Welcome to the Bezhani Survival Guide by Conlangconstructor.
Take everything further (with the exception of Bezhani language instruction) with a grain of salt.
The Bezhani language (bźanáĺ [bʑɜˈnejʎ]) is spoken in Bezhan (bźan [bʑan]). Bezhan is an archipelago of thousands of islands — eight of them are fairly large. The word bźan is a combination of two words: beź [bɛʑ] "mountain" and an [an] "land." The Bezhani islands are quite mountainous. A Bezhani person is called a bźanskv [bʑanskf], don't forget that.
If you want to learn the Bezhani language, you're going to have to act like a Bezhani person. Therefore, you must be polite. Should you need to refer to me directly, you shall say: Plahácvalentv [plɜˈxaʦvəlɪntf]. Should you refer to me indirectly, such as "Conlangconstructor said this.", you shall say: Oplacvaléntv [ɔplɜʦvɜˈlɛntf]. Both of these forms mean "The honorable teacher."
So now you might be thinking to yourself, "Oh Plahácvalentv, how do I survive in Bezhan?" Well, pupéntv ([puˈpɛntf] "student"), you should not get the idea that the Bezhani people are savages. Of course they murder travelers from other lands, but that is only because they cannot understand them and think that they are criminals. Criminals are easily identifiable in Bezhan because the authorities cut of their tongues when they are convicted of a crime. All you have to do is learn to speak Bezhani the right way and you should be perfectly fine.
Contents Lesson 1: Phonology
----Learn how to pronounce every Bezhani word correctly!
Lesson 2: Greeting someone
----On your way to a Bezhani restaurant when you say Hello to someone you meet on the street. Sounds simple? Right?
Last edited by conlangconstructor on 09 Nov 2011 11:07, edited 1 time in total.
Before I start teaching you vocabulary, you need to know how to pronounce Bezhani words. So you are going to learn all about Bezhani Phonology in this lesson. You are going to be learning the Standard dialect, which is based closely off of the Vlagridvoskian dialect (spoken in the capital city of Vlagrídvosk). Anyone that speaks Bezhani will be able to understand the Standard dialect, but you should be aware that there are many other dialects. Vowels
There are five written vowels: <a e i o u>. The pronunciation of these vowels differ, depending on their environment. Vowels may change depending on whether or not they are in a stressed syllable, and they might be affected by a nearby consonant.
<a> may be pronounced as [a], [ɜ], [ə], [æ], or [ej]. It is pronounced as [a] in stressed syllables, and as [ɜ] or [ə] in unstressed syllables (SEE VOWEL REDUCTION) It may also be pronounced as [æ] in some short words. It becomes [ej] before the pure palatal consonants [ʎ] and [ɲ] (<ĺ> and <ń>). It is also diphthongized to [ej] before <j>.
<e> may be pronounced as [ɛ], [ɪ], or [ej]. It is pronounced as [ɛ] in stressed syllables, and as [ɪ] in unstressed syllables (SEE VOWEL REDUCTION). It becomes [ej] before the pure palatal consonants [ʎ] and [ɲ] (<ĺ> and <ń>). It is also diphthongized to [ej] before <j>.
<i> may be pronounced as [ i], [ɪ], or [ɪ̝]. It is pronounced as [ i] in stressed syllables, and as [ɪ] or [ɪ̝] in unstressed syllables (SEE VOWEL REDUCTION).
<o> is pronounced as [ɔ]. It is also diphthongized to [ɔj] before <j>.
<u> is pronounced as .
Diphthongs
You learned above that <a>, <e>, and <o> may become diphthongs when they precede <j>. You did not learn, however, that diphthongs undergo vowel reduction (SEE VOWEL REDUCTION).
<aj> is pronounced as [aj] in stressed syllables, and as [ɜj] or [əj] in unstressed syllables.
<ej> is pronounced as [ej] in stressed syllables, and as [ɪj] in unstressed syllables.
<oj> is pronounced as [ɔj].
Vowel reduction
<a>, <aj>, <e>, <ej>, and <i> change their sound depending on whether they are in a stressed or unstressed syllable.
<a> is pronounced as [ɜ] in unstressed syllables before the stressed syllable, and as [ə] in unstressed syllables after the stressed syllable. Therefore: planá is pronounced as [plɜˈna] and plának is pronounced as [ˈplanək].
<aj> is pronounced as [ɜj] in unstressed syllables before the stressed syllable, and as [əj] in unstressed syllables after the stressed syllable. Therefore: hajá is pronounced as [xɜjˈa] and glóvaj is pronounced as [ˈglɔvəj].
<e> is pronounced as [ɪ] in unstressed syllables. Therefore: dzéle is pronounced as [ˈʣɛlɪ].
<ej> is pronounced as [ɪj] in unstressed syllables. Therefore: ćejá is pronounced as [ʨɪjˈa].
<i> is pronounced as [ɪ] in unstressed syllables before the stressed syllable, and as [ɪ̝] (raised) in unstressed syllables after the stressed syllable. Therefore: imkí is pronounced as [ɪmˈki] and ímki is pronounced as [ˈimkɪ̝].
Note!
*Never reduce <a> or <e> when they come before the pure palatal consonants <ĺ> or <ń>. Don't even reduce them to [ɪj]! Thus: bźanaĺás [bʑɜnejˈʎas].
Consonants
All consonants are divided into two different groups: soft and hard. Soft consonants are palatalized or pure palatal. Hard consonants are not palatalized or palatal.
*written consonants are bolded
Notes!
*[n], [nʲ], and [ɲ] might become [ŋ] before a velar consonant. In which the utterance of that velar consonant is lost. Pciń gna... [ˈpʦiŋ_nə]
*[j] may be found in some consonant clusters, in which it is pronounced as [ç] or [ʝ] depending on the voicing of the consonant it precedes. jki [çki]; jńe [ʝɲɛ]
*[r] is pronounced as a flap [ɾ] in between vowels. súre [ˈsuɾɪ]
*[l] (hard) is pronounced as [ɫ] before another consonant or at the end of a word. haln [xaɫn]
-I can type <Ĺĺ> by entering ALT+313 / ALT+314, <Ǵǵ> by entering ALT+500 / ALT+501. If you cannot or do not wish to enter these, simply write <LYly> or <GYgy>. You can even do this with <ń>, <ś>, <ź>. I would do it, but I don't mind using acutes — and think that too many <y>'s look ugly: COMPARE: Śśviń gna kavk. to Sysyviny gna kavk.
Voicing
Consonants change their voice in clusters. They will match the voice of the final consonant in the cluster, unless it is a <v>, in which case you must refer to the note below.
p <> b
t <> d
k <> g
f <> v
s <> z
ɕ <> ʑ
x <> ɣ
ʦ <> ʣ
ʨ <> ʥ
Note!
*<v> is special. When <v> comes after a voiceless plosive [p t k] it becomes voiceless [f]. When <v> comes after a voiceless fricative, affricate or sibilant it will never change its voice (sv [sv]; xv [xv])
Gemination
Some consonants can have different lengths in Bezhani. This is represented in writing by doubling the consonants (<pp>, <tt>, <rr>, etc.)
The following geminate consonants can occur only in words containing more than one syllable.
Stress
Stress is an important part of Bezhani. It is always marked with an acute accent <á é í ó ú áj éj ój>. Many words change their meaning and function entirely, depending on their stress. You have already learned that <a e i> under go vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, therefore you knew that stress was already quite important.
Sometimes entire words are unstressed. These words are always pronouns, postpositions, or conjunctions. These unstressed words are blended in with preceding words. They are almost always unstressed when they aren't emphasized.
Gzi gan, lojví vas. = "I am eating, he is washing himself."
[ˈgzi_gən | lɔjˈvi_vəs]
Gzi gan, gziń vas = "I am eating, not him!"
[gzi gæn | gziɲ væs]
In this lesson you are going to begin actually speaking Bezhani. You are going to learn how to introduce yourself and blend in with the other Bezhanis. Make sure you read closely, you don't want them to think your up to something!
For these lessons to succeed, you need to agree to some role-playing. You are a foreigner trying to act Bezhanian. You are in a small city known as Médlvosk. You are walking down a street on your way to a restaurant. Starting a conversation
First of all, when you say anything to a Bezhani person, they assume that you wish to begin talking to them. You wouldn't pass someone on the street, say "Hello" and continue walking. A Bezhani person would be really offended by this. Anytime you say something, expect to stand and have a little conversation. Who knows, they might even invite you to have a pitcher of grapefruit juice with them.
Okay, you do not know any Bezhani people, so the first thing you should say is "Hello!" This greeting is different, depending on the time of the day.
You should say this in the morning. This greeting is broken down to: Prosper on this morning!. The demonstrative pronoun "cej" is in the locative case, just like the noun it is modifying "meĺdzéj." In Bezhani, time is expressed with the locative case, just like locations are expressed.
Prećuví cej ganjéj! = "Hello! / Good day!"
[prɪʨuˈvi ʦɪj_gɜˈnʲej]
You should say this in the afternoon. This greeting is broken down to: Prosper on this day!. Just like the previous greeting, "cej" and "ganjéj" are in the locative case.
You should say this in the evening. This greeting is broken down to: Prosper on this evening!. And of course, like the previous greetings, "cej" and "halnéj" are in the locative case, because their expressing the time at which you are commanding the person to prosper.
"But Plahácvalentv, should I really be commanding a Bezhani to do anything?" Don't worry, pupéntv! Commanding a person to "prosper" is very polite in Bezhani. You don't want to sound angry when you say it, though!
Once you grett this Bezhani person, they will most likely respond with the exact same greeting.
Sharing names
Since you don't know the Bezhani person you have just met, you're going to want to give them your name. This is very important. You should always give your own name before you ask for another's.
Car gnaj ju ____. = "My name is ____."
[ʦar gnaj ju]
Simply insert your name where ____ is. You are speaking to a Bezhani person though, and you want to blend in — so we're going to have to give you a Bezhani name. Hmmm. Oh yes, here's the naming guide. The five most popular names, for males and females.
There you go. So, if you are a male, you could say Car gnaj ju Dzol and if you are a female you could say Car gnaj ju Ĺĺfum. But if you're brave, you can insert your real name. I would say Car gnaj ju Kóri because my name is Cory.
Once you have given the Bezhani person your name, they might respond with their name. If they don't, however, you're going to want to go ahead and ask them.
Car kvaj ju śtem? = "What is your name?"
[ʦar kfaj ju ɕtɛm]
In this sentence, you are saying: Name of you is what?. You're going to want to put most of the emphasis on śtem, because it's the question word. The Bezhani person will respond back to you with their name.
Nice to meet you!
Okay, you have gotten this far without being spotted as a foreigner. What comes next? Well, you're going to want to let the person you are speaking with know how "prosperous" you are with them. Even if you are not very prosperous, you need to let them think you are.
The Bezhani people say two different phrases that translate to "Nice to meet you" in English, although their word-to-word meanings are entirely different.
Prećí gan kvacesáś! = "Nice to meet you!"
[prɪˈʨi_gən kfɜʦɪˈsaɕ]
The word-to-word translation of this phrase is: Prosper I <with>you!. You are saying "I am prospering with you!" It has the same effect as saying "Nice to meet you" in English. When you say this, you will most likely receive the exact same response — which is a good thing ;).
Vzli gan kamí kvacesáś/kvej! = "Nice to meet you!"
[ˈvzli_gən kɜˈmi kfɜʦɪˈsaɕ/kfej]
The phrase above is slightly less formal. You would say it when you wish to show the Bezhani person that you are easy-going and open to closer relationship. It's word-to-word translation is "Exist I good with you/at you." You may use kvej "at you" instead of kvacesáś "with you" to be even more informal.
How are you?
Once you have said the equivalent to "Nice to meet you", you're going to want to ask the Bezhani how they are. This is opposite of the names, you wouldn't say "I am fine" before asking the other person how they are, unless of course they ask you first.
Vzli kav śutvá? = "How are you?"
[ˈvzli_kəv ɕuˈtfa]
In this phrase, you are saying "Exist you how?" The emphasis should be on śutvá. Once you get your response, you should then tell them how you are. Since you're a beginner, let's stick with saying "I'm good." You don't want them to stray off into conversation that you can't understand!
Vzli gan kamí. = "I am good."
[ˈvzli_gən kɜˈmi]
You wouldn't add "thanks" or "thank you" with this, unlike in English. The Bezhani people don't need a thank you for asking something which they feel they must. This is why their word for "you're welcome" is vozuvíń [vɔzuˈviɲ] which really means "Don't thank."
Don't stray into foreign territory!
You want to keep things short and sweet for now. You're no Bezhani expert. You say one wrong thing and they're going to start asking questions that you have no idea how to respond to. This would be really bad for you.
So after you tell this Bezhani how you are, you're going to want to let them know that it's time for you to go. This is done by simply saying "I must go."
Ru kónu gan. = "I must go."
[ru ˈkɔnu_gən]
The Bezhani will most likely respond with Prećuví! Which as you learned above, means "prosper!" The time of day would not be added because it is a farewell in this sense. If the Bezhani person tells you that they have to leave, you should say Prećuví [prɪʨuˈvi].
When they say Prećuví, you need to respond with the same thing. They will do it for you!
You made it!
Wipe the sweat from your forehead and continue walking! You just had a successful conversation with a native Bezhani, and they didn't notice you were a foreigner! Now if only you can make it to the restaurant without bumping into someone that notices an accent!
You will continue on your way to the restaurant in the next lesson. Until then, pull yourself out of the role-playing and take a look at this example conversation:
A: Prećuví cej ganjéj! = "Good day!"
B: Prećuví cej ganjéj! = "Good day!"
A: Car gnaj ju Dzol. Car kvaj ju śtem? = "My name is Dzol. What's your name?"
B: Car gnaj ju Ĺĺfum. = "My name is Llfum."
A: Preći gan kvacesáś! = "Nice to meet you!"
B: Preći gan kvacesáś! = "Nice to meet you!"
A: Vzli kav śutvá? = "How are you?"
B: Vzli gan kamí. Vzli kav śutvá? = "I am good. How are you?"
A: Vzli gan kamí. = "I am good."
B: Ru kónu gan. = "I must be going."
A: Prećuví! = "Goodbye!"
B: Prećuví! = "Goodbye!"
Bezhani Survival Guide by Conlangconstructor.
