Kingspeech

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

Kingspeech (E Ya) is the proto-language (in the sense of early, rather than ancestral) of the re-uplifted humans of the planet Phazum. As of this date, the language skills are small but increasing. A grammar of the contemporary speech, known as Second Stage E Ya, is under construction.

Phonology

The phonology of Kingspeech (native name: E Śa) contains sixteen consonants, five vowels, and two tones. The two tones are high and low; these co-vary with the consonants and the phonation of the vowels, thus obviating the need for tonal marking in the native syllabary.

There is a natural division in E Śa into obstruents and sonorants. High tone is the default tone – the nasal sonorants /m/ and /n/, therefore, receive high tone. The sonorants /r/, /w/ /y/ receive low tone. Obstruents vary in tone according the voicing of the consonants – syllables beginning with /p/, /t/, /k/, /q/ (the glottal stop), /s/, and /ś/ (the voiceless lateral fricative) receive high tone; syllables beginning with /b/, /d/, /g/, /0~h/ (0 is the absence of a consonant, treated for tone assignment as the voiced equivalent of the glottal stop; h is voiced glottal fricative), and /l/ (treated for tone assignment as the voiced equivalent of the voiceless lateral fricative) receive low tone. Low tone is also marked by breathy voice.

Consonants
	Bilabial		Alveolar		Velar
Nasal	m		n
Plosive	p		t		k
Plosive			s
Fricative			l

Low Tone Vowels
	Front		Mid		Back
High	i				u
Mid	e				o
Low			a

High Tone Vowels
	Front		Mid		Back
High	i˥				u˥
Mid	e˥				o˥
Low			a˥

The allophones of the phonemic consonants co-vary with the tone. Before a vowel with high tone, the consonants are pronounced as above. Before a vowel with low tone, however, the following changes take place: [p] becomes [b] /b/ [t] becomes [d] /d/ [k] becomes [g] /g/ [m] becomes [ʋ] /w/ [n] becomes [ɾ] /r/ [l] becomes [j] /y/

Vocabulary

The vocabulary of Kingspeech appears to confirm the ancient hypothesis known as Natural Semantic Metatheory (NSM). Or, rather, it would, if the Transpositive Men had ever heard of a theory from over 10,000 Earth years ago.

Substantives (Class 1)

I/me – a

You – i

Someone/Person – u

People – e

Relational Substantives (Class 2)

Something/Thing – ú

Body – á

Kind – é

Part - í

Determiners (Class 3)

This – sá; sásá 'that'

Same – sí; sísí 'similar'

Other – sú; súsú 'different'

Quantifiers (Class 4)

One – wa; REDUP wawa 'unique'

Two – wi

Some – wu; REDUP wuwu 'few'

All – we; REDUP wewe 'most'

Many/Much – wo; REDUP wowo 'almost all'

Evaluators (Class 5)

Good - tá

Bad – tí

Descriptors (Class 6)

Big – pá; tó pá 'big' tú pá 'very big'; REDUP tó pápá 'bigger' tú pápá 'biggest'

Small – pí

Mental/Experiential Predicates (Class 7)

Think – ba

Know – bi

Want – bu

Feel – be

See – bo

Hear – pápá (< pá)

Must - pú

Speech (Class 8)

Say – ya

Word – yi; REDUP yiyi 'words, vocabulary'

True – yu; REDUP yuyu 'accurate'

Actions and Events (Class 9)

Do – za

Happen – zi

Move – zu

Existence and Possession (Class 10)

There Is/Exist – má

Have – mí

Life and Death (Class 11)

Live – lá

Die – lí

Time (Class 12)

Time – da

Now – da ri

Before – da ru

After – da re

A long time – da ro

A short time – da ná

For some time – da nú

Moment – da né

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) ná; REDUP náná 'near, towards'

Side – (ra) ní; REDUP níní 'next to, beside'

Inside – (ra) nú; REDUP núnú 'inside'

Touch (Contact) – né; REDUP néné '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 – tú

More – tó

Similarity (Class 16)

Like/Way - púpú (< pú)

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. Reduplication in nouns creates a collective sense. Reduplication of adjectives or adverbs creates the comparative.

né 'touch' > néné 'touch repeatedly'

u 'person' > uu 'clan, family'

pá 'big' > pápá 'bigger (than)'

ro 'far' > roro 'farther (than)'

Text and Translation

[This is the Donkey Beater story from the Conlangery Podcast]

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; futura 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