Re: trQal

dunn patrick w <tb0pwd1@...> wrote:
[snip]
> First, though, I want to get TrQal into some sort of order.  I think what
> I've got now is only skeletal.  I like Ed's ideas for eructative vowels,
> as well as a couple new sounds.  Let me give you a run down of basic trQal
> grammar, and see if anyone has any suggestions.  Remember some of the
> examples will probably change, phonetically, before the week's done (my
> Beowulf presentation is more or less finished, so I have more time to
> screw around).
I saw your webpage just this morning -- some very interesting
concepts there, like the genders and the verbal moods; they
really reflect the spirit of the language and its speakers.

>
> I.  Nouns
>
>     A.  Gender.
>
> Nouns fall into one of three genders, being:
>    1.  The "r gender", which contains all things that inspire fear, awe,
> or could be considered dangerous.
>    2.  The "m gender", containing all things that are edible.
>    3.  The "vowel gender", containing all those things considered
> insignificant, or small.
>
> 1.  The "r gender".
>     These include all nouns considered dangerous, awe-inspiring, or
> fearful.  Most natural events and objects -- storms, rivers,
> floods, etc. are included whether terrible or not.  R gender nouns end in
> either r or l  The paradigm noun is trQal, meaning "a
> troll".  Plurality in the r gender is indicated by adding -c, thus trQalc,
> "trolls".
>
> 2.  The "m gender".
>     These include all things that are edible, including almost all
> animals, humans, and a few plants.  Our paradigm noun is grm,
> meaing "a deer."  Nouns in the m gender indicate plurality by adding -a,
> hence grma, "deer".
Have you thought of reduplication for some plurals?

You didn't mention articles, so I guess there aren't any
in the language, but you could have some particles or clitics
indicating plurality and other aspects of nouns. For example,
two articles for m-gender nouns, one meaning "the X" and
the other "the meat of X" (that is, X as an object, and
X as an edible substance). I would use something like /njam/
for the "meat" article. :-)

Of course this could be too philosophical for Trolls...
maybe they see anything edible as food from the beginning.


>
> Adverbs in Trollish cannot modify adjectives, unlike English and most
> other human languages.
Is there any way to modify adjectives then?
I mean, to say "very X, more X, most X, not X,
so X", etc., or a rough equivalent.


--Pablo Flores

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