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? Hallow XIII Primordial Crab
posts: 539
, 巴塞尔之侯
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A short dialogue in Jalvaan



>Recording<

This dialogue is a short exchange between two adult males who are reasonably close friends.

A: Arē, iššeš halen nyuraš ā?
arelder.brother-VOC iššeštoday halenwhat.ACC.SG nya-2S>3S-urdo-aš-2S āQ
A: Big brother, what are you doing today?

B: Moi nihē, ningē jō kašdaraht jākohyōre nyasōreš!
moiEXCL nihyounger.brother-VOC ninggarden-LOC 1S.POSS kašdweed-ar-PL-aht-ACC jā-1>3P-kohyōrrip.out-e-SBJ nya-2S>3S-sōreknow-2S
B: Ey, little brother, you know that I have to clear the weeds in my garden!

Like in many natural languages, it is common to address unrelated people with kinship terms. In this case, aran and nihan are used, implying a closer relationship: a complete stranger might be addressed as mānyar uncle or doman cousin. The use of a vocative here is interesting insofar that very few nouns have one; for these two, it is identical to the genitive, but examination of other nouns in other declensions (like ašil elder sister, gen. ašerat, voc. ašerē), reveals that it is uniformly .

B: Hoika aku ilim tōg‌āš ningē virērat āōšdayōš!
hoikaEXPL akunow ilithat.CLS-m-NOM tōg‌thing-āš-CLS.NOM ninggarden-LOC virēratall.over ā-3P-ōšdagrow.over-yōš-PST.IPFV
B: Shit, these things have already grown over everything!

Hoika is a mild expletive (although still considered unsuitable for use in mixed company) that is often used jocularly. It is unlikely that the man's garden has actually been left in such a state, since the crops usually grown in such a garden are a rather important part of a common family's diet.

A: Ambat, tisā gorā!
ambagood-t-ADV tisgrain.shed-DAT gorfull-DAT
A: Well then, good luck!

The expression translated here as good luck, tisā gorā, might be more literally rendered as (may you have) a full granary. It is a general expression of encouragement.

A: Mārar šō kalat ā?
mārwife-ar-PL šō2S.POSS kalathow āQ
A: How are your wife and children doing?

This phrase is not otherwise interesting, but demonstrates the use of the Jalvaan associative plural: your wife and children is rendered literally as your wives. The general structure of what A says might seem strange to English speakers, but to a Jalvaan speaker, this is a perfectly normal way of switching the topic.

B: Ambar yor.
ambawell-r-PL yor3P
B: They are well.

B: Bošan ek kohōen itaruvat, magā ō ōron kumbeš.
bošanson ekone kohōenyesterday i-3S-taruget.sick-va-PST.PFV-t-3S magābut ōNEG ōronlarge kumbešsickness
B: One of my sons got sick yesterday, but it was no big thing.

B: Kahtā sāryā, onnēn nifayī.
kahtluck-DAT.SG sārybad.luck-DAT.SG onnnothing-ēn-ACC.SG ni-2S-faysayī-IMP
B: Say nothing of good or bad luck!

This is an idiom that means, approximately, "don't worry about minor problems; don't get excited about minor boons".

A: Yalen faihō.
yalentrue faihōword
A: Well said.

A: Darvoi onnoi nyabirgavaš?
darvDarven-oi-GEN onnnothing-oi-GEN nya-2S>3S-birgahear.about-va-PST.PFV-2S
A: Have you heard anything of Darven?

Onnen, glossed here as nothing, means anything in questions and nothing in declarative sentences. To get the same meaning as English "have you heard nothing?", one would have to say onnoi ō.

B: Ō yo, šayirē ‌māhirē idarjūt.
ōNEG yoEXCL šayday-ir-CLS-DATmāhweek-ir-CLS-DAT i3S-darjūlabor-t-3S
B: Aiyo, nothing! He's away for days and weeks!

This sentence exhibits one of the peculiarities of the language: it's fourth grammatical number. While the singular and dual are relatively uncontroversial, there have been debates about whether to call the other two terms of the system "plural" and "classive", or "paucal" and "plural", or something else. We will use the first option in these glosses. The exact uses and distribution of these categories are hard to pin down, but here the classive expresses that the man is away for a continuous stretch of time.

B: Māran tō minirat i ō bikassovat, nyaberī ikīvat yo!
māranwife 3S.POSS mininews-r-PL-at-GEN i3S ōNEG bi-1S-kattell-so-IRR-va-PST.PFV-t-3S nya-2S>3S-bersee-IMP i-3S-die-va-PST.PFV-t-3S yoEXCL
B: If his wife didn't have news of him, you see that he'd died!

Darven is a rather common male name among the Jalvaan. Presumably this man is a fisher or laborer who stays away from home for times felt to be uncomfortably long. Nyaberī, you see!, is used to express likelihood or expectation.

A: Māran halen yurat ā?
māranwife halenwhat.ACC.SG y-3S-urado-t-3S āQ
A: What is his wife doing?

B: Oi, šayirē šayirē.
oiEXCL šayday-ir-CLS-DAT šayday-ir-CLS-DAT
B: Oh, the usual.

The usual = day for day.

B: Darven ō yāš, etta ilē ekmārat bohūn akunjūrā yāš.
darvenDarven ōNEG yāšbe.at.3S ettaCONSEQ ilthatē-DAT ekonemārwomanat-ADV bohwork-ūn-ACC.SG a-3S.O-kunjūdo.work-rā-INF yāšbe.at.3S
B: Darven isn't there, so she has to do all the work herself.

B: Baivō tō, ambān faihōht kāndivarā yāšanar ā?
baifather-vō-DL.NOM 3S.POSS ambgood-ān-ACC.SG faihōidea-ht-ACC kāndithink.up-va-PST.PFV-rā-INF ya-3.NSG-a-3S.O-šanfeel-ar-3P āQ
B: Do you think her parents feel they've made a good choice?

Again, an associative number is used to express the notion of parents, literally father in the dual. Note that while the noun is in the dual, the verb shows plural agreement. This, too, is a rather common pattern: while nouns can inflect for four numbers, in almost all dialects verbs contrast a maximum of three, and in the third person, as is the case here, the dual-plural distinction is often collapsed as well. "Making a good choice", here, refers to the marriage arrangement.

A: Oi, okenarat bīhturā, ō ōron mahkeš yo.
oiEXCL okenother-ar-PL-at-GEN bīhtucompare-rā-INF ōNEG ōronlarge mahkešsuffering yoEXCL
A: Oi, if you compare it with what happens to others, it's no large suffering.

This parallels the ō ōron kumbeš yo used before by B, referring to his son's sickness. This is a rather common structure, and can also be used to play down positive things: ō ōron tahtō yo, it's no big victory.

A: Torut, bimire. Amban nitarī.
torutEXCL bi-1S-mirgo-e-SBJ ambanwell ni-2S-tarstay-IMP
A: Well, I need to go. Stay well.

B: Amban nyondeyi.
ambanwell ny-2S-ondewalk-yi-IMP
B: Go well.
? kusuri posts: 37
, Possibly the Bosonest Boson to ever be a Boson in CO, USA, EARTH, MWAY, UNIV ever.
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I like how Jalvaan sounds, and I appreciate all the tidbits. That post is like a little work of art.
? Hallow XIII Primordial Crab
posts: 539
, 巴塞尔之侯
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*one month later*

Hello, I would like to reply to your ancient post, even though I did not wish to do so for the past 23 days.

But did you ever see this? Yng's stuff is a p big inspiration for this style of conlang presentation for me.
? kusuri posts: 37
, Possibly the Bosonest Boson to ever be a Boson in CO, USA, EARTH, MWAY, UNIV ever.
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No, I didn't, that is cool stuff! I'm so making an Yngy post now. Or a month from now.
? Hallow XIII Primordial Crab
posts: 539
, 巴塞尔之侯
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I translated the Babel story into Inggirian and recorded it.

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Hers-e ialy maxt byrxgam, maxt lerielgem byragan.
earth-EZ all one language-INST, one speech-INST speak-PST-3sS.REAL


2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

Nuxymg uraigam iendesdeni amg-a sinaraw balxune tyrylsydwany aigaw terimx tuilagasdan.
people east-ABL travel-3pS.REAL-SEQ land-EZ Shinar-LOC plain find-3pA-3sO-SEQ that-LOC live-INF decide-PST-3pS.REAL


3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

"Amylysgaw, hilte werbes ihlesigwisin" amh maxt maxtagu baswagan.
come-1pS.IRR, brick make-CVB burn-1pA-3pO.IRR QUOT one one-DAT say-PST-3sS.REAL


4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Yw "amylysgaw, hieling tusyr-a deirxegu hamnangmag hal wereng awlsygwysyny magw wereng bangsygwyn hyal ga weilgeisgu hers-e ialyaw" amh baswagasdan.
and come-1pS.IRR, city tower-EZ heaven-DAT reach-PART-COM two make-PART erect-1pA-3pS.IRR-SEQ name make-PART take-1pA-3sO.IRR so_that NEG scatter-1pS.IRR earth-EZ all-LOC QUOT say-PST-3pS.REAL


5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Armat gunw amylang hieling tusyrmag-a galmun nuxymgdun wereng awlagsydwasdan hal wiedegdiesden.
LORD down come-PART city tower-COM-EZ man-GEN people-3sPOSS-ERG build-PART erect-PST-3pA-3sO.REAL two see-PST-3sA-3pO.REAL


6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.


Yw "Wied, maxt nuxymg yryx, banyg maxt byrxysd yryxgam aig uwx walyasdan. Hig ninggun-e uwx wyndsydwany uwx ga hadgasdan waid yryn."
and see, one people be-INF. also one language-3pPOSS be-INF-ABL this do-INF begin-3pS.REAL. now thing-GEN-EZ do-INF want-3pA-3sO.REAL-SEQ do-INF NEG able-3pS.REAL none be-3sS.IRR


7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

"Amylysgaw, gunw ragysgawy migaw byrxysd turxtamsygwyn hyal ga hegreng mulgsydwyn lerielisd maxtun maxt."
come-1pS.IRR, down go-1pS.IRR-SEQ that-LOC speech-3pPOSS confuse-CAUS-1pA-3sO.IRR so_that NEG hear-PART find-3pA-3sO.IRR language-3pPOSS one-ERG another.


8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Yw Armatun mingmag hers-e ialyaw weilgegdiesden, yw tusyr wereng awlx martagasdan.
and LORD-ERG that-ABL earth-EZ all-LOC scatter-PST-3sA-3pO.REAL, and tower build-PART erect-INF stop-PST-3pS.REAL


9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Armatun migaw hers-e ialywn byrxd turxtamagdyany nuxymg weilgegdiesden ninggun andralmag-a aigd wasywn-a migun magwd Babel yran.
LORD that-LOC earth-EZ all-GEN language-3sPOSS confuse-CAUS-PST-3sA-3sO.REAL-SEQ people scatter-PST-3sA-3pO.REAL thing-GEN reason-ABL-EZ this-3sPOSS place-GEN-EZ this-GEN name-3sPOSS Babel be-3sS.REAL.
? Rhetorica Your Writing System Sucks
posts: 1292
, Kelatetía: Dis, Major Belt 1
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I feel like Inggirian is cruisin' for a lenition/elision bruisin'. Have you considered re-recording the above while suitably drunk, just to hasten the game of broken telephone that is sound change? There are a lot of codas that your tongue really surfs over, and it seems that as far as syllable space is concerned there's a lot of empty room for simpler words. weilgegdiesden for "[he] scattered [them]" is pretty brutal, and not just because "geg" is a ridiculous syllable.
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