Back to Table of Contents
Previous Lesson Next Lesson
Printable (pdf) version of this lesson

Lesson 13: Auxiliaries

Vocabulary


	ril		Auxiliary: present
	eril		Auxiliary: past
	aril		Auxiliary: future
	eríli		Auxiliary: far past
	aríli		Auxiliary: far future
	rilrili		Auxiliary: hypothetical
	wil		Auxiliary: optative mood (desire): “would that...,” “let there be...”

Additional Vocabulary


	mazh		car; automobile
	sha		harmony
	then		to break

“Wil sha” is the standard greeting in Láadan; it means “Let there be harmony.”

“Aril” (later) is the standard Láadan leave-taking.

Time Auxiliaries

[(Auxiliary) Verb (Neg) CP–S (CP–O)]

When you need to indicate time in a sentence, put an auxiliary immediately before the verb. Auxiliaries never change their shape in any way, even if the verb itself is made plural.

Absent any auxiliary, present time is assumed. Subsequent to the occurrence of an auxiliary, in connected sentences, that time is assumed until another auxiliary occurs.

Examples


	Bíi hal ne wa.		You work (implied present-time).
	Bíi ril hal ne wa.		You work now (explicit present-time).
	Bíi eril hal ne wa.		You worked.
	Bíi aril hal ne wa.		You will work.
	Bíi eríli hal ne wa.		Long ago, you worked.
	Bíi aríli hal ne wa.		In the far future, you will work. Some day, you will work.
	Bíi rilrili hal ne wa.		Let’s suppose you worked.... What if you worked.... You might work....
	Bíi wil hal ne wa.		Would that you worked.... If only you would work.... I wish you would work....
	Wil hal.		Let there be work.

Exercises

Translate the following into English.


1	Bíi aríli balin wodo wohábedá wi.
2	Báa eril thal bal?
3	Bíi aril doth woliyen womazh babíth wa.
4	Bíi eríli di omá wáa, “Bíi menéde len shon wa.”
5	Bíi rilrili áana ra Máthu wo.
6	Wil amedara.

Set the following in the tense indicated; translate into English before and after.


7	Bíi aril memahina dala wa.	past
8	Bíi eril mema hena lometh wa.	optative
9	Bíi rilrili dóhu rul dimeth wo.	far future
10	Bíi héeya thili wo.	hypothetical
11	Báa aril mehan ben bebáath?	far past
12	Bíi mehoób omid wa.	future

Notice, in #7: just as Láadan allows you to use a verb as a noun, you can also use a noun as a verb. This process is just as simple as the reverse. Simply apply the appropriate verb affixes (even the lack of an affix for a singular verb) to the noun and use it in the verb’s position in the sentence.

Also in #7, you see the Evidence Morpheme “wa” (meaning “according to my own perception”) used for a future event. In most cases, a human speaker cannot have perceived what will happen in the future; in such a case “wa” would be understood to mean “according to my expectation;” expectation is a perception, albeit an internal one.

We’ve already seen “dórahu” (to close), so of course you had no difficulty translating the word “dóhu” in #9. The verb “u” means “to be open;” “dó–” means “cause to.” So “dóhu” would mean “cause to be open” or “to open.”

Notice, in #11: the verb “an” (to know) can only be used regarding people, so “bebáath” here must refer to “whom,” never “what.”

Translate the following into Láadan.


13	He ate fruit, long ago.
14	The pigs will be tired.
15	What would a red stone teach?
16	The baby was beautiful; the woman is beautiful; the old woman will be beautiful.
17	What if the amazed aunt were laughing?
18	Let there be stillness!

Notice, in #6 and #18: In speech and informal writing, a heartfelt wish or, especially, a greeting may appear without Speech Act Morpheme or Evidence Morpheme. This is perfectly acceptable because no one is going to be confused about the meaning.

top

Answers


1	On some distant day the strong farmer will be old (obviously).
2	Was the bread good?
3	The green car will follow the bird.
4	Long ago, a teacher said, “We want peace.”
5	Suppose Matthew is not asleep (hypothetically).
6	Let there be dancing.

7	The plants will flower.
	Bíi eril memahina dala wa.
	The plants flowered.
8	The birth-siblings listened to the song.
	Bíi wil mema hena lometh wa.
	O that the birth-siblings might listen to the song.
9	The cat may open the container.
	Bíi aríli dóhu rul dimeth wa.
	The cat will, on some distant day, open the container.
10	The fish is frightened.
	Bíi rilrili héeya thili wo.
	Suppose the fish be frightened.
11	Whom will they (many) know?
	Báa eríli mehan ben bebáath?
	Whom did they (many) know, long ago?
12	The horses jump.
	Bíi aril mehoób omid wa.
	The horses will jump.

13	Bíi eríli yod behid yuth wa.
14	Bíi aril mehóoha muda wa.
15	Báa rilrili om wolaya wohud bebáath?
16	Bíi eril áya áwith; ril áya with; aril áya wobalin wowith wa.
17	Báa rilrili ada womíi woberídan?
18	Wil wam!

top