Myssela
Myssela is an artlang created by Jennifer who goes by the online alias "Jai". Myssela was created on January 24, 2012. It will be used for the creator's purposes only, but here's a grammar for the curious. :)
Introduction
Myssela is for me. My first five conlangs have been for my conworld called Kepa. This conlang is just for my own personal use. I’ve always wanted a conlang to write in but due to the nature of my conlang I could not add modern words such as “computer” or even “credit card”. Myssela is a mash-up of all my favourite grammar points as well as some new ones! Myssela will be simple enough to learn but complicated enough that it will feel ‘complete’. I hope to someday write journal entries in Myssela. Journal entries that will only be for my eyes of course. ;)
Phoneme Summary
Consonants
Consonants | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bilabial | Labiod. | Dental | Alveolar | Post-alv. | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||||||||||
Nasal | m | n | ||||||||||||||||
Plosive | b | d | g | |||||||||||||||
Fricative | f | s | ʃ | χ | h | |||||||||||||
Affricate | ||||||||||||||||||
Approximants | ɹ | |||||||||||||||||
Trill | ||||||||||||||||||
Lateral Approximant | l |
Also
tʃ Voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate
ǀ Dental Click
Transliteration
Consonants | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c | d | dd | f | g | h | l | r | m | n | s | ss |
[ʧ] | [d] | [ǀ] | [f] | [g] | [h] | [l] | [ɹ] | [m] | [n] | [sʰ] | [ʃ] |
Vowels | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
a | ă | e | ĕ | y |
[a] | [ɐ] | [ɛ] | [ə] | [i] |
Syntax
Normal
Normal syntax order is SOV.
Adde ladd dĕc myacya assanef.
SUBJ.PART-NOM I LOC.PART here am-IMPERF.
I am here.
Focus
To put the focus on a different part of the sentence put it at the beginning of a sentence.
In the following example the location is focused.
Dĕc myacya adde ladd assanef.
LOC.PART- here SUBJ.PART-NOM I am-IMPERF.
Here I am.
Interrogation
To make a sentence a question simply put the verb at the beginning of a sentence.
Assanef adde ladd dĕc myacya.
Am-IMPERF SUBJ.PART-NOM I LOC.PART here.
Am I here?
Particles
Subject Marker
The agent of a sentence is marked by the subject marker. He runs.
Object Marker
The patient of sentence is marked by the object marker. He pokes her.
Description Marker
The adjective is marked by the description marker. He has yellow hair.
Time Marker
The period of time in which the action takes place is marked by the time marker. He runs at night.
Etc Marker
This marker is used when two or more words share the same particle. It is added to the second subject, object, description or time to signify it holds the same purpose in the sentence.
His friends and quiet and nice.
Particles are used to describe what function a word has in a sentence. Take for instance the sentence “He buys food.” He is the subject of the sentence and will use the nominative case. Thus you would write Adde cĕ or SUBJ.PART-NOM he. Food is the object and will use the accusative case. Thus you would write it as dĕcĕss ydden or OBJ.MARK-ACC food. The verb is in the imperfect tense so you would write it as arymnĕssanlef. If you wanted to say: “The food buys him.” (though I don’t know why you would) you would put the SUBJ.PART-NOM in front of food and OBJ.PART-ACC in front of him.
Adde cĕ dĕcĕss ydden arymnĕssanlef.
SUBJ.PART-NOM he OBJ.MARK-ACC food buy-IMPERF.
He buys food.
Adde ydden dĕcĕss cĕ arymnĕssanlef.
SUBJ.PART-NOM food OBJ.MARK-ACC he buy-IMPERF.
(The) food buys him.
Noun Cases
Nominative Case
The topic of a sentence. He sees the cat.
Accusative Case
The object of a sentence. He sees the cat.
Dative Case
The indirect object of a sentence. He gives the cat food.
Genitive Case
The noun that is possessed by the nominative. My mother’s cat.
Locative Case
The cat in the house.
Instrumental Case
The object used to complete an action. I ate cat food with a spoon.
Oblique Case
Any case except for the nominative. I am taller than him.
Pronouns
Pronouns | |
---|---|
I | ladd |
You | yadd |
He | cĕ |
She | ca |
One | le |
We | aladd |
You (p) | ayadd |
They (f) | acĕ |
They (m) | aca |
Family Names
Indefinite Pronouns
Nouns
Plural Nouns
Rules | |||
---|---|---|---|
-SS | -S | -C,-D,-F,-G,-H,-L,-M,-N,-R | -A,-Ă, -E, -Ĕ |
finger/fingers
gladys/gladyss FIVE FINGERS yss myedd gladyss DESC.PART five fingers |
book/books
cahăr/cahărs TWO BOOKS yss dă cahărs DESC.PART two fingers |
glacydĕ/glacydĕs
blackberry/blackberries TEN BLACKBERRIES yss yey glacydĕs DESC.PART ten blackberries |
Description Worlds
Specific Time Words
Determiners etc
Comparative & Superlative
Verbs
Tense
Mood
Numerical System
Greetings
Polarity
POSTITIVE STATEMENT
Adde ladd decĕs Genĕdĕr assenef.
I am Jennifer.
SUBJ.PART-NOM I OBJ.PART-ACC Jennifer am-IMPERF.
NEGATIVE STATEMENT
To make a statement negative all you have to do is add the negative particle ‘nĕy’ before the verb.
Adde ladd decĕs Genĕdĕr nĕy assanef.
I am not Jennifer.
SUBJ.PART-NOM I OBJ.PART-ACC Jennifer NEG.PART am-IMPERF.
ASKING A QUESTION IN THE NEGATIVE
If there are also mood or aspect particles the negative particle appears last.
Mady nĕy yamnădlef adde yadd?
Shouldn’t you sleep?
MOOD.ID-DEB NEG.PART sleep-IMPERF SUBJ.PART-NOM you?
Answer: Fyĕ! [No!]
Word Bank
Examples
Adydĕ. Adde ladd dĕcĕs Genĕdĕr assenef.
Hello.FOR SUBJ.PART-NOM I OBJ.PART-ACC Jennifer is-IMPERF.
Hello. I am Jennifer.
Adde mysefe ysse rĕd assanya.
SUBJ.PART-NOM that DESC.PART-NOM red see-PERF.
That was red.
Adde ladd dĕcĕs cahăr yssĕss yelĕ ymessanef.
SUBJ.PART-NOM I OBJ.PART-ACC book DESC.PART-ACC yellow see-IMPERF.
I am seeing a yellow book.
Adde Genĕdĕr dĕcĕss ydden dĕcery yadd agĕnessanya.
SUBJ.PART-NOM Jennifer OBJ.PART-ACC food OBJ.PART-DAT you give-PERF.
Jennifer gave you food.
SUBJ.PART-NOM sun shine-IMPERF.
Adde ladd yamnădlef
SUBJ.PART-NOM I sleep-PERF.
I am sleeping.
Adde ladd mane yamnădlef...
SUBJ.MARK-NOM I MOOD.ID-COND sleep-IMPERF.
If I was sleeping....
SUBJ.MARK-NOM I DESC.PART this born-PERF.
Adde ladd yss myafa gaganădya.
SUBJ.MARK happy ETC.MARK-GEN one DESC.PART one ETC.MARK only exist-IMPERF, SUBJ.MARK (to) love-IMPERF ETC.MARK be love-PERF.
One’s happiness is only one.
there is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved
I like chicken
SUBJ.PART-NOM I OBJ.MARK-ACC chicken like-IMPERF.
Adde ladd dĕces chicken calassanef.
This blanket is soft.
SUBJ.PART-NOM blanket DESC.PART this ETC.PART soft be-IMPERF.
I gloss everything.
I OBJ.PART-ACC everything gloss-IMPERF.
I walk like a duck.
I DESC. duck-ADV walk-IMPERF.
Ladd dĕc sylĕdam rĕmssanef.
I am a duck.
I OBJ-ACC duck be-IMPERF.
Ladd dĕcĕs sylĕdam assanef.
Sleep!
MOOD.ID-IMP sleep-FUTURE.
Marel yamnădlef.
SUBJ.PART-NOM I SUBJ.PART-GEN fish OBJ-ACC this see-PERFECT.
TIME.PART. Now SUBJ.PART-NOM I SUBJ.PART-GEN fish DESC.PART shark be-PERF.
My goldfish saw this, now he's a shark
Adde ladd addyĕ myna dĕcĕs myafa ymessanya, hyl yma ladd addyĕ myna yss fĕrsmyna assanya.
Yesterday I went into the forest to find a bunch of tiny berries.
Ladd dĕc gedly hyl agăsa sesĕ, dĕcĕss ydĕs yss myn amaryssanya.
subj.part-nom I loc.part forest Time.part yesturday, reason-being, obj,part-acc berry-PL desc.part tiny find.