OT2.0

An eclectic language created from texts from the Teach Yourself language books, originally produced by the English Universities Press, latterly by Hodder and Stoughton.

The guiding principle was to take foreign language words from the contents pages of each grammar and use them as the basis of an imaginary language. Also used were irregularities affecting verbs and nouns, etc., and descriptions of courtesy language (notably, Japanese, Samoan and Modern Persian).

The language creator is Andrew Smith.

Details of the language speakers and culture are speculative as yet. My working name for the language is Shennian. Shente is the word for 'people, race, gentiles,' and the adjective shenni is derived from that as an ethnonym. The native name of the language is shennya and 'to talk Shennian' is bāhant shennyon, literally talk-language Shennian-thing.'

Clues about the Shennian culture emerge from their vocabulary. Their language has a respect-based hierarchy. Their religious tradition has a sky-father god, Yeuh. They are sabbatarians with ascetic religious leaders - monks, hermits and mendicants. They use words for technology with which we are familiar. Their history includes a period of expansion. Currently they are eclipsed by a global super-culture whom they call the Yimbi.

Shennian Lexicon

Pronunciation

Consonants:

	labial	dental	alveolar	postalveolar	palatal	velar	glottal
unvoicedstops	p	t				k
voiced stops	b	d				g
affricates				tʃ
unvoiced fricatives	f		s	ʃ
voiced fricatives	v						h
nasals	m	n				ŋ
lateral			l
approximant			ɹ
semivowels	w				j

Vowels:

OT2.0 has the vowels /i ɛ a ʉ ɔ ɑ/.

Orthography:

In the latin alphabet:

a b ch d e f g h i k l m n ng o p r s sh t u v w y

In the Kiriva, the Shennian alphabet:

a b g d e dy ā ty y k l m n s o p ch r sh t y

The Kiriva, the writing, is a Semitic-based script, not yet adapted into an available font. Some letters are written with pointing to mark a sound change. The long vowels U, Ō and I are written as abjads either written with pointing over a previous consonant or over a short-A. The short-A is called Aliv. NG is written as Gim marked with a nasal.

The Kiriva has two writing styles. Cursive script is the default script. Square script is used for names and proper nouns. Shennian writing style alternates between both forms. Not knowing where to change into square script appears clumsy and uneducated, over-using square script feels like reading official, formal language.

There Is

Ten āyet, it is, there is a..., there are, that is, which takes a direct object. This may be singular or plural, so ten āyet means 'there is' or 'there are'. It is a common and useful expression, used in making statements, not when an object is pointed out. It is also used in interrogative sentences when it translates 'is there', 'are there'.

Belyet-ten monog a westwi ni kedan rata? Are there many shops on this street?

Belyet-ten maragan pa keten? Is there a market around here?

Ten āyet kudnan maragan ni keye, there is no market in this village.

'There was, there were' is normally Ten we dunide, literally 'there happened'. In 'there will be', ten āyet becomes ten we dunyet, literally 'there will happen'.

Ten we dunide byestan ku Yoanu, There was a party at Yoanah’s house.

Ten we dunide beint ore pena byesta, There were twenty people at the party.

Sok ten we dunyet branion, Tomorrow there will be a meeting.

Ten we dunyet monog e lyudi pena branion, There will be many people at the meeting.

The third person moves to the head of the sentence and has existential force to mean ‘there is, there are’.

Iet udnon puron ni tye bene, there is a city in the mountains.

A belyet payon nisha keten? Is there any blessing beyond this?

Iet keten, this is, this is true, this is so.

Conlang Relay Text 19

Ten ve âte yilí botí nirúmbe benas. Údnon premye habot ve kashte “Gak súda petten âyet nisha bena?”

Tal ve bonte “Na’dâ ve kawiden shame”

Deng a lúka ve'de. Pena kúhya, brekí ve kashten, “Ya botí, na’dâ pochen shodya nisha benan. Na’dâ ve kashoden ye dâya lúb, dok gúya pena Sei ei petten so bina wa nastra, dok kembí ve kawidet.” Botí ve shahente, dok deng a lúka ve shodyete bôt.

Pet poslí kata deng ve plogete lúb a kashte:

“Bodú ve ploget nisha benan, dok bodú ve bint bradí surutí, wôda ría ye aotoka dradra.

Premye habot ve kashte “Magarí kem na’dâ ve gabinten ten.”

Tal ve bonte “Nas shradyega budet sús nipana.”

Nidolgon poslí merega, luk ve dâyet lúb a kashte:

“Bodú ve seft nisha benan, dok bodú ve bint títíg haní, títíg bishí, ye títíg dúdwan.”

Premye habot ve kashte “Na’dâ wolenshim bina ten.”

Tal ve bonte “Nas shradyega budet shaten nipana.”

There were two rocks on the slope of a mountain. Once the first rock said, “I wonder what’s beyond the mountain?”

The other replied, “We shall never know.”

A bird and a mouse was there. On hearing, they said, “O rocks, we can go beyond the mountain. We can go and come again, and tell to you about what we see, and you will know. The rocks agreed, and the bird and the mouse went away.

Soon after a time the bird came back and said:

“I flew beyond the mountain, and I saw wide streams, green brooks and tall trees.”

The first rock said, “I wish we could see that.”

The other replied, “Our hearts will be troubled forever.”

A long time after some days the mouse came back and said:

“I went by foot beyond the mountain, and I saw the same grasses, the same seeds and the same insects.”

The first rock said, “We don’t want to see that.”

The other replied, “Our hearts will be happy forever.”

Commentary

This translation was created from Amanda Babcock Furrow's original text in Merechi for Conlang Relay 19.

Pronouns

Bodú first person singular pronoun, I. Originally deferential, 'your servant', it has replaced the superior status Yao in conversational language. Bodú has no object case and in this text súda of self, is used as a pronoun: gak súda my guess, I wonder.

Na'dâ first person plural inclusive pronoun, we (here), you and I. Nastra of us. Nas our.

Kembí second person pronoun, you. Originally respectful, 'my lord', it is the common form of the second person pronoun. Like bodú kembí has no object case instead the reflexive pronoun Sei, oneself, yourself, is used instead. It can be both singular and plural.

Brekí third person plural pronoun, they.

Ten demonstrative, that, there.

Tal the other.

Títíg definite article, the same.

Petten relative pronoun, what.

Verbs

Ve non-present particle used with past and future verbs. It is not used with the future tense budet will be. This verb is the only exception.

So relative verb particle, that which is. It is inserted between the pronoun and a verb other than 'to be'.

The infinitive ending on verbs is -a or -ya.

Past tense verbs end in -t, except for íde were (at a location), which ends in -d. The first person singular takes no ending, Na'dâ and brekí take the ending -en. Nouns and other pronouns take the ending -e.

Future tense verbs are prefixed with ka-, except budet. Na'dâ takes the ending -en. Nouns take the ending -et. The same endings are used for the present tense verbs.

The conditional uses a past tense verb. It is prefixed with ga-

-Shim not, is a suffix used to negate a verb.

There are two different stems for the verb 'to be (at a location)' âte for inanimate objects and íde for animate objects. The text uses âte for the rocks, and íde for the animals. Used without a subject they translate as 'to be here' or 'to be nearby.' Both are in the past tense. Íde elides its stem after ve.

The text uses two different words for 'to go'. Shodyete means generally 'was going'. Seft means 'went by foot' and refers to a specific action.

Dialogue 1: A Friend Arrives

Host:	Ei chomú-dâ kú druí	There is someone at the door
Servant:	A ítí ten chomú?	Who is there?
Friend:	Ei'm	It is I
Visitor:	A tí ta chomú?	Who is it?
Host:	Bodú úwedshim	I don't know
Visitor:	Bodú yir shabinant	I will go see
Host:	Kodnen dribí. Bodú bâm Shinuwin a yirant	No need, I shall tell Shinuwin to go
Host:	Shinuwin!	Shinuwin!
Servant:	Íe!	Yes!
Host:	Dâdâ!	Come here!
Servant:	Íe!	Yes!
Host:	Ei chomú-dâ kú druí. Yirú shabinant kem tí ta chomú.	There is someone at the door. Go and see who it is.
Servant:	Íe!	Right!
Servant:	Moikorí ya, a tí kembí kakai sinú?	What is your name, sir?
Friend:	Moi sinú tí Trushika. A ítí moikorí Kinig kú sebio?	My name is Trushika. Is Mr Kinig at home?
Servant:	Íe, taní ítí kú sebio. Kulahú pendânt	Yes, he is. Please come in
Friend:	Âriget	Thank you
Servant:	Moikorí Trushika ítí dâde	Mr. Trushika has come
Host:	Kulahú tamum pendânt	Ask him to come in
Host:	Moikorí Trushika ya, a ítí kembí duen ya?	Hello Mr. Trushika, how are you?
Friend:	Duen. Moikorí Kinig a meikoren Shiraba ya, a ítí ba sebio duen	Quite well. Are you Mr. Kinig and Mr. Shirab, both well?
Host and Visitor:	Duen, duen. Kulahú sedantse	Quite well. Please take a seat
Friend:	Âriget âriget	Thank you, thank you
Host:	Brobú chân!	Prepare tea!
Servant:	Kembí dâguôt nena dok bodú dâ	Coming in a moment
Host:	Kulahú, moikorí Trushika, pihant chân	Take some tea Mr. Trushika
Friend:	Âriget	Thank you
Host:	A pohatshim sedantse nidolgon	Can't you stay a little longer?
Friend:	Gúhú! Ten ítí chomú-dâ so 'pena bodú chekant. Bodú mús tai redir	Sorry! There is someone waiting for me. I must return
Friend:	Úhim'na mikantie	Don't get up
Host and Visitor:	Talik e nena dât ishikude!	Where do such words come from!
All together:	Duabin, duabin	Good-bye, good-bye

Dialogue 2: The Teacher Arrives

Servant:	Moikorí Kinig ítí dâde	Mr Kinig is here
Student:	Kulahú tamum pendânt	Ask him in
Student:	Moikorí Kinig ya, a ítí kembí duen ya	Mr Kinig, are you well?
Teacher:	Duen. Makorina ya, kembí aft baget alí, kodin?	Well. You have eaten, haven't you, lady?
Student:	Íe. Kembí aft baget alí, kodin?	Yes. You have eaten, haven't you?
Teacher:	Belem, yao a'bagetshim or Sonan yao a'	Not yet, I have not eaten or On the contrary, I have
Teacher and Student:	Kulahú sedantse	Please sit down
Student:	Kembí tí talik bohoras ristú	You are too polite
Teacher:	Kulahú. Da tí shawoltaran	Please. It is the way things should be
Student:	Yako brobú chân kapena moikorí	Could you make tea for the teacher
Servant:	Íe. Da tí gotúa duen	Yes. It is well ready
Student:	Kulahú, moikorí, pihant chân	Please, teacher, drink some tea
Teacher:	Âriget	Thank you
Student:	Ei nena riaknia lâ, nadastâmshim monion	I don't understand national language very well
Teacher:	Kuan veandâde kembí kariakkan e bodúta?	When did you arrive in our country?
Student:	Bodú veandâde na kariakkan a kembí yodin mâwet porom	I arrived in your country only last month
Teacher:	Kembí dâguôt nena riaknia duen	You speak national language well
Student:	Kembí tí'na dohantie sudabodú	You flatter me
Teacher:	Ten tí alidení. Kembí dâguôt sha duen	It is true. You speak very well
Student:	Nena riaknia tí dakil úwidant, kodin?	National language is easy to learn, isn't it?
Teacher:	Sha shim odakilion	Not too hard
Student:	Bodú wol tai úwed nena riaknia duen	I would like to learn national language well
Teacher:	Yao reb mapena melion úwidant kembí	I will do my best to teach you

Dialogue 3: Conversation with Teacher

Pupil:	A tí da chet?	What is this
Teacher:	Da tí yodna knihan	That is a book
Pupil:	A tí da kakanian knihan?	What (kind of) book is it?
Teacher:	Da tí yodin nenayon	It is a dictionary
Pupil:	A nashiwatse ten tuon chet?	What is that (thing) called?
Teacher:	Da tí yodna tugikan	That is a pencil
Pupil:	A ve kadachen bodúta chet?	What shall we do?
Teacher:	Ye bodúta ve kalehen	Let us read
Pupil:	A ve kalehen bodúta kakanian knihan?	What book shall we read?
Teacher:	Ye bodúta ve kalehen ten lehayon	Let us read this reader
Pupil:	Kulahú lehant. Bodú kâ ot	Will you please read. I will listen.
Teacher:	Da kinan tíhim duon	That is not a very good method
Pupil:	Dok, kembí lest primon, dua bodú les posli ye kembí, smiet kodin?	Then will you read first and I will read after you. Will that do?
Teacher:	Smiet. Da kinan tí duen	Yes, that's a very good method
Pupil:	Kam bodú ve galeste salan, kulahú betant bodú	If I make a mistake in my reading, please tell me
Teacher:	Shawoltaran	It is my duty
Pupil:	Nú dua shaleste knihan, ai bodúta kadachen chet satek?	Now that we have finished reading, what else shall we do?
Teacher:	Bodúta ve kakiriben	We might write
Pupil:	Duen. Bodú mí suk kiriban	Good. I like writing
Teacher:	A sapiet kiriban kodin?	Can you write?
Pupil:	Nam, kin bodú wol tai úwidant	No, but I am willing to learn
Teacher:	Dok, yao reb mapena melion úwidant kembí	I shall do my best to teach you
Pupil:	Ei kiriba, ai tí dribí kakaye tua	What do we need for writing?
Teacher:	Bodúta dribí yodna tugikan, yodin pipas, yodin inon a yodna slina. Dua penglúyen yodne bekken wodata, ya malant inon	We need a pen, a sheet of paper, ink, and an ink slab. Then we must also add a little water to mix the ink.
Pupil:	Te tua dost o bodú. Dua bodúta kiriben.	I will get these things, then we will write
Teacher:	Duen. Bodúta kiriben	Good, we will write

Vocabulary

a	and; accompanitive word, followed by dative case
a	question marker, comes before a verb
a'	have, first person singular present auxiliary verb, can be written as a prefix
aft	have, has, past perfect auxiliary verb
akuhí	food, eats
alí	rice, cooked rice, rice as food, collective noun
alidení	true
andâde	arrived, past tense and past participle
âriget	thank you
aweríon	flying machine
ba	both, followed by genitive
baget	ate, past tense and past participle of to eat
bâha	language
bâm	command, tell
bahon	blouse, light clothing worn on the upper body by women
belem	not yet
betant	to tell, to inform
bodú	I, me, my; bodúta, we, us, our, first person egalitarian/inferior pronoun
bohora	life-force, soul, -s genitive ending
brannant	be taking, would like (something)
brobú	brew, imperative
chân	tea, accusative
chekant	waiting, verbal noun
chet	what, interrogative pronoun
chomú	who, interrogative pronoun
chomú-dâ	someone, pronoun, dative case, also used as direct object for persons
da	she, it, pronoun
dâ	come, first person singular present
dachant	to do, to make
dâdâ	come here, imperative
dâde	come, here, past participle
dâguôt	say (to me), present verb
dakil	easy
dât	come, present tense verb
dost	is gotten, are gotten, active noun, passive meaning
dohantie	to praise, flatter, causative verb
dihí	bananas
dok	so, then, sequence word
dribí	need(s), necessary, plural noun
druí	door(s)
duabin	good-bye
duen	good, well, adverb
dunianin	person, human being, man
duon	good, adjective
e	of, accompanitive word, plural
ei	topic marker, about; there is,'it is, implies something is physically present, followed by dative case
ga-	conditional prefix on verbs, used with kam
gandon	wheat
gotú	ready, a predicate adjective that must agree with its subject
grushowik	truck, lorry
gúhú	sorry
íe	yes, right
inon	ink, neuter noun
-ion	very, suffix
ishikude	from where (within), interrogative adverb
ítí	'is, are (at a place), is, are (in a temporary state of), have (perfect verb)'
ka-	to, for, shortened form of kapena used as a prefix to place words, takes accusative case.
ka-	future marker, verbal prefix
kakai	what, which, kakanian feminine accusative, kakaye plural, interrogative adjective
kalka	girl
kalketa	girls
kam	if
kânt ot	to listen, to hear, to speaker
kapena, 'pena	for, benefactive
kei	village
kem	that, relative pronoun
kembí	you, polite form
kin	but, after a negative
kinan	method, arrangement, abstract noun
Kinig	proper name
kiriba	writing, feminine noun
kiribant	to write
kniha	book, feminine noun
kodin	no, not a, negative indefinate article; also used as a question tag at the end of sentences, have, haven't, isn't, kodnen plural form
kolon	bicycle
kude	where, to where, from where, whither, whence; implies motion
kulahú	please; ask someone to, polite form; polite imperative
kú	at, at home, followed by the genitive case; also verb marker
kuan	when, question-word
la	emphatic particle
lehant	to read, stem les-
lehayon	reader, neuter noun
liamant	to love
liudí	people, persons, human beings, plural of dunianin
'm	me, enclitic pronoun, implies the speaker has superior status to the person being addressed
makkina	wheeled vehicle
makorina	madam, ma'am, missus, lady
malant	to mix (things)
mapena	most, used with comparative adjectives and adverbs
mâwet	moon, month
meikoren	sir, mister, lord, indirect case
melion	better, best, adverb
mí	am, first person singular verb
mikantie	to accompany, accompanying
mina	oatmeal
moi	my, possessive adjective
moikorí	sir, mister, lord
monion	very well, greatly
mús	must
nadastâm	understand, first person singular verb
nam	no, exclamation
nashiwantse	to call (a thing)
nena	words, language, plural noun
nenayon	dictionary, neuter noun
nidolgon	for a time
nú	now
o	with, by, instrumental or agentive preposition
odakil	difficult, hard
otkai	why
pachant	to cook
pachí-pachí	cooked dishes
padí	rice, rice plant
pendânt	to go in, to come in, to enter
penglúyant	to add
petta	what?
pohat	can
pô	port
pihant	to drink, drinking
pipas	paper, sheet of paper, count noun
porom	last
posli	after, preposition
primon	first, neuter adjective used as adverb
ratiotas	soldier
reb	strive, first person singular present verb
redir	return
riakka	kingdom, country, -n accusative ending
riaknia	national, neuter plural adjective, used as a language name
ristas	guest; ristú, genitive form, of a guest, guest's
salan	mistake, noun
sapiet	know how, can, verb
satek	other, else
sebio	oneself, one's own, reflexive pronoun
sedant	to sit, sitting
sha	very, too
shabinant	to see, seeing, take a look, definite verb
shalehant	to finish reading
shawoltaran	courtesy, politeness, duty, the way things should be done
shente	people, a people, folk, members of an ethnic group, plural noun
Shinuwin	proper name
shim	not, nothing. Usually suffixed to the verb
Shirab	proper name
shúlant	to swell
sinú	surname, clan, tribe
slina	slate for preparing ink, feminine noun
smiet	be allowed, verb
so	who is
sonan	on the contrary, but
súdabodú	myself, me
suk	liking, adjective
surushika	pear
ta	that, he, it, demonstrative pronoun
tai	desiderative particle, used after auxiliary verb
takneta	lads
taknok	child
tamum	him, polite form
taní	he, polite form
talik	such
ten	there, it, pronoun
tennam	to have, to hold, to grasp
tí	is, are
Trushika	proper name
tugika	pen, pencil, brush
tuon	thing, neuter noun, paradigm of thing-nouns, plural tua
úwed	know, come to know, definite verb
úwidant	to know, come to know, get to know, teach, learn, verbal noun
ve	non-present marker
wodata	water, plural noun
wimbí	millet
wolant	to want, to be willing, would like
wú	where? (location)
ya	let's, and, with, accompanitive preposition, ye indirect masculine, and plural, yí feminine
ya	vocative particle, comes after the noun, used as a greeting
yablok	apple
yao	I, first person singular pronoun, superior status
yir	go, first person singular verb
yirant	to go, going (on foot)
yirú	go, imperative
yodin	only, a/an (certain) masculine/neuter indefinite article, yodna feminine singular, yodne plural

Grammar

Infinitive/Verbal Noun

The infinitive generally ends with -ant. It is alternative uses to being the infinitive form of the verb. The language also uses it as a verbal noun: a word ending in '-ing' or in '-ation'; and as an adjective derived from verbs.

A number of verbs derived from nouns exist only as verbal nouns; as do causative verbs derived from other verbs. In such cases tense and person are described peripherally from the verb. More information will be released as a better understanding on how they work emerges.

Wohant, to be, being

The present tense of 'to be' is as follows:

me mi	I am	meme en	we are
te si	you (sg) are	tete ti	you (pl) are
ta ti	he is	ga en (ti)	they are

The pronouns for 'she' and 'it' are da and ten respectively. If the subject is a plural noun, the verb form is ti rather than en.

In old high literature the forms of the verb for 'we are' and 'they are' are emo and eno. These forms are not used in the spoken language.

The past tense of 'to be' is

me wora	I was	meme woren	we were
te woret	you (sg) were	tete woret	you (pl) were
ta woret	he was	ga woren (woret)	they were

The past tense of 'to be' translates both 'I have been' and 'I was' It can also acts as an auxiliary.

The negative verb marker is a clitic. After a consonant it is shim, after a vowel him. In a subordinate clause it becomes an independent adverb and moves to in front of the verb.

me ve tehim

I was not

meme ve enshim

we were not

As an independent word shim, shidim means 'nothing'.

The future tense of 'to be' is

me ve bude	I will be	meme ve budun	we will be
te ve bud	you (sg) will be	tete ve bud	you (pl) will be
ta ve bud	he will be	ga ve budun (bud)	they will be

Ve is described as a non-present participle that is placed between the subject and a past or future verb. It is not used with wora, but it is used with bud

The imperative is wohú. This is considered abrupt and only used as a command.

With adjectives mi and wora describes a temporary or accidental situation, and deide mi and deide wora describes a more permanent or general situation.

A'nt, to have, auxiliary verb

A'nt is used to mean 'to have (done something)'. It is not used to mean 'to have, possess or hold'. In this sense the language prefers to use a prepositional phrase.

Present tense:

me a'	I have	meme a'n	we have
te aft	you (sg.) have	tete aft	you (pl.) have
ta aft	he has	ga a'n (aft)	they have

In the old high language the contracted forms insert a -b-: me ab, meme/ga aben, abant. This has dropped out of the modern language.

Past tense:

me ve yed	I had	meme ve yeden	we have
te ve yed	you (sg.) had	tete ve yed	you (pl.) had
ta ve yede	he had	ga ve yeden (ve yed)	they had

A'nt is not used with reflexive verbs or verbs of motion. Instead these verbs use the verbal noun, combined with the forms of wohant to indicate the number and the tense.

Future Auxiliary

The modal auxiliaries kal and wol are used with the verbal noun. Kal, shall, be going to, is ...ing, is used with the first person, and wol, will, be willing, want, like, wish, with the second, although this is not rigid.

me ve kal	I shall	meme ve kalen	we shall
te ve wolt	you (sg.) will	tete ve wolt	you (pl.) will
ta ve wolt	he will	ga ve wolen	they will

If the verbal noun is a verb of motion it can be dropped if the direction is indicated by an adverb or a preposition. The present tense can be used for future action, especially if it is marked by an adverb of time. Dyant or kal/wol dyant, will become, can also replace bud in which case it portends an unchanging state (will always be...). Dyant cannot replace kal/wol aryant, to be (in a place).

Yirant, to go (by foot)

Present tense:

me yire	I go	meme yirun	we go
te yir	you (sg.) go	tete yir	you (pl.) go
ta yir	he goes	ga yirun

The past tense is irregular (there must be a story behind that):

me ve sefa	I went	meme ve seften	we went
te ve seft	you (sg.) went	tete ve seft	you (pl.) went
ta ve sefte	he goes	ga ve seften	they went

Similar to Yirant is the verb yerant, to go (by vehicle), present tense:

me yere	I go	meme yerun	we go
te yer	you (sg.) go	tete yer	you (pl.) go
ta yer	he goes	ga yerun	they go

Yerant uses the same ending in the past tense as in the present:

me ve yerte	I went	meme ve yerten	we went
te ve yerte	you (sg.) went	tete ve yerte	you (pl.) went
ta ve yerte	he went	ga ve yerten	they went

Completed action with these verbs are made by combining the verbal noun with wohant, to be: me mi yirant, I have gone (on foot); ga worun yerant, they had gone (by vehicle).

Kulahant

Literally this is a polite word meaning 'to beg'. The phrase me kulas is used widely to mean 'I beg (you)', 'please' and 'please don't mention it, you are welcome'. With the imperative ending it becomes a polite way of phrasing a command: kulahú yirant, (please) go.