Zveahe
| Zveahe | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /zveˈɑ.χe/ |
| Region | Astalva |
| Ethnicity | Zveah |
| Language family | |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Astalva |
| CWS code | zvh |
Zveahe is a Sevaric language and the official language of Astalva. According to a 2015 survey, Zveahe is spoken by over 90% of the population of Astalva, by itself making it the most widely spoken of all the Sevaric languages. However, only around 45% of the population of Astalva uses it as their primary language at home.
Classification
Zveahe is a member of the Sevaric language family, which is usually considered to be a member of the Brzhtic family of languages of Astalva and northern Nagu. This has sometimes been questioned due to the Sevaric languages' completely novel verb conjugation system unrelated to that of other Brzhtic languages, as well as a few other unusual grammar differences. However, most scholars agree that overall the evidence is still strong enough to link the Sevaric languages into the Brzhtic language family.
History
Zveahe is the native language of the Zveah people of northeastern Astalva. Around (year), the Zveahs became the dominant astalvi ethnicity in northern Astalva. Trade routes established with the First Cananganamese Empire helped to bolster their influence in the region. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of pest-induced famines sparked war between human and astalvi groups, and in the aftermath much of the previously human-inhabited parts of Astalva became settled by the Zveahs.
Phonology
Phonemes
| Bilabial | Linguolabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Post-Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Epiglottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | q | ʡ | |||||
| Fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | ʎ̝ ʎ̝̥ | χ | ||||
| Approximant | l̼ | ɹ l lʲ | j |
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i y | u ũ |
| Close-mid | e | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ |
| Open | ɑ ɒ̃ |
Phonotactics
Zveahe's maximal syllable structure is roughly CCCVCC. Zveahe is notable for extreme flexibility with placement of fricatives into clusters, such as allowing all combinations of labiodental fricative + sibilant consonants except for /f/ + /ʃ/ in onset clusters. Fricatives can come before stops or after stops, with the unusual exception of those which would produce homorganic affricates such as /ts/ or /dʒ/. This exception itself has one exception, however, as the labiodental affricates /pf/ and /bv/ are valid phonotactically.
Morphology and syntax
Zveahe is a primarily OSV ergative-absolutive language, with a strong tendency towards head finality.