Re: Interesting discoveries

--- Estel Telcontar <estel_telcontar@...>
wrote:
> I'm not sure what to do about the duplication -
> whether to keep the old forms, keep the new
> forms, keep both as
> synonyms, or keep both forms but give them some
> semantic differences.
> The last is the most attractive option to me,
> but is easier said than done.
Naturally, this is where you need to explore
their culture some, if there is one. In thát
process you can find your answer very easily.

> What nuances can I use to distinguish
> two separate kinds of "to" and "from"?
What sorts of dichotomies crop up naturally in
this language? My Talarian has several where two
forms of postpositions would/might be handy.
There is the obvious animate/inanimate noun
distinction. There are already two sets of
pronouns, one used for active verbs the other for
stative verbs. An extra set of postpositions for
the use of inanimate "agents" would not be out of
line. There are also "open" vs. "hidden" words;
that is, a certain kind of prefix added to a
common noun gives it a deeper often mystical
sense [malcmar = animal milk; hamalcmar =
treasure via semantic extension]. A set of
postposititions for such words would be
interesting, if unlikely.

> With the two words for "write",
> I'm thinking of giving the
> old one "nau" the meaning of "write by hand,
> with pen or pencil" and
> the new one "tera" the meaning of "compose a
> piece of writing, whether
> on paper or computer or other device."
Excellent. Talarian has (at least) two words for
write as well: sahem (from *dhe) is generic write
and might be used to mean write a letter; while
hatrem (from *ater) means to paint or carve
symbols. Fancy writing is done with a brush, and
there is a reminiscence of ancient days when
their ancestors from beyond the West wrote "on
stone and river clay". This is most often used
for religious or important civic writing.

> The other discovery was that at some time in
> its first incarnation,
> this language was associated with a conculture!
Well, there you go!

> rakasauti   "a piece of cloth worn by the
> people of this land"
Are you sure they aren't Daine? When Daine wear
much of anything at all, it is a "raka". It's
usually little more than a piece of hide or cloth
wrapped around the waist and tied.

> What land I meant, I still have no idea.
A mystery!

Padraic.


=====
la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu ast meiyoer ke la cieurgeourea andrext ben trasfu.

--

There was a musician named Packett,
who'd had it, he just couldn't hack it;
   he stood with care
   on a cane backed chair,
and impaled himself on a rackett.

--

Come visit Ill Bethisad! --
<http://www.geocities.com/elemtilas/ill_bethisad/>







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