Kingspeech: Difference between revisions
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ná na u - neighbor | ná na u - neighbor | ||
né - touch; DUR | né - touch; DUR néné; (beater) né (beaten) pe tí | ||
ni ke - why? | ni ke - why? |
Revision as of 21:44, 3 June 2014
Kingspeech (E La) | |
---|---|
Pronounced: | [e la] |
Timeline and Universe: | Semiramis Universe, Post-Catastrophe |
Species: | Post-Catastrophe Hominid |
Spoken: | Phazum (planet) |
Total speakers: | c. 500 in Phazum |
Writing system: | Unknown |
Genealogy: | Isolate |
Typology: | |
Morphology: | Isolating |
Morphosyntax: | Accusative |
Word order: | SVO |
Credits | |
Creator: | Linguarum Magister |
Created: | 2012 |
Kingspeech (E La) is the proto-language (in the sense of early, rather than ancestral) of the re-uplifted humans of the planet Phazum. As of this date, the language skills are small but increasing. A grammar of the contemporary speech, known as Second Stage E La, is under construction.
Phonology
The phonology of Kingspeech is fairly simple, consisting of six consonants and five vowels. The vowels may be low tone (unmarked) or high tone (acute accent). The Transpositive Men who are running the uplift on behalf of the God-Men of Septuagint theorize that the tonal distinction, uncharacteristic of such a language, is a side effect of centuries of parasitic infestation by the insectoid "Kings", but nobody knows for sure.
Consonants | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | ||||||||||||||
Nasal | m | n | ||||||||||||||
Plosive | p | t | k | |||||||||||||
Plosive | s | |||||||||||||||
Fricative | l |
Low Tone Vowels | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front | Mid | Back | ||||||||||||||
High | i | u | ||||||||||||||
Mid | e | o | ||||||||||||||
Low | a |
High Tone Vowels | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front | Mid | Back | ||||||||||||||
High | i˥ | u˥ | ||||||||||||||
Mid | e˥ | o˥ | ||||||||||||||
Low | a˥ |
Before a low tone, the voiceless consonants are optionally voiced.
In the same position, the voiced consonants have free variation between [n] and [r]; [m], [w], and [f]; [l] and [j].
Vocabulary
The vocabulary of Kingspeech appears to confirm the ancient hypothesis known as Natural Semantic Metatheory (NSM). Or, rather, it would, if the Transpositive Men had ever heard of a theory from over 10,000 Earth years ago.
Substantives (Class 1)
I/me – a
You – i
Someone/Person – u
People – e
Relational Substantives (Class 2)
Something/Thing – ú
Body – á
Kind – é
Part - í
Determiners (Class 3)
This – sá
Same – sí
Other – sú
Quantifiers (Class 4)
One – ma
Two – mi
Some – mu
All – me
Many/Much – mo
Evaluators (Class 5)
Good - tá
Bad – tí
Descriptors (Class 6)
Big – pá
Small – pí
Mental/Experiential Predicates (Class 7)
Think – pa
Know – pi
Want – pu
Feel – pe
See – po
Hear – pá
Must - pú
Speech (Class 8)
Say – la
Word – li
True – lu
Actions and Events (Class 9)
Do – sa
Happen – si
Move – su
Existence and Possession (Class 10)
There Is/Exist – má
Have – mí
Life and Death (Class 11)
Live – lá
Die – lí
Time (Class 12)
Time – ta
Now – ta ni
Before – ta nu
After – ta ne
A long time – ta no
A short time – ta ná
For some time – ta nú
Moment – ta né
Space (Class 13)
Where/Place – na
Here – (na) ni
Above – (na) nu
Below – (na) ne
Far – (na) no
Near – (na) ná
Side – (na) ní
Inside – (na) nú
Touch (Contact) – né
Logical Concepts (Class 14)
Not – ka
Maybe – ki
Can – ku
Because – ke
If – ki
Intensifier, Augmentor (Class 15)
Very – tú
More – tó
Similarity (Class 16)
Like/Way - pú
Reduplication
Reduplication is a productive process in E La, but its effect depends on the class of the word involved. Reduplication in verbs creates a durative or iterative sense. Reduplication in nouns creates a collective sense. Reduplication of adjectives or adverbs creates the comparative.
né 'touch' > néné 'touch repeatedly'
u 'person' > uu 'clan, family'
pá 'big' > pápá 'bigger (than)'
no 'far' > nono 'farther (than)'
Text and Translation
[This is the Donkey Beater story from the Conlangery Podcast]
Pá no ta, u má sá u néné sá u su ú pe tí. Sú u su su ú u pu pi sá: i né su ú ni ke? Su ú u la: Sá su ú pi sá né ka pi sú né. A pú né sá su ta sá pi sa tá. sá. Sá nú u ka sa nú u tá. Sá ke su ú u né su ú u nú u nú u pe tí. Ná na u pá nú u né pá la su sá nú u. Ná na u la: i pú ka né i nú u ta ta ta. Su ú u su nú u nú na poSu ú u la: a né sá su ta sá pi sá sa nú tá tá ta. Ta su sá ná na u po su ú u su ú u né su ú u pí u na sa si pá u. Sá ta ná na u ka la ú sú sa ka su su ú u su né su ú u é su sa pí ú. Na ta sá né u pu pi ni ke. i né a ni ke? u la: A pu né i su ta i sa sá: i ka né sú.
Pá no ta, u má sá u néné sá u su ú pe tí.
big far time, person exist this person touch-ITER this person move thing feel bad.
long ago man exist this man beat donkey beat
Sú u su su ú u pu pi sá: i né su ú ni ke?
Other person go move thing man want know this: You touch move thing here cause?
other person go animal man ask this: you beat animal why?
Su ú u la: Sá su ú pi sá né ka pi sú né.
Move thing man say: This move thing know this touch not know other touch.
Donkey man say: this donkey know this touch not know other touch
A pú né sá su ta sá pi sa tá.
I must touch this go time this know do good.
I must touch this unti this (one) know (how to) do good
Su ú u su nú u nú na po sá.
Move thing man go inside he inside place see this.
Animal man go inside home/house see this
Sá nú u ka sa nú u tá.
This inside person not do inside person good.
Spouse not do spouse good
Sá ke su ú u né su ú u nú u nú u pe tí.
This cause move thing person touch move thing person inside person inside person feel bad.
This make animal person beat animal person's spouse spouse beat
Ná na u pá nú u né pá la su sá nú u.
Near place person hear inside person touch big say go this inside place.
Neighbor hear spouse beat scream go this house
Ná na u la: i pú ka né i nú u ta ta ta.
Near place person say: you must not touch you inside person time time time.
Neighbor say: you must not beat your spouse too much
Su ú u la: a né sá su ta sá pi sá sa nú tá tá ta.
Move thing person say: I touch this go time this know this do inside good good time.
Animal man say: I (will) beat her until she know this (how to) do household chores well
Ta su sá ná na u po su ú u su ú u né su ú u pí u na sa si pá u.
Time go this near place person see move thing man move thing person touch move thing person small person place do happen big place.
Later this neighbor see animal man animal man beat donkey son in field
Sá ta ná na u ka la ú sú sa ka su su ú u su né su ú u é su sa pí ú.
This time near place person not say thing other do not move move thing man go touch move thing man kind move do small thing.
This time neighbor not say (any)thing but (made) still animal man beat animal man with an instrument
Na ta sá né u pu pi ni ke. i né a ni ke?
Place time this touch person want know here cause. You touch me here cause?
When this beater ask why you beat me why
u la: A pu né i su ta i sa sá: i ka né sú.
He say: I want touch you go time you do this: you not touch other.
he say: I will beat you until you do this you not beat other
Dictionary
a - I, me
é - kind; with (preposition)
i - you
ka - not
la - say
má - exist
na - at; general locative
na ta - when (conj)
ná na u - neighbor
né - touch; DUR néné; (beater) né (beaten) pe tí
ni ke - why?
nú na - house; home
nú u - wife
nú u tá - household chores
pá - hear
pá no ta - distant time
pe ti - feel bad
pi - know
pi u - child
po - see
pu - want; futura tense auxiliary
pú - must
pu pi - ask
sa - do
sa si pá u - field
sa tá - do good; behave
sá - this; demonstrative
sá ke - therefore
sá ta - this time
su - go
su nú - enter
su sa pí ú - (agricultural) instrument
su ta - until
su ú - animal
su ú u - animal owner
su ú u pí u - animal owner's child
sú - other; but (conjuction)
sú u - other person; second participant in event
ta su - later
ta ta ta - too much
tá ta - well
u - person
ú - thing