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YAC Qomndcna (sob)

From:Christopher Wright <faceloran@...>
Date:Tuesday, February 25, 2003, 2:59
Qomndcna /kjOr@n&/ is no Maggel, but it is bad enough to make me gnash my
teeth. I suppose the worst it has done thus far is using a letter in more
than one digraph, entirely unpredictably.

I took...goodness knows whose suggestion and started with statements
rather than a grammar. The first was "lunch", denpaifleaf /t_hEmasEv/.
Then was the rather long "Ain tenlhnhend ithi na denpaifleaf qumnenh
memnaldue klukhfdainhynd", or "The sick stranger has come to endure lunch
with us" (actually, "for endure.INF us with lunch sick stranger PER.come-
3s", and naturally pronounced /an RESteT idi n& t_hEmasEv kjurent mertAlM
jy?DatiT/ {& for an open front rounded vowel}).

After "Hten muldaihten" ("Him IMP.help-2p" /kEn mUlaken/), I realized that
I was working with an ergative language. But the most fun so far was the
phrase "Healhnh! Lhta ndyna! Ndu nckaifdaue nen!" (/hEst sk& Din& DU
n@xaDaM nE/ No! Fool man! Your side on!)

This language is spoken by elves who are mostly nice, kind people who tend
farms or whatever and only take a drop of alcohol now and then. Of course,
the other 43% are the sort that go for a pint and a fight to fill in a few
spare minutes and a revolution in a boring afternoon. When I publish the
story they're in, I'll let you know.

~Wright