Re : new language; langmaker

Dans un courrier dat=E9 du 19/07/99 21:14:24  , vous avez =E9crit :

> I need to share. I've been sketching a new language (called Meanate)  wher=
e
>  the only morphology is nominal. Or something like that. Here's an example=
:

i was quite sure you would do that looking from your Asiteya grammar.
let me quote a previous post of mine ;-) :

-------------- quote
anyway i like it (Asiteya) then because it combines ergative
and nominative and active/patientive systems.
(i think you have the full range needed cases for that)
maybe a step towards another allnoun conlang ? ;-)=20
------------- quote

there are basically 2 kinds of allnoun conlangs :
those to make all verbs from nouns and those to make
all nouns into verbs. very different strategies ;-)
anyway, i'm afraid you can't help using nouns of action
and state like "seeing" because your human brain
is like that.
the problem with allnoun is that you can't cope with aspects
very well because each noun you pick as predicate has a specific
aspect which does not always agree with the aspects of other
arguments. verbal voices are made to achieve such agreement,
i.e., to refer to the various aspects of the whole process
where arguments each play a role at a certain time ('aspectivation').
but in allnoun, you don't have voices anymore, so you have
to cram aspect in cases.
and if you want many nouns to have a potential role
and become predicates in turn (like english does)
you need as many cases as pairs of nouns.
english just do that :

stone > to stone a convict
hammer > to hammer
man > to man a ship
dog > to dog the master
ship > to ship goods
flower > to flower
etc.

if you really want to make this clear, it can become fairly long :

to stone =3D to throw stone at
hammer =3D to beat with a hammer
to man =3D to hire a crew for
to dog =3D to follow your master as a dog usually does
etc.

making an allnoun language is just like that. the needed cases are
like the verbs hidden in english noun-derived verbs. you usually start
listing the cases of the few basic "official" systems
(active/passive, ergative/absolutive, equative/attributive,
volitive/unvolitive, etc). but then you may endlessly refine it.
let me list you some of them according to the "vision" chosen :

"active/passive vision" :
i hurt john

that's 2 cases :
nominative
accusative

"ergative vision" :

example :
stative : make broken > broken / be broken
attributive : make wound > wound / have wound
terminative : make into breakings > breakings / become breakings

that's 4 cases :
ergative
absolutive
attributive
terminative

so it's 2+4 =3D 6 cases.

"instrumental vision"

user / instrument / fuel / material / facility / pattern / etc.

transformative example (with result) :
baker / oven / firewood / dough / receipe > bread

processive example (no result implied) :
cyclist / bycicle / road / etc.

so that's 6 more cases :
agentive
instrumental
fuelive :-)
materialive :-)
facilitive :-)
patternive :-)

so it's 6 + 6 =3D 12 cases.

"role-attribute vision"
it's a classic also called "trigger case system"
by some conlangers :

"X is Y's brother"
"X is 10-meter large"
"X makes Y be Z's chief"
"zazie makes road 126 be my way"

that's 2 more cases :
status
relative

so it's 12+2 =3D 14 cases

"experiencer vision"
very chic. usually used for intellectual stuff :
experiencer / faculty / "topic" / representation

example :
john (experiencer) sees (faculty) a tree (topic)
john (topic) looks (faculty) stupid (perception)

so it's 14+5 =3D 19 cases.

"transfer vision"
these are notional, not spatial or temporal cases.
you may need :
dependence (from, ab-)
i take a cookie from you / you are my cookie provider
impendence (to, ad-)
i give you this / you receive this

"equative vision"
i am a man
this is quite different from status because it points at
nature, not role.

then the spatiotemporal cases :
locative (by, in)
and 150 other ones if you want.

you can make up your own ones too. i recommand :

performive : i do-sport
you may consider it's absolutive.

ambulative : i go-round
important one if you don't want to use "to go" ad nauseam.

etc.

so with 25 or so cases you should be a happy allnouner like
i was once. hope you enjoy.

mathias






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