Lexember 2024

[Emily]

December 11: X

xylophone

• Russian ksilofon "xylophone" ->>> Modern Gothic ksilofons [ksɪlɔfɒ́ns] "xylophone"
• Modern Gothic tjiwupianos [ʃɛvʊpjáunəs] "xylophone" (informal term; literally "wood piano")

xenogenous

• Old Gothic ūtaþrō "from outside" > Middle Gothic otaþr(o) [wátaður] "from outside" + -isks, -aisks [-ɛsks] "of or pertaining to" => Early Modern Gothic wodluresks [vɔdlúrɛsks] "external, foreign" > Modern Gothic wodluresks [vɔdlórɨsks] "external; (medicine) foreign, xenogenous"

x-ray (verb)

• Modern Gothic rentgenwedjo [rɛn(t)gɛnváʒə] "to x-ray"
  • rentgen borrowed from Russian rentgen and similar sources
  • -wedj- as a general verb-forming suffix used when borrowing foreign (especially Slavic) verbs: Old Polish -ować ->>> late Middle Gothic -ovaʧ- > Early Modern Gothic -wezj-, -uwzj- [-véʒ-, -úvʒ-] > Modern Gothic -wedj-, -uwdj- [-váʒ-, -úbʒ-]

[Travis B.]

G

gain

'gain', 'get', 'obtain', 'acquire' (v.): pfv. k'aale [ˈkʼɑːʎɐ], ipfv. k'eele [ˈcʼæːʎɐ], imp. ak'eel [ɐˈcʼæːl]

gas

'gas' (n. f. inan.): t'eyefiida [tsʼɐjɐˈɸiːðɐ] from nmlz. t'e- + 'like' adj. ye- + 'air' (n. m. inan.): fiida [ˈfiːðɐ]

guideline

'guideline' (n. f. inan.): t'eyeliqan [tsʼɐjɐʎeˈqɑn] nmlz. t'e- + 'like' adj. ye- + 'rule', 'directive' (n. m. inan.) liqan [ʎeˈqɑn]

[Lērisama]

17^th Lex: Use
サモピラく
samupireh, samepera, semperkar, semperkahir
サモピラ̞ヵゥ　/samʊpɪɾəx/

• To use sth. (up)
• To finish sth.
• To divorce smo.

Etymology:
From PS *samupiδa ‘to do through (with)’

[Emily]

December 12: S

signature

• Old Gothic undar "under" + gamēleins "writing" => Early Modern Gothic odergojejnz [ɔdɛrgójɛjnz] "signature" > Modern Gothic odergojins [ɔdɛrgɒ́jɨns]

shy

• Old Gothic faúrhts "fearful, afraid" > Middle Gothic faurhds [fɔ́rɣdz] "fearful, afraid" > Early Modern Gothic fordz [fórdz] "timid, shy" > Modern Gothic fords [fórts]
• Old Gothic *skiuhs "shy, timid" > Middle Gothic sgiuhs [zʣjáxs] "shy, timid" > Early Modern Gothic zdjes [zdjés] "brusk, standoffish" > Modern Gothic zdjes [zdjás] "rude, inconsiderate"

suit

• Old Gothic dugan "to be of value; to fit, be suitable" > Middle Gothic dugan [dúɣan] "to fit, be suitable" > Early Modern Gothic doho [dóxɔ] "to fit, suit; to complement" > Modern Gothic doho [dɒ́xə]

[Pedant]

"Arrahng" sounds like a good interjection to express catching up on Lexember.

Heh, heh…

F is for Familiar
High Arrahng: put (v) "be familiar"

D is for Descent
High Arrahng: nyunyatj, nyuwitj (n02) "descent, coming down"
High Arrahng: kabahr, kamahr (n15) "descent, ancestral lineage (male)"

A is for Ash
High Arrahng: tjamer, tjarur (n06) "ash"

[Travis B.]

U

unlike

'be unlike' (v.): neg. yi- (or for imp. then prohib. ki-) + 'be like' (v.): stat. tag [tɑʁ], imp. atag [ɐˈtɑʁ]

unfair

'unfair' (adj.) : yikaaw [jeˈkɔːw] from neg. yi-* + 'fair' (adj.): kaaw [kɔːw]

* This works for adjectives in additions to verbs.

urge

'urge', 'implore' (v.): pfv. giwwa [ˈɣiwːɐ], ipfv. gewwa [ˈɣæwːɐ], imp. agiww [ɑˈɣiwː]
'urge' (n. m. anim.): satt'a [ˈsɑtʼːɐ]

[äreo]

much farther from getting caught up than in my last post but i am determined to get there! part of why it takes so long is this project in particular tends to require more research than projects not based on existing languages, and of course the process of creating one word very often requires developing related words and morphemes as well; putting a couple notes below to illustrate this

Hey, at least you're not as far behind as me! and my conlang is a priori. Modern Gothic is cool btw, and I like seeing how words from various other European languages end up making their way into it. I keep hoping to spot a very obvious cognate with an English word as one might find in a West or North Germanic language, but so far any resemblance between English and Modern Gothic vocab has been remarkably (and convincingly) opaque.

Interestingly enough, Old East Slavic korolь ultimately comes from OHG Karl, the name of Charlemagne.

Wow, I didn't know that. But it goes along with the many words for king or emperor that ultimately derive from Caesar. Turns out if you're really good at being something future instances of that thing might be named after you (incidentally, I just found out yesterday that pallet boxes for shipping and receiving are still called gaylords after the erstwhile Gaylord Container Corporation).

Lexember 6: A - ambition

vaváar
[vaˈvoːaɾ]
ambition, enthusiasm, gusto; reduplication of váar heart, love, personality
Ambition in the sense of initiative or eagerness would be mostly covered by this word.

As for ambition in the sense of desire for recognition, we might say
síméttirre héal / lírettirre héal
[ˈsiːmjɛtːɪrɛ hɛːl] [ˈliːɾɛtːɪrɛ hɛːl]
lit. "hunger for being praised" / "hunger for being seen"

[Lērisama]

18^th Lex: Voice
口カく
lēkah, lēkakui
ﾘｰカカゥ　/lɛːkax/

• Voice (esp. the speaker's own)
• The ability to give obeyed commands²

Etymology:
From PS *rīkakë, from *rīka ‘I speak’ + *-kë ‘a nominaliser’. One of the first known example of bare *-kë¹ being used, and the first where it is attached to an inflected verb

¹ Previously it was only used in the agent nominalisation *-takë, incorporating *-ta. *-kë was extracted, and eventually became a productive verbal noun forming suffix
² Mainly used in the phrase Sīđeh lēkah Xui distance wai can X's voice reaches distance from here

[Emily]

December 13: Y

yeast

• Old Gothic *reisan "to rise" + -a (nominalizer) => Middle Gothic eisa [jása] "leavening agent" > Early Modern Gothic jeze [jézɛ] "yeast" > Modern Gothic jezes [jázɨs]
• Old Gothic *jistus "yeast" -> Middle Gothic jistaus [jístɔs] "yeast" > lost by Early Modern Gothic

yellow

• Old Gothic *gilws "yellow" > Middle Gothic gilws [ʣílvz] "yellow" > Early Modern Gothic zilwz [zílvz] > Modern Gothic ziuws [zjófs]

suit

• Old Gothic *gapōn "to yawn, gape" > Middle Gothic gapon [gápon] "to yawn, gape" > Early Modern Gothic gabo [gábɔ] > Modern Gothic gabo [gáubə]

bonus words:

• Old Gothic *gilws "yellow" + -ein (diminutive) => Middle Gothic gilwun [ʣílvun] "egg yolk" > Early Modern Gothic zilwun [zílvʊn] > Modern Gothic ziuwuns [zjóvəns]
• Old Gothic ƕeits "white" + -ein (diminutive) => Middle Gothic wotin [vwáʧin] "egg white" > Early Modern Gothic wozjun [vóʒʊn] (ending reformed on analogy with "yolk") > Modern Gothic wodjuns [vɒ́ʒəns]

[äreo]

Lexember 7: J - joint, jet, judge

lixet
[ˈlɪksɛt]
joint (anatomy), from lixen to bend, articulate, intertwine, related to lix thread, eddy, stray hair and licten to bundle

ftulla
[ˈftʏlːa]
jet, stream, spout, almost certainly related to ftá rain

bendir
[ˈbɛndɪɾ]
to judge, call, opine

[Travis B.]

V

village

'village', 'hamlet' (n. f. inan.): faleet' [fɐˈʎæːtʼ]

vote

'vote' (n. m. inan.): xaasakki [ˈχɑːsɐcːe] from nmlz. xaa- + 'choose' (v.): pfv. sakki [ˈsɑcːe], ipfv. sekki [ˈʃæcːe], imp. usakk [oˈsɑkː]

visible

'visible' (adj.): duqeer [doˈkæːr] from ability adj. du- + 'see' (v.): pfv. qiir [kiːr], ipfv. qeer [kæːr], imp. aqir [ɑˈkir]

[Lērisama]

20^th Lex: Now
ヨ
-ju
ヨ　/jʊ/

• Now, already
• (With imperatives or the irrealis) Soon, immediately, as soon as possible
• (Rare) Today

Etymology:
From PS *ëδju ‘today’

Edit 20/12: Oops, I got 19 and 20 mixed up. I'll do 19 today

[Lērisama]

19^th Lex: Zero
不イ
āi, īu, īwi
ハ̞ーイ　/ɔːɪ/

• Nothing, hardly anything
• Zero

Etymology:
From PS *aγiji, from *a- ‘not’ + *γeji ‘thing’

Note: this is not a new word, but the mathematical sense is new. There aren't many words beginning with z

[Travis B.]

Z

zero

'zero', 'none' (number, n. m. inan.): yim [jim] (note neg. yi-).

zone

'zone', 'area' (n. f. inan.): t'awa [ˈtʼɑwɐ]

[Travis B.]

N

nature

'nature' (n. f. inan.): itagaraaw [etɑʁɐˈrɔːw] from nmlz. ita- + 'wild', 'natural' (adj.): garaaw [ʁɐˈrɔːw]

night

'night' (n. m. inan.): riiya [ˈriːjɐ]

nominate

'nominate' (v.):

• 'put' (v.): pfv. dinn [dzinː], ipfv. denn [dzænː], imp. adinn [ɐˈzinː]
• 'in front': ente qaw [ˈæɲtsɐ qɔː] from trans. ente [ˈæɲtsɐ] + 'front' (n. f. inan.): qaw [qɔː]

[Pedant]

J is for Justify
High Arrahng: uguru (v) "to justify, make solid (by holding in hand)"

M is for Measure
High Arrahng: uwutj (v) "to measure (something, someone)"

T is for Torture
High Arrahng: lirding, liting (n14) "hurt, harm, torture"

[Travis B.]

Is High Arrahng vaguely Australian-inspired?

[Pedant]

Is High Arrahng vaguely Australian-inspired?

It is indeed! With Bantu-style noun classes (as suffixes), conjugation of verbs based on type of movement involved, specific pronouns for in-group and out-group individuals, and click consonants in the priestly and rural dialects! (Which, funny story, is great for satirists. Like Tjeddi Gunggal in his play The Happenstance, about a country bumpkin who becomes a religious icon by accident.)

[Lērisama]

(Which, funny story, is great for satirists. Like Tjeddi Gunggal in his play The Happenstance, about a country bumpkin who becomes a religious icon by accident.)

And on the subject of happenstance, let me add a new definition to my word today

---

21^st Lex: Happen
サモィく
samīh, sameha, semkahīr, semkahihir
サモィーカゥ　/sʲamiːx/

• To happen, to occur
• To take place
• (As a verbal noun) An accident, happenstance

Etymology:
From PS *samwiha, from *samwa ‘to do’ + *-iha ‘middle’

[Travis B.]

H

hardware

'hardware' (n. m. inan.): maat faka [mɑːt ˈfɑkɐ] from 'thing' (n. m. inan.): maat [mɑːt] + 'tough' (adj.): faka [ˈfɑkɐ]

hand

'hand' (n. m. anim.): qatt [qɑtː]

hit

'hit' (v.): pfv. luhha [ˈluħːɐ], ipfv. lihha [ˈʎiħːɐ], imp. aluh [ɐˈluh]