Help your conlang fluency (2)

[Jipí]

Well, keep in mind "cancer" comes from "crab", so your word for it does not necessarily need to be semantically or morphologically sensible.

It won't be called that for no good reason, though. Actually, I looked it up in a dictionary, and it said that presumably it's called that because in breast cancer, the veins may spread from tumors in the shape of crab shears or feet. The Wikipedia article has a quotation by Galen that says the same. So I assume that this is the same passage my dictionary refers to.

[Colonel Cathcart]

An ikaistari izkerín siá hakte oru suorastó cancer:e. Ígia ha tululykais rakemorún ó se almáiskuru ais a jársólykais orumath ó almáissiúvamath.

Icastrian has two words for cancer. In the conversational register it's almáiskuru [ˈalmaːʃˌkʊɾʊ] (almáis- "consume, eat up" (al- "out" + máis- "eat") + kuru "knot"), and the clinical term is almáissiúvamath [ˈalmaːʃˌʃuːʋamaθ] or [ˈalmaːʃˌʃuːʋamaː] (almáis- + siúvamath "growth, tumour" (siúva- "grow, expand" + -math, a nominalizer of instances)).

[masako]

Well, keep in mind "cancer" comes from "crab", so your word for it does not necessarily need to be semantically or morphologically sensible.

It won't be called that for no good reason, though. Actually, I looked it up in a dictionary, and it said that presumably it's called that because in breast cancer, the veins may spread from tumors in the shape of crab shears or feet. The Wikipedia article has a quotation by Galen that says the same. So I assume that this is the same passage my dictionary refers to.

I guess I should say that there is no obvious semantic relationship linking the usage. One almost needs to read that entry or one like it to understand the usage.

[Zontas]

Hãlase?, [isonu] Sebarhama oPabilarù.

Cancer-Perfect?, [interruption-VOC] defART-sentience-1p [copula] Saggitarius-Imperfect.

Lit: Cancer?, [but] the sentient being [that is] I [is] a Saggitarius.

Cancer? But I'm a Saggitarius.

[clawgrip]

Hãlase?, [isonu] Sebarhama oPabilarù.

Cancer-Perfect?, [interruption-VOC] defART-sentience-1p [copula] Saggitarius-Imperfect.

Lit: Cancer?, [but] the sentient being [that is] I [is] a Saggitarius.

Cancer? But I'm a Saggitarius.

Uindrua beuonpngau huoo ler sengba.
cancer discriminate NEG belong star.sign
Cancer does not discriminate between star signs.

[Izambri]

Au talvolta podryas nomnar-lo malcresçer.
Or maybe you could call it "misgrowth".

Is that <ç> in malcresçer a palatal?

[Thry]

The development of early silbants is pretty similar to that of Old Spanish, so it's actually an alveolar affricate.

**CRĒSCĒRE /kɾes.'ke.ɾe/ > cresçer(e) /kɾe(s).'t͡seɾ/* > /kɾes.'θeɾ/ > /kɾe.'s:eɾ/ > Modern /kɾə.'seɾ/ crescer.
*Some variants which never reached adulthood omit the (s): misspelling creçer is attested.
/sθ/ was probably very unstable.

This is the strong infinitive, which is why it has a Ē; the weak form yields:

CRĒSCERE /'kɾes.ke.ɾe/ > crésçer(e) /'kɾes.t͡se.ɾe/ > /'kɾes.θe.ɾe/ > cresçre /'kɾe.θɾe/ > /'kɾej.ɾe/ > Modern crere / crire (/'kɾe.ɾə 'kɾi.ɾə/).
Also Modern créscer (more formal). /'kɾe.sə(ɾ)/

Mediaeval orthography is irregular and can represent any of the stages in between.

[GrinningManiac]

ikh’t kakaratiazk b’duzbât’r b’kła’a’l’iara-ka
He made his workers dig ceaselessly through the mountain.

Well that was the most needlessly complicated language I've ever invented.

"b’kła’a’l’iara-ka", the verb, is formed of the prefix b'l meaning 'through/surrounded by', the verb stem ka meaning 'dig', the verb aspect a'ah meaning 'the habitual durative - something which happens constantly for a long period of time habitually', the suffix hiara meaning 'he/she/it acts on he/she/it" and the suffix -ka meaning 'to them' (in the dative sense). b'l + ka = b'lka which is illegal and the dark L of b'l becomes a lateral fricative behind the k = b’kła. /h/ cannot be next to other consonants and becomes a glottal stop before the /l/ and a schwa after it, both represented by a comma (because this is meant to be a hideous language).

"b’duzbât’r" meaning 'mountain' is formed of the root b'duz meaning mountain, the case-marker ba indicating the dative, the tense-marker y't indicating the active past (the two of which blend in a tense-case system to produce bât) and the definite marker 'r.

Hence the literal "He, in the past, his many doers, in the past, to the mountain, in the past, through-were-digging-endlessly-he-made-it-to-them."

I explain this mainly because I'm trying to wrap my head around the nonsense I have, over the course of a few sleep-deprived weeks interspaced with months of forgetting what I was doing. It's truly an unintelligible nightmare of a language. For me, at least.

[Nortaneous]

Dbɨṟqʰmyaẓẓanʔ myɛr.
[dbɨr̪̥ˤχmjɑɖːɑ̃ʔ mjæɾ]
d-bɨrqʰ-m-ya-d-jan-ʔ myɛ-r
resume-INCH-1.A-C11.P-SENS.PRES-work-1.BEN language-C11.DEF.SG
I've started working on Miar again.

[Thry]

Dbɨṟqʰmyaẓẓanʔ myɛr.
[dbɨr̪̥ˤχmjɑɖːɑ̃ʔ mjæɾ]
d-bɨrqʰ-m-ya-d-jan-ʔ myɛ-r
resume-INCH-1.A-C11.P-SENS.PRES-work-1.BEN language-C11.DEF.SG
I've started working on Miar again.

E μυδαστη μυλτο;
E mydastē mylto?
[e mi.'ɾas.ti 'mil.to]
So have you changed a lot?

[Click]

Dbɨṟqʰmyaẓẓanʔ myɛr.
I've started working on Miar again.

Graut ci idzá Myar.
[ˈɣˁɑʊ̯tʰ ˈcʰi ɪˈʣaː ˈɲʷar̥]
grú-at ci-ø iḍ-zá myar-ø
scare-ABL3SG-ABS look_like-GNO.SBJV miar-ABS
Miar looks scary.

[Nortaneous]

E μυδαστη μυλτο;
E mydastē mylto?
[e mi.'ɾas.ti 'mil.to]
So have you changed a lot?

Ɛnʔñañeqsʰuk, tɛʔṉadyaɽɛnt.
[ʔæ̃ʔɲɑɲeqʼtsʰukʼ tʼæn̪ˤɑdjɑɾæ̃tʼ]
nʔ-ñ-a-ñeqtʰu-k, tɛ-ʔna-d-ya-jɛns-ʔ
NEG.OBJ-SENS.RECPAST-1S.A-modify-EG, but-DYN-C11.OBJ-1S.A-add_to-1S.BEN
I haven't changed anything, but I have added to it.

Graut ci idzá Myar.
[ˈɣˁɑʊ̯tʰ ˈcʰi ɪˈʣaː ˈɲʷar̥]
grú-at ci-ø iḍ-zá myar-ø
scare-ABL3SG-ABS look_like-GNO.SBJV miar-ABS
Miar looks scary.

Həhəhə, kʰiŋodomɨwṟim? Kʰüyohhɨdomṟim...
[kʰiŋɔdɔmɨwr̪ˤim kʰyjɔhːɨdɔmr̪ˤim]
kʰü-iŋo-dum-ɨw-rim? kʰü-yohhɨ-dum-ṟim
PREVERB-Q-C11.S-2.D-scare? PREVERB-ATTEN-C11.S-scare
Scary? It's not *that* scary...

(This is mostly a theoretical pronunciation... in one of the dialects, those would be:
[ðβɜr̪̥ˤχmjɑɖːɑ̃ʔ mjæɾ]
[ʔæ̃ʔɲɒɲeʔsʰukʼ tʼæn̪ˤɒdjɒɾæ̃tʼ]
[kʰiŋɒðɒmɜwr̪ˤim kʰyjɒhːɜðɒmr̪ˤim])

[GrinningManiac]

Ha-d’k'žkdak’akhi, Kiak’ta! Adhânzara b’thukt! Dochêlzzara do-Wuk’chžân’t! Ti’zb’at î’k’yî! K’ch’talzbak! Vizârk’tab’at Kochtî Kûm’chi!
Hey, Group of Dwarfs! Push forwards! We have completed preparations! We hope to go to Gukchzhaanut! Be like granite! Kill them! Remember Koom Valley!

[maıráí]

Zhammrī pavrāi.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM
Drunk girls.
Zhammrī pavrāi.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM
Drunk girls.
Zhammrī pavrāi.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM
Drunk girls.
Zhammrī pavrāi.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM
Drunk girls.

Zhammrī pavrāiv hautī qikkaktān ttsuini.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM.-DEF hand.ADJ heart.ill-P.N-IND force
Drunk girls cause a couple of heart attacks.

Zhammrī pavrāiv šaunppurā hu zi.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM-DEF flat-mood-P.N yeah have
Drunk girls are unusually mild.

Zhammrī matlāuv llakmalānv naksaghā tladi.
with.honey-ADJ boy-P.AUG-DEF child.lover-P.N-GEN-DEF foot.time-P.N follow
Drunk boys keep in pace with the pedophiles.

Zhammrī pavrāiv kkatriqa phavadī hu bri.
with.honey-ADJ girl-P.DIM-DEF go.crazy-N boring yeah COP.
Drunk girls are boringly wild.

[Jipí]

TONŌY, APĀNYAM
certain-NEG, laugh-NMLZ-DAT
'NOT SURE IF FOR LAUGHING'



SOYANG SIPANYAM.
or cry-NMLZ-DAT
'OR FOR CRYING'

[Imralu]

[img]

Na i zeuam za i ka necan. Ha sora luvahau i li keli ko ha uá i it ce ne biáhaa asuaraua?
na i zeu-a-m za i ka nec-a-n | ha so-ra luva-a-u i li keli ko ha uá i it ce ne b‹i›aha-a asu-a-daua
1s PRED not.know-OBL-C what PRED JUSS visible-OBL-1s | Q somewhat-UNCOUNTABLE.QUANTITY gutter-OBL-2s PRED PRF fall.down.suddenly or.EXCL Q 2s PRED hate and PASS laugh‹UTILITATIVE.DIM›-OBL sit-OBL-mountain
I don't know what I'm supposed to be able to see. Has some of your gutter come crashing down or is it that you hate and are amused by (fallen) snow?

Kinték i za?
kin-tek i za
coloured.like-dye.beetle PRED what
What's the dark red thing/substance?

[Jipí]

Has some of your gutter come crashing down or is it that you hate and are amused by (fallen) snow?[/i]

Māy. Eng sahāra kanka luga sirutayya.
Yeah. AT.INAN come-3S.INAN snow during night-LOC.
'Yeah. The snow came over night.'

What's the dark red thing/substance?

Adareng binoley tuvo.
that-A.INAN paint-P.INAN red.
'It's red paint.'

[Matrix]

Has some of your gutter come crashing down or is it that you hate and are amused by (fallen) snow?[/i]

Māy. Eng sahāra kanka luga sirutayya.
Yeah. AT.INAN come-3S.INAN snow during night.
'Yeah. The snow came over night.'

What's the dark red thing/substance?

Adareng binoley tuvo.
that-A.INAN paint-P.INAN red.
'It's red paint.'

GAKAOKKEIG KALEILAŊ EPPIBYAD
[ga.ka.okːɛ.ig ka.lɛ.il.aŋ ɛpːi.bɪ.ad]
NEG.ACC.snow POS.red PROL.flow
At least it's not red snow.


GABOILYN KAOKKEIG KALEILAŊ
[ga.bo.il.ɪn ka.okːɛ.ig ka.lɛ.il.aŋ]
NEG.2P.PERF.IMP.eat ACC.snow POS.red
Never eat red snow.

[masako]

na ke na eyetli omu
I think I will be alone.

[clawgrip]

Duool ngtiah lognom deu?
2 be.alone why Q
Why will you be alone?

[masako]

nye etla ke tamaha a
Because it's what's best.

[Thry]

Maeor unas bem malvedhont.
Better alone than badly accompanied. (Spanish saying)

[masako]

Maeor unas bem malvedhont.
Better alone than badly accompanied. (Spanish saying)

uala
Verily.

[hwhatting]

Maeor unas bem malvedhont.
Better alone than badly accompanied. (Spanish saying)

uala
Verily.

Nartistus is wollistus ainus.
strong-SUP.M.SG.NOM be-3S.PRES.ENKL powerful-SUP.M.SG.NOM alone-M.SG.NOM
Der Starke ist am mächtigsten allein. (Schiller, Willhelm Tell)
The strong one is most powerful (when) alone. (Schiller, Willhelm Tell)

[GrinningManiac]

Yr Gaimi Ûrsclûghr, Turran Nvorânach Sguran Gairm. Rôff ys ngrâin ith, Bragi yff mâg ith. Ûch cailigh-bycht dvoranach nes scurach pechtich, bad Dvorânadhallatr, tan dhrallachtr og. Ngrâin ich ys Rôff Drachtraidhr, ys mor Râiff-ys-Bêr.
I am Gaimi the Wordsword, Scribe of the Dwarfs of the Black Mountain. Roff is my king, Bragi is my god. We are five hundred dwarfs under the Toothed Mountains, from the Dwarfenhome beyond the dark sea. Our king is Roff the Seastrider, son of Roff the Old.

Slâdh ilan,
Tan scalâdh scin actâgnnas ûch men scisar raidh ich. Ys amailich gairm-chîn. Bad, Varsyns ûch Sgur Gorm. Chalisyns ûch môrt ys loff tuscun och tûch och tûch. Na scisiff san cicans ûch bedhamodar.
Day One
Today we arrived at our new mountain home. It is made of black-green stones. Thus, we have named it Black Mountain. We have mined a room which measures 14 by 4 by 4. Tomorrow we will chisel the meeting-room.

For anyone who's interested - the Black Mountain is Sgurr Alasdair, the mountain in the Isle of Skye after which I am named, and the Toothed Mountains are the Black Cullins.

Also I want to write one of those little "conlang for your review" posts but I have no idea what you guys would want to read about