Language sketch -- Lassaptakl

Brief Overview

Old Lassaptakl was apparently an isolating language with word order SVO;
modern Lassaptakl, however, is an inflecting-agglutinating language with
word order VSO.  Most of the inflections consist of particles being
reinterpreted as parts of words -- hence most inflections are prefixed to
the word in question, with a few exceptions.

The Sullamal are essentially nomadic in nature, although they claim their
homeland in Tibet.  Their mythical homeland is called Sampala, and some
commentators have suggested that this is the Shambhala of legend.  There
is no evidence for this, nor is there any evidence that the Sullamal have
their origins in Tibet.  Although their language borrows freely from
English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and even, apparently, Latin, it
appears to be unrelated to any living language.

Phonology

Old Lassaptakl was written in an ideographic script, much of which we have
not yet deciphered.  Modern Lassaptakl is written in the Latin alphabet.
Lassaptakl is distinct for its paucity of phonemes.

vowels and diphthongs

a  a in father
i  i in machine
u  u in blue

ai as in eye
au as in cow; in some dialects similar to the o in "so"

ia  /ja/
iu  /ju/
ua  /wa/
ui  /wi/

i and u are sometimes written j and v when used as the onset of syllables.
These are pronounced /j/ and /w/ respectively.

Consonents:

p        pronounced /p/ when initial; voiced when followed or proceeded by l or
when intervocalic unless doubled.

t        pronounced /t/ when initial; voiced when followed or proceeded by l or
when intervocalic unless doubled.

c        pronounced /k/ when initial; voiced when followed or proceeded by l or
when intervocalic unless doubled.

s        pronounced /s/ when initial; voiced when followed or proceeded by l or
when intervocalic unless doubled.

m       pronounced /m/ when intial or followed by [p].  When followed by [t]
pronounced /n/.  When followed by [c] pronounced /ng/.

l       pronounced /l/.

Both consonents and vowels can be long or short.  Long phonemes are
pronounced for approximately twice the length of short ones.

Stress:

Stress falls on the penultimate syllable if the final syllable is short
(consists of a short vowel and a single consonant) or on the ultimate if
the final syllable is long (consists of a long vowel and a single
consonant, or a short vowel and a consonant cluster).

VERBS

Verbs differentiate for person, number, tense, and aspect, as follows:

to love         cluus

present imperfect

accluus         I love
pticluus        you love
lucluus         he loves
macluus         she loves
cluus           it loves

ciicluus        we love
tiicluus        you pl love
luicluus        they love, male
maicluus        they love, female
cluus           they love, neuter

future

taccluus        I will love
tupticluus      you will love
tlucluus        he will love
tmacluus        she will love
tucluus         it will love

tuciicluus      we will love
tuptiicluus     you pl will love
tluicluus       they will love
tmaicluus       they will love
tucluus         they will love

Past

saaccluus       I loved
sapticluus      you loved
slucluus        he loved
smacluus        she loved
sacluus         it loved

saciicluus      we loved
stiicluus       you pl loved
sluicluus       they loved
smaicluus       they loved
sacluus         they loved

cluussuc -- to have loved

accluussuc -- I have loved
pticluussuc -- you have loved
etc.

Verbs are also marked for direct object:

-ic     me
-ipt    you
-ill    him
-imm    her
-       it

-ici    us
-ili    you pl
-ilu    them m
-ima    them f
-       them n

Hence, we have:

accluusill      I love him.
tlucluusic      he will love me.

Indirect objects are marked by separate pronouns in the oblique case:

vac     to me
upti    to you
ulu     to him
uma     to her
uta     to it

vaca    to us
uptip   to you pl
ulul    to them
umam    to them
utat    to them

active participles form by adding -ti to the verbal stem.  Passive
participles are created by adding -pa to the verbal stem.

cluusti         loving
cluuspa         loved

Verb prefixes:

Verb prefixes modify the meaning of the verb and can be added to the
beginning of the verbal root.

to want to, to like to          pala-
to have to      cum-
to ought to     asal-

I have to go to the bathroom:  accumclaa

NOUN:

suap    flower

        sing.           pl.
nom.    suap            suapli
acc.    isuap           isuapli
gen.    ausuap          ausuapli
dat.    usuap           usuapli

Nouns are made definite by the addition of the suffix -t to the root,
after the plural suffix -li if applicable.  The suffix -t added to a noun
root ending in a vowel lengthens the vowel.

tama    teaching, truth, lesson, rule, law
tamaat  the teaching
suapli  flowers
suapliit the flowers


.....
This is all I've got so far.  Any opinions?


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