In creating the fictional universe for my Bravian stories–one written so far, and others on the way–I imagined a certain development for different dialects of English, and here is an introduction to how they would sound for readers of the Bravia tales. Let us start with “High” Bravian:

It’s fascinating to consider how English might evolve in a specific region like the North Appalachians over such a long period! Here’s a breakdown of potential changes, keeping in mind that language change is complex and unpredictable:

Phonological Changes (Sound Changes)

• Loss of Sounds: Certain sounds might disappear entirely. For example, the “th” sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) could become “t” and “d” or even disappear in some contexts, similar to some Cockney dialects of English. “Thin” might become “tin”.
• Vowel Shifts: Vowel sounds are very prone to change. We might see a chain shift similar to the Great Vowel Shift that shaped modern English, but with different results. Vowels could become more centralized or diphthongized (become two-part sounds).
• Consonant Changes: Consonants could weaken or strengthen. “R” sounds might become weaker or disappear entirely (non-rhoticity), as in some Southern American English dialects. Consonant clusters (like “str” in “string”) might simplify to “sr” or even “s”.
• Prosody: Changes in stress, intonation, and rhythm could occur, giving the language a distinct melodic quality.

Grammatical Changes

• Simplification: Grammatical structures could become simpler. For example, verb conjugations might reduce, with fewer forms for different tenses and persons.
• New Grammatical Markers: New ways of marking grammatical functions might emerge. For example, new prepositions or particles could develop to express relationships between words.
• Influence from Other Languages: Although less likely in this scenario of relative isolation, contact with other languages (if any) could lead to borrowing of grammatical structures.

Lexical Changes (Vocabulary)

• Loss of Words: Words that are used infrequently might fall out of use entirely.
• Semantic Change: The meanings of words could shift over time. A word might narrow its meaning, broaden it, or take on a completely new meaning.
• New Words: New words would be created to describe new technologies, concepts, and cultural changes. These could be derived from existing words or created through processes like compounding (combining words).

The Phonetic Script

A phonetic script would aim to represent each distinct sound (phoneme) with a unique symbol. This means:

• New Symbols: The Latin alphabet would likely be insufficient, and new symbols would be needed to represent sounds that don’t exist in modern English. These could be invented symbols or modified versions of existing letters.
• Consistent Representation: The same sound would always be written with the same symbol, regardless of spelling in the original English. So, words like “though,” “through,” and “tough” would be written with very different spellings to reflect their different pronunciations.

Example

Let’s imagine a highly hypothetical example. The sentence “I went through the woods” might evolve like this:

• Modern English: I went through the woods.
• Hypothetical North Appalachian English: Ai wen tru də wudz.
• Phonetic Script: /aɪ wɛn tɹuː də wʊdz/ (using IPA symbols, a common phonetic script)

In this example:

• The “th” sound has become “t” or “d”.
• Vowel sounds have shifted.
• The “r” in “through” has weakened.

Important Considerations

• Dialectal Variation: Even within the North Appalachians, different communities would likely develop different dialects, leading to further variation in pronunciation and vocabulary.
• Social Factors: Social factors like migration, contact with other groups, and cultural changes can all influence language change in unpredictable ways.

It’s important to remember that this is just speculation. Predicting language change over such a long period is inherently challenging. However, by considering the kinds of changes that languages typically undergo, we can get a sense of how a future North Appalachian language might differ from modern English.

After 1000 years of independent development, a North Appalachian language derived from English would likely be very difficult for a modern English speaker to understand.

Here’s why:

• Accumulation of Changes: Even small changes in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary accumulate over time. After a millennium, these small changes add up to significant differences.
• Divergence: As the language evolves in isolation, it will diverge further and further from the original English. This is similar to how different Romance languages (like Spanish, French, and Italian) evolved from Latin and are now distinct languages.
• Loss of Familiar Forms: Many common words and grammatical structures might be lost or drastically altered, making it hard to recognize the language’s origins.

Analogy to Old English

A helpful analogy is comparing modern English to Old English (the language spoken in England roughly 1000 years ago). While there are some recognizable words and roots, Old English is largely unintelligible to modern English speakers without significant study. Here’s an example:

• Old English: “Hwæt! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum, þēodcyninga, þrym gefrūnon, hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.”
• Modern English (approximate translation): “Lo! We of the Spear-Danes in old days, of the people-kings, glory heard, how the princes courage displayed.”

As you can see, the language is quite different. A North Appalachian language after 1000 years could be similarly divergent from modern English.

Factors that might retain some recognizability:

• Basic Vocabulary: Some very basic words (like pronouns, numbers, and words for common objects) might retain some resemblance to their English origins.
• Grammatical Foundations: While grammar would change, some fundamental aspects of English grammar (like word order) might still be traceable.

In Conclusion

While it would still be possible for linguists to trace the language’s origins back to English, it’s highly unlikely that a modern English speaker would be able to understand it without extensive study. It would essentially be a new language with its own distinct sounds, grammar, and vocabulary.

And now, for Middle Bravian:

Let’s imagine how English might evolve over 1000 years in Southern Ontario, specifically around the Peterborough area:

Phonological Changes

• Canadian Raising: This prominent feature of Canadian English, where the diphthongs /aɪ/ and /aʊ/ are pronounced differently before voiceless consonants, might become even more pronounced. For example, “write” and “ride” could develop distinct vowel sounds.
• Vowel Shifts: The vowel system could undergo changes, potentially influenced by the Canadian Shift, a phenomenon where certain vowels are shifting in Canadian English. For instance, the vowel in “cat” might move towards the sound in “bet”.
• Loss of /t/ and /d/ in some positions: Similar to some North American dialects, the /t/ and /d/ sounds between vowels might weaken or become a glottal stop. “Butter” might sound more like “bu’er”.
• Intonation: The intonation patterns of the language could shift, perhaps developing a more ‘sing-song’ quality.

Grammatical Changes

• Use of “eh”: The interjection “eh” could become even more ingrained in the grammar, serving various functions like seeking confirmation, expressing surprise, or maintaining conversation.
• Verb Simplification: Verb conjugations might simplify further, with the past tense marker “-ed” potentially disappearing in some contexts.
• Development of new modal verbs: New modal verbs (like “gotta” or “gonna” in modern English) could emerge to express obligation, possibility, or intention.

Lexical Changes

• Influence from Indigenous Languages: Borrowing from Indigenous languages spoken in the area (like Anishinaabemowin) could introduce new words and phrases.
• New Words for the Environment: New vocabulary would likely emerge to describe the local environment and any changes it undergoes over time.
• Slang and Colloquialisms: New slang and colloquialisms would constantly emerge, reflecting the changing culture and social trends.

Example

Let’s imagine the sentence “I’m going to the store to buy some milk, eh?”

• Modern Southern Ontario English: I’m going to the store to buy some milk, eh?
• Hypothetical Future Version: Ah’m goin’ ta the store ta buy some melk, eh?

Recognizability

This future Southern Ontario English would likely be more recognizable to modern English speakers than the North Appalachian example, due to less geographic isolation and potential continued influence from other English varieties. However, the accumulated changes over 1000 years would still make it challenging to understand without some exposure.

Important Note: This is a highly speculative exercise. Language change is complex and influenced by numerous factors. This is just one possible scenario of how English might evolve in Southern Ontario.

And now, for Low Bravian:

Let’s explore the possible evolution of English in the Cascadia region, centered around Portland, Oregon, over the next 1000 years.

Phonological Changes

• Low Back Merger: This is already a prominent feature in the Pacific Northwest, where the vowels in words like “cot” and “caught” are pronounced the same. This merger would likely become even more entrenched.
• Vowel Shifts: Similar to other North American dialects, Cascadian English might undergo vowel shifts. The vowel in “bag” might move towards the vowel in “beg,” and other vowels could also shift in a chain reaction.
• Weakening of Intervocalic /t/: Like in some varieties of American English, the /t/ between vowels might become a flap (a quick tap of the tongue, like the “dd” in “ladder”) or even disappear entirely in some contexts. “Water” might sound like “wadder” or “wah-er.”
• Influence of Indigenous Languages: While less pronounced than in some other regions, there might be subtle influences from Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest, particularly in pronunciation patterns or intonation.

Grammatical Changes

• Increased Use of Modal Verbs: Modal verbs like “might,” “could,” “should,” and “would” might be used even more frequently to express uncertainty or politeness, reflecting a cultural emphasis on indirectness.
• Simplification of Verb Tenses: Regular past tense marking with “-ed” might become less consistent, with some verbs developing irregular forms or relying more on context to indicate past time.
• Development of New Particles: New grammatical particles might emerge to express emphasis, contrast, or other grammatical functions.

Lexical Changes

• Environmental Vocabulary: Given the strong connection to nature in the Pacific Northwest, new words related to the environment, flora, and fauna would likely develop.
• Tech and Innovation Vocabulary: As a hub for technology and innovation, new words and terms related to these fields would constantly be created.
• Influence from Other Cultures: Due to its diverse population, Cascadian English might borrow words and phrases from other languages spoken in the region.

Example

Let’s take the sentence “I went to the store to get some coffee.”

• Modern Cascadian English: I went to the store to get some coffee.
• Hypothetical Future Version: Ai wen’ tuh thuh stor tuh ged sum kawfee.

In this example:

• The “t” in “to” has become a glottal stop or disappeared.
• The vowel in “coffee” might have shifted slightly.
• Some vowel reductions have occurred (“to” becoming “tuh”).

Recognizability

Like the Southern Ontario example, this future Cascadian English would likely remain somewhat recognizable to modern English speakers, although the accumulated changes over 1000 years would make it challenging to understand fully. The shared cultural and linguistic influences with other North American English varieties would likely contribute to this relative recognizability.

Important Note: As with the previous examples, this is a speculative exercise. The actual evolution of language is complex and influenced by many unpredictable factors. This is just one possible scenario.

And finally, for Low-Middle Bravian:

Here’s a potential hybrid of the South Canadian and Cascadian English varieties, combining elements from both:

Phonology

• Canadian Raising: The distinct pronunciation of /aɪ/ and /aʊ/ before voiceless consonants (as in South Canadian) would be present.
• Low Back Merger: The vowels in “cot” and “caught” would merge, as in Cascadian English.
• Vowel Shifts: Vowel shifts from both varieties could occur, with the vowel in “cat” potentially moving towards “bet” (South Canadian) and the vowel in “bag” moving towards “beg” (Cascadian).
• Weakening of Intervocalic /t/: The /t/ between vowels might weaken or become a flap, as in Cascadian English.
• Intonation: A blend of the intonation patterns of both varieties might emerge, potentially with a slight sing-song quality from South Canadian and a more relaxed pace from Cascadian.

Grammar

• Use of “eh”: The interjection “eh” would likely be used frequently, as in South Canadian English.
• Increased Use of Modal Verbs: Modal verbs like “might,” “could,” and “should” might be used more often, reflecting the influence of Cascadian English.
• Simplification of Verb Tenses: Regular past tense marking with “-ed” might become less consistent, as in both varieties.
• Development of New Particles: New grammatical particles could emerge to express emphasis or contrast, drawing from both language varieties.

Lexical Changes

• Influence from Indigenous Languages: Borrowings from Indigenous languages spoken in both regions could introduce new words and phrases.
• Environmental Vocabulary: New vocabulary related to the environment would likely develop, reflecting the importance of nature in both Cascadia and parts of Southern Ontario.
• Tech and Innovation Vocabulary: As both regions have connections to technology and innovation, new words related to these fields would likely emerge.
• Slang and Colloquialisms: New slang and colloquialisms would constantly develop, reflecting a blend of cultural influences from both regions.

Example

Let’s take the sentence “I’m going to the store to buy some milk, eh?”

• Modern Hybrid: Ah’m goin’ ta the store ta buy some melk, eh?

In this example:

• The “I” sound has shifted to “Ah”.
• The /t/ in “to” has become a flap or disappeared.
• The vowel in “milk” has shifted to “melk”.
• The interjection “eh” is used.

Recognizability

This hybrid variety would likely be somewhat recognizable to speakers of both South Canadian and Cascadian English, although the accumulated changes over 1000 years would make it challenging to understand fully. The blend of features from both varieties would create a unique and distinct language.

Important Note: As with the previous examples, this is a speculative exercise. The actual evolution of language is complex and influenced by many unpredictable factors. This is just one possible scenario.

Hopefully this helps make the language of the Bravians, and the way they are viewed by others around them, a bit easier to understand.