Conlang Relay 15/Rhaetian

by Philip Newton

The Text

Native Orthography

Δωδε δε Τηαμε βαϊνεταϊ ωρεν ένν Γαρες. Άλε ή Αντροβαδδετ τθηε ηγνεν τηορεσαϊ. Τηορρεν ηγνεν! Γαρευαμεν υ μανεν, αλλε αββαλλαυσμεν αΐ δην Μυρεγεν αΐ δος Οθθος. Ωί φλιστοι Αντροβοι συιννιωισε ηγνεν υ, αλλε δωδερ ά Γαρες τθεθθοιρε δοις Αντροβοιρ ηροτεργεν Τθωιναιμμεν Γαραχτρερ. Άδεν ηγνοι γαρευοιρε, τθωινανδαϊ ηγνοι δυς αιμβε Έσταμνυρ ευβραϊνεθταϊ φωιεν. Μητε αλεχχεν Γρανεν άφτανδαϊ ωί Γαρευταϊ δων νωιτερον Συινναϊθτεμαδδον, αΐ νω αργαμεν δην Αλετεον ιθθεν, αΐ νω ναυμεν αίδε δε νωιδερεν Φνευμε δρηβετταϊ. Φως τθωιναμετεν νω δην Βυισεν δωδον δων Γαρευτον χτωσταϊ; Ωί φλιστοι Αντροβοι τθωινανδαϊ μενν δε Ήνεματτε δυ Γαρυ ιθθεν, ηγνοι τθωινανδαϊ τθε υ δαν αλετνεν Σκαβεν δωδυ δυ Γαρυ συιννιενναϊ.

Romanisation

Dode de Teame bainetai ohren henn Gares. Hale he Antrobaddet zehe egnen teoresai. Teorren egnen! Gareuamen u manen, alle abballausmen hai den Muregen hai dos Oßßos. Hö flistö Antrobö sünnjöse egnen u, alle doder ha Gares zeßßöre dös Antrobör erotergen Zönämmen Garachtrer. Haden egnö gareuöre, zönandai egnö dus ämbe Hestamnur eubraineßtai föen. Mete alechen Granen haftandai hö Gareutai don nöteron Sünnaißtemaddon, hai noh argamen den Aleteon ißßen, hai noh naumen häde de nöderen Fneume drebettai. Fohs zönameten noh den Büsen dodon don Gareuton chtoostai? Hö flistö Antrobö zönandai menn de Henematte du Garu ißßen, egnö zönandai ze u dan aletnen Schaben dodu du Garu sünnjennai.

Smooth English

This sight looks like a dance. All mankind should watch it. Watch it! Let us not only dance, but let us also enjoy music and songs. Most people do not understand it, but this dance gives people inner strength of character. When they dance, they can make people standing around happy. After a short time, the dancers touch our emotions, and we begin to see the truth, and we realise that our spirit is being nourished. How can we obtain the nature of these dancers? Most people can see the movements of the dance, but they cannot understand the true purpose of this dance.

From Previous Text

This spectacle looks like dancing. All of mankind should see it. Look at it! Let us not only dance, but let us experience music and songs. Most people do not understand this, but this dance gives people inner strength of character. When they dance, they can make people around them happy. After only a short while, they touch our emotions, and we start to see truth, and we see that our spirit is enriched. How can we obtain the essential traits and properties which these dancers possess? Most people can watch the dance moves, but they do not understand the true purpose of this dance.

Grammar

Rhaetian is essentially a Hellenic language (descended from Ancient Greek) with German syntax and phonology.

This means that:

• word order is verb-second (V2) in main clauses, verb-final in subordinate clauses
• pronouns are nearly never dropped, even though verb endings are usually distinctive
• infinitives go to the end of the clause
• adjectives precede nouns
• genitives follow nouns
• nouns (including nominalised adjectives) are capitalised
• otherwise, grammar is fairly similar to English!

Some Hellenisms (i.e. non-Germanisms) in Rhaetian:

• demonstratives take the article after the demonstrative: "this dance" is "doder ha Gares", or literally "this the dance".
• similarly, possessive adjectives take the article, but before the possessive adjective: "our [of two] dance" is "ha nöderer Gares", or literally "the our dance".
• (the definite article is used when talking about abstract notions or entire categories, e.g. "he Aleteo" = "truth".

Word order

In main clauses, the verb phrase comes second. Exactly one of the other phrases precedes it, most often the subject (in which case we get SVO order), though it could be an adverbial, for example. All other phrases are behind the verb.

Imperative sentences are verb-first.

Case

In a normal sentence, nominative, accusative, and dative are used for the subject, direct object, and indirect object of the verb, respectively. The genitive case is used to show possession (the possessor will appear in the genitive case). Some prepositions and verbs may also govern specific cases even where English might have an equivalent verb govern a different case. This will be noted in the vocabulary list, where applicable; for example, "to touch (something [gen.])" means that the verb means "to touch" and that the object (the thing touched) will be in the genitive case.

Aspect

Two aspects are present in this text: present and aorist. For infinitives and imperatives, the distinction is that a present form encodes a general or habitual meaning, while an aorist form encodes a specific or one-time meaning. For example, "I want to see[pres.] your book" would mean something like, "I want to be able to see it (always)", whereas "I want to see [aor.] your book" would mean something more like, "I want to see it (right now)". Similarly, "Fear[pres.] not!" would be a general admonition, to be of a courageous nature, whereas "Fear[aor.] not!" would be a command for the present situation.

Indicative and subjunctive forms of the verbs in this text all happen to be in the present aspect, indicating either a general statement or something that takes place now.

Imperative

Rhaetian has an imperative not only for the second person ("Go!") but also for the first and second persons. Several first-person imperatives occur in the text; perhaps a better term for this form might be hortatives: for example, "let's go!".

Number

Rhaetian has not only a singular and a plural number, but also a dual number, used when speaking of exactly two people or things.

Vocabulary

The citation form is:

• for nouns, the nominative singular
• for pronouns and adjectives, the masculine nominative singular
• for verbs, the active present infinitive

"+" indicates that (a) this preposition is followed by a specific case; (b) this conjunction is followed by a verb in a specific aspect.

abballausmen

v. act.aor.imp.sg.3 of "abballauen"

abballauen

v. to enjoy, take pleasure in

alechen

adj. m.sg.acc. of "alecher"

alecher

adj. a little, few

Aleteo

n.f. truth

Aleteon

n.f. sg.acc. of "Aleteo"

aletnen

adj. m.sg.acc. of "aletner"

aletner

adj. true, real

alle

conj. but

ämbe

prep. around, surrounding

Antrobö

n.m. pl.nom. of "Antrober"

Antrobör

n.m. pl.dat. of "Antrober"

Antrobaddet

n.f. humanity, the set/group of all humans, mankind

Antrober

n.m. human, person

argamen

v. act.pres.ind.du.1 of "argen"

argen

v. to begin, to start (doing something)

Büsen

n.f. sg.acc. of "Büses"

Büses

n.f. nature

baineßtai

v. to seem (like), to look (like), to appear (like)

bainetai

v. pres.ind.sg.3 of "baineßtai"

chtoostai

v. to obtain

dan

art. m.sg.acc. of "ha"

de

art. n.sg.nom. and n.pl.acc. of "ha"

den

art. f.sg.acc. of "ha"

dode

dem. n.sg.nom. of "doder"

doder

dem. this

dodon

dem. m.pl.gen. of "doder"

dodu

dem. m.sg.gen. of "doder"

don

art. m.pl.gen. of "ha"

dos

art. f.pl.acc. of "ha"

dös

art. m.pl.dat. of "ha"

dreben

v. to feed, enrich, nourish

drebettai

v. pass.pres.ind.sg.3 of "dreben"

du

art. m.sg.gen. of "ha"

dus

art. m.pl.acc. of "ha"

egnen

pron. n.sg.acc. of "egner"

egner

pron. third person pronoun (he, she, it, they)

egnö

pron. m.pl.nom. of "egner"

erotergen

adj. f.sg.acc. of "eroterger"

eroterger

adj. inner, inside

eubraineßtai

v. to be happy, to rejoice

falüs

adj. many

flistö

adj. m.pl.nom. of "flister"

flister

adj. comparative and (with definite article) superlative of "falüs"

more, most

Fneume

n.n. spirit

föen

v. to make (someone [acc.] do something [inf.]), to cause (something [acc.] to happen [inf.]), to do

Fohs

adv. how

Garachter

n.m. character

Garachtrer

n.m. sg.gen. of "Garachter"

Gares

n.m. dance

gareuen

v. to dance

gareuöre

v. act.pres.subj.pl.3 of "gareuen"

gareuamen

v. act.pres.imp.du.1 of "gareuen"

Gareutai

n.m. pl.nom. of "Gareutes"

Gareutes

n.m. dancer

Gareuton

n.m. pl.gen. of "Gareutes"

Garu

n.m. sg.gen. of "Gares"

Granen

n.m. sg.acc. of "Graner"

Graner

n.m. time

häde

conj. that

ha

art. definite article: the (see also under d- for many inflected forms)

haden

conj. when (+ subjunctive)

haftandai

v. pres.ind.pl.3 of "hafteßtai"

hafteßtai

v. to touch (something [gen.])

hai

conj. and; (as adverb) also

hale

dem. f.sg.nom. of "haler"

haler

dem. all

he

art. f.sg.nom. of "ha"

Henematt

n.n. movement

Henematte

n.n. pl.acc. of "Henematt"

henn

num/art one; a, an

hestamner

adj. standing; (nominalised:) one who stands (present participle of "hestme")

hestamnur

adj. m.pl.acc. of "hestamner"

hestme

v. to stand

hö

art. m.pl.nom. of "ha"

ißße

v. act.aor.imp.sg.2 of "pflebben"

ißßen

v. aor.inf. of "pflebben"

manen

adv. only;

u manen ... alle hai

not only ... but also

menn

pcl.

menn ... ze

on the one hand ... on the other hand; ... but; it is true that ... but; a contrastive particle often best left untranslated

mete

prep. after (+ acc.)

Murege

n.f. music

Muregen

n.f. sg.acc. of "Murege"

nän

v. to realise, recognise, notice, understand

naumen

v. act.pres.ind.du.1. of "nän"

nöderen

adj. n.sg.nom. of "nöderer"

nöderer

adj. our (dual form, i.e. belonging to two people or things)

noh

pron. du.nom.1: we (two)

nöteron

adj. n.pl.gen. of "nöderer"

Oßße

n.f. song

Oßßos

n.f. pl.acc. of "Oßße"

ohren

adv. like

pflebben

v. to see

Sünnaißtemadd

n.n. emotion

Sünnaißtemaddon

n.n. pl.gen. of "Sünnaißtemadd"

sünnjöse

v. act.pres.ind.pl.3 of "sünnjennai"

sünnjennai

v. to understand, to comprehend

Schaben

n.m. sg.acc. of "Schabes"

Schabes

n.m. purpose, goal

Teame

n.n. sight, spectacle

teören

v. to watch, to look at

teoresai

v. aor.inf. of "teören"

teorren

v. act.aor.imp.sg.2 of "teören"

u

adv. not

ze

pcl. but, but also; see also "menn"

zehe

v. act.pres.ind.sg.3 of "zehen"

zehen

v. need, must, should

zeßßöre

v. act.pres.ind.sg.3 of "zeßßanai"

zeßßanai

v. to give

Zönämmen

n.f. sg.acc. of "Zönämmes"

Zönämmes

n.f. strength, power

zönaßtai

v. to be able to; can

zönameten

v. act.pres.ind.du.1 of "zönaßtai"

zönandai

v. act.pres.ind.pl.3 of "zönaßtai"

Abbreviations used in the vocabulary list

1

first person

2

second person

3

third person

acc.

accusative case

act.

active voice

adj.

adjective

adv.

adverb

aor.

aorist aspect

art.

article

dat.

dative case

dem.

demonstrative adjective

du.

dual number

f.

feminine gender

gen.

genitive case

imp.

imperative mood

ind.

indicative mood

m.

masculine gender

n.

noun [followed by an abbreviation for the gender of the noun];

neuter gender

nom.

nominative case

num.

number

pass.

passive voice

pcl.

particle

pl.

plural number

prep.

preposition

pres.

present aspect

pron.

pronoun

sg.

singular number

subj.

subjunctive mood

v.

verb