/r/conlangs Chat Network Relay Game - 2nd Relay (Spring 2015)

#5unnamed alt conlang 1 by Nikolito
unnamed alt conlang 1English

þihtaask haer pàliga ira stilatr

iþ suskù regitr ira sihkaesta vèiðruðisk, jaeþ,
iþ suskù regitr ira sihkaesta vèiðruðisk,
òr kaestà ôròhaage faetr,
ruðiski aar ràasla ira haastilatr;

hisgraaðe jaeþ kaare, jaeþ kaare
òr kaestà tarige faetr,
Tôþ milþiþ aad tvigpartàh
Tò hetr histi! ùr òr kaestà tôtr kiltaetr!

the Song of the Berry field

The roots destroy the summer harvest, yes
The roots destroy the summer harvest.
When they turn violet,
Gather the fruit of the blackberry

The mint is strong, yes strong
When they (the leaves) turn green,
It soothes the toothache
So we wait! Until they shine!

Pronouns

  • Hetr - we
  • Tôþ - 3SG-Neuter
  • Tôtr - 3PL-Animate

Other words

  • þihtin - to sing
  • pàliga - field
  • stilaþ - berry, fruit
  • susk - root
  • regin - destroy, tear asunder
  • sihe - hot
  • kaesta - time; season
  • vèiðe - all
  • ruðiskin - gather
  • jae - to be; (indic.) "yes"
  • -ge - an ending for colors
  • ôròge - blue, violet
  • haage - dark, deep in color; black
  • ràasla - fruit
  • kaare - strong
  • hisk - ice
  • raaðe - leaf
  • tarige - green
  • fae - to become
  • milþin - to liquify or dissolve; (fig.) to cure, assuage, or avail
  • tvik - tooth
  • Partàh - pain, ache
  • histin - to wait
  • tò - so; well
  • kiltin - to shine
  • ùr - to, until

Articles

Articles are declined for case, precede the nouns to which they are associated, and in the indefinite form, alternate -þ- for animate and -d- for inanimate. Definite articles use -r-:

  • iþ - Animate indefinite article (NOM)
  • aaþ - ditto, (ACC)
  • ira - Definite article, (POSSESSIVE)
  • òr - Definite article, (LOC)
  • haer - Definite article, (GEN)

Animacy is given to living things and geological phenomena (glaciers, planets, oceans, the sun/moon etc) and inanimacy is given to individual objects, machines and also to the dead.

Singular nouns that end in -þ are generally animate, and the plural form is -þ -> -tr; likewise for -ð -> -dr. Words ending in -k -> -kù in the plural

Verbs

Infinitive verbs have the following endings:

  • -in - Transitive verbs
  • -aan - Inverted transitive verbs (subject and object of -in verbs switch places)
  • -ae - Intransitive verbs
  • -èm - reflexive verbs

Indicative verbs exchange the -n (or zero ending after -ae) and are split by singular, plural animate, and plural inanimate. Respectively:

  • -in -> -iþ -> -itr -> -ir
  • -aan -> -aaþ -> -aatr -> -aar
  • -ae -> -aeþ -> -aetr -> aer

For the substantive form, exchange -n for -sk, -ae for -aesk, and -èm for -èsk

  • For the Imperative/Hortative versions, leave out final consonants entirely.

Phonotactics

-k -> -g- before consonants in compounds

Reduplications are generally deleted: -iskin -> *-iskisk -> -isk