Ebisedian, or takrem e Teoh (earth to Teoh) :)

----- Original Message -----
From: "H. S. Teoh" <hsteoh@...>


> I had always
> imagined that fictional languages would be invented only as a complement
> for fictional settings such as for an RPG, and would only be developed
> just enough for that purpose. But I had never imagined that people
> actually created highly intricate and detailed languages, such
> masterpieces as Sally's Teonaht (which if memory serves me correctly was
> one of the webpages that led me to CONLANG) or David's Amman Iar (speaking
> of whom...  where *is* our Gray Wizard? I haven't heard from him for a
> while now), which are not mere relexifications of English (which was as
> far as I thought people would bother to go), but fully developed languages
> with a completely individual grammar, lexicon, and "flavor".
I don't know where David Bell is... whether or not he's still subscribed to
CONLANG or what, but we miss him. I was so hoping he would take my
Celticonlang Survey.  Does anybody have his address?

> When I first stumbled upon these websites, my reactions were initially
> mild amusement (these people have wayyyy too much time on their hands),
> then skepticism (sounds like the work of just a handful of weirdos), and
> then amazement (when I read the description of Verdurian).
Heh heh... And the problem, as you've probably found out, is that because
you have LIFE and its obligations, there is just wayyyyy too LITTLE time to
develop your conlang.  Which is also life.  Although I've got to admit,
you've done wonders with Ebisedian.  Lives within lives.

> Now the tables have turned, and I find myself known on this list as the
> creator of an allegedly fiendishly difficult conlang called Ebisedian,
> which is reputed to be the bane of all linguistic sanity. (OK, OK, I'm
> exaggerating again... I think Christophe's Maggel is way weirder than
> Ebisedian... in fact, we've coined the word "maggellity" as a tribute to
> Maggel's ... uh, maggellity. :-P) Anyway, to end my shameless self-plug,
> you can find out more about Ebisedian and judge for yourself whether it
> deserves its label of obscurity, here:
>         http://quickfur.ath.cx:8080/~hsteoh/conlang/tutorial.pdf
Oh, Stars above!  I lost your other reference to it months ago (didn't you
have this up before?), so I'm so glad you provided this again!  And in pdf
format, too, which means if I print it out it will look like a book.  Gotta
get new toner, though.  Now then.  I got as far as the originative and the
receptive case with the examples of  "I look at the man" and "I see the man"
and I thought HOLY MOLY!  This is sort of like Teonaht's volitional system!
Yryi, il zef ry ke, or Yry, il zef ry ken:  I actively direct my eyeballs at
the man versus the man comes into my line of sight.  Yes YES!  Only
expressed in such an original way.  I will go on with this (husband calling
me to restaurant--last nights gig was too exhausting for either of us to
cook), but I wanted to say that right from the get-go, H.S. TEOh has proved
that he belongs in TEOnhea, as an instructor to Teonaht logophyles. :)
(The stative is strong in T. as well, especially with the -ndi verbs and the
zero copula).  I also like your imaginative use of the locative as vocative.
What type of language would you call this?  (I know, been discussed already,
but I'm late.)  It seems that you have a very creative structure that
devises new categories and new concepts for word relations that are
expressed in other languages in more traditional ways.

I've got new mail!  Now I see that Paul Burgess has cottoned on to your
Ebisedian big time!!  Even with multiple shouted yeses!  I kid you not, I
think he and I are on the same wavelength!

Seriously, Mr. Teoh, or however I'm supposed to address you (in Teonaht it
comes out as the surprisingly funny Hmeo Hteo!); Seriously, Hmeo Hteo, I'm
disappointed you didn't take my Lunatic (Celticonlang) Survey.  If you did,
then I'm an idiot--unmemorious, kicked by the god of fools and the goddess
of lost things.  You can skip the Celticonlang part, even the Tolkien part,
if it's not relevant.  May I issue it to you, because I'm interested in
hearing your answers to my specific questions about attitudes towards
conlanging and obscurity, to issues of demographics and profession, how you
came up with Ebisedian, and generally more of the stuff you express above.

Hdar vesry?  (may I?)

Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonoun.html

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