Conlang Relay 20/Xylphika

Warning: there are spoilers below! Do not read if you are participating in Conlang Relay 20.

This is CJ Miller's Xylphika ttorch from Conlang Relay 20's Ring 2.

Text

Note: A version in the Xylphika alphabet can be found here.

Merenűnesakkun šarű þaimneła han aimatnesatsimat melarikata. Marna ainała yairirű meren, «Kialtel kelari Kauqǔltsa? Cǔošyrali tsut melavval han.»

Marfa «Hé kieleq mein maun.» Marna «Migilonúná meit kiteka melafrša han.»

Cǔmak hat mein han. Cǔmir mein satsimat. Miriná hyaltt aiman. Cǔkuvun qume venket satsima. Kelarűná aimatnesatsimat þaimne inyre. Kemigaraná tsut aima «Ošyrűnátel satsimat?» Marna «Nie.»

Vocabulary

Name	Type	Meaning
inyre	Adjective	regardless
-(i)n	Case	genitive
-(u)t	Case	nominative
-ért	Case	causative
-kata	Case	perlative
-ła	Case	adessive
-ne-	Case	comitative
-ša	Case	inessive
-val	Case	instrumental
ya-	Case	vocative
nie	Interjection	yes
aima	Noun	woman
aina	Noun	time
eleq	Noun	guest
hyalt	Noun	host
Kauqǔltsa	Noun	(proper name)
mei	Noun	family
melafr	Noun	opinion
melari	Noun	coast
sakku	Noun	intent
satsima	Noun	man
teka	Noun	fight
þaimne	Noun	house
venke	Noun	evil
cǔ-	Particle	negative
ki-	Particle	plural
tel	Particle	question marker
ha	Pronoun	first-person singular
kial	Pronoun	why
mau	Pronoun	third-person singular (fem./masc./sentient)
tsu	Pronoun	second-person singular
har	Verb	be
irir	Verb	finish
kelar	Verb	leave
kemigar	Verb	speak (telepathic)
kuvun	Verb	want
marf	Verb	say
meren	Verb	walk
migilan	Verb	cause
ošyr	Verb	like
qum	Verb	know
šar	Verb	stay
ali	Verb mood	dubitative
ná	Verb tense	past

Grammar notes

• Basic word order is verb-subject-object. Adjectives generally follow the nouns they modify.
• Xylphika is normally an ergative-absolutive language; however, the ttorch was written by a speaker of the Qalanin dialect, which is nominative-accusative, and which marks the nominative instead of the accusative.
• Verbs are declined as follows. Note that a * before the inflection means that the last consonant of the root is to be mutated (stops becoming fricatives, fricatives becoming nasals, <ň> becoming <r>, and <r> <l> becoming <ř> <ľ>); that a † before the inflection means that the last vowel of the root is to be rounded ( <e> <ǔ> <a> becoming <y> <ǒ> <o>); and that the first-person singular indicative form of the verb is the same as the infinitive.

			Regular verbs	Har (to be)
Infinitive			Ø	har
Singular	First person		Ø	har
	Second person		‒i	hi
	Third person	Celestial	*i	hy
		Sentient	‒e	hue
		Animate	*e
		Feminine	‒a	hek
		Masculine	*a
		Nonsentient	*	fu
	Fourth person		‒t
Dual	First person		‒í	hé
	Second person		‒é	há
	Third person		‒ű	hú
	Fourth person		‒á	hó
Plural	First person		†í	maňi
	Second person		†é	kaňi
	Third person		†ú	saňi
	Fourth person		†á	int