Linguifex

Lemizh: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Lemizh (view source)

Revision as of 11:15, 8 May 2022

3,516 bytes added ,  8 May 2022
→‎Morphology: Nouns, adjectives
(Plot flow)
(→‎Morphology: Nouns, adjectives)
Line 119: Line 119:
Each case is defined by its ''descriptor'': for example, the factive case denotes an ''action'', the nominative a ''sender'', the locative a ''place''. The stem and the inner case's descriptor determine a word's meaning.
Each case is defined by its ''descriptor'': for example, the factive case denotes an ''action'', the nominative a ''sender'', the locative a ''place''. The stem and the inner case's descriptor determine a word's meaning.


;Examples
'''Examples'''
* ''wàx. w–x'' is the stem for "speak", ''-a-'' denotes the inner factive, so this word means "the action of speaking", loosely translated as the verb "to speak" or the [[w:Gerund|gerund]] "speaking".
* ''wàx. w–x'' is the stem for "speak", ''-a-'' denotes the inner factive, so this word means "an action of speaking", translated as the verb "to speak" or the [[w:Gerund|gerund]] "speaking".
* ''wèx. -e-'' denotes the inner nominative, so this word means "the sender of speaking" or "a/the speaker".
* ''wèx. -e-'' denotes the inner nominative, so this word means "a sender of speaking" or "a speaker".
* ''àrdh. ∅–dh'' (having a zero prestem) is the stem for "eat", ''-ar-'' denotes the inner locative: "the place of eating".
* ''àrdh. ∅–dh'' (having a zero prestem) is the stem for "eat", ''-ar-'' denotes the inner locative: "a place of eating".
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Primary cases and their descriptors
|+ Primary cases and their descriptors
Line 148: Line 148:
| 8 || ü || benefactive ({{sc|ben}}):<br>''beneficiary'' || final ({{sc|fin}}):<br>''purpose, aim'' || aggressive ({{sc|agg}}):<br>''time towards which, temporal aim'' || allative ({{sc|all}}):<br>''place/region towards which, spatial aim''
| 8 || ü || benefactive ({{sc|ben}}):<br>''beneficiary'' || final ({{sc|fin}}):<br>''purpose, aim'' || aggressive ({{sc|agg}}):<br>''time towards which, temporal aim'' || allative ({{sc|all}}):<br>''place/region towards which, spatial aim''
|}
|}
Each primary case has two corresponding secondary cases: a ''partitive'' case formed by adding ''ng'' (such as ''-ing-'' for the partitive dative or ''-erng-'' for the partitive elative) and a corresponding ''qualitative'' case formed by adding ''m''.
Each primary case has two corresponding secondary cases: a partitive case formed by adding ''ng'' (such as ''-ing-'' for the partitive dative or ''-erng-'' for the partitive elative) and a corresponding qualitative case formed by adding ''m''.


===The flow of the plot===
===The flow of the plot===
Line 160: Line 160:
! Inner factive !! Inner nominative !! Inner accusative !! Inner dative
! Inner factive !! Inner nominative !! Inner accusative !! Inner dative
|-
|-
| ''wàx.'' "speak, tell" || ''wèx.'' "the one telling something" || ''wỳx.'' "the tale" || ''wìx.'' "the one who is told it"
| ''wàx.'' "to speak, to tell" || ''wèx.'' "one telling something" || ''wỳx.'' "a tale" || ''wìx.'' "one who is told something"
|-
|-
| ''dà.'' "give" || ''dè.'' "the one giving something" || ''dỳ.'' "the gift" || ''dì.'' "the one who is given it"
| ''dà.'' "to give" || ''dè.'' "one giving something" || ''dỳ.'' "a gift" || ''dì.'' "one who is given something; one who gets something"
|-
|-
| ''làzhw.'' "help" || ''lèzhw.'' "the one helping" || ''lỳzhw.'' "the help (given)" || ''lìzhw.'' "the one whom is helped"
| ''làzhw.'' "to help" || ''lèzhw.'' "one helping" || ''lỳzhw.'' "help (given)" || ''lìzhw.'' "one whom is helped"
|-
|-
| ''mlàtx.'' "melt" || ''mlètx.'' "the one melting something" || [''mlỳtx.''] || ''mlìtx.'' "the thing melted"
| ''mlàtx.'' "to melt" || ''mlètx.'' "one melting something" || [''mlỳtx.''] || ''mlìtx.'' "a melted thing"
|-
|-
| ''xöàgh.'' "produce a sound; hear" || ''xöègh.'' "the one producing a sound" || ''xöỳgh.'' "the sound" || ''xöìgh.'' "the one hearing it"
| ''xöàgh.'' "to produce a sound; to hear" || ''xöègh.'' "one producing a sound" || ''xöỳgh.'' "a sound" || ''xöìgh.'' "one hearing something"
|-
|-
| ''àdh.'' "feed; eat" || ''èdh.'' "the one feeding someone" || ''ỳdh.'' "the food" || ''ìdh.'' "the one being fed; the one eating"
| ''àdh.'' "to feed; to eat" || ''èdh.'' "one feeding someone" || ''ỳdh.'' "food" || ''ìdh.'' "one being fed; one eating"
|-
|-
| ''ià.'' "love" || ''iè.'' "the one loving someone, the lover" || ''iỳ.'' "the beloved" || ''iì.'' "the beloved"
| ''ià.'' "to love" || ''iè.'' "one loving someone, a lover" || ''iỳ.'' "a beloved" || ''iì.'' "a beloved"
|}
|}
Importantly, there are no rules for which cases to use with which word. Both ''iỳ.'' ({{sc|acc}}) and ''iì.'' ({{sc|dat}}) mean "the beloved". The former describes the beloved as the content of love, the one being lovingly thought of, while the latter implies that the love reaches them, like words or gifts reach their recipient. Likewise, the reason why ''mlỳtx.'' is not translated in the table above isn't that "''melt'' does not take the accusative", as grammars of other languages would say, but that "the content of melting" does not seem to have any obvious meaning. If someone wanted to describe, say, sun rays as content transported from the sun to the snow to melt it, they could well use ''mlỳtx.'' to express the concept.
Importantly, there are no rules for which cases to use with which word. Both ''iỳ.'' ({{sc|acc}}) and ''iì.'' ({{sc|dat}}) mean "a beloved". The former describes the beloved as the content of love, the one being lovingly thought of, while the latter implies that the love reaches them, like words or gifts reach their recipient. Likewise, the reason why ''mlỳtx.'' is not translated in the table above isn't that "''melt'' does not take the accusative", as grammars of other languages would say, but that "a content of melting" does not seem to have any obvious meaning. If someone wanted to describe, say, sun rays as content transported from the sun to the snow to melt it, they could well use ''mlỳtx.'' to express the concept.


Case usage is governed solely by the general concept of descriptors (and, based on that, the flow of the plot); in all concrete situations, it relies on speaker intuition and their ability to use metaphors for accommodating the semantics of different verbs. If the wind opens a door, is it the source of the action of opening (''ngèt.''), the means of opening (''ngùt.''), or the cause (''ngèlt.'')? All are grammatically correct; the speaker decides which possibility best expresses their intention.
Case usage is governed solely by the general concept of descriptors (and, based on that, the flow of the plot); in all concrete situations, it relies on speaker intuition and their ability to use metaphors for accommodating the semantics of different verbs. If the wind opens a door, is it the source of the action of opening (''ngèt.''), the means of opening (''ngùt.''), or the cause (''ngèlt.'')? All are grammatically correct; the speaker decides which possibility best expresses their intention.


===Nouns===
===Nouns===
A large number of nouns are not derived from verbs in most languages: ''froth, ship, lion'' and many others. In Lemizh, however, we have verbs such as ''psràxk.'' "to froth", ''àksh.'' "to build a ship or ships", and ''làw.'' "to make a lion or lions".
Looking at the verb ''àksh.'', the shipwright ({{sc|nom}}) gives the building materials ({{sc|dat}}) the properties or the function of a ship ({{sc|acc}}). He confers, well, shipness on the materials. The shipness is sent by the shipwright, not because he is acting, but because he is the source: the image of the ship, so to say, comes from his head and materialises in wood, iron, ropes, and linen.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Inner factive !! Inner nominative !! Inner accusative !! Inner dative
|-
| ''psràxk.'' "to froth" || ''psrèxk.'' "one frothing something" || ''psrỳxk.'' "a thing having the properties of froth = froth" || ''psrìxk.'' "a frothed thing, a frothed liquid"
|-
| ''àksh.'' "to build a ship" || ''èksh.'' "one building a ship, a shipwright" || ''ỳksh.'' "a thing having the properties of a ship = a ship" || ''ìksh.'' "building materials for a ship, materials made into a ship"
|-
| ''làw.'' "to make a lion" || [''lèw.'' "one making a lion"] || ''lỳw.'' "a thing having the properties of a lion = a lion" || [''lìw.'' "building materials for a lion, materials made into a lion"]
|}
Another very common kind of nouns are tool nouns, formed with an inner instrumental case:
* ''ghstù.'' "a sail" is derived from ''ghstà.'' "to sail", literally meaning "a means of sailing",
* ''pslù.'' "scissors" from ''pslà.'' "to cut with scissors",
* ''skrùzh.'' "a finger" from ''skràzh.'' "to work with one's fingers".
====Inflection====
As mentioned above, all words can inflect for (outer) case. Thus, we have the nominative forms ''wàx'''e''''' "(an act of) speaking, (an act of) telling", ''dè'''e''''' "a giver", ''lỳw'''e''''' "a lion", the causative ''lỳw'''el''''' "because of a lion", the elative ''lỳw'''er''''' "(starting) from a lion", etc.
Lemizh words do not inflect for number or gender. If desired, we can express this information by forming compounds. (Note the duplication of the inner case vowel; the underlying grammar will be described later.)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Neutral !! Singular !! Dual !! Plural !! Feminine !! Masculine !! Singular feminine !! etc.
|-
! giver
| ''dè.'' || ''de'''rè'''.'' || ''de'''dwè'''.'' || ''de'''mlè'''.'' || ''de'''bè'''.'' || ''de'''èx'''.'' || ''de'''rebè'''.'' or ''de'''berè'''.''
|-
! lion
| ''lỳw.'' || ''lyw'''rỳ'''.'' || ''lyw'''dwỳ'''.'' || ''lyw'''mlỳ'''.'' || ''lyw'''bỳ'''.'' || ''lyw'''ỳx'''.'' || ''lyw'''rybỳ'''.'' or ''lyw'''byrỳ'''.''
|-
! compound with
| — || ''rỳ.'' "one" || ''dwỳ.'' "two" || ''mlỳ.'' "several" || ''bỳ.'' "female; woman" || ''ỳx.'' "male; man" || "one" and "female"
|}


===Adjectives===
===Adjectives===
There is no difference between adjectives and nouns. This is the same as in, say, Latin, where ''albus'' can also mean "a white one" as well as "white".
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Inner factive !! Inner nominative !! Inner accusative !! Inner dative
|-
| ''gmrà.'' "to heat, to make something warm" || ''gmrè.'' "one heating something up" || ''gmrỳ.'' "a warm thing; warm" || ''gmrì.'' "a thing heated up; heated, warmed"
|-
| ''làbdh.'' "to whiten something, to make something white" || ''lèbdh.'' "one whitening something" || ''lỳbdh.'' "a white thing; white" || ''lìbdh.'' "a thing made white; whitened"
|-
|}


<!-- Here are some example subcategories:
<!-- Here are some example subcategories:
===Verbs===
===Verbs===
===Numerals===
===Adverbs===
===Adverbs===
===Particles===
===Particles===
Anypodetos
78

edits

Retrieved from "https://linguifex.com/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/270750"