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Franj Travellers' Phrasebook

From:Geoff Horswood <geoffhorswood@...>
Date:Friday, February 4, 2005, 14:52
Having worked a bit more on Franj, my Turko-French conlang, here's the
travellers' phrasebook stuff in that language.

Some Franj notes:

_j_ is /Z/ except word-initially, where it becomes /dZ/.
_t_ is dentalised when in word-final position.
_ll_ is palatized, often to the extent of becoming /j/.
_x_ is always pronounced /S/.

Most of the vocabulary is Old French derived, but there are several Greek
borrowings (mostly technical terms), a good deal of Turkic (mostly Kazakh-
derived- hey, you go with what you know, right?) and some Arabic (coming
via Turkic- a lot of this is scientific and technical vocabulary too).

I'm thinking of writing Franj with a modified Greek alphabet similar to
Coptic.  Watch this space...

---

A TRAVELER'S PHRASEBOOK: FRANJ
Section 1: Pleasantries

Hello!                       Marhabat!      /ma:'r.a.ba:t_d/
Goodbye!                     Àdiù!          /&'djy:/
Yes                          Olla           /O'j.a/
No                           Non            /no~n/
Please                       -xi, -xu       /-Si:/, /-Su:/
(Note: There is no currently-used word for "Please" in  Franj; the
French "S'il vous plait" (in Franj: "seil vùs pleisint") fell out of use in
favour of the Turkic "-xi/-xu" ending.)

Thank You                    Ràhemet        ?r&'hE.mEt_d/
Do you speak ...?            Sàvez-vùs...?  /s&v'e:z vy:s/ (formal)
                             Sàvis-tù...?   /s&v'i:s ty:/  (informal)
            English          Inleix         /&:~n.'lejS/
            French           Fransaix       /frO:~n.sajS/
            German           Almand         /al.mo:~nd'/
            Spanish          Ispegneix      /is.pEn.jejS'/
            Turkish          Tùrùkeix       /ty:.rYk.ejS'/
            Arabic           Arabuq         /a.rab'uq/
            Byzantine Greek  Bizintiq       /bi.z&:~n'tiq/
            Franj            Franj          /frO:~nZ/

I don't speak Franj very well.
Jù nen sàvi yàxi Franj.      /dZy: nE~n s&v'i: j&'Si: frO:~nZ/

My name is...                Jù mi apala...   /dZy: mi: a.pa.la:'/

What is your name?
Kemen ti apalas-tù?          /ke.men' ti: a.pa.la:'s ty:/

How are you?                 Tù estis kemen?  /ty: es'ti: ke.men'/
I am well.                   Jù esti yàxi     /dZy: es'ti: j&'Si:/
I am not well.               Jù esti mal      /dZy: es'ti: mal/

I am the walrus, coo coo ca choo.
Jù esti li ualrox, kù kù kà chù.
/dZy: es'ti: li: wal'roS, ky: ky: k& tSy:/

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As always, comments welcome,

Geoff

Replies

Rodlox <rodlox@...>
Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...>