Text
* mærrancuqpæk
* mæncubdak qlokti tinocvæk
* pxix mægonnuxk tarrazhok doko bandi korgaba
* til tisefhax mæjvitix mnex
* til tisexfo titmux bon fumæxkiti; barga bailiko basenta kosemne dirdekba
* baala basenta dimbaya yasco yalke; dæl fudintakya
* tinodro mækmitik
* tiala tiilik tinocvæ bamba konoknakba tiselgoko dæl mæmti
English Translation
I keep getting sick.
I’m waking without fear.
Rapidly, you’re approaching me while I sleep all day.
Your wishes guide you while you dream.
Your hidden emotions must not know anything;
I recognized all the images within the dream.
That image was a dark road; I may have not seen the road.
I’m being controlled by sadness.
That fear inside me caused by my touching the demon may exist.
Grammar and Vocabulary
Mar01 is non-configurational and uses indexing rather than the methods found in natural languages (such as case marking).
ORTHOGRAPHY
Note: The written text may have ambiguities not present when spoken.
MORPHOLOGY
Words are either inflected predicates or uninflected particles. The format of a predicate is as follows:
Index-Voice-Polarity-TAM-Derivation-ROOT-Argument1-Argument2-Argument3
When an Index is present (for Complement predicates and phrase constituents), one of the argument slots is precluded according to Voice, except that Complements keep all their argument slots. The Voice values are:
0- active (Index <= Argument1)
se- passive (Index <= Argument2)
no- marks Complement
Voice Examples:
di-kto-x-ti “You said it”,
ba-kto-ti “one who says it”,
ti-se-kto-x “what you said”,
ko-no-kto-x-ti “your saying it”.
The index values appearing here are ti, ko, ba, and ya.
Each Argument is either a pronominal, an index value (same as above), or unused. The pronominals are:
-k 1st person singular
-x 2nd person
Argument1 is typically agent-like or a subject or locatee. Argument2 is typically patient-like or a location. Argument3 doesn’t appear in this text!
When Argument2 appears on a quantity word, it represents the whole of which Argument1 is the part.
Negative polarity is fu-; positive polarity is 0.
Primary predicate forms are marked for absolute tense:
mæ- present
di- past
Other predicate forms may be marked for relative tense or aspect:
0- stative (static)
0- aoristic (dynamic)
ta- progressive (dynamic)
Derivationals include:
go- autocausative
ncu- inchoative
rra- iterative
SYNTAX
Phrase constituents are linked by Index value and don’t have to be contiguous. Phrases containing no quantity predicates are singular (with exceptions that don’t apply here). Index values are redefined for each sentence (the beginning of a sentence is marked * in this text).
There are no clauses, but sentences can be subdivided by conjunctions.
Particles include:
bon epistemic necessity
dæl epistemic possibility
PRAGMATICS
When a phrase appears before it’s referred to, it will usually be definite; if it appears after, it will usually be indefinite. The focused part of a phrase, if any, will appear last.
——————————————————————————–
Predicates
ala Pron that/those, over there
bda Scal awake
cvæ Tran+ fear, afraid
do Pron (duration)
dro Tran+ sad
fha Tran wish
ili Rela in, inside
jvi Tran guide
kmi Tran control
kna Tran touch
l Quan (plural)
lgo Tran make, cause
lke Inhe road, path
m Rela (copula)
mba Inhe demon
mne Tran dream
ndi Inhe day
nnu Rela+ near
nta Tran see
pxi Scal fast
qlo Tran lack
qpæ Scal sick
rde Tran know (person, how)
rga Quan all, every
sco Scal dark
tmu Tran move (figurative only)
xfo Triv hide
xki Tran know (fact)
zho Exte sleep
Additional Notes
Mar01 is still under development, hence “Version 1”. There’s one bit of grammar in this translation that I may change, but I don’t expect the structure of the text to be affected otherwise. The orthography (and maybe even the phonology) may be replaced in future versions, but I’m generally pleased with the 2 weeks’ work.