Hettic language

Hettic ( Hettic: Hettsprach, Heitic) is the official language of Hetland. It is a typical Thanic language. It is spoken mainly in Hetland, and by speakers across the Hettic diaspora including in Averra, where it is a recognised minority language. Hettic is the sole descendant of Old Hettic, which descended almost directly from Proto-Thanic. There are two main forms of Hettic, Standard and Southern. The southern variety and the standard variety form a dialect continuum, with the Southern variety being spoken mainly in Myrr and southern Pressia. The southern variety differs from the standard variety in spelling, phonology, and lexicon. This article will focus on the standard variety, and will point out occasions where the southern variety and the standard variety differ.

History
Similar to most other languages in Avanor, Hettic is an Avanorran language that descends from Proto-Avanorran. Hettic is isolated from other Avanorran languages by geographic and linguistic boundaries, being surrounded mostly by Gaardic languages. Hettic scribes were introduced to the Latin alphabet in 600 A.D. through contact with Averran scribes.

Phonology
Main article: Hettic phonology

Written Language
Hettic has two standard orthographies, Southern (Sudscrif) and Standard (Heuscripf). This article will only cover Heuscripf.

Alphabet
The Hettic Alphabet has 28 letters. The letters q, x, y, and w are only used in foreign loanwords and toponyms.

The letter ë is very infrequent and often considered old and antiquated, but still in use by the Hettic government.

The grapheme ä is frequently used but not considered a seperate letter. It comes from a ligature between a and u and in handwriting the diacritic is written more like a tilde "~", but computers use the unicode character ä. See: Hettic Orthography

Nouns
Hettic nouns are inflected for case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive, and Instrumental), and number (Singular and Plural). There are two noun declensions depending on the ending of the word. Only the last noun in a noun phrase takes a case ending, the rest are in the default singular nominative form and are joined by a hyphen (-).

Pronouns
Hettic pronouns are inflected for person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), gender in the third person (Masculine, Feminine, Neuter), case (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive, Reflective), and have a TV distinction in the second person.

Adjectives
Hettic adjectives do not inflect for anything when they modify a noun. Adjectives directly precede the noun that they modify, and follow the order "Size- Opinion- Shape- Origin- Age- Colour- Material- Purpose." Adjectives are not separated by commas, but when an adjective modifies an adjective they are joined by a hyphen "-". EX: Een großav gütta scharav Jaggerstånn frå alt blå steilavs gehanav svertze." “A big, good, sharp, Hagstonian, old, blue, steel, sword”. “Een lich-rott Jaggerstanicz-steilavs kar.” A light red, Hagstonian steel car.

Comparisons
Hettic adjectives are modified by a noun-post-ceding comparative word.

Verbs
Hettic verbs conjugate for plurality (Singular, Plural), Voice (Active, Passive), Aspect (Indicitive, Subjunctive), and Tense (Preterite, Past, Present, and Future). Hettic is not pro-drop.

Word order
Hettic is primarily SVO, with frequent examples of SOV word order and less frequent examples of VSO. SOV worder order is used when the direct object is a pronoun, in this scenario the object pronoun comes directly after the subject pronoun. VSO word order is used in interrogative statements, EX: "Czin Dasse des Kar?" "Do you see the car?", "Jez Dem czin." "I see it.", "og Honn czin des Kar." "And he sees the car."

The passive mood word order is SOV, even if the object is not a pronoun.

Hettic has V2 word order.

Sentence construction
Hettic sentences are constructed with either 1 independent clause (Simple), 2+ independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions (compound), or 1 independent and an infinite amount of subordinate clauses (complex). Subordinate clauses are always in the passive mood. In complex sentences the independent always comes first and is separated from the dependent clause by a subordinating conjunction. In compound sentences with 2-3 clauses, the clauses are separated by a coordinating conjunction. In more compound sentences with more than 3 clauses, each clause is separated with a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

The North Wind and the Sun
Des Nordvin og des Son haffer beste af Fei des strünge En mest onn var.

Deselfs onn bestecj ellesch een ketrarnt-Aczosjer pess onn sjinge.

"Tschell ovv bostij." Des Son onn sjakke. "Fa Fei kan ikyorren des vascz åfe des Aczosjer er des strünge en mest.”

“Ja, je boste met.” Afjesticz des Nordvin hatte schenge, og de schenge og schenge, spis kn’ik schenge afmericz. Des Aczosjer, fult met Kålt, onnlüs enekflicz mer straff. Aflachicz, des Son mest efgenczejcjizy hußet hatte flamme. Des Aczosjer, fult met flam, hußet hatte ikyorre.

"The north wind and the sun were arguing about who was the strongest. They were arguing when a cloaked traveller walked by.

'' 'Let us agree,' The sun said. 'That whoever can remove the coat of the traveller is the strongest.'''

'' 'Yes, I agree.' Suddenly the north wind started blowing, and he blew and blew until he could no longer. The traveller, full of coldness, only wrapped himself more tightly in the coat. Laughing, the efficient sun starting warming himself up. The traveller, getting warmer by the second, took off his coat."''

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Allav Mannes berger met Friehemt og met Gliekhemt im er Czentestjer og im er Reschtes. De sitt utsurt met Raisem og met Kunscherm og de scholl handien Gendranded Brozzerschutet.

''All human beings are born with freedom and equality in their dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.''