Commonthroat: Difference between revisions

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But what about length? If the first vowel is short and the second is long, then the change from one vowel to the other occurs earlier in the syllable, so we call these contours ''early''. If the first vowel is long and the second is short, the change occurs later in the syllable, so these contours are called ''late''.

For a complete list of plain vowels and contours along with their phonetic features, see the [[#~~vowel-pronunciation-table~~|Vowel Pronunciation Table]] in the appendix.

For a complete list of plain vowels and contours along with their phonetic features, see the [[#Vowel Pronunciation Table|Vowel Pronunciation Table]] in the appendix.

== Consonants ==

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Before discussing the grammar, we need to touch on interlinear glosses. A gloss is a word-by-word translation of a language sample. In this document, glosses contain three parts. The first part is a sample of Commonthroat. Prefixes and suffixes may be set off from the rest of their parent word by hyphens. The second part, directly below, is a word-by-word translation of the sample, with the English word left-aligned to its corresponding Commonthroat word above. Abbreviations of linguistic terms are written using capital letters. Simple glosses may not hyphenate prefixes or suffixes to make the example clearer.

~~~~

For definitions of many of the words used in these examples, see the [[#Glossary|glossary]].

== Syntax ==

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The basic word order is subject-verb-object, like in English.

{|

|sfcp || lPr || HJqp

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So far, so good, right? But what if we didn’t know or didn’t care where this stuff was happening? Commonthroat uses an ''indefinite'' suffix for that: <code>-g</code> /short low weak growl/. It’s abbreviated as ''I'' in glosses.

{|

|sfc-g || lPr || HJq-g

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|pup-I || climb || tree-I

|}

''A pup climbed a tree.''

</div>

The indefinite form of a noun is the base form seen in dictionaries. It’s used when the precise nature of the object the noun refers to is not known, not important, or when the word refers to a general class of objects rather than a specific object. This example could also be translated as ''Pups climb trees''. This usage, where a noun refers to a general class of objects, is referred to as ''gnomic''.

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There’s also no reason why the pup and the tree in these examples must share the same deictic suffix. You could say

{|

|sfc-Mr || lPr || HJq-g

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|pup-P || climb || tree-I

|}

''This pup climbs trees.''

</div>

{|

|sfc-qN || lPr || HJq-p

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|pup-M || climb || tree-D

|}

''That pup climbed yonder tree.''

</div>

To summarize, let’s look at a noun with each of the suffixes we’ve discussed so far. We’ll look at the word <code>sFsFg</code> /yip, long high strong whine, yip, long high strong whine, short low weak growl/ which means ''friend''.

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| sFsFp || yonder friend

|}

=== Expressing Quantity ===

Nouns do not indicate number on their own. <code>HJqp</code> can mean ''the tree'' or ''those trees'' depending on context. The base form of the noun is referred to as the ''general number''. If you want to specify how many of something there are, one way is to use a numeral or other quantifying word. Unlike normal adjectives, words that indicate quantity come before the noun they describe.

{|

|rdr || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p

|-

|one || pup-D || climb || tree-D

|}

''One pup climbed the tree.''

</div>

{|

|H || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p

|-

|none || pup-D || climb || tree-D

|}

''No pups climbed the tree.''

</div>

{|

|rdr || sfc-p || lPr || BC || HJq-p

|-

|one || pup-D || climb || all || tree-D

|}

''One pup climbed all those trees.''

</div>

There is also a ''plurative particle'' <code>h</code> /short low strong growl/ that indicates more than one thing, just like the English suffix -s.

{|

|h || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p

|-

|PL || pup-D || climb || tree-D

|}

''Those pups climbed the tree.''

</div>

Note that <code>h</code> is a particle, not an adjective. It cannot be used like a verb or a noun in the same way adjectives can. Traditionally, the plurative particle is only used if there is no other quantifying adjective associated with the noun. However, younger speakers are increasingly using it in front of nouns that are already explicitly marked.

{|

|qBf || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p

|-

|two || pup-D || climb || tree-D

|}

''Two pups climbed the tree.'' (Standard)

</div>

{|

|h || qBf || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p

|-

|PL || two || pup-D || climb || tree-D

|}

''Two pups climbed the tree.'' (Younger speakers)

</div>

=== Personal Deixis ===

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|}

''My brother struck me, the angry one, with his tail.''

~~</div>~~

''My brother hit me, and I’m angry about it.''

</div>

Or what was going on when the event occurred:

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|}

''You, the digger, found money.''

~~</div>~~

''You found money while digging.''

</div>

But the easiest, and most common, strategy is to simply drop the word altogether. If context makes it clear who’s doing what, you can drop the subject or object. This is especially true for first person subjects.

But the easiest and most common strategy is to simply drop the word altogether. If context makes it clear who’s doing what, you can drop the subject or object. This is especially true for first person subjects.

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|}

''I showed the tree to my friend.''

</div>

Commonthroat has several phrases that use the verb <code>qcDr</code> /huff, early rising weakening whine, chuff/ ''to give'' along with an indirect object to form phrases that English uses a single verb for. These include:

;rl ___ qcDr qgjg

: ''to give care to ___'' : To care for ___, to show reverence for ___

; rl ___ qcDr rfDqg

: ''to give interest to ___'' : To be interested in ___, to pay attention to ___

; rl ___ qcDr nLqg

: ''to give honor to ___'' : To honor ___, to venerate ___

; rl ___ qcDr kgg

: ''to give glory to ___'' : to worship ___

{|

|rl || rdr || rLPq-p || g || sL-l || qcDr-K || kg-g

|-

|DAT || one || light-3D || POS || soul-1 || give-DOG || glory-3I

|}

''My soul shall give glory to the one Light.''

''My soul shall worship the Light alone.''

</div>

{|

|j || rl || h || snp-qN || qcDr-K || nLq-g

|-

|and || DAT || PL || holy-3M || give-DOG || honor

|}

''And to the saints I shall give honor.''

''And I shall honor the saints.''

</div>

{|

|j || rl || rjGJfd-Mr || sMlr || qcDr-K || qgj-g

|-

|and || DAT || little_creation-3P || dear || give-DOG || care-3I

|}

''And to this dear little Creation I shall give care.''

''And I shall care for this dear little Creation.''

</div>

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''How many days ago did you finish that task?''

</div>

= Writing =

== Visual System ==

Commonthroat is written using a reverse abjad. Vowels are full letters. Consonants (huffs, chuffs, and yips) are written as mandatory diacritcs when they form the onset of a syllable, and as full letters when in coda position. The romanization used throughout this article matches the writing system 1:1, with the exception that the Romanization renders onsets as full letters as well.

== Tactile Systems ==

Yinrih rely on their rear paws almost as much as their front paws for manipulating objects. This is especially true for spacers, who live permenantly aboard orbital colonies in microgravity. The labels of containers and controls are written in a tactile writing system to ease identification and orientation without looking.

Along with this endemic system, yinrih on Earth additionally use a Braille system adapted for Commonthroat.

= Appendix =

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 But what about length? If the first vowel is short and the second is long, then the change from one vowel to the other occurs earlier in the syllable, so we call these contours ''early''. If the first vowel is long and the second is short, the change occurs later in the syllable, so these contours are called ''late''.
-For a complete list of plain vowels and contours along with their phonetic features, see the [[#vowel-pronunciation-table|Vowel Pronunciation Table]] in the appendix.
+For a complete list of plain vowels and contours along with their phonetic features, see the [[#Vowel Pronunciation Table|Vowel Pronunciation Table]] in the appendix.
 == Consonants ==
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 Before discussing the grammar, we need to touch on interlinear glosses. A gloss is a word-by-word translation of a language sample. In this document, glosses contain three parts. The first part is a sample of Commonthroat. Prefixes and suffixes may be set off from the rest of their parent word by hyphens. The second part, directly below, is a word-by-word translation of the sample, with the English word left-aligned to its corresponding Commonthroat word above. Abbreviations of linguistic terms are written using capital letters. Simple glosses may not hyphenate prefixes or suffixes to make the example clearer.
-<!--For definitions and pronunciations of the words used in these examples, see the [Glossary].-->
+For definitions of many of the words used in these examples, see the [[#Glossary|glossary]].
 == Syntax ==
@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 The basic word order is subject-verb-object, like in English.
-<div style="margin-left: 4em; border: 1%">
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
 {|
 |sfcp || lPr || HJqp
@@ Line 260: / Line 260: @@
 So far, so good, right? But what if we didn’t know or didn’t care where this stuff was happening? Commonthroat uses an ''indefinite'' suffix for that: <code>-g</code> /short low weak growl/. It’s abbreviated as ''I'' in glosses.
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
 {|
 |sfc-g || lPr || HJq-g
@@ Line 265: / Line 266: @@
 |pup-I || climb || tree-I
 |}
 ''A pup climbed a tree.''
+</div>
 The indefinite form of a noun is the base form seen in dictionaries. It’s used when the precise nature of the object the noun refers to is not known, not important, or when the word refers to a general class of objects rather than a specific object. This example could also be translated as ''Pups climb trees''. This usage, where a noun refers to a general class of objects, is referred to as ''gnomic''.
@@ Line 274: / Line 275: @@
 There’s also no reason why the pup and the tree in these examples must share the same deictic suffix. You could say
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
 {|
 |sfc-Mr || lPr || HJq-g
@@ Line 279: / Line 281: @@
 |pup-P || climb || tree-I
 |}
 ''This pup climbs trees.''
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
 {|
 |sfc-qN || lPr || HJq-p
@@ Line 287: / Line 290: @@
 |pup-M || climb || tree-D
 |}
 ''That pup climbed yonder tree.''
+</div>
 To summarize, let’s look at a noun with each of the suffixes we’ve discussed so far. We’ll look at the word <code>sFsFg</code> /yip, long high strong whine, yip, long high strong whine, short low weak growl/ which means ''friend''.
@@ Line 303: / Line 306: @@
 | sFsFp || yonder friend
 |}
+=== Expressing Quantity ===
+Nouns do not indicate number on their own. <code>HJqp</code> can mean ''the tree'' or ''those trees'' depending on context. The base form of the noun is referred to as the ''general number''. If you want to specify how many of something there are, one way is to use a numeral or other quantifying word. Unlike normal adjectives, words that indicate quantity come before the noun they describe.
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|rdr || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p
+|-
+|one || pup-D || climb || tree-D
+|}
+''One pup climbed the tree.''
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|H || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p
+|-
+|none || pup-D || climb || tree-D
+|}
+''No pups climbed the tree.''
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|rdr || sfc-p || lPr || BC || HJq-p
+|-
+|one || pup-D || climb || all || tree-D
+|}
+''One pup climbed all those trees.''
+</div>
+There is also a ''plurative particle'' <code>h</code> /short low strong growl/ that indicates more than one thing, just like the English suffix -s.
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|h || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p
+|-
+|PL || pup-D || climb || tree-D
+|}
+''Those pups climbed the tree.''
+</div>
+Note that <code>h</code> is a particle, not an adjective. It cannot be used like a verb or a noun in the same way adjectives can. Traditionally, the plurative particle is only used if there is no other quantifying adjective associated with the noun. However, younger speakers are increasingly using it in front of nouns that are already explicitly marked.
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|qBf || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p
+|-
+|two || pup-D || climb || tree-D
+|}
+''Two pups climbed the tree.'' (Standard)
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|h || qBf || sfc-p || lPr || HJq-p
+|-
+|PL || two || pup-D || climb || tree-D
+|}
+''Two pups climbed the tree.'' (Younger speakers)
+</div>
 === Personal Deixis ===
@@ Line 495: / Line 562: @@
 |}
 ''My brother struck me, the angry one, with his tail.''
-</div>
 ''My brother hit me, and I’m angry about it.''
+</div>
 Or what was going on when the event occurred:
@@ Line 508: / Line 575: @@
 |}
 ''You, the digger, found money.''
-</div>
 ''You found money while digging.''
+</div>
-But the easiest, and most common, strategy is to simply drop the word altogether. If context makes it clear who’s doing what, you can drop the subject or object. This is especially true for first person subjects.
+But the easiest and most common strategy is to simply drop the word altogether. If context makes it clear who’s doing what, you can drop the subject or object. This is especially true for first person subjects.
 <div style="margin-left: 4em">
@@ Line 1,163: / Line 1,230: @@
 |}
 ''I showed the tree to my friend.''
+</div>
+Commonthroat has several phrases that use the verb <code>qcDr</code> /huff, early rising weakening whine, chuff/ ''to give'' along with an indirect object to form phrases that English uses a single verb for. These include:
+;rl ___ qcDr qgjg
+: ''to give care to ___'' : To care for ___, to show reverence for ___
+; rl ___ qcDr rfDqg
+: ''to give interest to ___'' : To be interested in ___, to pay attention to ___
+; rl ___ qcDr nLqg
+: ''to give honor to ___'' : To honor ___, to venerate ___
+; rl ___ qcDr kgg
+: ''to give glory to ___'' : to worship ___
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|rl || rdr || rLPq-p || g || sL-l || qcDr-K || kg-g
+|-
+|DAT || one || light-3D || POS || soul-1 || give-DOG || glory-3I
+|}
+''My soul shall give glory to the one Light.''
+''My soul shall worship the Light alone.''
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|j || rl || h || snp-qN || qcDr-K || nLq-g
+|-
+|and || DAT || PL || holy-3M || give-DOG || honor
+|}
+''And to the saints I shall give honor.''
+''And I shall honor the saints.''
+</div>
+<div style="margin-left: 4em">
+{|
+|j || rl || rjGJfd-Mr || sMlr || qcDr-K || qgj-g
+|-
+|and || DAT || little_creation-3P || dear || give-DOG || care-3I
+|}
+''And to this dear little Creation I shall give care.''
+''And I shall care for this dear little Creation.''
 </div>
@@ Line 1,400: / Line 1,511: @@
 ''How many days ago did you finish that task?''
 </div>
+= Writing =
+== Visual System ==
+Commonthroat is written using a reverse abjad. Vowels are full letters. Consonants (huffs, chuffs, and yips) are written as mandatory diacritcs when they form the onset of a syllable, and as full letters when in coda position. The romanization used throughout this article matches the writing system 1:1, with the exception that the Romanization renders onsets as full letters as well.
+== Tactile Systems ==
+Yinrih rely on their rear paws almost as much as their front paws for manipulating objects. This is especially true for spacers, who live permenantly aboard orbital colonies in microgravity. The labels of containers and controls are written in a tactile writing system to ease identification and orientation without looking.
+Along with this endemic system, yinrih on Earth additionally use a Braille system adapted for Commonthroat.
 = Appendix =