Conlang Relay 15/Xara
by Jim Taylor
The Text
jilider ja gorimes, xeyur si a tajepasme, jerexer ri si a faguxasme, ejaro xadevmeyur asmeyar. tajepeyiler ha timeyovasme soyol. a xumijasme xo kaxaled xu xo xemereyil. guropejol, tajepeyil asmeyar simer tajepeyilan xemejfejan xu xajeyelfejan a orjias. fajidum rean a oras viremedfean tem asme. a puladasme xu a xumijasme gamo gilixur tan. ri a oros xumijeyil, xeye si a oras gov rugulan asmeyir. vi a oros tajepumme telean, xeyeme si a orasme fajalfean xemejeyiler gojival, xo xumijeyil nurolfe xu yo fuminod nurimfe?
Audio
Smooth English
See how they dance not leading the music, except with their voices. They have mastered the dance beforehand - they move with desire and happiness - At the same time their dance becomes the most beautiful and the most harmonious type of dance. No student is more supple than them. They turn, they move as with one mind. No step is difficult for them. Are there any other dancers greater at creating beauty, with less effort and without a single step?
Pronunciation
The vowels a e i o u are pure as in Spanish
The consonants are pronounced as in English with the following exceptions
- t, d are more dental as in Spanish or French
- r is lightly rolled
- j is pronounced as in French
- x is pronounced sh
Punctuation
Commas, full stops and question marks are used as in English. Capital letters are only used for proper names.
Grammar
Articles: the definite and indefinite articles the and a/ an are not used in Xara
Nouns: declined with the following suffixes
- (no ending)
- nominative singular
- -er
- accusative singular
- -ar
- genitive singular
- -ir
- dative singular
- -ur
- ablative singular
- -me
- nominative plural
- -meyer
- accusative plural
- -meyar
- genitive plural
- -meyir
- dative plural
- -meyur
- ablative plural
Pronouns: declined as the nouns above.
Possesive pronouns: the genitive form of the personal pronoun is used.
The relative pronoun xeye drops its final e before adding any suffixes.
Adjectives: mostly and in -an. They follow the noun they qualify and do not decline or change for case or number.
The comparative is formed by replacing the -an ending with -fean
The superlative is formed by replacing the -an ending with -fejan
Verbs: conjugated as follows
mood indicator (if used) + tense indicator + verb stem + personal pronoun ending
In this text the following personal pronoun endings are used
- -es
- 2nd person singular
- -as
- 3rd person singular
- -asme
- 3^rd person plural
- -os
- indefinite pronoun (equivalent to the English one or as there is /are with the verb to be)
The mood indicator si, as well as indicating continuous action is also used in all relative clauses. In this case it does not necessarily indicate continuous action, merely that the verb belongs to the relative clause.
Syntax
The usual word oder is as follows:
subject - object - verb - adverb or relative clause
Adjectives follow the nouns they qualify and adverbs follow the verbs they qualify.
More use is made of relative clauses than in English.
Vocabulary
- a
- present tense indicator
- as
- 3rd personal pronoun
- ejaro
- except (conj.)
- fagux
- lead, direct (v.)
- fajalan
- great, magnificent (adj.)
- fajidum
- pupil, student (n.)
- fuminod
- step, pace (n.)
- gamo
- like, as (conj.)
- gilix
- mind (n.)
- gojival
- make, create (v.)
- gorim
- see, look (v.)
- gov
- too
- guropejol
- simultaneously, at the same time (adv.)
- ha
- past tense indicator
- ja
- imperative mood indicator
- jerex
- music (n.)
- jilider
- manner, way (n.)
- kaxaled
- desire (n.)
- nurimfe
- single (adj.)
- nurolfe
- less (adj.)
- or
- be (v.)
- orji
- become (v.)
- pulad
- turn, rotate (v.)
- rean
- no (adj.)
- ri
- negative mood indicator
- rugulan
- difficult (adj.)
- si
- continuous mood indicator
- simer
- sort, type (n.)
- soyol
- previuosly, beforehand (adv.)
- tajep
- dance (v.)
- tajepeyil
- dance (n.)
- tajepeyilan
- dancing (adj.)
- tajepum
- dancer (n.)
- tan
- one (num.)
- telean
- other, another (adj.)
- tem
- than, compared to (prep.)
- timeyov
- master (v.)
- vi
- interrogative mood indicator
- viremedan
- bendy, flexible, supple (adj.)
- xadev
- voice (n.)
- xajeyelan
- harmonious, concordant
- xemejan
- beautiful (adj.)
- xemejeyil
- beauty (n.)
- xemereyil
- happiness (n.)
- xeye
- relative pronoun
- xo
- with (prep.)
- xu
- and (conj.)
- xumij
- move (v.)
- xumijeyil
- effort (n.)
- yo
- without (prep.)
Legend
- (n.)
- noun
- (adj.)
- adjective
- (v.)
- verb
- (adv.)
- adverb
- (conj.)
- conjunction
- (prep.)
- preposition
- (num.)
- number
