Kingspeech

Kingspeech (He La)
Pronounced:	[e˥ la˩]
Timeline and Universe:	Semiramis Universe, Post-Catastrophe
Species:	Post-Catastrophe Hominid
Spoken:	Phazum (planet)
Total speakers:	c. 1,500 in Phazum
Writing system:	Unknown
Genealogy:	Isolate
Typology:
Morphology:	Isolating
Morphosyntax:	Accusative
Word order:	SVO
Credits
Creator:	Linguarum Magister
Created:	2012

Kingspeech is the autochthonous language of the re-uplifted hominids of the planet Phazum. Although the name Kingspeech originally derived from the native parasites of the planet Phazum that cost the original settlers their intelligence and free will, the speakers of the language later viewed this appellation as derogatory. Currently, there are three names used for the language of the Phazumites. He Ya indicates male speech. He Śa indicates female speech. Neither of these are secret society tongues, but He Śa is more archaic. He La indicates the speech as a whole, but is used more by the Transpositive Men who are engineering the re-uplift.

Syllable Structure

Syllable structure in E La is (C)V(G) or (C)(G)V. High vowels /i/ [i] and /u/ [u] become the related glides [i] /j/ and [u] /w/ if not followed by an identical vowel.

Phonology

The detailed phonology of He La contains fifteen consonants and sixteen vowels, of which five are short, five are long, and six are diphthongs. The differences between He Śa or He Ya lie in the presence or absence of consonants and the number and choice of tones. For ease of presentation, the entire phonology will be treated together. The nasals of He La are /m/ [m] and /n/ [n]. Both take a high tone on the vowel.

The other sonorants, /r/ [r], /w/ [w], and /y/ [j] take low tone on the vowel. /y/ [j] only appears in He Ya.

The fricatives /s/ [s] /ś/ [ɫ], and /h/ [h] take high tone on the vowel. /ś/ [ɫ] only appears in He Śa. /h/ [h] appears in both, but is only pronounced in He Śa.

Obstruents vary in tone according to the voicing of the consonants - syllables beginning with /p/, /t/, /k/; syllables beginning with /b/, /d/, /g/ receive low tone.

/l/ [l] and the zero-onset (unmarked) also receive low tone. He La has a standard five-vowel system /a/ [a] /e/ [e] /i/ [i] /o/ [o] /u/ [u]. Long versions of these are the result of identical adjacent vowels. The diphthongs /ai/ [ai] /ei/ [ei] /oi/ [oi] /au/ [au] /eu/ [eu] /ou/ [ou] all contain a high vowel as a component.

There are three tones in He Śa and four in He Ya. The common He La tones are the register tones of high ˥ and low ˩ discussed above. The third tone of He Śa is a level mid tone ˧ derived from a high falling tone ˥˩ from the combination of a high tone ˥ followed by a low tone ˩. He Ya has two contour tones; the high falling tone ˥˩ mentioned above, one of the few ways in which He Ya is more conservative than He Śa, and a low rising tone ˩˥ absent in He Śa, the result of the opposite convergence, a low tone followed by a high tone. The tone is absent in He Śa because the audible /h/ [h] prevents coalescence of otherwise adjacent vowels.

Vocabulary

The initial vocabulary of He La appears to have been based on an ancient hypothesis once known as Natural Semantic Metatheory (NSM), from the time of the Mother Planet. The speakers, however, rapidly expanded from this base.

Substantives (Class 1)

I/me – a

You – i

Someone/Person – u; this is used only for hominids and other intelligent beings

People – e

Derivatives of Class 1

We (incl) - ai

We (excl) - au

You (pl) - ii, ye (< ie)

They - we (< ue)

Relational Substantives (Class 2)

Something/Thing – hu; this form is used for beasts and un-uplifted Phazumites.

Body – ha

Kind – he

Part - hi

Derivatives of Class 2

huhu - category

Determiners (Class 3)

This – sa 'this'; sasa 'that'

Same – si 'same'; sisi 'similar'

Other – su 'other'; susu 'different'

Derivatives of Class 3

sau - this person

sasau - that person

siu - the same person

sisiu - a similar person

suu - another person

susuu - a different person

Quantifiers (Class 4)

One – wa 'one'; REDUP wawa 'unique'

Two – wi 'two'; REDUP wiwi 'complimentary'

Some – wu 'some'; REDUP wuwu 'few'

All – we 'all'; REDUP wewe 'most'

Many/Much – wo 'much, many'; REDUP wowo 'almost all'

Evaluators (Class 5)

Good - ta

Bad – ti

Descriptors (Class 6)

Big – pa; to pa 'big' tu pa 'very big'; REDUP to papa 'bigger' tu papa 'biggest'

Small – pi

Mental/Experiential Predicates (Class 7)

Think – ba

Know – bi

Want – bu

Feel – be

See – bo

Hear – papa (< pa); here reduplication disambiguated this form from pa 'big'

Must - pu

Speech (Class 8)

Say – ya (la)

Word – yi (li); REDUP yiyi (lili) 'words, vocabulary'

True – yu (lu); REDUP yuyu (lulu) 'accurate'

Actions and Events (Class 9)

Do – za

Happen – zi

Move – zu

Existence and Possession (Class 10)

There Is/Exist – ma

Have – mi

Life and Death (Class 11)

Live – la (śa)

Die – li (śi)

Time (Class 12)

Time – da

Now – da ri

Before – da ru

After – da re

A long time – da ro

A short time – da na

For some time – da nu

Moment – da ne

Space (Class 13)

Where/Place – ra; REDUP rara 'LOC'

Here – (ra) ri; REDUP riri 'LOC'

Above – (ra) ru; REDUP ruru 'above'

Below – (ra) re; REDUP rere 'below, underneath'

Far – (ra) ro; REDUP roro 'far from, away from'

Near – (ra) na; REDUP nana 'near, towards'

Side – (ra) ni; REDUP nini 'next to, beside'

Inside – (ra) nu; REDUP nunu 'inside'

Touch (Contact) – ne; REDUP nene 'touching'

Logical Concepts (Class 14)

Not – ga

Maybe – gi

Can – gu

Because – ge; REDUP gege 'therefore'

If – go; REDUP gogo 'then'

Intensifier, Augmentor (Class 15)

Very – tu

More – to

Similarity (Class 16)

Like/Way - pupu (< pu); here reduplication allows disambiguation from pu 'must'.

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.

ne 'touch' > nene 'touch repeatedly'

za 'do' > zaza 'practice'

Reduplication in non-location nouns creates a collective.

u 'person' > uu 'clan, family'

e 'people' > ee 'species'

Reduplication of location nouns creates prepositions.

nu 'inside' > nunu zuhu 'inside the beast'

nu 'inside' > nunui 'inside me'

An example of the difference between reduplications and lack thereof follows. nuu 'wife' is a compound noun composed of nu 'inside (noun)' and u 'person', while nunuu 'inside him/her' is a prepositional phrase composed of a reduplicated preposition nunu 'inside (preposition)' and u 'person'.

Likewise, sau to papa sasau 'that man is bigger than that man' can become sau to papau 'that man is bigger than he is'.

Adjectives

Simple adjectives, those composed of one syllable, form an adjectival comparative by placing 'to' before the adjective and an adjectival superlative by replacing 'to' with 'tu'. An adverbial comparative and superlative are formed by reduplication.

pa 'big'

to pa 'bigger'

tu pa 'very big'

to papa 'bigger than'

tu papa 'biggest'

Texts and Translations

[This is the Donkey Beater story from the Conlangery Podcast - prepared 2012]

Pá ro da, u má sá u néné sá u zu ú be tí. Sú u zu zu ú u bu bi sá: i né zu ú ri ge? Zu ú u ya: Sá zu ú bi sá né ga bi sú né. A pú né sá zu da sá bi za tá. sá. Sá nú u ga za nú u tá. Sá ge zu ú u né zu ú u nú u nú u be tí. Ná ra u pá nú u né pá ya zu sá nú u. Ná ra u ya: i pú ga né i nú u da da da. Zu ú u zu nú u nú ra bo. Zu ú u ya: a né sá zu da sá bi sá za nú tá tá da. Da zu sá ná ra u bo zu ú u zu ú u né zu ú u pí u ra za zi pá u. Sá da ná ra u ga ya ú sú za ga zu zu ú u zu né zu ú u é zu za pí ú. Ra da sá né u bu bi ri ge. i né a ri ge? u ya: A bu né i zu da i za sá: i ga né sú.

Pá ro da, u má sá u néné sá u zu ú be 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 zu zu ú u bu bi sá: i né zu ú ri ge?

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?

Zu ú u ya: Sá zu ú bi sá né ga bi 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 zu da sá bi za tá.

I must touch this go time this know do good.

I must touch this unti this (one) know (how to) do good

Zu ú u zu nú u nú ra bo sá.

Move thing man go inside he inside place see this.

Animal man go inside home/house see this

Sá nú u ga za nú u tá.

This inside person not do inside person good.

Spouse not do spouse good

Sá ge zu ú u né zu ú u nú u nú u be 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 ra u pá nú u né pá ya zu 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 ra u ya: i pú ga né i nú u da da da.

Near place person say: you must not touch you inside person time time time.

Neighbor say: you must not beat your spouse too much

Zu ú u ya: a né sá zu da sá bi sá za nú tá tá da.

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

Da zu sá ná ra u bo zu ú u zu ú u né zu ú u pí u ra za zi 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 da ná ra u ga ya ú sú za ga zu zu ú u zu né zu ú u é zu za 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

Ra da sá né u bu bi ri ge. i né a ri ge?

Place time this touch person want know here cause. You touch me here cause?

When this beater ask why you beat me why

u ya: A bu né i zu da i za sá: i ga 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

ga - not

ya - say

má - exist

ra - at; general locative

ra da - when (conj)

ná ra u - neighbor

né - touch; DUR néné; (beater) né (beaten) pe tí

ri ge - why?

nú ra - house; home

nú u - wife

nú u tá - household chores

pá - hear

pá ro da - distant time

be tí - feel bad

bi - know

pí u - child

bo - see

bu - want; future tense auxiliary

pú - must

bu bi - ask

za - do

za zi pá u - field

za tá - do good; behave

sá - this; demonstrative

sá ge - therefore

sá da - this time

zu - go

zu nú - enter

zu za pí ú - (agricultural) instrument

zu da - until

zu ú - animal

zu ú u - animal owner

zu ú u pí u - animal owner's child

sú - other; but (conjuction)

sú u - other person; second participant in event

da zu - later

da da da - too much

tá da - well

u - person

ú - thing