Re: Latin Hebrew creole -- some samples

Jan van Steenbergen wrote:

>
> I would be eager to see some grammar of the language. Is there something
> online, and if not, would you care to post something?
I've got a very bare skeleton grammar, which I'll post here:

Words borrowed from Latin have the following sound (and spelling) changes
applied:

qu -> k
cV^f-> c /tS/
cV^b -> k
v /w/ -> v /v/
ae -> aj
oe -> oj
gu -> g
V: -> V
V^fV -> jV (hence, eo -> jo)
#s -> #0

Words borrowed from Hebrew undergo the following sound (and spelling) changes:

beth -> b, veth -> v
cheth -> h
yod -> j
ayin -> 0 (null)
kaf -> k, khaf -> h
tzaddai -> z
qof -> k
shin -> sc /S/
sin -> s
thav -> t
#h -> #0

Latin nouns are borrowed in the ablative case.  Hebrew nouns are always borrowed
in the absolutive state, except in cases where entire phrases are borrowed as one
word.  Latin verbs are borrowed in the imperative.  Hebrew verbs are borrowed in
the (usually) qal 3rd person masculine singular perfect.  Latin adjectives are
borrowed in their neuter ablative case.

II.  Nouns

Nouns do not change for number or case.

A noun may be pluralized by preceding it with the particle ja (from ea, "they").

gladjo -- a sword, the sword
ja gladjo -- swords, the swords

ja contracts with enclitic prepositions:

d'ja gladjo -- of swords

When context makes plurality clear, "ja" is optional and usually omitted.


III.  Verbs

Verbs do not decline for number, person, tense, or mood.

ani ama hu -- I love him.
hu ama ani -- He loves me.

ani da -- I give
tu da -- you give
ata da -- you (formal) give
hu da -- he, she, it gives

no da -- we give
vo da -- you (pl) give
aten da -- you pl formal give
hen da -- they give

Future tense can be indicated by context or by preceding the verb with "volo".

tu volo da -- you will give

Past tense can be indicated by preceding the verb with habjo

tu habjo da -- you gave

Verbs can be made passive by preceding the tense marker (if there is one) with
the particle mi.

hu mi da -- it is given

The agent of a passive sentence is indicated with the enclitic preposition "be."
The indirect object, as usual, can be indicated with the enclitic preposition
"le."

libro mi habjo da l'amiko b'ani.  -- the book was given to [my] friend by me.

Verbs are negated by preceding them with the enclitic particle "lo."

ani lo da te hu libro.  "I do not give him the book."

This negation can be emphasized by following the verb with the word "nunkam,"
"never."

hu lo habjo da nunkam t'ani libro!  "He didn't give me the book."

IV.  Sentence structure

Sentences are SVO.  Adjectives usually follow the noun they describe, and heads
precede their compliments.

The relativizer is "asc."

ze gladjo, asc aba d'ani da l'ani hu, haja bono.  "This sword, which my father
gave to me, is good."

Note that the pronoun, in this case "hu", is stated within the relative clause,
unlike in English.

A question is formed by prefixing the entire utterance with "ha."

ha ze haja gladjo, asc aba d'ata da l'ata hu?  "Is this the sword which your
father gave to you?"
ha tu da libro de tu t'ani?  "Will you give me your book?"

The question word is "ke."  It means both "what" and "who," and is prefixed to
other words to make "where," "when," "why," and "how":

ke-loko -- where?
ke-tempo -- when?
per-ke -- why?
ke-modo -- how?
ke-kanto -- how much? how many?

"ke" should not be confused with the enclitic preposition ke, meaning "like;
about."  The interogative is never enclitic.

Emphatic forms of "what" and "who" are "ke-ma" and "ke-mi" respectively.