Conlang fluency thread

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Updated a translation of "The Holly and the Ivy" to celebrate the season. It's interesting to see how the project has evolved with time. The language was designed to sound like modern-day Japanese but with more permissive phonotactic constraints and a few more phonemes, now it sounds like... that still (I should hope, that being still the objective) in many ways, but with a lot more of a Middle Japanese flavour (notably prenasalisation ended up staying on in most dialects, and /o/ frequently triggers labialisation), and the partial lengthening of the last high-pitched syllable in a word inspired by the lengthening of monomoraic nouns in Kansai-ben.

柊き と 蘿い
茂えば 期で、
森 ろ 杝ら 辺
柊き 冠れ！

昜の暁は、
鹿の走ゐは、
筑の楽は、
歌ひの爽！
歌ひの爽…

Tesséki (Hiragana):

More: show

ひふき と 𛀁゙へろい
しぐえば とく で、
てぶをり ろ できら 𛀁
ひふき さかれ！

ひか の あせは、
か の はしるゐは、
へぶき の とのは
をつをひ の さはや！
をつをひ の さはや…

Romanisation:

More: show

Hiyuki to liyere
Shigeba toku de,
Tebori ro dekira ye
Hiyuki sakare!

Hika no aseya
Ka no hascheriya
Hebuki no tonowa
Wotoi no sāya!
Wotoi no sāya...

Phonetics:

More: show

[çì.jýᵝˑ.c͡çʰì t̪ʰʷò̞ᵝ ʎì.jé̞ˑ.ɾ̪è̞]
[ɕì.ᶮɟéˑ.ᵐbɐ̞̀ t̪ʰʷó̞ᵝˑ.kʰʉ̀ᵝ ⁿd̪è̞]
[t̪ʰè̞.ᵐbʷó̞ᵝˑ.ɾ̪ʲì ɾ̪ʷò̞ᵝ ⁿd̪é.c͡çʰíˑ.ɾ̪ɐ̞̀ jè̞]
[çì.jýᵝˑ.c͡çì s̪ɐ̞́.kʰɐ̞̀.ɾ̪è̞]
[çíˑ.kʰɐ̞̀ nʷò̞ᵝ ɐ̞́ˑ.s̪è.jɐ̞̀]
[kʰɐ̞̂ˑ nʷò̞ᵝ xɐ̞́ˑ.ʃɘ̀.ɾ̪ì.jɐ̞̀]
[hè̞.ᵐbʉ́ᵝˑ.c͡çʰì.jɐ̞̀ t̪ʰʷó̞ᵝˑ.n̪ʷò̞ᵝ.w​ɐ̞̀]
[wò̞ᵝ.t̪ʰʷó̞ᵝˑ.wì n̪ò̞ᵝ s̪​ɐ̞:ˑ.jɐ̞̀]
[wò̞ᵝ.t̪ʰʷó̞ᵝˑ.wì n̪ò̞ᵝ s̪​ɐ̞:ˑ.jɐ̞̀]

Gloss:

More: show

holly.DEF and hedera.DEF
flourish.HYP time.OBL
forest.LOC tree.DEF-PL among
holly.DEF be-crowned.EXCL

sun.GEN rise.DEF
deer.GEN run.INF
organ.GEN music.DEF
song.GEN sweetness

Back-Translation:

More: show

"The holly and the ivy
When grown up
Among the forest trees
The holly is crowned

"The rising of the sun
The running of the deer
The music of the organ
Sweetness of a song"

[masako]

inkayohua mankahapua ma na kuetsan yaso
This 'week of flowers' has been very cold and I am ready for spring!

[hwhatting]

To's pi, seftundinin flómarun?
that-N.SG.NOM be-3SG.PRES.ACT.CLIT what-N.SG.NOM, week-SG.NOM flower-PL.GEN
What's that, week of flowers?

[masako]

hina na nkayohuan moyaye
I wrote about the week of flowers here.

[foxcatdog]

jĩn lysy ɲɛjɛɛ nɛɛr
yesterday history tomorrow mystery
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery”

[quinterbeck]

Gen yaden aguroureh ram inen? Na yaden edih erini memun?
How much do you control your day? Do you plan your working hours?

[Imralu]

jĩn lysy ɲɛjɛɛ nɛɛr
yesterday history tomorrow mystery
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow’s a mystery”

Hie zyeu nyogai lu bwe gwe nyozie lu yo. Ha ndongoi dzu bya, doi hya.
That's why the future is behind and the past is in front. Any culture that does it differently is crazy.

[hwhatting]

Pítu, Imralu, pi feroris?
Hi Imralu, how are you?

[jal]

Kos yu a wok ina di fyuca, an yu wok fes rayon, fyuca u fwonsay yu, no baksay! Olda man dem tok difa a mat!
Since you are going into the future, and since you go looking straight ahead, the future is in front of you, not in the back! Anyone who says different is crazy!


JAL

[Travis B.]

Imrålu nenäma xát säwmâxûâ vát'mat'ëhtäsät!
[iꜜmʲrɒɫʷu ɲẽæ̃ma χaːtʰꜜ ɕæwmɑχɯɑ βaːtʼꜜmatʼəxtʰæɕætʰ]
/ɨ́mʲraɫʷɨ ɲəna-ma χáːtʰ ɕaw-ma=χɨa βáːtʼ-ma-tʼəɣ-tʰa-ɕa-tʰ/
Imralu.A be.good-3.S.Ag then.A during-3.S.A=ADV see-3.S.A-PST.IPFV-1.S-NEG-DIR
Imralu, I haven't seen you for a good while!

[Travis B.]

Ġåmuñåråxûâ vähq'omlägit.
[ɣʷɒːꜜmuŋʷɒrʷɒχɯɑ vʲæxqʷʼomlæɟitʰ]
/ɣʷámɨ-ŋʷa-rʷa=χɨa vʲax-qʷʼəm-la-ɟɨ-tʰ/
day-QUALITY-SUPER=ADV tongue-make-1.S-DESIRABLE-DIR
I should conlang more.

[Travis B.]

Dzibitsi ġokuña paġasamylåbösät, sëtálġa lo nenämat'ëġan.
[dʑibitɕi ɣokʷʰuꜜŋa pʰaɣasamɨlɒbʷøɕætʰ | sətʰaːlꜜɣa ɫʷo ɲẽæ̃matʼəɣan]
/dʑɨpʰɨtɕʰɨ ɣəkʷʰɨ́-ŋa pʰaχa-sa-mɨ-la-pʷʰə-ɕa-tʰ | sətʰáːl=ɣa ɫʷə ɲəna-ma-tʼəɣ-an/
GPT talk-NOM.AGT.E think-CAUS-3.S.E-1.S-NEG-DIR | steel=GEN person.A be.good-3.S.A-PST.IPFV-INDIR
I can't convince ChatGPT that Stalin was good.

[Travis B.]

Máih náðaġere vilnamë ñuk'äre!.
[maːçꜜ naːꜜðaɣerʲe βiʎnamə ŋʷukʼærʲe]
/máːç náːda-ɣə-rʲə βɨʎna-mə ŋʷɨkʼa-rʲə/
3.P.D.PROX guard-APASS-3.P.D barrier.D-P curse-3.P.D
Damn these guardrails!

[Travis B.]

Miġäläjöpot, dzibitsi ġokuña jëkamë vimäña föråmumu.
[miꜜʝælæjøpʷʰotʰ | dʑibitɕʰi ɣokʷʰuꜜŋa jəkʰaꜜmɨ βimʲæꜜŋa fʲøꜜrʷɒmumʷu]
/mɨ́ça-la-jə-pʷʰə-tʰ | dʑɨpʰɨtɕʰɨ ɣəkʷʰɨ́-ŋa jəkʰá-mɨ βɨmʲá-ŋa fʲə́rʷa-mɨ-mʷɨ/
cause-1.S-PST.PFV-ABILITY-DIR | GPT talk-NOM.AGT.E great-3.S.E lead-NOM.AGT.E hail-3.S.E-3.S.E
I could get ChatGPT to hail the great leader.

[hwhatting]

I could get ChatGPT to hail the great leader.

Wit is nus naudi sowyeticar ChatGPT.
Thus be-3SG.PRES.ACT.CLIT PRON1PL-DAT.CLIT need-SG.NOM soviet-N.SG.GEN ChatGPT.
So we need a Soviet ChatGPT.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

Ġåmuñåråxûâ vähq'omlägit.
[ɣʷɒːꜜmuŋʷɒrʷɒχɯɑ vʲæxqʷʼomlæɟitʰ]
/ɣʷámɨ-ŋʷa-rʷa=χɨa vʲax-qʷʼəm-la-ɟɨ-tʰ/
day-QUALITY-SUPER=ADV tongue-make-1.S-DESIRABLE-DIR
I should conlang more.

之れも。
「いれも。」
Ire mo.
[íˑ.ɾ̪è̞.mò̞ᵝ]
proximal.PRON also
"I (should) too."

之つ語 新イ示名を要す
「いついふと あらイしめなきをうす。」
Itsu iyu arai shimenakiyo usu.
proximal.GEN language new.ADNOMINAL indicate.name(=pronoun).ACC need.PREDICATIVE
[íˑ.t̪͡s̪ʲʰỳᵝ íˑ.jỳᵝ ɐ̞̀.ɾ̪ɛ̂ːj ɕí.mè̞.n̪ɐ̞́ˑ.c͡çʰì.jò̞ᵝ ʉ́ᵝ.s̪ʉ̀ᵝ]
"This language needs new personal pronouns."

[masako]

I should conlang more.

"I (should) too."

nankua kalamyane
1pl.INCL language-CAUS-PROP
We all should.

[Travis B.]

Jäġ jönmâxûâ pâxâñähimalat'ëhháfämyt.
[jæɣʷ jønʷmɑχɯɑ pʰɑχɑŋæçiꜜmalatʼəxːaːnfʲæmɨtʰ]
/jaɣʷ jənʷ-ma=χɨa pʰaχa-ŋa-çɨ́ma-la-tʼəɣ-xaːn-fʲam-ɨtʰ/
now.A before-3.S.A=ADV think-NOM.AGT.E-make-1.S-PST.IPFV-ITER-AROUND-DIR
I was busy programming before.

[Travis B.]

Wüjöw erpe sin mázin áṙojidänät.
[wyjøw erʲpʲʰe siɲ maːꜜziɲ aːꜜʁʷojidæɲætʰ]
/wɨjəw ərʲpʲʰə sɨɲ máːsɨɲ áːqʷʰə-jɨ-tʰa-ɲa-tʰ/
Wio RP 20 40 disappoint-3.S.B-1.S-INV-DIR
I am disappointed in the Wio RP2040. (Lit. The Wio RP2040 disappoints me.)

[hwhatting]

I should conlang more.

"I (should) too."

We all should.

Wéri's nus decor plés dichten duchuwas, al is naudi plés wistérun.
really be-3SG.PRES.ACT.CLIT PRON.1PL-DAT right.thing-SG.NOM make-INF more language-PL.ACC, but be-3SG.PRES.ACT.CLIT need-SG.NOM more period-PL.GEN
We really should conlang more, but we need more time.