Letaale

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Letaale [leˈtaːle] is a constructed secret language used by tahu, members of the tagahu, a secretive and technologically advanced male-only military government ruling the known parts of the space habitat Oru. Little is known of the designer(s) of the language however its use follows a long tradition. It is taught to all hiitaahii (boys who are raised to be tahu) from a young age, adhering to a strict prescriptive standard. As far as is known, all speakers are male and all are also fluent in Guaru, generally speaking both natively. In informal situations, many tahu engage in extensive code switching.

Tahu is a built on a system of triconsonantal noun roots and trivocalic verb roots with a system of conversion from one form to the other based on consonant-vowel pairs. With few exceptions, each word is a clause on its own and longer sentences are formed by stringing these clause-words together, with word order mostly constrained only by pragmatic considerations.

Name

The name Letaale comes from trisyllabic lemma letaale literally meaning "the Letaale speaker speaks Letaale". This is not the name of the language as such but is used to refer to speaking the language, as in nemaane ("I speak Letaale"). The name of the language in Letaale, although used rarely, is xialetaale [ʔialeˈtaːle], which uses the identifier prefix xia- for abstract things.

In the Guaru language, Letaale is known as guaru ttahu [ˈŋuaɾu ˈtːahu] or simply "language of the tahu". It is also known as uoriuo [ˈ(ʔ)uoɾiˌuo]. This is probably borrowed from the word volivo [ˈvolivo]~[ˈwoɾiwo] which is essentially the accusative form of "you" (literally "you are physically affected") as this may be a word that is heard in interactions with the tagahu.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal Romanisation
Nasal m n ŋ ⟨ m n g ⟩
Plosive t k ʔ ⟨ t k x ⟩
Fricative v s ʒ h ⟨ v s j h ⟩
Lateral l ⟨ l ⟩

Most allophones listed below exist in more or less free variation.

  • All of /n t l/ are usually dental but may also be alveolar.
  • Both /t/ and /k/ are unaspirated.
  • The consonants /t k s/ may be pronounced as voiced /d g z/, especially when non-initial.
  • /v/ has a wide range of pronunciation, being essentially anywhere in the realm of [v β ʋ w] although it generally tightens towards [β] or [v] when either of the adjacent vowels is is /u/. It may be romanised as either ⟨v⟩ or ⟨w⟩. The former is used here.
  • /ʒ/ likewise has a range of pronunciations, somewhere in the viscinity of [j ʝ ʑ ʒ ʐ]. When either of the adjacent vowels is /i/, /ʒ/ is usually pronounced tenser and with more friction, further from [j] or [ʝ].
  • /l/ may be pronounced as a lateral [l], a tap/flap [ɾ] or a lateral flap [ɺ]. It may be romanised as either ⟨l⟩ or ⟨r⟩, with the former preferred here.

Vowels

Letaale has a simple system of five-vowels qualities, with a long and a short version of each, as in Hawaiian.

Single vowels
front central back
close i u
open mid e o
low a

When stressed, these vowels have the tense cardinal pronunciations of [i e a o u]. When unstressed and short, they tend to weaken towards [ɪ ɛ ɐ ɔ ʊ].

Long vowels are indicated in the romanisation either by by doubling or using macrons ⟨ā ē ī ō ū⟩. The doubling method is used here.

In addition, there are the diphthongs /ai au eo ia io iu oe ua ue ui/.

Phonotactics

The allowable syllable structure of Letaale is CV(V) (C = consonant, V = vowel). All syllables begin with a consonant and may contain one or two vowels, if counting long vowels and diphthongs as two. All combinations of consonant and vowel are allowed and no vowel-initial syllables are permitted.

Prosody

Word stress falls on the last long vowel or diphthong in a word. If all the vowels are short, stress falls on the initial syllable. Prefixes and initial clitics, all of which contain a diphthong other than /ai/, are never stressed.

Morphophonology

The vowels of Letaale can be divided into two types:


  1. Primary vowels: the monophthongs /a aː e eː i iː o oː u uː/ and the diphthong /ai/
  2. Secondary vowels: the remaining diphthongs /au eo ia io iu ua ue ui/


Each of the eleven primary vowels is associated with a single consonant and vice versa. These pairs are relevant for inversions and conversions in trisyllabic word-clauses, such as the noun k_j_m_ ('the dog') which converts to the verb _uu_o_i ('be a dog').


Consonant
(noun form)
Vowel
(verb form)
Syllable
(lemma)
n a na
l e le
m i mi
j o jo
g u gu
t aa taa
x ee xee
h ii hii
s oo soo
k uu kuu
v ai vai


All trisyllabic lemmas are composed of three of the resulting syllables. For example jotaale is allowable as a lemma whereas jitaale is not because j and i are not a pair.

Secondary vowels are not associated with any particular consonant and only appear in clitics and identifier prefixes. These prefixes are always unstressed.

Morphology

Trisyllabics

The majority of words in Letaale consist of three syllables and are thus called trisyllabics. Each trisyllabic consists of two triphonemic roots:

  1. a noun root (or subject root), which consists of three consonants (triconsonantal), for example m_g_v_ "banana", and
  2. a verb root, which consists of three vowels (trivocalic), counting the long vowels and the diphthong /ai/ as one vowel each, for example _i_u_ai "be a banana".

Because all trisyllabics contain a subject and a verb, each one constitutes an entire clause in its own right.

Lemmas (citation forms) of trisyllabics consist of a noun root together with its equivalent verb root. These are related by the one-to-one correspondence of consonants to primary vowels, meaning that lemmas consist only of the syllables na, taa, le, xee, mi, hii, jo, soo, gu, kuu, and vai. Like all trisyllabics, lemmas make up a valid clause on their own, however, the relationship between noun forms and verb forms is consistent to the the point that trisyllabic lemmas are always, by definition, self-evidently true sentences of the structure "the X is an X" (or "that which X-es X-es"), and therefore mostly rather void of pragmatic purpose. Here are some examples of trisyllabic roots in their lemma forms.


Trisyllabic roots
Lemma-
clause
Translation Noun Translation Verb Translation
namina I am me. n_m_n_ I _a_i_a be me
vailevai You are you. v_l_v_ you _ai_e_ai be you
taaguhii The taaguhii* is a taaguhii. t_g_h_ taaguhii, he _aa_u_ii be taaguhii
hiitaahii The hiitaahii** is a hiitaahii. h_t_h_ hiitaahii, he _ii_aa_ii be hiitaahii
levaile The woman is a woman. l_v_l_ woman, she _e_ai_e be woman
soovaigu The civilian man is a civilian man. s_v_g_ civilian man, he _o_ai_u be civilian man
kuumixee The monkey is a monkey. k_m_x_ monkey _uu_i_ee be monkey
kuujomi The dog is a dog. k_j_m_ dog _uu_o_i be dog
minataa The cat is a cat. m_n_t_ cat _i_a_aa be cat
vaijokuu The bird is a bird. v_j_k_ bird _ai_o_uu be bird
milena The fish is a fish. m_l_n_ fish _i_e_a be fish
miguvai The banana is a banana. m_g_v_ banana _i_u_ai be banana
jomijo The physically affected one is physically affected. j_m_j_ physically affected one _o_i_o be physcally affected
lejole The perceiver perceives. l_j_l_ perceiver _e_o_e perceive
lesoomi The sleeper sleeps. l_s_m_ sleeper, sleeping one _e_oo_i sleep
xeenami The eater eats. x_n_m_ eater, eating one _ee_a_i eat
kuunagu The hitter hits. k_n_g_ hitter, hitting one _uu_a_u hit
gunagu The killer kills. g_n_g_ killer, murderer _u_a_u kill, murder
taanagu The big one is big. t_n_g_ big one _aa_a_u be big
hiijole The beloved one is beloved. h_j_l_ (be)loved one _ii_o_e be (be)loved
vaimina The visible one is visible. v_m_n_ visible one _ai_i_a be visible
hiimijo This one is here. h_m_j_ one near me _ii_i_o be near me
xeenajo That one is there. x_n_j_ one near you _ee_a_o near you
taamitaa What is what? t_m_t_ what, who, which _aa_i_aa be what, be who, which?
* A taaguhii is a tahu in active duty, roughly equivalent to a soldier or police officer.
** A hiitaahii is a kai tahu, a future tahu, a boy raised to be a tahu.

Identifiers

Identifiers are generally equivalent to proper nouns. They consist of one (or, occasionally, more than one) classifying prefix, which indicates various classes of people and things, followed by a trisyllabic.

For example, the personal name Tuakuumoxu consists of the prefix Tua-, indicating a tahu in active duty (a taaguhii), followed by the trisyllabic kuumoxu, meaning "the monkey plays" (k_m_x_ "the monkey" + uu_o_u "play"). Prefixes may change over time. When Tuakuumoxu retires from active duty and enters administration, his name will become Xuakuumoxu, with the prefix Xua-indicating a tahu in an administrative role. The vocative prefix generally replaces any other prefix although it can sometimes be stacked on to the beginning. For example, the vocative form of Tuakuumoxu may be Xoekuumoxu or Xoetuakuumoxu.

Identifiers are also used for more specific descriptions of things than are available with trisyllabics, such as names of specific types of plants and animals, towns, rivers, hills and other topographical features, rock types, metals, foods etc.

Clitics

Syntax

Trisyllabic clauses

Trisyllabic clauses consist of a single trisyllabic, which itself consists of two triphonemic roots a noun root (or subject root), consisting of three consonants, and a verb root (or predicate root), consisting of three vowels. The following table shows examples and is sortable by column.


Trisyllabic Translation Noun Translation Verb Translation
xaanijaa What is that? x_n_j_ one near you _aa_i_aa be what/who?
himujai This is a banana. h_m_j_ one near me _i_u_ai be banana
huumijee This is a monkey. h_m_j_ one near me _uu_i_ee be monkey
huumiiji This is a house. h_m_j_ one near me _uu_ii_i be house
haamijaa What is this? h_m_j_ one near me _aa_i_aa be what/who?
xinujai That is a banana. x_n_j_ one near you _i_u_ai be banana
xuunijee That is a monkey. x_n_j_ one near you _uu_i_ee be monkey
xuuniiji That is a house. x_n_j_ one near you _uu_ii_i be house
nimunai I am a banana. n_m_n_ I _i_u_ai be banana
magiva The banana is me. m_g_v_ banana _a_i_a be me
viluvai You are a banana. v_l_v_ you _i_u_ai be banana
maigevai The banana is you. m_g_v_ banana _ai_e_ai be you
neemani I eat. n_m_n_ I _ee_a_i eat
xanima The eating one is me. x_n_m_ eater _a_i_a be me
veelavi You eat. v_l_v_ you _ee_a_i eat
xainemai The eating one is you. x_n_m_ eater _ai_e_ai be you
keejami The dog eats. k_j_m_ dog _ee_a_i eat
xuunomi The eating one is a dog. x_n_m_ eater _uu_o_i be dog
kejoomi The dog sleeps. k_j_m_ dog _e_oo_i sleep
kijumai The dog is a banana. k_j_m_ dog _i_u_ai be banana
nemone I perceive. n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
nameeno I exist. n_m_n_ I _a_ee_o exist
meegovi The banana exists. m_g_v_ banana _ee_o_i exist
xijumai There is a banana. x_j_m_ existing one _i_u_ai be banana


Inversion

Inversion is the process of swapping the converting the noun root into a verb root and vice versa within a trisyllabic word. Many of the examples given above are inversions of another given example.

For example, to invert the word veelavi "you eat", the noun root v_l_v_ "you" is converted to its corresponding verb root _ai_e_ai "be you" and the verb _ee_a_i "to eat" becomes the noun x_n_m_ "eater". This produces xainemai "the one that eats is you". Inversion usually results in radically differently looking words with an often fairly subtle shift in pragmatic meaning. Veelavi "you eat" and xainemai "the eater is you" don't share a single phoneme in common, and yet the meanings differ only in terms of topic and focus.

Identifier use

Because identifiers do not have slots available for a noun's consonants or a verb's vowels to fit in, they must accompany a classifying noun or verb which indicates their role in the sentence. The identifier most commonly follows their classifying verb or noun but they can also precede it. For people's names, the most common classifier used is hiilemi "the named one is named".


Niimeni Xuatonugo.
[ˈniːmeni ʔua̯ˈtonuŋo]
n_m_n_ I _ii_e_i be named
Xua- IDENTIFIER: Name of xeeguhii
t_n_g_ big one _o_u_o be strange
My name is Xuatonugo.
I am Xuatonugo.


Halima Xuatonugo.
[ˈhalima ʔua̯ˈtonuŋo]
h_l_m_ named one _a_i_a be me
Xua- IDENTIFIER: Name of xeeguhii
t_n_g_ big one _o_u_o be strange
Xuatonugo is me.


There are a range of other name classifiers, such as nia-, which is used for animals.


Xaijomuu niamalaixuu malima.
[ʔai̯ʒoˈmuː nia̯malai̯ˈʔuː ˈmalima]
x_j_m_ an extisting one _ai_o_uu be a bird
nia- IDENTIFIER: Name of animal species
m_l_x_ blue one _a_ai_uu fly high
m_l_m_ owner _a_i_a be me
I have a hyacinth macaw.


Multiclausal sentences

Multiclausal sentences are formed by simply placing trisyllabic word-clauses next to one another. Modifiers generally follow their heads but word order is quite flexible, with different orders being used to shift emphasis.


Namaina kimaixaa.
[naˈmai̯na kimai̯ˈʔaː]
n_m_n_ I _a_ai_a cause
k_m_x_ monkey _i_ai_aa dance
I make the monkey dance.


Kimaixaa namaina.
[kimai̯ˈʔaː naˈmai̯na]
k_m_x_ monkey _i_ai_aa dance
n_m_n_ I _a_ai_a cause
The monkey dances (because) I make it.


Kimaixaa navina.
[kimai̯ˈʔaː ˈnawina]
k_m_x_ monkey _i_ai_aa dance
n_v_n_ cause _a_i_a be me
The monkey dances because of me.


Navina kimaixaa.
[ˈnawina kimai̯ˈʔaː]
n_v_n_ cause _a_i_a be me
k_m_x_ monkey _i_ai_aa dance
Because of me, the monkey dances.


Sentences with Identifiers

There are a range of other name classifiers, such as nia-, which is used for animals.


Xaijomuu niamalaixuu malima.
[ʔai̯ʒoˈmuː nia̯malai̯ˈʔuː ˈmalima]
x_j_m_ an extisting one _ai_o_uu be bird
nia- IDENTIFIER: Name of animal species
m_l_x_ blue one _a_ai_uu fly high
m_l_m_ owner _a_i_a be me
I have a hyacinth macaw.


Transitivity

There is no explicit transitivity in Letaale. The direct object of a verb is frequently indicated using a root of jomijo, which indicates that something is physically affected by another action.


Keemaxi mogivo.
[ˈkeːmaʔi ˈmoŋiwo]
k_m_x_ monkey _ee_a_i eat
m_g_v_ banana _o_i_o be physically affected
The monkey eats the banana.


Jomijo is, however, not simply an equivalent of an accusative case. In many instances, another root is used to indicate the roll of the object.


Tuxanu keemuxee.
[ˈtuʔanu keːmuˈʔeː]
t_x_n_ hunter _u_a_u kill
k_m_x_ monkey _ee_u_ee die
The hunter kills the monkey.


Vijaaka lavitee.
[wiˈʒaːka lawiˈteː]
v_j_k_ bird _i_aa_a construct
l_v_t_ nest _a_i_ee come into being
The bird builds the nest.


Helumai Tuakuumoxu kimaixaa. Koomixuu togiho.
[heluˈmai̯ tua̯ˈkuːmoʔu kimai̯ˈʔaː | koːmiˈʔuː ˈtoŋiho]
h_l_m_ named one _e_u_ai force
Tua- IDENTIFIER: Name of taaguhii
k_m_x_ monkey _e_ee_ii play
k_m_x_ monkey _i_ai_aa dance
...
k_m_x_ monkey _oo_i_uu bite
t_g_h_ taaguhii / he _o_i_o be physically affected
Tuakuumoxu forces the monkey to dance. It bites him.


Tuamaagavu halaima kuheemii.
[tua̯ˈmaːŋavu hiˈla̯ima kuheːˈmiː]
Tua- IDENTIFIER: Name of taaguhii
m_g_v_ banana _e_ee_ii be big
h_l_m_ named one _a_ai_a cause
k_h_m_ house _u_ee_ii be on fire
Tuamaagavu sets the house on fire.


Verbs that don't result in something being physically affected (such as "love", "see") are often present in Letaale as passives and the experiencer is indicated as a perceiver.


Nemone viilove.
[ˈnemone ˈwiːlowe]
n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
v_l_v_ you _ii_o_e be (be)loved
I love you.


Nemone vailiva.
[ˈnemone ˈwai̯liwa]
n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
v_l_v_ you _ai_i_a be visible
I see you.


Definiteness

There are no articles, but the subject of a clause is generally definite and the verb deals with something indefinite. Inversion (swapping the subject and the verb within a clause) is used to achieve this effect. The resulting transformations produce entirely different looking words, such as the change from mogivo (≈ "the banana") to jimujai (≈ "a banana") in the following sentences.


Keemaxi mogivo.
[ˈkeːmaʔi ˈmoŋiwo]
k_m_x_ monkey _ee_a_i eat
m_g_v_ banana _o_i_o be physically affected
The monkey eats the banana.


Keemaxi jimujai.
[ˈkeːmaʔi ʒimuˈʒai̯]
k_m_x_ monkey _ee_a_i eat
j_m_j_ physically affected one _i_u_ai be banana
The monkey eats a banana.


Time

There are no verb tenses in Letaale. The word indicating time is hiimixee and this can be combined with other roots to specify what time is meant.


Haimeexe nuumiinu javaite Xuekahomai.
[hai̯ˈmeːʔe nuːmiːnu ʒaˈwai̯te ʔue̯kahoˈmai̯]
h_m_x_ time _ai_ee_e be yesterday
n_m_n_ I _uu_ii_u fly
j_v_t_ destination _a_ai_e be town
Xue- IDENTIFIER: Name of town
k_h_m_ house _a_o_ai be circle
Yesterday I flew to Xuekahomai.


Location

Locations are indicated with nataami.


Neemani mogivo kahaami.
[ˈneːmani ˈmoŋiwo kaˈhaːmi]
n_m_n_ I _ee_a_i eat
m_g_v_ banana _o_i_o be physically affected
k_h_m_ house _a_aa_i be location
I eat the banana in the house.


Neemani mogivo nuutiimi.
[ˈneːmani ˈmoŋiwo nuːˈtiːmi]
n_m_n_ I _ee_a_i eat
m_g_v_ banana _o_i_o be physically affected
n_t_m_ location _a_aa_i be house
I eat the banana in a house.


Subordination

Subordination is frequently not overtly indicated syntactically, just as in English.


Nemano velove niimone.
[ˈnemano ˈwelowe ˈniːmone]
n_m_n_ I _e_a_o know
v_l_v_ you _e_o_e perceive
n_m_n_ I _ii_o_e am (be)loved
I know (that) you love me.


Subordination can, however, be indicated using the root gumina ("what I'm about to say is what I'm about to say"). In this following example, it is only necessary if one wishes to indicate that one's perception was visual


Nemone (gaimina) keemaxi mogivo.
[ˈnemone (ˈŋai̯mina) ˈkeːmaʔi ˈmoŋiwa]
n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
g_m_n_ what I'm about to say _ai_i_a is visible
k_m_x_ the monkey _ee_a_i eats
m_g_v_ the banana _o_i_o is physically affected
I see the monkey eat the banana.


Coordination

Repetition of either a noun or a verb is used as an equivalent to "and".


Keemaxi neemani mogivo.
[ˈkeːmaʔi ˈneːmani ˈmoŋiwo]
k_m_x_ the monkey _ee_a_i eats
n_m_n_ I _ee_a_i eat
m_g_v_ the banana _o_i_o is physically affected
The monkey and I eat the banana.


Tuugahu nomino komixo kojimo.
[ˈtuːŋahu ˈnomino ˈkomiʔo ˈkoʒimo]
t_g_h_ the taaguhii _uu_a_u hits
n_m_n_ I _o_i_o am physically affected
k_m_x_ the monkey _o_i_o is physically affected
k_j_m_ the dog _o_i_o is physically affected
The taaguhii hits me, the monkey, and the dog.
He hits me, the monkey, and the dog.


Menooti menote jaleeto.
[meˈnoːti ˈmenote ʒaˈleːto]
m_n_t_ the cat _e_oo_i sleeps
m_n_t_ the cat _e_o_e perceives
j_l_t_ the dream _a_ee_o exists
The cat sleeps and (the cat) dreams.


A common equivalent of the word 'but' is gomaane (what I'm about to say is surprising) or occasionally its conversion jutila (what's surprising is something I'm about to say).


Tuugahu lovilo gomaane levole tiigohe.
[ˈtuːŋahu ˈlowilo ŋoˈmaːne ˈlewole ˈtiːŋohe]
t_g_h_ the taaguhii _uu_a_u hits
l_v_l_ the woman _o_i_o is physically affected
g_m_n_ what I'm about to say _o_aa_e is surprising
l_v_l_ the woman _e_o_e perceives
t_g_h_ the taaguhii _ii_o_e is (be)loved
He hits her but she loves him.


Modification

Modification is chiefly accomplished by repeating what is to be modified in another clause. Often, this will not look like repetition from the surface forms because what is repeated may be in verb form in one clause and noun form in the modifying clause.

Keemaxi jimujai maagavu.
[ˈkeːmaʔi ʒimuˈʒai̯ ˈmaːŋavu]
k_m_x_ the monkey _ee_a_i eats
j_m_j_ what is directly affected _i_u_ai is a banana
m_g_v_ the banana _aa_a_u is large
The monkey eats a big banana.


Nemone viilove haajiilaa.
[ˈnemone ˈwiːlowe haːʒiːˈlaː]
n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
v_l_v_ you _ii_o_e are (be)loved
h_j_l_ the beloved one _aa_ii_aa is extreme
I love you very much.


Nemone laajiilaa viilove .
[ˈnemone ˈwiːlowe kaˈhaːmi]
n_m_n_ I _e_o_e perceive
l_j_l_ the perceiver _aa_ii_aa is extreme
v_l_v_ you _ii_o_e are (be)loved
It is clear to me that I love you.


Negation

Glossary

Word Letaale (lemma) Guaru Explanation
hiitaahii hiitaahii kia tahu A hiitaahii or kia tahu is a boy who is raised to be a tahu. This word is often used for adult men who have failed their initiation into the tagahu and are not permitted to live with civilians. Some may be permitted to reinitiate to become xeeguhii.
primary vowel The primary vowels are the short vowels /a e i o u/ ⟨a e i o u⟩, the long vowels /aː eː iː oː uː/ ⟨aa ee ii oo uu⟩ and the diphthong /ai/ ⟨ai⟩. Primary vowels can occur in trisyllabics whereas secondary vowels cannot. Each primary vowel is associated with one consonant, with which it alternates in conversion from a verb root to its equivalent noun root.
tagahu tagahu The tagahu is an all-male secret society which functions more or less as the government and military/police force of the known parts of Oru. Its members are known as tahu. The leaders of the tagahu are believed to be in contact with the creators of Oru and they consequently have access to very sophisticated technology.
tahu tahu A tahu is a man who has been successfully initiated into the tagahu.
trisyllabic A trisyllabic is a word consisting of three syllables, each of which is made up of a consonant phoneme and a primary vowel phoneme. Trisyllabics represent a full clause consisting of a triconsonantal noun root and a trivocallic verb root. For example, the trisyllabic neemani "I eat" consists of the noun root n_m_n_ "I" plus the verb root _ee_a_i "eat".
xeeguhii xeeguhii An xeeguhii is a tahu who works in an administrative role. This includes both the equivalent of senators as well as lower government workers.

Notes

This conlang has been inspired by Abakwi and Iljena. Check them out! - Imralu