Béu : Chapter 9 : Word Building

Welcome to béu

..... Assembling word

Many béu words can be analysed as being constructed from more basic elements.

In chapter 5 we showed how a noun could be made out of two basic nouns.

Here are some more examples ;-

bái	to raise	gwaino =	a machine	gwaino bái =	"a machine of levitation"	=>	baino =	a lift or an elevator
nandau =	a word	toili =	a book	toili nandau =	"a book of words"	=>	nandɘli =	a dictionary
limba =	a tongue or language	megau =	a body of knowledge,	megau limba =	"the study of language"	=>	limbəgau =	linguistics

And below is a list of the most common words that are made this way. They are grouped according to their tail element.

Word or -DAU

A word = nandau

sky.sound = a vowel sky.sound.za = a diphthong or a triphthong sky.sound. nyo = a vowel OR a diphthong/triphthong

earth.sound = a consonant earth.sound.za = a consonant cluster earth.sound.nyo = a consonant OR a consonant cluster

Book or -LI

A book = toili

Wagon or -WEU

A vehicle = wèu

... Place or -DA

..

kludau = to write : kludada = a scriptorium

flò = to eat : floda = a restaurant

solbe = to drink : solbeda = a bar

..

... Master or -GU

..

gù = master, lord

gwí = lady mistress

landlord

houselord

shiplord

Also some agjectives from this construction ...

taigu = free < self.master

mpugu = democratic

..

... Tool or -MO

..

This is actually an infix. It signifies a tool that facilitates the action. For example ...

kludau = to write : kludamo = a pen

solbe = to drink : solbemo = a straw

cwá = to cross : cwamo = a bridge

kwè = to turn : kwemo = an axle

bái = to rise : baimo = a ladder

An interesting extention of the above is baiməfan meaning "index", "table of contents", "look up table" or "list"

It means literally "a duo of ladders" ... the idea behind this word can be seen below ...

In English "list" can be thought of as one dimensional ... in béu however, two dimentional ... either with a column numbering each item, or a column for ticking off after an item has been dealt with (bought).

Table or matrix are translated using the ...béu word for "net".

slòi = to flow : sloimo = drains

gàu to do : gaumo = a tool

pila = to set/place/position/to put something in its proper position and orientation : pilamo = the 17 particles that show "case"

..

... Machine or -NYO

..

plòi = to use : ploinyo = a machine

gàu = to do : gaunyo = a robot

blá = to speak : blanyo = the telephone

wè = to think : wenyo = a computer

ngeu = to fly : ngeunyo = an aeroplane

bái = to rise : bainyo = an elevator

kwè = to turn : kwenyo = lathe

mwé = to see : mwenyo = TV

..

wèu = a vehicle : weunyo = a motor, an engine

..

Building or -DO

bundo = building ... from the verb ... bunda = "to build"

..

gaudo = workshop

Side or -ʔA

ʔá = side

aibaʔa = a triangle

ugaʔa = a square

idaʔa = a pentagon

elaʔa = a hexagon

ò atas nambo = he/she is above the house ... however if "house" is understood, and mention of it is dropped, we must add ʔa to atas ... for example ...

ò atasʔa = he/she is above

dauniʔa = underneath

liʒiʔa = on the left hand side

luguʔa = on the right hand side

noldo, suldo, westa, istu niaka, muaka faceside backside etc. etc.

Face/Side -ʔAU

For 2D stretch ... but typically non-horizontal ... a horizontal stretch would be a field.

Volume/Room or -ʔAI

daʔai = volume, room

moʃiʔai = water room = bathrooom

= bedroom

= cookroom

= livingroom

= store room

Something complex or -KAS

kòi = day, the time in which the sun is over the horizon

koikas = a 24 hour period

maŋga = infinitive verb

maŋkas = infinitive verb phrase

seŋko = object

seŋkas = noun phrase

helgo = a finite verb

helkas = a clause

A container or -COI

A container = mencoi

Stuff/powder or -YO

powder = ponyo

bunduyo = cement

wheatyo = flour

maizeyo = maize flour

ʔazwoyo = milk powder

fainyo = condiment : fáin = to enrich

Air/gas or -LU

Air/gas = kalu

..

hydrogen = first.lu

helium = koilu

neon = unmixinglu second

argon = unmixinglu third

krupton = unmixinglu forth

clean = cadai ....

chlorine = cadakuzlu < cadakuʒi-lu

bromine = cadakuze < cadakuʒi-ze

iodine = cadakuʒi- ???

strontium = caimoi fairy metal

Group -DE

This one deletes the last vowel of the root if attached to a diphthong ...... like -ko or -da or -la.

dode = a mountain range < dòi

alhade = a bunch of flowers

bodede = a flock of birds

gwade = an archipelago < gwái

fizade = a school of fish

ʔupode = forest

ampede = a society, an association < ampeu

lentode = a league

pullde = a team, a club

kodade = cooperative < kodai

treatyde = alliance

doikade = a gang, a band

Member -CO

This one deletes the last vowel of the root if attached to a diphthong ...... like -ko or -da or -la.

kuda = a shop

kudaco = a shop assistant

beco = an active member of the béu community ... as opposed to a beumai who follows béu in a private manner ???

Shape/form or -PE

mepe = shape, form

We do not want a "unit", "boat".

⁕⁕nandauli is a good example of béu word building. toili = book, nandau = word, toili nandaun = book of words. However if two words such as these geudidau means extended word. It is also a good example of an extended word, in itself.

geuda is a verb meanbéuing to extend in one direction (usually not up). geudo is an noun meaning an extension or appendix. geudi is an adjective meaning extended.

nandau geudi = extended word ... now when a noun and a following adjective occur together a lot (and maybe take on a meaning slightly different) the concept they represent is normally upgraded to a word, by deleting all but the last CV (consonant vowel) in the first word, and sticking this CV on to the end of the second word.

Hence we get geudidau. In theory there is no limit to the combinations that can occur. However in practice (outside of technical language) there are slightly under a hundred different CV's, and the number of elements that every CV can combine with, varies from 3 or 4 up to about 40.

In English we have a number of common endings, such as "-ism", "-ology", "ist", etc. etc. In béu the end-stuck CV's can be thought of as equivalent to these English endings : the main difference is that this word building process is much more prevalent in béu.

The CV -dau (from nandau) is found in combination with a number of other elements. For example ;-

Note that in the last example, the meaning of the extended word has shifted a bit with respect to the meaning of the original words.

It is possible to extend further an extended word. For example ;-

kaza is an adjective meaning compicated and also is a noun meaning "a complicated thing" or "a complex".

kaza cwipadaun = a complex of a noun => cwipadauza = a noun phrase

..

..... moi ...................... metal

metal = delmoi

..

copper = ʔolimoi

bronze = pwemoi

iron/steel = gumoi

tin = fujemoi

lead = wobumoi

aluminium = yekimoi

zinc <= needle ??

gold = koimoi ... kòi = sun, day (24 hours)

silver = deumoi ... dèu = moon

..... fu ......................... shop

shop/stall = kanfu

..

kanfu pabla = a stall .... "stall" usually simply designated as pabla "table"

gozəfu = a fruit shop, a fruit stall

..... ba ..................... language

A tongue, a language = limba

..... po ........................ tree

trees = ʔupo

..

Apple trees = amapo

Mango trees = byopo

..... so ................ fruit/nuts/berry

gozo = fruit

..

apple = almazo

orange = koizo < sun fruit

mango = byozo

..... pai ...................... leaf

a leaf = lapai

..

Apple tree leaf = almapai

Mango tree leaf = byopai

etc. etc. etc.

..... se ...................... liquid

water = moze

..

almaze = apple juice

koize = orange juice

habian = bee

bianze = honey ... (some erosion here)

fainze = sauce : fáin = to enrich

..... dai ................... small bird

bodai = small birds

..... di .................... small bird

bodi = a small bird

... sai ....................... fish

a/the fish (countable) = fizai

a cuttlefish = byozai

... si ......................... fish

fish (uncountable) = fiʒi

cuttlefish = byoʒi

... gai .............. belief/theory

... gau ............ field of study

A field of study, a subject = megau

..

peugəŋgau = the entirety of human knowledge

laigau = calculus

... peu .................. fellow

ampeu = a comrade, a fellow, a peer, someone of the same social status as you and on friendly terms with you. Not exactly a friend but you rub along with this person for mutual advantage. Emotionally neutral ... between friend and enemy.

..

polji = womb ... poljəpeu = a twin

hodo = class (in a school) ... hodəpeu = a class mate

donəpeu = a companion

yearpeu = somebody born in the same year as you

namepeu = a namesake, somebody with the same name as you

countrypeu = a compatriate

gòs = aim, objective, purpose, goal ... gospeu = a comrade, a fellow traveller

All these words are their own plural

... heu ................. station

farm = anhèu

..

ngeuheu = an airport

hauheu = a school

gaudoheu = factory

tunheu = a townhall .... tun = rule, power

The original meaning of anhèu is "farm" .... i.e. a sort of spread out place where many activities take place. There are store houses and/or workshops related to these different activities plus a fair amount of open space.

From this original meaning, hèu has become an affix with the meaning "station". As in police station, army base, petrol station, townhall etc. etc.