Conlang Relay 15/Mærik
by Benct Philip Jonsson
The Text
OOP FRYYT
Cridh edd kraadh, fere höghlet. Slat lukpawadhan sakla taadh edd. Critton edd. Gantas särn kraaneddan tröör saklarr graghal vpst bät fadd. Skirk ganta olmske trörr eddär lydhnär kraackär forld hawathk nywess gij veri borti. Ap kraass höktes liwnan.
Witt gomär tranztär skylffuess foottuk draadh bät pämpess footz taadh woorghand wilpind tyyrz homwm olmär forldkär hawathk. Fann hökterr wdhi gij edki krawalki?
Skirk offua fer cridhert sätnz gäwenks bät ganta olmske woorghdhand fromdand kraakthand.
Morpheme Breakdown
OOP FRYYT
Cridh-0 edd-dh kraa-dh, fer-(e)-0 höghlet. Slat lukpawadh-an sakl-(a)-0 taadh-0 edd-dh. Crit-0-ton edd-dh. Gant-(a)-s sär- an kraa-an-edd-an tröör sakl-(a)-rr gragh(a)l-0 vpst-dh bät fadh-dh. Skirk gan-(t)(a)-0 olmske-0 trörr edd-är lydhn-är kraa-k-är forld hawathk nyw-(e)-ss gij-i ver-i bort-i. Ap kraa-ss hökt-(e)-s liwn-(a)-n.
Witt goom-är tranzt-är skylffu-(e)-ss foott-(u)-k dra-dh bät pämp-(e)-ss foot-s tadh-0 woorgh-(a)-n-dh wilp-(i)-n-dh tyr-0- s homwm olm-är forld-k-är hawadh-k. Fann hökt-(e)-rr wdh-i gij-i edk-i krawal-k-i?
Skirk offu-(a)-0 fer-0 cridhert sätn-s gäw-(e)-n-k-s bät gant(a)- 0 olmske-0 woorgh-dh-an-dh from-dh-an-dh kraa-k-dh-an-dh.
Vocabulary
Verbs are cited in the third person singular present indicative.
- ann
- pron. that (nearby), it, the
- ap
- conj. when
- bæt
- conj. and
- bort
- adj. forbidden, secret
- cridha
- v. look at, watch
- cridhert
- adj. watchful, attentive, observant
- dra
- n. heart
- edd
- pron. that (far), it, the
- fadh
- n. music
- fann
- pron. what?
- fere
- v. be
- forld hawathk
- human
- forld
- n. seed
- from
- n. goal, aim, purpose
- fryyt
- pron. some
- gæw
- n. foot
- gan
- adj. all gone
- ganta
- v. there is not
- gij
- adj. high
- goom
- adj. short
- graghla
- v. learn
- gwaara
- v. do not...
- gwarum
- v. not yet
- gøntem
- adv. never
- haa
- pron. much
- hawadh
- n. earth
- homwm
- adj. downstream, beyond
- høghlet
- adj. like, similar
- høkte
- v. come
- kraa
- v. dance
- krawal
- n. dancer
- liwn
- adj. fine, excellent, superior
- lospro
- v. be familiar, be accustomed
- lwkpawadh
- n. world
- lydhn
- n. kind, sort, species
- nywe
- v. take
- offua
- v. can (capable of)
- olm
- n. soul
- olmske
- v. understand
- oop
- n. tale
- pæmpe
- v. give
- røwe
- v. happen, occur, pass
- særet
- adj. only, unique
- særom
- adv. only
- sætn
- n. movement
- saghafa
- v. trust
- sakla
- v. must
- skirk
- n. common people
- skylffue
- v. touch
- slat
- pron. all
- stædhle
- v. be ...ing
- stanskom
- adv. ever
- tadha
- v. see
- tera
- v. make, do
- ton
- pron. you, thou
- tranzt
- n. moment
- trøørr
- conj. but
- tyre
- v. go
- wdh
- adv.,adj. thus, such
- ver
- n. strength, power
- wilp
- n. feeling,sensation
- wilpa
- v. feel
- witt
- adv. after
- woorgh
- adj. true
- vpst
- n. song, singing
- vpstaa
- v. sing
- wørføghe
- v. arrive
- øll
- that, which
Grammar
Orthography is somewhat irregular. Doubling of both consonants and vowels can be omitted at will. Spelling is shallow wrt devoicing assimilation: in voiceless context _dh, gh_ become _th, ch_, _x_ writes /ks/, /Gs/ etc., _z_ writes /ts/, /Ds/ etc. etc. _i j v w y_ may all be both consonants and vowels.
Nouns, adjectives and pronouns have eight cases:
| sing. | plur. | ||
| Nom./Voc. | -0 (zero) | -n | (subject) |
| Accusative | -dh | -nd | (direct object) |
| Dative | -s | -nz | 'for' |
| Genitive | -k | -nk | 'of' |
| Ablative | -r | -nnär | 'from'/'out of' |
| Instrumental | -gh | -ng | 'with' |
| Locative | -(u)m | -num | 'at'/'in' |
| Allative | -i | -ni | 'to'/'into' |
A theme vowel of varying quality goes between the stem and a plural ending.
Mærik has Suffixaufnahme or "case stacking", i.e. a noun carrying a genitive ending may take a further grammatical or local case ending, e.g. dølk 'the farmer's', dølks or dølx 'for the farmer's' (dative of genitive).
Adjectives inflect for case and number in congruence with their nouns, e.g. verghar trækker "From a big house", hughand skond "poor men (acc.)".
Sometimes the same word functions as an adjective and as a noun for the quality denoted by the adjective.
Most derived adverbs and some primary end in -m (with theme vowel). This formant is observed to coincide with the locative ending - probably not a coincidence!
The demonstrative pronouns are often enclitically postposed to a noun, in which case their meaning is similar to a definite article. Both the noun and the "article" inflect for case. It should be observed that the -ann forms are often used where the context would properly call for the - edd forms.
The infinitive or gerund, the imperative and the supine all consist in the bare stem, and can be distinguished only by their function, except that the infinitive/gerund can be inflected like a noun and the imperative often but not always is followed by a pronoun in the nominative/vocative.
The present tense shows a theme vowel -a, -e or -o between the stem and the ending, and since the third person has a zero ending this theme vowel becomes the de facto ending for this form.
Person inflection on verbs
| Singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | -wl/-w(V)l/-l | 'I' |
| 2. | -ck | 'you'(sg.), 'thou' |
| 3. | -Ø (zero) | 'he, she, it' |
| Plural | ||
| 1. excl. | -ff | 'we' |
| 1. incl. | -rr | 'you and I', 'we and you' |
| 2. | -n | 'you'(pl.) |
| 3. | -ss | 'they' |
Negation is made with the verb ganta 'there is not' + stem form of the verb + instrumental of agent:
ganta lek mærikth skawdh niigh gan -ta -0 lek -0 mæri -k -th skaw -dh nii -gh
not.be -PRES -3.sg. speak -SUP we.exclusive -GEN -ACC tongue -ACC she -INSTR
'she doesn't speak our language' (lit. 'there is not speak our language by her')
