A Tiny Attempt at Conlanging [was: Re: Tiny lexicon languages]

<< On Wed, 16 Jun 1999, Jim Henry wrote:
=20
 > On 14 Jun 99, at 19:40, Nik Taylor wrote:
 >
 > > Boudewijn Rempt wrote:
 > > > The description in Dutch runs to twelfe pages
 > > > of double-column text.
 > >
 > > I thought there were only 24 words?  How would that take up twelve
 > > pages?
 >
 > With 24 words you might have a lot of polysemy.  I suspect any of
 > many people could write a whole essay on each of the 24 most
 > frequent/important words in their native language.
 >
 > This reminds me: in re-reading the old conlang archives (1991-
 > 1993) I found an intriguing message about a challenge to create the
 > most expressive isolating language with only 20 words.  Would
 > anyone care to try this in the list now?  (Perhaps we should wait till
 > the translation relay is over.) >>

I am in, in fact, I've already got the framework done, but first a few (mayb=
e=20
stupid) questions about isolating languages:
1. can a word have multiple stresses/tones and still be considered one word=20
in an isolationg system.  for example, are =E9po and ep=F3 considered one wo=
rd?
2.  can a word's phonemes be moved around, e.g.  pako and kapo and poka and=20
kopa.  can these be considered one word if they mean ' a pako', 'pakos',=20
'pako's' and 'pako-accusative' =20

I suppose the answer to both of these is no, but I ask anyway, not that what=20
i have either of these features in my framework.  here's what it looks like=20
now ( try to view this in courier.  also, the following sentence came out of=20
my sister's vocabulary book):

After the beauty pageant was over, hordes of reporters swarmed into the=20
backstage area hoping to get a few words with the comely winner of the=20
contest.
mu ka mu fi mo fa ra re fi mo fi mo.  ro ma fa me ri ma mo ki mo mu ka mu fi=20
fo mi fi, ma fu fu ma mu ri mu ke ma fu fu ma mu ra mu ma ru re ma

mu-ka-mu
action be action
is
repetition of items like mu and fi and mo act sort of like parentheses on=20
phrases.

fi-mo-fa-ru-re-fi-mo
place time cause beauty perception place time
the event that causes beauty perception
beauty pageant
flanking a phrase with 'fi mo' indicates that it is an event.

fi-mo
event

thus this sentence is "is beauty-pageant-event event", or "the beauty pagean=
t=20
is an event." but the VSO word order indicates that this is a past tense=20
expression, so the sentence means "the beauty pageant occurred" or, more=20
literally, "the event for perception of beauty occurred."

ro ma-fa-me-ri-ma
multiple person cause habitual idea person
reporters

mo-ki-mo
time there time
then

mu-ka-mu
action be action
is

fi-fo-mi-fo
place to change place
to the transition place

ma-fu-fu-ma
person yonder yonder person
they

mu-ri-mu
action think action
think/hope
ri actually means 'think, percieve, believe, think about, idea, feel,=20
feeling, and probably will end up also meaning perception

ke ma-fu-fu-ma mu-ra-mu ki ma-ru-re-ma ke
thing they action here action person good perception person thing
that they join the beautiful one
flanking the phrase with things means its a subprdinate clause/object of the=20
sentence.  action-here-action means join, because 'ra' means "here, together=
,=20
with, join".

so, as accurately as possible:

after the beauty pageant was over, hordes of reporters swarmed into the=20
backstage area hoping to get a few words with the comely winner of the=20
contest.

becomes

the beauty-perception event occured.  many thought-causers then went to the=20
changing place, they hoped they join the beautiful one

word order and tense are linked:
VSO=09past
SVO=09present
SOV=09future

Here's a tentative dictionary:
ma-=09=09person
me-=09=09habitual
mi-=09=09change
mo-=09=09time
mu-=09=09action
ra-=09=09here, together, join
re-=09=09(was perception, but is now free)
ri-=09=09feel, idea, think, perception, assume
ro-=09=09multiple, many, very
ru-=09=09good, like, want, beautiful, happy
ka-=09=09be
ke-=09=09thing
ki-=09=09there
ko-=09=09(was move, but that is now covered by 'ka fo', to be towards,=20
or 'ka fe fo', to be not towards
ku-=09=09(was touch, affect, but that is now fulfilled by fa)
fa-=09=09cause, affect, touch, contact, move (transitive)
fe-=09=09negative particle
fi-=09=09place
fo-=09=09to, towards
fu-=09=09yonder

again, its only tentative, but what does everyone think?

pacs precs
Joe Mondello