Sìsto - An Iraìn Argot
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Cryptolect goes brrr
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 12 Aug 2022, 05:33.
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3. Vowel Harmony
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As defined by Wikipedia: "a cant or argot is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group", and this is exactly what sìsto is.Born in the outskirts of the Iradòri capital city of Kìrìlàw in a need for freedom of speech from the oppressive forces of the Algadorian Regime, Sìsto (/sɪsˈto/) is a type of cryptolect very popular in slang and youth language. The word sìsto itself is an example of sìsto, being derived from tsi-dòs /t͡si dɔs/, 'scrambled speak'.
Although still bearing the definition of cant or argot, nowadays sìsto could be considered a vernacular variation of Iraìn, having its own grammar features and vast lexicon that completly deviate from SIN.
Words in sìsto are formed in a few different ways, depending on the number of syllables and general word structure.
1 • Two changes that happen to all sìsto words are switching the order of the consonants and inverting the vowel quality of the syllables (-V → +V, and +V → -V, check Vowel Harmony for more on these):
- tsi dòs /t͡si dɔs/ → sìsto /sɪsˈto/ - the language name;
- ikunù /ikuˈnʊ/ → nùkuy /nʊˈkuj/ - soldier;
- tsàri /t͡saˈri/ → rastì /rasˈtɪ/ - snake, serpent. Used to refer to the Algadori agents who would try to infiltrate the resistance;
Other changes include:
2a • Syllables ending in devoiced stops /p t k/, /f/ and ocassionaly /s/ are dropped altogether:
- wènàtiw /wɛ.na.ˈtiw/ → wewanìt /we.wa.ˈnɪt/ → wewan /we.ˈwan/ - master, slave owner. Used to refer to Algadori generals leading the invasion of Iradòr;
- svèk /ˈsvɛk/ → ksev /ˈksev/ → sef /ˈsef/ → se /ˈse/ - man, dude;
2b • Syllables endings in voiced stops /b d g/ or fricatives /v z/ become devoiced, and have the previous rule applied:
- tsìdòr /t͡sɪ.ˈdɔr/ → ritsod /ritˈsod/ → risto /risˈto/ - country;
- tigìdàt /ti.gɪ.ˈdat/ → tìtigad /tɪ.ti.ˈgad/ → tìga /tɪ.ˈga/ - nuke (weapons, places, people, anything man-made that's related to nuclear power);
- zuèy /zu.ˈɛj/ → yùes /jʊ.ˈes/ - money
3a • Deletion of repeated or overall similar syllables:
- tigìdàt /ti.gɪ.ˈdat/ → tìtigad /tɪ.ti.ˈgad/ → tìga /tɪ.ˈga/ - nuke;
- nàsàn /na.ˈsan/ → nenes* /nɛ.ˈnes/ → nes /ˈnes/ - cigarette;
*as per change 7.
3b • Deletion of clustered nasals:
- tyòm /ˈtjɔm/ → mtoy /mˈtoj/ → toy /ˈtoj/ - mule, drug carrier;
- mòlsìrim /mɔl.sɪ.ˈrim/ → mòmlìsir /mɔm.lɪ.ˈsir/ → mòlìsir /mɔ.lɪ.ˈsir/ → romilìs* /ro.mi.ˈlɪs/ - medicine, drugs (technical); Slang for drugs is - rom /ˈrom/;
*as per change 8.
4 • Simplification of illegal clusters. The second consonant is almost always favoured:
- genkì /gen.ˈkɪ/ → kègni /kɛgˈni/ → kèni /kɛˈni/ - to change;
- svèk /ˈsvɛk/ → ksev /ˈksev/ → sef /ˈsef/ → se /ˈse/ - man, dude;
- kàngìrdù /ka.ŋɪr.ˈdʊ/ → dakinru /da.kin.ˈru/ → dakir* /da.ˈkir/ - admirable;
*as per change 10.
- amast /a.ˈmast/ → àtàms /æ.ˈtæms/ → àtàs /æ.ˈtæs/ - courage, bravery;
5 • Affricates /t͡s d͡z/ are moved as a single sound, but once settled, they regularly suffer metathesis. If in final position, it is deleted altogether:
- tsayàm /t͡sa.ˈjam/ → màstay /mæs.ˈtaj/ - famine, hunger;
- motsak /mo.ˈt͡sak/ → kòmàts /kɔ.ˈmæts/ → kòmà /kɔ.ˈmæ/ - night owl, night patrol. Used to refer to soldiers who would patrol after curfew;
6 • Nasal /ŋ/ becomes /n/ and is graphed as such:
- ngas /ˈŋas/ → sàn /ˈsæn/ - to die;
- sàng /ˈsaŋ/ → nas /ˈnas/ - cute, adorable;
7 • Two syllable words with a single vowel overall sometimes suffer a seemingly random vowel mutation:
- nàsàn /na.ˈsan/ → nenes* /ne.ˈnes/ → nes /ˈnes/ - cigarette;
- kètè /kɛ.ˈtɛ/ → tiki /ti.ˈki/ - ration (food);
8 • Sometimes the consonant shift is applied more than once. No pattern seems to be in place other than aesthetic preference or as means to some of the other changes to occur:
- mòlsìrim /mɔl.sɪ.ˈrim/ → mòmlìsir /mɔm.lɪ.ˈsir/ → mòlìsir /mɔ.lɪ.ˈsir/ → romilìs** /ro.mi.ˈlɪs/ - medicine, drugs;
- tèngeng /tɛŋ.ˈeŋ/ → netèn /ne.ˈtɛn/ → nenèt /ne.ˈnɛt/ → nen /ˈnɛn/ - tit, titties, breast;
9 • Monosyllabic words with a single consonant seem to have three patterns:
• a) Double the consonant:
- mo /ˈmo/ → mòm /ˈmɔm/ - to try something new (from mo, 'to exist');
• b) Fill in with the next consonant in the Akeber (alphabet) order and apply consonant shift normally:
- rè /ˈrɛ/ → res /ˈres/ → ser /ˈser/ - to last, to endure (from rè, 'to last');
•c) Keep the same shape, just changing the vowel quality. This one is more common for frequent words, such as pronouns or some verbs:
- ngè /ˈŋɛ/ → ne /ˈne/ - I (1.SG);
- rè /ˈrɛ/ → re /ˈre/ - She (3.SF);
9d • Sometimes when none of the previous three methods would produce a satisfactory result, an inflected form of the word would be used instead:
- ta /ˈta/ = tara /ta.ˈra/ → tèrè /tɛ.ˈrɛ/ - to give (from the past perfective form of give);
- mòr /ˈmɔr/ = mòrèn /mɔ.ˈrɛn/ → nomer /no.ˈmer/ - food (from the agentive case of bread). Meaning shifted to 'food' for bread was, for the most part, all the food poor people in the outskirts of city would have in a day;
àt /ˈat/ = aràt /a.ˈrat/ → àtar /æ.ˈtar/ - to have, to own, to possess;
su /ˈsu/ = saru /sa.ˈru/→ ràsù /ræ.ˈsʊ/ → ràs* /ˈræs/ - to be, to be at;
*irregular dropping of the final vowel that became the norm;
10 • Nouns and adjectives/adverbs ending in vowel with final syllable onset being either /j m n r s w/ could drop the final vowel:
- mogo /mo.ˈgo/ → gomo /go.ˈmo/ → gom /ˈgom/ - tired, sleep deprived;
- masè /ma.ˈsɛ/ → sàme /sæ.ˈme/ → sàm /ˈsæm/ - rat, snitch;
Note: this change also applies to any other class of word in which the final syllable onset is the above mentioned and the coda was dropped by rules 2a and 2b;
And besides all these changes, it is not uncommon for new words to be created from the reanalysis of altered words. Some examples include:
- rom /ˈrom/ - drugs, from romilìs - medicine;
- say /ˈsaj/ - to eat, from màstay - famine;
- kuy /ˈkuy/ - cop, police, from nùkuy - soldier. Also onomatopoeia to call pigs to eat;
- kùs /ˈkʊs/ - info, data, from kùstàr - to get informed (from tsurak, to study);
- dewà /de.ˈwæ/ - to make public, publish, and nì /nɪ/ - a place for X, both from dewànì - a platform or tribune set in public, as to express one's opinions (from wènadì, plaza, square);
- kuynì /kuj.ˈnɪ/ - sty, from the above kuy, 'cop', and nì, place;
- normì /nor.ˈmɪ/ - residence used in an illegal drug trade, from rom, 'drugs', and 'nì', place. Consonant shift was reapplied.
And these are just a few new words that came to be in sìsto. Some of those were re-loaned into the standard language, either as slang or extensions to older words (e.g. kùs, dewànì). And some common words that didn't need to be occult remained the same and are used as normal.
Grammar also deviates from standard Iraìn. As means to lock the language for outsiders even more, especially those from the invading forces who could understand the language, subtle changes in certain aspects of the language where put in place. Here the most proeminent changes:
• Nominal and pronominal case markings are entirely abandoned.
• Fully pro-drop. Verbs take person marking. Infixes are moved to suffixal position.
E.g.:
| Standard Iraìn | Sìsto | |
|---|---|---|
| Phrase | 'Mè-n ngè-kà mòr-ès t | 'Nomer me-ne-tèrè-ra' |
| Gloss | 3SM-AGE 1S-DAT bread-PAT g<PPFV>ive | food 3M.1S.give-PST.PFV |
| Meaning | "He gave the bread to me" | "He gave me food" |
• Nominal possession conveyed by order of elements. Pronominal possession attaches pronouns to possessee.
- 'wènàtiwàtà nàsàni sòn' (slave master-GEN old-CNS cigarette) → 'wewan nes son' (general cigarette old) - "the general's old cigarette";
- 'ngètà nàsàni' (1S-GEN cigarette) → 'ne-nes'(1S-cigarette) - "my cigarette";
• Reciprocals are dropped. Reflexives are made by reduplication of pronoun.
- 'ngìmètà wàr su' (1S<REFL>-GEN enemy COP.PRE) → 'nene-raw ràs' (1S.REFL-enemy COP.PRE) - "my own enemy";
• Paucal is dropped. Plural only for people-related nouns, with plural clitic 'ir' (inversion of SIN plural).
- 'rìkòmù' (PL-drink) → 'mòkù (drink) - "drink"
- 'rìkàm' (PL-child) → mair (child=PL) | 'rìkàmi sàng' (PL-child-CNS cute) → ma nasir (child cute=PL) - "children" | "cute children"
• Demonstratives are attached to the noun.
- 'ma wàzà' (DIST war) → ma-zaw (DIST=war) - "That war"
- 'nìm mukèw' (PROX thief) → 'mi-wùm' (PROX=thief) - "This thief"
- 'rìmà rìskèt' (PL.DIST PL-chain) → 'mira-te' (PL.DIST handcuff) - "Those handcuffs"
- 'rìnìm rìtàgà (PL.PROX PL-book) → 'miri-gete' (PL.PROX book) - "These books"
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