Lexember 2020

A forum for all topics related to constructed languages
Post Reply
shimobaatar
korean
korean
Posts: 10371
Joined: 12 Jul 2013 23:09
Location: UTC-04:00

Lexember 2020

Post by shimobaatar »

Happy December, everyone!

Well, an early "Happy December", that is. I'm posting this two days early (in my time zone) not only because I look forward to Lexember as the one time of year I'm able to consistently work on conlanging, but also because there are a few things I'd like to clarify for prospective participants, especially first-time participants, before the start of the month.

Welcome to Lexember, a monthlong "game" that challenges participants to create at least one new word in one of their conlangs daily from the 1st through the 31st of December, and to post it here in this thread. This is the 9th year of the Lexember "tradition", I believe, and its 8th year here on the CBB!

Commenting on the words others have made is always encouraged, as is taking inspiration from them! Even if you're not participating yourself, you're still welcome to leave comments here in the thread, if you'd like. It's been mentioned in previous years that communities of conlangers on various social media platforms also participate in Lexember (in fact, I believe it was started on Twitter), so if you're active elsewhere, you might consider posting your words there, too. However, if you'd like to participate in the challenge, but would prefer not to post the words you come up with anywhere online, that's perfectly fine as well, of course.

Now more than ever, I want to emphasize that there is no single "correct" way to participate in Lexember. This has been a strange and difficult year for so many of us, and I don't want anyone who might be interested in Lexember to be discouraged from participating just because they feel that they might not be able to participate every single day or make their posts as detailed as they would like, or that none of their conlangs are "ready" enough. I've tried to address these potential concerns under the spoiler:
Spoiler:
If you miss a day, you always have the option of posting two words the next day, but "making up" for missed days is never a requirement. You can also simply stop or resume participating at any time, with no explanation needed.

Some participants like to include example sentences, IPA transcriptions, cultural notes, and/or etymological details with their entries, but none of these things are required, either. You can include as much, or as little, information as you'd like in your posts; the amount you include is entirely up to you, and doesn't have to be consistent from day to day.

It's perfectly alright to use the same conlang throughout the month or to switch back and forth between using different conlangs as the month goes on. Participants also have the option of making entries in multiple conlangs or coining multiple words per conlang on any given day. Finally, there are no objective requirements your conlang must meet in order for you to be able to participate in Lexember. If your conlang is very new and you end up deciding to completely rework parts of it as the month goes on, that is absolutely fine, even if your previous Lexember entries end up becoming "outdated" as a result.
Additionally, participants have the option of challenging themselves to learn a new word in a natural language they're studying each day, and to include it with their Lexember entries. Credit for this idea, as far as I'm aware, goes to qwed117, who did this last year with Sardinian.

In 2018 and 2019, I updated the thread's OP at the start of every week to suggest various "themes" that people might take inspiration from. I'd like to do something similar again this year, but instead of suggesting a new theme every week, I'd like to suggest themes for all five weeks at the start of the month. I have a few reasons for wanting to make this change. First, my time zone is UTC−05:00, so by the time I'd get around to posting the theme for a given week, that week would have already started for a good portion of the world. Additionally, anyone who'd like to follow the suggested themes will now have access to all of them from the start, making it easier for them to "plan ahead", if they'd like. I've tried to explain why I chose these particular themes below the spoiler here:
Spoiler:
For the first three weeks in particular, I've chosen themes that will hopefully help facilitate the creation of pretty basic vocabulary for anyone who's participating with a fairly new conlang, but which are also broad enough and open enough to interpretation that those participating with more developed conlangs should also be able to follow them, if they so choose. For example, following Week 1's theme(s), one person might end up creating words for "red", "circle", "seven", "nose", and "shirt", while someone else might wind up coining words for "photoreceptor cell", "dodecahedron", "algebra", "cubital fossa", and "polyester". For Week 4, I'm reusing a theme from last year that I particularly enjoyed because of all the creative responses to it. Similarly, my goal for Week 5 was to chose a theme that I felt was fitting for the end of the calendar year.
Naturally, no one is ever required to follow these themes at all, let alone throughout the entire month, and players who do choose to follow them should feel free to interpret them however they'd like. If anyone would like to suggest additional or alternative themes at any point throughout the month, please feel free to do so.

Weekly Themes:
  • Week 1 (Dec. 1-5): Colors, Shapes, Numbers, Body Parts, and Clothing
  • Week 2 (Dec. 6-12): Plants, Animals, Weather, and Geography
  • Week 3 (Dec. 13-19): Family, Relationships, Emotion, Food, and the Home
  • Week 4 (Dec. 20-26): Belief, Folklore, Superstition, Mythology, Religion, and the Supernatural
  • Week 5 (Dec. 27-31): Time, Celebration, Culture, and History
Previous years' threads can be found here: 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019
User avatar
silvercat
cuneiform
cuneiform
Posts: 93
Joined: 16 Feb 2012 19:36
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by silvercat »

I have yet to finish a Lexember. Let's see what I can manage this year.
my pronouns: they/them or e/em/eirs/emself
Main conlang: Ŋyjichɯn. Other conlangs: Tsɑkø (naming language), Ie, Tynthna, Maanxmuʃt, Ylialis
All my conlangs
Conlanging blog posts
Porphyrogenitos
sinic
sinic
Posts: 401
Joined: 21 Jul 2012 08:01
Location: Buffalo, NY

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Porphyrogenitos »

Hmm, I've always thought Lexember would be fun, but I've never developed a conlang beyond the barest sketch, so whenever it comes around I'm scrambling to decide on a conlang to use for it.
Iyionaku
mayan
mayan
Posts: 2102
Joined: 25 May 2014 14:17

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Iyionaku »

I will join with Yélian, as usual.
Additionally, participants have the option of challenging themselves to learn a new word in a natural language they're studying each day, and to include it with their Lexember entries. Credit for this idea, as far as I'm aware, goes to qwed117, who did this last year with Sardinian.
Great idea! I've struggled recently with keeping up my Spanish lessons, so I will use this as an incentive to continue here.
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
User avatar
spanick
roman
roman
Posts: 1336
Joined: 11 May 2017 01:47
Location: California

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by spanick »

I’ve been waiting for Lexember all year. I’ve been less active because I’ve been finishing my MA and writing my thesis, but now that that’s finally coming to a close, I have time for a little conlanging. I’ll be joining in with Yinše this year.
User avatar
DesEsseintes
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 4331
Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by DesEsseintes »

spanick wrote: 30 Nov 2020 21:14 I’ve been waiting for Lexember all year. I’ve been less active because I’ve been finishing my MA and writing my thesis, but now that that’s finally coming to a close, I have time for a little conlanging. I’ll be joining in with Yinše this year.
Yay, Yinše. I want to see more of it. [:)]
User avatar
silvercat
cuneiform
cuneiform
Posts: 93
Joined: 16 Feb 2012 19:36
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by silvercat »

I'm pretty sure I still have leftover words from last year that I had planned the derivation of but not actually coined. For most of my langs I have so much stuff I gotta put in the official lexicons.
my pronouns: they/them or e/em/eirs/emself
Main conlang: Ŋyjichɯn. Other conlangs: Tsɑkø (naming language), Ie, Tynthna, Maanxmuʃt, Ylialis
All my conlangs
Conlanging blog posts
Iyionaku
mayan
mayan
Posts: 2102
Joined: 25 May 2014 14:17

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Iyionaku »

Alas, it begins!

Lexember 1st - Yélian

condanaityel [ˌkondɐˈnaɪ̯t͡ʃəl] - pantyhose
Etymology: from condan "foot" + naityel "trousers"

Æ'pralet yáifadet nat u'condanaityel to o'nemia yiscetut. Vat yinus yiperviaget èpabetál yifadværet yanècen.
[əˈpɾaːlət ˈʃaɪ̯ɸɐdət nɐt ʉˌkondɐˈnaɪ̯t͡ʃəl tɔ̈‿ɔ̈ˈnemɪ̯ɐ ɕɨˈskeːtʉt | vɐt ˈɕiːnʉs ɕɨpəɾˈvɪ̯aːxət ˌɛpɐbəˈtaːl ɕɨɸɐdˈvœɾət ʃɐˈneːkən]
DEF.CONC=party PST-end-3SG when DEF.INAN=pantyhose 3SG.MASC.POSS DEF.GEN=sister PST-tear-INV.3SG.INAN | DEM moment PST-INGR-cry-3SG and_then PST-kick_out-3SG everyone
The party was over when his sister's pantyhose was ripped. She immediately started crying and kicket everybody out.

Bonus word :esp:

redondo - round

La pelota es redonda.
The ball is round.
Last edited by Iyionaku on 01 Dec 2020 11:54, edited 1 time in total.
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
User avatar
Jackk
roman
roman
Posts: 1487
Joined: 04 Aug 2012 13:08
Location: Damborn, Istr Boral

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Jackk »

1r Decembr

sclar d'ogl /xlar ˈdɔjl/ [l̥ɑːˈdɔ.jʊ] blink, instant, very short amount of time

< 16C, a nominalisation from the verb phrase l'ogl sclarar "to blink (one's eyes)", used metaphorically to describe the brevity of a blink. The noun ogl "eye" is directly from Latin oculus via Old Boral oȝl(e) [oɣlə ~ oʎːə], having the same sense. The verb (now obsolete) is from Old Boral isclarar "to flash, brighten, light up", from Vulgar Latin exclārō "I lighten , illuminate, clarify" (literally "I make light, clear").

Ne sclar d'ogl l'au y quist coglt eð i faye lign a sy maðr.

In an instant he'd picked up the phone and was calling his mother.

/ne xlar ˈdɔjl lo i ˈkwɪst ˈkɔjlt ɛθ i fɛˈje ˈlajn a si ˈma.ðr̩/
terram impūram incolāmus
hamteu un mont sug
let us live in a dirty world
Khemehekis
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 3883
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 09:36
Location: California über alles

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Khemehekis »

This week's categories from the Landau Core Vocabulary:

COLORS (Part IV)
Spoiler:
white*
black*
grey
red
yellow
green
blue
brown
orange
purple
pink
light blue
beige
gold
silver
plaid
striped
solid, plain
bright
bright (sun)
bright (light)
bright (eyes)
mellow (color)
light, pale (~ green)
dark (~ green)
clear (transparent)
MORE COLORS (Part V)
Spoiler:
burgundy
aqua
indigo
lavender
magenta
cream
polka-dotted
print
checked
floral
dull
opaque
FORM AND PATTERN (Part IV)
Spoiler:
shape
angle
bump (on the head)
bump (in a road)
curve
dot
drop
hole (in the ground)
hole (in a wall, sofa)
hole (that goes all the way through)
knot (in rope or string)
knot (in ribbon)
line
mark (leaves a ~)
opening (in cave, tunnel, etc.)
pit (hole)
point (in space)
ring (torus)
spiral
spot (on giraffe, jaguar)
spot (part of pattern)
stain, spot, mark
stripe (on fabric or wallpaper)
stripe (on tiger, zebra)
tube (thin, flexible)
tube (thicker, flexible)
tube (thin, inflexible)
tube (thicker, inflexible)
circle; round
square
triangle; triangular
cross
star
heart
cube; cubical
sphere; round*
flat
MORE FORM AND PATTERN (Part V)
Spoiler:
horizontal
vertical
diagonal (in pattern or design)
rectangle; rectangular
rhombus/diamond
trapezoid; trapezoidal
oval
arch
crescent
pentagon; pentagonal
hexagon; hexagonal
octagon; octagonal
cone; conical
pyramid
cylinder; cylindrical
dome; hemispherical
PART III: NUMBER WORDS
Spoiler:
zero
one
two
three
four
five
six (36, 216, 1,296, 7,776, 46,656, 279,936, 1,679,616, 10,077,696, 60,466,176, 362,797,056, 2,176,782,336, 13,060,694,016, 78,364,164,096, 470,184,984,576, 2,821,109,907,456)
seven
eight (64, 512, 4,096, 32,768, 262,144, 2,097,152, 16,777,216, 134,217,728, 1,073,741,824, 8,589,934,592, 68,719,476,736, 549,755,813,888, 4,398,046,511,104)
nine
ten (hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, hundred million, billion, ten billion, hundred billion, trillion)
eleven
twelve (gross, great gross, 20,736, 248,832, 2,985,984, 35,831,808, 429,981,696, 5,159,780,352, 61,917,364,224, 753,008,370,688, 8,916,100,448,256)
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen (256, 4,096, 65,536, 1,048,576, 16,777,216, 268,435,456, 4,294,967,296, 68,719,476,736, 1,099,511,627,776)
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
twenty (400, 8,000, 160,000, 3,200,000, 64,000,000, 1,280,000,000, 25,600,000,000, 512,000,000,000, 10,240,000,000,000)
twenty-one
twenty-four
thirty
thirty-two
thirty-six
forty (1,600, 64,000, 2,560,000, 102,400,000, 4,096,000,000, 163,840,000,000, 6,553,600,000,000)
forty-eight
fifty
fifty-six
sixty (3,600, 216,000, 12,960,000, 777,600,000, 46,656,000,000, 2,799,360,000,000)
seventy
seventy-two
eighty
eighty-four
ninety
ninety-six
hundred
one hundred eight
one hundred twenty
one hundred thirty-two
two hundred
three hundred
four hundred
five hundred
six hundred
seven hundred
eight hundred
nine hundred
thousand
point
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
twelfth
thirteenth
fourteenth
fifteenth
sixteenth
seventeenth
eighteenth
nineteenth
twentieth, etc.
whole
half
third
quarter, etc.
and (three ~ a half)
number (the ~ one song in the country)
ANIMAL BODY (Part IV)
Spoiler:
feather
foot
fur
horn
leg
paw (of front leg)
paw (of hind leg)
paw (of bear’s front leg)
paw (of bear’s hind leg)
shell (of mollusc)
shell (of crustacean)
shell (of turtle)
skin, hide
tail (of fish)
tail (of reptile)
tail (of bird)
tail (of mammal)
wing (of insect)
wing (of vertebrate)*
MORE ANIMAL BODY (Part V)
Spoiler:
beak, bill
bone (of fish)
claw (of a cat, etc.)
claw (talon)
claw, pincer
fin
flipper (on turtle)
flipper (on penguin)
flipper (on marine mammal)
gills
guts
jaw
mouth (of feline, canine, bear, badger, otter, skunk)
nose (of animal)
scale
spike, spine
tentacle
trunk
tusk
wool (on sheep)
HUMAN BODY (Part IV)
Spoiler:
body*
part (of the body)
organ
hair (mass, on head)*
hair (mass, body hair)
head*
forehead
face*
eye*
eyebrow
nose*
mouth*
tooth*
tongue*
lip
ear*
cheek
chin
jaw
neck*
shoulder
arm*
elbow
hand*
wrist
finger*
thumb
nail*
chest
breast
nipple
abdomen
back
lower back
waist
lap (sit in my ~)
behind, derrière, butt, bottom
leg
knee*
ankle
foot*
heel
toe
skin (as an organ)*
skin (as an aesthetic part of the body)
bone
muscle
heart*
throat
stomach
intestine
liver
kidney
lung
brain
nerve
guts
fat
flesh (muscle and fat)
tissue
fist
blood*
sweat
tear*
feces
urine
vomit
breath
cell
MORE HUMAN BODY (Part V)
Spoiler:
gland
top of the head
hair (single piece of hair)
temple
eyelash
eyelid
pupil
iris
nostril
septum
gums
earlobe
armpit
palm
back of the hand
index finger
middle finger
ring finger
pinky
knuckle
side
navel
urethral opening
hip
thigh
big toe
skull
cheekbone
spine
rib
pelvis
bone marrow
tendon
ligament
joint (elbow, knee, knuckle, etc.)
blood vessel
vein
artery
tonsil
spleen
esophagus
duodenum
gall-bladder
rectum
bladder
pancreas
thyroid
diaphragm
trachea
appendix
sinus
saliva
phlegm
mucus
earwax
flatulence, gas
pus
dandruff
CLOTHING (Part IV)
Spoiler:
clothes, clothing*
costume, outfit (pirate ~)
costume (historical)
fashion, style, couture
look (the emo ~)
clean
dirty
dirt (unclean matter on clothes)
dry (of clothes)
wet (of clothes)
small (of a coat, etc.)
big, large (of a coat, etc.)
casual
formal
warm (a ~ coat)
cool (a ~ tank top)
size (of shoes)
size (of other clothing)
to alter (clothing)
loose (button)
shirt
dress
robe (of priest)
robe (of judge)
coat
jacket (casual)
jacket (formal)
sweater
pants, slacks
shorts
skirt
sock
shoe
boot (for hiking)
boot (for workman, soldier)
boot (for playing a sport)
boot (fashion item)
sandal
hat
cap
crown
scarf (wool)
scarf (cotton)
scarf (silk)
tie
glove
mask
sunglasses
swimsuit
outfit, suit
suit (women’s), pantsuit
suit (men’s)
uniform
uniform (for school)
uniform (military)
umbrella
belt (leather)
belt (cloth)
button
pocket
ribbon
jewelry
bracelet
medal (in military)
medal (~ of Honor)
medal (in sports)
necklace (of metal)
necklace (of beads)
ring (for finger, without gem)
ring (for finger, with gem)
ring (wedding ring)
ring (for ears, nose, etc.)
watch
diaper
to wear on the upper body
to wear over the shoulders
to wear on the lower body
to wear on the feet
to wear on the head
to wear on the hands (gloves)
to wear around the neck
to wear (glasses or sunglasses)
to wear (headphones)
to wear (a watch)
to wear (accessories)
to wear (a color)
to wear one’s hair
to try on
lint
MORE CLOTHING (Part V)
Spoiler:
baggy
tight
permanent (hair dye, etc.)
removable
blouse
crop-top
halter top
Hawaiian shirt
jersey
polo shirt
rugby shirt
tank top
T-shirt
tube top
tunic
turtleneck
bathrobe
gown (for wedding)
gown (for graduation)
gown (judge’s)
gown (in hospital)
maternity dress
robe, (dressing) gown
sari
toga
blazer
jean jacket
lab coat
life jacket
parka, anorak
poncho
raincoat
trenchcoat
tuxedo
vest
windbreaker
sweatshirt
hoodie
cape
cloak
drape
jumper
overalls
bell-bottoms
board shorts
capris
cargo pants
cargo shorts
corduroys
jeans
khakis
sweat pants
leggings
pantyhose
tights
miniskirt
stocking
flip-flop
high heels
loafer
platform shoe
slipper
tennis shoes
baseball cap
beret
cowboy hat
fedora
knit cap
sombrero
visor
helmet
bow (for hair)
hairnet
turban
apron
bow tie
shawl
bandanna
face mask
headband
headscarf
ski mask
veil
loincloth
sarong
athletic supporter, jockstrap (elastic band)
athletic supporter (robust)
elbow pads
knee pads
bathing suit (women’s)
bathing suit (men’s)
bikini
boxer shorts
bra
briefs
camisole
nightgown
pajamsa
panties
trunks
underwear
coveralls
leotard
scrubs
tracksuit
badge, insignia
badge (made of metal or plastic)
badge (police)
nametag
label, tag (on clothing)
bead
buckle
button (with a political message)
buttonhole
collar (of shirt)
collar (of coat)
cuff (of shirt)
feather boa
handkerchief
lace (cloth)
lace (edging)
sash (around waist)
sash (over shoulder)
shoelace
sleeve
strap (spaghetti ~)
suspenders
waistband
zipper
barrette
bobby pin
ponytail holder
♂♥♂♀

Squirrels chase koi . . . chase squirrels

My Kankonian-English dictionary: 86,336 words and counting

31,416: The number of the conlanging beast!
Davush
greek
greek
Posts: 670
Joined: 10 Jan 2015 14:10

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Davush »

1st December


tip- 'to wear, to be dressed in'
p-Stem: PROG: tiukin 'I am wearing', PST: tipsin 'I wore', IRR: tiprin 'I will/might wear'

tipua 'clothing' (from tip- + nominalising suffix -ua)
User avatar
DesEsseintes
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 4331
Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by DesEsseintes »

Hɨɨ - Lex 1st

vɨɨtɨn n. - cloth
iivɨtɨn - my cloth
User avatar
spanick
roman
roman
Posts: 1336
Joined: 11 May 2017 01:47
Location: California

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by spanick »

Yemya

śokh /ɕokʰ/ (n) ‘eye’ from PIE *h3óks ‘eye’. Like other words in Yemya, there is no plural form, but a fossilized dual does survive, śotśa /ɕot͡ɕɑ/.

Yinše

caa /t͡ʃaː/ ‘be white, bright’
ciire /t͡ʃiːre/ ‘be yellow, brown’
šaap /ʃaːp/ ‘be black, dark’
šee /ʃeː/ ‘be red, orange’
t’oo /t’oː/ ‘be green, blue’
Spoiler:
cirre is best described as a sort of golden yellow of dried grass. As such, it also is used to describe light browns. The wood and bark of many trees would be described as ciire. However, the reddish-brown of most clays and mud is described using šee. The sun would not be described as ciire but as caa, except late in the day around sunset, when it is usually described as šee.

Similarly, deep water such as that of a large lake (the Yinše don't live near a sea or ocean) is often described as šaap rather than t'oo.
brblues
sinic
sinic
Posts: 248
Joined: 03 Aug 2018 15:34

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by brblues »

Lexember 1:

Classical Bokisig


<jez> /jez/ n 1. leaf of a plant; plural: <jeskom> /'jes.kom/ 2. the colour green; plural: <jeziz> /je.ziz/

Etymology: Early Bokisig /ɣez/ n = 1. leaf of a plant 2. the colour green

Given that stative verbs functioning as adjectives were derived from the root in the Early Bokisig stage already, it is safe to assume that the extension of the meaning from a leaf to the colour had already taken place by then. The different plurals are based on how plurals were formed in Early Bokisig: collective nouns were suffixed. Which noun would be suffix depended on semantic criteria, which explains why the different meanings form different plurals:

- /ɣez-kom/ leaf-forest > /'jes.kom/ = “leaves” (leaf-PL)
- /ɣez-ɣuz/ = leaf-pile > /je.ziz/ = “green ones” (green-PL)
NB: not “greens” as in “healthy veggies” or “different shades of green”!
User avatar
qwed117
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 4094
Joined: 20 Nov 2014 02:27

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by qwed117 »

Much like last year, I think I'm gonna adopt a scaffolding/pyramid technique to expand my lexicon, at least for the main project. I might sprinkle in a bunch of my other langs in everywhere too. I'm also planning to continue the Sardinian words too. We'll see how this goes.
Lexember 1st

Unnamed A-Priori Hlai-lang* *In my documents it has the name "Hlaitype A Priori", so you might hear me call it "HAP".
phë3 /pʰɤ˧˩/ adj. blue

*S₁ŋ̩ʲːd-o Lat-u
*ebˀn-i n. river

Unnamed A-Posteriori Hlai-lang *I found this very distantly in my language documentations, and decided it might be good to just play with it
vɯp˥ n. acne from Proto-Hlai *Curɯːp 'blackhead'
cf. Jiamao lup8

Sardinian
anca n. leg, likely from Vulgar Latin *hanca, from Proto-Germanic *hankō, probably related to :en: ankle
Spoiler:
My minicity is [http://zyphrazia.myminicity.com/xml]Zyphrazia and [http://novland.myminicity.com/xml]Novland.

Minicity has fallen :(
The SqwedgePad
Porphyrogenitos
sinic
sinic
Posts: 401
Joined: 21 Jul 2012 08:01
Location: Buffalo, NY

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Porphyrogenitos »

Well, I suppose I will jump in and do it. I guess if I don't like what I come up with I can just trash it all and start over. I'll use my metathesis-lang that I posted about in my scratchpad. I'll have to commit to a phoneme inventory for it, at least.

Um, hmm. I'll just give it a for-now unanalyzable, arbitrary name that sounds good. It'll be called hasunite - pronounced [hasunite], [hʷosnite], or [hʷoʃɲet] depending on the context.

I'll start out with a color. This raises the question of how adjectives will work and how color terms will fit into it. I suppose for now I will make color terms essentially be nouns. They can be compounded with another lexical item (like in Algonquian and Irish) or they can be used in a construction with an ezafe-like particle.

In hasunite, all lexical items are compounds of two bound monosyllabic lexical formatives. Sometimes these are analyzable and sometimes they are not. All lexical formatives are homophonous with other lexical formatives (or, you could say they are polysemous) because of the small syllable inventory (just 44 distinct syllables). All lexical items also participate in a process of metathesis and vowel coalescence in certain contexts. I will provide the metathesized form for each word (predictable from its surface form); the unmetathesized form corresponds to a straightforward IPA reading of the orthography.

hasunite - Lexember 1st

The word for 'black' is haku [hʷok], composed of the following formatives:

ha - 'night', also found in the full word hane [hɛn] 'night' (with formative ne, 'time', also found in lane [lɛn] 'daytime, morning', with formative la 'sun, day').

ku - a semantically vague nominal formative, often found in words designating qualities; haku might thus have originated etymologically as something like 'night-ness'.
User avatar
Dormouse559
moderator
moderator
Posts: 2945
Joined: 10 Nov 2012 20:52
Location: California

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by Dormouse559 »

As it happens, I began working on a new conlang a couple of weeks ago [:)] It's a priori, with agglutinative tendencies, and it needs words.

1er lexembre:

Unnamed conlang

dòbza /ˈdɔbza/ n/adj - black (< protoform daubza, root daub + -za)

What does the protoroot daub mean? Maybe "burnt", like the etymon of English "black".

The initial idea for the language was that it would make minimal distinctions between adjectives and abstract nouns, as well as the plurals of concrete nouns. Dòbza, and probably some other color words, falls along that spectrum. The upshot for dòbza is that it can be used either adjectivally (black-colored) or nominally (the color black / blackness), but it doesn't mark number and can't be the subject of a verb.

Limnavaktagònmi dobara mavaiku.
/limnavaktaˈɡɔnmi doˈbara maˈvai̯ku/
limnavaktag-ònmi dòb<a>za mav<a>i-ku
scare-3P.NOM black<ERG> cat<ERG>-1S.ACC

Black cats scare me. / I am afraid of black cats.

Porphyrogenitos wrote: 02 Dec 2020 00:53 I'll start out with a color. … black …
Does this make us color buddies?
User avatar
elemtilas
runic
runic
Posts: 3021
Joined: 22 Nov 2014 04:48

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by elemtilas »

I'm in!

(iri) 1. siados, a dappling of shadow & light, of muted & vibrant colours: shades of blacks, deep reds, oranges, creams, whites, greys; a pattern found on several kinds of domestic & wild fox, dog, and cat; a garment made from such a pelt or woven stuffs in imitation thereof.
Last edited by elemtilas on 04 Dec 2020 16:36, edited 1 time in total.
shimobaatar
korean
korean
Posts: 10371
Joined: 12 Jul 2013 23:09
Location: UTC-04:00

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by shimobaatar »

Day 1

Gán Vẽi (Entry 1):

kéi /kej˩˧/ (inanimate or animate)
Noun:
1. (inanimate) red, orange
2. (inanimate) pink, purple, magenta
3. (figurative, animate) fire, flame(s), pyre, bonfire, campfire
4. (animate) a member of the Kéi lineage
5. (inanimate) the low rising tone
kéi /kej˩˧/ (comparative kêi /kej˦˥˧/)
Adjective:
1. red, orange
2. pink, purple, magenta
3. (figurative) relating to fire, flame(s)
4. relating to the Kéi lineage
5. relating to the low rising tone

Etymology
From Old TBD kơih "red, fiery", from Proto-TBD *kɯr "fire, heat" + *xo "face, appearance".

Example sentence:
Lảng nâ kéi vǐ hō.
/laŋ˨˩˨ na˦˥˧ kej˩˧ vi˧˨˧ ho˥/
[ɫ̪ɑ̃ŋ˨˩˧ n̪aː˧˥˧ kʲɛj˩˧ ʋiː˧˨˧ ɦoː˥]
lảng nâ kéi vǐ=hō
house 1s.GEN red seem=DIR
My house is red.

Thedish (Entry 1):

wlite /ˈwliːt(ə)/ (plural wlites /ˈwliːt(ə)s/)
Noun:
1. dye, dyestuff, pigment, colo(u)rant
2. cosmetics, makeup, beauty products

Alternative forms
wliet, lite, liet
Etymology
From Old Thedish wlite, from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz. May have been influenced by Old Norse litr. Compare Icelandic litur, Westrobothnian let.

cleur /ˈkløːr/ (plural cleurs /ˈkløːrs/)
Noun:
1. suit (of playing cards)
2. flush (poker)
3. (heraldry) tincture, colo(u)r
4. (informal) rank (in an organization)
5. (informal, often plural) flag, emblem, insignia, logo

Alternative forms
cleor, coleur, coleor, couleur, colour, color
Etymology
Borrowed from (Middle) French couleur. Compare Dutch kleur, Low German Klöör, West Frisian kleur.
Usage notes
In terms recently borrowed or calqued from English, especially those relating to art or technology, cleur is often used in place of huy /ˈhøː/ "color" as the Thedish equivalent of English color. Examples include tecknicleur /ˈtɛknɪˌkløːr/ "technicolor" and cleur theory /ˈkløːr tɛˈoːrəɪ̯/ "color theory". In terms like these, it is becoming increasingly common for the variant colour /kəˈloːr/ to be used in place of cleur.

Example sentence:
Sumwhyl does goedwilled sport fans wlite ef de seulfsame hiws swea de cleurs ef her favorite plows anholden.
/ˈsʊmˌhwʌɪ̯l duːs ˈguːdˌwɪləd ˈspɔrt ˈfans ˈwliːt ɛf də ˈsœlfˌsaːm ˈhyːs swɛː də ˈkløːrs ɛf hɛr favɔˈriːt ˈplɔʊ̯s anˈhɔldən/
[ˈsʊ̃mˌwʌɪ̯ə̆ɫ dʊz ˈguːdˌwɪɫd̥ ˈspɔɾt̚ ˈfɑ̃nz ˈβɫiːt‿əv də ˈsœɫfˌsɑ̃ːm ˈhyːs swɛ də ˈkl̥øːɾs‿əf həɾ ˌfaˑvəˈɾiːt̚ ˈpl̥ɔʊ̯s ə̃nˈɦɔɫdə̃n]
sumwhyl doe-s goedwilled sport fan-s wlite ef de seulfsame hiw-s swea de cleur-s ef her favorite plow-s anhold-en
sometimes do.PRES-PRES enthusiastic sport fan-PL cosmetics of DEF same color-PL as DEF logo-PL of 3p.GEN favorite team-PL wear.PRES-L.INF
Sometimes, enthusiastic sports fans will wear face paint of the same colors as the logos of their favorite teams.

I'll go back in and add example sentences, and maybe a natlang word as well, once I have more time and energy. I'll also try to read over what everyone else has posted so far more carefully.
Edit: Examples added on December 19th, 2020.

qwed117 wrote: 01 Dec 2020 21:18 Unnamed A-Priori Hlai-lang* *In my documents it has the name "Hlaitype A Priori", so you might hear me call it "HAP".
Oh cool! I see I'm not the only one using an a priori (South)east Asian-inspired language this year! [:D] I look forward to seeing this, as well as the a posteriori one, develop.
Last edited by shimobaatar on 19 Dec 2020 23:08, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
silvercat
cuneiform
cuneiform
Posts: 93
Joined: 16 Feb 2012 19:36
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Lexember 2020

Post by silvercat »

Nothing exciting for this one. This is in Tynthna, which I haven't done much yet aside from phonology and phonotactics and a short, not very good, now out-of-date twine game.

dzashka /dzaʃ.ka/
blue, light blue, sky blue

Kinush dzav dzashka
the book is blue

kinush /ki.nuʃ/ = book
dzav = is/are (copula)
my pronouns: they/them or e/em/eirs/emself
Main conlang: Ŋyjichɯn. Other conlangs: Tsɑkø (naming language), Ie, Tynthna, Maanxmuʃt, Ylialis
All my conlangs
Conlanging blog posts
Post Reply