Conlang Relay 15/Vozgian

by Jan van Steenbergen

The Text

ОБСЕРВАЦІА КОҒУСЕ УВІДШЫГУ АК ІЋЕ КРОНЖЕНЋ

Челoвяк сет уважах, шу мястятум музикoнтјöнс спoле седвікћа, людoве ші седвікнoнћ зўoнкентямес гoлсўo сўöјіх імяніх. Крoнженю іће кялу самoючені сoнћ. Іђенак двікћех сўöјіх іће весе дадoнћ, чемук чінітелнoћ і мoжамoће тялесенаје іх ім дoсевўoленћ - іће правўoће крoнженћ. Семoжећ іда прібераће, шу стил крoнженја іх нывезелешы і нылађенешы вешхез ећ. Села шу іх узюченје фoрмалену неећ, іће седвікнoће сўoвoђенo умянћ. Іће крoнкух секрöнтенћ такак іће бялібы быће ену жіјöнћу. Сету іх так сеченћеніћ, шу іће лећену інак дялаће немoғoнћ. А ету крoнженюм сім кoмбінаціö пякрoће і сумoнћенoће дoдаћ, ету іхез чедусе чініћ, чеду сулöжену ећ і oржену інчедўoд.

Romanised Text

OBSERVACIA KOHUSE UVIDŠAIGU AK IÞE KRONŽENÞ

Čeloväk set uvažach, šu mästätum muzykontjöns spole sedvikþa, lüdove ši sedviknonþ zŭonkentämes golsŭo sŭöjich imänich. Kronženü iþe kälu samoüčeni sonþ. Iðenak dvikþech sŭöjich iþe vese dadonþ, čemuk činitelnoþ i možamoþe tälesenaje ich im dosevŭolenþ - iþe pravŭoþe kronženþ. Semožeþ ida priberaþe, šu styl kronženja ich naivezelešai i nailaðenešai vešchez eþ. Sela šu ich uzüčenje formalenu neeþ, iþe sedviknoþe sŭovoðeno umänþ. Iþe kronkuch sekröntenþ takak iþe bälibai baiþe enu žijönþu. Setu ich tak sečenþeniþ, šu iþe leþenu inak dälaþe nemohonþ. A etu kronženüm sim kombinaciö päkroþe i sumonþenoþe dodaþ, etu ichez čeduse činiþ, čedu sulöženu eþ i orženu inčedŭod.

Smooth Translation

Observation of somebody who has seen them dancing

This person noticed that instead of moving along with the music, these people are moving along with the sound of their own voices. In dancing, they are completely self-taught. Yet, in their movements they give everything their creativity and their physical possibilities allow them to; they are really dancing. One may even presume that their dancing style is the merriest and prettiest of all. Because they lack any formal education, they are able to move freely. They are whirling around in circles as if they were one living being. This makes them so happy that they just can't do it any differently. And this adds a combination of beauty and sadness to their dances, it makes them into something that is complicated and differs from anything else.

Grammar

Vozgian is a North-Slavic language that underwent some considerable influence from the Uralic languages. It is a highly synthetic language, mostly fusional but with agglutinative elements. Its grammar is rather complicated. In this relay I will not bother you with its (in)famous noun declensions from hell, the numerous verbal classes, etc. I'll limit myself to the most elementary.

Word order is rather rigid: SOV. Nouns are inflected for gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular, dual, plural), case (13 cases), and definiteness (definite, indefinite). The latter is mostly a matter of a postfixed article; all forms are indefinite by default, unless otherwise marked. In combination with demonstrative and/or possessive pronoun, the indefinite form is normally used.

In the glossary, all nouns are given in their basic form: the nominative singular (indefinite). In the text, you will encounter the following case endings:

• masculine:

  -ентямес -entämes

  comitative sg.def.

  -ух -uch

  locative pl.

  -ўo -ŭo

  genitive pl.

• feminine:

  -е -e

  nominative pl.

  -е -e

  genitive sg.

  -oнтјöнс -ontjöns

  comitative sg.def.

  -ö -ö

  accusative sg.

• neuter:

  -а -a

  genitive sg.

  -ех -ech

  locative pl.

  -ю -ü

  locative sg.

  -юм -üm

  dative pl.

Adjectives, as well as demonstrative pronouns, possessive pronouns, numerals etc., agree with the noun in gender, number and case (but not in defininess, as only nouns make this distinction). They are always placed AFTER the noun they modify. In the glossary, the masculine nominative singular form is given, ending with -ы -ai. Apart from that, you will encounter the following adjectival endings:

-аје

nom/acc.pl.fem.

-ез -ez

elative pl.

-ешы -ešai

comparative (inflected, of course, like an adjective) (in combination with the prefix "ны-" "nai-": superlative)

-і -i

nom.pl.masc.

-іх -ich

gen.pl.

-у -u

nom.sg.neut.

-ыгу -aigu

gen.sg.masc/neut.

Verbs are inflected for person, number, tense, and mood. Verbal paradigmata in Vozgian are pretty huge, but let's keep it simple. In the glossary, verbs are giving in the infintive (ending: -ће -þe). In this text, the following forms appear:

-х -ch

past tense, 3sg

-ібы -ibai

conditional, 3pl

-нћ -nþ

present tense, 3pl

-ћ -þ

present tense, 3sg

Besides, we have a few participles. These are inflected like adjectives. The masculine nominative singular endings are:

-нћы -nþai

present active participle

-ны -nai

perfect passive participle

-шы -šai

perfect active participle

In the case of irregularities, you will find both forms in the glossary: the irregular form as used in the text, and the "basic" form. Where it comes to pronouns, I have decided to give all pronouns used in this text a separate entry in the glossary, as most of them are irregular anyway.

When a verb is reflexive, the reflexive pronoun "се-" "se-" is prefixed to the verb. As pro-drop is not allowed in Vozgian, when a reflexive verb appears without a subject, this implies and impersonal subject: "one can see...", "it is said that...", etc.

When a verb is negated, this is also indicated with the help of a prefix: "не-" "ne-".

Unlike Russian, Vozgian has a fully inflected and pretty irregular verb "to be": "быће" "baiþe". But just like Russian, Vozgian lacks a word for "to have". Instead, the genitive is used in combation with a form of "быће" "baiþe". So instead of "I have two parrots", the Vozgians say: "Mine are two parrots" (actually, more literally: "Mine parrots two are", but that's a different story).

That's all I can think of for now. So let's move on to the glossary...

Glossary

Keep in mind that I follow Cyrillic alphabetisation here!

а a

(conj) and, but

ак ak

(adv, conj) how, in what way, like

быће baiþe

(n) being, creature

быће baiþe

(v) to be

бялібы bälibai: (v) cond.3pl. of "быће"

везелы vezelai

(adj) merry, joyful

весе vese

(pron.ind.) all, everything

вешхы vešchai

(adj) every, all

гoлс gols

(m) voice

дадoнћ dadonþ

(v) pres.3pl. of "даће"

даће daþe

(v) to give

дoдаће dodaþe: (v) to add, to give to

двікнoће dviknoþe

(v) to move

двікће dvikþe

(n) movement; moving

дoсевўoліће dosevŭoliþe

(v) to permit, to allow

дялаће dälaþe

(v) to do, to make

ену enu

(num.card.) nom.sg.neut. of "іђін" "iðin"

ету etu

(pron.pers.) it

ећ eþ

(v) pres.3sg. of "быће" "baithe"

жіће žiþe

(v) to live

зўoнк zŭonk

(m) sound

іђенак iðenak

(adv) yet, however

іђін iðin

(num.card.) one

імяны imänai

(adj) own

і i

(conj) and

іда ida

(adv) even

ім im

(pron.pers.) dative of "іће" "iðe"

інак inak

(adv) otherwise, else, in another way

інчеду inčedu

(pron.ind.) something else, anything else

інчедўoд inčeduod

(pron.ind.) ablative of "інчеду" "inčedu"

іће iþe

(pron.pers.) they

іх ich

(pron.pers.) genitive of "іће" "iþe"

іхез ichez

(pron.pers.) elative of "іће" "iþe"

кялу kälu

(adv) wholly, entirely

кедусе keduse

(pron.ind.) someone, somebody

кoғусе kohuse

(pron.ind.) genitive of "кедусе" "keduse"

кoмбінаціа kombinacia

(f) combination

крoнженје kronženje

(n) dance; dancing

крoнжіће kronžiþe

(v) to dance

крoнк kronk

(m) circle

крöнтіће krontiþe

(v) to turn, to spin

лађены laðenai

(adj) nice, pretty

лећену leþenu

(adv) easily, simply, just

людoве lüdove

(m.pl.) people

мoғoнћ mohonþ

(v) pres.3pl. of "мöхће" "mochþe"

мoжамoћ možamoþ

(f) possibility

мoжећ možeþ

(v) pres.3sg. of "мöхће" "mochþe"

мöхће mochþe

(v) can, may, be able

музика muzyka

(f) music

мястятум mästätum

(prep with gen.) instead of

не- ne

(prefix) not

ны- nai

(prefix) superlative marker

oбсерваціа observacia

(f) observation

oржены orženai

(adj) different

правўoће pravŭoþe

(adv) really, truly

прібераће priberaþe

(v) assume, suppose

пякрoћ päkroþ

(f) beauty

самo- samo-

(prefix) self-

се- se

(pron.refl.) oneself

села sela

(adv) for this reason

села шу sela šu

(conj) because

сет set

(pron.dem.) this

сету setu

(pron.dem.) nom.sg.neut. of "сет" "set"

сеченћеніће sečenþeniþe

(v) to make happy

сім sim

(pron.dem.) dat.pl. of "сет" "set"

сoнћ sonþ

(v) pres.3pl. of "быће" "baithe"

спoле spole

(adv, postp with comitative) together (with), along (with)

стил stil

(m) style

сулöжены sulöženai

(adj) complicated, complex

сумoнћенoћ sumonþenoþ

(f) sadness

сўoвoђенo sŭovoðeno

(adv) freely, liberally

сўöй sŭöj

(pron.poss.) one’s own

так tak

(adv) so, in such way

такак takak

(conj) so that; as if

тялесены tälesenai

(adj) physical, pertaining to the body

уважаће uvažaþe

(v) to notice

увідеће uvideþe

(v) to see (perfective)

узюченје uzüčenje

(n) education

умяће umäþe

(v) to be able, to know how to

фoрмалены formalenai

(adj) formal

чеду čedu

(pron.int.) what

чедусе čeduse

(pron.ind.) something

челoвяк čeloväk

(m) human being, person

чемук čemuk

(pron.int.) allative of "чеду" "čedu"

чінітелнoћ činitelnoþ

(f) creativity

чініће činiþe

(v) to make, to create

ші ši

(pron.dem.) nom.pl.masc. of "сет" "set"

шу šu

(conj) that

ючіће üčiþe

(v) to teach