Avesta

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Avesta is a rather well-developed logical language which was created by H. Ellis Ensle beginning in 1974. Avesta does not draw inspiration from any other language and is thus a priori. The language's home page offers both a grammar and word list.

Babel Text

The language was used for a Babel Text translation.

Babel Text

• 1. Llu vara vesu abita nous vestai nois vau estugya vunre lhwon.
• 2. Fu vara valdu kanya myuloa ba gyu sansoa Shinarnare vau dampugya azha.
• 3. Vesugya hitho, wel, fadiädya veugre vau tesélliädya täp sye. Estugya veugre derkoru vau forxyode vergoru.
• 4. Vau vesugya, wel, tofádiädya thoru daime vau tyoile tolsaus atelllormare; vau fadiädya kinte thoru, voru söxórmöadya alalbitare nous.
• 5. Neválu alla avona sonro daime vau tyoile fadondule ikanya daf.
• 6. Vau vesuk, Gyi ozha, gendigya nos vestau nois, vau fondígya ose olla; voru isöme vutialegya efrom ollea rolzáftazhagya.
• 7. Wel, neváliädya azhoa vau yandazdiädya vesregya, voru ghonömegya se vesilegya hithyo.
• 8. Vau söxómu avona gye azhea iuzowe abiteu, vau ngotugya faude adaimeu.
• 9. Kini babela oseyumo, veyu fadu avona babele vesteu abiteu nous; vau söxómu avona ikane azhea lalzérna nous abiteu.

Babel Text with notes

• 1. Llu vara vesu abita nous vestai nois vau estugya vunre lhwon.

There-was-a-time when spoke the-world whole with-a-language single and they-used words same.
Once upon a time all the world spoke a single language and used the same words.

Note: "Llu vara..." is a typical story starter like "Once upon a time..." "abita" is the world recognized as a sphere, replacing the older term "pänsa". Notice the partitive and collective derived stems "nous" and "nois" (from "nos"="one").

• 2. Fu vara valdu kanya myuloa ba gyu sansoa Shinarnare vau dampugya azha.

Happened when travelled men to-the-East that they-[came] to-a-plain in-Shinar and they-settled there.
As men journeyed to the east, they came upon a plain in shinar and settled there.

Note: It is grammatically incorrect to proceed the main verb of a sentence with an adverbal clause, but "Fu...ba" gets around this restriction using "fu" as the main verb. The particle "ba" in place of "va" alerts the reader that the following clause relates back to the main verb ("fu") and that it is not part of the where ("vara") clause.

• 3. Vesugya hitho, wel, fadiädya veugre vau tesélliädya täp sye. Estugya veugre derkoru vau forxyode vergoru.

They-said to-each-other, come, let-build bricks us and let-bake hard them us. They-used bricks for-stone and bitumen for-mortar.
They said one to another, Come, let us make bricks and bake them hard. They used bricks for stone and bitumen for mortar.

Note: "forxyode" is a compound meaning "oil-tar". "-gya" explicitly indicates both men and women.

• 4. Vau vesugya, wel, tofádiädya thoru daime vau tyoile tolsaus atelllormare; vau fadiädya kinte thoru, voru söxórmöadya alalbitare nous.

And they-said, come, let-build us for-ourselves a-city and a-tower with-its-top up-in-the-sky; and let-make us a-name for-ourselves, so-that we-would-not-be-dispersed throughout-the-world whole.
And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens; and make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed all over the earth.

Note: "-dya" is the inclusive, indicating that the listener(s) are included in the command, otherwise "-nya" would be required.

• 5. Neválu alla avona sonro daime vau tyoile fadondule ikanya daf.

Came-down then the-lord (for)-to-see [the]-city and [the]-tower that-had-built all-men mortal.
Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which mortal men had built.

Note: daf" is the neutral root of both "live and die". It thus indicates the whole process, so literally "men who live and die

• 6. Vau vesuk, Gyi ozha, gendigya nos vestau nois, vau fondígya ose olla; voru isöme vutialegya efrom ollea rolzáftazhagya.

And he-said, they-are here, are-people one they having-a-language single, and they-have-been-beginning this now; so there-will-be-nothing from-now-[on] beyond-their-reach which-they-would-think (for)-to-do.
And he said, Here they are, one people with a single language; and now they have started to do this; henceforward nothing they have in mind to do will be beyond their reach.

Note: "m" in "efrom" is the avesta parsing particle, causing "ollea" and what follows to refer back to "isö" and not "vuti".

• 7. Wel, neváliädya azhoa vau yandazdiädya vesregya, voru ghonömegya se vesilegya hithyo.

Come, let-go-down to-there us and let-confuse their-speech us, so they-will-not-understand it that-they-say to-each-other.
Come, let us go down there and confuse their speech, so that they will not understand what they say to one another.

• 8. Vau söxómu avona gye azhea iuzowe abiteu, vau ngotugya faude adaimeu.

And dispersed them the-lord from-there to-each-part of-the-world, and they-gave-up building the-city.
So the Lord dispersed them from there all over the earth and they left off building the city.

• 9. Kini babela oseyumo, veyu fadu avona babele vesteu abiteu nous; vau söxómu avona ikane azhea lalzérna nous abiteu.

This-is why-called Babel, because did the-lord a-babel of-[the]-language of-the-world whole; and dispersed all-men the-lord from-there around-[the]-surface whole of-the-world.
That is why it is called Babel, because the Lord made a babble of the language of all the world; and from that place the Lord scattered men all over the face of the earth.

Note: "-mo" is a special emphasis particle by which "oseyumo" means "because of this as opposed to anything else".

External Links

• Avesta at LangMaker (archived)
• Avesta's home page (archived)