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Re: CHAT: The [+foreign] attribute

From:Douglas Koller, Latin & French <latinfrench@...>
Date:Wednesday, September 4, 2002, 16:47
John wrote:

>ObConlang: how do people's conlangs handle foreign words?
Géarthnuns usually opts for calquing, but for nouns that come in whole hog, they either fit into one of the seven declensions, ending in -bs, -rs, -ts, -ns, -ks, -ls, or -ths, or they take a suffix: -bauths for people, -lats for things, and -sars for places. So: Ísraels, but Chechníasars Clintöns, but Bushbauths hambörgers (hypothetical form), but gathpacholats Sometimes, though not often, a specific word is suffixed: merlojürs - a Merlot (wine) (jürs = wine) As an adjectival ending, -latöib is added: fransélatöib - French doichlatöib - German I can't think of any verb loans. I think loans are confined almost exclusively to people and place names, ethnic foods, and nationalities, else calquing kicks in. I can't think of any counterexamples. Kou