Orivu 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1-9. Those of you who read the Bible--or are fellow conlangers--know that those verses tell the story of the Tower of Babel. For those of you who don't, it goes like this:

In the beginning, all of humankind spoke the same language. That way, things got done a whole lot easier. But then, a group of people from the East, while travelling, finds a plain in the land of Shinar ("Synear" in the version I translated; "Zhynaar" in Rijan), and the people think, "What a perfect place to build a tower! Its top will reach up to the heavens." And so they start to build. Well, God sees this, and he doesn't like his creations' cockiness one bit. So he decides he's going to mix up the languages spoken by the people and scatter them across the earth.

I translated the Tyndale version (published in 1536), because--and don't ask me why, because I have no earthly idea--I can't stand using King James.

1. Inde teld za gi evovia nach aan linkwa.
2. Inde kuan senn'li vineni nach za eztra, vizieni a tyrala uan za tyrra nach Zhinaar inde kuudu vifani.
3. Inde a'seen zavalani: vinek*, vol'khazrazezar ynaat inde zu vol'pyrezar cin fyyra. Raai ynaat evoviu senn petru inde yll evovia senn valka.
4. Inde zavalani: vinek, vol'ojasazar u lugahu inde u tuurenu nin za ekra vol'lokareva kur za ezakkra. Inde vol'khazrazezar a'nuz a naam, evek vol'evozar djazhmavda atz luda teld za gi.
5. Inde zu Diev vineviu dejaa par viziem zu lugahu inde zu tuurenu nin zai filyrra nach Adam par'ojasani.
6. Inde zu Diev zavalaviu: viziek, zai rijani evon aan inde tenen aan linkwa nach senn teld. Inde istu inihani shazom, inde necht'vol'arren nach teld nin elekkeni shazom.
7. Vinek, vol'dejpuurozar inde meklazar senn linkwa, eki aan necht'khazharuzovu nin u'ni zavalavu.
8. Raai zu Diev a'senn djuzhmaviu nach kuudu uan teld za gi. Inde senn'li arren ojasazhka zu lugahu.
9. Raai zu na'evu Babel avair'zu Diev kuudu meklaviu za linkwa nach teld za gi. Inde avair'zu Diev nach kuudu a'senn djazhmaviu atz uan teld za gi.

The Middle English version goes as follows:

1. And all the world was of one tonge and one language.
2. And as they came from the east they founde a playne in the lande of Synear and there they dwelled.
3. And they sayd one to a nother: come on let us make brycke ad burne it wyth fyre. So brycke was there stone and slyme was there morter
4. And they sayd: Come on let vs buylde vs a cyte and a toure that the toppe may reach vnto heauen. And let vs make us a name for perauenture we shall be scatered abrode over all the erth.
5. And the LORde came downe to see the cyte and the toure which the childern of Ada had buylded.
6. And the LORde sayd: See the people is one and haue one tonge amonge them all. And thys haue they begon to do and wyll not leaue of from all that they haue purposed to do.
7. Come on let vs descende and myngell theire tonge even there that one vnderstonde not what a nother sayeth.
8. Thus ye LORde skatered them from thence vppon all the erth. And they left of to buylde the cyte.
9. Wherfore the name of it is called Babell because that the LORDE there confounded the tonge of all the world. And because that the LORde from thence skatered them abrode vppon all the erth.

Source: www.omniglot.com

Titles

We all have titles. Whether it be President, Doctor, King, or just Father, Mother, or Daughter, we're something to someone else. In English, titles come before a person's name, like "President Barack Obama" or "King George III." But in Rijan, the title comes after the name. Observe:

Barack Obama Manazhu     "President Barack Obama"
Morne Patryyn                  "Godfather Death"

Familial terms count as titles as well. As an example, let's set up a family situation here. If my name were Richard, and my father's name were John, my mother's Constance; and if I had an elder brother named Pat, a younger one named Connor, and a twin sister named Ruth, the way I would describe my family would be like this:

Evoz Richard.
I am Richard.

Malya evovu John Paterru.
He is John, my father.

Damya evova Constance Materra.
She is Constance, my mother.

Istu rijan evovu Pat Su'vraterru.
This man is Pat, my elder brother*.

Isu evovu Connor Ju'vraterru.
This is Connor, my younger brother.

Ista juva evova Ruth Vraterra.
This girl is Ruth, my sister.

Uan za optyl nach myya patru, evoz Richard Filyrru.
To my da, I am his son Richard.




Titles in Rijan can get pretty complex and long-winded.

George Manarakku'Treiju nach Ainglizhja     means "King George III of England."

...which isn't very long, but it can get like this:

Zhoshanath Manarakka nach zai Nevaki inde za Filyrra nach Zhaemas

which means...

Queen Susannah of the Nevaki** and Daughter of James.

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*Su' and Ju' are prefixes meaning "elder" and "younger," respectively. They can be left off, but are helpful when describing the relative age of an individual. Materra, Paterru, Vraterru and Vraterra can also be shortened to Matra, Patru, Vratru, and Vratra.

**The Nevaki are an ethnic group residing on the fictional continent of Rijavvid, for which I constructed the language. I suppose I'll have to cover Rijan geography, politics, culture, and religion in later entries.

Anziitu!

Sorry I haven't posted in a week. School started for me on Monday, and between AP classes, club business, driving lessons and a new job, I haven't quite been able to make time to post. (Well, that's not entirely true, but I'm utilizing the spare time I do have to meditate and catch up on sleep so my stress levels don't leave me with ulcers.)

GERUNDS

For those who are not familiar with the term, a gerund (in terms of the English language) is a verb with the ending -ing, used as a noun.

For example:

Plants make their own food by taking energy from sunlight and other sources and converting it into sugar.

Mary finds reading to be an enjoyable activity.

Now, let's take that second sentence about Mary, and translate it into Rijan.

Amaret penseva nin liezhka evovu* a shaaza imfita.

[lit. Mary thinks that reading is an activity enjoyable.]

*Gerunds in Rijan are ALWAYS masculine.

A Rijan verb is turned into a gerund by dropping the -m from the infinitive form and adding -zhka.

Avlazhka--Talking

Comozhka--Eating

Viziezhka--Seeing

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The -zhka ending is also used when talking about "this, not that." Rijan doesn't have a stand-alone word for not; a sentence is made negative by adding the prefix necht' to a conjugated verb. So, we have to rework the grammar to say "this, not being that."

For example:

Life is the future, not the past.

The verb being used is "to be." So the Rijan translation is, as is shown in my post about the Wizard's Rules:

Vikaza evova za batuula, necht'evozhka zu pazaad.

[Life is the future, not being the past.]

The verb doesn't necessarily have to be "to be," however:

Mary likes dogs, not cats.

Amaret imfitova hundai, necht'imfitozhka elyykai.

[Mary likes dogs, not liking cats.]