Re: Translating from a conlang into a conlang

In a message dated 4/21/99 6:37:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time,=20
laokou@iii.org.tw writes:

The text:

> Xipu! Manxuri penerar
Cha! Koshy t=F3pok=FA
Hey! fruit-PLU enough-ripe-they
> Sero t'erneno beryakari yashnar
nym=E1er =F3 vo =FE=FAn
13-I-POSSESSIVE PERFECTIVE be year
> Yan t'eheranmamen t'imti esero u?
lar'n y =FEening eriner
person-?FUT.request-s/he-it core-I-POSSESSIVE
> Galla esero ka chenam ye bangu
haif-m=E1j by=E1er
black-thick hair-I-POSSESSIVE
> "Sero laya", Yudirza yetashmerzo
=FAc =F3rmer "cant vel,
quote sister-I-POSSESSIVE " pretty be-I-PLACEMARKER
> P'a ajir avaneranmamen sero
h=FAd=E1 y kwonos
therefore FUT seek-PLACEMARKER-me
> Tima lyn sero lodha manve.
 hos ben=F3 cery vel
like flower-of cherry-tree be-I-PLACEMARKER

Cha! Koshy t=F3pok=FA
Hey! fruit-PLU enough-ripe-they

=09I thought the fruit's ripeness was at issue as opposed to the type of=20
fruit or the falling.  nedm poetry tends towards generalization and simple=20
subject-verb sentences whenevr possible

nym=E1er =F3 vo =FE=FAn
13-I-POSSESSIVE PERFECTIVE be year

=09In nedm, one would say "my thirteen have been years.  Of an infant=20
one could say  "nym=E1iru =F3 vo cys", "His/her thirteen have been months.  =
To=20
say what age someone was/will be when something happened the tense/aspect=20
vowel would move to a tense position before the subject, e.g. "mimt=F3 =FAb =
=F3=20
m=E1=F3r vo =FE=FAn . . .", "part-LOCATIVE-GENTITIVE time PAST three-we-POSS=
. be-it=20
year . . .", "when we were three . . .".  A doctor giving a prognosis of a=20
dying patient may say "zau'iru y vo kym" or "his (future) six are weeks" or=20
"he has six weeks to live."

lar'n y =FEening eriner
person-?FUT.request-s/he-it core-I-POSSESSIVE

=09I translated that which someone would ask for as "erin", which is=20
composed of e- (essence) and rin (middle, center), and can also mean the=20
center of something tangible and is translated in the interlinear as "core"

haif-m=E1j by=E1er
black-thick hair-I-POSSESSIVE
=FAc =F3rmer "cant vel,
quote sister-I-POSSESSIVE " pretty be-I-PLACEMARKER

=09nedm frowns on separating a continuous stream of speech with a phrase=20
such as "she said".  a quote is usually preceded  by the uninflected,=20
"verbesque" =FAc, which can in a pinch also mean "quote" as a noun.

h=FAd=E1 y kwonos
therefore FUT seek-PLACEMARKER-me

=09A placemarker as a nominative both replaces constructs where the=20
subject is "someone," "something,", etc. and passive expressions.  It may be=20
notable that the pronouns are:=20
es-I;=20
d=F3-we;
am-you;=20
b=E1-y'all;=20
bing, ping, ring-he, she, it;=20
g=FA-they;=20
ol-Placemarker;=20
j=E9-Clause.

=09Ol often replaces the english "they", as in "They say aliens are a=20
government conspiracy to gain control of helium mines.".  J=E9 would be used=20
for economy as opposed to a f=FA construct, such as saying:

"=F3 pryloj nyes, prylaj nyg=FA, ej l=F3yis."
"PAST tell-(somebody)-clause DAT.-I, tell-you-clause DAT.-they, not=20
like-s/he-me"
"Someone told me you told them he doesn't like me.


hos ben=F3 cery vel
like flower-of cherry-tree be-I-PLACEMARKER

That was interesting.  the cheap dictionary traduction would be as follows:

Hey! Fruits ripe enough
my 13 is year
who will ask for my middle
black thick hair mine
said she "pretty am I
thus will they seek me;
like blossom of cherry am I.

I sort of like that actually.  The pronoun order is sort quaint to me.

pacs precs
Joe Mondello