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Conlang Lang Quicky At work

From:Elliott Lash <erelion12@...>
Date:Wednesday, November 24, 2004, 3:53
 Sitting around at work with nothing to do for a
change, I came up with a small verbal system for a
small conlang.

The verbs are divided into two groups: Volitional and
Non-Volitional. Volitional means that the subject
somehow willingly initiates the action. Non-Volitional
means that the subject performs the action but does
not necessarily willingly do so. Most of the time the
non-volitional verbs are things like "fall" or "dream"
or "sleep" Etc. Sometimes, I suppose, they could be
normal verbs but performed under duress.

Anyways...The two groups are only distinguished in the
3rd person. Other than that, the forms of the verbs
are the same.

Furthermore, there are two classes of endings for all
verbs (transitive at least), The pronominal objective
and the nominal objective endings. The pronominal
objective endings bundle up together a subject marker
with an object marker that varies for person. The
nominal objective endings have a subject marker with
an implied object marker.

Intransitive verbs use the "nominal objective
conjugation" endings but they obviously dont imply any
object.... I think it's time for examples:

Transitive Volitional Nom. Objective:
 root: band- "bring"

 infinitive: bêz /be~s/

 band "I bring X"             bendyz   "we"
 bêrj "You bring X" /be~Z/    bêrjs  /be~rS/ "you"
 bans  "He brings X  /bants/  bendysj  "they"

Transitive Non-Volitional Nom. Objective:
 band "I"  /bant/             bendyz   /bend1s/
 bêrj "You"                   bêrjs
 bêzen "He brings X" /be~z@n/ bêzez  /be~z@s/

Transitive Pronominal Objective:

bandut "I bring you"       bendyst "we bring you"
bandun "I bring him"       bendyzen "we bring him"

bêrjem "You bring me"      bêrjsem "you bring me"
bêrjen "You bring him"     bêrjen  "you bring him"

bandum "He brings me"      bendysjem "they bring me"
banst  "He brings you"     bendysjt  "they bring you"
bandun "He brings him"     bendysjen "they bring him"

(the object above is singular, the plural endings are:

-ta "you"
-ma "we"
-na "them"  (with appropriate vowels before hand)

----
Intransitive verb:

Non-Volitional:
  drem- "to sleep"
  infinitive: drimj

  drem "I sleep"        drimjyz "we sleep"
  drimjer "you sleep"   drimjers "you sleep"
  dremuk "he sleeps"    drimycj "they sleep"

As you can see, the third person has a separate
non-volitional ending when there is no possible
object.

I'm sure that these endings can be shunted between
non-volitional and volitional verbs to create
interesting effects, I'm just not sure how that'd
happen at the moment.

That's all, really...I just wanted to share. I have
the following verbs so far:

aliog- "strike",  aliezj "to strike"
band- "bring",  bêz "to bring"
vicji- "conquer", vicji "to conquer"
seren- "cook',   serinj "to cook"
flet- "tell",   flis "to tell"
zap- "fall",    zepj 'to fall"
drem- "sleep",  drimj "to sleep"


Some Examples:

 Mut   seren    zdisa  "I am cooking the meal"
 mu-t  seren    zdis-a
 I-NOM cook-1s  meal-ABS.def

(split-ergative, 1,2 person is nominative/accusative,
3 is ergative)

 Zdisa         serenuk "The meel is cooking"
 zdis-a        seren-uk
 meal-ABS.def  cook-NVol.3s

 Dapa seres v zdisurem
  "Father is cooking in the kitchen"

 dap-a          seres        v zdisur-em
 father-Abs.def cook-Vol.3s  in kitchen-prep.

  Depjet seres zdis
   "Father is cooking a meal"
  dap-jet    seres zdis-0
  father-ERG cook  meal-Abs


I hope that all makes sense.

 Elliott














		
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