SinPlatt

SinPlatt is an a-posteriori Germanic conlang. It is based on English, Dutch, German and Old Saxon. It uses lexical and grammatical features that are present in at least two out of the three of English, Dutch and German. The form of words is based on Old Saxon and Middle Low German, and it has a phonology that is similar to some modern Low German/Low Saxon dialects.

Grammar

The grammar includes complex features such as:

Two grammatical genders for nouns (neuter and common). Articles and adjectives decline for gender and number.

Some nouns form the plural using umlaut: eg mann (man) > männen (men).

Some adjectives have irregular comparatives: eg ald (old) > älder (older); good (good) > beter (better).

Verbs decline for person and number and there are large numbers of strong verbs.

Word order and syntax are similar to German and Dutch:

Verb Infinitives and Past participles go to the end of the clause or sentence:

Wi hebben de stad spödig antkomen (We have quickly escaped the town)

Ji künt nejt for miene schöne dochter prunken. (You must not show off in front of my beautiful daughter)

Finite Verbs go to the end of subordinate clauses:

Weetst du dat, diene küüsche dochters werklik dernen sien? (Are you aware that your pure daughters are actually sluts?)

Phonology

A distinctive and prominent feature of the phonology of SinPlatt is the so-called "stretching vowels". These are vowels that are short when in a syllable that is word-final, but become long when a suffix is added.

For example:

des \dɛs\ (this)

dese \ˈdeːze\ (these)

nat \nat\ (wet)

nater \ˈnɑːtər\ (wetter)

Text Sample

“Ik pries de lüttele husar an,” riep de merketantin. “De junge bürger heft ene modig hert.” Korporal Aubry marschärde forbie uten seggen een word. Acht oder tejn soldaten liepen fort and kåmen med him toosamen. Hi leidede hin toorügg ene grote eek, umgegeven med dornen. Wan kam hi dår, hi settede hin fort de rand fan de busch, noch uten seggen een word, an ene wied gestrekkde front, eelke stond toomindest tejn schreden af siene nåjbuur.

“Ach so männen”, seggde de koporal, hi sprak för de eerst mål, “schiet nejt antoo ik et befel: bedenk, ji hebbt enig drie patronen eelk.”

“Doch, wat geschejt dan?” frågde Frabrice sikk. Endlik, wan fand hi sikk alleen med de korporal, hi seggde too him: “Ik hebb kene muskett.”

“Eersts, hald diene tung. Gå fort dår: fieftig schreden for de busch, sallst du een fan de arme soldaten fan dat regiment finden, niewlik fan ene sabel gehakkd; du sallst siene rancel and siene muskett nemen. Roof nejt af ene ferwundede mann doch; nem de rancel and muskett af ene gewisse dode, and iel sikk oder du sallst fan unsere kameraden geschoten wesen.”

"I recommend the little hussar", called the cantinière. "The young bourgeois has a stout heart." Corporal Aubry marched past with saying a word. Eight or ten solders ran forth and joined him. He led them behind a giant oak, surrounded with thorns. When he got there, he deployed them along the edge of the thicket, still not saying a word, on a widely extended front, each one stood at least ten paces from his neighbor. "So men," said the corporal, speaking for the first time, "don't shoot until I order it: remember, you only have three cartridges each."

"But what's happening then?" Frabrice asked himself. Finally, when he found himself alone with the corporal, he said to him: "I haven't got a musket."

"Firstly, hold your tongue. Go along there: fifty yards in front of the woods, you will find one of the unfortunate soldiers of the regiment, newly cut down by a saber; you shall take his satchel and musket. Don't strip a wounded man though; take the satchel and musket from a properly dead one, and hurry up or you will be shot by our comrades."

Links

SinPlatt-French Dictionary [1]

Basic Grammar of SinPlatt [2]