Re: Help for a new conlang

Roberto Suarez Soto wrote:
>         I've been recently thinking on a new conlang. The idea behind it
>is, I think, semitic-like: words have a consonant-based root, and the
>class of word (noun, verb, adjective) is derived of that form using
>different vowels and particles.
>
>         By now, the only things I've got are (besides that crazy idea
>;-)) two words that I want to relate, though I don't know how: "Urkun"
>and "Orkurdan". "Urkun" is supposed to be a river, and "Orkurdan" a
>mountain range that lies near. As I already have another word,
>"Korkal", which is also the name of a river, I thought that "-rk-" could
>be the root form for "river". It makes sense, then, that "Orkurdan" is
>something related to a river, because it has the "-rk-" root too.
>"River" as an adjective (let's say that it means "flowing [like a
>river]") or verb ("to flow [like a river]") could be derived from this
>too.
>
>         But I've got no idea of how to do O:-) And I'd like to know how
>semitic languages (or whatever are similar to what I'm proposing; maybe
>I'm unknowningly referring to another kind of language) behave on this
>aspect. Any hints or URLs with information, any similar
>conlangs/natlangs? O:-)
Well, I've got a semiticoid conlang called Kalini Sapak, tho' I've not
really worked on it for a while. I don't really know alot about Arabic or
any other real-world consonantal-roots language, but I didn't i find that a
huge obstacle.

Just to give an example on how Kalini Sapak works, consider the root SPK,
which refers to human speech. To form actual words, it's combined with
various vowel patterns. On such, CaCáC forms normal nouns, so we get _sapak_
"a language" (the accent on the second a in CaCáC marks the placement of the
stress, which I normally don't indicate in actual words). This is in the
accusative case (the dictionary case in Kalini Sapak); to get a nominative
or genitive you use other vowel patterns, namely CaCúC and CaCíC
respectively. The same root works as verb too, for instance with the present
indicative masculine vowel pattern CuCáCu, giving _supaku_ "(he) speaks",
and adjectives, for instance with the feminine adjective pattern CíCCi,
giving _sipku_ (['SipkU] - /i/ patalizes certain consonants)
"linguistic/speech-related (feminine)". Oh, and many roots give multiple
words of the same part speech; eg WND plus the normal accusative noun
pattern CaCáC gives _wanad_ "word", but with the abstract accusative noun
pattern áCCaC _awnad_ (['o:nad] - assimilation is good to you!) "lexicon".

                                                     Andreas

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