Eseshtébasó
From KneeQuickie
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Contents |
Historical Introduction:
What is known as Modern Eseshtébasó began to emerge in ~770 ET as the Shríódéan War ended and the Estibishtó-Shenóshtédan dynasty took power, spurring the exploration of the seas and the expulsion of the Estibishtó-Nezhródan and their allies. They took their native tongue with them as they settled inhabited and uninhabited lands alike. However, to fully explore the origins of this Lingua Franca of the eastern world, one must begin during the Classical Eseshtan era.
EB spread across the central plains of the continent of Nhályné as a language of enlightenment and progress.
As it's influence grew and it was adopted by more and more peoples from diverse branches of the Eseshtan Cultural Group such as the Tsebatūí, Ammanic Raodoans, and Shinzai, they began to influence the growth and progress of Classical EB into Modern EB (the Shenóshé dialect of which is described here). The rise to prominence of the Shenóshé dialect in 772 marks the beginning of the Modern Eseshté Period.
The majority of peoples of Nhályné at that time both commonly spoke EB (even when not their native tongue), and were seafaring peoples. Eseshtans travelling to Shinybaí or joining their countrymen in exile to the colonies took their tongue with them. Ilnians sailing as far as the western hemisphere carried EB with them as a trading language and taught it to the descendants of the Hodoptê.
Of all the languages of Mázhrytá, EB has the largest number of speakers (when counting both native and secondary speakers) and the largest geographical range (again, when counting both native and secondary speakers).
After the Reformation of 1213 ET, almost all irregular verbs were removed, especially in the Shenóshé, Gáshtákéná, and Lhenesú dialects.
Phonology:
Vowels:
A [{] Á [a] O [Q] Ó [o] I [I] Í [i] E [E] É [e] U [U] Ú [u] Y [@]
Consonants:
Zh [Z] D [d] B [b] G [g] Z [z] L [l] R [r\] V [v] H [h] Sh [S] T [t] P [p] K [k] S [s] Lh [l_0] F [f] Hh [h_0] N [n] M [m] Nh [n_0] Rh [r\_0]
Initial Consonants: zh sh d b z l r v t p s lh rh f m n nh h hh g
Medial Consonants: zh sh d b z l r v t p k s lh rh f n m nh h hh
Final Consonants: sh d b s l r n m nh zh
Initial Vowels: All
Medial Vowels: All
Final Vowels: á o ó í é ú y e u a
Clusters:
Zhr I M Shr I M Shl M Zhl M Shn M Zhn M Shm M Zhm I M Lr M Rn M Hht M Sht I M
'O' may not occur medially unless it has a preceding and/or following fricative. 'O' may also not occur before an 'r,' in situations where this occurs, it becomes ó.
Stress:
Stress falls on a) any accented syllable and secondary stress on the syllable closest (preferably after, but if none after, previous) or b) first syllable with secondary on the next syllable. If there are two long vowels, method 'b' is to be employed.
In proper Eseshtébasó, schwas are not dropped even if a valid cluster would result.
K and G are allophones. An initial 'g' changes to a 'k' when prefixed to. For example: gezhener, to recognize vs. mykezhener, recognizing.
There are several exceptions to the phonological rules given above. These occur mainly in loan words (such as kánez - a deployment of forces (TXD kánex - skilled field commander) and in colloquial words (kishtá - stupid). Also in worn down or traditional words such as kí.
Grammar
Noun Cases:
EB has four noun cases, three of which come in both the Masculine and Feminine gender.
Nominative
Masc -(y)né
Fem -(y)nú
Accusative
Masc -(y)ró
Fem -(y)rá(1)
Genitive
Masc -(y)dé
Fem -(y)dú(1)
Numerative (2)
Masc am(y)-
Fem am(y)-
(1) The masculine forms are frequently used across the board by native speakers.
(2) The Numerative prefix is attached only to the hypothetical counting numbers and is used to represent numbers of real things (e.g. "I will count to three" vs. the would-be prefixed statement "I ate three apples")
No big surprises. The nominative is always attached to every subject; the accusative is always attached to every direct object. If there is no direct object, it is to be inserted alone (e.g. "I am eating" = "Púnú myfezhe ró" and “I am eating a fish" = "Púnú myfezhe suríshyró"). If the noun is neuter, use the masculine declension.
Word order is traditionally S-V-O, but because of the stringent requirements for subj./obj. marking, as long as you keep the head first and its modifiers after and keep them together; you can go in just about any order. SVO is most traditional and most frequently used.
Plurality:
Group -ú General -esh Pair -(y)nam Partative -(y)hí
Attach the suffix to the plural noun(s) only; nothing else is pluralized by these. Also, none of the plurals are bound by the numerative case, themselves being components of the grammar. Group plural refers to a specific 'group' of something, while the general plural refers to any plurality, and the partative to only a part of something (e.g. Those men vs. Men vs. Some men).
Verbs:
Distinction Prefix or Suffix
Past Tense
n(y)-
Present Tense
m(y)-
Future Tense
ha-
Perfect Tense
nal(y)-
Imperative
-(y)da
Reflexive
nezh(y)-
1st Subjunctive
ké-
2nd Subjunctive
hhé-
Negative
nú-
The first subjunctive refers to something that may perhaps happen; the second is something that the speaker hopes or wishes will transpire. All of these distinctions may be used in conjunction with each other in an agglutinating fashion. To find the declarative of a verb, simply remove the consonant from the infinitive form (infinitives are -er, -an, and -ud). If a verb root (like fezhe eat) ends in an 'e', then its infinitive is -er (fezher- to eat) and so on. Whenever a verb is in any form but the infinitive, the final consonant is dropped.
If you were to need to say "I am," you'd simply employ a personal pronoun and the appropriate tense prefix all by itself ("I am." = "Púnú my " "I was" = Púnú ny " "I have been" = "Púnú nal ").
Methods of Agglutination:
EB is an agglutination language, and as such there are rules about the order the particles attach in. A general rule to remember is that usually the longest one is the farthest outside. However, this is not always true. Pluralization markers must directly follow the noun they pluralize. Negatives go to the farthest point on the left side.
For example: We built the houses in the villages.
"Shíryné nytáletu e atinaseshyró vórhé e gezenúeshyvó."
"We(nom) (past)build the house(plur)(acc) (prep)in the village(plur)(prep)."
We didn't argue with ourselves.
"Rídyné núnezhynynúrélanu ró."
"We-excl.(nom) (neg)(refl)(past)argue (acc)."
Gender:
The vowels 'é' and 'ó' at the end of a word make it masculine, 'ú' or 'á' make it feminine. Everything else is neuter. Some words for neuter things will have a gendered vowel at the end; some words for gendered things may have a neuter vowel at the end. It doesn't matter. If a vowel ends in a consonant, judge by the next closest vowel. Verbs do not have gender. Often times in general literature, a gender-neutral pronoun will be used. This occurs quite often in this document, most of these are places where situation determines the usage and not where a speaker would use a gender-neutral pronoun to refer to people of any or unknown gender.
Personal Pronouns:
The subject and object pronouns are the same (rather, there is only one set, and it does duty for both) therefore the reader (or speaker) must rely on the context and declension to see which is which. Pronouns get cases and plurality like normal nouns. This means that there are approx. 408 possible personal pronouns.
You will kindly remember in the discussion on the declension of nouns, the example Púnú myfezhe ró. Pú is a personal pronoun, and -nú is the fem. nominative. This is a prime example of how personal pronouns are employed in EB. The 'understood you' of English is to be translated as a neuter 2nd person pronoun (nan). The exception to this is the blunt imperative, but when cursing, grammar isn't really a consideration.
Type
1st 2nd 3rd
Masc.
Lézh Év Nózh
Fem.
Pú Enú Úshá
Neuter
Pezh* Nan Kí
Inanimate
Kem* Ut On
Inclusive we
Shír
Exclusive we
Ríd
Neutral we
Hetan
Honorific masc
Hhán* Shóm Sénen
Honorific fem
Úhhá* Shám Onú
Honorific neut
Umy* Zhes Ed
- Out of common use, oddity.
Adjectives
Adjectives are found in three primary states: preexisting as an adjective, formed from a noun, or formed from a verb. Preexisting adjectives’ basic forms are unmarked. Adjectives formed from a noun are marked with either ány- -í being formed from a feminine noun, óny- -í when formed from a masculine noun, and eny- -í being formed from a neuter noun. These basic forms decline just like nouns, and must always follow the object they modify. For example, “I ate a silver fish” =“Púnú nyfezhe suríshyró enypemiríro.” If the noun being adjectified ends in a vowel, the adjective forms are ány- -hí, óny- -hí and eny- -hí respectively.
Alphabet
Prepositions
Prepositions are marked with vó-, and the object of the preposition with -(y)vó.
Head primary also applies to prepositional phrases.
Rhé
In
Kesé
Out
Kú
On
Bón
Under
Lávé
Beside
Téú
Near
Bezh
From
Man
To
Nen
Between
Han
Far from
Shes
Across
Shíó
Along
Polite Speech
Word
Meaning Notes
Kemé
Mister From tekem, citizen
Kemú
Miss/Misses " "
Hhekemé
Sir From hhení tekem, high or great citizen
Hhekemú
Ma'am " "
Ezhynan(esh)
Greeting(s)
Nemyzhon
Please From Pezhyné Myzhone (I ask)
Erhesh
Thanks Erh, a debt [of gratitude]
Onyné myret
It's nothing Ret, nothing
Pezhydé Esétané --- ró
My name is --- Adjust pronoun for your gender.
Pezhyné teluhhémytazha nanyró!
I hope to be meeting you [again]! Traditional statement of departure; adjust pronouns to suit.
Numbers
The theoretical counting numbers zero through ten and certain higher numbers:
Ret
Zero, nothing
Enum
One
Denum
Two
Rhul
Three
Rhál
Four
Áhon
Five
Úzha
Six
Íbé
Seven
Emes
Eight
Rúlyl
Nine
Áhú
Ten
Áhú Enum
Eleven
Dáhú
Twenty
Rhuhú
Thirty
Rháhú
Forty
Áhohú
Fifty
Úzháhú
Sixty
Íhú
Seventy
Ehú
Eighty
Rúhú
Ninety
Enámú
100
Enámú Enum
101
Denámú
200
Rhulámú
300
Enáhád
1000
Rhul Enáhád Enum
3001
Rhul Enáhád Rúlámú Rúhú Rúlyl
3999
Enámú Enáhád
100,000
Enámú Rúhú Rúlyl Enáhad en Rúlámú Rúhú Rúlyl
199,999
When counting physical things, the Numerative prefix am(y)- must be added to the first numeral word. The number comes first, then the item enumerated. For numbers of composition (The Council of 40 [men], a bag of 10 [fish] etc…) attach the dative to the container or item whose composition is being enumerated, and the type of item follows the enumeration. Therefore, "a bag of ten fish" would be "Henazhú amáhú suríshesh."
Conjunctions and Disjunctions
And
En
One or the other
Vé
One, the other, or both
Súl
But
Ké
With
Nésé
Because
Ázhán
For
Háré
Other Pronouns
Who What When Where Why How
This
Hesen Hedú Hehár Hesúr Helán Herhas
That
Nesen Nedú Nehár Nesúr
All
Mehesen Mehedú Mehár Mesúr
Any
Shehesen Shehadú Shehár Shesúr
No
Núsen Núradú Núhár Núsúr
Query
Rhésen Rhédú Rhéhár Rhésúr Rhélán Rhéras
