For most of those years, I had never even heard of conlanging, so I hope you'll bear with me if I seem like a chaotic mess.
Consonants(IPA):
Nasal: m, n
Plosive: p, t, k, ʔ, b, d, g
Fricative: s, ʂ, x', h, v, z, ʒ
Approximant: L, ɹ, j, w
(debated)Tap: r
Vowels:
ɑ, ɛ, i, i:, o, u, u:
(technically, that x' above is used as a vowel phonotactically, but linguistically it is a consonant)
Also, /x'/ has an allophone of [ɣ] when near /i/ or /j/.
The general word order of Daas is SVO.
Inner Workings:
Spoiler:
Like languages such as aUI, Daas is oligosynthetic and each sound has a meaning. However, some sounds, like "k" are used more as narrowers(?), as they narrow down the definition.
For example:
Kae = rock(s)
k = an element of
a = a mountain, a volcano
e = a collection, a group, common
The most common element of a mountain would be a rock.
However, it may get confusing with longer, more complex words, like:
Harati
h= sound, echo
a= warm (musical definition used due to context)
r= regal, fancy
a= good (good definition used due to context)
t= straight
i= leave (again, movement definition due to context)
As far as I know, aUI doesn't really consider this possibility of too many concepts mixing to be understood.
Since this would be really hard to parse without a kind of concept divider, I made one that lets characters combine into concepts before fully being a word.
Ha= a warm, good sound (of music)
ra= royal(good connotation)
ti= emit, create, form
Ha'ra'ti would be a type of instrument used in royal contexts. It sounds similar to a koto, but is slightly more resonant.
For example:
Kae = rock(s)
k = an element of
a = a mountain, a volcano
e = a collection, a group, common
The most common element of a mountain would be a rock.
However, it may get confusing with longer, more complex words, like:
Harati
h= sound, echo
a= warm (musical definition used due to context)
r= regal, fancy
a= good (good definition used due to context)
t= straight
i= leave (again, movement definition due to context)
As far as I know, aUI doesn't really consider this possibility of too many concepts mixing to be understood.
Since this would be really hard to parse without a kind of concept divider, I made one that lets characters combine into concepts before fully being a word.
Ha= a warm, good sound (of music)
ra= royal(good connotation)
ti= emit, create, form
Ha'ra'ti would be a type of instrument used in royal contexts. It sounds similar to a koto, but is slightly more resonant.
Spoiler:
The gender system has two genders, animate and inanimate. However, their separation is based more on movement than actually being alive. Conjugation is only necessary in sentences. Lists would not be conjugated.
Inanimate nouns are things that do not move or change without a person's interference.
Kae, mentioned earlier, means rock. Rocks usually do not move unless someone or something moves it, so it would become
Kae li
Animate nouns do move without people's interference, but do not necessarily imply being alive.
Uv'ti, meaning "fast river" or "rapids", would be animate. Because the river moves on it's own, it would become
Uv'ti la
Some things, however, seem between inanimate and animate.
Fire, for example, is lit by people, but after the fact moves and acts on its own. However, fire can also start on its own and move on its own.
In this case, the conjugation of the fire would be based on its origins.
Ka la, or fire that started on its own (brush fires, lightning fires)
Ka li, or fire that people made and control (campfires, fireplaces)
Fire can go between these, like in a fire that had started from people but got out of control. In this case, it could use either gender, based on the timeframe that the fire is being mentioned in, or the purpose of the people making the fire.
Ka li ka lau ti'fe
The fire burns/ed [the] forest.
fire [con] fire [con+denominaliz.] forest
The usage of “li” here implies that the fire was set on purpose, or that the fire is contained in the timeframe of the conversation.
Inanimate nouns are things that do not move or change without a person's interference.
Kae, mentioned earlier, means rock. Rocks usually do not move unless someone or something moves it, so it would become
Kae li
Animate nouns do move without people's interference, but do not necessarily imply being alive.
Uv'ti, meaning "fast river" or "rapids", would be animate. Because the river moves on it's own, it would become
Uv'ti la
Some things, however, seem between inanimate and animate.
Fire, for example, is lit by people, but after the fact moves and acts on its own. However, fire can also start on its own and move on its own.
In this case, the conjugation of the fire would be based on its origins.
Ka la, or fire that started on its own (brush fires, lightning fires)
Ka li, or fire that people made and control (campfires, fireplaces)
Fire can go between these, like in a fire that had started from people but got out of control. In this case, it could use either gender, based on the timeframe that the fire is being mentioned in, or the purpose of the people making the fire.
Ka li ka lau ti'fe
The fire burns/ed [the] forest.
fire [con] fire [con+denominaliz.] forest
The usage of “li” here implies that the fire was set on purpose, or that the fire is contained in the timeframe of the conversation.
Spoiler:
Kesshin wrote: ↑24 Apr 2024 22:43 A Big Old Letter Dictionary
Syntax of List:
Romanization
/Pronunciation/
Meaning
Implications
Letter Context Meaning
Vowels:Consonants:Spoiler:A
/ɑ/
A mountain, heat
Implies; good
After t: down
After v: fast
E
/ɛ/
collection, a group, growth
i
/i/
Cold, ice
After t: to come out of something
After p: inside
After e: small
After v: slow
O
/o/
Light, energy (these are the same concept to the people who speak Daas in the world)
U
/u:/
Liquid, water
Implies; wavy
After p: inside
After e: big
F
/x’/
Plants, green
Implies; bad, life
After t: upSpoiler:K
/k/
An element of/an Element of
Implies: the main body/most important part
N
/n/
A problem
J
/d͡ʒ/ or /ʒ/
An action
S
/s/
Language, words
Ṣ(no romanization yet, might just be Ṣ)
/ʂ/
Of the mouth
D
/d/
People, species
Z
/z/
time, a timeline
T
/t/
Straight, long, tall
P
/p/
To have/contain
Y
/j/
Wind, air
M
/m/
magic
V
/v/
Speed, movement
H
/h/
Sound, echo
R
/ɹ/
Regal, royal, fancy
Ŕ
/r/
Regal, royal, fancy
G
/g/
To take in/to consume
Spoiler:
Adjectives and verbs have no linguistic separation in Daas. Nouns can be denominalized/adjectivized(dunno if that's the word for it) using
lu /lu:/
If a noun has a gender and it’s also adjec-verb-ivized, instead of “la lu” or “li lu”, it becomes “lau”, “liu”.
Certain adjec-verbs also have gender, and would be conjugated by removing the conjugation from the subject being defined, and using the correct gender flag on the adjec-verb.
Hti li Nde /hti li ndɛ/
[a] loud human
Hti(meaning loud or noisy) is an inanimate adjec-verb, and so it removes the conjugation from Nde(human) and uses its own.
lu /lu:/
If a noun has a gender and it’s also adjec-verb-ivized, instead of “la lu” or “li lu”, it becomes “lau”, “liu”.
Certain adjec-verbs also have gender, and would be conjugated by removing the conjugation from the subject being defined, and using the correct gender flag on the adjec-verb.
Hti li Nde /hti li ndɛ/
[a] loud human
Hti(meaning loud or noisy) is an inanimate adjec-verb, and so it removes the conjugation from Nde(human) and uses its own.
Spoiler:
Colors are written after the noun they affect, unlike the other descriptive words, which come before.
Warm colors are animate, and cause the noun they affect to become animate, and cool colors are inanimate, and cause the noun they affect to become inanimate. Black and White are considered cool colors, and brown is a warm color.
Kae la kao
[conj] [adj]
Kao(meaning red) is a warm color, so the conjugation for Kae becomes la, animate.
Warm colors are animate, and cause the noun they affect to become animate, and cool colors are inanimate, and cause the noun they affect to become inanimate. Black and White are considered cool colors, and brown is a warm color.
Kae la kao
[conj] [adj]
Kao(meaning red) is a warm color, so the conjugation for Kae becomes la, animate.
NEW:
Tenses (SLIGHTLY LESS GENERAL, WIP)
Spoiler:
-iz = present tense
EX:
root: Ka = (oft assumed to be:)fire, lava
Ka lu = [to] burn
Kaiz lu = burning
EX:
root: Ke’ja = to be easy
It Ke'ja = It's easy.
It az Ke’jae = It’s getting easier.
EX:
root: Fue = (not used on it's own)
Fue lu = [to] water(of a plant)
Feuz lu = watered(of a plant)
-oz = future tense
EX:
root: Ko'e = light(mass)
Ko'e lu = [to] brighten, usu. [to] light [a] torch[es]
Keoz lu = will brighten / will light [a] torch[es]
As you can see the affix declines the word by flipping the vowel order within the word, if there are two of them.
Based on how the affix attaches, that determines the "type" of tense.
EX:
-iz
root: J'gi, to consume/eat
Di J'giz = I am eating/consuming.
/di ʒʔgiz/
Di J'giiz = I eat/consume(happening now, will continue)
/di ʒʔgi:z/
-uz
Di J'guz = I ate.
/di ʒʔgu:z/
Di J'guiz = I ate recently
/di ʒʔgu:iz/
Di J'guzu = I ate long ago.
/di ʒʔguzu:/
Di J'guuzu = I ate long ago(could happen again)
/di ʒʔgu:zu/
-oz
Di J'goiz = I will eat soon
/di ʒʔgoi:z/
Di J'gioz = I will eat eventually.
/di ʒʔgio:z/
There's probably going to be some stress differences to help listeners to be able to differentiate between them.
EX:
root: Ka = (oft assumed to be:)fire, lava
Ka lu = [to] burn
Kaiz lu = burning
Edit: NEW:
az (word)-a: present progressiveEX:
root: Ke’ja = to be easy
It Ke'ja = It's easy.
It az Ke’jae = It’s getting easier.
Edit: END NEW
-uz = past tenseEX:
root: Fue = (not used on it's own)
Fue lu = [to] water(of a plant)
Feuz lu = watered(of a plant)
-oz = future tense
EX:
root: Ko'e = light(mass)
Ko'e lu = [to] brighten, usu. [to] light [a] torch[es]
Keoz lu = will brighten / will light [a] torch[es]
As you can see the affix declines the word by flipping the vowel order within the word, if there are two of them.
Based on how the affix attaches, that determines the "type" of tense.
EX:
-iz
root: J'gi, to consume/eat
Di J'giz = I am eating/consuming.
/di ʒʔgiz/
Di J'giiz = I eat/consume(happening now, will continue)
/di ʒʔgi:z/
-uz
Di J'guz = I ate.
/di ʒʔgu:z/
Di J'guiz = I ate recently
/di ʒʔgu:iz/
Di J'guzu = I ate long ago.
/di ʒʔguzu:/
Di J'guuzu = I ate long ago(could happen again)
/di ʒʔgu:zu/
-oz
Di J'goiz = I will eat soon
/di ʒʔgoi:z/
Di J'gioz = I will eat eventually.
/di ʒʔgio:z/
There's probably going to be some stress differences to help listeners to be able to differentiate between them.