Stilio/Concepts: Difference between revisions

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== Numbers ==
== Numbers ==
Parseltongue uses a base-4, or [[Wikipedia:Quaternary numeral system|quaternary numeral system]].  [[Wikipedia:Octal|Octals]] have unique (ancient?) names, functioning like '20' does in many human languages (''see [[Wikipedia:vigesimal|vigesimal]]'').  The other major exception is '''æahæ''', which means 100,000,000<sub>4</sub> (cp. 억 or 億).
Parseltongue uses a base-4, or [[Wikipedia:Quaternary numeral system|quaternary numeral system]].  [[Wikipedia:Octal|Octals]] have unique (ancient?) names, functioning like '20' does in many human languages (''see [[Wikipedia:vigesimal|vigesimal]]'').  The other major exception is '''æahæ''', which means 100,000,000<sub>4</sub> (cp. Korean [http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/100000000 ] or Chinese/Japanese [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/億]).
[[File:counterclockwise arrow.png|right|thumb|300px|Snakes count by moving their heads counterclockwise, starting in the top left.]]
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Decimal<sub>10</sub>
! Decimal<sub>10</sub>
Line 259: Line 260:
| 21
| 21
! vza
! vza
| 65536
| 16384
| 100,000,000
| 10,000,000
! æhæ
! deon
|-
|-
| 10
| 10
| 22
| 22
! vhor
! vhor
| 65536
| 100,000,000
! æhæ
|-
|-
| 11
| 11
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|-
|-
|}
|}
'''Æhæ''' is used metaphorically, in the same way we say "not in a million years".  Non-sentient snakes don't seem to care about numbers bigger than '''de''', which is synonymous with ''a full field of vision''.  Parselmouths speaking to each other in Parseltongue, discussing large numbers resort to [[Wikipedia:scientific notation|scientific notation]] long before getting to the biggest number one can say in Parseltongue - 33,333,333,333,333,333<sub>4</sub> '''vdethæonæhæ ccmavdethækliæhæ ccmavdethææhæ vdethæon ccmavdethækli ccmavdethæ''' - 17,179,869,183<sub>10</sub>


[[Category:Stilio]]
[[Category:Stilio]]

Revision as of 10:11, 23 November 2012

Parseltongue uses a system of grammatical cases similar to Latin or Estonian. Person, in Parseltongue, is conflated with demonstrativity, deixis, and honor. Nouns and verbs are not marked for number or gender, but there are four noun-classes. Independent verbs must be marked for evidentiality, although it is often taken metaphorically.

Cases

There are four "core" cases - Nominative, Accusative, Agentive and Patientive - and five "oblique" cases - Dative, Possessive, Partitive, Genitive, and Ablative. The core cases interact with lexical aspects of the verb to distinguish the subject and object. A few verbs take Dative, Partitive, or Ablative objects.

Core

All verbs have a lexically contained expectation for which case the subject will be in. Hence, all verbs are active or passive and volitional or non-volitional by default, which will also indicate which paradigm it follows. When given an unexpected case, intentionality or casuality is signified:

Active Non-Volitional Passive Non-Volitional Active Volitional Passive Volitional
Nominative Involuntary Agent Involuntary Cause Unintentional Agent Unintentional Cause -♊
Accusative Direct Object Descriptive Unintentional Patient Pseudo-Passive Object
Agentive Agent! Cause! Ergative Subject Intentional Cause -♊i
Patientive Intentional Direct Object Pseudo-Passive Agent Absolutive Object Stative -♊b

Oblique

Case Genitive
Dative Absolute -as
Partitive Wholative -22
Possessive Subjective -3d
Genitive Attributive -1x
Ablative Objective -♊wa

The oblique cases function generally like Indo-European cases, but with some notable exceptions.

Dative
Some linguistics prefer to call this the "topico-dative" because it can function similarly to the Japanese は/wa, or the Korean 는/은. These instances are typically best translated as "in regards to" or "as for". Like the Latin Ablative Absolute or the Greek Genitive Absolute, entire clauses may be in the Dative, which expresses "attendant circumstances". However, unlike Greek or Latin, these phrases are the focus, not peripheral.

The Dative is often equivalent to the English prepositions "to, for, by, with, from" and/or indicates the Indirect Object. The other four cases fall under the 'genitive' rubric in many languages

Partitive
Like the Uralic languages, the partitive means "some of" or "part of" or "any". It can also be used for the object of an atelic actions or sensing/perceiving verbs. 'Half of my possessions’; ‘some of the branches’; ‘the poor among of the people’, 'partake of my meal', 'I saw some of him'.
Possessor
Like the English 's. This is the subjective genitive. "Love of God" would have to mean (in this case) "God's love", not "my love for God"
Genitive
This can be Epexegetical or Attributive/Descriptive. e.g. "the horcrux of his body", "words of wisdom (i.e. wise words)"
Ablative
Objective Genitive, "concerning, against, about, on, from", separation, adverbial

Persons

Parseltongue has an astronomical eight persons. We account for this remarkable fact by remembering that it is magical language bridge between sentient and non-sentient species. A species that is not self-aware will not have a strong sense of "I", but the cognizant interlocutor addressing them will. Hence, "me" and the "space near me" are conflated, as well as "you" and the "space near you". Other analyses, different than the one given below, are of course possible, but this number seems to reflect animated snake psychology.

Despite not being self-aware, snakes are very conscious of respect and honor. When a snake wishes to be self-depricating, she will use the half-person. 1½st person functions both as an inclusive 'we' and as an equivalent to the German 'du'.

# Name Person Demon. Time Discourse
-1 Negative No one None Never Nothing
0 Indefinite Someone/anyone Some Some time Something
½ Dim. Proximal "Royal We" This (dim) Any second now This (already mentioned, dim)
1 Proximal I This Now This (already mentioned)
Mesioproximal We (you and I) This* "Just now" This (forthcoming)
2 Mesiodistal You That Then That
3 Distal He/She/It Yon "That time" That (previously mentioned)
4 Obviative Him Other "That other time" That (other previously mentioned)

Note, however, that "token-reflexive" deixis is not possible in Parseltongue. A snake could not say, "This is my apology," but would have to say, "I apologize (illoc.)" (i.e. /æ'qæ\amadassa)

Articles
There are no articles in Parseltongue. "The door is open" would be use the regular 3rd person, as would "A snack would be great right about now". "Someone stole my hat" and "Anyone can dance" are both in the 0th person

Classes

Similar to the Bantu language, there are noun-classes in Parseltongue. These are labeled non-prey, prey, mass nouns, and collective.

Class Prefix
Non-prey Ø-
Prey mb-,
Mass wu-
Collective thy-

Root words, in the form of stems, may have expressions in multiple classes. For example, *gal is assumed to be a derogatory term for human beings, from which we get magal/muggle and tygal/crowd.

Evidentiality

All indicative/independent verbs in Parseltongue must be marked for evidentiality. Snakes senses are not like human sense: they are different and valued differently. They are - in decreasing order of assuredness - smell, heat, hearing, and sight.

Smell

Jacobsons.png

Snakes extend their forked tongues out into the air and pull "smells" into their mouths. Their "noses" (Jacobson's organs) are on the roof of their mouth and retain which direct on the tongue the "smells" came from. This gives them a very refined and directional sense, as or more definite that most human's seeing. Knowledge obtained this way is the most certain and so is most analogous to human's "I see" or "I know". When a snake conjugates a verb in this evidential, she is indicating information immediately experienced. Such information cannot be doubted without insulting the snake.

Heat

Main article: Wikipedia:Infrared sensing in snakes

Snakes have special sensors where other animals' "noses" would be which detect heat or Infra-red radiation. Snakes report not "seeing" a field - as humans do with sight - but "feeling" the nearness and/or warmth of things. This is most akin to a human saying "I feel like you are ..." or "I sense not everyone in the room agrees with ...". Information given in this evidential may not have been directly observed, simply inferred.

Hearing

Many snakes are "deaf" as humans measure hearing. A snake's entire body functions like an "ear", sensing vibrations. This knowledge is very accurate, but because it comes from their whole body (not just their head) it is more like "gut knowledge". Information given in this evidential is believed to be true, but come by indirectly. Tenuous conclusions may be given in this form.

Magic causes snakes internal ear to hear external speech. Only a Parselmouth magician may speak to a snake and be heard. For the rest of us (Muggles and non-Parselmouth magicians) Parseltongue may be learned and spoken amongst ourselves only.

Sight

Most snakes have poor vision, with a majority not being binocular. This mood is used metaphorically as a person would say, "I suppose" or "I guess". A snake is indicating that they are very doubtful of information given in this form.

Numbers

Parseltongue uses a base-4, or quaternary numeral system. Octals have unique (ancient?) names, functioning like '20' does in many human languages (see vigesimal). The other major exception is æahæ, which means 100,000,0004 (cp. Korean or Chinese/Japanese ).

Snakes count by moving their heads counterclockwise, starting in the top left.
Decimal10 Quaternary4 Parseltongue Decimal10 Quaternary4 Parseltongue
1 1 za 256 10,000 dekli
2 2 hor 512 20,000 vkli
3 3 thæ 768 30,000 vdekli
4 10 de 1024 100,000 makli
5 11 deza 1536 120,000 mvkli
6 12 dehor 2048 200,000 cckli
7 13 dethæ 3072 300,000 ccmakli
8 20 vv 4096 1,000,000 on
9 21 vza 16384 10,000,000 deon
10 22 vhor 65536 100,000,000 æhæ
11 23 vthæ
12 30 vde
13 31 vdeza
14 32 vdehor
15 33 vdethæ
16 100 ma
17 101 maza
24 120 mv
32 200 cc
48 300 ccma
64 1000 kli

Æhæ is used metaphorically, in the same way we say "not in a million years". Non-sentient snakes don't seem to care about numbers bigger than de, which is synonymous with a full field of vision. Parselmouths speaking to each other in Parseltongue, discussing large numbers resort to scientific notation long before getting to the biggest number one can say in Parseltongue - 33,333,333,333,333,3334 vdethæonæhæ ccmavdethækliæhæ ccmavdethææhæ vdethæon ccmavdethækli ccmavdethæ - 17,179,869,18310