Conlang

*He uses long and beautiful words, but is all river-speak. *Otein kagdu do sela gang do, shikalevwa ost

Ksegwar lisasama ritamnat. - People who do not sleep become sick.

Banse e ne-okens baarida ghaverang. - I am thinking that you should leave this place today. Kseghwar kitach banha ebaaves. - Books increase the knowledge of our people.

Hwam banet gatuha samanyid. Hwa vitnade. - I used to think that bread wasn’t delicious. I was wrong.

Anwar: - Nebarichewar? Beinas: - Haad. Chense ihedang-hito. Anwar: Sachen pe atan levas pen. Beinas: Tsokens isida e sama e An-Bei enyo chense isiverai e. Anwar: Baarishav ghaverang.

A: Do you see that there? B: Yes. I see an empty hill. A: I don’t see animals or a water source. B: You and I will need to go to a shelter to sleep, because I can see the stars. A: Such is the nomad’s day.

I want to go - Munse kenwa. I want to go to that place - Munse kenwa baarida

I see you - Cherse o. I caused them to see you - Suecheba o. (Su-e-che-ba) I caused sight - Echewaba. ( I to-see caused) I caused them not to see me in order that I might go to that place. - Setachewaba vo e nekense e baarida.

Worldbuilding

I picture this area as an slightly inland mountainous region near a large river. Monsoons are seasonal. Winter is very mild by the river, but dangerous on the slopes. Technology is neither modern nor historical. Generally pre-industrial except for more advanced material/ chemical science, and mechanical power gained from the river put to more uses. The language features VSO order, with emphasis on aspect. Very fine distinctions are made in the prepositions, comparatively little in the pronouns. It derives from a proto-language highly inflected in modals with more permissive phonology. Noun gender is animate(abstract)/ inanimate (concrete). Ideas, concepts, ‘higher’ animals, celestial bodies, and humans are considered animate, objects and ‘lower’ animals are considered inanimate.

Unusual cultural features include belief in partite paternity Pratice of an australian walkabout for all young adults whose families are above abject poverty. Youth leave for their walkabout when they feel the time is right, or when their mother tells them they’re stalling. All towns in a wide radius keep haylofts for the wanderers. Wanderers generally return after a year or two. Pre-walkabout individuals are considered competent children, post-walkabouts are considered full adults and citizens. Wanderers must work for their bread. Farmers love them because they will happily work for a season for no pay but soup, bread, and hayloft. There is however the high likelihood of them vanishing in the night on you. A dull roar of debauchery is fully expected of wanderers, but thieves are not treated with mercy. If news that a child of their family committed violence on walkabout reaches the wanderer’s family, the youth will most likely be summoned before members of their house to explain themselves. If they are found animal they may be disinheirited of the House, and other Houses notified, leaving their only real paths forward to either work for another member of the house, hope that their friends are willing to take them in, or to exile themselves. Large adoptive family groups being the main structure of society. Most justice is done within the houses, or gatherings of houses for important cases. Business and careers are usually done through family connections. Powerful and wealthy houses practice endless politicing, and would do more were it not for the tight bonds of marriage between every house. It is possible and common to be adopted into more than one house. Being associated with a disreputable house is a difficult stain on a reputation to remove. Best to disown the house, and/or befriend someone from another. The tangle of houses is considered the true mark of culture, and people take great joy in it. (At least, those with the skill to exploit the connections.) Equal-rights polyandry is a common practice, polygyny is less common. Most children have multiple fathers. Name structure: House name - Given Name - (Grandmother’s given name)-Mother’s given name- Mother’s family name - Ex: a young man called by his friends Gaatu, of House Nichevegit could have as full name : Nichevegit gaatu Kilete Ryagi Barileves. His mother’s name was Nichevegit ryagi Psoina Barileves His father’s name when born was Nichevegit dzugura Natani Verain Meshemet, after marraige was Nichevegit dzugura Natani Verain Meshemet Barileves. The shortest formal way of writing gaatu’s name is Nichevegit gaatu Barileves Capitalisation represents formal script. Family trees are very easy to make, except for marking every time Houses join. Houses keep geneologies. Members within a House refer to each other as sisters and brothers, but marriage within the same House is very common. Marriage withing the same family name, even if it is to who in Western culture would be referred to as a kissing cousin, is considered completely unacceptable. Inheritance of land falls generally, but by no means universally, to the youngest child, on the condition that they take care of their parents in their old age. Houses will often, true to their name, own land, building enough space to keep the entire House on site. (similar to Pacific Islander family compounds.) Inheritance is simplified by daughters having multiple husbands, fusing land. Even if a child is born to a longtime family of a House, they are not guaranteed a part as an adult. Children of House families are welcome, but are not members until accepted after their walkabout. Non-noble Houses have considerably less power, accept all children, and generally act like a large extended family. Those without a House to their name are somewhat discriminated against, or distrusted. Many people born to high-class families were not skilled or connected or liked enough to be accepted into the House of their birth. Houses give many opportunities, but it is very possible to find employment elsewhere. The Houseless tend to be either very educated or very uneducated, high-class or unpleasant to deal with (or both). Middle-class Houses, because Houses do not generally split money, are always welcoming new people. The most common religion of the area is closest to Taoism in social norms, or Hinduism in belief in many supernatural entities similar to humans and belief in reincarnation. Open spaces spaces are revered as sources of revelation or challenge. The concept of ‘Open spaces’ does not translate well into English. Wilderness may be closer, but not all wilderness is an open space. Mountains (Hitoikang), deserts, oceans, sky, and dangerously untamed forests are all considered open spaces. A better word may be non-human spaces. Rivers, safe forests, most plains, mountains (Ihedang) and all towns are not open spaces. Hawks are considered secret-keepers and levelers of fate. Powerful people fear hawks, destitute people revere them. Capturing a hawk and forcing it to reveal its secrets is both seen as possible and suicidal.

Look up words in Basque?

Phonology

Phonology: P t k b d g F v s sh (ch) M n ng L r (tap) Ts bs dz ps ks

Pya tya kya bya dya gya Fya vya sya chya Mya nya ngya Lya rya

w I e a o u Ei ai oi

All consonants are pronounced lightly, with short voicing onset time. All vowels are similar to Japanese in length , with the exception of /u/, which is rounded Vowel length is marked ie. gatu - bread, vs gaatu - common given name

Stress pattern: default first syllable, dipthongs stressed, most mores syllable stressed Stress is non-phonemic

FUTURE IS UP Consistent with: GOOD IS UP FUTURE IS BETTER UNKNOWN IS UP The sun rising

PAST IS DOWN Consistent with: KNOWN IS DOWN Death

SOON IS NEARBY RECENT IS NEARBY

STATES ARE PLACES, CHANGE IS MOVEMENT Prepositions for change: ‘go’ metaphorical simile change of state ‘Grow’ natural / inevitable change, positive connotations

Words with vibe: Archaic words:

Dzaroi Nagana Litsun Toka Pidara Mnesoi Vaksha Nipa Skibara Fareino Shikai Samang Sama Tsatakang Dagyon Asan Ngadi Levasho Riketo Sotu Tein Sai Deyavu Sitna Onedi Insa Kem Etai Basai Inya Ngebe Tedane Okaida Pyete Yaash Syengyei Yeshha Ksegh Selador

Death Sleep

plurals : dzasaroi Nanagan Lilitsun todoka pibidara nemesoi Favaksha Nimipa Skisibara Favareino Shisikai Shasamang

Dzatakang

Isivarai Verai liverai Reverad Isvarai Isivarai Verang Chera Richera Richerat Cherang Cheruverai Licherang Ya Yad Yaabse Yabstrikaat

Trikaa Trikaarichera Light light-using-thing / bright-thing (SC) ri-verai-dor / light-using / bright Star (little light) Stars (diminuative reinterpreted as first syllable) Sol (great light) Eye Observant person Observant thing, mirror (later camera) Moon lighted-eyes, idiomatic ‘has a secret’ Person with a calling, or an obsession Open, openness Open (adj) Open area, plains, sky as seen from below Vast area, bird’s eye view, sky as seen from mountains Yabse-trikaa-t : Sky-hawk-(of) Hawk, general bird. Prototype of bird is a bird of prey Hawk-Watcher. Folkloric entity that follows people considering evil, watching their every move. While most people don’t believe fully in the Trikaarichera, it is considered the height of foolishness to argue when a hawk is about. Meeting a stranger while a hawk flies above unsettles even the unsuperstitious.

Isivarai Mna (archeic, sama’s ancestor) Sama Samador Samang Samanedor Risamang Samangat Shisamanga

Ksegwar lisasama risamangat. *life, wakefulness Sleep Sleepy/ sleeper Death Deathly User of death, cold-blooded murderer Corpse Maker of corpses, violent person, impersonal connotations, a mercenary Saying: People who do not sleep become corpses. Used to frighten children into going to sleep Gloss: GNO-go(change) person-neg-sleep person-death-thing

Koi Asan Asang Onedi?

Life (of plants) Life (of animals) Life (of humans) Tree

Vashu Veshut Vashudo Veshetor Shivasu Shivashung Shiveshut Shivishungit Shilevas Levas

Rilevas

Levasida Levasidang

Islevas Levasho Barileves shikalev Water Water-thing, ice Watery Icy, frozen Water-maker, storm flood-causing storm Snow-storm, ice-maker Blizzard, great-ice-maker River-maker, source, waterfall River, includes some ‘creeks’, ‘lakes’, and ‘ponds’. The main body of water in any area but the coast is called a Levas River-man, fisherman, anyone who wins bread on the water (riverside/ by a body of water) Towns and cities Poetic/ ceremonial, the Great City of the Water

Creek, small pond (little river)

Those of the river River-speak, idiomatic- poetic speech without solidity He uses long and beautiful words, but is all river-speak. Otein kagdu do sela gang do, shikalevwa ost

use-HAB word-PLU /and/ beautiful thing, long event /and/ River-speak (contradictory particle)

Ulo Mare Marshu Uloshu Cold Hot Hot enough to boil water Cold enough to freeze water

Shei Ishei Sheidor Sheit Sheverai

Rishavarai Wind, gust Breeze, little wind Windy *solid-wind? Metaphorical Wind-light, the north star. Ancient metaphor for north Person of the north star, wanderer, gypsy. Modern language shortens to Rishav, or Shavar

Ida Baida Shavarda

Richerda Place, idiomatic home School Wanderer’s home, tent (implied to be a comfortable yurt-type structure)

Ban Banse e ne-okens baarida ghaverang.

Kseghwar kitach banha ebaaves. Hwam banet gatuha samanyid. Hwa vitnade. Knowledge, thought I am thinking that you should leave this place today.

Books increase the knowledge of our people. I used to think that bread wasn’t delicious. I was wrong.

Fishavar kado wanderer’s word Road sign, traveler’s mark Fre Shava Cado

Kadu Kadot Kitach Pidara pitarach Shikai Ratadai Shikat Riskai lishikat Word Written word Book

Speak Speak (passionately, conno of argument) Write Speaker writer

Bari- Baar-

Examples: Barileves Baarda

Those of, that of These of, this of

That of the river (riverpeople, I’m from the river)last name This place

Munya Love

Cheni Chuna Chano Chena Woman Man neither/ unknown Both / mixed gender group is Chesena

Daan Hiokt Hitoike Ishei-daang Ihedang Hitoikangu (rare) Hito Onedi Nainodi Nikengow Nakodwe Anwar: - Nebarichewar? Beinas: - Haad. Chenwa ihedang-hito. Anwar: Sachen pe atan levas pen. Beinas: Tsokemsina isida e sama e An-Bei enyo chenwa isiverai e Anwar: Baarishav veche. Stone mountain/ hard-ground hill (proto-language) Hard-ground area Windy area, great stone (mountain, proto) Mountain, implies plantlife and cliffs Mountain/ deadland, implies barrenness not elevation Reanalyzed from hitoikangu, empty, lifeless Tree Trees, copse, woodland Forest, proto Forested area, larger than a day’s walk A: (question) that-see-GNO B: yes. see-CONT mountain-empty A: NEG-see /or/ animal-life, body of water /or/ B: need-go-PER dimun-place /purpose/ sleep /purpose/ You and me, /speaker’s purpose/ see-CONT stars /purpose/. A: this-(is)-nomad day.

A: Do you see that there? (dismayed hand) B: Yes. I see an empty mountain. (agree) A: I don’t see animals or a water source. (dismayed) B: You and I will need to go to a shelter to sleep, because I can see the stars. A: Such is the nomad’s day. (agree)

deep/ far in In (container) In (geographic) With (person with person) With (item with item) With (person with item, have/ ownership) Where (geographic) Where (human scale) There (geographic) There (human scale)

POSSESIVE MODIFIER IS FI- GENDER Inanimate gender: Animate gender: inanimate is converted to animate by adding -n if the last syllable has a stop, -r, -l, or -s otherwise animate is converted to inanimate by adding the same vowel as the first syllable (vowel harmony) These rules only apply for derivations, Ri- added before an inanimate word makes it animate To convert a Ri- word to inanimate add -t, or -it if the word ends in a vo The adjective ending -dor removes any gender markings Abstract concepts and celestial bodies are nearly always marked as animate I.e. Death - Samang, Corpse/carcass - Samanga Gender distinction animate/ inanimate, or abstract/ concrete, mental/ physical

General nouns converted to specific nouns with -t / -it ie. Richera - observant (person), to Richerat, observant-thing. -t / -it removes ambiguity , in Vashu - water, Vashut - water-thing, ice

Ex: Nipa - Nipan Pidara - Pidaras Samang - Samanga Levasho - Levashos Dagyon - Dagyona Litsun - Litsuni Selador - Seladore

BOOK

person Likitach Ri- / Li- place bookstore/ library book-keep collection bookshelf/ library book-many tool pen word-ash adjective bookish word-eyes causative write book-do diminutive pamphlet book-small instrumentative

process or state knowledge, departure, whiteness associated person fighter, librarian place dining room, book-place (= library) collection woods, word-hoard (= dictionary) tool borer, cut-thing (= knife) characteristic adjective warlike, bovine, stellar causative redden, make-die (= kill) diminutive doggie, Johnnie, mujercita augmentative big-dog, mujerona inhabitant Verdurian, Xurnese negative unfamiliar, undo, atheism

SYNTAX

Sentence order: verb/ subject/ object

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog Jump-near fox-quick-brown over dog-lazy

AND EXCLUSIVE OR INCLUSIVE OR

VERBS:

Precise tense distinctions are optional and rarely used, generally derived from context Tense marked optionally with particles (up/down)

Aspect, however, is usually marked: Perfective, completed, or isolated Imperfective Continuous, present Habitual/ HAB Gnomic One-time event, unusual or to an unusual degree, ceremonial

Liya - play

Shid - make

cont Liyase, oliyas, sulias

Shidse, oshids, sushids perf Liyet, oliyet, suliyet

Shidet, oshidet, sushidet hab Liyaise, oliyais, suliyais

Shidise, oshidis, sushidis gno Liyawar, oliyawar, suliyawar

Shidwar, oshidwar, sushidwar inf Liyawa

Shidwa caus Liyaba

Shidba int/ subjuct Neliyawa

Neshidwa

Mun - want 1 2 3 Continuous munse omuns sumuns Perfective munut omunut sumunut Habitual munuse omunus sumunus Gnomic munwar omunwar sumunwar Infinitve munwa omunwa sumunwa Causative munba omunba sumunba Interro/ Subjuct nemunwa

I want to go - Munse kenwa. I want to go to that place - Munse kenwa baarida

Ken - Go Continuous Perfective Habitual Gnomic Infinitive Causative I/ we/ us kense kenet kenese kenwar kenwa kenba you okens okenet okenes okenwar

okenba he/ they sukens sukenet sukenes sukenwar

sukenba Obiviate

habitual is doubled Plurals are externally marked if necessary Pronouns for verbs are embedded E - 1st, O- 2nd, Su - 3rd I caused him to go - Suekenba ‘Go to’ is unnecessary, ‘to’ is included in Ken

Cher -see 1 2 3 4 Continuous cher-se o-cher-s su-cher-s

Perfective cher-t o-cher-t su-cher-t

Habitual cher-es o-cher-es su-cher-es

Gnomic che-war o-che-war su-che-war

Infinitive che-wa

Causative che-ba o-che-ba su-che-ba

Interro/ Subjuct ne-chewa

Negative is sa, or ta I see you - Cherse o. I caused them to see you - Suecheba o. (Su-e-che-ba) Causative is frequent, ‘ I caused them’ - ‘Su-e-xxxxx-ba’ is contracted to ‘Se-xxxxx-ba’ I caused sight - Echewaba. ( I to-see caused) I caused them not to see me in order that I might go to that place. Setachewaba vo e nekense e baarida. S-e-ta-che-wa-ba vo e ne-ken-se e baar-ida S-e-ta-chewaba vo e ne-kense e baarida (Them I not to-see caused) me /purpose/ might-go /purpose/ that place.

I walked to school: walk is perfective I was walking to school, but then I got lost. : walk is imperfect, lost is perfective I am walking to school: walk is continuous I walk to school: walk is habitual Children walk to school: walk is gnomic I walked to school for the first time today: walk is one-time My great-grandfather walked to school uphill both ways: walk is perfective if historical, habitual if biographical

I’m about to leave to go to school: habitual : leave-1st-HAB/IMP go-inst school I graduate in two years: one-time : graduate-1st-PER/CER wait yeyear I plan to become an engineer: Isolated : plan-1st-PER self-causative engineer

Questions are formed with a prefix to the verb You are going to school - go-2nd learn-cause-place(aspect unmarked) - kemwa baida Are you going to school? - ne-go-2nd school? - nekemwa baida? I will never go home - neg-go-1st-Iso place - sakemsina ida The isolating aspect forces the simple negative into a permanent, at least for the speaker

Nouns are converted to verbs with -?

Personal pronouns are not used for anything other than humans and beloved pets No ‘the boxes, they are red.’ instead, when speaking in the continuous or unmarked gnomic ‘Red boxes’, or even casually ‘red box’ when plurals are unmarked

The first word of the sentence is assumed to be the verb no matter the part of speech

Stars are beautiful (always) - sela-GNO Isivarai The stars are beautiful - sela Isivarai , or sela Isvarai (lit. beautiful-thing(ing) stars, verb ending unecessary) The stars are beautiful (especially tonight) - sela- Isivarai (lit. beautiful stars)

The sun is bright - Riverai Verang Capitalisation Conventions celestial bodies are written in formal script, transliterated as capitals Also in formal script are: Titles (this culture has many titles, most people have several) Family names Names of honored dead (ie. historic general, your aunt, your friend’s 7*great-grandfather, but not the thief who stole your grandma’s horse 60 years ago) Certain ancient cities The river

Not in formal script are: Personal names Most places Loanwords

Example names: Family names tend to have unusual phonotactics Names with fronted vowels and unvoiced consonants are diminuative Backed/long vowels and voicedness are considered augmentative Neither of these are necessarily feminine or masculine, but a parent would not want to name their gentle, sweet, petite daughter Dzugura, despite the feminine sound it has to English speakers. (or their tall, strapping young lad named Kilete, despite the neutral sound to english) Names with a mix of these features are generally gender-neutral, unless a well-known historical figure of relevant gender had the name, in which case the meaning is tinged. LIberu niche Meshemet bsenit (much less common) Barileves gaatu (‘those of the river’ ‘plenty’, similar to John Smith in ubiquity) Dezanadi rigedei Psoina natani Dzugura Kilete

plurals of modern words are formed with a prefix plurals of older words with first syllable reduplication, where (generally) the first syllable is unvoiced and the second voiced. If it is easier to pronounce otherwise, it usually shifted. Sounds permitted only at word onset stay at word onset. In words 3 syllables or longer, archaic plurals can drop syllables Examples: Cat - kagat (cats) Dog - todog (dogs) Apple - Apabel (apples) Banana - pabana (bananas) Caterpillar - kagatepila (caterpillars)

No dummy subjects, Either implied subjects (ie ‘Raining.’ (Clouds? Sky? Who knows.) Or lexicalized placeholders are used. (i.e. ‘It’s raining’ vs ‘The sky is raining’) It’s nice out vs The air is gentle

Spoken language has optional lexicalized handsigns, generally only used in very social/ friendly company, not in professional settings. Handsigns generally express emotional nuance and spacial position. Suddenly refusing to use hand signs in a good circumstance when the other person is using them is akin to responding with sudden formality and coldness to a friend. The word for cold, rude, petty, passive-aggression , especially between friends and family, is Neg-hand-instrumentative, in adjective form Neg-hand-inst-adj

PRONOUNS:

No gender distinction Optional plural, only used in archaic and legal settings Inclusive and exclusive I/ we by animate/ inanimate gender Optional Open Class, generally first syllable (ie Alex, Bob, and Charlie all went to the store. They both bought fruit, but he bought bread. VS Alex, Bob, and Charlie went to the store. Al/Char fruit bought, Bob bread bought)

WIND AND SUN The North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was the stronger. N and S had a fight about who was stronger.

Shikaiwa/ Ratiwa Shei Sheverai o Verang batyo by strong or not strong Spoke north wind and sun not-together epe tagba e While they were disputing with much heat and bluster, a Traveler passed along the road wrapped in a cloak. And-light N/S spoke (using) no-hand and path-against, Shavar go(same direction) path using in-cloth.

“Let us agree,” said the Sun, “that he is the stronger who can strip that Traveler of his cloak.”“Very well,” growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold, howling blast against the Traveler.With the first gust of wind the ends of the cloak whipped about the Traveler’s body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around him, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him. The North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts were in vain. Then the Sun began to shine. At first his beams were gentle, and in the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind, the Traveler unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from his shoulders. The Sun’s rays grew warmer and warmer. The man took off his cap and mopped his brow. At last he became so heated that he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing sunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by the roadside.

VOCAB

Some Vocabulary: -go to -go away from -go in the same direction -go in the opposite direction -go up a slope (mountainous region) -go down a slope (mountain) -riverway (preposition) -sunway (up) -using/ by way of (prep) -in (liquid/ substance) -in (container) -blue is a poetic adjective for upwards/ higher/ highest -green is a poetic adj for downwards/ lower/ lowest