Conlang Relay 15/Neimalu

by G.V. Pietersen

The Text

Inu anur kaþaðjat skižos

Jek abendöþ gomoþa veixjan. Lüs pröti þembišurar gomold. Lüs vala naširöt plaždobold. Kön lüdobold stentumed ladus.

Gomoþa veixjan lüs texobold þeikjuðumed meljeras dem rušobold pöstrat kalbašant, kažabašant iripeigold.

Gomobold muriti griat tši aliituba. Lüs gomor alja pios tui einos laxtiðr asuajan tši laduba.

Rušold ei teitsutandold lu rušord bež destüram.

Asu eskoþnašémos. Straxle aft glaubé tui šmiþes lu asuba essköjlaxtos. Lüs dosežold alar, zbaþe dosobold kuajat.

Smooth English

Something that is hard to understand

Look at their traditional dance. They have made no design for it. They do not play musical instruments, they only make sounds with their own voices.

The dance is not taught to them by written lessons, but they move randomly in every direction, wherever they want to go.

They dance better than any other. There are no other dancers more skilled than they.

They move and make gestures, it seems as if it has no purpose.

It seems to be so easy. I find it hard to believe that something so simple can be so beautiful. It is not like they are constantly doing something else; they always move in the same way.

Vocabulary

abendos

look at, observe

aft

to

aliitu

other+person (compound)

alu

something else

anu

this

asu

that

asuaja

more (adj)

bež (+dative)

without

dem

but

destures

destination, goal

dosos

to do

ei

and

einos

to have

glaubos

believe

gomos

dance (verb)

gomoþ

dance (noun)

gomor

dancer

gria

goed

inu

– 3p impers

iros

– move

jek

(cohortative)

kalbašu

every+place (compound)

kaþaðja

hard

kažabašu

any+place (compound)

kön

only

koþnaša

easy

eskoþnašos

to be easy

kuaja

the same (adj)

ladu

3p sg/pl (he, she or they)

-laxtos

to be able to

laxtiðu

ability, skill

lu

such as, like

lüdos

make sound

lüs

not

naširu

music

meljos

write

meljera

written

muriti

more

-peigos

want

pios

to be, exist

plaždos

use

pöstra

random

pröti

following, according to

rušos

move oneself

skižos

understand

sköja

beautiful

essköjos

to be beautiful

šmiþes

junk, something simple

stentu

voice

straxlos

to have trouble doing

teitsutandos

hand+gesture (compound)

tši

than

tui

that (relative pronoun)

þembišuru

plan, design

þeikjoþ

lesson

vala

tool, instrument

veixja

holy

zbaþe

always

Grammar

Noun cases

-ant

allative

-ba

predicative

-med

instrumental

Nouns ending with -u:

-u

nominative

-ar/-ur/-r

genitive

-um

dative

Nouns ending with -es:

-es

nominative

-a

genitive

-am

dative

Nouns ending with –oþ (-oþ nominalizes verbs):

-oþ

nominative

-oþa

genitive

-uðum

dative

Adjectives

-(j)a

nom

-(j)an

gen

-(j)as

dat

-(j)at

turns adjective into adverb

Verbs

-e

1p present

-é

1p future

-ob-

habitual

-os

normal verb

-old

3p present

-ord

irrealis

-öþ

2p future

-ém-

'unsure mirative', involves doubt: maybe, probably, seem

-ež-

repetative