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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 _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com