Re: Zaik! (Hi there!) - Description of Lyanjen

Hi Nick,

>> Vowels are divided into "masculine" (/o/, /u/) and "feminine" (/e/, /i/)
>> vowels (/a/ is neuter). The feminine vowels and /a/ change sound when
>> they're stressed: e = /E/, é = /e/; a = /a/, á = /{/; i = /I/, í = /i/. U
>> and I make diphthongs, but u can only be added to a feminine vowel or A,
and
>> I can only be added to a masculine vowel or A.
>
>Those are simply back (for masculine) and front (for feminine).  Are
>those the native terms?  If so, how'd they get those terms?
Yea, those are the native terms, "board" = masculine, "lyeard" = feminine.
They got those names because e and i are common endings for feminine names
and corresponding for masculine names. Also, -e denotes feminine and -o
denotes masculine (izad = spouse, izado = husband, izade = wife), going so
far as to appear in several non-derived terms (múnie = queen, bédio = king).

>> Nouns: six cases, nominative, ergative, absolutive, genitive, locative,
and
>> dative. Consequently:
>
>Nominative, ergative, and absolutive?  What are their functions?  Is
>"nominative", say, subject of intransitive verbs, and absolutive only
>"object of transitive verbs"?
Absolutive isn't just the object of verbs, but also can be the subject. The
thing is that it denotes a patient, and the ergative an agent.

>So, essentially, the underlying idea there is "[someone] reds me"?
Well, per (uh oh - who suggested this?), there could be a semantic
distinction:

Erit ian = something makes me red
Ian erit = I redden

>> SELL I-dat = I purchase.
>Interesting usage.
Compare German "ankaufen" and "verkaufen" (sp?), "on-transact" (buy)
and "away-transact" (sell).