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Re: my current conlang

From:Jeffrey Jones <jeffsjones@...>
Date:Sunday, October 1, 2000, 10:22
Here's some more of it.

Part 2

Initial and Medial Word Components

Pronominals
m-  1st person or speaker(s) (exclusive; the inclusive form
is different, but I haven't decided what it will be yet).
t-  2nd person or addressee(s)
l-  3rd person demonstrative, yon/yonder (something or
someone being pointed to, which is neither near the
speaker or the addressee)
Z-  3rd person, definite article
s-  reflexive (all persons)
y-  relative
k-  interrogative
`-  indefinite
d-  follows relative clause and determines how it is used

Some Other Initial Components
buk-  book
xus-  house
wad-  water
xat-  hot

Some Medial Components
-ek-  specifically singular (1)
-al-  specifically plural, or all
-iz-  specifically present time
-ur-  specifically past time
-ab-  specifically future time
-af-  possessive
-in-  interior of

-un-  logical negation
-uk-  logical interrogation

Some words specify a relation and require a preceding word in
the phrase; these are listed in the form -o X-.

-o c-  locative; this is also used in pronominal derivations:
mo c-  this/these, here, near the speaker(s)
to c-  that/those, there, near the addressee(s)
lo c-  near something or someone being pointed to
ko c-  which, where (interrogative)
yo c-  which, where (relative)

-o mam-  mother of

Some Examples

mafo buka ko cize?
m-af-o      buk-a     k-o     c-iz-e
1p-Poss-CON book-ABS Int-CON Loc-Pres-PRED
(Where is my book?) or (Where are my books?)

Za tafo xusino cure.
Z-a    t-af-o       xus-in-o           c-ur-e
3p-ABS 2p-Poss-CON house-interior-CON Loc-Past-PRED
(It was or they were in your house.)

Za Zize ku?
Z-a     Z-iz-e        k-u?
Def-ABS Def-Pres-PRED Int-ERG
(Who [has] put them there?)

Ze to mamu.
Z-e     t-o         mam-u.
Def-PRED 2p-CON mother_of-ERG
(Your mother did.)

to co wada xatizuke?
t-o     c-o     wad-a    xat-iz-uk-e
2p-CON Loc-CON water-ABS hot-Pres-LInt-PRED
(Is that water hot now?)

Ze.
Z-e
Def-PRED
(Yes.)

Zune.
Z-un-e
Def-LNeg-PRED
(No.)

Zune Zo wada.
Z-un-e       Z-o     wad-a
Def-LNeg-PRED Def-CON water-ABS
(The water isn't [something else might be].)

lo mamu lafure o buka.
l-o         mam-u       l-af-ur-e        `-o    buk-a
Dem-CON mother_of-ERG Dem-Poss-Past-PRED Ind-CON book-ABS
(That person's mother had given him a book or some books.)

mo co wada xatize ku?
m-o     c-o     wad-a    xat-iz-e       k-u
1p-CON Loc-CON water-ABS hot-Pres-PRED Int-ERG
(Who has heated this water?)

Za u xatizune.
Z-a     `-u     xat-iz-un-e
Def-ABS Ind-ERG hot-Pres-LNeg-PRED
(Nobody has heated it [it isn't hot].)

Za xatize unu.
Z-a xat-iz-e `-un-u
Def-ABS hot-Pres-PRED Ind-LNeg-ERG
(Nobody has heated it [it was already hot].)

u Zo ya to mamu xature do wado cize tafo buka.
`-u     Z-o
Ind-ERG Def-CON
y-a    t-o         mam-u    xat-ur-e     d-o
Rel-ABS 2p-CON mother_of-ERG hot-Past-PRED X-CON
wad-o     c-iz-e       t-af-o      buk-a
water-CON Loc-Pres-PRED 2p-Poss-CON book-ABS
(Somebody has put your book next to the water your mother had
heated.)

Jeff