Neoquux language

gistfile1.txt

Neoquux is an FT version of the quuxish ideals

There are modifiers and relations.

Relations are combined of two objects by interleaving syllables of the two
terms. Many specific relations have their own words though. In regular
forms, the more animate term is used first. The levels of animation are (body 
parts of a creature of a specific level are in an implicit class below it):
1.  Quuxa deities 
2.  Quuxa
3.  foreign deities
4.  sapient foreigners
5.  pets
6.  beasts of burden
7.  other beneficial animals
8.  carnivores and omnivores
9.  herbivores
10. plants
11. bacteria, viri and other microscopical lifeforms
12. technologically powered vehicles
13. vehicles which are powered by quuxa, or aninmals
14. tools
15. other man-made objects
16. furniture
17. abstract concepts
18. natural features
19. houses, settlements, infrastructure
20. food

Body parts change in ranking to be one position below the being of which it
is. So paa'11 (hand) would be in 9.5 if it was the front foot of tha
herbivore, 5.5 if it was of a beast of burden and 1.5 if it was of a quuxa
deity.

In the quuxa dictionary, these terms will have a term after them to
indicate their hierarchical position.

Orthography and Phonology: 

Vowels:
X-SAMPA     written as
i:          ii
y:          yy
I           i
Y           y
e:          ee
2:          11
E           e
9           1
M:          vv
u:          uu
U_c         v
U           u
7:          44
o:          oo
V           4
O           o
a:          aa
a           a

Consonants:
X-SAMPA
m           m
n_d         n (becomes N when clustering with another velar consonant)
J           nj
N\          nh
t_d         t
t_d_>       th
tS          tx
tS_>        thx
ts\         tz
ts\_>       thz
k           k
k_>         kh
q           q
q_>         qh
p\          p
f           f
s_d         s
S           x
s\          z
x           c
X           ch
r_d         r
l_d         l
j           j
L           jh
L\          lh
w           wh
?           '

Syllables have no coda.

stress is on the first syllable.

Grammar: Basic sentences are relation verb
ie: q11rantuu thxeeguch4: the mother plays/played/will play with her children

Verbs carry no tense.

There are no personal pronouns. Instead the following is used:
For yourself you use a term that describes you in a relation (I personally
would use "woman" or "woman of the family"). So I would say: 
kaapaathx1 jalh4th44 (the woman of childbearing age flees into the wilderness)
while my father would say:
whoolta'ee jalh4th44 (the man of high age flees into the wilderness)
if we wanted to say: I flee.

For the person you are speaking to, use a term/relation that fits with how
you perceive him. For politeness, use words/relations which include a high 
ranking. 

For a group you belong use the group and either imply or explicitely state
in a new sentence the relation. 

Modifiers do not apply to verbs but to relations and have aspects of tense
and mood.

The modfiers are: 
'eejee: both parts of the relation and the relation itself still exist (this 
        is only used for emphasis)
k11'a: the relation has existed in the past but does no longer even though
       both parts still do
q44lh4: the relation no longer exists and parts of it no longer exist.
lhalhaa: the relation existed but no longer does. The individual parts might
         or might not exist
thzii'11: the relation might or might not have existed, does no longer, the
          individual parts do not exist or do not exist anymore
thsaa'oo: the relation might or might not have existed, does now however
julra: the relation might or might not have existed, does no longer, the
          individual parts still exist
taaji: the relation did exist in the past and that it or its components no 
       longer exists fills the speaker with joy
munt1: the relation did exist in the past and that it or its components no 
       longer exists saddens the speaker
'yyku: the relation currently exists and that fills the speaker with joy
'aam1: the relation currently exists and that saddens the speaker
thyyty: the relation did not exist but it would have filled the speaker with
        joy if it did
chaanh1: the relation did not exist but it would have saddened the speaker
         if it did
zaa'a: the relation did not exist and the speaker is not having specific
       emotions towards its nonexistance (general hypothetical about the
       past)
xaa'e: the relation did not exist but given a previous hypothetical would be
       a consequence
chvvlhy: the relation exists or existed as consequence of another sentence
lhychvv: the sentence is a justification of a previous sentence
lhyyji: the relation is likely to exist in the future, its components
        already exist
faaj1: the relation is unlikely to exist in the future, one or several of
       its components do not exist
txy: the relation is a wish for the future
rh1: the relation is a fear about the future
lhekhu: the relation is a revelation, dream, prophecy or hallucination (to
        indicate attitude, you can prefix rh1 or txy here)
'v: the speaker is uttering a command
'vvqhv: the speaker is uttering a suggestion

prefixing '4 indicates that the tense is from the time of narration.

There is no negation. The quza do not describe what is not but what is
(thus, instead of "Laura is not here" use "Laura is at another place") or 
for negative imperatives use an if then structure ("Keep off the grass" 
becomes "If you step onto the grass, you deserve punishment").

Numbers are prefixed to the verb. The procedure works as follows: there are
verbs which indicate a relation (like "flow through"). In front of them, a
number is prefixed (numbers are in the dictionary) and at the end of it, a
relational suffix. This last thing is the difference between: "Five rivers
flow through that plane", "This river flows through 5 planes" and even "the
fifth river that flows through that plane"

These suffixes are: 
-'athza: numerous smaller objects facing the speaker or listener (think of 
  the streetlights on a road)
-'ee'ee: numerous smaller objects are in a line (think of books on a
  bookshelf)
-thz44'1: numerous small objects are in random order (cows on a pasture)
-thz4'11: a heap of smaller objects
-'iirlii: small objects contained in x large objects (three bottles of water)
-'eqa: one small object in relation to several large ones (I have lived in
  three countries)
-kiiki: a temporary relation from an implicit start point on, small to large
  (the first people in the valley)
-qithzii: a temporary relation from an implicit end point on, small to large 
  (the second-to-last day of vacation)
-che'a: a temporary relation from an implicit start point on, large to small
  (the first valley the people settled into)
-ca'1che a temporary relation from an implicit end point on, large to small
  (the third-to-last war of the soldier)

To indicate how Neoquux works, here a translation of the Babel story and a 
few comments about whay things are as they are.

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

1 Munt1 caarhe'a'achy laa. Munt1 quurhexa'achy laa. Munt1 quza m44thza.
the relation between planet and language existed fortunately. The quuxa and
the planet existed fortunately. One quuxa spoke to another quuxa.

Quza does not refer to all quuxa unless it is indicated like in the way I
did here. You do not say that the language was of the quuxa grammatically,
you imply it via laa constructions.

2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

2 Q44lh4 quulyyxalha'e syjiwha zaaxokhi. Q44lh4 quufiixaqhuca zaaxokhi.
the relation between quuxa and the rising sun existed but does no longer.
Quuxa moved to the rising sun (east) and settled there. Quuxa settled in a
plane landscape.

Rising sun can indicate the literal sunrise or just the direction.

3 They said to each other, Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.
They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar.

3 Q44lh4 quza m44thza. "'vvqhv lhektvmee keeca. 'vvqhv lee'4chv 'eewhaa" 
'4k11'a lvvruute kuu. '4k11'a quuteexakupi kuu. Chvvlhy quuj4xathzvpo kuu.
Chvvlhy quukhexathamii kuu. 
The quuxa spoke to one another: "It is a suggestion to mix sand and clay and
to burn bricks in a kiln." Earlier they used stone, earlier they used mortar
for construction. As a consequence they used bricks and they used bitumen.

4 Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that
reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be
scattered over the face of the whole earth.

4 Q44lh4 quza m44thza. "'vvqhv maa'ijv jupa. 'vvqhv quukhuuxaqata jupa.
'vvqhv taakhuufiqalheta taakhuu. Xaa'e maa'ijv peekace. Xaa'e maa'ijv
zaaxokhi luuqach44."
The quuxa spoke to one another: "It is a suggestion to build a city. It is a
suggestion to build a tower. It is a suggestion that the tower and the sky
are equally tall. It is a result of that that the city and its inhabitants
are well known. It is a result to settle and remain here." 

The opposite of being scattered is to remain in one place. Thus the negation
here poses no big difficulty. Note the use of xaa'e since the tower is not
built yet at the time of the suggestion.

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were
building.

5 Q44lh4 jeetaa'ofiwhalhe suuca. Q44lh4 jeemaa'ojvwhakuu ciit1. Q44lh4 
jeekhuu'oqawhata ciit1. 
The monotheistic human god left the sky. It looked at the city. It looked at
the tower.

6 The LORD said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun
to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

6 Q44lh4 quujeexa'owha m44thza. "Caarhe'a'achy laa. Chvvlhy maa'ijv jupa.
Rh1 qu'1nja syjiwha."
The monotheistic human god spoke to the quuxa. "A relation between language
and planet exists. Thus the city is constructed by its inhabitants. Thus it
is my fear that the calling(s) of the quuxa will be reached."

Wow, this is quite elegant.

7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand
each other.

7 "'vvqhv jeetaa'ofiwhalhe suuca. 'vvqhv jeecaa'o'awha kap11. Chvvlhy quza
naajuche."
"I suggest that the monotheistic human deity leaves the sky. I suggest to
poison the language of the quuxa so that as a result they fail to perceive
each other."

I felt these metaphors are more quuxy, which is strange since quuxy culture
has not yet been outlined.

8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped
building the city.

8 Q44lh4 quujeexa'owha torhent1. Chvvlhy quufiixaqhuca suuca. Chvvlhy 
quurhexa'achy laa zaaxokhi. Chvvlhy maa'ijv 'anha jupa. 
The monotheistic human god distributes the quuxa. As a result the quuxa
leave the plane. As a result the quuxa exist and settle the planet. As a
result the construction of the city by its inhabitants is stopped.

The first sentence actually does not makes it clear except by context who
distributes, thus the long clarification later.

9 That is why it was called Babel— because there the LORD confused the
language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the
face of the whole earth.

9 Mafiicoqhusx1ca tiiti. '4k11'a jeecaa'o'awha kap11. '4k11'a quujeexa'owha
torhent1. Chvvlhy quufiixaqhuca suuca. Chvvlhy quurhexa'achy laa zaaxokhi.
The place is associated with confusion because here the monotheistic human
god spoiled the language earlier. As a result the quuxa leave the plane. As
a result the quuxa exist and settle the planet.

The grandfather and the dragon:
rhvjuurlaltaaj1

When my great-great-grandfather was a young man, he travelled out into the
world. 
'vvqhv quza m44thza cetalv. Thzuuza jvvthzy. Lhychvv lvnhaata jvvthzy. Q44lh4
lhirhv'yyrla'4 cee. Q44lh4 lhirhe'yy'a'4chy lerh4zathsa menthsantii.

SUGGESTION A-quuxa/other-quza speak tell-story. Great-grandfather/child
is-derived-from. Because father-son is-derived-from. PAST acestor/young-quuxa 
is-equivalent. PAST young-quuxa/planet travel-to examine.

The first sentence is a kind of introduction to the kind of speech which is
to follow. The idea of a great-great-grandfather does not exist natively and
so is composed out from "the father of the great-grandfather."

First he went west; there was only sand there. 
Q44lh4 lhily'yylhaa'4thsee syjiwha. Q44lh4 lhirhyy'yythz44'4z4 ciit1. Q44lh4
lhithzv'yyjv'4rhvv naajuche.

PAST young-quuxa/setting-sun go-toward. PAST young-quuxa/sand see. PAST
young-quuza/set-of-natural-features fail-to-perceive.

Then he went north; there was only snow there. 
Q44lh4 lhily'yylha'4che jaalh1th11. Q44lh4 lhika'yykhe'4xa'ise ciit1. Q44lh4 
lhithzv'yyjv'4rhvv naajuche.

PAST young-quuxa/sun-at-noon flee-from. PAST young-quuxa/snow see. PAST
young-quuza/set-of-natural-features fail-to-perceive.

Then he went east; there the mountains were too high and
great-great-grandfather couldn't climb them. 
Q44lh4 lhilyy'yylha'4'e syjiwha. Q44lh4 lhime'yyntu'4ji ciit1. 
Menmentatuujvvji so'e. Q44lh4 mentilhy jv'vv'e. Q44lh4 lhimen'yyta'4jvv
lathakhi jii'yy. 

PAST young-quuxa/sun-at-noon flee-from. PAST young-quuxa/range-of-mountain
see. range-of-mountains/mountain consist-of. PAST mountain/height
is-excessive. PAST young-quuxa/mountain climb-over fail.

At last he decided to travel south, on foot, on horseback, by cart and by
boat. 
Q44lh4 lhily'yylha'4che syjiwha. Q44lh4 qunixithza je. Q44lh4 jalikhaxuu je.
Q44lh4 juu'ikaa je. Q44lh4 cee'ixakalyy je. 

PAST noon-sun/young-quuxa go-to. PAST quuxa/its-feet use. PAST
kathsaxu/quuxa use. PAST quuxa/riksha use. PAST quuxa/small-boat use.

In the south he saw the largest city in all the world.
Chvvlhy lhimaa'yyjv'4kuu ciit1. Maarhejv'akuuchy zekitu. Maakajvmvkuultv 

RESULT young-quuxa/city see. City/planet being-known-in. City-size exceeds.


Vocabulary:

Number prefixes:
catv: one
juu'v: two
qiithza: three  
'aathzvv: four
chaacii: five
chyyjv: six

Relations:
cee'ixakalyy: quuxa and a small boat
jalikhaxuu: quuxa and kathsaxu
jejek44'1: valley and river/flowing water
juu'ikaa: quuxa and riksha
jvvthzaqu'iiza: Quuxa and edible fish
kaapaathx1: woman in childbearing age and wilderness
lhektvmee: clay and sand 
lee'4chv: brick and kiln
lvnhaata: father and child
lvvruute: person and stone
maa'ijv: a settlement and its inhabitants
mentilhy: mountain and the concept of height
nheetha'4: man who is not fully adult, adolescent and law enforcer 
q11rantuu: mother and one or several of her children
qu'1nja: quuxa and its calling, goal
qunixithza: a quuxa and his own feet
qusatithz44: a quuxa and a group of humans
quza: a quuxa and several other ones
thxuxe: grandfather and child
thzuuza: great grandfather and child
tzaakhaj11: woman in childbearing age and the law enforcer
whoolta'ee: man of high age and wilderness

Components (these never appear freely):
caa'a: language (abstract concept)
cii'eqa: rodent (omnivore)
cuutaajv: worm-like creature (herbivore)
fiiqhuca: plane, flat landscape (natural feature)
fvvqhuulhu: river (natural feature)
ja'44lhaa: structure of non-straight often non-parallel lines (abstract)
jaakyyli: the concept of beauty (abstract)
jee'owha: human monotheistic god (alien deity)
jethzak11: valley (natural feature)
juultaaj1: monster, dragon (carnivore)
j4thzvpo: brick (man-made object)
kakhexa'ise: snow (natural feature)
kakhyyxy: wild animal
kamvltv: the concept of size (abstract concept)
kathsaxu: Kathsaxu, vaguely similar to a donkey (beast of burden)
kee'iwha: small weeds (plant)
khaathzvvnty: tiny bat-like creature (omnivore)
khethamii: asphalt (man-made object)
khunmiiqu: tree, more reminding of giant Equisetum plants (plant)
khuuqata: tower (building)
lhetvvths1: coarsely grained structure (abstract concept)
lhi'yy'4: young, male quuxa (quuxa)
lylhaathsee: the setting sun (natural feature)
lylhache: the sun during noon (natural feature)
lyylha'e: the rising sun (natural feature)
maajvkuu: city (man-made object)
macosx1: confusion (abstract concept)
mentuuji: mountain range (natural feature)
mentajvv: mountain (natural feature)
miilhaala: rock (natural feature)
paa'11: hand (body part)
pe'akyy: insect (herbivore) 
quuxa: Quuxa (quuxa)
rhe'achy: planet (natural feature)
rhvrla: ancestor (quuxa)
rhyythz44z4: sand (natural feature)
taafilhe: sky (natural feature)
teekupi: mortar (man-made object)
thzvjvrhvv: a setting with diverse natural features (natural feature)

Verbs:
'anha: indication that the following action is stopped
'eewhaa: to heat substance in device
cetalv: being tells a story to others
cee: to be the same
ciit1: being looks at/sees thing
chatha: the seemingly inferior person/animal kills the superior one
ch11'44: being crawls to
jalh4th44: to flee into
jaalh1th11: to flee from
je: to use
ji'aa: being listens to something.
jii'yy: to fail at something
jupa: beings create, build, construct
juu'vl1: being picks object up, being understands concept
jv'vvje: to be inappropriate, excessive
jvvthzy: to be descended from/to have the offspring
kap11: being spoiled, poisons thing
keeca: substances are mixed together
kuu: being uses material for construction
k11'y: thing becomes something else
lathakhi: to climb over, to get through an obstacle by getting over it (instead of around for example)
laa: to exist
leerhee: being flies to
lerh4zathsa: sentient being moves in/on natural feature
luuqach44: beings remain in place
menthsantii: being examines
m44qh4: being replies
m44thza: to speak to someone
naajuche: to fail to perceive
nii'y: to exceed
peekace: to be well known
pvvntathzii: to have the topic, to talk about
qathzee: being chases other being
qhiithzachi: to swear
saarhyy: being explores
so'e: to consist of
suuca: being leaves place
sycha: to be located on
syjiwha: animate being or thing moves/goes to 
taakhuu: all components in the relation are equally tall
tiiti: thing or being is associated with concept (closest to being named)
to'aa: being sits still at
torhent1: being distributes things
thxeeguch4: animate beings play
zaaxokhi: animate being settles in
zekitu: thing is famous