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Lemizh: Difference between revisions
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'''Lemizh''' (<span style="font-family:Gentium,'DejaVu Sans','Segoe UI',sans-serif">[[Help:IPA|[lεmˈiʒ]]]</span>, <small>native pronunciation:</small> <span style="font-family:Gentium,'DejaVu Sans','Segoe UI',sans-serif">[[Help:IPA|[lɛmˈɯ̀ʒ]]]</span>) is a language I invented with the aim of creating a grammar as regular and simple as possible. It was originally intended as an [[w:International auxiliary language|international auxiliary language]]. However, it turned out that a simple grammar is not necessarily a grammar that is easy to learn: the more ways of simplification I found, the further away it moved from [[w:Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] and probably all other familiar language structures. Expecting anyone to learn Lemizh, at this point, would be unrealistic. | '''Lemizh''' (<span style="font-family:Gentium,'DejaVu Sans','Segoe UI',sans-serif">[[Help:IPA|[lεmˈiʒ]]]</span>, <small>native pronunciation:</small> <span style="font-family:Gentium,'DejaVu Sans','Segoe UI',sans-serif">[[Help:IPA|[lɛmˈɯ̀ʒ]]]</span>) is a language I invented with the aim of creating a grammar as regular and simple as possible. It was originally intended as an [[w:International auxiliary language|international auxiliary language]]. However, it turned out that a simple grammar is not necessarily a grammar that is easy to learn: the more ways of simplification I found, the further away it moved from [[w:Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] and probably all other familiar language structures. Expecting anyone to learn Lemizh, at this point, would be unrealistic. | ||
So I needed a new justification for the language: enter the Lemizh, a people living to the west and north of the [[w:Black Sea|Black Sea]] in an alternate history that slowly drifted away from ours between two and eight millennia ago. Of course, it is extremely unlikely that they would speak a language that was completely without exceptions. To be precise, the chances are two to the power of two hundred and seventy-six thousand seven hundred and nine to one against. But they say that everything has to happen somewhere in the Multiverse | So I needed a new justification for the language: enter the Lemizh, a people living to the west and north of the [[w:Black Sea|Black Sea]] in an alternate history that slowly drifted away from ours between two and eight millennia ago. Of course, it is extremely unlikely that they would speak a language that was completely without exceptions. To be precise, the chances are two to the power of two hundred and seventy-six thousand seven hundred and nine to one against. But they say that everything has to happen somewhere in the Multiverse; and everything happens only once. | ||
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* ''ghstù.'' "a sail" is derived from ''ghstà.'' "to sail", literally "a means of sailing", | * ''ghstù.'' "a sail" is derived from ''ghstà.'' "to sail", literally "a means of sailing", | ||
* ''pslù.'' "scissors" from ''pslà.'' "to cut with scissors", | * ''pslù.'' "scissors" from ''pslà.'' "to cut with scissors", | ||
* ''saxùf.'' "trumpet" from ''saxàf.'' "to play the trumpet", | * ''saxùf.'' "a trumpet" from ''saxàf.'' "to play the trumpet", | ||
* ''skrùzh.'' "a finger" from ''skràzh.'' "to work with one's fingers". | * ''skrùzh.'' "a finger" from ''skràzh.'' "to work with one's fingers". | ||
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|''Lucy gets a bottle from Father Christmas. Lucy is given a bottle by Father Christmas.''}} | |''Lucy gets a bottle from Father Christmas. Lucy is given a bottle by Father Christmas.''}} | ||
Rule Three defines outer case in a way that mirrors the definition of inner case. This allows for an operation called '''inversion''': | Rule Three defines outer case in a way that mirrors the definition of inner case. This allows for an operation called '''inversion''' (symbolized "⇔"): | ||
{{Interlinear|indent=3|display-messages=no|ablist=FACT:factive case; 1:first level; 2:second level; 2A:second level, agentive | {{Interlinear|indent=3|display-messages=no|ablist=FACT:factive case; 1:first level; 2:second level; 2A:second level, agentive | ||
|làzhw wèxi. ⇔ wáx lìzhwe. | |làzhw wèxi. ⇔ wáx lìzhwe. | ||
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These examples talk about the location of eating, as opposed to the location of allowing; about eating sweets, as opposed to allowing sweets; the running is fast, as opposed to the necessity; etc. | These examples talk about the location of eating, as opposed to the location of allowing; about eating sweets, as opposed to allowing sweets; the running is fast, as opposed to the necessity; etc. | ||
Number and gender of [[#Nouns|nouns]] are compounds from brackets: ''mlỳ dèy.'' "several | Number and gender of [[#Nouns|nouns]] are compounds from brackets which are first inverted to turn the more salient word into the compound's head: ''dè mlỳe. ⇔ mlỳ dèy.'' "several givers" ⇒ ''demlè.'' "givers". The inner nominative (''-e-'') becomes the epenthetic case, and the new inner case also has to be a nominative per Rule Three. ''demlỳ.'' (inner {{sc|acc}}), by contrast, is "something given by several people". | ||
Compounds expressing degrees of [[#Adjectives and numerals|adjectives]] are also formed from brackets. They have an epenthetic consecutive (''-il-''), which stems from the corresponding abstract noun: ''dmỳ gmrìly.'' "much warmth" ⇒ ''gmrildmìl.'' "heat" (abstract noun formed with inner {{sc|cons}}), ''gmrildmỳ.'' "hot" (adjective with inner {{sc|acc}}). | Compounds expressing degrees of [[#Adjectives and numerals|adjectives]] are also formed from brackets. They have an epenthetic consecutive (''-il-''), which stems from the corresponding abstract noun: ''gmrìl dmỳil. ⇔ dmỳ gmrìly.'' "much warmth" ⇒ ''gmrildmìl.'' "heat" (abstract noun formed with inner {{sc|cons}}), ''gmrildmỳ.'' "hot" (adjective with inner {{sc|acc}}). | ||
The analogues of the present and future tenses are formed like so – note that inversion changes the pronoun's stem along with its level: | |||
{{Interlinear|indent=3|display-messages=no|ablist=FACT:factive case; PI:pronoun type I; 1:first level; 2:second level | |||
|zdàs dhàarh. ⇔ wà zdàrhsa. ⇒ zdarhswà. | |||
|seat-FACT-1 PI<sub>n−2</sub>-FACT-TEMP-2. ⇔ PI<sub>n−1</sub>-FACT-1 seat-TEMP-FACT-2. ⇒ seat-TEMP-PI<sub>n−1</sub>-FACT-1. | |||
|''[She] sits down at the time of the parole. ⇒ [She] sits down now.''}} | |||
{{Interlinear|indent=3|display-messages=no|ablist=FACT:factive case; 1:first level; 2:second level | |||
|zdàs prỳarh. ⇔ prỳ zdàrhsy. ⇒ zdarhsprà. | |||
|seat-FACT-1 front-ACC-TEMP-2. ⇔ front-ACC-1 seat-TEMP-ACC-2. ⇒ seat-TEMP-front-FACT-1. | |||
|''[She] sits down at a time in front [of the parole]. ⇒ [She] will sit down.''}} | |||
==Example text== | ==Example text== | ||