Re: Ursula LeGuin's Kesh

--- Joey Morlan wrote:
Where can I find a grammar of the Kesh language, invented for
Ursula LeGuin's _Always Coming Home_?  This has long been
one of my favorite books, and I've always been curious to know
more about the language.  LeGuin does talk about the phonetics
and semantics of Kesh, and there is a glossary, but little indication
is given of how to actually form a sentence.  I searched the web
for this and came up with nothing.
--- end of quote ---

I doubt if there is anything. I also love Kesh, but I don't imagine that LeGuin
developed the morphology and syntax enough to warrant a grammar. (A handful of
forms not in the dictionary can be surmised, such as a few of the tense
prefixes on verbs and a couple person/number suffixes, but little else.) To be
honest, Kesh morphosyntax seems a little untidy to me--locative relations, for
example, are marked by a tangle of prepositions, postpositions, prefixes, and
suffixes, some of which can float around seemingly randomly. I doubt seriously
if those aspects of Kesh were ever worked out seriously--just enough stuff to
write the lyrics for the songs, and that's it.

Matt.

Matt Pearson
Department of Linguistics
Reed College
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd
Portland, OR 97202 USA
ph:  503-771-1112 (x 7618)

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