Schlaub: Difference between revisions

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|fam1=[[Hlou-Shum languages|Hlou-Shum]]
|fam1=[[Hlou-Shum languages|Hlou-Shum]]
|fam2=Hlouic
|fam2=Hlouic
|script=Hlou featural script (''Schräd Hlou'')
|script=Hlou featural script (''Schräd Schlaub'')
|iso3=
|iso3=
|notice=IPA
|notice=IPA
}}
}}


'''{{PAGENAME}}''' or '''Hlou''' (English: /(h)loʊ/ ''loh'' or homophonous with "hello"; natively: ''Wug Schlaub'' /wṳ˧ ɬəu˥/ 'Hlou speech' or 'Hlou thing') is a tonal language inspired by Hmong and German. It is the largest of the Hlou-Shum languages and the main language of the people of Mpfa Schlaub, a province in Mpfa Höß Schlaub-Xub.
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' or '''Hlou''' (English: /(h)loʊ/ ''loh'' or homophonous with "hello"; natively: ''Wug Schlaub'' /wṳ˧ ɬəu˥/ 'Hlou speech' or 'Hlou thing') is a tonal language inspired by Hmong and German. It is the largest of the Hlou-Shum languages and the main language of the people of Mpfa Schlaub, a country in Mpfa Höß Schlaub-Xub.


Hlou liberally uses Easter eggs.
Hlou liberally uses Easter eggs.
Line 42: Line 42:
Hlou has 6 basic vowel qualities, but also has a number of diphthongs and nasal vowels.
Hlou has 6 basic vowel qualities, but also has a number of diphthongs and nasal vowels.


a e i ie o u ä ö = /a e i ɨ o u ã~ɛ̃ õ/
a e i ie o u ä ö = /a ɛ i ɨ ɔ u ã~ɛ̃ õ/


ah eh ih ieh oh uh äh öh eih = /aʔ eʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n tones]
ei au äu = /əi əu əũ/


ei au äu = /əi əu əũ/
ah eh ih ieh oh uh äh öh eih = /aʔ ɛʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n tones]


====Consonants====
====Consonants====
Line 258: Line 258:
|-
|-
| '''-n'''
| '''-n'''
| low level (21~11) / low checked (1)
| low falling (21) / low checked (1)
| ''laun'' /ləu˨˩/ 'to smile'
| ''laun'' /ləu˨˩/ 'to smile'
| Vietnamese ''huyền'' / checked ''nặng''
| Vietnamese ''huyền'' / checked ''nặng''
Line 268: Line 268:
|-
|-
| '''-d'''
| '''-d'''
| dipping / low falling (313~311)
| dipping / mid falling (313~311)
| ''Laud'' /ləu˧˩˧/ 'shoe'
| ''Laud'' /ləu˧˩˧/ 'shoe'
| Hanoi Vietnamese ''hỏi''
| Hanoi Vietnamese ''hỏi''
Line 295: Line 295:
The Schlaub Glaß dialect is a non-standard dialect of Hlou.
The Schlaub Glaß dialect is a non-standard dialect of Hlou.
====Vowels====
====Vowels====
Similar to German
a e i ie o u ä ö = /a ɛ ɪ i ɔ ʊ ɛ œ/
 
ei au äu = /ai aʊ ɔʏ/
 
ah eh ih ieh oh uh äh öh eih = /aʔ ɛʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n tones]


====Consonants====
====Consonants====
Line 499: Line 503:
===Traditional logography===
===Traditional logography===
===Abugida===
===Abugida===
===''Hrảm Hlóu'' (''Schräd Schlaub'')===
This transliteration was created by Praimhín as an alternative to the German-inspired orthography.
====Initials====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" | Labial
! rowspan="2" | Lamino-<br/>dental
! colspan="2" | Apico-<br/>alveolar
! rowspan="2" | Post-<br/>alveolar
! colspan="2" | Retroflex
! colspan="2" | Velar
! rowspan="2" | Labio-<br/>velar
! rowspan="2" | Glottal
|-
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>lateral</small>
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>lateral</small>
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>lateral</small>
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>lateral</small>
|-
! rowspan="2" |Nasal
! <small>voiceless</small>
| '''hm''' m̥
| '''hml''' m̥ˡ
|
| '''hn''' n̥
|
|
| '''hnr''' ɳ̊
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
| '''m''' m
| '''ml''' mˡ
|
| '''n''' n
| '''nl''' nˡ
|
| '''nr''' ɳ
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="4" |Plosive
! <small>tenuis</small>
| '''b''' p
| '''bl''' pˡ
|
| '''d''' t
| '''dl''' tˡ
|
| '''dr''' ʈ
| '''drl''' ʈˡ
| '''g''' k
| '''gl''' kˡ
|
| |ʔ
|-
! <small>aspirated</small>
| '''p''' pʰ
| '''pl''' pˡʰ
|
| '''t''' tʰ
| '''tl''' tˡʰ
|
| '''tr''' ʈʰ
| '''trl''' ʈˡʰ
| '''c''' kʰ
| '''cl''' kˡʰ
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |<small>prenasalized</small>
| '''nb''' ᵐb
| '''nbl''' ᵐbˡ
|
| '''nd''' ⁿd
|
|
| '''ndr''' ᶯɖ
|
| '''ng''' ᵑɡ
| '''ngl''' ᵑɡˡ
|
|
|-
| '''np''' ᵐpʰ
| '''npl''' ᵐpˡʰ
|
| '''nt''' ⁿtʰ
| '''ntl''' ⁿtˡʰ
|
| '''ntr''' ᶯʈʰ
|
| '''nc''' ᵑkʰ
| '''ncl''' ᵑkˡʰ
|
|
|-
! rowspan="4"|Affricate
! <small>tenuis</small>
|
|
| '''ds''' ts̪
| '''dσ''' ts̺
|
| '''dx''' tʃ
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! <small>aspirated</small>
| '''φ''' pɸ
|
| '''ts''' ts̪ʰ
| '''tσ''' ts̺ʰ
|
| '''tx''' tʃʰ
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|<small>prenasalized</small>
|
|
| '''nds''' ⁿdz̪
| '''ndσ''' ⁿdz̺
|
| '''ndx''' ⁿdʒ
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| '''nφ''' ᵐpɸ
|
| '''nts''' ⁿts̪ʰ
| '''ntσ''' ⁿts̺ʰ
|
| '''ntx''' ⁿtʃʰ
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |Continuant
! <small>voiceless</small>
| '''f''' f
| '''fl''' fˡ
| '''s''' s̪
| '''σ''' s̺
| '''hl''' ɬ
| '''x''' ʃ
| '''hr''' ʂ
|
| '''sg''' ɧ
|
| '''hw''' ʍ
| '''h''' h
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
| '''v''' v
|
|
|
| '''l''' l
| '''j''' ʒ
| '''r''' ʐ~ɻ
|
|
|
| '''w''' w
|
|}
====Vowels====
a e i o u ei ou /a e i o u əi əu/
am om oum /ã~ɛ̃ õ ə̃u/
ac ec ic oc uc anc onc /aʔ eʔ iʔ oʔ uʔ/
===Featural script===
===Featural script===


Line 693: Line 900:


===Virelai===
===Virelai===
The virelai (Hlou: ???) is a traditional Hlou poetic form.
The virelai (Hlou: ''Traun Ntzob'') is a traditional Hlou poetic form. Although it is called the ''virelai'' in English, it borrows elements (like the rhyme scheme) from the Vietnamese ''lục bát''.


Example [the poem is gibberish]:
Example [the poem is gibberish]:
Line 701: Line 908:
''Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.''
''Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.''
''Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,''
''Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,''
''Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xin taub tlub.''
''Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xien taub tlub.''


''Daß zu Mläus ein Zeig Pfaß,''
''Daß zu Mläus ein Zeig Pfaß,''
Line 719: Line 926:
''Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.''
''Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.''
''Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,''
''Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,''
''Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xin taub tlub.''
''Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xien taub tlub.''
</poem>
</poem>


Line 747: Line 954:


== Phrasebook ==
== Phrasebook ==
# 'I love you': ''Xan schlub zied.'' /ʃa˨˩ ɬu˥˥ s̪ɨ˧˩˧/
# 'I love you': ''Xan lub zied.'' /ʃa˨˩ lu˥˥ s̪ɨ˧˩˧/


==Sample text==
==Sample text==

Latest revision as of 06:43, 11 December 2024

Pages with the prefix 'Schlaub' in the and 'Talk' namespaces:

Talk:
Schlaub
Wug Schlaub
Pronunciation[/wṳ˧ ɬəʊ˥/]
Created byPraimhín
SettingVerse:Tricin
Hlou-Shum
  • Hlouic
    • Schlaub
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Schlaub or Hlou (English: /(h)loʊ/ loh or homophonous with "hello"; natively: Wug Schlaub /wṳ˧ ɬəu˥/ 'Hlou speech' or 'Hlou thing') is a tonal language inspired by Hmong and German. It is the largest of the Hlou-Shum languages and the main language of the people of Mpfa Schlaub, a country in Mpfa Höß Schlaub-Xub.

Hlou liberally uses Easter eggs.

Background

Todo

need polysyllabic words that are written as one word (Hmong has some)

Fill Mpfa Schlaub with Jabberwocky/Alice in Wonderland refs: Schleid Zeib, Wäb

Diachronics

Hlou merged Proto-Hlou-Shum ai au with ei ou into ei au /əɨ əʊ/. Even i u in some open syllables turned into ei au.

Glottal stop finals (-h in Schngellstein's spelling) come from Proto-Hlou-Shum final stops.

> äu; *ãʔ > oh

*ẽ > ä; *ẽj > ei; *ẽʔ > äh

Phonology

Standard (Schlaub Bahn)

Vowels

Hlou has 6 basic vowel qualities, but also has a number of diphthongs and nasal vowels.

a e i ie o u ä ö = /a ɛ i ɨ ɔ u ã~ɛ̃ õ/

ei au äu = /əi əu əũ/

ah eh ih ieh oh uh äh öh eih = /aʔ ɛʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n tones]

Consonants

Standard Hlou has about 65 initials.

Hlou initials
Labial Lamino-
dental
Apico-
alveolar
Post-
alveolar
Retroflex Velar Labio-
velar
Glottal
plain lateral plain lateral plain lateral plain lateral
Nasal voiceless schm schml m̥ˡ schn schnr ɳ̊
voiced m m ml n n nl nr ɳ nrl ɳˡ
Plosive tenuis b p bl d t dl dr ʈ drl ʈˡ g k gl ʔ
aspirated p pl pˡʰ t tl tˡʰ tr ʈʰ trl ʈˡʰ k kl kˡʰ
prenasalized mb ᵐb mbl ᵐbˡ nd ⁿd ndr ᶯɖ ng ᵑɡ ngl ᵑɡˡ
mp ᵐpʰ mpl ᵐpˡʰ nt ⁿtʰ ntl ⁿtˡʰ ntr ᶯʈʰ ntrl ᶯʈˡʰ nk ᵑkʰ nkl ᵑkˡʰ
Affricate tenuis dz ts̪ ds ts̺ dx
aspirated pf tz ts̪ʰ ts ts̺ʰ tx tʃʰ
prenasalized ndz ⁿdz̪ nds ⁿdz̺ ndx ⁿdʒ
mpf ᵐpɸ ntz ⁿts̪ʰ nts ⁿts̺ʰ ntx ⁿtʃʰ
Continuant voiceless f f fl z s schl ɬ x ʃ schr ʂ sch ɧ~x schw ʍ h h
voiced v v l l j ʒ r ʐ~ɻ w w

Tone

Schlaub has 7 tones, indicated by final letters in Schngellstein's orthography.

Orthography Tone Example Suggested approximation
mid level (33) / high checked (5) lau /ləu˧/ 'to plant' Vietnamese ngang / checked sắc
-n low falling (21) / low checked (1) laun /ləu˨˩/ 'to smile' Vietnamese huyền / checked nặng
-b high level / high falling (55~53) Laub /ləu˥˥/ 'leaf' Cantonese tone 1
-d dipping / mid falling (313~311) Laud /ləu˧˩˧/ 'shoe' Hanoi Vietnamese hỏi
-g breathy mid level (33 + breathy) laug /lə̤u˧/ 'to knit'
-s rising (24) laus /ləu˨˦/ 'to receive' Hanoi Vietnamese non-checked sắc
broken rising (3ˀ5) Lauß /ləu˧ˀ˥/ 'wrinkle' Hanoi Vietnamese ngã

Approximate tone frequencies (among non-entering tone syllables): b > s ~ 0 > n > ß ~ g > d

Tone split from breathy voice < voiced stops

Schlaub Glaß

The Schlaub Glaß dialect is a non-standard dialect of Hlou.

Vowels

a e i ie o u ä ö = /a ɛ ɪ i ɔ ʊ ɛ œ/

ei au äu = /ai aʊ ɔʏ/

ah eh ih ieh oh uh äh öh eih = /aʔ ɛʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n tones]

Consonants

Schlaub Glaß initials
Labial Lamino-
dental
Apico-
alveolar
Post-
alveolar
Palatal Retroflex Velar Labio-
velar
Glottal
plain lateral plain lateral plain lateral
Nasal voiceless schm schml m̥ˡ schn schnr ɳ̊
voiced m m ml n n nr ɳ
Plosive tenuis b p bl d t dl dr ʈ g k gl ʔ
aspirated p pl pˡʰ t tl cˡʰ tr ʈʰ k kl kˡʰ
prenasalized mb ᵐb mbl ᵐbˡ nd ⁿd ndl ᶮɟˡ ndr ᶯɖ ng ᵑɡ ngl ᵑɡˡ
mp ᵐpʰ mpl ᵐpˡʰ nt ⁿtʰ ntl ᶮcˡʰ ntr ᶯʈʰ nk ᵑkʰ nkl ᵑkˡʰ
Affricate tenuis bv pv dz ts̪ ds ts̺ dx
aspirated pf pf tz ts̪ʰ ts ts̺ʰ tx tʃʰ
prenasalized mbv ᵐbv ndz ⁿdz̪ nds ⁿdz̺ ndx ⁿdʒ
mpf ᵐpf ntz ⁿts̪ʰ nts ⁿts̺ʰ ntx ⁿtʃʰ
Continuant voiceless f f z s schl ɬ x ʃ schj ç schr ʂ sch ɧ
ch x
schw ʍ h h
voiced v v l l, ł ɫ j j r ʐ~ɻ w w

Tone

Tones are the same as in Schlaub Bahn, except that the d and g tones are merged into g.

Schlaub Lag

Another dialect of Hlou

  • should have ng, schng initials
  • it has an -m tone in addition to the 7 tones of Standard Hlou

Orthography

Traditional logography

Abugida

Hrảm Hlóu (Schräd Schlaub)

This transliteration was created by Praimhín as an alternative to the German-inspired orthography.

Initials

Labial Lamino-
dental
Apico-
alveolar
Post-
alveolar
Retroflex Velar Labio-
velar
Glottal
plain lateral plain lateral plain lateral plain lateral
Nasal voiceless hm hml m̥ˡ hn hnr ɳ̊
voiced m m ml n n nl nr ɳ
Plosive tenuis b p bl d t dl dr ʈ drl ʈˡ g k gl ʔ
aspirated p pl pˡʰ t tl tˡʰ tr ʈʰ trl ʈˡʰ c cl kˡʰ
prenasalized nb ᵐb nbl ᵐbˡ nd ⁿd ndr ᶯɖ ng ᵑɡ ngl ᵑɡˡ
np ᵐpʰ npl ᵐpˡʰ nt ⁿtʰ ntl ⁿtˡʰ ntr ᶯʈʰ nc ᵑkʰ ncl ᵑkˡʰ
Affricate tenuis ds ts̪ ts̺ dx
aspirated φ ts ts̪ʰ ts̺ʰ tx tʃʰ
prenasalized nds ⁿdz̪ ndσ ⁿdz̺ ndx ⁿdʒ
ᵐpɸ nts ⁿts̪ʰ ntσ ⁿts̺ʰ ntx ⁿtʃʰ
Continuant voiceless f f fl s σ hl ɬ x ʃ hr ʂ sg ɧ hw ʍ h h
voiced v v l l j ʒ r ʐ~ɻ w w

Vowels

a e i o u ei ou /a e i o u əi əu/

am om oum /ã~ɛ̃ õ ə̃u/

ac ec ic oc uc anc onc /aʔ eʔ iʔ oʔ uʔ/

Featural script

Cole's featural script for Schlaub.

Grammar

Hlou is analytic and SVO, and is head-initial:

Die Wug mpes Nän sein.
/tɨ˧ wṳ˧ ᵐpʰe˨˦ nɛ̃˨˩ s̺əi˨˩/
INDEF bird_species drink water PROG
A wug is drinking water.
Xan flog Dsied bis Tu Mäb.
/ʃa˨˩ flo̤˧ ts̺ɨ˧˩ pi˨˦ tʰu˧mɛ̃˥˩/
1SG have home in Tumhan
I live in Tumhan.
Dahn dsaub weg zu Mpfein an zu Schnos.
/taʔ˩ ts̺əu˦˥ we̤˧ s̪u˧ ᵐpɸəi˨˩ a˩ s̪u˧ n̥o˨˥/
1PL speak about VN love and VN hate
We speak about love and hate.
Dahn mpfein so, mplei dahn nkeiß Mbob so sein.
1PL love 3SG.A thus 1PL receive face 3SG.A PRES.PROG
We love him so we are welcoming him.

Pronouns

Personal

Person Singular Dual Plural
1 xan bluß dahn
2 zied jen schlag
3 so (animate)
ja (inanimate)
nleib zug
2, 3 (respectful) Sie
Impersonal es

Hlou has no passive voice; the impersonal es is used instead. For example, Es nlaß Ngu hin. (IMPERS fire_ceramic brick PST) means 'A brick was baked.' or 'Bricks were baked.'

Demonstrative

Correlatives
What This That Yon Any
Pronominal nab naus nein nin nan
Place drab draus drein drin dran
Manner/Extent rab raus rein rin ran

Other correlatives are formed by using these words with nouns.

Hlou is wh-in-situ:

  • Naus dzah nab? (this COP what) = What is this?
  • Ndob naus dzah nab? (person this COP what) = Who is this?
  • Zied be drab sein? (lit. you to where PROG) = Where are you going?

Prepositions

  • be = to; to go
  • bis = in, at
  • nre = on
  • gan = without
  • sä = with; to have
  • in = of
  • je = from
  • nun = for
  • ob = vocative
  • weg = about
  • wi = away from
  • schon = ago

Auxiliaries

  • hab = causative
  • bleib = deliberately
  • vein = accidentally
Xan bleib schäd Nduß hin.
I deliberately dropped the glass.
Xan vein schäd Nduß hin.
I accidentally dropped the glass.

Particles

  • sein = present progressive
    • Present progressive can also be formed by reduplicating the verb
  • hin = past
  • bei = future
  • aus = cohortative
  • es = question
  • eh = tag question
  • da = exclamatory
  • eh = negative
  • doh = prohibitive
  • los = inchoative
  • man = emphatic
  • wein = (literary) alas!, woe is...

Conjunctions

  • an = and
  • schaub = or (Finnish tai)
  • schweis = or (Finnish vai)
  • leid = but
  • von = relative clause
  • tun = complement clause
  • daß = if
  • schluß = then, so, therefore
  • nahn schluß = so that, in order to
  • dsäus = because (lit. reason)

Nouns

ein = definite article (proper nouns such as Wug Schlaub do not take it)

wie = specific article

die = indefinite article

Words may be pluralized by reduplication: Ndob Ndob = people. Only animates are pluralized consistently.

Polysyllabic words have a null plural:

Schniß, ob Blieb-Blas!
fly VOC butterfly
Fly, butterflies!

Verbs and adjectives

Adverbs can be formed from verbs via reduplication.

ntsien = slow; ntsien ntsien 'slowly'

Classifiers

Numerals

1-10: die, beid, lähn, schred, kaß, traun, heid, ntzob, glaub, weiß

100: trleh

1000: schöd

Numerals come before nouns:

So ploß beid weiß Sen.
3SG.AN son two ten year_of_age
He is 20 years old.

"The more... the more..."

X X SUBJ1, Y Y SUBJ2
"The more SUBJ X's, the more SUBJ2 Y's."
Xan eh schlaun Wiß j'ein zu Treig Treig. Lös lös xan, wäud wäud xan läß.
1SG NEG receive understanding from DEF INF happen happen. run run 1SG, become become 1SG fat.
I don't understand what's going on. The more I run, the fatter I get.

"Schm-reduplication"

Hloh uses a form of schm-reduplication, which works just like schm-reduplication in English, except that the schm-reduplicant is repeated.

"Leid xan dzah heb die Nöb da!" = but I COP just a noob EXCL

"Nöb schmöb schmöb, zied mbuh ngäs man!" = noob schmoob schmoob you can make_it EMPH

Fossilized morphology

  • PHS s-
    • Schlähn 'tribe' < lähn 'three'
    • Schlaub 'year' < Laub 'leaf'
    • Schwiß 'plain' < biß 'flat'
  • PHS (reflected by tone change)
    • -g > -d: Lied 'art song' < lieg 'to tell a lie; (obsolete) to express'

Vocabulary

Hlou vocabulary is mostly native. Many words can't be related to words in other Hlou-Shum languages, however.

Four-character phrases

Hlou, like Chinese, has "4-character phrases". They sometimes extend to 6-character phrases by using the Burns stanza.

  • Ntzuh Vöhn Schrau Ndob (schnäub hös) 'the best laid schemes of mice and men (aft gang agley)' (lit. schemes of mouse and plans of man often fail)
  • Ndleiß Beig Gluhn Schnoh 'opulent luxury' (lit. pure gold, gem, carmine, spice)

Poetry

[Under construction. The poems are gibberish and are meant to illustrate the rhyme scheme.]

Rhyme

In addition to having the same rime, two words must rhyme in tone class in order to be considered to rhyme. -Ø, -b, -n are "flat" (mla) tones; -g, -d, -s, -ß and checked tones are "sharp" (dzäß) tones.

Virelai

The virelai (Hlou: Traun Ntzob) is a traditional Hlou poetic form. Although it is called the virelai in English, it borrows elements (like the rhyme scheme) from the Vietnamese lục bát.

Example [the poem is gibberish]:

Mpfein schwie ein Ntzäh an Tsun,
Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.
Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,
Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xien taub tlub.

Daß zu Mläus ein Zeig Pfaß,
blein Eib zu Mböd bis Dlag,
klaub wie raug Mlob weis schrah zied Glu.

Daß zu Ves ein Drläub flein,
Weg ndso ein Ndxäuß schred nreib,
Pfed zag tzau die Vaub dlei raus Schmub.

Daß zu Vein Nkaub ein Nlas,
An zu Nlöb pfeib je Schmag ven Wauß,
schniß, ob Dlau! dran flän Schaug,
klöh xan haud wie Trob, haus nun Tsun.

Mpfein schwie ein Ntzäh an Tsun,
Leid wen Bläuß dran, maß Schlub von trlien.
Väd mleib weg die Gleiß Schmieb,
Raus ein Pfeg nun schraß Xien taub tlub.

Burns stanza

A variant of the Burns stanza is another traditional Hlou meter.

Tlad Hei drlah Mbauß,
Xan schnuh zied nraug,
Xob Ndzäu beis schraus –
Ihn Vug –
Ngiß Tsahn we jaud
schrieb mbug.

Though [your] body must [become] soil,
I touch you up close,
The warm embrace nurturing
[The] leaf [of] learning;
A garden growing between [us],
[which will] last forever.

Holorime

Two lines with the same syllables but with different tones

Phrasebook

  1. 'I love you': Xan lub zied. /ʃa˨˩ lu˥˥ s̪ɨ˧˩˧/

Sample text

Tower of Babel

  1. Bis Ndreib nin dzeb ein Xab flog die Ntzog an die zu Wes meib hin.
  2. Leid bis Glied zu Ndxub in ein Ndob Ndob be Schnähn zug raug die Schwiß bis Xi-Na an nlub man drein hin.
  3. An ein Ndob Ndob tlau be veß hin, "Ob mbus aus dahn Ngu an nlaß zug schlög schlög." Zug raug Mlob Ngu bis rohn Pfaub an Schräh bis rohn Kis Mbeh hin.
  4. An zug tlau hin, "Ob ntsaus aus dahn die Mbih nun dahn an bis ja die Nkloh von Schmauß raug man Ntse. Rein dahn xau Ntrob nun dahn bei. Schaub dzas es hab mpeib dahn dseih dseih bis dzeb ein Xab bei."
  5. Leid ein Schwed mpfau ba hin, schluß bleb ein Mbih an ein Nkloh von ein Ndob-Ndob ntsaus sein.
  6. Ein Schwed tlau hin, "Daß die Lad wes Ntzog meib tei dlä nin, ab dxah nan zug schlab txoh hau eh gan Tzuß bei.
  7. "Ob mpfau nros aus dahn an hab schmeiß ndäu ein Ntzog zug, schluß zug drlin eh tug veß bei."
  8. An ein Schwed mpeib zug je drein dseih dseih bis dzeb ein Xab hin, an zug vus ntsaus ein Mbih hin.
  9. An nun nein ja flog Ntrob Mba-Mbä — dsäus drein ein Schwed hab schmeiß ndäu ein Ntzog in dzeb ein Xab hin. Je drein ein Schwed hab mpeib zug dseih dseih bis dzeb ein Xab hin.

Gloss

Bis Ndreib nin dzeb ein Huß flog die Ntzog an die zu Wes meib hin.
LOC time that whole DEF world have INDEF language CONJ INDEF VN speak common PAST
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
Leid [bis Glied] zu Ndxub in ein Ndob Ndob be Schnähn zug raug die Schwiß bis Xi-Na an [nlub man] drein hin.
but [as] VN move GEN DEF human human PREP east 3PL find INDEF plain PREP Shinar CONJ [settle] there PAST
As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
An ein Ndob Ndob tlau be veß hin, "Ob mbus aus dahn Ngu an nlaß zug [schlög schlög]."
CONJ DEF human human say PREP one_another PST, VOC make SUBJ 1SG brick CONJ fire_ceramic 3PL [throughly]
They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly."
Zug [raug Mlob] Ngu [bis rohn] Pfaub an Schräh [bis rohn] [Kis Mbeh] hin.
3PL use brick instead_of stone and tar instead_of mortar PAST
They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
An zug tlau hin, "Ob ntsaus aus dahn die Mbih nun dahn an bis ja die Nkloh von Schmauß [raug man] Ntse.
and 3PL say PST, VOC build SUBJ 1SG INDEF city for 1PL and in it a tower REL top reach DEF sky
And they said: "Come, let's build a city for ourselves and a tower in it, whose top would reach the sky.
Rein dahn xau Ntrob nun dahn bei. Schaub dzas es hab mpeib dahn [dseih dseih] bis dzeb ein Huß bei."
that_way 1SG grow name for 1SG bei. or fall IMPERS cause scatter 1PL all_over whole LOC DEF world FUT.
That way we will make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the whole world."
Leid ein Schwed mpfau ba hin, schluß bleb ein Mbih an ein Nkloh von ein Ndob-Ndob ntsaus sein.
but DEF god descend come PST, PURP see DEF city and DEF tower REL DEF human human build PROG
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
Ein Schwed tlau hin, "Daß die Lad wes Ntzog meib tei dlä nin, ab dxah nan zug schlab txoh hau eh gan Tzuß bei.
DEF god say PST, if one people speak language common have start do this, then thing whatever they plan accomplish NEG without possibility FUT
The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
"Ob mpfau nros aus dahn an hab schmeiß ndäu ein Ntzog zug, schluß zug drlin eh tug veß bei."
VOC descend go SBJ 1SG and cause confuse hit DEF language 3PL COHORT, in_order_that 3PL hear not understand each_other FUT
"Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
An ein Schwed mpeib zug je drein [dseih dseih] bis dzeb ein Xab hin, an zug vus ntsaus ein Mbih hin.
and DEF god scatter 3PL from there all_over LOC whole DEF world PST, and 3PL stop build DEF city PST
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
An nun nein ja flog Ntrob Mba-Mbä — dsäus drein ein Schwed hab schmeiß ndäu ein Ntzog in dzeb ein Xab hin.
and for that 3SG.I have name Babel — reason DEF god cause confuse hit DEF language of whole DEF world PST
That is why it was called Babel — because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world.
Je drein ein Schwed hab mpeib zug [dsei dsei] bis dzeb ein Xab hin.
from there DEF god cause scatter 3PL all_over LOC whole DEF world PST
From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.