>From: "David J. Peterson" <dedalvs@...>
>Reply-To: Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
>To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
>Subject: Re: question - for organizing a long-delayed language
>Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 02:21:40 -0700
>
>Rodlox wrote:
><<
>I've finally gotten around to starting to try and find organizing
>principles
>to sort/simplify Metes (that terror of conlang discussions)...but I'm
>not
>sure how to proceed.
> >>
>
>I'd like to be able to give organizational advice, but I'm afraid it's
>dependent on understanding the logic of your language,
there is no logic to Metes...at least not yet.
but your comments are helping form a logic.
>which,
>again, I've failed to do. I really find Metes (and your various other
>sketches/posts) astounding, because the way your languages
>work certainly must make sense to you
no, not really....Metes was my attempt to make a conlang purely (or almost
purely) via mutation.
>(right?), but I just can't
>make heads or tails of them. Your languages are quite different
>from any I've seen.
thank you.
>Quoting Rodlox here and hereafter:
><<
>teq(m) = 10
>teu- _=_ to do, perform, show favor, revere .
>teu- _=_ to lack, to be wanting; to tire .
> >>
>
>By giving this type of entry, you've shown that you want to
>separate different definitions for a word. That's good. Yet,
>the entries *within* your definitions just don't seem to gel.
sorry
>Based on the definitions, I'd say that you should either have
>four entries, corresponding to the four groups I pointed out
>above, or one entry, with four subsections, as in a dictionary.
>
>Next question: What is does the notation _=_ convey?
the Equals sign, indicates translation...a space-saving interlinear
[notation] that I grew up with
>Next, why do both roots of /teu/ end in a hyphen? What does
>the hyphen mean? Usually it would indicate that the preceding
>is a prefix, or a stem that will take a suffix. In the case of /teu/,
>it seems to be neither.
well, in the examples I gave, it ceased to be purely prefixing.
>
>Next, in /teqm/, why is the /m/ in parentheses? Is it because
>it disappears in certain environments? If so, when? In a dictionary,
>that's something you'd list in the beginning (e.g., "If a consonant
>is in parentheses, it means that the consonant disappears when it
>occurs before another consonant).
>
>Now your examples:
><<
>teu-teqm = to revere 10; teqm-teu = to lack 10
> >>
>
>Are these dictionary entries, or just examples? If they're the
>former, are they going to be important enough to include as
>separate entries?
yes to the latter.
>
>Also, just a general question (two such, actually): Why does
>/teu/ come before "ten" in the first one, and after "ten" in the
>second one?
I was trying to think of ways to distinguish the two forms of /teu/
>WeIq
>
>(1) clan (social unit)
>(2) to bend, to wind
>(3) to fight, to conquer
>(4) to turn
>(5) to vascillate, to tremble ecstatically
but, and this is where I get puzzled, how does one determine which one is
indicated in a sentance.
>A language question, though: How do you predict when an
>incorporated object comes before or after the noun?
I don't...not yet....hence my asking.
thank you for your assistance.