Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

New Language - Examples

From:Chris Bates <chris.maths_student@...>
Date:Wednesday, September 15, 2004, 9:20
Right... I guess I ought to describe how to pronounce everything first
(hopefully all the X-SAMPA is right :) ).
þ /T/ ð /D/
t /t/ d /d/ n /n/ s /s/ z /z/ l /l/ ts /ts/ dz /dz/ (affricates)
x /S/ j /Z/ tx /tS/ dj /dZ/ (affricates)
tt /c/ dd /J\/ ñ /J/ ry /j\/ y /j/ ll /L/
c /k/ g /g/ q /N/ r /x/ w /M\/
h /h/
' /?/ (also used to show contractions like in french)
Vowels:
i /i/ e /e/ a /a/ o /o/ u /@/
â /i:/ ê /e:/ î /i:/ ô /o:/
Stress: Mainly tonal, falls on second syllable of word unless marked
otherwise by an acute accent. Stressed vowels are always long.
Now, the examples Roldox asked for (I might have made a mistake or
two... and I don't think my translation of elvis is very good... it
didn't really go well into what I've got so far).

dusun zoleli'x ñocani
/d@s@"nzole:"liSJoka:"ni/
du-su-n zole-li ex ñoca-ni
pres.ind-2nd.sing-intrans only-adv. indef.abs dog-1st.poss
You're only my dog (Attempt at translating “You ain't nothing but a
hounddog”)

This sentence really doesn't work very well, because the language has a
compulsory vs optional posession system, and dogs (or at least the word
for a tame dog... there's a different word for a wild dog) are
compulsorily possessed. Since hounddog is a breed that you keep for work
or as a pet I've gone for the word for tame dog, but then I have to
specify whose the dog is... I decided the best way to translate "you
ain't nothing but..." was probably "you're only..." but the result is a
bit funny and really doesn't convey the gist of what elvis was trying to
say at all lol. Perhaps I'll find a better way to translate when I have
more words.

ryide ttaneli egine ganli
/j\i:"decane:"liegi:"nega:"nli/
ryid-e ttane-li egin-e gan-li
live-imp long-adv (and) do/make-imp good-adv
Live long and do good/well (Attempting to translate “Live Long and Prosper”)

This probably works a bit better.... at least the sense of it comes through.

eños duzca'x xelleta, eñosidze egina('x lluqu)
/e:"Jozduzca:"SeLe:"tae:"Josidze:gi:"na(SL@N@)/
e-ño-s duzca-a ex xelleta, e-ño-s-idze egin-a (ex lluqu)
ness.pres-1st.plur-3rd.sing find-perf indef.abs way,
ness.pres-1st.plur-3rd.sing-or make-perf (indef.abs one)
We must find a way, or make one (attempted translation of Hannibal)

This works okay as well.... you really don't need the "one" at the end,
that's why I've put it in brackets... the strategy tends to be "drop
pretty much everything that can be inferred from context".

dadunin ex garayô
/dad@"nineZgaxa:"jo:/
da-du-ni-n ex gara-yô
neg-pres.ind-1st.sing-intrans indef.abs commit.crime/do.wrong-nom.act
I am not a crook (Nixon)

This comes across as "I am not one who commits crimes"... it doesn't
really have the slightly colloquial air of "crook".

esut lieneqi î crattotx
/es@"tlie:"neNi:kxaco:"tS/
e-su-t lien-eqi î cratt-ôtx
ness.pres-2nd.sing-non3rd.sing read-prog def.abs lip-plur
Read my lips (Bush)

I might have to change this.... I decided to do something similar to
spanish, so this is literally "You must read me the lips"... I know in
spanish its the dative that does this, but... this kindof makes sense
given with how I deal with the recipient.

Reply

Chris Bates <chris.maths_student@...>