Re: Conlang book?
From: | Eruanno the Linguist ( AKA Teorondron ) <eruanno@...> |
Date: | Saturday, January 27, 2001, 23:39 |
>I've started compiling information for the book. It would be helpful if
>people could send information on their languages to me so I can incorporate
>it directly into the book instead of putting it together myself (it would
>also help to make errors less likely). The areas I need information on for
>each language are:
>
>1. a general description of the language and background information
Spoken Thoughts is a language spoken by most of the trader-folk and the
peasants and the royal people as well. The language exists in the land
thought to be known as Ninvar ( previously anyways, haven't figured out new
name ). This land exists nearly on the opposite side of the world in
comparison to Middle-Earth, yet the people and language are very different.
Religion is an important part with the people and the language, as is war...
>2. basic summary of the phonology
Sounds like english without the rules ( ate == ah-teh != ait ), save for
certain things. J sounds like ( as I am told by Nik Taylor, IIRC ) /Dz/, as
in Bonjour. There are a couple of rules in the phonology prohibiting the
words from ending in a stop sound ( IE: T, D, P, K, and the like, nor J ).
>3. overview of the writing system
Used is the Tengwar writing system ( the two Istari that had apparently
dissapeard from Middle-Earth had brouth some bits of the language, and the
writing system, and educated the uneducated by constructing libraries and
teaching and such. )
>4. description of the morphology
Well, um, I dunno how this would exactly work. ^_^
I know very little of morphology as it is, so I will leave this alone for
now.
>5. description of the syntax
Word order does not matter, and it is NOT a V2 langauge. Adjectives and
adverbs go before the thing they modify. To get a compound verb or noun,
you will have to have the two nouns/verbs one after the other with the exact
same endings and such.
For comparisons, you start off the comparison with a keyword, for less then,
or more than, then you have the first element that is supposed to be better
then ( or worse then, depending on the key chosen ), then the adjective
describing how the first noun is better then ( or worse then, etc ), then
you have the next noun, which is prefixed by _je-_ to show that is it the
second ( so you _can_ change the order ), followed by the rest of the
sentance.
Conjunctions are formed by a keyword followed by the first element, followed
by the linker, followed by the second element, and so on.
>6. other grammatical information which does not fit into the other
>categories
Well, softeners are used to make the words with the would-be endings fit
together in case the ending would conflict phonologically with the rest of
the word: EG: MIK in the allative case ( -ndil ), you need to add the
softener to make it follow the rules: IE: mikkendil not mikkndil.
>7. a sample of text in the language, with interlinearization
I have no poems, but just a short sentance, which goes as follows:
_Toh Vetta kot Mikka audrienta aanuntulta jette carnenna olossanin_
I do not think an interlinearization would work all that well, but here is
just a translation with each part discussed.
"Vetta and Mikka faught beautifully in the bloody battle."
_toh_ = key for conjunction
_Vetta_ = Male name, yet has no meaning as of yet ( I had to think of
something ). The normal (nom.) noun ending (-e) was displaced by the male
name signifier -a.
_kot_ = Linker, seperates the two ( or more ) clauses.
_Mikka_ = Yet another (male) name, meaning Master.
_audrienta_ = Adverb meaning "beautifully".
_aanuntulta_ = Past tense (un-) of Tulta, meaning fight. Intransitive
(aan-) verb because it has no object.
_jette_ = Demonstrative for this, unspecified distance. Used in place for
"The" ( and done quite frequently ).
_carnenna_ = Adj Bloody. -[e]nna from noun _carne_ (blood), giving it
adjective properties.
_olossanin_ = Noun in locative case showing where they did this thing, from
the noun _olosse_ meaning "Battle, war".
I hope that was sufficient.
>8. possibly a short lexicon
I have a very short lexicon of words ( from which I derive roots ) that have
meaning ( I worked on the list this morning on my way to my basketball game
).
Word - ROOT - PoS - meaning ( non-listed form )
========================================================
Tulta - TUL - V - fight or battle
Mikke - MIK - N/V - master (V: mikketa )
Elquenne - ELKW(A/E) - N/V - immortal (V: Elquenta )
Eruë - ERU - N/V - map (V: Erunta )
Ambarre - AMBAR - N/V - harmony (V: Ambaretta )
Mettare - METAR - N - twilight
Orrine - ORIN - N - Gate
Huuve - HUVA - N/V - Keep (IE: treasury ) (V: Huuventa )
Alta- - ALTA - S - a person of... NOT SURE ON THIS ONE!
Anne - ANA - N/V - Voyage, a journey on the sea (V: Anne[n]ta
)
Tekke - TEKO - N/V - Journey (V: Tekkenta )
Same - SAMI - N - Plant
Pyorre - PYOR - N - Building
Khaare - K[H]AR - V - Plant
Essenta - ESEN - V - Build
Tarjata - TARJ[A] - V - Sing
Parme - PARM - N - A place or location
Varde - VARD[A] - N - The ground ( earthy ground, NOT building
floor )
Tullume - TULM[E] - N/V - Fantasy (V: Tullumenta )
Quette - QUET - N/V - Trade (V: Quetta )
Lumba[n]ta - LUMBA - V - Die ( NOT Kill )
Marde - MARDA - N/V - Time (V: Marde[n]ta )
Carne - CARNA - N - Blood
Alasse - ALAS[A] - N - Song
Olosse - OLOS - N/V - Battle, War
Nikke - NIK - N/V - Hammer (See Note1) (V: Nikke[n]ta )
Dannenna - DAN - ADJ - Insane, crazy, demented ( ONLY AN ADJ )
Laure - LAUR - N/V - Friend (V: Laurenta: befriend )
Ambere - AMBER - N - North / Northly (ADJ: Amberenna )
Turenne - TUREN[A] - N/V - Melody (V: Turenta )
NOTE1: When used as an adjective, has another meaning than hammer: deft(ly).
NOTE ON ALL: All nouns can be used as adjectives by using ( usually )
-(e)nna. To make an adverb, add -(e)nta.
NOTE ON ALL: Verb endings can be -(n)ta, -(n)tya, -ya, or -a.
>Thanks for your help.
No problem! I wouldn't mind writing some other stuff on some parts of
speach if needed!
Namaarie,
Eruanno
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