Daily Conlanging

I try to write something every day in one of my conlangs. "Try" being the operative word in that sentence. Current conlang of focus: Numi

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 31

たしょお : tashō [täɕo:] n. paste This word can refer to anything with properties between a solid and a liquid. It's related to しょお (shō, to spread out).

びくたしょ : bikutasho [bikɯ̥täɕo] n. peanut butter From びく (biku, nut). Since peanut butter is the most common nut butter (at least where I live) I let it be the generic name.

ゐんはりへぽわ　おはく　びくたしょ　よ　たな。 Winharihepowa ohaku bikutasho yo tana. 3.ABS-PL-most-tasty-PROG together peanut_butter.ABS and chocolate.ABS Peanut butter with chocolate is the best-tasting combo.

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Lexember 2018 - Day 29

ぞんじゃ : zonja [zond͡ʑä] n. pirate

のろがばきり　にこぞんじゃ！ Norogabakiri nikozonja! 1.ABS-king-become-NPST among-pirate I will become King of the Pirates!

Somebody was watching One Piece today...

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 28

でざぎ : dezagi [dɛzägi] v. ambitransitive To try something for the first time, especially for the first time in public or in front of others. (Transitive with a noun object, or intransitive with a gerund.) From でぞ (dezo, first) and やぎ (yagi, to try)

This word introduces some redundancy, since I already allow the adverb でぞ to combine regularly with a verb stem to mean doing it for the first time. In my mind the two structures could usually be interchangeable, and you can use whichever works better structurally in the sentence. But the verb でざぎ has a little more emphasis on doing something for the first time where others can see you, so I'm glossing it as 'debut'.

ふけ : huke [çɯ̥kɛ] vi. to shake

ゐでざぎじ　がっに　きそしょん　ぼらげば　まふけ。 Widezagiji ganni kisoshon borageba mahuke. 3.ABS-debut-PST lamb.ABS stand-GER INSTR-leg PTCP-shake The lamb stood for the first time on its shaky legs.

Or: The lamb made its standing debut :)

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 26

すねんゆち : sunenyuchi [sɯnɛnjɯt͡ɕi] v. ambitransitive 1. To mourn the death of someone (transitive) 2. To be in mourning, to experience grief, to contemplate death (intransitive) From すね (sune, to die), and ねんゆち (nenyuchi, to celebrate, honor, or commemorate).

This is unrelated to a conceptually similar word that already exists: まあぼ (mābo, grief), which instead comes from ああぼ (ābo, heavy) and doesn't have specific ties to death.

のいがえじぇっねんゆちぜぼりげじ　こやじょすねんゆち。 Noigaejennenyuchizeborigeji koyajosunenyuchi. 1.ABS-joy-again-celebrate-year-this-PST while.SS-love-grieve This year again I celebrated joyful holidays while also remembering lost loved ones.

The word ねんゆち covers all kinds of celebrations, commemorations, and times of looking back. It can be anything from joyful to miserable, and the juxtaposition of the two nearly-identical verb roots highlights the irony of the sentence. The times when you can enjoy family and traditions and other holiday joys also make you remember losses the most keenly.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 25

ろら : rora [ɾoɾä] n. washing machine

げん : gen [gɛn] adj. sturdy, resilient (in either a physical or emotional sense)

ろらげん : roragen [ɾoɾägɛn] adj. machine-washable

うもんが : umonga [ɯmoŋgä] n. pajamas From うも (umo, clothing) and にんが (ninga, to sleep).

ゐろらげに　しゅて　しゅうもんが　らあき？ Wirorageni shute shūmonga rāki? 3.ABS-machine_washable-NPST Q your-pajamas.ABS new Are your new pajamas machine-washable?

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 24

じゅうね : jūne [d͡ʑɯ:nɛ] n. beach From じゅ (ju, sea) and ううね (ūne, border)

んざあめ　のきそどっさわ　ちょじゅうね　とゑれき　でえん　こなおごひえ。 Nzāme nokisodossawa chojūne towereki dēn konaogohie. for_length-long_time 1.ABS-stand-before-PROG on_top-beach made_of-sand black while.SS-wave-observe I stood for a long time on the black sand beach, observing the waves.

The verb ごひえ (gohie) means to intentionally engage with something using any or all of the senses - so in this case I was watching, smelling, and listening to the waves.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 23

ひろおづ : hirōdzu [çiɾo:d͡zɯ] n. glacier From おづ (odzu, ice) and ひる (hiru, to move without limbs, like a snake or a wave)

ゐであゑり　おお　ちいひろおづげ。 Wideaweri ō chiihirōdzuge. 3.ABS-be.ABIL-drink-NPST water.ABS from-glacier-this It's ok to drink the water from this glacier.

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Lexember 2018 - Day 22

ざめん : zamen [zämɛn] vi. to kneel

りめ　るよだめう　ゐがたばき　あざめん。 Rime ruyodameu wigatabaki azamen. when.IPFV 2.ABS-old-go 3.ABS-difficult-become process-kneel.ABS Kneeling becomes harder as you get older.

I love the metaphor of よだめう for becoming older, because I have so many words of movement derived from う (u, to go) that could give it interesting nuance. やふ (crawl toward old age) - うる (come to old age, said by someone who's already there) - たいう (teleport instantly to old age, feels that way sometimes) - おはくう (go together into old age) - うろじょ (pass old age by, are you a child at heart, becoming immortal, or possibly entering senility?) - ぱよお (roll to old age). The possibilities are endless. :D

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 21

はいら : haira [häiɾä] n. bridge From the preposition いら (ira, across, from one side to another)

りんしゃ : rinsha [ɾinɕä] adj. agitated, stirred up

にやていらり　えんはいら　じぇわおお　りんしゃ。 Niyateirari enhaira jewaō rinsha. 1.ERG-put-across-NPST as-bridge over-water agitated Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.

I originally had inverted the sentence to mirror the English structure (As a bridge over agitated water I will set myself across) but then I realized that you really want to be singing the huge final high note on a shaaaaa and not a riiiii. So there you go.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 20

をきそ : wokiso [wokiso] vi. 1. For a bipedal creature, to stand balanced on one leg 2. For an object, to balance precariously on a point or small surface From を (wo, half) and きそ (kiso, to stand)

ゐらぐちょわ　りと　りめ　ゐにんが　にや　こをきそ。 Wiraguchowa rito rime wininga niya kowokiso. 3.ABS-funny-PROG opinion when.IPFV 3.ABS-sleep duck.ABS while.SS-stand_on_one_leg I think it's funny when ducks sleep while standing on one leg.

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みおざ : mioza [miozä] 1. n. A pocket 2. vt. To have or put something in a pocket.

のおくやふろじょういくじ　こえつみおざ。 Nōkuyahurojouikuji koetsumioza. 1.ABS-walk-along-hallway-PST while.SS-hand-pocket I walked down the hallway with my hands in a pocket.

I love the hoodies that have one big pocket in front for your hands. That is what I am describing for my example sentence. Since plurals wouldn't be marked in this structure, it could equally well be having your hands in the pockets of your coat or your pants, or just one hand. If I needed to specify further it would require a longer phrase.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 18

とおら : tōra [to:ɾä] n. vanilla

No etymology for this word, except that it happily sounds similar to とおや (tōya, family). I fondly remember doing baking with my family as a kid, and the vanilla was always the part that made something taste and smell great.

ゑ　ゐぜゆ　まどさ　とおらやてしょん。 We wizeyu madosa tōrayateshon. NEG 3.ABS-wrong never vanilla-put-GER It's never wrong to add vanilla.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 17

たい : tai [täi] n. instant A nonexistent length of time, a gap with no time in between, or the shortest possible measure of time

たいう : taiu [täiɯ] vi. teleport

えり　しゅて　たいうら　みざすうり？ Eri shute taiura mizasūri? be-NPST Q teleport-tool within-far_future Will we have teleportation devices in the distant future?

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 16

えじぇ : eje [ɛd͡ʑɛ] n. winged horse

-じゃく : jaku [d͡ʑäkɯ] suffix changes a verb into a noun for the place where it happens: from じゃけん (jaken, place)

じゃごじゃく : jagojaku [d͡ʑägod͡ʑäkɯ] n. office, place of work : obviously from じゃご (jago, to work)

のえじぇれうらもじゃごじゃくわ　とぱ　かるやどお。 Noejereuramojagojakuwa topa karuyadō. 1.ABS-pegasus-ride.go-until-office-PROG wish everyday I wish I could ride a winged horse to work every day.

[dailyconlang-blog]

Lexember 2018 - Day 15

ねおき : neoki [nɛoki] n. farm : related to おき (oki, to gather)

につげんしゅ　るゆびちゃまわ？　ねおき　らお　つない？ Nitsugenshu ruyubichamawa? Neoki rao tsunai? in-which 2.ABS-reside-there-PROG? farm or city? Do you live on a farm or in a city?

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Lexember 2018 - Day 14

いっぼなゐ : ibbonawi [ib:onäwi] v. ambitransitive To step carefully, as when only walking on the black tiles or hopping from shadow to shadow (intransitive). Is there a name for this activity in English? When it is transitive, the object is the thing you have to step on to the exclusion of all else.

This is another set phrase formed from a verb (あゐ, awi, to step) and an adverb (いっぼん, ibbon, thoroughly, deeply, to the fullest extent). I like the air of solemnity this bestows.

じょんじゃん : jonjan [d͡ʑond͡ʑan] : n. lava

So, I just liked the sound of this word. There's nothing more to it than that...

およごべえじり　みじょんじゃん！　るなぐちいっぼなゐり　すり！ Oyogobējiri mijonjan! Runaguchiibbonawiri suri! ANTIP-touch-watch_out-NPST of-lava! 2.ABS-shadow-thoroughly-step-NPST must Watch out, don't touch the lava! You have to step only on the shadows!

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Lexember 2018 - Day 13

めさつ : mesatsu [mɛsät͡sɯ] 1. Instructions that are written or printed on something 2. The legend on a map, graph, or diagram

This is derived from さつ (satsu, guidance, explanation)

びひ : bihi [biçi] vi. to be missing, lacking, or not where it should be

ゐびひしいんげわ　めさつ。 Wibihishiingewa mesatsu. 3.ABS-missing-map-this-PROG legend.ABS This map needs a legend.

(more literally, A legend is lacking on this map)