griuskant conlang thread

[Reyzadren]

griuskant /'griuskant/: Fictional language, agglutinative, SVO, trigger, head-final, alphabetic script, mixed fantasy
* http://www.frathwiki.com/griuskant

This thread shall be about the griuskant conlang and its associated world.


Get the test prep as a self-reference. Also, it is available on Lulu.
Student dictionary. Alternate link.


* Storybook: ykgloemae yoiz (Ghosts, translation)
* Storybook: taloem (The Pearl, translation).
* Storybook: haerkzhound riounds (Paper Menagerie, translation etc)
* Storybook: souyi un ilz yuhi (Quietly and Very Fast, translation)
* Storybook: vegler un roeter thiafbruafen (Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, translation). Link 2.
* Storybook: fraeizhyehkuthplud (Christmas carol, translation). Link 2.
* Storybook: sougel ual (The sign of four, translation). Link 2.
* Storybook: naib un er (Of mice and men, translation). Link 2.
* Storybook: toekam (Pymalion, translation). Link 2.
* Storybook: daezhkiroe (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: deg gaeirae (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: stihkuja prab (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: plirjaevvazhen riounds (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: ijfenslef riounds (general fiction).
* Storybook: sulepstevo riounds (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: zhevesmoezon riounds (general fiction). Link 2.
* Storybook: narou lash (general fiction; pictures). Link 2.
* Storybook: vurshzuik riounds (general fiction)
* Storybook: iantklez riounds (general fiction)
* Storybook: Nebula Awards 2019+2020 translation
* Storybook: Nebula Awards 2021 translation
* Auxiliary study: High school syllabus. Link 2.
* Auxiliary study: aronszag
* Auxiliary study: kegfesh blajs
* Auxiliary study: skuipzag
* Auxiliary study: perbduyaeij
* Auxiliary study: thaenvaeron
* Auxiliary study: diougelg
* Bilingual guide: Kaelais Heroes
* Bilingual guide: Sentence Bank

* Audio: auryk jiska (reading passage)
* Audio: larsvusen (micro fiction)
* Audio: naertko un ploubgysh (conversation)
* Audio: zaumsyaej (reading)
* Audio: aeskae syrt varan yoiz (reading)
* Audio: kleshorgluc (reading)
* Song: haezhgeth
* Song: eshpaerj
* Song: zaubar hethe
* Song: caeims
* Song: oth zidan vuzh zheg
* Song: shur az hin aesk
* Song: skuyaae vaezhon (ft. Khemehekis)
* Song: varushae uarzag
* Song: tibhaulen
* Song: arendaens
* Song: avas
* Song: uthzhaunendsa
* Song: sar saerpar thaf
* Song: thiafaun
* Song: shurvi yujonreb
* Song: shuryuji
* Song: shidsi thafen
* Song: auzakroe
* Song: degs aeskae kluari aun (ft. Khemehekis)
* Song: uvus

* Website: Pages with the griuskant script. Bilingual griuskant blog.
* Website: Various griuskant images and their translations.
* Video game: griuskant exploration


Conworld information: Aseritonum country


--------------------

Phonology





There are 10 diphthongs that natively appear in griuskant, though triphthongs can also be formed with gliding diphthongs.
/ai au ia iɔ iu ɔi ɔu ua ui ei/


* Phonotactics

(C)(C)(C)V(V)(V)(C)(C)(C) for each syllable, as a theoretical maximum. CCVVCC is the usual configuration.
Stress is always on the first syllable of each word.


Orthography



Griuskant uses its own alphabetic script that has a regular phonemic orthography, which means that 1 grapheme corresponds to exactly 1 phoneme. This script has components of only straight lines without curves or dots. It is written from left to right, downwards.


* Romanisation (used on this forum)

p t k s b d g z m n ng sh w y x zh
/p t k s b d g z m n ŋ ʃ w j ɣ ʒ/

r c f h l j v th a i o u e ae y oe
/r tʃ f h l dʒ v θ a i ɔ u ə e Y ɯ/


Grammar

The parts of speech of griuskant include nouns, verbs, adjectives and particles. The affixations encourage interconversions of word classes with suffixes, while morphological derivations are done with prefixes. The affixes can usually be re-used across classes: There are passive nouns, passive verbs and passive adjectives, eventhough such voice category is often related to verbs.

It has agglutinative morphology, with additive affixes and has no fusional processes.
Its morphosyntax is trigger. It has 3 main voices: active, passive and circumstantial. There is also the unstable circumstantial voice to denote far-field objects, and an anti-trigger to remove the effects of triggers.

* Affixes

[Suffixes]
Source /ə/
Empty box /ɔ/
Possessive /e/
Collective plural /s/
Verb class /a/
Passive voice /n/
Circumstantial voice /d/
Phasal TAM /t/
Imperative mood /r/
Adjective class /i/

[Prefixes]
Advanced /idʒ/
Reverse /əʃ/
Transitivity elevator /en/
Multi /Ys/
Inter /ɔv/
Intra /ɯz/
Anti /aʃ/
Pro /uθ/


* Additional notes

The empty box suffix does nothing, whereby it becomes a process or abstraction noun when interrupted by an imperative or passive suffix respectively.
The 3 triggers themselves must be crafted from a stable combination of susceptible affixes, via an affixation craftmanship system.
There are no adverbs, they are considered as adjectives in griuskant.
Particles includes prepositions and conjunctions, as well as bound and unbound particles.


Syntax

SVOI structure is regularly used. In the passive voice, OV(S)(I) structure is used. With the circumstantial voice, the IV structure is utilised.
It has head-final directionality.

Reversors are analogous to passives, whereby they reverse the direction of information flow. Incidentally, though relative clauses and complements can be formed with a reversor, such "linguistical concepts" are regular descriptors.

There are other miscellanous related concepts: escapes, anti-escapes, pivots, anti-pivots, partitions, interaction ranges, stabilities, susceptiblities, priority rules etc.

[Reyzadren]

Also, I need a confirmation about something. Can anyone actually see the griuskant conscript on the linked website?

There shouldn't be a problem as I embed the font there, so nobody should be seeing Latin abecedarian gibberish.

[Frislander]

Yes I can see it.

Spoiler:

I also don't think it looks that good but 1. that's my personal opinion and 2. it's not relevaant to the question.

[Lao Kou]

Looks fine.

[Iyionaku]

130 hours seems like an incredibly low amount of time, considering that the language has its own writing system, is a priori (i.e. no words can be derived from known languages) and has some grammatical quirks that are unknown for English native speakers. Even languages very close to English (like French) require around 600 classroom hours to become fluent in them. I'd most likely categorize Griuskant as a Class IV language, which would put the amount of effort needed to become fluent at about 1100 hours.

By the way, on your frathwiki page you wrote that Griuskant would have 32 alphabets - I'm quite certain you meant "an alphabet with 32 letters".

[Reyzadren]

Thanks Frislander, Lao Kou and Iyionaku for the notes.

130 hours seems like an incredibly low amount of time, considering that the language has its own writing system, is a priori (i.e. no words can be derived from known languages) and has some grammatical quirks that are unknown for English native speakers.

As a native English speaker myself (though bilingual), I'm curious to know which are the grammatical quirks that you think make it difficult/strange for learners.

[Frislander]

130 hours seems like an incredibly low amount of time, considering that the language has its own writing system, is a priori (i.e. no words can be derived from known languages) and has some grammatical quirks that are unknown for English native speakers.

As a native English speaker myself (though bilingual), I'm curious to know which are the grammatical quirks that you think make it difficult/strange for learners.

Indeed, I'm also confused: the consonants are a clone of English, and while the vowels are definitely distinct they're not that ridiculous. And I can't see anything in the grammar that screams "this will be really difficult for English speakers", with the possible exception of the "phasal tense", but even that looks like a simple perfect(ive) aspect.

(also minor terminological things but your "source" and "passive" oun suffixes are usually called "agent" and "patient" derivations.

[Reyzadren]

(also minor terminological things but your "source" and "passive" oun suffixes are usually called "agent" and "patient" derivations.

Ah, so that's what they are officially called, thanks. Though, I would like to keep the term passive in the pdf because the same passive suffix [+n] is used for all passive nouns, passive verbs and passive adjectives. It makes it unified and less scary to non-linguistic readers :)

[lsd]

Also, I need a confirmation about something. Can anyone actually see the griuskant conscript on the linked website?
There shouldn't be a problem as I embed the font there, so nobody should be seeing Latin abecedarian gibberish.

With some nomad browser I saw:

"liounardou da vinci [1452 ; 1519] az ilz ijflagi iuz is tasp. vEZ venten un skauten un TustgZEisten iki roicxETen, Zas liounardou az haNijspEZe. rEs yidan vuZ iteliE vinci, Zas liounardo zira ki florens ik dEkfuirOk. ZEg, rEsk zEra kerneka ik elgeE rOse. Zer, rEs zira ki milan un dEga kEirgOre un espen hin kEir. tEj daig rEsE kernek ZEzi smOza, Zer liounardou dEga hauli er. vEZ sulouv un sluN, rEs ara zoirOki Ozzuik hin uv elge un slice voZ ZEd zEil. yoin rEzete EnSaula liounardou ik isti rEnezons er. enunsiEiSen az liounardouE ist aji skauten Zed oT zidan."

Is that a good romanization, is there corresponding between usual latin font and your conscript font...


lacks some anti-aliasing to the font to be perfect...

[qwed117]

The font is fine, except as lsd mentioned, for the anti-aliasing.

[Reyzadren]

With some nomad browser I saw:

Is that a good romanization, is there corresponding between usual latin font and your conscript font...

Yea, that happens with some browsers, and I don't know how to code it so that it fully works :/

Also, the "font" is not an exact romanisation, but it is close enough. For example, the griuskant font shows "E", but its romanisation is [ae], to prevent confusion with griuskant font "e" that is romanised as [e], etc.

The font is fine, except as lsd mentioned, for the anti-aliasing.

I am aware of that art problem, but as I am not a graphic designer, I guess we'll just have to be content with the pixel aesthetic that it has for now.

[lsd]

Also, the "font" is not an exact romanisation, but it is close enough. For example, the griuskant font shows "E", but its romanisation is [ae], to prevent confusion with griuskant font "e" that is romanised as [e], etc.

In a way can we talk about rewrite like we talk about relex...
(the advantage is: even without the good font, it keeps a good romanization of the language...)

The font is fine, except as lsd mentioned, for the anti-aliasing.

I am aware of that art problem, but as I am not a graphic designer, I guess we'll just have to be content with the pixel aesthetic that it has for now.

After all this makes possible not to forget the vanity of the (false) perfection of the digital in relation to the true analogical life of the handwriting ...

[Reyzadren]

It's not Halloween yet, but it can feel like it. Here's a Halloween greeting card in griuskant:


English translation here.

-----
But wait, greetings do not exist in griuskant, so how did this phrase appear?

Well, griuskant isn't the only language in my conworld. Though the native griuskanters have no need for the concept of greetings, including other nations/cultures who adopted its same principal usage, there are some cultures out there who insist on having greetings in their conversations. They revitalised the archaic interjection suffix, which enabled them to derive "new" words into griuskant, such as hello and good morning. In this particular case, it is a greeting for those who celebrate the ghost festival within their own region.

yoizoz.
/'jɔizˤɔzˤ/
ghost-ITJ
Happy Halloween!

[Reyzadren]

What do these conlangs have in common?
Dothraki, Ido, Ithkuil, Lojban, Siwa, Sandic, Fursic, Azaiyan, Riquenian, Mila, Latha.

I shall announce that griuskant now joins the ranks of conlangs with a published book :D

Link is available on the first post, and is edited accordingly.

[Reyzadren]

Here's a Black Friday gift card from a Starbucks-like company written in griuskant:


English translation here.

-----
But wait, money does not exist generally in the conworld that has griuskant, so what's the point of a gift card and the word discount? Similar to the Halloween situation as discussed previously, although the native griuskanters themselves don't subscribe to the concept of money in their economical system, surely some other cultures would have such notion. Those countries, upon using griuskant as one of their main languages, would need these newly derived words such as "discount" for trades, within themselves and foreign nations.

starbaks 20/r yisusp.
/'starbaks 'thɯkkər kes 'ruʃ 'jisusp/
Starbucks 2.10 divide 100 cost.reduction
Starbucks 20% discount.

[Reyzadren]

Here are the first 2 chapters of a griuskant novel: vegler un roeter thiafbuanten. It is the translation of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written entirely in griuskant.

Patch log:
+ Characters are renamed with more griuskant-sounding names: Henry Jekyll = vegler /'vəglər/, Edward Hyde = roeter /'rɯtər/, Utterson = epaes /'əpes/
+ Cultural appropriation: Wine is replaced with grape juice. Gin is now herbal tea. (conworld analogues, obviously)
+ Instead of London, the story takes place in juyed city, which is in a region that has European/gothic-like steampunk-ish architecture somewhere in the conworld.

[Reyzadren]

The griuskant novel is complete. Now, you can read vegler un roeter thiafbruafen, which is the griuskant translation of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It was available on Lulu.

[Reyzadren]

Here's a sneak peek at what's cooking in 2018, brought to you by the Griuskant Translation Services (GTS).

Soizetyd riounds (Cooker Pot Anthology) is a kid's storybook, written entirely in griuskant, now with pictures. An easy way to read griuskant, if the previous literature book is too much for you.
Note: Link is added at the first post.

[eldin raigmore]

I like the translation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel into Griuskant!

[Reyzadren]

I like the translation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel into Griuskant!

Thanks. There might be more translations from a literature source in the future, but as you know, choosing a suitable book is a task itself