?upata (for NaNoWriMo challenge)

[Mornche Geddick]

I decided I would post my conlangs for the nanowrimo.org challenge this month. Accordingly I'm starting with ?upata.

So here's my first installment. It includes some vocabulary and some morphology

?Upata

?Upata was created for a long ago minimal phonology challenge on the ZBB, a few years before it was migrated to the new one.

The allowed phonemes were p t k ? (glottal stop) n s i a u

The only consonant unfamiliar in English is the glottal stop ?. It is articulated at the back of the throat like the fricative h, and occurs in some dialects when the speaker is speaking rapidly: “a bo??le of beer”.

Syllabic Constraints

(C)(i/u)V(n)(s)(C)

1. Where C is any consonant in the set {p t k ? n s} and V is {i a u}.
2. More rarely syllables of the type TsV(n)(s)(C) occur, where T is any stop, e.g. psatin.
3. Before vowels (i/u) are semivowels (as in the English words quick, cute) and are spelt y/w.
4. ? is rarely or never heard word-finally and does not appear after n or s. It may begin a word and precede semi vowels; i.e. ?yuta (dog), ?yuns (rain) which forms a minimal pair with yuns (lettuce).

Accent

The position of an accent indicates nominative / accusative case. In some dialects it is pronounced with raised pitch.

Morphosyntax

?upata is mostly agglutinating and concatenates prefixes and suffixes onto verb and noun roots.

Nominative / accusative accent

The position of the accent in the nominative (citation) case is on the final vowel of the root: tapín, puktá. In the accusative it shifts back one vowel: tápin, púkta.
Nouns of one syllable (?yuns, sant) do not accent, except when affixes are present.

The Affixes

-asta, -sta noun plural

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tapín	(rabbit)		tapínasta	(rabbits)
?yutá	(dog)			?yutásta	(dogs)
puktá	(wolf)			puktásta	(wolves)
sant	(sky / heaven)		santásta	(skies / heavens)

Note the position of the accent stays where it is, in the root. *tapinastá is not a permitted form.

-anya, -nya noun definiteness

Unlike English, French, Welsh and other Indo-European languages which indicate definite nouns with a particle (the, le/la/les, y) ?upata uses a suffix on the noun.

sant sky / heaven santánya (the sky) santástanya (the heavens)

In fact sant is rarely used without a suffix.

-a verb imperfective / progressive aspect marker

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tyus		bring		tyusa		bringing
kans		eat		kansa		eating
kwut		help		kwuta		helping	
kwas		shame		kwasa		shaming
panpun		pound		panpuna		pounding
usk		step		uska		stepping
nyin		blame		nyina		blaming
sini		remember	sinya		remembering

The citation form of the verb is the imperfective aspect form. The verbs for eat and bring are listed in the dictionary as kansa and tyusa.

twas- diminutive prefix (verbs and nouns)

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?yutá		dog		twas?yutá		puppy
puktá		wolf		twaspuktá		wolf cub
yuns		lettuce		twasyuns		small lettuce / unripe lettuce
kansa		eating		twaskansa		nibbling
uska		stepping	twasuska		mincing, taking baby steps

-anka, -nka nominaliser (agent)
-aksu, -sku nomilaliser (action, instance)

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kansa		eating			sinya		remembering
kansaksú	meal, dinner		sinyaksú	memory
kansanká	diner			sinyanká	witness

-ik verb past tense suffix

tapín tyusik yuns
rabbit-NOM bring-PAST lettuce-ACC
A rabbit brought lettuce

-nu verb remote past suffix

tapínya tyusnu yúnsnya
rabbit-NOM-DEF bring-REM lettuce-ACC-DEF
The rabbit had brought the lettuce

tapínya tyusnwa yuns
rabbit-NOM-DEF bring-REM-IMP lettuce-ACC-DEF
The rabbit had been bringing lettuce

-swa verb desiderative marker

tapínya kanswa yuns
rabbit-NOM-DEF eat-DES lettuce-ACC
The rabbit wants to eat lettuce

?yutánya kanswa tápin
dog-NOM-DEF eat-DES rabbit-ACC
The dog wants to eat rabbit

An imperfective aspect marker may be added before the desiderative suffix to imply the desire is especially strong or urgent.

?yutánya kansaswa tápin
dog-NOM-DEF eat-IMP-DES rabbit-ACC
The dog wants to eat rabbit right now.

-ap verb future suffix
-pi verb conditional suffix

?yutánya kansapa tápin
dog-DEF eat-FUT-IMP rabbit-ACC
The dog will be eating rabbit

?yutánya kansapapi tápin
dog-DEF eat-FUT-IMP-COND rabbit-ACC
The dog will be eating rabbit if ….

-ut verb remote future suffix

Used for events far ahead. If a time is not specified, -ut implies an eternal verity

tapínasta kansut yuns
Rabbits eat lettuce

puktásta kansut tápinasta
Wolves eat rabbits

-sit verb evidential (speaker is eye-witness)
-kwit verb evidential (hearsay)

?yutánya upasikwit tápinya
dog-NOM-DEF kill-PAST-HEARSAY rabbit-ACC
The dog killed the rabbit (I’m told).

?yutánya nyiniksit púktanya
dog-NOM-DEF blame-PAST-SEEN wolf-ACC
The dog blamed the wolf (I heard him).

[Mornche Geddick]

And here's a start on the lexicon:

Nouns

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syuntwatanka		child, descendant
sipunta			island
?akwin			animal
sia?i			carrot
ususá			snake
?yuns			rain
yuns			lettuce
tapín			rabbit
puktá			wolf
?uspaktá		lightning, storm
?wunán			cave
suwinún			flood
nyupán			ground, earth

Verbs

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bringing		tyusa
eating			kansa
kwuta			helping	
kwasa			shaming
panpuna			pounding
uska			stepping
nyina			blaming
sinya			remembering
upasa			killing

[mèþru]

Conlang grammars count for NaNoWriMo?

[Salmoneus]

Conlang grammars count for NaNoWriMo?

If you can write 50,000 words of one, why not?

[mèþru]

I must join NaNoWritMo next year then!

[Frislander]

I recall Conlangery covered a conlang that was done for NaNoWriMo one time, I think it was Txtana.

[masako]

I will be subscribed to this thread for the duration.

[Salmoneus]

I must join NaNoWritMo next year then!

You've only missed two days. Why not start now? If you only get 48,000 words of your grammar done, I'm sure people won't be too critical...

[Mornche Geddick]

Conlang grammars count for NaNoWriMo?

You can do other things besides novels. Movie scripts. Art. Last year I wrote 171 tunes.

[mèþru]

I need preparation, time to conlang, a focus on conlanging and inspiration for a conlang. I only have the second one right now, and I don't know how long or when I'll have it.

[Mornche Geddick]

More derivational morphology.

swi- verb / adjective intensifier prefix (well, very, really)

tapínya swipanuna nyúpan
rabbit-NOM-DEF INTENS-pound-IMP ground-ACC
The rabbit is really pounding the ground.

-kwi, -akwi noun / adjective suffix (like, similar to)

puktá ?yutákwi
wolf-NOM dog-NOM-LIKE
A wolf is like a dog

kwa- noun genitive case prefix

sya?íasta kwatapínya
carrot-NOM-PL GEN-rabbit-NOM-DEF
The rabbit’s carrots

Note that the accent on the root tapín agrees with the case of sya?í.

-syin- verb affix, deliberative

ist-, ista- noun ablative affix (from, out of)

istaswatánya
out of the river

?in-, ?ina- noun affix (to, towards)

?inaksatinánya
to the mountain

-as, -s noun comparative suffix

as?uní nanas
house-NOM comfortable-MORE
a more comfortable house-NO

-aski, -ski noun superlative suffix

kwatwasánkaya ?inkáski
GEN-DIM-PERSON-DEF young-MOST
of the youngest child

-yak verb / noun / adjective despictive suffix

?yutáyak cur ?uspaktáyak a bad storm
stankayakskí he stinks anikáyak a bad woman

an?i- augmentive noun / verb prefix

an?ina?áp
AUG-way
a long distance

an?yuskáksu
AUG-step
a stride

?uwi- theme prefix

?upata is a dechticaetiative language, not a dative one. ?uwi- marks the secondary object in a ditransitive sentence.

unís satwu úkapi ?uwisansuni
man-NOM give boy-ACC THEME-peach
A man gives a boy a peach OR
A gentleman gives a peasant a peach

tsau-, tsaw- verb inceptive prefix

tsau?ataka begin to fight, attack

Concatenation of affixes

A prefix and suffix can combine to form a new root, i.e:

twasanká
DIM-PERSON
little one, child

Combination of the inceptive and deliberative – tsau- and -syin- – makes the verb tsausyina beginning.


Noun Incorporation

The nominalised forms of the verb can incorporate the object as a prefix.

sia?itwaskansanka
carrot-DIM-eat-PERSON
carrot-nibbler
Certain verbs only exist as affixes:

-usta verbaliser (get, acquire, buy)
-ips verbaliser (have)

[Mornche Geddick]

Pronouns

Pronouns are suffixes marked on the verb. The unmarked form of the verb is 3rd person singular.

There are pronoun suffixes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd person proximate and obviate singulars, as well as 3rd person proximate and obviate plural.

1s -spú 2s -spá 3sP -skí 3sO -skú
3pP -styá 3pO -stwá

All the pronoun suffixes are accented for nominative case

To express 1st or 2nd person plurals, the pronouns are concatenated, and the second s- omitted.

-spupá me and you (inclusive we)
-spukí me and him/her (exclusive we)
-spakú you and the other (obviate 2p)

TABLE

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	1s		2s		3sP		3sO		3pP		3pO
1s	-spú		-spupá		-spukí		-spukú		-sputyá		-sputwá
2s	-spapú		-spá		-spakí		-spakú		-spatyá		-spatwá
3sP	-skipú		-skipá		-skí		-skikú		-skityá		-skitwá
3sO	-skupú		-skupá		-skukí		-skú		-skutyá		-skutwá
3pP	-styapú		-styapá		-styakí		-styakú		-styá		-styatwá
3pO	-stwapú		-stwapá		-stwakí		-stwakú		-stwatyá	-stwá

Even more combinations are possible:

-spuatyá I and you and these guys
-spapukitwá you and I and her and them

Sample sentences

kwutaspú tápin
help-IMP-1sNOM rabbit-ACC
I am helping a rabbit

puktánya nyinikspu
wolf-NOM-DEF blame-1s-ACC
The wolf blamed me.

kansapspú yuns
eat-FUT-1s lettuce-ACC
I will eat lettuce.

kansikspúski
eat-PAST-1s-NOM-3s-ACC
I ate it (or him!)

kwutikspukí tápinastanya
help-PAST-1pp-NOM rabbit-PL-DEF
We helped the rabbits.

kwutikspukístwa.
Help-PAST-1pp-NOM-3po-ACC
We helped them.

[masako]

I am interested in how ?upata handles numbers (i.e. counting), and familial terms.

Also, any euphemisms, idioms, quirks of etymology, etc.

Cheers.

[Mornche Geddick]

Numbers are coming soon. Meanwhile I almost finished Swadesh word list.

[Mornche Geddick]

Numbers

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1.	ku	2.	kya	3.	tan	4.	tunu	5.	task
6.	pus	7.	pwan	8.	pitan	9.	?upan	10.	suak

Code: Select all

11. suaku	12. suakya	13. suaktan	14. suaktunu	15. suaktask
16. suakpus	17. suakpwan	18. suakpitan	19. suak?upan	20. kiak
30. tanak	40. tunak	50. tasak	60. pusak	70. pwanak
80. pitanak	90. ?upanak	100. kutun	10000. aksutanun

Tens and units are concatenated: tunaktan 43, kutun?upanak?upan 199

Originally, numbers over 200 were formed using the genetive affix kwa- and that is still used in legal documents, such as wills. But for everyday calculations, the rule is multiplier-hundred-ten-unit, e.g.

200 kyakutun kya kwaktun (two GEN-hundred)
1001 suakutun ku suak kwakutun ku
6000 pusakutun pusak kwakutun
90000 ?upan aksutanun ?upan kwaksutanun

[masako]

Looks good to me.

[Mornche Geddick]

Here's the James Thurber text I promised.

Tapínastanya is?aityusik kayáknunya?isu [1]
rabbit-NOM-PL-DEF REL-cause-PAST trouble-ACC-DEF-ALL
The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble

Sinyáksu sukún kwatwasánkanya ?inkaskí
Memory-NOM inside-NOM GEN-child-NOM-DEF young-MOST
Within the memory of the youngest child

syupik ?ipuskát kwatapínasta
happen-PAST family-NOM GEN-rabbit-NOM-PL
there was a family of rabbits

is?aiskuwinika twasná?ap śukun ?úwipún?ak[2] kwapúktasta
REL-dwell-PAST-CONT DIM-distance-ACC inside-ACC DAT-pack/clan-ACC GEN-wolf-ACC-PL
who lived near a pack of wolves.

Puktástanya upatsyinik pwaspyu?istanikstya[3]
Wolf-NOM-PL-DEF say-DELIB-PAST THAT-NEG-love-PAST-3pPL
The wolves said that they did not like

ínatnya pwastapínastanya skuwinika
way-ACC-DEF THAT-rabbit-NOM-PL-DEF live-PAST-CONT[4]
the way that the rabbits were living.

Puktástanya kuku?istanika ínatnya
Wolf-NOM-PL-DEF mad-love-PAST-CONT way-ACC-DEF
The wolves were crazy about the way

pwasskuwinikastyá susakísta[5] ?apsswukunyainátskuwin
REL-live-PAST-IMPF-3pPL-NOM self-NOM-PL because-one+DEF-way-NOM-live
they themselves were living, because it was the only way to live.

[1] An alternative word for kayaknún is sutáskuyak.
[2] First appearance of the dechticataetive marker ?uwi. The small distance is a noun and the primary object of the verb skuwina. As an extent of ground it is larger and more permanent than the wolf pack, who are the secondary object. The wolves do not go anywhere or do anything in this clause; they are associated with the territory they are living on. Therefore they take the accusative accent, as the twasná?ap does.
[3] ?istana can mean like or love, as in French aimer. The 3rd person proximate plural suffix -stya makes it clear the wolves are talking about themselves.
[4] CONT - continuous = IMPF – imperfect.
[5] Susaki is an adjective, but it applies to the pronoun -stya and takes a plural suffix and nominative accent.

[Mornche Geddick]

Ku tuní, ?ukpúktastanya upasik uttusukakáksu kwanyupán, yitápinastanya nyinik
one day-NOM few-wolf-ACC-PL-DEF kill-PAST BY-shake-ACT-NOM GEN-ground-ACC CONJ-rabbit-ACC-PL-DEF blame-PAST
One day, a few of the wolves were killed in an earthquake, and this was blamed on the rabbits[6]
?apsuwisswistwá[7] pwastapínasta panpun ?innyúpanya ?uwiksunkwaánasta
BECAUSE-know-WELL-3oPL THAT-rabbit-NOM-PL pound DAT-ground-ACC-DEF THEME-rear-leg-NOM-PL[8]
because it is well-known that rabbits pound on the ground with their hind legs

yityustyá[9] sukakáksuasta kwanyúpan.
AND-cause-3pPL shake-ACT-ACC-PL GEN-ground-ACC
and cause earthquakes.

[6] Passive sentence order is OV.
[7] An unusual use of the 3rd person obviate plural. Without the wolves or the rabbits explicitly referred to, -stwá means other people not specified, as in ‘everyone knows’.
[8] The rabbits’ hind legs are the secondary object, marked with ?uwi. Ksunkwaán is a case of an adjective used as a prefix: rear-leg.
[9] With the rabbits as the subjects, the -styá 3rd person proximate plural is used.

[Mornche Geddick]

Yiku tuní ?ukyipúktastanya upasik uttu?uspaktá
AND-ONE-day some-wolf-ACC-PL-DEF kill-PAST BY-lightning-NOM
Another day, some of the wolves were struck by lightning

yi-?iyaksu stisa nyinik ?intápinastanya
AND-THIS-THING also blame-PAST DAT-rabbit-ACC-PL-DEF
and this was also blamed on the rabbits

?apsiwisswistwá pwasyunskansankásta tyusutstyá ´uspákta[10]
BECAUSE-know-WELL-3oPL THAT-lettuce-eat-DOER-NOM-PL cause-ETER-3pPL lightning-ACC
because it is well-known that lettuce eaters cause lightning.

[10] Two new affixes: -anka – person nominaliser and -ut; the remote future tense marker, which is also used for eternal or perennial facts: tíntnya uwakiuta ?inpa?úyun; the sun rises in the east.

[Mornche Geddick]

Puktástanya ?upatsyinik pwassa?askyunpi tápinastanya ku?ipyusutisktappistwá[11]
Wolf-NOM-PL-DEF say-DELIB-PAST THAT-civilise-COND rabbit-ACC-PL-DEF IF-NEG-DO-HAB-good-COND-3oPL
The wolves threatened to civilise the rabbits if they didn’t behave

yitapínastanya spunsyinik an?ina?apnat ?insipúnta tasáti.
AND-rabbit-NOM-PL-DEF think-DELIB-PAST long-distance-run DAT-island-ACC desert-ACC.
and the rabbits decided to run away to a desert island.

[11] ?upatsyina, to declare, implies threatening in this context. Sa?askyuna, “civilise” also carries sinister overtones of conquest and enslavement.