Halfling language - Revision history

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Quick & Dirty Language Overview */

2025-11-15T03:09:10Z

Quick & Dirty Language Overview

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	* Halfling literal translation: I '''feed''' the baby. (agent + verb + patient)		* Halfling literal translation: I '''feed''' the baby. (agent + verb + patient)
	* English: I '''slip''' on ice. (subject + verb + preposition + indirect object)		* English: I '''slip''' on ice. (subject + verb + preposition + indirect object)
	* Halfling literal translation: Ice-surface '''slip''' I. (agent + verb + patient)		* Halfling literal translation: Ice-surface '''slip''' me. (agent + verb + patient)

	When an auxiliary verb is used, basic word order is agent-auxiliary-patient-verb (AXPV). In a nominative-accusative language, this would be subject-auxiliary-object-verb (SXOV).		When an auxiliary verb is used, basic word order is agent-auxiliary-patient-verb (AXPV). In a nominative-accusative language, this would be subject-auxiliary-object-verb (SXOV).

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Quick & Dirty Language Overview */

2025-04-25T14:09:53Z

Quick & Dirty Language Overview

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	* Literal Halfling translation: This Gwedra of sword. (determiner + possessor + grammatical particle + agent)		* Literal Halfling translation: This Gwedra of sword. (determiner + possessor + grammatical particle + agent)

	9. '''Halfling pronouns are incorporated as ~~a suffix of their names~~, usually as a coda.''' Such a coda indicates that a word is a proper noun.		9. '''Halfling pronouns are often incorporated as suffixes, usually as a coda.''' Such a coda indicates that a word is a proper noun. Proper nouns in Halfling are unique entities, such as people, pets, places, events, and clubs.

	10. '''Halfling has a base eight counting system.''' When counting on their fingers, halflings touch the knuckle closest to their nail on each finger with their thumb.		10. '''Halfling has a base eight counting system.''' When counting on their fingers, halflings touch the knuckle closest to their nail on each finger with their thumb.

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Quick & Dirty Language Overview */

2025-04-25T13:52:39Z

Quick & Dirty Language Overview

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	1. '''Halfling has seventeen consonants and ten vowels.''' All consonants are pronounced exactly as they are spelled. Three Halfling vowels are written as two letters instead of one when anglicized: /ʊ/ is "eo," /e/ is "ei," and /ə/ is "eu." Halfling separates all contiguous vowel sounds with a glottal stop, so these written vowels are the only vowels appearing next to each other in Halfling text.		1. '''Halfling has seventeen consonants and ten vowels.''' All consonants are pronounced exactly as they are spelled. Three Halfling vowels are written as two letters instead of one when anglicized: /ʊ/ is "eo," /e/ is "ei," and /ə/ is "eu." Halfling separates all contiguous vowel sounds with a glottal stop, so these written vowels are the only vowels appearing next to each other in Halfling text.

	Halfling doesn't have the sounds /p/, /j/, /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, or /ŋ/ (ng). When Halflings speak languages with /p/ and /ŋ/, their accent tends to pronounce /p/ as /b/ and /ŋ/ as /n/.		Halfling doesn't have the sounds /p/, /j/, /t͡ʃ (ch)/, /d͡ʒ/ (j), /ʃ/ (sh), /ʒ/ (zh), or /ŋ/ (ng). When Halflings speak languages with /p/ and /ŋ/, their accent tends to pronounce /p/ as /b/ and /ŋ/ as /n/.

	2. '''Halfling nouns are conceptualized as ''agents'' and ''patients'' rather than ''subjects'' and ''objects''.''' Languages like English think of nouns by the analytic roles they play within a sentence. A ''subject'', for instance, is what a sentence is about. This is called ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative%E2%80%93accusative_alignment nominative-accusative alignment].'' Halfling, on the other hand, thinks of nouns by the semantic relationships they have with a sentence's event(s). This is called ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active%E2%80%93stative_alignment active-stative alignment].'' An ''agent'' is one who is the cause or initiator of an event, and a ''patient'' is the undergoer of an event. ''Agents'' and ''patients'' can coincidentally be the same as a sentence's ''subjects'' and ''objects'', but there's no reason they need to be.		2. '''Halfling nouns are conceptualized as ''agents'' and ''patients'' rather than ''subjects'' and ''objects''.''' Languages like English think of nouns by the analytic roles they play within a sentence. A ''subject'', for instance, is what a sentence is about. This is called ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative%E2%80%93accusative_alignment nominative-accusative alignment].'' Halfling, on the other hand, thinks of nouns by the semantic relationships they have with a sentence's event(s). This is called ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active%E2%80%93stative_alignment active-stative alignment].'' An ''agent'' is one who is the cause or initiator of an event, and a ''patient'' is the undergoer of an event. ''Agents'' and ''patients'' can coincidentally be the same as a sentence's ''subjects'' and ''objects'', but there's no reason they need to be.
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	* English: Indra '''casts''' a spell. (subject + verb + direct object)		* English: Indra '''casts''' a spell. (subject + verb + direct object)
	* Halfling literal translation: Indra '''casts''' a spell. (agent + verb + patient)		* Halfling literal translation: Indra '''casts''' a spell. (agent + verb + patient)
	* English: The spell is '''cast''' by Indra. (subject + verb + indirect object)		* English: The spell is '''cast''' by Indra. (subject + verb + preposition + indirect object)
	* Hafling literal translation: Indra '''casts''' the spell. (agent + verb + patient)		* Hafling literal translation: Indra '''casts''' the spell. (agent + verb + patient)

Sympatrix Adorant at 03:55, 1 February 2025

2025-02-01T03:55:49Z

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	"Halfling language" is the term for the largely-mutually-intelligible dialects of the [[Forest Halflings]] of [[Green Maw\|The Green Maw]]. It is an agglutinative language family, meaning words are made up of potentially many roots and affixes. The detailed attention that Halfling culture gives to both social gender and to time is built directly into its language.		"Halfling language" is the term for the largely-mutually-intelligible dialects of the [[Forest Halflings]] of [[Green Maw\|The Green Maw]]. It is an agglutinative language family, meaning words are made up of potentially many roots and affixes. The detailed attention that Halfling culture gives to both social gender and to time is built directly into its language. Literacy is common.

	=Quick & Dirty Language Overview=		=Quick & Dirty Language Overview=

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Quick & Dirty Language Overview */

2025-02-01T02:49:54Z

Quick & Dirty Language Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 31 January 2025
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	* Literal Halfling translation: This Gwedra of sword. (determiner + possessor + grammatical particle + agent)		* Literal Halfling translation: This Gwedra of sword. (determiner + possessor + grammatical particle + agent)

	9. '''Halfling pronouns are incorporated as a suffix of their names, usually as a coda.''' ~~('''Is this used as an article?? as~~ a ~~classifier?? as~~ a ~~case marker?? as~~ a ~~gender marker??''' What is its grammatical purpose?)~~		9. '''Halfling pronouns are incorporated as a suffix of their names, usually as a coda.''' Such a coda indicates that a word is a proper noun.

	10. '''Halfling has a base eight counting system.''' When counting on their fingers, halflings touch the knuckle closest to their nail on each finger with their thumb.		10. '''Halfling has a base eight counting system.''' When counting on their fingers, halflings touch the knuckle closest to their nail on each finger with their thumb.

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Nouns */

2025-01-31T15:56:30Z

Nouns

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	==Plurality & Singularity==		==Plurality & Singularity==
	Animate nouns are assumed to be singular unless specifically stated otherwise. Such nouns may be marked as generically plural when they are paired with "plural words" ~~that~~ superficially functions much like adjectives. An animate noun's generic plural word is determined by its class. Generic plural words can be replaced by more specific quantifiers or numbers that are grammatical across all classes.		Animate nouns are assumed to be singular unless specifically stated otherwise. Such nouns may be marked as generically plural when they are paired with "plural words." These plural words superficially functions much like adjectives but, unlike adjectives, take the case of the noun they modify. An animate noun's generic plural word is determined by its class. Generic plural words can be replaced by more specific quantifiers or numbers that are grammatical across all classes.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
	! Noun Class !! Plural Word !! ~~IPA~~		! Noun Class !! Agentive/Active Plural Word !! Patientive/Inactive Plural Word
	\|-		\|-
	\| ~~A number between 2 and 4~~ \|\| \|\| ~~a few, several~~		\| I Adult halflings, professions, time \|\| \|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| ~~A number between 5 and 10~~ \|\| \|\| ~~several, some~~		\| II Wild Animals \|\| \|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| ~~An indeterminate number above 10 \|\| \|\| a number of~~		\| V Miscellanous (Unknown, child, outsider, pet) \|\| \|\|
	\|-
	~~\| Almost many~~ (~~in the context of overall group size~~) \|\| ~~\|\| numerous~~
	\|-
	~~\| Many (in the context of overall group size)~~ \|\| ~~\|\| many~~
	\|-
	~~\| An indeterminate number distinguished from the rest \|\| \|\| some~~
	\|-
	~~\| Every (note: not each) \|\| \|\| every, all~~
	\|-
	~~\| Diminutive \|\| \|\| drop of/crumb of/grain of~~
	\|-
	~~\| Part of a dual pairing \|\| \|\| pair of~~
	\|-
	~~\| One part of a group \|\| \|\| one of many~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Plurality & Singularity */

2025-01-31T15:51:15Z

Plurality & Singularity

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 ==Plurality & Singularity==
 Animate nouns are assumed to be singular unless specifically stated otherwise. Such nouns may be marked as generically plural when they are paired with "plural words" that superficially functions much like adjectives. An animate noun's generic plural word is determined by its class. Generic plural words can be replaced by more specific quantifiers or numbers that are grammatical across all classes.
 '''Inanimate objects are treated as collective nouns''' by default. A number or quantifier must be added to indicate that the inanimate noun is a singular item or part of a non-mass group. A diminutive of many indefinite nouns would be translated as, for example, a grain [of sand, of rice, etc.], a drop [of water, of blood, etc.], or a crumb [of food, of lint, etc.]. Quantifiers can be combined to mean, for example, many drops of water rather than a mass of water.

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Plurality & Singularity */

2025-01-31T15:46:07Z

Plurality & Singularity

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	==Plurality & Singularity==		==Plurality & Singularity==
	Animate nouns are assumed to be singular unless specifically stated otherwise. ~~Animate noun plurality is indicated by partial reduplication. If the singular form of a noun ends in a vowel, the final vowel of a word is dropped, replaced~~ with ~~/ə/, the last consonant is repeated, and the dropped final vowel is placed at the end. The sole exception to this is if the final consonant is a glottal stop (/ʔ/). In~~ that ~~case, the consonant before the glottal stop is used~~. ~~(Note: θi = agent pronoun, dvu.ʔe = society, club)~~		Animate nouns are assumed to be singular unless specifically stated otherwise. Such nouns may be marked as generically plural when they are paired with "plural words" that superficially functions much like adjectives. An animate noun's generic plural word is determined by its class. Generic plural words can be replaced by more specific quantifiers or numbers that are grammatical across all classes.

	* θi = θə.θi
	* dvu.ʔe = dvu.ʔə.ve

	~~If the singular form of a~~ noun ~~ends in a consonant, the final vowel of a~~ word is ~~dropped,~~ replaced ~~with /ə/, and the dropped final vowel is placed after the final consonant. (Note: θir = patient pronoun, damd.ɛz = alive fish)~~

	* θir = θə.ri
	* damd.ɛz = damd.ə.zɛ

	'''Inanimate objects are treated as collective nouns''' by default. A number or quantifier must be added to indicate that the inanimate noun is a singular item or part of a non-mass group. A diminutive of many indefinite nouns would be translated as, for example, a grain [of sand, of rice, etc.], a drop [of water, of blood, etc.], or a crumb [of food, of lint, etc.]. Quantifiers can be combined to mean, for example, many drops of water rather than a mass of water.		'''Inanimate objects are treated as collective nouns''' by default. A number or quantifier must be added to indicate that the inanimate noun is a singular item or part of a non-mass group. A diminutive of many indefinite nouns would be translated as, for example, a grain [of sand, of rice, etc.], a drop [of water, of blood, etc.], or a crumb [of food, of lint, etc.]. Quantifiers can be combined to mean, for example, many drops of water rather than a mass of water.

Sympatrix Adorant at 15:36, 31 January 2025

2025-01-31T15:36:40Z

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	* V Miscellanous (baby, [[Dreamers of the Maw\|Dreamer]], [[Ghouls\|ghoul]])		* V Miscellanous (baby, [[Dreamers of the Maw\|Dreamer]], [[Ghouls\|ghoul]])

	While noun class categories are semantic, a given word's noun class also restricts possible phonemes and phoneme combinations within it. For instance, θ (Th) is found only in noun classes II and V. It also determines ~~a word~~'s plural word, ie. independent morpheme indicating generic plural.		While noun class categories are semantic, a given word's noun class also restricts possible phonemes and phoneme combinations within it. For instance, θ (Th) is found only in noun classes II and V. It also determines an animate noun's plural word, ie. independent morpheme indicating generic plural.

	6. '''Verbs in factual statements declare whether their information was obtained first- or second-hand.''' In order for a word to be a verb, it must have one of 14 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modality_(linguistics) ''modality''] suffixes that express the verb's "''mood''." Four of these modality suffixes (two reflecting the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfective_aspect ''perfective aspect''] and two the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperfective_aspect ''imperfective aspect'']) are used for expressing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realis_mood ''realis moods''], i.e. statements of fact. When one makes a factual statement, the specific realis suffix one uses indicates whether the factual information was learned through personal experience (''indicative mood'') or through hearsay (''inferential mood'').		6. '''Verbs in factual statements declare whether their information was obtained first- or second-hand.''' In order for a word to be a verb, it must have one of 14 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modality_(linguistics) ''modality''] suffixes that express the verb's "''mood''." Four of these modality suffixes (two reflecting the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfective_aspect ''perfective aspect''] and two the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperfective_aspect ''imperfective aspect'']) are used for expressing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realis_mood ''realis moods''], i.e. statements of fact. When one makes a factual statement, the specific realis suffix one uses indicates whether the factual information was learned through personal experience (''indicative mood'') or through hearsay (''inferential mood'').

Sympatrix Adorant: /* Quick & Dirty Language Overview */

2025-01-31T15:33:56Z

Quick & Dirty Language Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:33, 31 January 2025
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	* V Miscellanous (baby, [[Dreamers of the Maw\|Dreamer]], [[Ghouls\|ghoul]])		* V Miscellanous (baby, [[Dreamers of the Maw\|Dreamer]], [[Ghouls\|ghoul]])

	While noun class categories are semantic, a given word's noun class also restricts possible phonemes and phoneme combinations within it. For instance, θ (Th) is found only in noun classes II and V.		While noun class categories are semantic, a given word's noun class also restricts possible phonemes and phoneme combinations within it. For instance, θ (Th) is found only in noun classes II and V. It also determines a word's plural word, ie. independent morpheme indicating generic plural.

	6. '''Verbs in factual statements declare whether their information was obtained first- or second-hand.''' In order for a word to be a verb, it must have one of 14 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modality_(linguistics) ''modality''] suffixes that express the verb's "''mood''." Four of these modality suffixes (two reflecting the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfective_aspect ''perfective aspect''] and two the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperfective_aspect ''imperfective aspect'']) are used for expressing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realis_mood ''realis moods''], i.e. statements of fact. When one makes a factual statement, the specific realis suffix one uses indicates whether the factual information was learned through personal experience (''indicative mood'') or through hearsay (''inferential mood'').		6. '''Verbs in factual statements declare whether their information was obtained first- or second-hand.''' In order for a word to be a verb, it must have one of 14 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modality_(linguistics) ''modality''] suffixes that express the verb's "''mood''." Four of these modality suffixes (two reflecting the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfective_aspect ''perfective aspect''] and two the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperfective_aspect ''imperfective aspect'']) are used for expressing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realis_mood ''realis moods''], i.e. statements of fact. When one makes a factual statement, the specific realis suffix one uses indicates whether the factual information was learned through personal experience (''indicative mood'') or through hearsay (''inferential mood'').