[Critique Me] State of the Language
I'm going to write some random sentences to test/exemplify the expressive range of my conlang. This is mostly for documentation's sake and for my own reference, though you're invited to give impressions/opinions/criticism. Lay readers please ignore the middle two lines of each example. Also, I will forgo giving pronunciation info here...it's messy...
(1) What I've developed recently, like within the past couple of days:
Kanhaimihya rhondere zhaimirhao.
k-anha-i-mihya rhonde-re zhai-mirhao
WK-PST-FACT-sleep dog-ERG is.like-cat
"The dog slept in the manner of a cat."
Zeberhag thare ailailotar mirhaotshosi.
ze-berhag tha-re ail~ailotar mirhao-tsh-osi
NEG-grok 1sg-ERG STAT~purple cat-COLL-ACC
"I don't grok (/ really understand the idea behind) purpled cats (i.e. cats who are involuntarily purple, probably by being dyed)."
Ailailotar mirhaotshosi zeberhag thare.
ail~ailotar mirhao-tsh-osi ze-berhag tha-re
STAT~purple cat-COLL-ACC NEG-grok 1sg-ERG
"Now, purpled cats I don't grok." (purpled cats are more prominent/newsworthy, at the front of the sentence)
It Ki mirhao.
it-0 Ki mirhao
FACT-COP Ki cat
"Ki is a cat." (Ki = saizai's cat)
Mazhaimirhao Saizaire.
ma-zhai-mirhao saizai-re
IME-is.like-cat saizai-ERG
"saizai is like a cat (I know from firsthand experience)."
Matarhezhaimirhao Saizaire.
mat-arhe-zhai-mirhao saizai-re
IME-purr-is.like-cat saizai-ERG
"saizai purrs like a cat (I know from firsthand experience)."
(2) What I developed earlier last week, and in September/October (some of it is outdated):
Hyaihyashto rhondesi barare kedhisi hyanhihyashto mirhaore.
hyai-hyashto rhonde-si bara-re kedhi-si hy-anh-i-hyashto mirhao-re
RUM-bite dog-ACC man-ERG who-ACC YR-PST-FACT-bite cat-ERG
“As I hear, the man, who the cat bit a while back, bites the dog.”
Sesezhdi rhondethare mirhaodzasi lho tsa.
se~sezhdi rhonde-th-are mirhao-dza-si lho tsa
STAT~chase dog-DU-ERG cat-PL-ACC CLF five
“Two dogs are chasing five cats.”
Do hyaitaitairosh do hyaimimiren mirhaore.
do hyai-tai~tairosh do hyai-mi~miren mirhao-re
and RUM-STAT~brown and RUM-STAT~white cat-ERG
"I hear the cat is brown and white."
Makanhahyashto rhondere do kaitasi do mirhaosi.
ma-k-anha-hyashto rhonde-re do kaita-si do mirhao-si
IME-WK-PST-bite dog-ERG and person-ERG and cat-ACC
"I witnessed a dog bite a person and a cat."
Pranhidhiome tarhonde mirhaosi kedhire nhanhade.
pr-anh-i-dhiome ta-rhonde-re mirhao-si kedhi-re nha~nhade
HUM-PST-FACT-bite LKLY-dog-ERG cat-ACC who-ERG STAT~black
"Something, likely a dog, pwned a black cat a while ago."
Kiostasezhd rhondere kedhire do nhanhade do mimiren mirhaosi kedhire mimiren.
k-ios-ta-sezhd rhonde-re kedhi-re do nha~nhade do mi~miren mirhao-si kedhi-re mi~miren
WK-FUT-LKLY-chase dog-ERG who-ERG and STAT~black and STAT~white cat-ACC who-ERG STAT~white
"It's likely that a black and white dog will chase a white cat."
Astethasi kanhahyaishtoma nhaore!
aste-th-asi k-anha-hyai-shtoma nhao-re
woman-DU-ACC WK-PST-RUM-score.with 2sg-ERG
"I heard you scored with *two* women last night!"
Narodhiome mirhaore rhondesi.
naro-dhiome mirhao-re rhonde-si
NAL-pwn cat-COLL-ERG dog-COLL-ACC
"In my informed layman's opinion, cats pwn dogs."
Zeberhag thare mirhaodzasi kedhisi ailailotar.
ze-berhag tha-re mirhao-dza-si kedhi-si ail~ailotar
NEG-grok 1sg-ERG cat-PL-ACC who-ACC STAT~purple
"I don't grok purpled cats." (i.e., I don't understand the idea behind dyeing one's cats purple) (yeah, this is a repeat, but slightly different.
Pranhamat Ben aste kia bara.
pr-anha-mat ben aste kia bara
HUM-PST-IME-0 Ben woman and.then man
"(I know firsthand that) Ben was a woman and then a man (is a transman)." (BTW, this Ben is Dr. Ben Barres, who is open about his sex change and actually uses it to great effect -- he was in the news over the summer.)
[This is awkward because it sounds like the whole thing is in the past tense, like Ben is deceased or something.]
(1) What I've developed recently, like within the past couple of days:
Kanhaimihya rhondere zhaimirhao.
k-anha-i-mihya rhonde-re zhai-mirhao
WK-PST-FACT-sleep dog-ERG is.like-cat
"The dog slept in the manner of a cat."
Zeberhag thare ailailotar mirhaotshosi.
ze-berhag tha-re ail~ailotar mirhao-tsh-osi
NEG-grok 1sg-ERG STAT~purple cat-COLL-ACC
"I don't grok (/ really understand the idea behind) purpled cats (i.e. cats who are involuntarily purple, probably by being dyed)."
Ailailotar mirhaotshosi zeberhag thare.
ail~ailotar mirhao-tsh-osi ze-berhag tha-re
STAT~purple cat-COLL-ACC NEG-grok 1sg-ERG
"Now, purpled cats I don't grok." (purpled cats are more prominent/newsworthy, at the front of the sentence)
It Ki mirhao.
it-0 Ki mirhao
FACT-COP Ki cat
"Ki is a cat." (Ki = saizai's cat)
Mazhaimirhao Saizaire.
ma-zhai-mirhao saizai-re
IME-is.like-cat saizai-ERG
"saizai is like a cat (I know from firsthand experience)."
Matarhezhaimirhao Saizaire.
mat-arhe-zhai-mirhao saizai-re
IME-purr-is.like-cat saizai-ERG
"saizai purrs like a cat (I know from firsthand experience)."
(2) What I developed earlier last week, and in September/October (some of it is outdated):
Hyaihyashto rhondesi barare kedhisi hyanhihyashto mirhaore.
hyai-hyashto rhonde-si bara-re kedhi-si hy-anh-i-hyashto mirhao-re
RUM-bite dog-ACC man-ERG who-ACC YR-PST-FACT-bite cat-ERG
“As I hear, the man, who the cat bit a while back, bites the dog.”
Sesezhdi rhondethare mirhaodzasi lho tsa.
se~sezhdi rhonde-th-are mirhao-dza-si lho tsa
STAT~chase dog-DU-ERG cat-PL-ACC CLF five
“Two dogs are chasing five cats.”
Do hyaitaitairosh do hyaimimiren mirhaore.
do hyai-tai~tairosh do hyai-mi~miren mirhao-re
and RUM-STAT~brown and RUM-STAT~white cat-ERG
"I hear the cat is brown and white."
Makanhahyashto rhondere do kaitasi do mirhaosi.
ma-k-anha-hyashto rhonde-re do kaita-si do mirhao-si
IME-WK-PST-bite dog-ERG and person-ERG and cat-ACC
"I witnessed a dog bite a person and a cat."
Pranhidhiome tarhonde mirhaosi kedhire nhanhade.
pr-anh-i-dhiome ta-rhonde-re mirhao-si kedhi-re nha~nhade
HUM-PST-FACT-bite LKLY-dog-ERG cat-ACC who-ERG STAT~black
"Something, likely a dog, pwned a black cat a while ago."
Kiostasezhd rhondere kedhire do nhanhade do mimiren mirhaosi kedhire mimiren.
k-ios-ta-sezhd rhonde-re kedhi-re do nha~nhade do mi~miren mirhao-si kedhi-re mi~miren
WK-FUT-LKLY-chase dog-ERG who-ERG and STAT~black and STAT~white cat-ACC who-ERG STAT~white
"It's likely that a black and white dog will chase a white cat."
Astethasi kanhahyaishtoma nhaore!
aste-th-asi k-anha-hyai-shtoma nhao-re
woman-DU-ACC WK-PST-RUM-score.with 2sg-ERG
"I heard you scored with *two* women last night!"
Narodhiome mirhaore rhondesi.
naro-dhiome mirhao-re rhonde-si
NAL-pwn cat-COLL-ERG dog-COLL-ACC
"In my informed layman's opinion, cats pwn dogs."
Zeberhag thare mirhaodzasi kedhisi ailailotar.
ze-berhag tha-re mirhao-dza-si kedhi-si ail~ailotar
NEG-grok 1sg-ERG cat-PL-ACC who-ACC STAT~purple
"I don't grok purpled cats." (i.e., I don't understand the idea behind dyeing one's cats purple) (yeah, this is a repeat, but slightly different.
Pranhamat Ben aste kia bara.
pr-anha-mat ben aste kia bara
HUM-PST-IME-0 Ben woman and.then man
"(I know firsthand that) Ben was a woman and then a man (is a transman)." (BTW, this Ben is Dr. Ben Barres, who is open about his sex change and actually uses it to great effect -- he was in the news over the summer.)
[This is awkward because it sounds like the whole thing is in the past tense, like Ben is deceased or something.]