' {{IPA-is|ˈkauŋs|}} "movement's [genitive]"
|-
! nk
| {{IPA-is|ŋ̊k|}}, {{IPA-is|ɲ̊c|}}
| ''hönk'' {{IPA-is|ˈhœiŋ̊k|}} "coil, loop"<br />''banki'' {{IPA-is|ˈpauɲ̊cɪ|}} "bank"
|-
! rowspan="2" | nn
| ''after accented vowels or diphthongs:''
: {{IPA-is|tn̥|}}
| ''steinn'' {{IPA-is|steitn̥|}} "rock"<br />''fínn'' {{IPA-is|fitn̥|}} "fine"
|-
| ''all other contexts:''
: {{IPA-is|nː|}}
| ''finna'' {{IPA-is|ˈfɪnːa|}} "to find"
|-
! rowspan="4" | p
| ''beginning of word:''
: {{IPA-is|pʰ|}} aspirated [[voiceless bilabial stop]]
| ''par'' {{IPA-is|pʰaːr̥||Is-par.oga}} "pair"
|-
| ''other contexts:''
: {{IPA-is|p|}} unaspirated [[voiceless bilabial stop]]
| ''spara'' {{IPA-is|ˈspaːra||Is-spara.oga}} "to save"<br />''kápa'' {{IPA-is|ˈkʰaːupa|}} "coat"
|-
| ''before '''s''', '''k''' or '''t''':''
: {{IPA-is|f|}} [[voiceless labiodental fricative]]
| ''September'' {{IPA-is|ˈsɛftɛmpɛr̥|}} "September"<br />''skips'' {{IPA-is|scɪfs|}} "ship's [genitive]"<br />''kynskiptingur'' {{IPA-is|ˈcʰɪːnscɪftiŋkʏr̥||is-kynskiptingur.ogg}} "transsexual"
|-
| ''before '''n''', '''l''' or '''m''':''
: {{IPA-is|ʰp|}}
| ''vopn'' {{IPA-is|vɔʰpn̥|}} "weapon(s)", ''epli'' {{IPA-is|ɛʰplɪ|}} "apple(s)"
|-
! pp
| {{IPA-is|ʰp|}}
| ''stoppa'' {{IPA-is|ˈstɔʰpa||is-stoppa.ogg}} "to stop"
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | r
! ᚻ/h
| ''at the beginning of words and between vowels:''
| [h] [[voiceless glottal fricative]]
: {{IPA-is|r|}} (voiced [[alveolar trill]] or [[alveolar tap|tap]])
| ''har'' [haːr] "hair"
| ''rigna'' {{IPA-is|ˈrɪkna|}} "to rain"<br />''læra'' {{IPA-is|ˈlaːira|}} "to learn"
|-
|-
| ''before and after voiceless consonants and before a pause:''
! J/j
: {{IPA-is|r̥|}} (voiceless alveolar trill or [[voiceless alveolar tap|tap]])
| [j]
| ''svartur'' {{IPA-is|ˈsvar̥tʏr̥|}} "black"
| ''ja'' [jaː] "yes"
|-
|-
! rl
! ᛕ/k
|{{IPA-is|tl̥|}}, occasionally {{IPA-is|rtl̥|}}{{refn|group=note|name=rl|The pronunciation change rn→{{IPA-is|tl̥|}} and rn→{{IPA-is|tn̥|}} occurred in the 14th century, pronouncing them as {{IPA-is|rtl̥|}} and {{IPA-is|rtn̥|}} is a more recent development that may have been influenced by the orthography.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ait.arnastofnun.is/grein.php?id=703|title=Íslensk málsaga|last=Vesturliði Óskarsson|first=|date=2001|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>}}
| [k]
| ''karlmaður'' {{IPA-is|ˈkʰatl̥ˌmaːðʏr̥|}} "male human"
| ''ok'' [ɔk] "and"
|-
|-
! rowspan="2" | rn
! ᛚ/l
|{{IPA-is|tn̥|}}, occasionally {{IPA-is|rtn̥|}}{{refn|group=note|name=rl}}
| [l]
| ''þorn'' {{IPA-is|θɔtn̥|}} "the name of the letter Þ"
| ''län'' [lɛːn] "land"
|-
|-
| ''before '''d''':''
! ᛗ/m
: {{IPA-is|rn|}}
| [m]
| ''vernd'' {{IPA-is|vɛrnt|}} "protection"  
| ''mamma'' [mamːa] "mum"
|-
|-
! s
! ᚾ/n
| {{IPA-is|s|}}
| [n]
| ''sósa'' {{IPA-is|ˈsoːusa|}} "sauce"
| ''nam'' [naːm] "name"
|-
|-
! sl
! ᛝ/ŋ
| {{IPA-is|stl̥|}}
| [ŋ]
| ''rusl'' {{IPA-is|rʏstl̥|}} "garbage"
| ''kring'' [kriŋ] "circle"
|-
|-
! sn
! ᛝᛕ/ŋk
| {{IPA-is|stn̥|}}
| [ŋk]
| ''býsna'' {{IPA-is|ˈpistn̥a|}} "extremes"
| ''drunk'' [dryːŋk] "drink"
|-
|-
! rowspan="3" | t
! ᛈ/p
| ''beginning of word:''
| [p]
: {{IPA-is|tʰ|}} aspirated [[voiceless dental stop]]
| ''par'' [paːr] "pair"
| ''taka'' {{IPA-is|ˈtʰaːka||Is-taka.oga}} "take"
|-
|-
| ''before '''n''', '''l''' or '''m''':''
! ᚱ/r
: {{IPA-is|ʰt|}}
| [r] (voiced {{Wp|alveolar trill}} or {{wp|alveolar tap|tap}})
| ''vatn'' {{IPA-is|vaʰtn̥|}} "water", ''Atli'' {{IPA-is|aʰtlɪ|}} "man's name", ''rytmi'' {{IPA-is|rɪʰtmɪ|}} "rhythm"
| ''rik'' [riːk] "realm"
|-
|-
| ''other contexts:''
! ᛋ/s
: {{IPA-is|t|}} unaspirated [[voiceless dental stop]]
| [s]
| ''stela'' {{IPA-is|ˈstɛːla||Is-stela.oga}} "to steal"<br />''skutur'' {{IPA-is|ˈskʏːtʏr̥|}} "stern"
| ''sos'' [sɔs] "sauce"
|-
|-
! tt
! rowspan="2" | ᛏ/t
| {{IPA-is|ʰt|}}
| ''in most cases''
| ''detta'' {{IPA-is|ˈtɛʰta|}} "to fall"
: [t]
| ''takk'' [tɑk] "thanks"
|-
|-
! v
| ''at end of word''
| {{IPA-is|v|}}
: [θ̠]
| ''vera'' {{IPA-is|ˈvɛːra|}} "to be"
| ''sätt'' [sɛθ̠] "seated"
|-
|-
! x
! ᛏᛏ/tt
|{{IPA-is|ks|}}
| [θ̠]
| ''lax'' {{IPA-is|laks|}} "salmon"
| ''atta'' [aːθ̠a] "eight"
|-
|-
! z
! ᛏᚾ/tn
| {{IPA-is|s|}}
| [θ̠n]
| ''beztur'' {{IPA-is|ˈpɛstʏr̥|}} "the best" (former orthography)<br />''Zakarías'' {{IPA-is|ˈsaːkʰariːas|}} "Zachary"
| ''sältna'' [sɛːlθ̠na] "salted"
|-
|-
! þ
! U/v
| {{IPA-is|θ̠|}} [[voiceless alveolar fricative#voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative|voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative]]
| [v]
| ''þú'' {{IPA-is|θuː|}} "you"<br />''Aþena'' {{IPA-is|ˈaːθɛna||is-aþena.ogg}} "Athens"
| ''varer'' [vaːrər] "to be"
|}
|}

Latest revision as of 21:20, 10 March 2020

Menakan
Menskans
Native toMenako Islands
RegionMenako Islands
Native speakers
ca. 1 million
Veterran
  • Vismaric
    • East Vismaric
      • Menako-Feinan
        • Menakan
Official status
Official language in
Flag of the Menako Islands.svg Menako Islands
Regulated byMinistry for Cultural Preservation
Language codes
ISO 639-3mnk

Menakan (Menskans) is an East Vismaric language spoken mainly and orginating from the Menako Islands. Currently there are around 1 million native speakers of Menakan, almost all of them situated on the Menako Islands themselves. It is sometimes spoken as a second language, with currently there being 300.000 second language speakers. It is most closely related to Feinan and Vistrasjorder, spoken in Norsund.

Due to the language being spoken in an important trading hub for the Hellonian Realm, it has adopted elements from both Hellonian and German. Due to its late standardization and status as a relatively simple language for communication, it is one of the least inflective language in the Vismaric languages. Menakan only has one common gender and officially only has two cases - nominative and genitive (expect for pronouns which are also inflected in the object form). Menakan has two grammatical numbers – plural and singular. Adjectives are only inflected when used with a linking verb for number, otherwise all adjectives are standardly inflected with the suffix -na. The definiteness of nouns is marked primarily through suffixes, complemented with separate definite and indefinite articles. Verbs are entirely regular and are only inflected based on tense.

History

Phonology

Consonant phonemes
Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Stop p b t d k ɡ
Continuant sibilant s
non-sibilant f v θ (ð) j h
Lateral l   ʎ
Trill r
Short/lax vowels
Front
unr. 		Front
rnd. 		Central Back
Close ɪ ʏ
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Open ɑ
 
Long/tense vowels
Front
unr. 		Front
rnd. 		Back
Close i ~ iː y ~ yː u ~ uː
Close-mid eː øː oː
Open-mid (ɛː) (œː) (ɔː)
Open aː

Grammar

Nouns in Menakan are only inflected for in number, as there is only a common gender in Menakan. Nouns are inflected with a suffix if definitive and gain a indefinite article if not. This results in a system where the word fis ("fish") can have the following forms:

Singular Plural
Indefinite form fis fisar
Definite form fisen fisarn

The definite singular form of a noun is created by adding the suffix -en or -n if ending in a vowel. The definite articles den (singular) and de (plural) is used for variations to the definitiveness of a noun. It can double as a demonstrative pronoun or demonstrative determiner when used with adverbs such as här ("here") or där ("there") to form dennär ("this"), dehär ("these"), dendär ("that"), and deddär ("those"). For example, dennär fisen means "that fish" and refers to a specific fish; den fisen is less definite and means "that fish" in a more abstract sense, such as that set of fish; while fisen means "the fish".

Adjectives are inflected in three declensions – indefinite, definite and plural. The indefinite version of the adjective is seen as the base adjective. It can be modified to the definite version by adding the suffix -na or -a if ending on a vowel. This same declension is used for the plural form; en skön stul, sköna stolen, sköna stolar, sköna stolarn.

Singular Plural
Person Nominative Objective Possessive: com./neut./pl. Person Nominative Objective Possessive: com./neut./pl.
1st ek mi min 1st vi ons ons
2nd tu ti tin 2nd
 je ji jens
3rd masculine han hunum hans 3rd di dän din
3rd feminine su si sin

Orthography

Menakan is written using the Hellonian runic alphabet.

Consonants
Grapheme Phonetic realization (IPA) Examples
ᛒ/b [b] unaspirated Voiced bilabial stop bok [buk] "book"
ᚦ/d [t] unaspirated voiceless dental stop duk [duk] "towel"
at end of a word
[ð̠] voiced alveolar non-sibilant fricative
 bad [bɑð̠]
ᚦᚦ/dd [ð̠] deddär [dɛð̠ɛːr] "those"
ᚦᚾ/dn [ð̠n] bidner [biːð̠nər] "invite"
ᚠ/f [f] fot [fɔt] "foot"
ᚷ/g in most cases
[g] Voiced velar stop
 grot [grɔt] "big"
before t or s or before a pause:
[x] voiceless velar fricative
 Magt [mɑxt] "power"
ᚻ/h [h] voiceless glottal fricative har [haːr] "hair"
J/j [j] ja [jaː] "yes"
ᛕ/k [k] ok [ɔk] "and"
ᛚ/l [l] län [lɛːn] "land"
ᛗ/m [m] mamma [mamːa] "mum"
ᚾ/n [n] nam [naːm] "name"
ᛝ/ŋ [ŋ] kring [kriŋ] "circle"
ᛝᛕ/ŋk [ŋk] drunk [dryːŋk] "drink"
ᛈ/p [p] par [paːr] "pair"
ᚱ/r [r] (voiced alveolar trill or tap) rik [riːk] "realm"
ᛋ/s [s] sos [sɔs] "sauce"
ᛏ/t in most cases
[t]
 takk [tɑk] "thanks"
at end of word
[θ̠]
 sätt [sɛθ̠] "seated"
ᛏᛏ/tt [θ̠] atta [aːθ̠a] "eight"
ᛏᚾ/tn [θ̠n] sältna [sɛːlθ̠na] "salted"
U/v [v] varer [vaːrər] "to be"
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