Conlang Relay 23/Sep27
TEXT
chel ho idalotos ki bisu poi chel ho shammadi ki bisu poi chel ho madauli ki bisu.
di shimu ki largush.
kinji dash ho shinedel ki bisu failu poi idalotos ma kharbiko kharbi ki sudin hiwa. shinedel ki yo yonchayes panchal ho parshi yo samalko togu rogal ho gashtossu bero chilkayesu hiwa.
shammadi ma kharbiko kharbi ho senetos ki bisu idalatos ho fita poi shinedel borekh'a. e dash ki la raf ma dailokhen ma akol khendi ho mikta e raf ki shota poi la khendi ma kampi ma dami ho ka'ra poi yo san se tosapa. yak samalko togu rogal ho ugashte kai e raf ki e dash ho lika posh yak nichokhrik poi nichobik mesh kai shinedel ki lika posh la kampish ho e raf ki dakta posh khur tofish se fishta posh yak gogashto tau di tofish ho gochobosse kai e raf ki lika.
madauli ma kharbi ho idewan ki bis shinedel ho shinnu poi bokh senetos ho khasbi hore khasbiron ho nan shammadi ho fita. yak shinedel we unisoknur kai idewan ki dalka. jos yalhi ho shinedel ki los shuf ki ji se fishta posh e dash ki la damish ho khoraki e khendi ho dakhraksa. shinedel ki idewan ho nan tau e kharbi ki do taprush ma hap ho on e dash ho gaura posh res lakhna.
la chayo tau e delfat ki dailesti ho mik giselik failu hiwa.
GRAMMAR
The Sep27 grammar is simple but quite different from the usual (hence the detailed write- up). The only parts of speech are verbs, which are inflected, and various kinds of particles.
Morphology
A verb form may consist of: an imperative mood indicator, a 1st argument person specifier, the verb root (the only required element), a derivational suffix, an aspect suffix, the negative polarity indicator, a grammatical voice suffix, and a combining form indicator. They can't all appear on the same form, however.
Prefixes
ni- person 1st person singular go- person 2nd person u- mood imperative
There are up to 3 arguments, according to the verb's valence. The 2nd argument (if valid) is implicitly 3rd person in this text. The 3rd argument (theme) is also implicitly 3rd person here.
If the verb is univalent or has direct or antipassive voice, the 1st argument is the subject or agent and the 2nd argument (if direct) is the patient. For the inverse voice, subject and object are reversed and for passive voice, the 1st argument is the patient (no 2nd argument is possible).
The imperative mood always implies a 2nd person agentive 1st argument. Otherwise, an unmarked 1st argument is 3rd person.
Suffixes
-ossi derivational natural possibility (can, able to) -(i) aspect progressive or stative or inherent -u aspect habitual -a aspect aoristic -o aspect perfect -e aspect prospective polarity positive is unmarked -pa polarity negative voice direct is unmarked -r voice inverse -k voice antipassive -sh voice passive -ko other combining form
The combining form suffix is used to convert verb forms into words that are allowed to be quasi-incorporated by the following verb.
Some verbs forms are relativizable. These are always non-imperative forms with a 3rd person argument (other than theme).
Syntax
Phrases are made up of determiners, quantity words, relativizable verb forms, and case particles, in that order. The case particle is required. The only quantity word in this text is the plural marker. If no determiner appears, the phrase is indefinite. A genitive phrase, specifying the possessor, may appear instead of the determiner.
Enclitics
=s quantity plural
Clauses are made up of verbs, which may be preceded by argument phrases (nominative, primative, or secundative) and/or a vocative phrase.
Clauses are chained, with any number of coordinate clauses preceding a final clause and any number of subordinate clause preceding each coordinate or final clause. The tense of the sentence is determined by the aspect of the verb of the final clause:
aoristic => definite past perfect => indefinite past prospective => future otherwise, present.
Each coordinate clause is always followed by a coordinating conjunction, either *poi* or *posh* in this text.
Some types of subordinate clauses are followed by subordinating conjunctions, but others, including relative clauses, complement clauses, and some adjunct clauses aren't.
Relative clauses are internally-headed and are distinguished by the presence of the relative determiner *jo*; the phrase so-marked takes the case appropriate to the relative clause while the correlative pronoun *ji* appears in the following host clause taking the case appropriate there.
VOCABULARY
Verbs classes are identified by an action-type letter and a valence number.
The citation forms for action-type H, D, and T verbs are progressive while those for N verbs are inherent and those for S and C verbs are stative.
The digraphs ch, kh, and sh are alphabetized as single letters.
Verbs and Particles
akol S2 at center of bero conj cause or reason clause (because) bis H2 define P as S bokh C1 old borekh'i T2 abduct, steal chai D1 day chel N1 country, territory chilkayes S1 miraculous, incredible, unprecedented chobi D2 eat chokhri C2 hungry dailesti N1 palace dailokhen N1 fortress dak S2 outside dakhraksi T2 escape dalki T2 shout dami N2 S is door of P dash N1 woman delfat H1 couple, pair of persons di det proximal demonstrative (this/these) do det medial demonstrative (that/those) e det definite, usually anaphoric failu H1 alive, live fishti T3 bring fit T2 go gashti T2 weave gauri T2 catch, take hold of gisel C2 happy hap N2 S is back/dorsum of P hiwa H1 exist + aoristic (hu) ho case primative hore conj purpose clause idalatos N1 (see text) idewan N1 (see text) ji pron correlative jo det relative kai other end direct quotation kampi N2 S is room of P ka'ri T2 lock ki case nominative kinji C1 young kharbi N2 S is king of P khasbi D2 fight khasbiron N1 army khendi N1 tower khoraki T2 break khur S1 raw la det distal demonstrative (yon) lakhni T2 leave largi D3 sing liki T3 tell los S2 wait for ma case genitive madauli N1 (see text) mesh D2 deontic necessity, must, require mik S2 in mikti T2 into, enter nan S2 with (comitative) on S2 at panchal N1 grass parshi T2 use up, consume poi conj simultaneous conjunction (and at the same time) posh conj sequential conjunction (and next/then) raf N1 man res C1 fast, rapid, quick rogal N1 fabric, cloth samal N1 gold san N1 food se case secundative senetos N1 (see text) sokni H2 spouse of (reciprocal) sudin N2 S is daughter of P shammadi N1 (see text) shimi D2 follow shinedel N1 (see text) shinni H2 love shoti T2 make, cause shufi D1 wind taprush N1 horse tau conj temporal adjunct tof N2 S is meat of P togi H2 S is color of P tosi T3 give we case vocative yak other begin direct quotation yalhi H1 word yo det non-referential (generic) yonchayes C1 ordinary
ENGLISH FROM SEP27
Idalatos, Shammadi, and Madauli are countries.
What follows is sung.
A young woman named Shinedel once lived who was the daughter of the king of Idalatos. Because Shinedel could weave gold-colored cloth from ordinary grass, she was miraculous.
The king of Shammadi, named Senetos, came to Idalatos and kidnapped Shinedel. That man put the woman into the central tower of his fortress and locked the door of that tower room and didn't give her any food. "Weave gold-colored cloth," he told her. "I'm hungry and need to eat," said Shinedel. Then the man left that room and brought her raw meat. "After you weave, you can eat this meat," he said.
A prince of Madauli named Idewan loved Shinedel and went to Shammadi with an army in order to fight old Senetos. Idewan shouted, "Marry me, Shinedel!" Wind brought those words Shinedel was waiting for to her and, breaking the door, she escaped from the tower. When Shinedel was with Idewan, the prince got her on the back of the horse and rapidly left.
After that day, the couple lived happily in a palace.