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Fact corner

Introduction

Brithenig is an invented language, or constructed language ("conlang"). It was created as a hobby in 1996 by Andrew Smith from New Zealand, who also invented the alternate history of Ill Bethisad to "explain" it.

Brithenig was not developed to be used in the real world, like Esperanto or Interlingua, nor to provide detail to a work of fiction, like J.R.R. Tolkien's Elvish tongues or Klingon from the Star Trek scenarios. Rather, Brithenig started as a thought experiment to create a Romance language that might have evolved if Latin had displaced Old Celtic as the spoken language of the people in Great Britain.

The verb

The verb conjugations are complex, characterized by initial consonant mutations.

Sample verb: comer

Indicative Condicional Subjunctive Participles
Present Imperfect Past definite Future Present Past
Sg.1 gom gomef gomef aigomer ewgomer gom gomes Present: comen
Sg.2 gom gomef gomef agomer ewgomer gom gomes
Sg.3 com comef comest comera comerew com comes
Pl.1 chomen chomefan chomefan anchomer ewnchomer choman chomessen Past: comed
Pl.2 chometh chomefath chomest athchomer ewthchomer chomath chomesseth
Pl.3 choment chomefant chomerent antchomer ewntchomer chomant chomessent

Sample verbs

Click verbs to conjugate them in the table above!
cantar, comer, partir.

Irregular verb: gweddir

 Indicative present
Sg.1wa
Sg.2wa
Sg.3gwa
Pl.1wan
Pl.2wath
Pl.3want
Categories: Conlang | Latin script | Dynamic