Re: Examples #5: Translate the One Ring poem

On Wednesday 26 January 2005 03:49 pm, Arthaey Angosii wrote:
> Emaelivpeith Roger Mills:
> > It just occurred to me-- I hope someone is archiving all these
> > translations, and perhaps can put them up on a website somewhere????
>
> As part of my translation exercise page that I'm making, I'm putting
> up links to conlang translations of these texts. This includes all the
> One Ring translations, which can be found under the Texts section of
> http://arthaey.mine.nu:8080/~arthaey/conlang/translationex.html .
I'm going to step into the fray again with a very early sketch of an attempt
at a polysynthetic language based in IE root stock with affixes created as
necessary.  (This is my first attempt at a polysynthetic language--I thought I
had enough to do without inventing a new root stock. :))  Incorporation is at
the level, at least as I currently understand it, of languages such as Nahuatl
or Inuktitut.  Long vowels are marked with a following ':' (the phonology is
currently roughly the union of classical Latin and Greek as I was taught in
class, per the selection of the root stock).  The translation is perhaps the
beginning of defining a form composed of two sentence-words per line, a main
"clause" followed by a subordinate "clause."  Comments are of course always
most welcome and requested--particularly if I'm all wet about polysynthetic
languages.


RegiyarEldaiso:annultriadedakama     kailsubesangoso
DomnuiyarNaugriso:annulseptadedakama asangaroikolithuiyintroesangoso
Andazebrotiannulnovidedakama         asangdeinmoiruthanaso
Domnutembreso:pseannulmiadedakama    ipsengaredratembreso:episedengo
Mordorarktho:nso:introeskama         ktho:nso:epikeisthatembriso:ntio
Toturegannulmiaoikakwe               totuheureannulmiaoikakwe
Totuferannulmiaoikakwe               totutembremenso:introdeinoika
Mordorarktho:nso:introeskama         ktho:nso:epikeisthatembreso:ntio.


Reg  i  yar     Elda i  so: annul tria  deda ka   ma
King PL CONTROL Elf  PL DEF ring  three gave 3-SG GOVERN

kail sub   es angos o
sky  under be 4-PL  SUBORD

Domnu i  yar     Naugr i  so: annul septa deda ka   ma
Lord  PL CONTROL Dwarf PL DEF ring  seven gave 3-SG GOVERN

asang     ar      oiko  lithu i  yintro es angos o
they-4th  CONTROL house stone PL within be 4-PL  SUBORD

Andaze brot   i  annul novi deda ka   ma
Man    mortal PL ring  nine gave 3-PL GOVERN

asang    dein moiru than  as     o
they-4th bind fate  death ERG-SG SUBORD

Domnu tembre so: pse  annul mia deda ka   ma
Lord  dark   DEF SELF ring  one gave 3-SG GOVERN

ipseng    ar      edra   tembre so: epi  sede ng   o
self-4-SG CONTROL throne dark   DEF upon sit  4-SG SUBORD

Mordor ar      ktho:n so: intro  es ka   ma
Mordor CONTROL land   DEF within be 3-SG GOVERN

ktho:n so: epi  keistha tembre so: nti  o
land   DEF upon lie     shadow DEF 3-PL SUBORD

Totu reg   annul mia oi  ka   kwe
all  rule  ring  one OPT 3-SG and

Totu heure annul mia oi  ka   kwe
all  find  ring  one OPT 3-SG and

Totu fer   annul mia oi  ka   kwe
all  bring ring  one OPT 3-SG and

Totu tembre men   so: intro  dein oi  ka
All  dark   -ness DEF within bind OPT 3-SG

Mordor ar      ktho:n so: intro  es ka   ma
Mordor CONTROL land   DEF within be 3-SG GOVERN

ktho:n so: epi  keistha tembre so: nti  o
land   DEF upon lie     shadow DEF 3-PL SUBORD


3-SG        3rd-person singular marker
3-PL        3rd-person plural marker
4-SG        4th-person singular marker
4-PL        4th-person plural marker
CONTROL     preceding item controls (owns, holds, possesses, characterizes, etc.) following item
DEF         definiteness marker
ERG-SG      ergative (?) singular marker, used with non-pronominal subjects of transitive verbs
GOVERN      clause governs one or more subordinate clauses
OPT         optative-mood marker
PL          plural marker
SELF        reflexivity marker
SUBORD      clause is subordinate
self-4-SG   reflexive 4th-person singular pronoun
they-4th    ordinary (non-reflexive) 4th-person plural pronoun


Lexicon conventions: roots and prefixes (if any) are listed with a
trailing dash, postfixes with a leading dash.

The order in word-sentences is OVS unless marked to the contrary (by
special terminator affixes at the end to mark the change of order).
QOVS (Q = second object) for ditransitives and datives.  The subject
may be implied by the terminator.  Ergative case marking.
Aspect-centered verb system with incorporated adverbs of time instead
of explicit tenses.

The full (unmarked) sequence is:

second-object (Q) - direct-object (O) - verb (V) - subject (S) - terminator - enclitics


Only a stem (S or V) is required.  A terminator is required except for
the 2nd singular direct imperative, which has an optional terminator
-e.  Direct imperatives are V, OV, or QOV.  Any of the above can be
modified by suffixes (and preceding infixes, for the terminator).  For
all but the terminator, modifying elements may be suffixed: for the
verb, these function as adverbs, for the rest, as adjectives.

The negation element, -ne:(n), is treated like any modifying element.

The second object, if present, is regularly suffixed with -ei (after
all other modifiers).  It either has a dative sense or gives the last
argument of the verb (e.g., the reference to the entity being named,
in verbs of naming: the name itself is the first object).

The verb reduplicates its initial consonant (sometimes consonant cluster, if
applicable) around an augment infix -e- to mark complete aspect.  Verb stems
in Ce- (with a single initial consonant C) sometimes drop the original -e-,
then sometimes forming an epithentic -a-.  Examples:

flu:-       flow
feflu:-     flowed

fer-        bring, carry, bear
fefr(a)-    brought, carried, bore

Verb stems that begin with a vowel other than e- prefix e- or e:- as an
augment: e- is prefixed to the short front vowel i- and e:- to all other
vowels except i:-, which is always irregular.  Examples:

ir(a)-      go
eir(a)-     went

ag-         drive
e:ag-       drove

Verb stems in e- variously augment to ei- or e:a-, or (rarely) are irregular
or suppletive.  Verb stems in i:- are always irregular or suppletive.
Examples:

es-         be
e:as-       was

i:d(a)-     know
oid(a)-     knew

Incomplete aspect is unmarked. All other tense and time markings are made
with adverbs following the verb, or following the subject if the verb is
omitted (giving a zero copula).

Aspect is normally not marked on zero copulas.  The verb 'be' is available if
desired for explicit marking.


An epithentic -a- regularly separates the terminator from a stem that
ends in a consonant if the juxtaposition of the consonants would force
a sound change otherwise.

Stress accent works like in Latin, except that an inflectional affix inside a
word cannot be accented and thus "pushes" the stress accent closer to the end
of the word.  If several affixes occur at the end of the word, the accent is
thus pushed to the last syllable (even if it is an affix).  Also the accent
on a proper noun tends to be placed as if the noun were in isolation.  Proper
nouns tend to retain their accents, so a word that contains proper nouns may
have multiple stress accents: one for each proper noun plus possibly one
regular accent if the last proper nown is far enoug away from the end of the
word.  NOTE: enclitics (e.g., -kwe) can never cause the accent to move, even
if the same sequences of sounds in any other context would move the accent.


Glottal stops (except for vowels at the start of words) and/or hiatus are
avoided.  Where is is otherwise impossible to avoid placing the same vowel
twice in contact, -y- is inserted between front vowels and -w- between back
vowels.


Basic terminators (1st system):

-m      1st sg.
-t      2nd sg.
-ka(n)  3rd sg.
-ng     4th sg.

-mu     1st dual
-tu     2nd dual
-knu    3rd dual
-ngu    4th dual

-mos    1st pl.
-vos    2nd pl.
-nti    3rd pl.
-ngos   4th pl.

-(e)    direct imper. sg.
-eu     direct imper. dual
-(e)i   direct imper. pl.

-s      explicit-subject ergative sg.
-su     explicit-subject ergative dual
-sen    explicit-subject ergative pl.

The last three are used when the subject of the verb is explicit (rather than
only marked in the terminator) and the subject is ergative.  An explicit
absolutive subject takes a 1st-4th person ending (usually a 3rd).

A full set of personal pronouns is made by prefixing as- to the 1st-4th
person endings of the 1st system, with epithentic -a- then added where
required by context, e.g., asmam = "It is I."  (The as- is probably derived
via a vowel-grade change from es- = "be", or possibly vice versa.)


The 2nd terminator system marks the frame order being changed to SQOV,
to emphasize the subject:

-v      1st sg.
-th     2nd sg.
-kh     3rd sg.
-r      4th sg.

-vu     1st dual
-thu    2nd dual
-khu    3rd dual
-ru     4th dual

-vos    1st pl.
-fos    2nd pl.
-ntha   3rd pl.
-ros    4th pl.

-he     direct imper. sg.
-heu    direct imper. dual
-hei    direct imper. pl.

-kh     explicit-subject ergative sg.
-hu     explicit-subject ergative dual
-hen    explicit-subject ergative pl.

The subject in this frame is regularly postfixed with -gar.


Pre-terminator infixes:

-oi-    optative mood (wishes, preferred results)
-ia-    irrealis mood (contrary-to-fact conditions)
-ua- expective mood (something the speaker expects or predicts); can have a
simple-future sense with the incomplete
        aspect and a future-perfect sense with the complete aspect

A maximum of one prefix may be used.  The indicative and imperative
moods are unmarked here.  These infixes follow


Terminator postfixes:

-o      subordinate clause
-ma     main clause that governs a following subordinate clause
-an     question marker; often also prefixed to the word

More than one postfix may be used, but must occur in the order given
above.

Enclitics (always follow the postfixes):

-kwe    "and"
-aut    "or" (exclusive)
-wel    "or" (inclusive, and/or)

The coordinates are suffixed to each of the words put in parallel except for
the last word.

-osed       "but" (contains -o, as this is necessarily a subordinate clause)
-onar       clause-word of "natural" result subordinate to the preceding word
-ne:(n) emphatic negation of the verb (or head stem if there is no verb); moved to the
end of the word for contrast;
 may be used with an infixed -ne: for an even more emphatic negation of the
element modified by the infix;
            -ne:s before -e- or -e:-
-(i)stua    "also", "as well", "either"


Other common suffixes, added to roots as desired:

The actual-gender postfixes retain -s before a following vowel:

-la(s)  actual gender: feminine
-le(s)  actual gender: masculine
-lud    actual gender: neuter/unknown
-li(s)  actual gender: common

-z(e)   X-z(e) = "(one of) those who X", used only of persons
-men    X-men = "something that X", not used of persons
-so:(n) definiteness
-(y)ar construct-ish relation: the marked item owns or possesses or controls the item
suffixed after -(y)ar

-u,-ru  dualness (-ru after -u)
-i,-ri  pluralness (-ri after -i)

Notes:

1.  Some plurals are formed by "breaking" the vowel of the stem, e.g,. mu:s
(= "mouse"), mu:su (= "two mice"), mi:as (= "more than two mice").  This is
confined to stems with simple long vowels.

2.  Duality and plurality are normally not marked by the above when the stem
is modified by a numeral.


Examples:

Andamos.            We walk-like-humans.
Andazem.            I am one of those who walk like humans. / I am human. / I am a person.

Serut.              It is blue.

Serukailsot.        The sky is blue.
Serukailsoherit.    The sky is (will be) blue (i.e. cloudless) tomorrow.

Nimbiso:flafle:aso:t.
    The wind blows the clouds.
Serune:kailso:tonar nimbiso:fla:fle:aso:t.
    The wind blows the clouds so that the sky is not blue/clear.
    [Subordinate clauses normally precede the main clause.]
Nimbiso:fla:fle:aso:tma serune:kailso:tonar.
    [The main clause must be marked with the enclitic -ma if it comes first.]

I:damma imbreherito.
Imbreherito I:dam.
    I know that there will be rain tomorrow.

Imbrecrasto oidam.
    I knew that there would be rain yesterday.
    I knew that there was rain yesterday.

Imbreye:ascrasto oidam.
    I knew that there was rain yesterday.

Imbreye:asto oidam.
    I knew that there was rain.

Imbreye:astokwe tompoe:asto oidam.
    I knew that there was rain and that there was thunder.

Imbreuatkwe tompouat.
    Rain and thunder are expected.  [or are to be expected]

Astoidakano wewideng.
    He [4th person] knew that he [3rd person] saw you.

Gegu:sne:Deivasistua.
    Dave didn't like it, either.  [An unspecified direct object is implied here by the
    use of the ergative marking with the subject, Deiv = ("Dave").]


Roots:

as- personal pronoun stem (add to it a 1st-4th person ending from the 1st
terminator system)
ag-         drive
anda-       walk (on two legs, like a human)
andaz(e)-   human (that which walks on two legs)
annul-      ring
brot-       mortal
cras-       yesterday
da-         give [1st object is the thing given, 2nd object is the recipient]
dein-       bind
domnu-      lord, lady
edra-       throne
-epi        upon
es-         be
e:as-       was
fer-        bring, carry, bear
fla:-       blow
fle:a-      wind
flu:-       flow
flu:men-    river, stream, brook, creek
gu:s-       like, enjoy
heri-       tomorrow
heure-      find, discover
i:d(a)-     know
imbre-      rain
ir(a)-      go [eir(a)- = went]
-intro      within
-(i)pse     self [note: 1st-system person suffix may be added]
kail-       sky
keistha-    lie, be placed on
ktho:n-     land, territory
lithu-      stone, rock
lokw-       talk, speak, say
Lokwandaze  People-Talk [name of the language]
mia-        one
moiru-      fate
nimb-       cloud
novi-       nine
oid(a)-     knew
oiko-       house, hall
reg-        king, queen, rule
sede-       sit
-sept       seven
seru-       blue, sky-blue, cloudless
-sub        under
tembr(e)-   dark, shadow(ed)
than-       die, death
tompo-      thunder [onomatopoeic]
totu-       all, every (one)
-tria       three
wide-       see


CKR
cian@cox-internet.com