Arodjun
| Arodjun Kat djArodjunx  | |
|---|---|
| Language family | Sern-Cahilan |
| Early form(s) | Old Arodjun, Ancient Fwonnel |
| Writing system | djoPeidog Alphabet, djoDaranx Script, Latin Alphabet (Minecraft Only) |
| Official status | |
| Spoken in | Xarslasja |
| Speaker | |
| Demonym | Arodjun, Arojaunzan |
| Number of speakers | at least 2 |
| Technical information | |
| Usage | Native language, government language |
| Language code | ARD |
Arodjun is a Sern-Cahilan language which somehow exists in this Minecraft world as well as in the Dog Days world. It is the official language of Xarslasja, a desert nation located south of the Spawn.
It is a partially-analytical language with a few grammatical cases which are decaying in use.
Streets signs and other official documents in Xarslasja are written in Arodjun, and several documents and signs are written in Arodjun and English for international compatibility.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Post-Alveolar/Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
| Plosive, Affricate | p b | t d | t͡ʃ <c> d͡ʒ <dj> | k | qˡ <ql> | ʔ* <'> |
| Tap/Trill | r | |||||
| Fricative | f v | s z | ʒ <g> | x | χ <kx> | |
| Lateral | ɬ <sl> ɮ <zl> | |||||
| Approximant | (w) | j | w |
The glottal stop is used on this phoneme table because of the /b'/ cluster that sometimes appears. Native Arodjun speakers consider /b'/ to be the third in a series of "ejectives" along with /k'/ and /t'/. However, due to voiced ejectives technically being impossible, it saves space on the table to simply include a glottal stop and consider /k'/, /t'/, and /b'/ to be a series of consonant clusters including a glottal stop. Phonemically these are the only situations where the glottal stop occurs, however the letter <'> can sometimes be seen separating two vowels to imply a syllable boundary instead of a diphthong.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ɚ/ɹ̩ <r> | o |
| Open | a |
Grammar
(see the literal book on the subject for more information)
Arodjun is a VOS language.
Verbs are conjugated only for transitivity, with an intransitive form (usually -m) and a transitive form (usually -ma). The transitive form is often replaced with one of about a dozen prepositional suffixes (-da, -va, -ca, etc.).
Nouns appear in 5 cases, each of which has a suffix morpheme that can be found in a couple forms. The cases are Nominative (usually -ka), Accusative (usually unmarked but sometimes -pe), Genitive (usually -bwa), Animate Genitive (usually -r), and Dative (usually -mo).
Adjectives follow nouns and use the dj(o)- or vj(a)- prefixes when not emphasized, and can precede nouns and skip the prefixes in specific circumstances.
Adverbs use the f(e)- prefix, except for very common circumstances, and I'm too lazy to write down the other rules right now.
Every grammatical clause must be concluded with a "Subject Proword," a particle comprised of at least two co-clitics that tell tense, person, number, and sometimes aspect.
Grammar Examples
Jerewen ja bennema mjeu Raksika nja jai.
think.that pr.1S have food Raksi.NOM COND pr.3F
"I think that Roxie might have food."
Jonnema mjeu k'ecai?
buy food p.2S.?
"Did you buy food?"
In Xarslasja
The name of the country Xarslasja is of Arodjun origin, coming from xu- "great" + arslau "desert" + -sja "region/land." Thus, Xarslasja is the "Great Desert Land."
Most place names in Xarslasja, on the other hand, are named after locations in Arizona. Thus, they have English forms which are Arodjunized for official documentation written in Arodjun. Some are nearly one-to-one conversions (Yuma becomes Juma, etc.), others require some sound changes to fit into Arodjun's phonology (Flagstaff becomes Fwakksutaf, etc.), and others still translate English words in placenames into Arodjun (Quartzsite becomes Njakxeun "Quartz city", etc.).
Common Words and Phrases Seen in Xarslasja
When reading street signs or other official documentation, you may notice some common words. Here are a few and their meanings:
- sljaudmeu; n. “highway”
- ameu; n. “trail”
- xidmex; n. “street”
- onburxau; n. “avenue”
- unau; n. “city”
- arslau; n. “desert”
- kekau; n. “bank”
- dmairau, -dmair; n. or n. suffix “lake”
- wifau, -wif; n. or n. suffix “strait” (in Minecraft’s Arodjun, there are no true “rivers” so every narrow channel of water is called wifau, though there is one street called Dmenxau “river”)
- krakau; n. “mountain”
- bramma; tr. v. “enter, welcome to”
- tjomma, joova; tr. v. “exit, leaving”
- feunau; n. “county”
- Bezuv; n. “Bezuv, the head terraformer”
- Akuv; n. “Akuv, high general of the military”
- Dmacixuv; n. “Dmacixuv, high commander of the navy”
- Unuv; n. “mayor”
- bauxau; n. “embassy”
- erbeu; n. “yard, field, public space, park”