Conlang Relay 15/Neimalu
by G.V. Pietersen
Contents
The Text
Inu anur kaþaðjat skižos
Jek abendöþ gomoþa veixjan. Lüs pröti þembišurar gomold. Lüs vala naširöt plaždobold. Kön lüdobold stentumed ladus.
Gomoþa veixjan lüs texobold þeikjuðumed meljeras dem rušobold pöstrat kalbašant, kažabašant iripeigold.
Gomobold muriti griat tši aliituba. Lüs gomor alja pios tui einos laxtiðr asuajan tši laduba.
Rušold ei teitsutandold lu rušord bež destüram.
Asu eskoþnašémos. Straxle aft glaubé tui šmiþes lu asuba essköjlaxtos. Lüs dosežold alar, zbaþe dosobold kuajat.
Smooth English
Something that is hard to understand
Look at their traditional dance. They have made no design for it. They do not play musical instruments, they only make sounds with their own voices.
The dance is not taught to them by written lessons, but they move randomly in every direction, wherever they want to go.
They dance better than any other. There are no other dancers more skilled than they.
They move and make gestures, it seems as if it has no purpose.
It seems to be so easy. I find it hard to believe that something so simple can be so beautiful. It is not like they are constantly doing something else; they always move in the same way.
Vocabulary
- abendos
- look at, observe
- aft
- to
- aliitu
- other+person (compound)
- alu
- something else
- anu
- this
- asu
- that
- asuaja
- more (adj)
- bež (+dative)
- without
- dem
- but
- destures
- destination, goal
- dosos
- to do
- ei
- and
- einos
- to have
- glaubos
- believe
- gomos
- dance (verb)
- gomoþ
- dance (noun)
- gomor
- dancer
- gria
- goed
- inu
- – 3p impers
- iros
- – move
- jek
- (cohortative)
- kalbašu
- every+place (compound)
- kaþaðja
- hard
- kažabašu
- any+place (compound)
- kön
- only
- koþnaša
- easy
- eskoþnašos
- to be easy
- kuaja
- the same (adj)
- ladu
- 3p sg/pl (he, she or they)
- -laxtos
- to be able to
- laxtiðu
- ability, skill
- lu
- such as, like
- lüdos
- make sound
- lüs
- not
- naširu
- music
- meljos
- write
- meljera
- written
- muriti
- more
- -peigos
- want
- pios
- to be, exist
- plaždos
- use
- pöstra
- random
- pröti
- following, according to
- rušos
- move oneself
- skižos
- understand
- sköja
- beautiful
- essköjos
- to be beautiful
- šmiþes
- junk, something simple
- stentu
- voice
- straxlos
- to have trouble doing
- teitsutandos
- hand+gesture (compound)
- tši
- than
- tui
- that (relative pronoun)
- þembišuru
- plan, design
- þeikjoþ
- lesson
- vala
- tool, instrument
- veixja
- holy
- zbaþe
- always
Grammar
Noun cases
- -ant
- allative
- -ba
- predicative
- -med
- instrumental
Nouns ending with -u:
- -u
- nominative
- -ar/-ur/-r
- genitive
- -um
- dative
Nouns ending with -es:
- -es
- nominative
- -a
- genitive
- -am
- dative
Nouns ending with –oþ (-oþ nominalizes verbs):
- -oþ
- nominative
- -oþa
- genitive
- -uðum
- dative
Adjectives
- -(j)a
- nom
- -(j)an
- gen
- -(j)as
- dat
- -(j)at
- turns adjective into adverb
Verbs
- -e
- 1p present
- -é
- 1p future
- -ob-
- habitual
- -os
- normal verb
- -old
- 3p present
- -ord
- irrealis
- -öþ
- 2p future
- -ém-
- 'unsure mirative', involves doubt: maybe, probably, seem
- -ež-
- repetative
