Re: Do you speak english?

On 3/26/06, Remi Villatel <maxilys@...> wrote:
> An easy translation exercise:
>
> Do you speak [insert your conlang name]?
>
> Because it's so easy, I demand politeness, deference or formalism (you
> choose) in the question, the pronunciation (CXSAMPA), the IMT
> (Interlinear Morphemic Translations) and/or a very literal translation.
Informally, one can ask

sarra antaxōni ankēleni kēñ;
SE+2p.sg.source N.coll("language") N.coll(Kēlen) QU

More formally, one can ask:

pa riēn antaxōni ankēleni kēñ;
PA PN(2p.sg) N.coll("language") N.coll(Kēlen) QU

In Eastern Kēlen, this would be the standard formal way to ask the
question. In Xāmorte Kēlen, this question differs slightly in context
from the above question. The SE question is one that one would ask a
student or a tourist. The PA question is one that one would ask
someone who is possibly ethnically Kēlen, sort of "Do you [natively]
speak of Kēlen?" This  same connotation is not found in Eastern Kēlen.

la riēn pa antaxōni ankēleni kēñ;
LA PN(2p.sg) PA N.coll("language") N.coll(Kēlen) QU

In Xāmorte Kēlen, this would be a more formal way to ask "Do you
[natively] speak of Kēlen?" In Eastern Kēlen, this would mark the
asker as hopelessly old-fashioned (or as some arrogant s.o.b. from
Xāmorte.)

I don't really do phonology, so pronounce these anyway you like. Some
guidelines include:
* macroned vowels are longer than non-macroned vowels
* stops & fricatives are voiceless unless between vowels and/or sonorants
* x is a sibilant fricative, like /sh/ in English.
* all others (vowels & consonants) are pronounced like in Spanish.

The relational LA takes a single object: something that exists in a
state or a location.
The relational SE takes a single object: something that has a source
and/or a goal.
The relational PA takes two objects: a whole and its part, or LA
{whole} PA {part}.
Nouns in juxtaposition with the same inflection refer to the same entity.
kēñ is a question marker.

--
Sylvia Sotomayor
terjemar@gmail.com
www.terjemar.net