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

A Collection of Texts in Tes

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.

Mygöf ṭʉs jʉf ṇun lʉm pyl was jʉf zaṇ ṣan ñaf doṣ höṇ bböwyṇ doṣ.

[ˈmyɡøf tˤʉs ˈjʉf ˈnˤun ˈlʉm ˈpyl ˈwas ˈjʉf ˈzanˤ ˈsˤan ˈɲaf ˈdosˤ ˈhønˤ ɓøˈwynˤ ˈdosˤ]

ˈmyɡ
have -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈjʉ
the -f
fem ˈnˤun
human being ˈlʉm
all ˈpyl
in ˈwas
surface ˈjʉ
the -f
fem ˈzanˤ
earth ˈsˤan
whole ˈɲaf
language ˈdosˤ
one ˈhønˤ
and ɓoˈwynˤ
dialect ˈdosˤ
one

“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.

Todifof ṭʉs si fyn chʉṣ jʉl ğoṇ.

[toˈdifof tˤʉs ˈsi ˈfyn ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ ˈjʉl ˈɣonˤ]

toˈdif
journey -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem ˈfyn
from ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ
inside ˈjʉ
the -l
masc ˈɣonˤ
east

“They journeyed from the east.”

 (2)
Höṇ tḥichof ṭʉs si fathʉ zʉṣ pyl chʉṣ ṭen.

[ˈhønˤ ˈθˤit͡ʃof tˤʉs ˈsi faˈθʉ ˈzʉsˤ ˈpyl ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ ˈtˤen]

ˈhønˤ
and ˈθˤit͡ʃ
find -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem faˈθʉ
plain ˈzʉsˤ
wide ˈpyl
in ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ
inside ˈtˤen
land

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

 (3)
Ğasiṇ maṇuẓof ṭʉs si ẓem.

[ɣaˈsinˤ maˈnˤuzˤof tˤʉs ˈsi ˈzˤem]

ɣaˈsinˤ
thus maˈnˤuzˤ
dwell -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem ˈzˤem
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

 (4)

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

Tḥegof ṭʉs si kawynṇʉtḥom gof jʉṣ höṇ kawyn nʉdḍom gof jʉṣ ṭanas.

[ˈθˤeɡof tˤʉs ˈsi kaˈwynnˤʉθˤom ɡof ˈjʉsˤ ˈhønˤ kaˈwyn ˈnʉɗˤom ɡof ˈjʉsˤ tˤaˈnas]

ˈθˤeɡ
say -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem kaˈwyn
brick -nˤʉθˤ
make -om
COMP ɡof
imperative ˈjʉsˤ
1incl ˈhønˤ
and kaˈwyn
brick ˈnʉɗˤ
burn -om
COMP ɡof
imperative ˈjʉsˤ
1incl tˤaˈnas
thoroughly

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

 (5)

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

Mygöf ṭʉs si kawyn ḍethös thos.

[ˈmyɡøf tˤʉs ˈsi kaˈwyn dˤeˈθøs ˈθos]

ˈmyɡ
have -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem kaˈwyn
brick dˤeˈθøs
PURP ˈθos
stone

“They had bricks for stone.”

 (6)
Höṇ mygöf ṭʉs si gkino ḍethös chʉzhef.

[ˈhønˤ ˈmyɡøf tˤʉs ˈsi kʼiˈno dˤeˈθøs t͡ʃʉˈʒef]

ˈhønˤ
and ˈmyɡ
have -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem kʼiˈno
slime dˤeˈθøs
PURP t͡ʃʉˈʒef
mortar

“And they had slime for mortar.”

 (7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

Ṭoḍebbof ṇan jʉṣ ṇun ly.

[tˤoˈdˤeɓof nˤan ˈjʉsˤ ˈnˤun ˈly]

tˤoˈdˤeɓ
resemble -of
not.COMP nˤan
NEG ˈjʉsˤ
1incl ˈnˤun
human being ˈly
other

“We do not resemble other humans.”

 (8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

Ğadḍijof ṭʉs ṭu höṇ dʉ jʉl ñaf si.

[ɣaˈɗˤijof tˤʉs ˈtˤu ˈhønˤ ˈdʉ ˈjʉl ˈɲaf ˈsi]

ɣaˈɗˤij
shape -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈtˤu
fight ˈhønˤ
and ˈdʉ
time ˈjʉ
the -l
masc ˈɲaf
language ˈsi
3.fem

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

 (9)

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

Dḍʉṣofof ṭʉs si jʉl tif tḥabam höṇ faf.

[ɗˤʉˈsˤofof tˤʉs ˈsi ˈjʉl ˈtif θˤaˈbam ˈhønˤ ˈfaf]

ɗˤʉˈsˤof
copy -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈsi
3.fem ˈjʉ
the -l
masc ˈtif
sound θˤaˈbam
mammal ˈhønˤ
and ˈfaf
bird

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

 (10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Ṇʉṣ chogegkof ṭʉs jʉf ṭeṣ, bbyṣ khathof jʉl ñaf jʉṣ, pyl chʉṣ zes bun.

[ˈnˤʉsˤ t͡ʃoˈɡekʼof tˤʉs ˈjʉf ˈtˤesˤ, ˈɓysˤ ˈxaθof ˈjʉl ˈɲaf ˈjʉsˤ, ˈpyl ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ ˈzes ˈbun]

ˈnˤʉsˤ
but t͡ʃoˈɡekʼ
arise -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈjʉ
the -f
fem ˈtˤesˤ
langname ˈɓysˤ
RELPRON ˈxaθ
be -of
not.COMP ˈjʉ
the -l
masc ˈɲaf
language ˈjʉsˤ
1incl ˈpyl
in ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ
inside ˈzes
manner ˈbun
different

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

 (11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Thakhabof ṭʉs tḥys ṣan höṇ hanöl pyl chʉṣ zhagken nʉs

[θaˈxabof tˤʉs ˈθˤys ˈsˤan ˈhønˤ haˈnøl ˈpyl ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ ʒaˈkʼen ˈnʉs]

θaˈxab
appear -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈθˤys
3.masc ˈsˤan
whole ˈhønˤ
and haˈnøl
perfect ˈpyl
in ˈt͡ʃʉsˤ
inside ʒaˈkʼen
breath ˈnʉs
single

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

 (12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

Shizuddof ṭʉs ṇan jʉl ñaf jʉṣ.

[ʃiˈzuɗof tˤʉs nˤan ˈjʉl ˈɲaf ˈjʉsˤ]

ʃiˈzuɗ
evolve -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST nˤan
NEG ˈjʉ
the -l
masc ˈɲaf
language ˈjʉsˤ
1incl

“Our language did not evolve.”

 (13)
Vithökhöf ṭʉs tḥys.

[viˈθøxøf tˤʉs ˈθˤys]

viˈθøx
create -of
not.COMP tˤʉs
PAST ˈθˤys
3.masc

“It was created.”

 (14)

Language creation took 0.05 seconds; writing the texts 0.04 seconds.

Show texts normally.