The Language Creator
– from linguistic questionnaire to grammar, lexicon and texts.

A Collection of Texts in Nyar

What follows is a collection of texts intended to illustrate the language in more natural and extended use than the glossed examples found in the grammar.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9)

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Fau kaj paachan ñaungety watyan waar kydan my wyk katyech ken wyk señẽẽbech.

[fau kaj paːt͡ʃan ɲauŋət͡ɕ ʋat͡ɕan ʋaːɾ kɨdan mɨ ʋɨk kat͡ɕət͡ʃ kən ʋɨk səɲə̃ːbət͡ʃ]

fau
have kaj
PAST paːt͡ʃ
human being -an
def ɲauŋ
all -ət͡ɕ
plur ʋat͡ɕ
earth -an
def ʋaːɾ
whole kɨd
surface -an
def mɨ
in ʋɨk
one kat͡ɕ
language -ət͡ʃ
not.def kən
and ʋɨk
one səɲə̃ːb
dialect -ət͡ʃ
not.def

“All humans in the whole earth had one language and one dialect.”

 (1)

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

Ñefach kaj weer meshan daatyan ŭek.

[ɲəfat͡ʃ kaj ʋəːɾ məʃan daːt͡ɕan ɰək]

ɲəfat͡ʃ
journey kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur məʃ
east -an
def daːt͡ɕ
inside -an
def ɰək
from

“They journeyed from the east.”

 (2)
Ken cheeb kaj weer chageedech rẽch wynech daatyan my.

[kən t͡ʃəːb kaj ʋəːɾ t͡ʃaɡəːdət͡ʃ ɾə̃t͡ʃ ʋɨnət͡ʃ daːt͡ɕan mɨ]

kən
and t͡ʃəːb
find kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur t͡ʃaɡəːd
plain -ət͡ʃ
not.def ɾə̃t͡ʃ
wide ʋɨn
land -ət͡ʃ
not.def daːt͡ɕ
inside -an
def mɨ
in

“And they found a wide plain in the a land.”

 (3)
Nywag pywauñ kaj weer ŭash.

[nɨʋaɡ pɨʋauɲ kaj ʋəːɾ ɰaʃ]

nɨʋaɡ
thus pɨʋauɲ
dwell kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur ɰaʃ
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

 (4)

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.

Rat kaj weer wẽr chaang sash dysyfechej pefas ken wẽr taach sash dysyfechej pefas wetyaun.

[ɾat kaj ʋəːɾ ʋə̃ɾ t͡ʃaːŋ saʃ dɨsɨfət͡ʃəj pəfas kən ʋə̃ɾ taːt͡ʃ saʃ dɨsɨfət͡ʃəj pəfas ʋət͡ɕaun]

ɾat
say kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur ʋə̃
1incl.plur -ɾ
plur t͡ʃaːŋ
make saʃ
imperative dɨsɨf
brick -ət͡ʃ
not.def -əj
ACC pəfas
COMP kən
and ʋə̃
1incl.plur -ɾ
plur taːt͡ʃ
burn saʃ
imperative dɨsɨf
brick -ət͡ʃ
not.def -əj
ACC pəfas
COMP ʋət͡ɕaun
thoroughly

“They said: Let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.”

 (5)

And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Fau kaj weer dysyfech syyñech sytyẽg.

[fau kaj ʋəːɾ dɨsɨfət͡ʃ sɨːɲət͡ʃ sɨt͡ɕə̃ɡ]

fau
have kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur dɨsɨf
brick -ət͡ʃ
not.def sɨːɲ
stone -ət͡ʃ
not.def sɨt͡ɕə̃ɡ
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

 (6)
Ken fau kaj weer gatamech rabaichech sytyẽg.

[kən fau kaj ʋəːɾ ɡatamət͡ʃ ɾabait͡ʃət͡ʃ sɨt͡ɕə̃ɡ]

kən
and fau
have kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur ɡatam
slime -ət͡ʃ
not.def ɾabait͡ʃ
mortar -ət͡ʃ
not.def sɨt͡ɕə̃ɡ
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

 (7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

Nybyp jad wẽr paachech haety.

[nɨbɨp jad ʋə̃ɾ paːt͡ʃət͡ʃ haət͡ɕ]

nɨbɨp
resemble jad
NEG ʋə̃
1incl.plur -ɾ
plur paːt͡ʃ
human being -ət͡ʃ
not.def ha
other -ət͡ɕ
plur

“We do not resemble other humans.”

 (8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

Fafang kaj reemech ken fypech weer katyan mes.

[fafaŋ kaj ɾəːmət͡ʃ kən fɨpət͡ʃ ʋəːɾ kat͡ɕan məs]

fafaŋ
shape kaj
PAST ɾəːm
fight -ət͡ʃ
not.def kən
and fɨp
time -ət͡ʃ
not.def ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur kat͡ɕ
language -an
def məs
3.plur.cl.4.POSS

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

 (9)

They copied the sounds of beasts and birds, and they learned to speak like that.

Nychyj kaj weer chetyakech ken pẽchech cheban gam.

[nɨt͡ʃɨj kaj ʋəːɾ t͡ʃət͡ɕakət͡ʃ kən pə̃t͡ʃət͡ʃ t͡ʃəban ɡam]

nɨt͡ʃɨj
copy kaj
PAST ʋəː
3.plur.cl.4 -ɾ
plur t͡ʃət͡ɕak
mammal -ət͡ʃ
not.def kən
and pə̃t͡ʃ
bird -ət͡ʃ
not.def t͡ʃəb
sound -an
def ɡam
3.plur.cl.2.POSS

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

 (10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Tait nynga kaj kẽr katyan kag pefas ñaran kẽẽgech faib daatyan my.

[tait nɨŋa kaj kə̃ɾ kat͡ɕan kaɡ pəfas ɲaɾan kə̃ːɡət͡ʃ faib daːt͡ɕan mɨ]

tait
but nɨŋa
arise kaj
PAST kə̃ɾ
be kat͡ɕ
language -an
def kaɡ
1incl.plur.POSS pəfas
COMP ɲaɾ
langname -an
def kə̃ːɡ
manner -ət͡ʃ
not.def faib
different daːt͡ɕ
inside -an
def mɨ
in

“But Nyar, which is our language, arose in a different way.”

 (11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Dedem kaj nek waar ken jeñyj ngybaifech tat daatyan my

[dədəm kaj nək ʋaːɾ kən jəɲɨj ŋɨbaifət͡ʃ tat daːt͡ɕan mɨ]

dədəm
appear kaj
PAST nə
3.sing.cl.1 -k
sing ʋaːɾ
whole kən
and jəɲɨj
perfect ŋɨbaif
breath -ət͡ʃ
not.def tat
single daːt͡ɕ
inside -an
def mɨ
in

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

 (12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

Jatyang kaj jad katyan kag.

[jat͡ɕaŋ kaj jad kat͡ɕan kaɡ]

jat͡ɕaŋ
evolve kaj
PAST jad
NEG kat͡ɕ
language -an
def kaɡ
1incl.plur.POSS

“Our language did not evolve.”

 (13)
Ngyshyg kaj nek.

[ŋɨʃɨɡ kaj nək]

ŋɨʃɨɡ
create kaj
PAST nə
3.sing.cl.1 -k
sing

“It was created.”

 (14)

Language creation took 0.02 seconds; writing the texts 0.03 seconds.

Show texts normally.