Most Compact Ever (Was:Re: Spoken Cat)

On Wed, 5 Apr 2000 12:00:24 -0400, Vasiliy Chernov <bc_@...> wrote:

>On Wed, 5 Apr 2000 14:48:50 +0900, Adrian Morgan
<morg0072@...>
>wrote:
>>Does this approach the record for most compact
>>polysyntactic language ever?
>
>Wow! Let's announce a competition for the most elegant draft grammar
>packing this sentence into just two syllables!
>
>Doesn't seem absolutely impossible... ;)
As I proposed the competition, I contribute first.

Below is a translation into Eastern Tomcapt, followed by excerpts from
the poorly preserved fragments of An Eastern Tomcapt Reference Grammar
for Western Tomcapt Speakers (written ca. 980 year of Tomcapt
resettlement).

xwatf? T-NekS!
‘Where the hell have you been, come over here and scratch my ear’

A more literal translation:
Where-have-you-been (irrit.), coming-here ear-pet-me!

xwa     =t         =f
Where+be=perf(=2sg)-irritative
T-               Ne =k    =S
come+here(=ptcp)-ear-denom-dimin(=imper.2sg)(=1sg.obj)


Explanatory excerpts

From Chapter 8.13.7.6, Pronominal Verbs: Interrogative
_xwaj_ ‘to be where’ is a 4th class verb. <...> Perfect: _xwato_,
_xwat_, _xwats_... ‘where have I (you, etc.) been’, <...>

From Chapter 18.1.2, Phrasal Particles
The phrasal particle _-(@)f_ is used in sentences expressing irritation.
In some grammars _-(@)f_ is treated as ‘irritative mood marker’.

From Chapter 8.13.7.3, Pronominal Verbs: Deictic
_Ti_ ‘to come here’ is a 6th class verb. <...> Indefinite participle:
_TI_ (see also Chapter 14.6.2.8, Participles Used as Preverbs)

From Chapter 14.6.2.8, Participles Used as Preverbs
The participles _TI_ (of _Ti_) ‘coming (here)’, _SI_ (of _Si_)
‘going under’, and _sI_ (of _si_) ‘penetrating’ lose their vowel
when prefixed to another verb, if the result is *a permitted initial
cluster* (for details and examples, see Chapter 3.6.1.11, External
Sandhi: Special Cases).

From Chapter 12.1.7.5, Word Formation: Diminutives
The diminutive suffix _-S_ can also be added to verbal stems <...>.
Such derivates from denominative verbs (with stems ending in _-t_,
_-il_, _-ynk_, etc.) often have the meaning ‘to caress, pet,
nourish X’.

From Chapter 8.2.2.11, Finite Forms of Verbs: Imperative
The verbs of ‘odd’ classes (1st, 3rd, 5th, including the majority
of denominative verbs) take on the object suffixes of the 2nd series
in imperative sg., as illustrated by the following paradigm:

fwex   ‘protect me!’
fwexi  ‘protect yourself!’
fwexa  ‘protect him!’
fwexan ‘protect her!’
fwexe  ‘protect (it)!’ <...>


NOTE: Because of the fragmentary nature of the manuscript preserved,
and the well-known difficulties in interpretation of Western Tomcapt
numerals, the numeration of chapters (according to the Theddenbridge
system) presented in the above quotes is dubious in many details.



Basilius