Re: Im back

Oh well, here goes.
Omina (formerly Omeina) is an ergative, suffixing language that relies (like
Basque) on auxiliaries rather than conjugated verbs. Subject and objects are
incorporated in these auxiliary verbs, which also take other markers, such
as relative pronouns, etc. The subject markers are themselves the verbs, so
that the subjects have no independent existence, i.e., the forms used with a
transitive verb like mai "to go" in the indicative aspect are:

1ps mai ne "I go", lit, "I am going"
2po mai le "You go"
2pe mai ele "Thou goest"
3pso mai de "he, she, it goes": mai engu de "The horse goes"
3pse mai ede "He, She, It goes"
2pp mai me "we go"
3ppo mai re "they go"
3ppe mai ere "They go": mai engu re "The horses go"
4p mai ge "all these you see here go"

Notes:- omina has "ordinary" and "exalted" forms for 2nd and 3rd persons.
Exalted forms are used for "Gods", "Powerful presences", that sort of thing.
The fourth person is neither singular nor plural, but indicates a general
'sweep of the area', used where those indicated are visible. It was also
used sometimes to translate "one", "on", "man" (English, French, German) -
not the passive! Being ergative, there is no passive.

The above forms are those used in phrases in which there is no object. In
cases where there is/are object(s), the ergative form is used, which is the
same as the above paradigm with the ergative ending -ise added: thus "I see*
the (large) fire" =

Bere arauro naise** [see] [large fire, conflagration] [1ps subj - 3pso obj -
ergative auxiliary]

*omina is not a language that foregrounds tense or time. Thus this could
also be translates as "I saw the fires".
**naise would strictly be "nedaise" but this was such a common construction
that the "correct" object form with -d- was soon worn down. The 'correct'
form was still there to be used for purposes of emphasis, i.e., Bere arauro
nedaise "It was the fire I saw (not the sun, etc)". Since omina does not
mark nouns for plurality, this notion is also incorporated in the auxiliary:

Bere arauro neraise "I see the big fires" (lit. "I see them, the fire")

I aim to put a "Duitilakse Omina" (teach yourself Omina) course online soon.
I had one on my previous server and forgot to copy it over when I changed
ISPs!
There were exercises, case declensions (omina has 12 cases) and the script
(it uses a syllabary)... oh dear!
Mike.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Koller" <laokou@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 1:30 AM
Subject: Re: Im back


> From: Michael Poxon <mike@...>
>
>> My conlang (Omina) has developed apace and, if there's anyone out there
>> who
>>  remembers, that includes a slight change of name. Blame the historical
>> linguistics.
>
> Don't be coy; tell us more.
>
> Kou
>