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Re: question - for organizing a long-delayed language

From:Rodlox R <rodlox@...>
Date:Sunday, May 8, 2005, 14:12
>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.

Replies

Joseph Bridwell <zhosh@...>question - for organizing a long-delayed language - my US$0.02
David J. Peterson <dedalvs@...>