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Differences between "un" and "opposite"

From:Gregory Gadow <techbear@...>
Date:Monday, April 25, 2005, 17:54
I was tinkering with my conlang Glörsa last night, going over old notes
dealing with prefixes. I found out that, very long ago, I had started
using a prefix that meant "not", similar to English's "un-." Some time
latter, I introduced a prefix that meant "opposite", similar to
Esperanto's "mal-." I think they both can be kept, as a way to add some
subtlety, but I want to check with some of the examples I put together.

The "un" prefix is "es(a)-" (EsA), the "opposite" prefix is "ül(i)-" (uli).

Take the word "kalöfë" (kAlo'fe), "loyalty." The two prefixes would give me:

esakalöfë (EsAkA'lofe) = dispassion (no loyalty; loyalty to nothing)
ülikalöfë (ulikA'lofe) = treason (the opposite of loyalty)

With "achsöme" (AtSo'mE), "belief", I get:

esachsöme (EsA'tSomE) = fear (no hope, hope in nothing)
ülachsöme (ulA'tSomE) = despair (the opposite of hope)

I like the distinctions being made, but I'm not sure if I am using them
correctly. Does anyone else have a conlang with both of these prefixes (or
suffixes, if your language swings that way?)

(And let me know if my pronounciation guide is off. I know the IPA symbols
I want, and was using the guide at http://www.theiling.de/ipa/ to render
them.)

Thanks for your input.

Gregory Gadow

Replies

Aaron Morse <artlangs@...>
Henrik Theiling <theiling@...>
Ray Brown <ray.brown@...>