Lexicon Building

Substantial postings about constructed languages and constructed worlds in general. Good place to mention your own or evaluate someone else's. Put quick questions in C&C Quickies instead.
User avatar
Jonlang
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 305
Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:21 am
Location: Cymru
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Jonlang »

din wrote:next: to fix, to repair
Quebric: quodië /kwɔdjɛ/ to fix, to repair

Next: comfortable
My conlangery Twitter: @Jonlang_
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott has no real word for 'comfortable'. Instead a construction like the following is used for furniture:

i miccgou liam mie o miag /i ˈmiʔˁːuː jam mjə ʊ mjaː/ – the bed is comfortable (lit. the bed lies itself comfortably; or, the bed is laid comfortably)

For being comfortable with one's environment, you can use:

mogspatte /ˈmoːspɪtːə/ (v) to be gentle, to be kind; to be passive; to be calm, to be at ease, to be laid back; to be comfortable (with one's surroundings); to be carefree, to be untroubled, to be lighthearted
- mogs /moːs/ (pref) soft, cushioned; smooth, polished; mellow, subdued, tranquil, relaxing
- patte /ˈpɛtːə/ (n) belly, gut

- - -

next: thermometer
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
Lich
Sanci
Sanci
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:30 am
Location: Aral Gamelain

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Lich »

szecymiotarz [ˈʂɛt̪͡s̪ɨˌmʲɔt̪aʂ] m. - thermometer; szecy (from PG *haitį̄) + miotarz (from PG metaną + -ārijaz), literally "heat-measurer."

Next: altar
Karajakor dazaran

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott:

mosliam ˈmosjam, ˈmoɕam (n) altar
- mos- mos (pref) by or for parents or ancestors; naturally, of natural causes; logically, by default
- liam jam (v) to lie, to lie down (oneself); to lay, to lay down (something); to be placed horizontally, to be placed flat on a surface

- - -

next:
washing machine (or washboard, if not available)
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
Soap
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1228
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: Scattered disc
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Soap »

Poswa:

I actually dont know what a washboard is but I know some people wash their clothes in what's basically an oversized sink, either because they dont have a working washing machine or because they have clothes that require hand washing. I imagine this idea is very old, perhaps even going back to before the common availability of running water. The word for this is popi, a catch-all term for anything between a urinal and a hot tub in size that holds water. There are lots of words for clothes, and a few words for towels and washcloths. But lupum is the only word that covers both concepts. People often also wash their hands in a washbasin, since it is after all just a sink that is a little bit larger than average, but this can probably be ignored. So,

lupumpopi "wash basin" is one possibility. The other possibility is to just use the word for "wash", perhaps best expressed by rumu. However, there is no way to mark out whether the verb is transitive (in the case of washing clothes) or not (in the case of a bathtub where you wash yourself). Thus nothing separates this from the word for bathtub. I thus will stick with the first word. However that still does not mean washing machine. For this I could use the verb lepanta "to be forced to turn or rotate". Thus the proper translation for washing machine could be

lupumpopi lepanta, literally "clothes tub (that is) forced to rotate".

next:

to surround an object with one's body, to sit around something
Sunàqʷa the Sea Lamprey says:
Image

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

A washboard is a wooden frame with horizontal, often metal ridges which you rub clothes up against. I've never used one, and they look like they'd tear up your clothes, but they must work, because that's what people use(d). My grandma has one on the fence in her backyard for decoration, but she used it when she was younger.

Anyway,

in Tormiott:

sihngite ˈsiɕnʕɪtə (v) to sit around, to sit in a circle around
(from ngite (v) to sit, to be seated, to remain seated; and sih- (pref) moving around, encirling, circumscribing, delineating, outlining, touring, going around; moving outward in all directions

With a bonus expression:
tolla sihngitenius i ai ˈtolːa ˈsiɕnʕɪtəˌnyːs i ɛː (expr) let's discuss things, let's sit together; we should speak (lit. let's sit around the fire; BEGIN sit.around-3p.MOM fire)

For the other definition you gave:

cassuipa ˈkɛsːwɪpa (v) to hold tightly, to hold lovingly; to wrap one's body around (someone)
(from suipa (v) to wrap, from ON sveipa; and cath- (pref) endearment, friendliness, providing comfort; positive attitude)

For objects, I guess you could use the following word instead. I actually made the word and then found that I'd already derived the exact same word with the exact same meaning. At least my thinking processes are consistent...

soccain ˈsokːɛːn (v) to grasp (not mentally), to clutch, to firmly hold (onto), to keep; to defend (honor, pride)
(from cain (v) to grab; to clutch; to clasp onto, to attach, to link up; and sodd- (pref) around or pertaining to the limbs; of or pertaining to the bones)

- - -

nextː
letter (character)
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
Lich
Sanci
Sanci
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:30 am
Location: Aral Gamelain

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Lich »

bakstób [ˈbaks̪t̪up] f. - letter; bak (from PG *bōks) + stób (from PG stabaz), literally "bookstaff."

Next: blasphemy
Karajakor dazaran

hwhatting
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2315
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2002 2:49 am
Location: Bonn, Germany

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by hwhatting »

Lich wrote:Next: blasphemy
Tautisca: daiwuduffati (concept, act), daiwuduffamun (blasphemic utterance), from daiwus "god" and duffaten "slander, denigrate, disparage, speak ill of"

Next: part, share

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott:

open ˈowən (n) division; half; separation; part, piece (commonly iogopen); shore, coast (more commonly staropen); (v) to divide; to cut, to slice; to pare, to cut off (compare dotsion, natian, miun)

iogopen ˈjoʕowən (n) part, piece; chunk {from iog- (pref) tiny, unimpressive, insignificant + open}

pîd [coppa] pei piːn ... pəj (v) to share with, to divide among (lit. to pour [someone] a cup)

- - -

next:
hair gel (or some other hair product people in your con-whatever use)
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
Soap
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1228
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: Scattered disc
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Soap »

din wrote:hair gel (or some other hair product people in your con-whatever use)
Poswa:
safamišiem, from safa "beauty; hair of the head" + miši "liquid soap" + džim "slime; ooze; stretchable solid". Poswa has aggressive sound rules that replace unacceptable sound sequences with other (generally shorter) ones. The first two morphemes by themselves, safamiši, mean "shampoo" and this is the base word from which all other words for hair products are formed. The Poswobs are a very hygiene-conscious culture, and despite living at a level of development comparable to medieval Earth they already have two basic root words for soap, one (mabem) for the solid form and the other (miši) for the liquid form. They also are stereotypically obsessed with hair styles, of both men and women, to the point that their primary word for beauty is also a word for the hair on top of the head.

Pabappa:
apubliparpa for now, though I'm not so sure they would have the exact same morpheme breakdown as the Poswa word despite having all three morphemes be from sources different from the Poswa counterparts. Essentially this word would be a calque, and I don't really like using calques.
-----------

next: hairstyle
Sunàqʷa the Sea Lamprey says:
Image

User avatar
Lich
Sanci
Sanci
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:30 am
Location: Aral Gamelain

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Lich »

ą̌gyąsa [ˈãː˥˩gjãsa], past passive participle of ą̌g- "to brush, comb."

Translate: "mockery"
Karajakor dazaran

User avatar
masako
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1731
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 4:31 pm
Location: 가매
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by masako »

Lich wrote:next: mockery
Kala: nuka - joke; banter; tease; mock

next: to break-dance; break-dancing

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

I don't imagine any of the traditional Miott dances to look anything like break dancing, so if I had to borrow the word, it would either just be breakdance, or pricdans, which would both be pronounced /ˈpɾiɡdɪns/.

If I really insisted on translating it, it would be meitituara /ˈməjtɕəˌtwaɾa/, which would be odd, because the 'break' in break dance is from 'breakdown' (in music), rather than the act of breaking (meiti).


next:
fist
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
Soap
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1228
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: Scattered disc
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Soap »

din wrote:

next:
fist
Ive always felt that hands are adorable and I find it strange that a fist is used as a symbol of violence. a fist is just a ball of soft skin and flesh with some of the body's most easily breakable bones inside. if Im fighting someone, but he moves out of the way and i hit a tree by mistake, i'll hurt myself and probably start bleeding too. What kind of a weapon is that?

In fact just this morning I had a dream that a man was arguing against a bunch of other humans that people needed to take action against a species of creeping grass that was taking over their lawns and even climbing up buildings ... it may have been part vine, part grass, like kudzu. He specifically said that it was nature that was hurting them, not the grass, so when nobody seemed to agree with him, he said "Nature is red in tooth and claw". Then he was immediately pounced on by a black cougar and his argument was over.

So, currently Poswa does not have a word for fist. What I can say is that it is a temporary state of being for a hand, and therefore the word would need to take the form of "hand" + a verb meaning "curl up, form a ball". Pep is the common word for hand, although it has a suppletive form, py, which appears as the initial element in SOV compounds. A verb meaning to curl up is masep. Therefore, with Poswa's aggressive sound rules, the word for fist could be

Pympep
"Hand curled up"

I do have a word for punching, rupwus, which i seem to have derived from a word for the back of the hand (opposite the palm, I dont think English has a name for it), and another one, webi, that is mostly used with the iterative aspect marker -at-, thus forming webwate, meaning "to pound repeatedly with the hands, as if to break or break open". This word is simply derived from the word for hand rather than the word for fist. In some contexts Poswobs are likely to use verbs where English speakers might use nouns, so one could say

Žysiepapi vaffebi webwafub.
I broke the glass with my repeated pounding.

------

next: treasure, especially a secret hidden from close relatives and friends
Sunàqʷa the Sea Lamprey says:
Image

User avatar
Jonlang
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 305
Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:21 am
Location: Cymru
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Jonlang »

Soap wrote:next: treasure, especially a secret hidden from close relatives and friends
Quebric: úrilh /urɪɬ/ treasure (m. noun). As in "a treasured possession".
- írílhië /iriɬiε/ to treasure (verb-noun).

Next: shipwreck
My conlangery Twitter: @Jonlang_
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott:

natadam ˈnɛtɪðam (n) ruin; wreck, shipwreck; remains
-- nat- (pref) pertaining to destruction, breaking down, taking apart, taking off, processing, digestion, consumption, use
-- adam (v) to stand; to remain, to withstand

- - -

next: volume (sound)
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
kusuri
Lebom
Lebom
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 3:57 pm
Location: 此の市、其の州、彼の国

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by kusuri »

Woyy-bairah:

ghua-hhungdu, cching-hhungdu, chuhu-hhungdu Volume.
ghua Music, noise, tone, hum.
cching Noise.
chuhu Sound.
hhungdu Measure, test, standing; measurement, rank.

lauh-mausa, lauh-ppha-mausa, bbesh-mausa, bbesh-ppha-mausa Shipwreck.
pha-mausa Wreck(age).
lauh Ship.
bbesh Boat, ship.
mausa Corpse.
ppha Disaster, end, wreck, breakdown; inhuman death.

mmeosh-kaunbhah, mmeoshme-kaunbhah Secret treasure; unspoken opinion; mistake fixed before others see it.
kaunbhah Covering oneself when eating or laughing, after coughing or farting, etc.
mmeosh, mmeoshme Bones; minerals (in the earth).

dhus, ppipa-jio Fist.
ppipa Wrap, envelope, scarf, swaddling.
jio Hand.

bbhigih A youthful dance style involving a lot of spinning, dipping, and swooping low to the ground; to fall and catch oneself.
bbhigih-ppha Signature move, elegant flourish, exciting stunt; to (fall and try to catch oneself and) hit the ground hard (anyways).

weh-niu, gghau-niu Mockery, ridicule.
weh Light laughter, titters.
gghau Heavy laughter, guffaws.
niu To spear, stab, sew.

llawlah-choh Hairstyling.
llawlah-choh-sshaushi Hair gel.
llawlah Hands in water; testing the temperature of water; splashing; fin.
choh Fur, lining; manuscript decorations.
sshaushi Sap, syrup; thick liquid.

lobo Part, portion, take, ratio.
wwuw Part, piece, slice, section.

nuh Blasphemy, slander.

pphe Letter, symbol, mark, note.
pphele Letter.

shuoshkhuh-nnah Sit around; sit at a table.
chuh-nna Sit around; stealthily surround an enemy/animal.
ppipa-nna Sit closely to something (e.g. fire).
shuoskhuh Around; perimeter, surroundings.
nnah Sit, crouch.

cheiss-jjiinng Washboard.
cheiss Shake, beat, scrub, wash, brush; clean, clean out.
jjiinng Back, spine.

seen, seenbe Altar, small table.

llawlah-hhungdu Temperature; thermometer; within the bounds of acceptability.

konn Comfortable, fitting, snug, correct, exact, evenly mixed/proportioned.

lla-tian, konn-tian Fix, answer, solution.
lla Good, excellent, best.
tian Adjust, move, shift, tap, snip, tie up, correct, round off.

bbhoorbhoh-ka Translate.
bbhoorbhoh Language, dialect.
ka Trade; replace.

llawlah-tian Dip smth into smth.
rrii-miungmih Dip, bow, bend over.
rrii Low.
miungmih Bend, curtsy.

yyiessh-jirr-mmul Reliable future event; prediction.
yyiessh Pattern; repetition.
jirr-mmul Future event, coincidence, omen, deja-vu.
jirr Again, later.
mmul Action, event (natural, uncontrolled, unrefined).

ruum-kkhuakhu (Implements of) torture [euphemistic].
ruum Disapprove, reprimand, scold.
kkhuakhu Stir; spoon, stick.


yyiesh-shaa-mmul Obsess, obsession.
yyiesh-shaa Obsession; obsessed-over thing.
shaa Favorite thing; pet.
jirr-ppipa-nnah Fascination, adoration.


Next word: attribution, credit.

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott:

atohuird ˈɛtahwɪɹn (v) to attribute to, to give credit to
- a (pref) transitive
- tohuird ˈtohwɪɹn (v) to honor, to regard with respect
- - toh (pref) passing by, passing over, going by; also succeeding, surpassing, completing; from one to the other, transferring
- - uird wiɹn (v) to be honorable; to be dignified; (n) honor, dignity, worth {from ON virðing}

_____

next: downfall, ruin
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
fielddecorator
Niš
Niš
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 9:59 am
Location: perth, earth
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by fielddecorator »

middle heaque:

vahcale [ˈvaxkəlʲɨ] - nc. downfall, ruin

next: retaliation

User avatar
Soap
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1228
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 2:57 pm
Location: Scattered disc
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Soap »

fielddecorator wrote:middle heaque:

vahcale [ˈvaxkəlʲɨ] - nc. downfall, ruin

next: retaliation
I think I'll go with a compound this time.

Poswa: pumbva "feud, anger, dedication to revenge" + soppto "counterattack", which is itself a compound of sop "re-, reverse; answer, reply" and poto "attack". An -m- links the two words together, as well, showing the attack was *caused by* the feud. Therefore, with regularly applied sound rules, the word becomes

pumbvampoppwo.

As a verb, this behaves as a regular verb of the -o conjugation. Thus one can say

Mabvop pimpožebesap, pumbvampoppwabebi.
I took revenge on the one who stole my soap.

Pabappa: The same morphemes used in the Poswa word have cognates in Pabappa which are respectively pimpini and sopartu. However, Pabappa doesn't generally use nested compounds, and so I think the Pabaps would be willing to sacrifice the precision of meaning given bu the Poswa word in favor of just using a word for "attack", and that instead of using the cognate of the Poswa word they would use their more common native word, pupola. Also, there is no need to insert an -m- between the two morphemes. With Pabappa's regularly applied sound changes, the resulting word could be

pimpinibupola. Often, even this compound would be broken up in favor of juxtaposing the two words and stressing both words equally, giving pimpini pupola (sandhi does not cross word boundaries in Pabappa).

---------


next:

butterfly
Sunàqʷa the Sea Lamprey says:
Image

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott:

onsemhadas ˈonsəmˌhɛðɪs (n) butterfly
- onsem (n) flower
- has (v) to drink, to breathe → hadas (active form)

____

next: lap (of the body)
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

User avatar
tubendo
Niš
Niš
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2016 8:58 pm

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by tubendo »

Language: so Bazusaemi /so bazusæmɪ/ (the Speech)

lap (n): veumi /βʊemɪ/
Derived from: veuefeumin /βʊefʊmɪn/ (lit. ontop the legs)
- on-top (n): veue /βʊe/
- leg (pl)(n): feumin /fʊmɪn/ -> leg (n): feumi /fʊmɪ/

Next word: axe

User avatar
fielddecorator
Niš
Niš
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue May 26, 2015 9:59 am
Location: perth, earth
Contact:

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by fielddecorator »

thiltose [ˈsʲɪwtɔsʲɨ] - nc. axe, splitter

next: interpret (as in arts - the violinist interpreted the sonata)

User avatar
din
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 779
Joined: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm
Location: Brussels

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by din »

Tormiott (Rockall):

lailtoil ˈlɛːltʊjl (v) to interpret (music, art, writing)
- lait- lɛːt (prep) on purpose; with a certain goal or outcome; giving ... to
- loil lʊjl (n) voice

‿‿‿‿

next: porcelain
— o noth sidiritt Tormiott

Dē Graut Bʉr
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 593
Joined: Sun Jul 07, 2013 3:03 pm
Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands

Re: Lexicon Building

Post by Dē Graut Bʉr »

Kunesian: pirke pe [pçìɾçe pʲé], from pirke: "clay".

Next: rice

Post Reply