Grinding it out slowly (YANC in progress)

I am very slowly and deliberately putting together my new
language. I am already in love with it. Will it push ea-luna out
of the number one spot in my heart? We'll see how it plays out.

Vowels: a, e, i, o, u, I
Consonants: b, k, d, f, g, h, dZ, Z, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w,
y, z, S, and tS

It has its own script, which I don't currently have in a computer
form. I am not happy with any of the ways I have come up with for
transliterating it into the Roman alphabet. When I started, it
was pretty easy, because it included fewer sounds to be
represented... I lost one sound (N) and gained several more (r,
S, Z, dZ, tS, and y). The [y] alone threw me off, since "y" used
to represent [I]. Since I have learned to type accents, I might
use some of those to handle extra sounds. [S] will almost
certainly be written "x" and [Z] seems destined to be "j", with
tS and dZ as "tx" and "dj", even though those are single letters
in the native script. Using those conventions, plus ÿ for [i] and
i for [I], I present the following.

Personal Pronouns (s and pl):
1st: ka (s), fa (pl)
2nd: do    , lo
3rd: ne    , se
3rd person, second party: nefe, sefe (That is, the second 3rd
person mentioned: "ne galowe nefe", "he/she/it saw him/her/it."

Add -n for possessive. (This is also for nouns. -en for nouns
ending in a consonant.)

Making a noun plural:
-o -> -ÿ  (for instance: telo -> telÿ)
-a -> -e  (binda -> binde)
-e, -i, -u -> -ex (dare -> darex, sodi -> sodex, voru -> vorex)
-C -> -ex (ten -> tenex)

Verbs: Infinitive form ends in -al (so far-- other verb forms may
be added.) They are marked for person but not for number.

myntal ("to love")

       PRESENT      FUTURE        PAST
1st    mynta        bemynta       gamynta
2nd    mynto        bemynto       gamynto
3rd    mynte        bemynte       gamynte


     PASTPERFECT    PLUPERFECT    "used to..."*
1st    myntala      myntada       myntera
2nd    myntalo      myntado       myntero
3rd    myntale      myntade       myntere


    FUTUREPERFECT  CONDITIONAL    IMPERFECT
1st  gamyntala      djemynta      menamynta
2nd  gamyntalo      djemynto      menamynto
3nd  gamyntale      djemynte      menamynte


This kind of suggests at least one more: "Ka djemyntala do", "I
would have loved you".

What is the name for "used to (habitually)"?



IMPERATIVE: omynto
I think that a first person imperative (omynta) might be useful
for writing "to do" lists. I am not sure I can think of a use for
a third person imperative.

IDIOMS:
These are expressions being adopted into this language, although
I haven't had time to figure out how they are going to fit in, I
don't know what the literal translations are, and I can't explain
them except to say that I like the sound. The English equivalent
follows in parentheses:

Xasa! (Hello!)
Domyet! (Good bye!)
Mahayet (please)
Verayet (Thank you)
Terem. (You're welcome.)
kadava! (****!)
kadavan (**** adj.)


I think that domyal, mahayal, and verayal are verbs expressed
here in special forms. I can't pin down exact English
equivalents, but I have a gut feeling about them. The -et must be
an archaic polite imperative. The literal meaning of "terem"... I
have no clue.

And a few more expressions, pretty straight forward:

Xana bein! (Good morning! dawn to 11am)
Tanda bein! (Good evening! 7pm to 10pm)
Yensa bein! (Good night! 10pm to dawn)
Xensa bein! (Good day! 11am to 7pm)

"bein" is, of course, the "good" part. I don't know if these
expressions are native or adapted from contact with European
languages. (I have a general idea of the conculture attached to
this language as being a "hidden" ethnic group in the modern
world.)

I have run through several different words for yes and no...
Not happy with any of them yet. Also need to work out negation
for verbs.

--

Mia Soderquist
Firetalk #605102
ICQ #19818811 or 5926593
MSN Messenger/hotmail: ursulanumeria@hotmail.com