Conlang Relay 15/Tauro-Piscean

by Sean Anderson

The Text

TET SWIKLIKEN KWIDÊ

Tet heonan Frikiung zï sot jemkvë mikeêlù„ dass zöl munkvi tenen sean! Kuman nes skäwian närolik! Te zï nat efnê an Frikiung, tä zï te nan San; te le kvinen nat efä fötum Swenen plean. Neg ubäbidd te anred nes„ in tem heonan Wisê„ onfind jo ten Deopün Sot. Te zï an Frikiung„ dass zï switê tanklik and inkut answejê. Ak weëf te Frikiärên ikkênes nat efnê jetïnlikü: ta aspinn tes tek tes ekkten Steê tontetan ubäbidd jo tenên mannliken Jastê teses. Ikken äsweotölan: tes tek in tem heonan näroliken Wisê ten Wëd tens Jod. Kunnest jo in enïn otän Wisênem nonen rekkan„ hu du jo mid zo fän Jedeëfem tenen frikiärênum? Otän Mannê fötum fëlet anen weên Last settan.

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THE DELUSIVE SPEECH

This dance is truly something, so much so that everyone should see it! Come and observe closely! This isn't only a dance, although it isn't a song; it never even teaches one to play music. No, it transcends consistently and, in this manner, the Deepest Truth is discovered. It is a dance that is very gracious and extraordinarily harmonious. But our dancers don't only move most elegantly: when they whirl, they demonstrate real history, surpassing their mortal souls. To make myself clear: they express the Word of God in this exact manner. Can it be explained in any other way how this is achieved with so little effort by our dancers? Other persons even neglect to place one correct step.

Grammar

Tauro-Piscean is a Germanic language, primarily descended from Old English and German, though it does have notable Romance influence. It may look very artificial in places, but it is supposed to be that way; it should be very easy to learn. There are three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. However, grammatical genders always match biological genders. Thus, most nouns (inanimate objects and animals of unspecified sex) are neuter. In fact, you will only encounter the neuter gender in this text. There are definite and indefinite articles, which are inflected for gender, the nominative, accusative, dative, genitive and instrumental cases: Tauro-Piscean_language#Articles

When a noun must be inflected for a particular case and there are no articles present, the noun itself must be inflected, as explained here: Tauro-Piscean_language#Cases

The word list provided gives nouns in their nominative form. Note that prepositions are followed by the accusative or dative case: dative when the event is stationary, accusative when there is motion, e.g. 'in' can mean both 'in' and 'into', depending on whether it is followed by the dative or the accusative respectively. Verbs are negated either with the word 'nat' (c.f. English 'not') or using a negative article such as 'nan' (c.f. German 'kein' - English 'not a'). More information here: Tauro-Piscean_language#Negation

You should also understand how the voices work, particularly the dummy pronoun 'jo', which is similar to the way in which English often uses 'it': Tauro-Piscean_language#Voice

When preceding a noun that they describe, adjectives take the ending -en when they end in a consonant and -n when they end in a vowel. This does not apply to adjectives in any other location. They do not agree with gender or number. Word order is V2; in many cases, it is the same as in English, but in several cases (when the clause begins with an element other than the subject), the verb comes before the subject. More information here: Tauro-Piscean_language#Word_Order

Tauro-Piscean has a large number of grammatical moods and tenses. In the text, you will encounter the infinitive, the indicative, the imperative and the interrogative: Tauro-Piscean_language#Verbs The webpage tells you how to form them; the word list gives verbs in the infinitive.

Word list

(bear in mind that adjectives also function as adverbs):

Swiklik

(adj.) - deceitful, treacherous, cheating

Kwidê

(n.) - speech

Frikiung

(n.) - dance

Zïan

(v.) - to be

Sot

(adj.) - true

Mikeêlù

- so much so

Dass

(conj.) - that

Zölan

(v.) - to be supposed to

Sean

(v.) - to see

Kuman

(v.) - to come, to arrive

Nes

(conj.) - and (then)

Skäwian

(v.) - to observe, to behold, to examine

Närolik

(adj.) - accurate, close

Efnê

(adj.) - only

Tä

(conj.) - though

San

(n.) - song

Leran

(v.) - to teach

Efä

(adv.) - ever

Fötum

(adj.) - only

Swe

(n.) - music

Plean (v.)

- to play, to joke

Neg

(intj.) - no, certainly not

Ubäbiddan

(v.) - to surpass, to transcend

Anred

(adj.) - constant, consistent, resolute

In (prep.)

- in, into

Wisê

(n.) - manner, way, matter, usage, idiom

Onfindan

(v.) - to realise, to discover

Deop

(adj.) - deep

Sot

(n.) - truth

Switê

(adj.) - very, greatly, strongly

Tanklik

(adj.) - gracious

And

(conj.) - and

Inkut

(adj.) - extraordinary

Answejê

(adj.) - accordant, harmonious

Ak

(conj.) - but

Weëfan

(v.) - to move, to roam

Frikiärê

(n.) - dancer

Jetïnlik

(adj.) - elegant

Ta

(conj.) - when, if

Aspinnan

(v.) - to spin, to whirl

Tekan

(v.) - to show, to demonstrate

Ekkt

(adj.) - real, genuine

Steê

(n.) - story, history

Tontetan

(prep.) - in order that

Mannlik

(adj.) - mortal, human

Jast

(n.) - spirit, soul, ghost

Äsweotölan

(v.) - to make clear

Wëd

(n.) - word, report, subject of talk

Jod

(n.) - good, goodness, God

Kunnan

(v.) - to be able to

Enï

(adj.) - any

Otä

(adj.) - other

Rekkan

(v.) - to explain, to care, to narrate

Hu

(conj.) - how

Duan

(v.) - to achieve, to benefit, to be useful, to work, to avail

Mid

(prep.) - with

Zo

(adv.) - so

Fä

(adj.) - few, little

Jedeëf

(n.) - effort

Mann

(n.) - person, man, woman

Fëletan

(v.) - to abandon, to neglect, to forsake, to leave, to surrender, to let go

Weê

(adj.) - correct, prudent, cautious

Last

(n.) - vow, duty, gait, step

Settan

(v.) - to set, to place, to occupy, to appoint, to compose, to establish