Ónosh language
Ónosh is a constructed language designed by Brett Dorrans for use as the primary language of his Nationstates nation, The Mindset. The name is derived from the Ónoshi pronouciation of a previous constructed language of his making, Unlósa. The language was created with the intention of being very simple to learn, and derives a lot of its grammar from English. It is currently capable of describing most everyday situations in a detailed manner, and the lexicon of words is constantly growing.
Contents
Phonology
Consonants
Ónosh has 17 consonants, with several common English sounds (such as j) missing. Almost all consonants are "smooth" sounding, bar "ch" and "r." This makes Ónosh particulary difficult to pronounce at times, though very pleasant to hear once said properly.
| IPA Pronounciation | Transliteration | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [b] | b | bit |
| [c] | c | king |
| [tʃ] | ch | chop |
| [d] | d | din |
| [f] | f | fool |
| [ʍ] | wh | when |
| [l] | l | lost |
| [m] | m | mint |
| [n] | n | night |
| [ŋ] | ŋ | king |
| [p] | p | pick |
| [ɹ] | r | berry |
| [s] | s | send |
| [ʃ] | sh | show |
| [ð] | th | this |
| [v] | v | vow |
| [w] | w | we |
Vowels
Ónosh has seven vowels, some of which are pronounced very differently from their English counterparts.
| IPA Pronounciation | Transliteration | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [æ] | a | apple |
| [ɛ] | e | bed |
| [ɝ] | i | bird |
| [iː] | í | bead |
| [ɔɹ] | o | board |
| [ɔː] | ó | baud |
| [uː] | u | boo |
Morphology
Nouns
Nouns are made plural by the addition of the letter sh to the end. For example:
Is verŋó canho, is verŋó canhosh. I have a dog, I have dogs.
Nouns in themselves do not have a gender, though may be assigned one when called via a verb. Proper nouns are always capitalised, as in English. Some proper nouns in Ónosh:
Bret, Sarash, Chustin, Lundon, Ameríca. Brett, Sarah, Justin, London, America.
Verbs
Ónosh verbs have different endings depending upon the agent being addressed (as in English, French, Spanish etc.) Like these languages, the verb is conjugated by adding new sounds. Ónosh adds these as suffixes, with the pronoun (which also changes) written before.
For example, the root verb piwhíd [pir-whead] (to eat) is conjugated as follows:
| is piwhíde (I eat) | íŋ piwhídóm (we eat) |
| vis piwhídí (you eat) | víŋ piwhídí (you eat [plural]) |
| mu piwhídó (he eats) | líŋ piwhídón (they eat) |
| mur puwhídó (she eats) | nu piwhídó (it eats) |
Tenses
There are five tenses in Ónosh: present, perfect present, past, future and future perfect. Verb tense is denoted by including one of the tense modifier words after a verb has been written. For example:
Is piwhíde shi fósd, is piwhíde shish fósd, is piwhíde shí fósd, is piwhíde shin fósd, is piwhíde shín fósd. I eat food, I have eaten food, I ate food, I will eat food, I will have eaten food.
Moods
Moods in Ónosh are represented by a preceeding letter seperated from the verb by an apostrophe. The only exceptions are the negative mood and the interrogative mood, which are in fact distinct particles added after the verb (but before the following word). The moods are as follows:
| Indicative | vis m'piwhídí fósd | you eat food |
| Subjunctive | vis f'piwhídí fósd | you might eat food |
| Imperative | vis l'piwhídí fósd! | (you) eat food! |
| Conditional | vis sh'piwhídí fósd | you would eat food (but) |
| Negative | vis piwhídí ni fósd | you don't eat food |
| Interrogative | vis piwhídí niŋ fósd? | you eat food? |
A more complicated example would be "is piwhíde niŋ shín fósd?" (I will have eaten food?)
Voice
Ónosh verbs may be passive or active voiced, depending upon the context. If a verb is active, it is the doer, and if it is passive then the subject has the verb done to them. Active verbs had no affixes. Voice is shown by affixing a letter to the end of verbs after an apostrophe as thus:
Is piwhíde fósd, is piwhíde'a fósd, is piwhíde ni fósd, is piwhíde'a ni fósd. I eat food (active), I am being eaten by food (inactive), I am not eating food (active), I am not being eaten by food (inactive).
Adjectives and Adverbs
Adverbs may be formed by adding the suffix o to an adjective. For example:
Is piwhíde fósd, is piwhíde fósd tshío, is tshío piwhíde shí fósd. I eat food, I eat food quickly, I quickly ate food.
Adverbs may be emphasised (similar to placing very before it in English) by adding the word "vraŋ" after it. For example:
Is piwhíde fósd tshío vraŋ. I eat food very quickly.
Superlative adjective forms are as follows (added as prefixes):
Drínói - happy
She'drínói - happier
Tsh'drínói - happiest
