Conlang Relay 17/Vašt î Kûvik

Text:

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Mukl lk Vânk î Hoh

Tfo lenent a vânk. Lenent âtra ol iskrek dan vânk hî vânk iskrekiks ih dviv ak tesk ol lenent ak klâ jîs to. Akî lenent âtra lâ ûlokast hî vânk ôhak ol akî zviag vna ôg ârag ôg vânk û ol. To slî ol lenent ih dviv aka tl to ženj.

Akî pê kûolt ol.

Smooth English:

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A Story about an Evil Elephant

Once upon a time there was a man and an elephant. The man tried to stand on the elephant, but the elephant stood up on its feet and threw the man and hit him over and over. Then the man tried to run away, but the elephant trumpeted and then one thousand and seven hundred elephants came. They crushed the man with their feet until he was dead.

And then a little furry animal cried.

Vocabulary:

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mukl = story, narrative

lk = about

î = connects nouns and adjectives

hoh = evil

tfo = there exists, there is, once upon a time there was

len = person, human

a = and

vânk = elephant

âtra = to try

ol = perfective aspect marker

iskrek = to stand

da = at

hî = but

ih = using, by means of

dviv = hand, foot, appendage

ak = and (links actions)

tesk = to throw

klâ = to hit, strike

jîs = progressive aspect

to = 3rd person pronoun (gender and number inspecific)

akî = and then

lâ = to run, move quickly

û = towards

ôhak = to shout, yell, vocalize loudly

zviag = thousand

vna = seven

ôg = partitive preposition

ârag = hundred

slî = to crush, smash

aka = before, until

tl = starts subordinate clause

ženj = dead

pê = small, furry animal

kûolt = to cry

Suffixes:

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-ent = male

-iks = action is purposeful and dynamic

-n = on top of (suffixed to preposition)

-lok = far away from (suffixed to preposition)

-ast = makes preposition into an adverb (in this case directional)

Grammar:

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Word order is SVO. When prepositions have no obvious object, the assumed object is the present context (time and place). Adjectives follow nouns and are connected to them by î. Aspect markers come immediately after verbs.