Kithran
Overview
Kithran is an extinct ancient language spoken by the people of the Alkithrian Empire, one of the largest empires of its era. The name Kithran derives from kithr, meaning "speech" in the language itself.
Kithran is primarily inspired by Latin and Ancient Arabic in both phonology and historical development.
Historical Background
There are two main historical stages of the language:
- Old Kithran (OK) – the earliest and most basic form of the language, spoken when the Alkithria region was still small. Old Kithran was predominantly oral and is almost entirely lost to time.
- Classical Kithran (CK) – the standardized form that emerged after the expansion of the Alkithrian Empire. Most surviving inscriptions and reconstructions are based on Classical Kithran.
Writing System
Kithran originally used its own native script. In modern linguistic descriptions, it is transcribed into the Latin alphabet as described below.
Phonology
Vowels
Kithran distinguishes vowel length.
Short Vowels
- a
- i
- u
- e
- o
Long Vowels
- ā
- ī
- ū
- ē
- ō
The vowel e may sometimes be realized as [ɛ] or as a schwa [ə], depending on the word. This variation is not indicated in the writing system.
Consonants
Plosives
- b
- t
- d
- k
- g
Fricatives
- th /θ/
- s
- z (Classical Kithran only)
- sh /ʃ/
- zh /ʒ/
- kh /x/
- gh /ɣ/
- f
- h
Affricates
- j /dʒ/
Nasals
- m
- n
Liquids
- r /r/
- l
Approximants / Glides
- y /j/
- w (Classical Kithran only)
Phonotactics
Kithran allows for complex syllable structures, with a maximum syllable shape of CCCVCCC. Consonant clusters are common in both onset and coda positions, especially in Classical Kithran.
Examples
- ghfruld – CCCVCC
- shkrulft – CCCVCCC
Stress
Stress placement in Kithran follows phonological complexity rather than fixed position.
- Syllables containing at least three phonemic components are stressed.
- When multiple syllables qualify, stress usually falls on the first qualifying syllable.
- Affixes are not stressed.
- Long vowels may also attract stress.
- If no syllable meets these conditions, stress defaults to the first syllable of the word.
Stress patterns may have differed in Old Kithran, though this is uncertain due to its primarily oral transmission.
Stress Examples
- kithrā – stress on the long vowel
- khmari – stress on the first complex syllable
Syntax
The basic word order of Kithran is Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). However, this order is not absolute, and variations may occur due to emphasis, stylistic choice, or poetic usage.
Syntax Examples
- Far gahabrim yabnelan
(man empire.ACC build.PST) "The man built the empire."
Grammars
Verbs
Kithran verbs inflect primarily for tense using suffixes.
Tense
- Present: -me
lata → latame "see"
For general or timeless statements, the long vowel form -mē is used.
- Past: -lan
lata → latalan "saw"
- Future: -zan
lata → latazan "will see"
Voice
The passive voice is formed using the prefix de- placed before the verbal root.
- de-lata-me – "is seen"
- de-lata-lan – "was seen"
Copula
The verb me functions as a copula meaning "to be".
- me – "is / are"
- melan – "was / has been"
- mezan – "will be"
In these forms, me functions as an independent verb rather than a suffix.
Modality
Ability or possibility is expressed using the auxiliary astu.
- lata astu – "can see / is able to see"
Permission is expressed using the auxiliary yajum.
- lata yajum – "may see"
Nouns
Kithran nouns are inflected for case using suffixes.
| Case | Suffix | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Ø | had | "gift" |
| Accusative | -im | hadim | "gift" (object) |
| Genitive | -um | hadum | "of the gift" |
| Dative | -nun | hadnun | "for the gift" |
| Instrumental | -nam | hadnam | "with the gift" |
| Locative | -assa | hadassa | "in the gift" |
