ʤænt- Jant
ʤænt is an ancient language spoken by the seven tribes of the Jant. SIx tribes remain in Hechesoieh, while the frost tribe travelled south to Kaigara. The language has existed even longer than the Jant civilization, which is to say over 30,000 years. The language has not changed much over that time, only to add new words, as giants are stubborn and very resistant to change. The first recorded words that still remain are at the base of the fortress of Dæzæn Kæzæd in northern Dæbzat and they read "ˈna˩dta˩ o˩d we kno˩j ˈno˩kbo˩jo˩g ja˩t ˈno˩bza˩ka˩ ja˩t go˩v ˈtva˩bzo˩do˩b - kno˩t no˩v ˈo˩do˩tˈdzo˩vo˩ba˩kæ˩k-ˈo˩kna˩nka˩k ˈno˩vo˩g no˩v ˈdzo˩nda˩na˩b ja˩t no˩v ˈgo˩gbo˩b gahghahk "We are free of the beasts of wing and flame. We are the victors. Long live the reign of the mountain King!"
Phonology
Consonant inventory: b d g k n t v z ʤ
Click IPA symbols for audio
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Velar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | n | ||||
| Stop | b | t d | k g | ||
| Affricate | ʤ | ||||
| Fricative | v | z |
Vowel inventory: æ ɑ
Tones: ˩
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Near-low | æ | |
| Low | ɑ |
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Spelling rules:
| Pronunciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| æ | a |
| ɑ | o |
| ʤ | j |
Nouns
| Masculine | Feminine | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Suffix -ɑ˩b ˈgo˩nvo˩vo˩b /ˈgɑ˩nvɑ˩vɑ˩b/ | boy | Suffix -æ˩ ˈdzo˩dga˩ta˩ /ˈdzɑ˩dgæ˩tæ˩/ | girl |
| Plural | Suffix -ɑ˩g ˈgo˩nvo˩vo˩g /ˈgɑ˩nvɑ˩vɑ˩g/ | boys | If ends with vowel: Suffix -g Else: Suffix -ɑ˩g ˈdzo˩dga˩to˩g /ˈdzɑ˩dgæ˩tɑ˩g/ | girls |
Articles
| Definite | Indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | no˩v /nɑ˩v/ | the | no˩k /nɑ˩k/ | a |
| Plural | kno˩j /knɑ˩ʤ/ | the | tvo˩t /tvɑ˩t/ | some |
Uses of definite article that differ from English:
- Definite article can be omitted: ‘I am going to supermarket’
- Used to talk about countable nouns in general: English’s ‘I like cats’ would translate to ‘I like the cats’
- Not used for mass (uncountable) nouns: ‘Walking in the mud’ would always translate to ‘Walking in mud’.
- Used for personal names in third person: ‘The Maria has left for school’
- Used for languages: ‘The English’
- Used with place names: ‘The London’
Uses of indefinite article that differ from English:
- Not used for non-specific countable nouns: non-specific means ‘I am looking for a (any) girl in a red dress’, whereas specific means ‘I am looking for a (particular) girl in a red dress’
Pronouns
| 1st singular | dza˩b /dzæ˩b/ | I, me, mine |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd singular | go˩t /gɑ˩t/ | you, yours |
| 3rd singular masc | no˩t /nɑ˩t/ | he, him, his, it (m.), its (m.) |
| 3rd singular fem | kva˩g /kvæ˩g/ | she, her, hers, it (f.), its (f.) |
| 1st plural | kno˩t /knɑ˩t/ | we, us, ours |
| 2nd plural | na˩z /næ˩z/ | you all, yours (pl) |
| 3rd plural masc | dzo˩v /dzɑ˩v/ | they (m.), them (m.), theirs (m.) |
| 3rd plural fem | ga˩v /gæ˩v/ | they (f.), them (f.), theirs (f.) |
Possessive determiners
| Possessive | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | o˩k /ɑ˩k/ | my |
| 2nd singular | dzo˩d /dzɑ˩d/ | your |
| 3rd singular masc | jo˩g /ʤɑ˩g/ | his |
| 3rd singular fem | kna˩ /knæ˩/ | her |
| 1st plural | jo˩v /ʤɑ˩v/ | our |
| 2nd plural | kna˩d /knæ˩d/ | your (pl) |
| 3rd plural masc | jo˩t /ʤɑ˩t/ | their (m.) |
| 3rd plural fem | kno˩d /knɑ˩d/ | their (f.) |
Verbs
| Future | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | If ends with vowel: Suffix -b Else: Suffix -æ˩b ˈva˩ja˩ta˩b /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tæ˩b/ | (I) will learn |
| 2nd singular | Suffix -ɑ˩t ˈva˩ja˩to˩t /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tɑ˩t/ | (you) will learn |
| 3rd singular masc | If ends with vowel: Suffix -k Else: Suffix -ɑ˩k ˈva˩ja˩to˩k /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tɑ˩k/ | (he/it (m.)) will learn |
| 3rd singular fem | Suffix -ɑ˩ ˈva˩ja˩to˩ /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tɑ˩/ | (she/it (f.)) will learn |
| 1st plural | Suffix -æ˩b ˈva˩ja˩ta˩b /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tæ˩b/ | (we) will learn |
| 2nd plural | Suffix -ɑ˩z ˈva˩ja˩to˩z /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tɑ˩z/ | (you all) will learn |
| 3rd plural masc | If ends with vowel: Suffix -v Else: Suffix -æ˩v ˈva˩ja˩ta˩v /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tæ˩v/ | (they (m.)) will learn |
| 3rd plural fem | Suffix -æ˩ ˈva˩ja˩ta˩ /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tæ˩/ | (they (f.)) will learn |
Giant uses a standalone particle word for past tense:
| Past | Particle before the verb: kvɑ˩t - kvo˩t ˈva˩ja˩t /kvɑ˩t ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩t/ | learned |
|---|
Imperfective aspect
The ‘imperfective’ aspect refers to ongoing actions, such as I am learning and habitual actions, such as I learn (something new every day).
Giant uses a standalone particle word for imperfective:
| Imperfective | Particle before the verb: næ˩v - na˩v ˈva˩ja˩t /næ˩v ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩t/ | learn |
|---|
Perfect aspect
The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.
Giant uses an affix for the perfect aspect:
| Perfect | If ends with vowel: Suffix -k Else: Suffix -ɑ˩k ˈva˩ja˩to˩k /ˈvæ˩ʤæ˩tɑ˩k/ | have learned |
|---|
Numbers
Giant has a base-20 number system:
1 - ga˩k
2 - ja˩j
3 - go˩j
4 - o˩v
5 - kna˩j
6 - va˩g
7 - dzo˩b
8 - tva˩
9 - jo˩k
10 - kvo˩t
11 - ja˩b
12 - dzo˩
13 - na˩k
14 - vo˩b
15 - a˩j
16 - go˩z
17 - vo˩g
18 - ta˩
19 - kvo˩k
20 - no˩k
400 - ˈkvo˩do˩t
8000 - ˈdzo˩bva˩v
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -vdɑ˩
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩vdɑ˩
Adjective → noun (the quality of being adj) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -z
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩z
Adjective → verb (to make something adj) = Suffix -æ˩
Noun → adjective (having the quality of noun) = Suffix -æ˩
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Suffix -æ˩
Noun to verb = Suffix -ɑ˩d
Verb → adjective (result of doing verb) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -t
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩t
Tending to = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʤ
Else: Suffix -æ˩ʤ
Verb → noun (the act of verb) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -k
Else: Suffix -æ˩k
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -ɑ˩
One who verbs (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -æ˩k
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -kvɑ˩
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩kvɑ˩
Diminutive = If ends with vowel: Suffix -t
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩t
Augmentative = If ends with vowel: Suffix -v
Else: Suffix -ɑ˩v
Sentence Structure
Grammar
Sentence word order: Direct object-Indirect object-Verb-Subject. “She gave the dog a bone” turns into A bone the dog gave she.
Adjective Order
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned after the noun.
Adposition: postpositions
ˈdzo˩vo˩ba˩k tvo˩k no˩v ˈja˩jta˩d - Victory for the tribe
jo˩v ˈga˩dga˩k ˈo˩do˩k no˩v ˈgo˩dvo˩b ˈga˩dga˩k - Our king is the true king
kno˩t kvo˩t ˈtvo˩zko˩z dzo˩d kno˩t kva˩b kvo˩d ˈno˩njo˩k - We surrendered but we still have honor
ˈtvo˩bo˩ba˩- Flower
ˈo˩dda˩va˩ - Mist
ˈja˩vdo˩ga˩ - Bear
ˈno˩tta˩vdo˩ja˩ - Passion
ˈja˩vdo˩gɑ˩b -Bear
ˈgo˩gbo˩bɑ˩b -Mountain
ˈkva˩to˩zɑ˩b - Peak
ˈjo˩bna˩tɑ˩b -Massive
Jant do not recognize unisex names typically
ˈdzo˩tno˩tgo˩v-ˈno˩zbo˩kˌno˩ta˩æ˩k - Stone-Crusher
ˈdzo˩ba˩bˈo˩gdo˩dæ˩k - Desert-walker
ˈdzo˩kno˩ˌto˩o˩b ˈva˩gda˩o˩b - Tree-friend
ˈgo˩nko˩do˩b kno˩j ˈto˩ga˩to˩g ˈgo˩zgo˩g ja˩t - Enemy of the small people
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