Braereth
Braereth is a collection of four fairly mutually intelligible dialects. Classical Braereth was a Western Romance language spoken in pockets of mountainous areas from the Alps to the Carpathians until the mid-sixteenth century.
For the purposes of this text, we will mainly use the classical spelling of the language (italicized where applicable, e.g. ginte ‘people’); single brackets around words are indicative of the Eomentesa spelling reform (e.g. ⟨jint⟩ ‘people’). Double-brackets indicate Tenibvreth “slang” spellings (e.g. ⟪gint’⟫ ‘people’. Finally, words rendered in the Merineth dialect are enclosed in curved angle brackets (e.g. ⧼zints⧽ ‘people’), which is not a traditional linguistic distinction, but is indicative of the tails of merfolk. Specific differences in the phonologies of the modern dialects are described under Phonology.
Phonology
There are three major dialects of modern Braereth as well as an “archetypal” form which is official, but no one actually speaks. The archetypal form is based on Classical Braereth, which has a reconstructed phonology that differs slightly from the archetype particularly in the realization of the palatals and the lack of certain hypercorrections.
Archetypal Braereth
| Consonants | Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Vowels | Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p · b | t · d | k · ɡ | High | i | u | |||
| Affricate | · b͡v | ʦ · ʣ | ʧ · ʤ | Mid | e̞ | o̞ | |||
| Fricative | f · v | θ · [ð] | s · [(z)] | ʃ · (ʒ) | (x) · | Low | ä | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | [ŋ] | Diphthongs | To Front | To Back | ||
| Lateral | l | ʎ | High | ui̯ | iu̯ | ||||
| Trill | r [ɾ] | r̝ | Mid | ei̯ | eu̯ | ||||
| Approximant | w | j | Low | ai̯ | au̯ | ||||
* Characters in square brackets are allophones; they are not phonemic.
* Characters in parentheses only occur in borrowings.
Classical Braereth (Reconstructed)
| Consonants | Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Vowels | Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p · b | t · d | cç · ɟʝ | k · ɡ | High | i | u | ||
| Affricate | · b͡β | ʦ · ʣ | ʨ · ʥ | Mid | e̞ | o̞ | |||
| Fricative | ɸ · β | θ · [ð] | s · [(z)] | ɕ · (ʑ) | (x~h) · | Low | a | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | [ŋ] | Diphthongs | To Front | To Back | ||
| Lateral | l | ʎ | High | ui̯ | iu̯ , ou̯ | ||||
| Trill | r [ɾ] | r̝ | Mid | ei̯ | eu̯ | ||||
| Approximant | w, ʋ | j | Low | ae̯ | au̯ | ||||
Tenibvreth Dialect
Main article: Tenibvreth (dialect)
The Tenibvreth dialect is marked by a weakening and near-total deletion of final unstressed vowels, a strengthened palatal series, and diverse realizations of the lateral series. A larger amount of the vocabulary is borrowed from Gothic, other Germanic influences, and Slavic languages. For the most part, Tenibvreth is written as standard Braereth, though many words are slightly abbreviated or modified to reflect current pronunciation: mainly omitting the final vowel. When the final vowel is ⟨e⟩ or when the final consonant is palatalized, an apostrophe (⟨’⟩) is used. The exception to this is infinitives of verbs, which always eliminate the final ⟨e⟩ leaving a palatalized ⟨r⟩, but an apostrophe is not used.
Eomentesa Dialect
Main article: Eomentesa (dialect)
The Eomentesa dialect is notable for its lowered (“true”) mid vowels and almost complete loss of the palatal series to unpacking. It has a small number of borrowings from Celtic sources not shared with the other dialects. Some speakers still use the Classical orthography, but a recent spelling reform has been adopted by most speakers of the Eomentesa dialect, and many words bear little resemblance to their Braereth forebears (e.g. tzeiru ‘zero’ becomes Eomentesa sero.
Merineth Dialect
Main article: Merineth (dialect)
The Merineth dialect is the furthest removed of the dialects from Classical Braereth. It has no palatal sounds whatsoever, and contains a number of liquids that appear seemingly spontaneously around certain clusters. Consonant clusters are all but eliminated, and diphthongs are broken up by an insertive ⟨l⟩ or ⟨r⟩. There is a merging of voiced and unvoiced consonants, as well as fortition of certain fricatives into stops. The vowels ⟨e⟩and ⟨o⟩ do not exist in Merineth, and are usually raised to ⟨i⟩ and ⟨u⟩, respectively, or sometimes lowered to ⟨a⟩. The Merineth do not have a formal written language, and usually use the Classical spelling, though some have adopted the Eomentesa spelling reform, as it is a little closer than Classican Braereth to how Merineth is actually pronounced, though there are still vast differences.
Orthographic and Phonemic Mapping
While all dialects of Braereth may be written in the classical orthography, in Tenibvreth final vowels are often elided, and certain folk spellings have become common where pronunciation has changed, e.g. ⟨floura⟩ for flora, or substituting ⟨qv⟩ for ⟨qu⟩ (ecquilju → ⟨ecqvil’⟩). When final vowels are dropped, final ⟨e⟩ often becomes ⟨’⟩ to indicate palatalization (grande → ⟨grand’⟩), and sometimes final ⟨tu⟩ will be changed to ⟨th⟩ (tutu → ⟨tuth⟩).
| Orth. | Phn. | Description | Example | Official | Classical | Tenibvreth | Eomentesa | Merineth | Environment/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | as in father. | ath ‘to’ |
/aθ/ | [aθ] | [aθ] | [aθ] | [at’] | |
| ae | /ai̯/ | like ⟨i⟩ in side. | laectje ‘milk’ |
/ˈlai̯k.ʧe/ | [ˈlae̯c.ʨe] | ⟪laect’⟫ [lai̯kɕ] |
⟨létx⟩ [le̞ːʧ] |
⧼larits⧽ [laˈrits] |
In Merolinian, /l/ is inserted between the vowels of earlier diphthongs. If /l/ is already present in an adjacent syllable, /r/ is inserted instead. If both /l/ and /r/ are present, things get weird. |
| aou | /au̯/ | like ⟨ow⟩ in how. | saou ‘salt’ |
/sau̯/ | [sau̯] | [sau̯] | ⟨sao⟩ [sa.o̞] |
⧼salu⧽ [ˈsæ.lu] |
Only occurs word-finally in stressed monosyllabic words. See additional notes at ⟨ae⟩. |
| au | /au̯/ | like ⟨ou⟩ in round. | aubvru ‘tree’ |
/ˈau̯.vru/ | [ˈau̯.bβru] | ⟪aubvr⟫ [au̯vʀ] |
⟨auvro⟩ [ˈau.vro̞] |
⧼alubru⧽ [ˈæ.lu.bru] |
See notes at ⟨ae⟩. |
| b | /b/ | as in bet. | baclu ‘stick’ |
/ˈbak.lu/ | [ˈbak.lu] | ⟪bacl⟫ [bakɬ] |
⟨baclo⟩ [ˈba.klo̞] |
⧼paclu⧽ [ˈpæk.lu] |
|
| bv | /bv/ | like ⟨v⟩ in very. | ribveu ‘level’ |
/riˈveu̯/ | [ri.bβeu̯] | [riˈveu̯] | ⟨reveo⟩ [re̞ˈve̞.o̞] |
⧼ribelu⧽ [riˈbe.lu] |
Only occurs word-internally. |
| c | /k/ | as cat. | couru ‘heart’ |
/ˈku.ru/ | [ˈkou̯.ru] | ⟪cour⟫ [kuʀ] |
⟨coro⟩ [ˈko̞.ro̞] |
[ˈky.ru] | |
| /ʧ/ | like ⟨ch⟩ in chair. | dicere ‘to say’ |
/diˈʧe.re/ | [diˈcçe.re] | ⟪dicer⟫ [diˈʨeʐ] |
⟨ditxer⟩ [diˈʧe̞r] |
⧼titsel⧽ [tiˈʦel] |
/_{i,e | |
| cj | /ʧ/ | like ⟨ch⟩ in cheese. | radjicja ‘root’ |
/raˈʤi.ʧa/ | [raˈʥi.cça] | [raˈʥi.ʨə] | ⟨radjitxa⟩ [raˈʤi.ʧa] |
⧼radzitsa⧽ [ræˈʣi.ʦa] |
|
| ctj | /kʧ/ | like ⟨cti⟩ in action. | fruictju ‘fruit’ |
/ˈfrui̯k.ʧu/ | [ˈfrui̯c.ʨu] | ⟪fruict’⟫ [frui̯kɕ] |
⟨frútxo⟩ [fruːʧo̞] |
⧼prútsu⧽ [ˈpruː.ʦu] |
|
| d | /d/ | as in door. | dente ‘tooth’ |
/ˈden.te/ | [ˈden.te] | ⟪dent’⟫ [denʨ] |
⟨dent⟩ [de̞nt] |
⧼tents⧽ [tenʦ] |
|
| /ð/ | like ⟨th⟩ in other. | cjaudu ‘hot’ |
/ˈʧau̯.ðu/ | [ˈcçau̯.ðu] | ⟪cjaud⟫ [ʨau̯ð] |
⟨xaudo⟩ [ʃau̯.ðo̞] |
⧼salutu⧽ [ˈsæ.lu.tu] |
/S_S | |
| dj | /ʤ/ | like ⟨dg⟩ in edge. | codjax ‘poppy’ |
/koˈʤa/ | [koˈʥa] | [koˈʥa] | ⟨codjà⟩ [ko̞ˈʤa] |
⧼codzà⧽ [koˈʣæ] |
|
| e | /e/ | like ⟨é⟩ in French été. | estelja ‘star’ |
/eˈste.ʎa/ | [eˈste.ʎa] | [eˈste.ɮə] | ⟨estelia⟩ [e̞ˈste̞.li.a] |
⧼estrelia⧽ [eˈstɾe.li.a] |
|
| ei | /i/ | as in weird. | deice ‘ten’ |
/ˈdei̯.ʧe/ | [ˈdei̯.cçe] | ⟪deic’⟫ [diʨ] |
⟨détx⟩ [de̞ːʧ] |
⧼tírts⧽ [tiːrʦ] |
|
| eou | /eu̯/ | like ⟨ell⟩ in bell with a Cockney accent. | beou ‘beautiful’ |
/ˈbeu̯/ | [beu̯] | [beu̯] | ⟨beo⟩ [ˈbe̞.o̞] |
⧼pelu⧽ [ˈpe.lu] |
Only occurs word-finally in unstressed monosyllabic words. |
| eu | /eu̯/ | like ⟨ew⟩ in Welsh ewro. | seuva ‘forest’ |
/ˈseu̯.va/ | [ˈseu̯.va] | ⟨seluba⟩ [ˈse.lu.ba] |
[ˈseu̯və] | [ˈse̞u̯.va] | |
| f | /f/ | as in four. | folja ‘leaf’ |
/ˈfo.ʎa/ | [ˈfo.ʎa] | [ˈfo.ɮə] | ⟨folia⟩ [ˈfo̞.li.a] |
⧼polia⧽ [ˈpo.li.a] |
|
| g | /ɡ/ | as in gift. | grostu ‘thick’ |
/ˈɡro.stu/ | [ˈɡro.stu] | ⟪grost⟫ [ˈɡrost] |
⟨grosto⟩ [ˈɡro̞s.to̞] |
⧼crostu⧽ [ˈkro.stu] |
|
| /ʤ/ | as in gel. | tragere ‘to pull’ |
/tɾaˈʤe.re/ | [tɾaˈɟʝe.re] | ⟪trager⟫ [tɾaˈʥeʐ] |
⟨tradjer⟩ [tɾaˈʤe̞r] |
⧼tradzel⧽ [tɾaˈʣel] |
/_{i,e | |
| gj | /ʤ/ | like ⟨j⟩ in joke. | obligjare ‘to compel’ |
/o.bliˈʤa.re/ | [o.bliˈɟʝa.re] | ⟪obligjar⟫ [o.bliˈʥaʐ] |
⟨oblidjar⟩ [o̞b.liˈʤar] |
⧼oplidzal⧽ [o.pliˈʣal] |
|
| gn | /ŋn/ | like ⟨ngn⟩ in hangnail. | magnu ‘great’ |
/ˈmaŋ.nu/ | [ˈmaŋ.nu] | ⟪magn⟫ [maŋn] |
⟨mangano⟩ [ˈmaŋ.ɡa.no̞] |
⧼manclu⧽ [ˈmæŋ.klu] |
|
| gnj | /ŋɲ/ | like ⟨ng⟩ followed by ⟨ny⟩, like telling Russians not to sing: sing nyet! | ignju ‘fire |
/ˈiŋ.ɲu/ | [ˈiŋ.ɲu] | ⟪ign’⟫ [iŋɲ] |
⟨inio⟩ [ˈi.ni.o̞] |
⧼incliu⧽ [ˈiŋ.kli.u] |
|
| i | /i/ | as in machine. | iljis ‘they’ |
/ˈi.ʎis/ | [ˈi.ʎis] | [ˈi.ɮis] | ⟨ilis⟩ [ˈi.lis] |
⧼ilis⧽ [ˈi.lis] |
|
| /j/ | like ⟨y⟩ in yet. | iecru ‘liver’ |
/ˈje.kru/ | [ˈje.kru] | ⟪iecr⟫ [jekʀ] |
⟨iecro⟩ [iˈe̞.kro̞] |
[iˈe.kru] | /_V (!_/u/) | |
| iu | /iu̯/ | like ⟨ee you⟩ in ssee you. | fluviu ‘river’ |
/ˈflu.viw/ | [ˈflu.viu̯] | [ˈfɬu.viu̯] | ⟨fluvio⟩ [ˈflu.vi.o̞] |
⧼plubiu⧽ [ˈply.bi.u] |
|
| l | /l/ | as in lucky. | lapide ‘stone’ |
/ˈla.pi.ðe/ | [ˈla.pi.ðe] | ⟪lapid’⟫ [lap] |
⟨lapid⟩ [lap] |
⧼lapits⧽ [læp] |
|
| lj | /ʎ/ | like ⟨gl⟩ in Italian dagli. | alju ‘other’ |
/ˈa.ʎis/ | [ˈa.ʎis] | [ˈa.ɮis] | ⟨alio⟩ [ˈa.li.o̞] |
⧼aliu⧽ [ˈæ.li.u] |
|
| m | /m/ | as in mill. | moulire ‘to die’ |
/muˈri.re/ | [muˈri.re] | ⟪mourir⟫ [muˈriʐ] |
⟨morir⟩ [mo̞ˈrir] |
⧼muril⧽ [myˈril] |
|
| n | /n/ | as in net. | nascere ‘to be born’ |
/nasˈʧe.re/ | [nasˈcçe.re] | ⟪nascer⟫ [nasˈʨeʐ] |
⟨naxer⟩ [naˈʃe̞r] |
⧼nastsel⧽ [næsˈʦel] |
|
| nc | /ŋk/ | like ⟨nk⟩ in tank. | ginclu ‘knee’ |
/ˈʤiŋ.klu/ | [ˈɟʝiŋ.klu] | ⟪gincl⟫ [ʥiŋkɬ] |
⟨jinclo⟩ [ˈʒiŋ.klo̞] |
⧼zinclu⧽ [ˈziŋ.klu] |
|
| ng | /ŋɡ/ | like ⟨ng⟩ in finger. | loungu ‘long’ |
/ˈluŋ.ɡu/ | [ˈluŋ.ɡu] | ⟪loung⟫ [luŋɡ] |
⟨longo⟩ [ˈlo̞ŋ.ɡo̞] |
⧼luncu⧽ [ˈlyŋ.ku] |
|
| /nʤ/ | like ⟨ng⟩ in ginger. | pungere ‘to stab’ |
/punˈʤe.re/ | [punˈɟʝe.re] | ⟪punger⟫ [puŋ.ɡʑeʐ] |
⟨pundjer⟩ [punˈʤe̞r] |
⧼pundzel⧽ [pynˈʣel] |
/_{i,e | |
| ngj | /nʤ/ | like ⟨ng j⟩ in canning jar. | mengjare ‘to eat’ |
/meɲˈʤa.re/ | [meɲˈɟʝa.re] | ⟪mengjar⟫ [meŋˈɡʑaʐ] |
⟨mandjar⟩ [manˈʤar] |
⧼mendzal⧽ [menˈʣal] |
|
| nj | /ɲ/ | like ⟨ni⟩ in onion. | anju ‘year’ |
/ˈa.ɲu/ | [ˈa.ɲu] | ⟪an’⟫ [aɲ] |
⟨anio⟩ [ˈa.ni.o̞] |
⧼aniu⧽ [ˈæ.ni.u] |
|
| o | /o/ | as in old. | ostu ‘bone’ |
/ˈo.stu/ | [ˈo.stu] | [ˈost] | ⟨osto⟩ [ˈo̞.sto̞] |
⧼ustu⧽ [ˈu.stu] |
|
| ou | /ou̯/ | like ⟨oo⟩ in soon. | ouvu ‘egg’ |
/ˈu.vu/ | [ˈu.vu] | ⟪ouv⟫ [uv] |
⟨ovo⟩ [ˈo̞.vo̞] |
⧼ubu⧽ [ˈy.bu] |
|
| p | /p/ | as in pine. | pelju ‘hair’ |
/ˈpe.ʎu/ | [ˈpe.ʎu] | ⟪pel’⟫ [peʎ] |
⟨pelio⟩ [ˈpe̞.li.o̞] |
⧼peliu⧽ [ˈpe.li.u] |
|
| qh | /x/ | like ⟨ch⟩ in Scottish loch. | aqhma ‘life force’ |
/ˈax.ma/ | [ˈax.ma] | [ˈaχ.mə] | ⟨ahma⟩ [ˈaç.ma] |
[ˈæʀ.ma] | Only in borrowings. |
| qu | /kw/ | as in quiz. | quei ‘what’ |
/kwei̯/ | [kwei̯] | ⟪qvei⟫ [kʋi] |
⟨cue⟩ [ˈku.e̞] |
⧼qui⧽ [ˈku.i] |
|
| r | /r/ | as in Spanish rojo. | ridere ‘to laugh’ |
/riˈde.re/ | [riˈde.re] | ⟪rider⟫ [riˈðeʐ] |
⟨rider⟩ [riˈðe̞r] |
⧼ritel⧽ [riˈtel] |
|
| rj | /r̝/ | like ⟨ř⟩ in Czech Dvořak. | terja ‘earth’ |
/ˈte.r̝a/ | [ˈte.r̝ə] | [ˈte.ʐa] | ⟨teria⟩ [ˈte̞.ri.a] |
⧼teria⧽ [ˈte.ri.a] |
|
| s | /s/ | as in ssee. | secjare ‘to cut’ |
/seˈʧa.re/ | [seˈcça.re] | ⟪secjar⟫ [seˈʨaʐ] |
⟨setxar⟩ [se̞ˈʧar] |
⧼setsal⧽ [seˈʦal] |
|
| /s/ | as in rose. | espousa ‘wife’ |
/eˈspu.za/ | [eˈspu.za] | [eˈspu.zə] | ⟨espuza⟩ [e̞ˈspu.za] |
⧼espuza⧽ [eˈspy.za] |
/V_V | |
| sj | /ʃ/ | like ⟨sh⟩ in shoe. | sji ‘yes’ |
/ˈʃi/ | [ˈɕi] | [ɕi] | ⟨xi⟩ [ʃi] |
⧼si⧽ [si] |
|
| t | /t/ | as in tall. | tutu ‘all’ |
/ˈtu.tu/ | [ˈtu.tu] | ⟪tuth⟫ [tuθ] |
⟨tuto⟩ [ˈtu.to̞] |
[ˈty.tu] | |
| th | /θ/ | as in path. | eth ‘and’ |
/eθ/ | [eθ] | ⧼et’⧽ [et’] |
[eθ] | [e̞θ] | |
| tj | /ʧ/ | like ⟨ch⟩ in church. | setje ‘seven’ |
/ˈse.ʧe/ | [ˈse.ʨe] | ⟪set’⟫ [seʨ] |
⟨setx⟩ [se̞ʧ] |
⧼sets⧽ [seʦ] |
|
| tz | /ʦ/ | like ⟨ts⟩ in cats. | tzince ‘five’ |
/ˈʦin.ʧe/ | [ˈʦiɲ.cçe] | ⟪tzinc’⟫ [ʦinʨ] |
⟨sintx⟩ [sinʧ] |
⧼sints⧽ [sinʦ] |
/#_ |
| /ʣ/ | like ⟨ds⟩ in words. | pitzitu ‘small’ |
/piˈʣi.tu/ | [piˈʣi.tu] | ⟪pitzith⟫ [piˈʣiθ] |
⟨pedzito⟩ [pe̞ˈʣi.to̞] |
⧼pidzitu⧽ [piˈʣi.tu] |
/S_S (!/n/_) | |
| u | /u/ | like ⟨oo⟩ in room. | unce ‘eleven’ |
/ˈun.ʧe/ | [ˈuɲ.cçe] | ⟪unc’⟫ [unʨ] |
⟨untx⟩ [unʧ] |
⧼unts⧽ [ynʦ] |
|
| ui | /uj/ | like ⟨uy⟩ in Spanish muy. | luictjare ‘to fight’ |
/lujkˈʧa.re/ | [lui̯kˈʨa.re] | ⟪luictjar⟫ [lui̯kˈɕaʐ] |
⟨lútxar⟩ [luːˈʧar] |
⧼lútsal⧽ [luːˈʦal] |
|
| v | /v/ | as in voice. | voulere ‘to want’ |
/vuˈle.re/ | [vou̯ˈle.re] | ⟪vuler⟫ [vuˈleʐ] |
⟨voler⟩ [vo̞ˈle̞r] |
⧼burel⧽ [buˈrel] |
|
| x | /ˈ/ | iljax ‘there’ |
/iˈʎa/ | [iˈʎa] | [iˈɮa] | ⟨alià⟩ [a.liˈa] |
⧼alià⧽ [a.liˈa] |
Indicates unexpected stress. (Eomentesa reform script uses a grave diacritic.) | |
| z | /z/ | like ⟨z⟩ in zoo. | quazina ‘quiver (of arrows)’ |
/ˈkwa.zi.na/ | [ˈkwa.zi.na] | ⟪qvazina⟫ [ˈkʋa.ʑnə] |
⟨cuazina⟩ [kuˈa.zi.na] |
[kuˈa.zi.na] | Only in borrowings and the digraph ⟨tz⟩. |
| zj | /ʒ/ | like ⟨j⟩ in French jamais. | frezjire ‘to deceive' |
/freˈʒi.re/ | [freˈʑi.re] | ⟪frezjir⟫ [freˈʑiʐ] |
⟨frejir⟩ [fre̞ˈʒir] |
⧼prezil⧽ [preˈzil] |
Only in borrowings. |
Pronouns
| Nominative (subject) |
Genitive (possessive) |
Dative (indirect object) |
Accusative (direct object) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | eou I |
meu* my |
mei (to) me |
me, m’** me |
| 2sg | tu you, thou |
teu* your, thy |
tei (to) you, to thee |
te, t’** you, thee |
| 3sg.masc | ilju he |
seu* his, her |
lei (to) him |
le, l’** him |
| 3sg.fem | ilja she |
lae (to) her |
la, l’** her | |
| 3sg.refl | - | sei (to) himself, to herself |
se, s’** himself, herself | |
| 1pl | nous(autris) we |
noustru* our |
nous (to) us |
ne, n’** us |
| 2pl | vous(autris) you (all) |
voustru* your |
vous (to) you (all) |
ve, v’** you (all) |
| 3pl.masc | iljis they |
louru* their |
lour (to) them |
ljis them |
| 3pl.fem | iljes they |
ljes them |
* Declines for gender and number (click for additional forms).
** Form used before a vowel.
Determiners
Articles
The Definite Article
| Sing. | Sing. (_V) | Plur. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | lu lu lapide ‘the stone’ |
l’ l’acelju ‘the bird’ |
lis lis viris ‘the men’ |
| Feminine | la la mage ‘the witch’ |
l’ l’estelja ‘the star’ |
les les muljeres ‘the women’ |
The Indefinite Article
| Sing. | Sing. (_V) | Plur. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un un lapide ‘a stone’ |
n’ n’acelju ‘a bird’ |
unis unis viris ‘some men’ |
| Feminine | una una mage ‘a witch’ |
n’ n’estelja ‘a star’ |
unes unes muljeres ‘some women’ |
Numerals
The “teen” numbers (11-19) are highly irregular. In Classical Braereth, these all ended with ‑dice, which in the modern languages has been contracted to ‑ce.
While ⟨vinctjeth-uictjou⟩ is the literary standard, none of the dialects actually uses this form: Classical Braereth used an older form ⟨vinctje-eth-uictjou⟩ where the conjunction had not been assimilated into the first element; Tenibvreth does not retain the –th of the conjunction because uictjou begins with a consonant sound (it is sometimes written as ⟨vinctje-victjou⟩); Eomentesa’s reform orthography spells it as ⟨vintx-eth-útxo⟩.
| tzeiru | 0 | deice | (archaic) | 10 | vinctje | 20 | tzeiru | 0 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unu | 1 | unce | undice | 11 | vinctjeth-un | 21 | deice | 10 | |
| dous | 2 | douce | doudice | 12 | vinctje-dous | 22 | vinctje | 20 | |
| treis | 3 | treice | treidice | 13 | vinctje-treis | 23 | treinctje | 30 | |
| quatru | 4 | quarce | quardice | 14 | vinctje-quatru | 24 | quarante | 40 | |
| tzince | 5 | quince | quindice | 15 | vinctje-tzince | 25 | quintzante | 50 | |
| seis | 6 | seice | seidice | 16 | vinctje-seis | 26 | sesante | 60 | |
| setje | 7 | setece | setedice | 17 | vinctje-setje | 27 | setante | 70 | |
| uictjou | 8 | uictoce | uictodice | 18 | vinctjeth-uictjou | 28 | uictante | 80 | |
| nouve | 9 | nouce | nouvedice | 19 | vinctje-nouve | 29 | nounante | 90 | |
Adjectives
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
An unusual development in Braereth, compared to other Romance languages, is the development of participles to have a gendered adjectival form (which is normal) as well as a non-gendered form used exlusively with compound verbs (which is not).
For example, facere ‘to do’ has the past participle faectje ‘done’, used in verb phrases such as L’aou faectje, ‘I have done it’, but Mis deveris soun faectjis, ‘My chores are done’, (with a masculine plural ending). Almost without exception, the uninflected form ends in –e, while the inflected forms take the standard masculine, feminine, singular, and plural endings –u, –a, –is, and –es.