From time to time, we’ll take a moment “out” to try some free translation. We will usually add some vocabulary, but only what is necessary for the text at hand.
Between the text in Láadan and the English translation, we’ll see a morpheme-by-morpheme analysis. If grammar-geekiness intimidates you, feel free to skip this part; however, those willing to take the “risk” will find that it sheds considerable light on how Láadan words and sentences are put together.
Vocabulary
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bol
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to be fleecy-clouded (of the sky)
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–de
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Suffix (Type-of-Sentence Word): said in narrative; said as a story
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hathal
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good (of a time)
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háya
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beautiful (of a time)
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hothal
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good (of a place)
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hóya
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beautiful (of a place)
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izh
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but
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leyi
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to be blue
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lith
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to think
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liyen
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to be green
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lula
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to be purple
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sháal
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day
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tháa
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to thrive; to be well
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thosh
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sky
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wo
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Evidence Word: imagined or invented by the speaker; hypothetical
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yod
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to eat
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Story
Hathal Sháal
Bíide hóya Halishóna wo.
Míi Méri i di, “Bíi háya sháal wi.”
¶
Bíide medathim Méri i Ána wo.
Laya bud, izh melaya ra thom; melula thom.
¶
Bíide di Méri wo, “Bíi óoha le wa,” izh óoha ra Ána.
Áana Méri.
¶
Bíide u áath wo.
Tháa i liyen hesh.
Leyi i bol thosh.
Mehéeya ra mid; di Ána, “Bíi meháya nezh wa.”
¶
Bíide yod Ána wo.
Methal bal i rana, izh thal ra thilhi.
¶
Bíide lith Ána wo, “Bíi hothal Halishóna wa.”
Morpheme-by-Morpheme Analysis
Láadan uses words and word-parts to build more complex words—like Tinker-Toys. To avoid any confusion in the following analysis, words that have their own meanings will begin with a capital letter (Word); words that are built of two or more “pieces” will be presented with each “piece” beginning with a capital (Word + Word). Words that are there to give context but don’t have their own translatable meaning will be presented in all-capital letters (WRD). Prefixes and suffixes will also be presented in all-capital letters (PREF + Word + Word + SUFF); notice that the context words, prefixes and suffixes may be abbreviated.
Free Translation
Day Being-Good-Time
California is beautiful. Mary is amazed and says, “The day is beautiful.”
Mary and Anna are needleworking; the clothing is red, but the pillows are not red; the pillows are purple.
Mary says, “I am weary,” but Anna is not tired. Mary sleeps.
The door is open. The grass is thriving and green. The sky is blue and fleecy-clouded. The animals are not afraid; Anna says, “You are beautiful.”
Anna eats. The bread and the beverage are good, but the fish has gone off and is not good.
Anna thinks, “California is good.”
Comments
This story is rather cartoonish, but what more can be expected with a limited vocabulary and only a few grammatical features to work with?
Note that the Type-of-Sentence Words need not be repeated in connected speech. Of course, the content of a new paragraph is not connected to that of the previous paragraph, so the Type-of-Sentence Word would be required again. Also, the text within a quotation is not connected to that outside the quotation, so the speaker would include a Type-of-Sentence Word.
Similarly, the Evidence Word need not be repeated within connected speech once it is established. The constraints regarding quotations and paragraph boundaries would also apply.
In this story we are introduced to the first of the Mood Suffixes. These will all modify the Type-of-Sentence Word; the sentence will still be a statement, question, and so on, but the purpose or emotional state behind the sentence is made specific. In this case "–de" signifies that what is being related is a story. And, in conjunction with the new Evidence Word "wo," it is clearly a made-up story.
Did you note the word “thilhi” in the second-to-last paragraph? We know the word “thili” (fish). Láadan makes it easy to adapt a word to incorporate a “pejorative” (negative) meaning on-the-fly. The sound “lh” is used in Láadan for nothing else, and can be added to the beginning, middle or end of any word to lend a temporary deprecatory meaning—so long as the addition doesn’t violate Láadan’s requirement that vowel sounds and consonant sounds within a word occur in strict alternation. In addition, if the word contains the sound “l,” that letter can be changed to “lh” (as was done to “thili” here). In either case, the change would not be included in any dictionary; it’s strictly temporary and carries the sense of distaste or disapproval of a particular occurrence of the thing—of the fish, in this case.
A somewhat different case involving “lh” is words whose meanings are inherently negative. These words will often include the sound “lh” as a core part of their makeup. This is not temporary and such words would be found in a dictionary.
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