Crethian language

Crethian language
Krøtinsk
Pronunciation	[kʰɾˠøt̪ˠɪnɕ]
Native to	Crethia
Region	Hallania
Ethnicity	Crethian
Native speakers	ca. 6 million (2010)
Language family	Cardoeastern Germanian Hallic Crethian language
Writing system	Latanian (Crethian alphabet)
Official status
Official language in	Crethia
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ctn

The Crethian language (Crethian: Krøtinsk [kʰɾˠøt̪ˠɪnɕ]) is a Hallic language spoken in Crethia. It originated as a divergent dialect of Tuske, with a heavy Old Gaelic substrate and phonological influence. This unique mixing of peoples within Crethia led to a creolized culture sharing features, names, and a great deal of history. The language produced is highly reflective of this creolized culture: while not itself a creole, the heavy Gaelic influence makes it difficult to understand for other Hallic peoples outside of its more conservative written form. The language is regulated by the Council for Crethian Speakers.

Phonology

Consonants

	Labial		Alveolar		Alveolo -palatal	Velar		Glottal
Nasal	m	m̩	n	n̩		ŋ	ŋ̍
Plosive	pʰ	bˠ	t̪ˠˠ	d̪ˠ		kʰ	ɡ
Fricative	fˠ		s					h
Approximant	ʋ		l l̩	lˠ	j

Vowels

	Front		Central	Back
	unrounded	rounded	unrounded	rounded
Close	i, iː			u, uː
Near-close	ɪ, ɪː
Close-mid	e, eː	ø, øː
Mid		ø̞, ø̞ː	ə, ə:
Open-mid	ɛ, ɛː	œ̞, œ̞ː
Near-open	æ, æ:		ɐ, ɐ:
Open		ɶ, ɶː	ä, äː

Naming conventions

Crethians have two names: a given name and a surname. A given name is chosen by the parents, but can be legally changed. Surnames are different to many other places in the western world. Crethians use a mixed system. Surnames are either patronymic or were adopted as the need for surnames arose, with an origin unrelated to parentage.

Regardless of the surname's origin, Crethians address each other by their given name formally and informally. The current Prime Minister, Donal Menzies, is officially referred to as Donal in Crethia and in Crethian language publications. Otherwise, he is technically improperly referred to as Prime Minister Menzies or Mr. Menzies. If two people have the same given name, such as Wilhelm, they may be referred to by their surname or a part of it. For example if a person is speaking to both Wilhelm Neilsen and Wilhelm Dov, they may be referred to as Wilhelm N. and Wilhelm Dov. In the case of Wilhelm Neilsen, he may also be referred to as Wilhelm Neil, dropping the patronymic ending.

Middle names are less common in Crethia than elsewhere in the western world. However, due to the popularity of some names parents have started to given their children legal names.

Patronymic surnames

For members of ancient families or families of prominence, the names refer to a historical ancestor, usually the founder of the dynasty. One such example is the Dovglosens, who claim a lineage back to the semi-legendary King Dovglos of Strat. In these instances, a family name is used.

However, this system does not and has not applied to most Crethians. Naming traditions among the non-landed classes dictated that surnames end in -sen (son) or -doher (daughter). This was the case with few exceptions until the late 19th century, when naming conventions began to change as the need for more formalized surnames presented itself. As such, the tradition began to decline but a strong push back from conservatives and nationalists preserved the tradition. Under this system, members of the same family do not have the same surname which can cause confusion for Crethians traveling abroad.

Matronymic surnames

Some Crethians have matronymic surnames. This is usually the case when a child is raised by a single mother. In some cases, a child raised by a mother who has been legally separated from the father or who never entered a legal union with the father will also have a matronymic surname. An example would be Gordon Rutsen, a famous footballer, whose surname comes from his mother, Rut.

A child may also have two surnames, having both a patronymic and matronymic one. One such example is Anika Keithdoher Elsedoher, a news presenter. In this instance, the father's name comes before the mother's.

Other surnames

As the need for set surnames arose some families adopted surnames that were neither patronymic or matronymic. Instead, they were related to a profession, the place the family was from, or another trait or attribute. One such example is Alista Hvid, a Crethian footballer, whose surname Hvid means white.