[YG Conlang Archives] > [romconlang group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >
OK, I have completed a first pass at the complete "Nemedian Chronicles" quotation from the open of R.E. Howard's _The Phoenix on the Sword_ (available at: <http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/ The_Phoenix_on_the_Sword/Chapter_I>) into my Aqilonian/Aqileian proto- language, which is intended to be an "alternate Proto-Italic", itself ancestral to two daughter languages/dialects, Kuriac and Ausonic:
Sapi, nêr, qâi enter annons en qeis mariâ Atlantidim kiwitâtensqe splendêntens bibânt eti adskensom puklom Ariî, îâ-psi essied aiwotâss ne somnîsêt qamdô regnâ radiantâ kubâsênt tendentâ trâns ôrbim terrôm qomodo mantâ mobrâ sub stêrlâis -- Nemediâ, Ophir, Brythuniâ, Hyperboreâ, Zamorâ kom suâis thêminâis maurênâis forkfosqe arkânî obsessî wofnâis, Zingarâ kom suôd eqitâtûd, Koth qâi adjakesêt pâgois pastoralifos Shemes, Stygiâ kom suois sepulkrois kustôditois abo omfrais, Hyrkaniâ qosiia eqites vestiesênt akiâsiom wolûkriomqe ausomqe. Adqi regnom keltisemom Aqiloniâ esât, qâi en okkidente somniente regnâsêt. Ekke hoike wênit Kunognos Kimmeriânos, kapellôd melnôd, okolois thuskois, gladiôd en manûd, fûr, praidô, sîkarios, de treistitiais alakriaisqe grandifos, peri ad pinsere sodiom gemmâtom tersâsôm sub suois pedfos kalkeâtois.
You can probably see that this is basically an archaic Latin, though I have tried to actually anticipate some features of Vulgar Latin and later Romance as well. In place of Latin words of Greek or other more mysterious origins, I have usually tried to create a suitably "Proto-Italic-style" word from IE sources.
I am, to be honest, not terribly familiar with Classical Latin, and so I may have unintentionally screwed up some bits that were intended to be quite Latinate! Still, it should be relatively comprehensible (barring, perhaps, the neologisms that I created from IE sources).
Below are the notes I made for my own reference regarding each word in the passage:
sapi: 2nd imp. verb, basically standard Latin with -i restored. nêr: masc.voc.sg. r-stem noun, c.f. Oscan niir < PIE *h2nêr-.qâi: fem.nom.sg. relative pronoun, referring to aiwotâss. A qu- relative pronoun is used here in preference to a particle like PIE/ Latin ut, retaining a more modern Romance feel (Spanish would use que here). The relative clause has verbs in the subjunctive.
enter: preposition governing acc., showing failure of PIE *en- > L in-. annons: neut.acc.pl. showing retention -o-ns (Latin -ôs). en: preposition governing ablative, showing failure of PIE *en > L in.qeis: masc.abl.plural, governed by en but referring back to annons. (I may have this wrong!) mariâ: neut.nom.pl. i-stem noun. (The Proto-Italic antecedent of Latin mare is regularly reconstructed as *mari, though I don’t understand the development /a/ from the regularly reconstructed PIE form *mori. Possibly Proto-Italic *mari is from a zero-grade form like *mr=i; PIE /r=/ before a vowel could apparently result in Latin / ar/. Alternatively, PIE *mo.CV- > PrIt *ma.CV-, as in PIE *mon-o- > L manus.) Atlantidim: acc.sg. i-stem noun, but this doesn’t really belong, being an adapted Greek form in a context without Greek. Possibly I should reinterpret Atlantis as a plain nominative i-stem, and create acc.sg. Atlantim? kiwitâtens: fem.acc.pl. t-stem noun, showing retention of -e-ns (Latin -ês). PIE o-stem *keiw-o- apparently reformed as i-stem in Latin civis.
-qe: post-positioned copulative particle.splendêntens: fem.acc.pl. present participle, showing retention of -e- ns (Latin -ês). bibânt: 3rd pl. past perf. subj. verb, basically standard Latin with long -â- restored.
eti: copulative particle showing retention of final -i (Latin et).adskensom: masc.acc.sg. o-stem noun (from participle), governed by enter. puklom: masc.gen.pl. cf. Oscan acc.sg. puklum < PIE pu-tlo-; Aqilonian follows the Oscan model, and does not insert an anaptytic vowel as Latin apparently does in some similar cases, c.f. pôculum < pôcolom < pôclom < *peh3-tlo-.) Ariî: masc.gen.sg. jo-stem noun. This is a proto-Kûriac dialect form; Aqilonian also had alternative o-stem gen.sg. ending -osio, as found in Ausonic. îâ-psi: Internally declinable demonstrative pronoun, from îâ (Latin ea) + particle -psi, c.f. possible Continental Celtic -xsi < *-psi. (remodeled, non-internally declineable Latin ipsa). essied: 3rd s.g. imperf. subjunctive, basically the Latin form with restored -ied. This is really es + sied (> 3rd. pres. subj. sit) from PIE optative. aiwotâss: fem.nom.sg. t-stem, with *-t-s > -ss. (Or should I introduce a -z < *-t-s here?)
ne: negative adverb.somnîsêt: 3rd sg. imperf. subj., basically the Latin verb form with PrIt *-sê- for Latin --ri- restored.
qamdô: basically an archaized Latin quando. regnâ: radiantâ: neut.nom.pl. present participle.kubâsênt. 3rd pl. imperf. subj., basically the Latin verb form with PrIt *-sê- for Latin -re- restored.
tendentâ: neut.nom.pl. present participle.trâns: Latin trans, analyzed as from earlier trams < *trHm=s instead of from a present participle form like *trântis.
ôrbim: masc.acc.sg. i-stem noun. terrôm: masc.gen.pl. o-stem noun.qomodo: Basically Latin quomodo, being used as would Spanish como for a bit of a more modern Romance vibe. mantâ: neut.nom.pl. o-stem noun. Latin mantel(l)um may be a diminutive of mantum, possibly from a Celtic source (and I have Celtic-type conlangs in my world, though not Greek). I’ve used this word in preference to something based on pallium for no better reason really than that I live in Latin America, where the word manta, an alteration of manto < mantum is quite common, and I wanted to make a little linguistic tribute to it.
mobrâ: neut.nom.pl. o-stem adj. (PIE modhro-). sub: Latin sub.stêrlâis. fem.abl.sg. a-stem noun, governed by preposition sub. The ablative is later retained in Kûriac, but lost in Ausonic. Nemediâ, Ophir, Brythuniâ, Hyperboreâ, Zamorâ: fem.sg. proper names. Ophir might be treated as indeclinable (as is frequently done with Hebrew names in biblical contexts).
kom: basically archaicized Latin cum. suâis: fem.abl.pl. possessive pronoun.thêminâis: fem.abl.pl. a-stem noun < *dhêmnâ, showing Aquilonian initial /T-/ < /dh-/ in contrast to Latin initial /f-/ < /dh-/. Alternatively, I could use a form like wenâis (nom.sg. wenâ), an a- stem remodeled from neuter *gwenh2-. maurênâis: fem.abl.pl adj. This is formed from PIE *(h2)maur-o- “dark”, as in Greek (a)mauros. I use here it in much the sense of Spanish “morena”, a word probably to be associated with the name of the Moors, which itself may or may not be derived at least in part from Greek (a)mauros. Still, the sense fits, and Spanish “morena” is commonly used in a positive, affectionate sense, so I am letting this word into Aqilonian. The Latin -ênus suffix is probably a PIE -no- suffix originally affixed to stems in -es- > -ê- and then extended analogically; I let it remain so here.
eti: copulative particle showing retention of final -i (Latin et). suois: masc.abl.pl possessive pronoun.forgfos: masc.abl.pl. root noun, nom.sg. forks (< *bhr=gh-s, c.f. Gmc. *burg-s or Proto-Goidelic *brig-s > OIrish bri). Alternatively forgâ, an a-stem from *bhr=gh-â (c.f. Gallo-Brythonic *brigâ), or forgos (remodeled o-stem like Greek purgos, itself a loan though perhaps from some unknown IE language), or forgis (remodeled as i- stem, as sometimes in Germanic).
-qe: post-positioned copulative conjunction.arkânî: neut.gen.sg. I am guessing at a PrItalic -ei- underlying Latin -ê-. This is a proto-Kûriac dialect form; Aqilonian also had alternative o-stem gen.sg. ending -osio, as found in Ausonic. obsessî neut.gen.sg. past participle. This is a proto-Kûriac dialect form; Aqilonian also had alternative o-stem gen.sg. ending -osio, as found in Ausonic. wofnâis: fem.abl.pl. a-stem noun. I constructed this word from* h2/3webh- + -neh2. Latin aranea, though probably related to Greek arakhne, is from an unknown probably non-IE source.
Zingarâ: fem.sg. proper name kom: basically archaicized Latin cum. suôd: masc.abl.sg. possessive pronoun. eqitâtûd: masc.abl.sg. u-stem noun.Koth. proper name, treated as indeclinable (as is frequently done with Hebrew names in biblical contexts). qâi: fem.nom.sg. relative pronoun (referring to “Koth”, here treated as feminine simply on the model of the other names).
adjakesêt: pâgois: masc.dat.pl. o-stem noun. Alternatively: agrois. pastoralifos: masc.dat.pl. adj.Shemes: here treated as a gen.sg. root noun. Alternatively, it could be treated as indeclinable (as is frequently done with Hebrew names in biblical contexts).
Stygiâ: fem. proper noun kom: basically archaicized Latin cum. suois: neut.abl.pl. possessive pronoun.sepulkrois. neut.abl.pl. o-stem noun. Not sure about the origin of the Latin -cr-, presumably some kind of suffixation to pp. sepultus, but I’m guessing it is from the PrItalic period and therefore leaving it in place.
kustôditois neut.abl.pl. past.part. abo: preposition (Latin ab), showing retention of final -o. omfrais fem.abl.pl. a-stem noun, governed by abo. Hyrkaniâ: fem proper nounqosiia: fem.gen.sg, referring to Hyrkania. Shows retention of -sy- (> Latin -i-).
eqites: nom.pl.vestiesênt: 3rd pl. imperf. subj. verb, showing lack of rhotacism and retention of -ie- (Latin -î-).
akiâsiom: neut.acc.sg., a suffixed derivative of akiês “point”.wolûkriom: masc.acc.sg. Constructing an IE/Italic word for “silk” is fairly monstrous, but I used the model of Sanskrit kausheya, an -iyo- suffixed derivative of kosha (“sheath/pod/receptacle; membrane covering an egg; cocoon of a silk-worm”). For this sense, I picked PIE *welutrom > Latin involûcrum, Greek elutron as the source of an Aqilonian/Aqileian wolûkrom (Latin involûcrum without the in- prefix), and then tacked an -ios suffix onto it to create wolûkrios “silk”.
-qe: post-positioned copulative conjunction. ausom: neut.acc.sg., showing lack of rhotacism. -qe: post-positioned copulative conjunction. adqi: “but, however” (Latin atqui) regnom: neut.nom.sg.keltisemom: neut.nom.sg. superlative adj. Peter Schrijver, _The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin_ (Amsterdam 1991, p. 406), implies that Latin celsus "high, towering" could have been an analogical reformation of an earlier Latin *cel-t-u-s < *kel- d- < PIE *kel- “to be prominent”.
Aqiloniâ: fem.sg. proper name. esât: 3rd sg. imperf verb. qâi: fem.nom.sg. relative pronoun. en: preposition governing ablative, showing failure of PIE *en > L in. okkidente: masc.abl.sg. noun (derived from pres.part). somniente: masc.abl.sg. pres. part. regnâsêt: 3rd imperf. subj. verb.ekke hoike: a construction anticipating Vulgar Latin formations such as those that produced forms like Spanish “aquí”, though here with the archaic equivalent of Latin hûc “hither” instead of hîc “here”.
wênit: 3rd sg. perfect verb.Kunognos: the name “Conan” rendered in Proto-Celtic (> Primitive Irish *Kunagnas > Irish Conan); masc.nom.sg.
Kimmeriânos: masc.nom.sg. adj. kapellôd: masc.abl.sg. o-stem noun (Latin capillus).melnôd: masc.abl.sg. o-stem adjective, nom.sg. meln-os/-â/-om (cf. Greek melâs, Latin zero-grade suffixed mulleus). okolois: masc.abl.pl. o-stem noun. I am not quite sure why original / k_w/ has become /k/ in this environment (presumably *ok_wolos > Latin oculus), but I have let it do so anyway. thuskois: masc.abl.pl. o-stem adjective (Latin fuscus, the Spanish descendent of which, hosco, can have the sense “sullen”). gladiôd: masc.abl.sg. o-stem noun. As in Latin, this term is borrowed from a Celtic-style language (c.f. Proto-Celtic *kladjos). The native Aqilonian/Aqileian term would be, as in Latin, inherited ensis (c.f. PIE H2/3n=sis, a zero-grade i-stem).
en: preposition governing ablative, showing failure of PIE *en > L in. manûd: fem.abl.sg. u-stem noun. fûr: masc.nom.sg. r-stem noun.praidô: masc.nom.sg. n-stem noun. Nom.sg. -ô is retained in Kûriac, but Ausonic analogically restores -on from the stem. sîkarios: masc.nom.sg. o-stem noun, suffixed derivative of sîkâ “dagger”.
kom: basically archaicized Latin cum. treistitiais: fem.abl.pl. a-stem noun. alakriais: fem.abl.sg. a-stem noun. -qe: post-positioned copulative conjunction.grandifos: fem.abl.pl. i-stem adj. (< PIE *gwrendh- “swell”), anticipating use of this form in Vulgar Latin. peri ad: construction anticipating Vulgar Latin forms like those which led to Spanish “para”. Retention of final -i (Latin per, Greek peri). Alternatively, “pro ad” would also be possible, or I could anticipate the merge of Latin per and pro in Spanish por and use the Vulgar Latin style “por ad”.
pinsere: infinitive (Latin pinsere)sodiom: neut.acc.sg. o-stem noun, showing retained -d- for Latin -l- (Latin solium).
gemmâtom: neut.acc.sg. o-stem adj. (from past participle). tersâsôm: fem.gen.pl. a-stem noun, showing retained -rs- for Latin -rr-. sub: Just Latin sub. pedfos: masc.abl.pl. consonant stem noun.kalkeâtois. masc.abl.pl. o-stem adj. (derived from past participle of kalkeo).
Cheers, Carl -- Carl Edlund Anderson http://www.carlaz.com/