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Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 2:03 am
by Xephyr
Anyone interested in doing a "Guess the Language" thread
like they have over on the CBB here? I always thought the idea of the game was good. But it's on the CBB and I hear they call fries "chips" there and go to church on Saturdays, etc.
Rules: No Googling cause that's cheating. If you guess right you post the next language.
RE-EDIT: New Rule: Use "normal" orthographies, please. I think you know what I mean. Try not to be cute and convert your sample into X-Sampa for no reason, etc.
Here's the first language:
Pté žé ó hį́k pʰáta hį́k tąyą́ȟ tʰanó né owášèke nówa éyàku cʰén. Ecʰén én šų́kašàna ecʰác én hí. “Micʰín, įmátùtʰa nó. Míš etą́hą mak’ú wo,” ecíya.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 3:06 am
by dhok
I would strongly suspect some variety of Athabaskan, except it looks like Athabaskan had a child with Lakota. It also doesn't have ridiculously long words, so it's probably Siouan, except it has high, low and mid tones, so Lakota it ain't. It could be Osage, but the trademark of Osage (that I know of) is br clusters that are cognate to Lakota's bl ones.
I'm just going to put "unknown Siouan" for now.
EDIT: Maybe Assiniboine?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:16 am
by Salmoneus
Is that native orthography, or is it just a phonetic transcription scheme?
Either way, unless it's an unusual transcription scheme, the ogoneks would seem to suggest north america. And half the options there can be ruled out by it having five vowels rather than four. So that just leaves us with five thousand to choose from...
When you say we can't google, are we allowed to look up stuff on google/wikipedia/wals/etc that isn't just entering the words into google - or do we just have to know off the top of our heads?
EDIT: the apparent lack of long vowels may be noteworthy. Phonotactics are odd, with only one initial cluster...
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:58 am
by gach
Apart from the rich notation for tone/accentuation the example has a flavour that points towards some form of Dakotan. There's no l in there so probably not Lakota. Then again, pt is the only consonant cluster in the whole example, which to me tells more about the poor representativity of examples this short than about phonotactics.
I'd say doing honest research (meaning checking specific stuff from literature) has to be allowed as long as people don't start running searches on the examples themselves. It's also a good custom to check what king of search results the example yields before posting it.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 11:08 am
by Astraios
I'm going to say Assiniboine too because a) I can understand about half of it from Lakota, b) it's clearly an n-dialect of Dakotan, and c) I'm 95% sure I remember that žé is Assiniboine for D/Lakota hé 'that'.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 2:37 pm
by Xephyr
Assiniboine, yes. So, dhok's turn.
I'd say doing honest research (meaning checking specific stuff from literature) has to be allowed as long as people don't start running searches on the examples themselves. It's also a good custom to check what king of search results the example yields before posting it.
Maybe, I guess. I'm not the king of this game.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:27 pm
by dhok
Âlêgë tî gue na âmbênî lêmbëtï tî lêndo sô abûngbi mîngi nî na yâ tî motarâka sô na terê nî ge na gale sô. Me na lê tî lêmbëtï ôko ôko, töngana kua nî ahûnda nî, mo lîngbi tî wara âmbênî gbetarâka sô abâa gï lêmbëtï nî.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:32 pm
by Nesescosac
Sango?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:35 pm
by dhok
Nesescosac wrote:Sango?
Yep, it's Sango. Your move.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:44 pm
by Nesescosac
Akana napwiriyimwirra amwilyimwilyintjimwantja amwilyarrngkwirra angalya natharrirthinimwa. Nampwilya yakwitjina akana yapwapwirna yarrnga. Yapwapwirna yarrnga nakpwartha akwa nilhikana.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:56 pm
by linguoboy
Warlpiri?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:21 pm
by dhok
Kunjen?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:21 pm
by Nortaneous
Kaitij?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:25 pm
by Nesescosac
It is none of these.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:30 pm
by Risla
Martuthunira?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:38 pm
by linguoboy
Nesescosac wrote:It is none of these.
But it is Australian, right?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:46 pm
by Nesescosac
No to Risla, yes to Linguoboy.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:51 pm
by din
It has to be somehow related to Warlpiri. Maybe in the other branch of the family
Walmajarri?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:01 pm
by Nortaneous
Enindhilyagwa?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:02 pm
by Nesescosac
t(`_`t) wrote:Enindhilyagwa?
Yep, it's this.
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:32 pm
by Nortaneous
Naubadiy duawa taakw, di taakw krad adi du kritaka, titataka adi du, tibrik, nikidi duad yaad, yaku ada waad, "Sa! Wamina taakw bap vikla", wadil, "a nyanaki taakw a tikwabana siyk bi lakunyina? A siykapika?" Wadik, a waad, a taakw adi likidi du, adi du takwaam ay, "Ka wuna taakwa, bap agwajapik vikla?"
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:17 pm
by Salmoneus
Is it Austronesian?
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:18 pm
by Nortaneous
Salmoneus wrote:Is it Austronesian?
no
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:38 pm
by Salmoneus
Well then bugger.
It has no unusual phonemes (except maybe 'iy', I guess, depending on what that is). No unusual clusters, no unusual phonotactics.
I've got no clue.
P.S. oi! no changing the sample!
Re: Guess the Language, anyone?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:50 pm
by Nortaneous
Salmoneus wrote:P.S. oi! no changing the sample!
Cev said use the orthography, so I edited it to use the orthography. Was hoping I'd get there before anyone posted, but
