Schlaub

Hlau/Lexicon

Hlau (Ntzog Schlaub /ⁿz̪o̤˧ ɬəʊ˩˧/) is a Bjeheondian language, inspired by Hmong and German.

Dahn schaul weg zu Mpfëin aus zu Schnod = We speak about love and hate

(1PL speak about VN love and VN hate)

Are you saving it for me? = Zied tsohl ja nun xan ab? (2SG save 3SG.inan for 1SG INTERR)

we love him so we are welcoming him = Dahn mpfëin so weil dahn nkeiß zu Schleib an so sein (1PL love 3SG.anim CONJ 1PL celebrate VN come GEN 3SG.anim PRES.PROG)

Numbers: die, beid, lähn, schred, kaß, traun, heid, ntzob, glaub, weiß

Phonology

a e i o u = /a e i o u/
ä ö ë = /ã õ ẽ/
ah eh ih oh uh äh öh ëh = /aʔ eʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n, -l tones]
ei ie au äu ëi = /əi iə əu əũ əĩ/
initials: p b pf pl bl m mpf ml f v fl /pʰ p pɸ pʰl pl m mɸ ml f v fl/
t d tz tl dl n ntz nl /tʰ t ts tʰl tl n ns nl/
k g ch kl gl = /kʰ k x~kx kʰl kl/
z s x sch schr = /s [basque s] ʃ [sje] ʂ/
ts nts tx ntx mp mb nt nd nk ng as expected
l = /l/
r = /ʐ ~ ɹ/
j = /j/
w = /w/
h = /h/
schm schn schl schw = voiceless m n l w
tr dr trl drl nr ntr ndr = retroflex versions of t d tl dl n nt nd

Hlau has 8 tones:

b = low rising
Ø = mid level / mid entering
d = peaking / high falling
g = breathy mid level
s = glottalized (vietnamese ngã)
ß = dipping
n = low falling / low entering
l = high rising / high entering

Grammar

Pronouns

Person	Singular	Dual	Plural
1	xan	bluß	dahn
2	zied	jen	schlag
3	so (animate) ja (inanimate)	eib	zug

Sie = polite pronoun (all persons and numbers)

Prepositions

• an = of
• bis = in, at
• je = from
• nun = for
• ob = vocative
• raus = together with
• weg = about
• wie = to

Particles

• sein = present progressive
• hin = past
• bei = future
• ihn = imperative
• mal = cohortative
• ab = interrogative
• da = exclamatory
• viel = softening
• eh = negative
• schon = prohibitive
• los = inchoative

Conjunctions

• aus = and
• in = or
• leid = but
• tun = relative / complement clause
• rein = if
• weil = then, so, therefore
• bloß = because

TODO: Edit the following

Nouns

Hlau nouns do not inflect for number but take possessive prefixes for inalienable possession. Hlau nouns can take classifiers which serve many functions. Classifiers with possessive prefixes mark alienable possession.

Classifiers

Hlau classifiers inflect for number. They often have suppletive plural forms. For example, zjog means either 'a person' or 'people'; ne zjog means 'the person'; stae zjog means 'the people'.

The following classifiers are used:

• ne, pl. stae = animates (humans, more "animate" animals like pets)
• tja, pl. jes = honorific form of ne
• kveo, pl. fli = organisms not viewed as sentient: plants, fungi, bacteria, "lower" animals, pests
• mae, pl. mae = tiny, point-like objects; mass nouns
  • Units of measurement can be used such as cups, pails, ...
• oets, pl. al = long, thin objects
• hy, pl. zoe = flat sheets
• gi, pl. kru = food items
• raev, pl. sja = abstractions; intellectual works such as art, books, ...
• mo, pl. lu = manmade structures: houses, buildings, cities; tools
• Units of measurement do not take classifiers with numerals.

Numerals

1-10: seots, kljeo, sko, moe, fah, ex, tjeot, hjaet, kvjaet, tsju

Ordinals are marked with -pae.

Derivational morphology

• Compound nouns are head-final and are always hyphenated
• -al = agentive
• ri- = non-

Tower of Babel

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

Bis Dreib ein Schal tzeg flug die Ntzog aus die zu Wel meid hin.

LOC present DEF world whole have INDEF language CONJ INDEF VN speak common PAST

As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

[Bis Glied] zu Ntrub an ein Zëhl wie Schlähn zug raug die Schwiß bis Xi-Na aus [ntlub dran] hin.

[as] VN move GEN DEF people PREP east 3PL find INDEF plain PREP Shinar CONJ [settle] PAST

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly."

Aus ein Zëhl tlau näu veß, "Ob bus Ngu aus nlaß zug [schlög schlög] mal."

CONJ DEF people say PREP one_another, VOC make brick CONJ fire_ceramic 3PL [throughly] COHORT

They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

Zug [raug Mlob] Ngu [bis rohn] Pfaub aus Schrähl [bis rohn] [Tis Mbeh] hin.

3PL use brick instead_of stone and tar instead_of mortar PAST