zompist bboard

Perhaps you could accept some sort of donation then? I wouldn't mind printing it here in the States, as the prices are much more reasonable -- but only with your consent. I've been fascinated with and adored Siwa for what feels like a long time now!

Not pertaining to the lessons, but I'd love to know when a finalised copy might be ready for addition to my personal library. 2015 I hope?

Thank you all for your input. Terra, Valdelm, thank you two especially. I'd never understood the ergative-absolutive alignment, and for the first time I have a good grasp of it. I was marking transitivity and unaccusative/unergative types of intransitivity separately because I couldn't resolve thema...

What makes you think I wouldn't point this out anyway? Doesn't that prove my point? Anyways, Matsu, has all this answered your question? Is there anything that you don't understand? I'm going to have to expand my question to thematic roles as well, because it seems like an important part of underst...

Ergative/Absolutive languages have two types of verbs: 1) When the verb takes an object, the subject is the patient and the object is the agent. However, when the verb lacks an object, the subject is the *agent*. -- The apple.ABS was eaten by the dog.ERG. -- By the dog.ABS was eaten (something/some...

What makes you think I wouldn't point this out anyway? Doesn't that prove my point? As I said above, you analysis works, I don't deny it. I just find it unintuitive because... c'mon I won't repeat it a third time. Anyways, Matsu, has all this answered your question? Is there anything that you don't...

Even worse to say it's written completely flipped around! Although let me say, it is written in simplified characters in a very matter-of-fact "serif" font...a stylised sign with traditional characters is always more elegant than its simplified version.

It is meaningless. I hope you have not already gotten it tattooed on yourself! Not only is it meaningless, but it is written completely mirrored -- so incorrectly. 貳 This means "2" as a cheque numeral (forgeries, etc., 二 "2" is too easy to modify). It also means "to defect" in classical. 癸 This mean...

With my conlang, I'm thinking about shifting over my alignment from accusative-nominative to ergative-absolutive, based on the way I'm handling my verbs. But I need a better grasp of the concept of unaccusative and unergative verbs, and the difference between unergative and ergative. I don't find th...

Soap wrote:Buptap bu lwap žitšotel 100000m!

Congratulations on being the 100000th page view!

Vinny ese ve ka he ?
What's the prize?

Kennekait unähtyŋ on soihe. Putsin köttëkait on soihe.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Poutine breeds delicious.

Looks a lot like there has been some areal contact with Japanese, Korean or the Altaic languages (if you believe that they form a valid language family). Is this intentional? I don't think they form a family, but that aside, the contact isn't areal. The background of my language is an alt. history/...

Raakaotissë ese je ! Te lanpil ein vë la ein eläiiksise ka ne ? Lan on himuore je.
How barbaric! Where are you on the map again? I hunger for land.

Native words are limited to the following structures: CV, CVC, CVV, CVVC, CVCC, VC, V, VV, VVC and VCC. Consonant clusters are not allowed ; this doesn't count glides. what is allowed for those CC up there then? I might need to revise that to say native "syllables". I would imagine CC using somethi...

Cool stuff! Here's a few comments. There is no vowel harmony as Finnish has, but diphthongs only form when the otherwise non-useful vowel harmony would not be violated. Diphthongs don't form at morpheme boundaries. Are there any height restrictions on diphthongs? Are both rising and falling diphtho...

I've been working on this language, name settled on Kaujasas, for over a year. It is supposed to be what is most logically pleasing to me in a language, with all of the functions laid out as I'd like them. But as I participate in this forum more and more, I find more issues with grammar, word format...

Thry wrote:

matsu wrote:Ëh. Töy je Cina ean eläiie....
Yeah, but I live in China...

Ε σης υνα μαλδιξιών;
e shs yna maldiksion?
And is that a curse?

Irhë timio henao...Na, Cina ätmelää irpa ceto ese je.
At times... China's not good for the lungs you know.

yena ke munye a Money is an issue. Ëh. Saa, sitë la ettean leitsiat kyo, töy, irhë ve keeivelise so ë jos, syro hikkie ë asia nyn, sitë timo no leitsie kyo. Ii. Mm. You know, I could afford to get here, but at the moment I can't afford to fly back if something goes wrong. Oops. No pharyngitis eithe...

Uläy te irpa koto tye jeco. Luhcötsevy nyn, lumi kensertiejë. Nieluensy jeiso auho no esise...

A vacation might do you good! The snow's got the pollution in check a bit. No pharyngitis either, at the moment...

masako wrote:nyasak
No thanks.

ima na ke uatlahek
That's not what I need right now.

Te sakkie vilo ë asia on no otaksue ; henao vilo ë aava, öse eië ve on pauhe so, me 't sakkie ro he.
I won't assume you want to say. But if you do, or if you need anything, let me know.

Na, te ot paicou on kauhe lesso ka ?
Well, let me buy you a baijiu then, at least.

O, ve suhäälisat ka he ?
'Wait, so what happened?'

Pensokaiinpissa iun te on kiinnoikse kotto ka ?
[pen.so.ˌka.iːn.ˈpi.sːa ˈi.ɯn te on kiː.nːo.ˈik.se ˈko.tːo ka]
pensokaiinpissa iun te on kiino-iks-e kotto ka
benzocaine.pizza regard.POST 2;SG ACC interest-CAUS-PRS FP;HYP Q

'Perhaps I could interest you in a benzocaine pizza?'

This is my structure =) Acknowledgements x 1 introduction x 1.1 background to this text x 1.2 language name x 1.3 the general setting x 1.3.1 when and by whom the language is spoken x 1.4 a note on the filians x 1.5 language overview x 2 how this text is written — the form of representation x 2.1 b...

Phonology and phonotactics aren't grammar. I've seen it argued both ways. Personally I think phonology and phonotactics belong to a third category distinct from either grammar or lexicon, but that all three are highly interconnected. But it sounds like there is no clear consensus. Anyway, not to de...