Re: "Language Creation" in your conlang

On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 10:01:36 +0100, Andreas Johansson <andjo@...>
wrote:
> Quoting Roger Mills <romilly@...>:
>> Matt Trinsic wrote:
>> > By an interesting coincidence, my language also happens to have two
>> > roots for the verb 'make'.
[snip]
>>
>> Curiously, so does Kash, and then some.
[snip]
>
> Is this some kind of areal feature of CONLANG?
>
> As said, Tairezazh makes a distinction between _zlai_ "create (with
> artistic purpose)" and _zaz_ "create, construct, design".
"not me too"

Well, Atlantic-K doesnt have two words for 'make'... 'make' itself is
actually just one of the two words for 'do': <brešva> ['vrESvA] and
<škravva> ['SkrovA].  They're essentially synonymous, but for that,
roughly speaking, <brešva> refers to things, and <škravva> to actions.
You _could_ gloss them as 'make/fashion' and 'act/perform', but there is
no unitary verb meaning 'do'; these verbs do (=<škror>) that job.

An example, if you accidentally knocked over a vase you might indicate it
and ask:

       E brešva tâmme?
      [E "vrESvA "t@mmE]
       PAST do-AOR-1s DEM
      "Did I do that?"

[That's a rather idiomatic example... you might expect <škravva> because
of the action of knocking it over, but in a case like this you refer
actually to the zillion broken pieces of ceramic littering the floor.  A
Kirumb speaker might reason it by saying 'you wouldnt have asked the
question if you hadnt have broken it, no?']

Less obscurely, if you're at a friend's house and see a hideous crayon
drawing magneted to the refrigerator, you'd ask:

       E brešto Âlkint tâmme?
      [E "vrEStO "O:kEnt "t@mmE]
       PAST do-AOR-3s Alkint DEM
      "Did Alkint make that?"

[<Âlkint>'s weird pronunciation is of course due to conservative
spelling...]

If you see an incompetent mime in the street, flailing his arms about in
an unreadable manner, you might have to ask your friend:

       Kedâ škrééte?
      ["kEd@ "Skre:tE]
       what do-3s
      "What's he doing?"

...because it's his actions you're referring to.


        *Muke!
--
http://frath.net/
http://kohath.livejournal.com/

E jer savne zarjé mas ne   (You put music in my heart
Se imné koone'f metha       And with the spirit of an artist
Brissve mé kolé adâ.        I will make the dreamtime)