An Overview of Magwābon
Author: Madeline Barnicle
MS Date: 11-28-2017
FL Date: 05-01-2018
FL Number: FL-000050-00
Citation: Barnicle, Madeline. 2018. «An Overview of
Magwābon.» FL-000050-00, Fiat Lingua,
Copyright: © 2018 Madeline Barnicle. This work is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Fiat Lingua is produced and maintained by the Language Creation Society (LCS). For more information
about the LCS, visit http://www.conlang.org/
From age 5 through 13, I was every so often pulled out of the classroom to go to articulation therapy.
The speech specialists would help me work on pronouncing letters, going over drills so “church” didn’t
turn into “sauce” and trailing “R”s didn’t sound too British. It took a long time, but I was eventually
able to work through my difficulties in pronunciation and complete this goal from the special education
system.
Inauspicious beginnings for what would turn into the inspiration for my conlang, Magwābon! But
through it all, I still had a love of language and what it could do; writing stories, singing songs, and
playing games with words.
The roots for what would become Magwābon started one day in high school when I was bored after a
standardized test. I began scribbling down a constructed alphabet, with sounds representing those in
English, minus the ones I didn’t like—that is, ones I’d had trouble pronouncing in English earlier.
w y E k d O pa o m vA b i U n feu g h
W Y
/w/
/j/
Ē
/i:/
K D Ō
P A O M V Ā B I
Ū N F
E U G H
/k/
/d/
/oʊ/
/p/
/æ/
/ɔː/
/m/
/v/
/eɪ/
/b/
/ɪ/
/u:/ /n/
/f/
/ɛ/
/g/
/h/
/ʌ/,
/ə/
As you may guess, it was heavily influenced by English pronunciation in other ways too, particularly
the vowel transliteration. I distinguished between “long vowels” and “short vowels” in the way that
native English speakers without linguistics training might (although I can’t remember if I went with
macrons then or something else). However, I didn’t have a “long I,” which I think was in part
influenced by Spanish pronunciation (you can write the sound /aɪ/ as aē, even if it should be more
properly oē perhaps?) and in part due to not wanting to deal with both diacritics and a dot above the I!
Priorities.
(W and Y come first, taking pride of place in part because they replace the unpronounceable R and its
neighbor, the not-quite-as-dreadful L.)
So that was that. I didn’t have the motivation to make a full conlang, so I just put the script into a
drawer somewhere.
My first conlang attempt (and I don’t know what order this happened in relative to the script, sorry) I
believe was an ambitious attempt to translate one of my short stories, so I just began at the beginning,
working word for word and coining new (a priori) terms as I made them. I think I only got about a
sentence or so in.
My second, however, was not quite as short-lived, and laid some grammatical groundwork for
Magwābon. It was a Romance, a posteriori language (although I probably wouldn’t have called it that),
and consisted of a series of test sentences, the first of which was “Dormgi vu ulu cam.” That translates
as “I sleep on the bed,” where “dorm” is the root word for sleep, and “gi” is the first-person singular
ending!
Yes, I was fascinated by the Spanish feature of being “null-subject.” If the verb conjugation indicates
the subject: “duermo”=“I sleep,” you don’t need to indicate a subject in front of the verb. “Yo
duermo”=“I sleep”; grammatical, but unnecessary.
So my language would go farther, and get rid of subjects completely (it would all be indicated in the
verb suffix!) unless narratively necessary to indicate who’s performing the action. In the case of a third-
person agent who has yet to be named, however, that individual would be relegated to the second
position in the sentence; Dorm… Bob ulu cam. (I forgot the verb ending for third person.) But now we
see that the language actually has VSO word order!
On the other hand, unlike Spanish and other Romance language, it doesn’t exhibit grammatical gender.
Why should a bed be feminine? It’s not la cama or el camo, but ulu cam; a neutral noun.
Already we see some of the features I’d be interested in playing with later; VSO order, agglutination
via conjugation suffixes, and no grammatical gender. But before I get to Magwābon itself, some
cultural detours.
The lack of grammatical gender goes much farther than noun classes; there’s no distinction between
“he” and “she,” etc. However, one of my early influences for Magwābon was a long-abandoned story
idea in which society was heavily divided along gender lines. According to the beliefs of that culture,
women took after the moon while men took after the sun. Since the moon tended to wax and wane
while the sun was constant, women were more given to extremes; thus, both sexes might be equal in
the long run, but obviously only a woman could reach the extremes of greatness necessary to be a tribal
leader, and so on. Well, eventually some men didn’t like this situation and rebelled, and…I couldn’t
figure out what would happen next, which is probably why this story never got off the ground.
Another, however, was a roleplaying game in which I simulated the political decisions of a quasi-
utopian country full of many nerdy allusions. I imagined the diverse peoples of this land spoke many
natural languages and dialects of English, and had a modern, 21st-century democracy with the ensuing
Parliamentary logjams and World Cup dramas. Eventually I plotted out maps of the major cities and
found to my annoyance that “islands” were forming off the coasts because I kept saving in increasingly
lossy, snowy JPG format!
So fast-forward to winter 2009, when I’m visiting home for a break and have some downtime. I dig out
the old alphabet and figure “what the hey, I can start building a language off of this.” I started with a
list of verb endings for various person and number combinations, to conjugate like the previous
romlang, then added a bunch more affixes and reprised the VSO word order. For a while I began
making themed lists of vocabulary like one might find in a textbook (transportation, numbers, colors),
but wanted to avoid small talk (“Hello,” “how are you,” “nice to meet you,”) for its own sake. Maybe
this culture didn’t put a premium on chitchat.
Soon I decided that this culture would be based on the one I’d discarded from the story; men worshiped
the sun, women worshiped the moon, a few hardcore devotees worshiped the stars. In the olden days,
men formed a somewhat-democratic city council, under the thumb of the woman mayor-for-life. This
let me coin words relating to astronomy, often dovetailing with gender.
I’ve worked on it on and off over the years, often taking many months off at a time only to pick up and
resume in the future. Later on, I decided that the language’s associated culture would in fact be off the
coast of the “mainland” of the country I’d already developed. This gave me a good reason to coin
present-day vocabulary alongside that of ancient times, from kedgōbum (soccer) to kekbep (train line).
I realized along the way that the English-like pronunciation is a little thornier than I anticipated; there
are some irregular spellings due to diphthongs beyond the aē (mostly predictable), and the ng for /ŋ/
issue. I’ve decided to mostly just accept that; the phonology isn’t my biggest interest at the moment.
While I wouldn’t say it was my conscious goal at the start, every once in a while I’ll coin a word that
seems to reflect the way I see the world as a person on the autism spectrum. My damfōēdi are my
teammates, comrades, allies—people I might not be able to call true friends, but who I’ve worked
together with for a common goal. It’s important to me to behiwi and hold my negative emotions in,
showing restraint so as not to dump my problems on others. If someone can’t do this to me, I might
have to pifo and try to ignore them, even if it means our friendship ends. Because ēnyeko ebyed,
ephoko mūfandu; a net floats, a leech sinks. I don’t want someone sucking out my energy, but I’ll try to
help them manage the tasks of survival, since no one can catch fish/sew a tent/worship the stars/win the
World Cup alone!
After many years I realized that I had lots of vocabulary that would let me do a somewhat detailed
summary of “A New Hope.” (The “ship” words mean “ship” rather than “spaceship,” so this should be
considered somewhat in the vein of the “Tattúínárdǿla saga” by Jackson Crawford, which culturally
translates Star Wars into an Old Norse saga.) On the other hand, I had everything from “betray” to
“Milky Way” as part of my dictionary, so this allowed a vague level of detail. It was also a good stress
test in terms of recognizing what I still needed to add; lines such as those about Chewbacca’s fur and
indirect speech are later additions.
Kā yōbyokab naf fōbobindikab nēbogmak amēkab. «This is the story of the sky( )walkers.»
Be.3s story-def of walk-pag-pl-def sky-adj this-def.
Namkafod damhondi amē kaēgōdi dipo. «This family lived years ago.»
Live-3p-pst relative-pl this year-pl ago.
Būnamkafod pa fef wonho. «They didn’t live in the Milky Way.»
Neg-live-3p-pst at nebula great. [1]
Ihebod «Kōmokab Emgokmak» yepdog dūp ne. «The ‘Death Star’ was a very big ship.»
Measure-3s-pst “star-def die-inf-adj” ship big all-around.
Dobofod finaēkdi dam mēmid bakyufonid kō. «Rebels hoped that they could destroy it.»
Hope-3p-pst extremist-pl that can.3p-past destroy-3p-fut-pst 3s.dop.
Bwinyēfod pog nūfdofod me kāk fēn. «They snooped to learn whether or not it was functional.»
Spy-3p-pst in.order.to learn-3p-pst if be.3s.pst good.
Dagakod Yāu daping fon damfōēdi pidyim kifdō. «Leia was on the way back, with her metallic
comrades.»
Be.located-3s-pst Leia returning with comrade-plural metallic 3s.pos.
Kāk Yāu vōyindemkab naf Bwāhu mig Bā. «Leia was the child of Breha and Bail.»
Be.3s.pst Leia child.def of Breha and Bail.
Kāk Bwāhu yopobinkab naf yogak kifdō mig dobokod dam hūmnokonid Yāu kō. «Breha was the leader
of her planet and hoped Leia would succeed her.»
Be.3s.past Breha lead-pag-def of planet 3s.pos and hope-3s.pst that succeed-3s.fut.past Leia 3s.dop.
Kāk K 3 P Ō bekadip. «C-3PO was a talking thing.»
Be.3s.past C-3PO talk-iag. [2]
Kāk 2 D 2 mobodip. «R2-D2 was a sailing thing.»
B.3s.past R2-D2 sail-iag.
Baēhāfod empēdi yūkō Yāu. «Cruel people sought Leia.»
Seek-3p-pst person-pl cruel Leia.
Fepnokod Yāu vepo kū 2D2. «Leia gave a card to R2-D2.»
Give-3s-pst Leia card to R2-D2.
Demofod K3PO mig 2D2 kū Dadūēn. «C-3PO and R2-D2 went to Tatooine.”
Go-3s-pst C-3PO and R2-D2 to Tatooine.
Kāk Dadūēn yogak fagyi. «Tatooine was a dry planet.»
Be.3s.pst Tatooine planet dry.
Dagafod ifdi pa kō. «There was sand there.»
Be.located-3p-past sand-pl at 3s-dop.
Difyēkod Do Vādu vōkan dam būnūpdokod Yāu pemendi. «Darth Vader felt sad that Leia didn’t have
papers.»
Feel.emotion-3s.pst Darth Vader sad that neg-possess-3s.past Leia paper-pl.
Kāk Do Vādu yopobin naf empēdikab yūkō. «Darth Vader was a leader of the cruel people.»
Be.3s.pst Darth Vader lead-pag of person-pl-def cruel.
Dabnakod mephadi gōunan mig wōdēmokod kābin kifdō. «He wore black clothing and veiled his
head.»
Wear-3s-pst clothes.pl black and veil-3s-pst head 3s-pos.
Kakikod dakadak. «He breathed loudly.»
Breath-3s-pst loud-adv.
Namkakod Yūk fon wēbanimdi kifdō. «Luke lived with his aunt and uncle.»
Live-3s-pst Luke with aunt/uncle-pl 3s.pos.
Bānē Ōwen mig Buwū. «They were Owen and Beru.»
Be.3p.pst Owen and Beru.
Bokikod Ōwen K3PO mig 2D2. «Owen bought C3PO and R2D2.»
Buy-3s-pst Owen C-3PO and R2-D2.
Mepdēkod Yūk nōm himnakod Ōwen. «Owen made Luke wash them.»
Wash-3s.pst Luke 3p.dop make-3s.pst Owen.
Wopekod Yūk 2D2 mig fipekod fapinon mobē ningān. «Luke touched R2D2 and saw a transparent
movie.»
Touch-3s-pst Luke R2-D2 and see-3s-pst picture long-duration transparent.
Dobokod Yāu dam namkakod Ōbēwon Kenōbē pa Dadūēn. «Leia hoped that Obi-Wan Kenobi lived on
Tatooine.»
Hope-3s-pst Leia that live-3s-pst Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine.
Epnakod Yūk Ben Kenōbē. «Luke knew Ben Kenobi.»
Know-3s-pst Luke Ben Kenobi.
Kāk Ben wēnim ēnēf. «Ben was a quiet retiree.»
Be.3s.pst Ben retiree quiet.
Ifdōkod Yūk dam demokod kū wōmuwā. «Luke wanted to go to a boarding school.»
Want-3s-pst Luke that go-3s-pst to [school where one lives].
Danamakod Ōwen vāg hifwēbin wifingmak. «Owen worked as a crop steamer.»
Work-3s-pst Owen as steam-pag crop-adj.
Būifdōkod dam fāphēkod Yūk. «He didn’t want Luke to move away.»
Neg-want-3s-pst that move-3s-pst Luke.
Baēhākod 2D2 Ben. «R2D2 looked for Ben.»
Seek-3s-pst R2-D2 Ben.
Mōkōkod Yūk fon K3PO. «Luke drove, with C3PO.»
Drive-3s-pst Luke with C-3PO. [3]
Ifdōfod empēdi ifdimak didi kifdo Yūk. «Sand people wanted Luke’s stuff.»
Want-3p-pst person-pl sand-adj stuff of Luke. [4]
Kopukod Ben. «Ben yelled.»
Yell-3s-pst Ben.
Bamafod empēdikab ifdimak wuhafdi dūp ne mig dūnofod. «The sand people feared large animals and
ran.»
Fear-3p-pst person-pl-def sand-adj animal-pl large all-around and run-3p-pst.
Nūfdokod Yūk dam kāk Ben Ōbēwon. «Luke learned that Ben was Obi-Wan.»
Learn-3s-pst Luke that be.3s.pst Ben Obi-Wan.
Bānē Ōbēwon mig dūmono dugo kifdo Yūk Edaē. «Obi-Wan and Luke’s father were Jedi.»
Be.3p.pst Obi-Wan and parent man of Luke Jedi.
Kāk Anukin dūmono kifdo Yūk. «Anakin was Luke’s father.»
Be.3s.pst Anakin parent of Luke.
Mōkōkod bēn fef wonho. «He rode through the Milky Way.»
Drive-3s-pst through nebula great.
Kāk dabuhā mig ūmowē kifdo Ōbēwon. «He was intelligent and a friend of Obi-Wan.»
Be.3s.pst intelligent and friend of Obi-Wan.
Fepnokod ambē dūp pāv Ōbēwon. «He gave Obi-Wan a long light.»
Give-3s-pst light big lengthwise Obi-Wan.
Imkūvēkod mig dōēphakod Do Vādu Anukin. «Darth Vader betrayed and killed Anakin.»
Betray-3s-pst and kill-3s-pst Darth Vader Anakin.
Fipefod Ōbēwon mig Yūk fapinonkab mobē kifdo Yāu. «Obi-Wan and Luke watched Leia’s movie.»
See-3p-pst Obi-Wan and Luke picture-the long-duration of Leia.
Ifdōfod Yāu mig Bā dam dēwākod Ōbēwon kū yogak kamdō. «Leia and Bail wanted Obi-Wan to come
to their planet.»
Want-3p-pst Leia and Bail that come-3p-pst Obi-Wan to planet 3p-pos.
Kāk yogak kamdō Oduwon. «Their planet was Alderaan.»
Be.3s.pst planet 3p-pos Alderaan.
Dobokod Ōbēwon dam nūfdokonid Yūk monok. «Obi-Wan hoped that Luke would learn ‘focusing’.»
Hope-3s-pst Obi-Wan that learn-3p-fut-past Luke focus-inf. [5]
Danamakofid Yūk fon damhondi kifdō. «Luke should have worked with his family.»
Work-3s-obl-pst Luke with relative-pl 3s.pos.
Bakyufod empēdikab yūkō yamwōg kifbepē. «The cruel people destroyed Parliament.»
Destroy-3p-pst person-pl-def cruel Parliament. [6]
Difyēkod Do Vādu dafdan dam būninkākod Modi kō. «Darth Vader was angry that Motti didn’t trust
him.»
Feel.emotion-3s-pst Darth Vader angry that neg-trust-3s-pst Modi 3s-dop.
Monokod dam Modi būkakikod. «He willed that Modi not breath.»
Will-3s-pst that Modi neg-breathe-3s-past.
Fipekod Yūk fwakdi yowumak. «Luke saw dead Jawas.»
See-3s-pst corpse-pl Jawa-adj.
Dōēphafod dōēphabindi waēpakmak yowudikab. «‘Storm Killers’ killed the Jawas.»
Kill-3p-pst kill-pag-pl storm-inf-adj Jawa-pl-def.
Indāmōkod mipdam kifdo Yūk. «Luke’s house was burning.»
Burn-pro-3s-pst house of Luke.
Emgofod Buwū mig Ōwen. «Beru and Owen died.»
Die-3p-pst Beru and Owen.
Mōkūmukod Yāu Do Vādu. «Leia withstood Darth Vader.»
Endure-3s-pst Leia Darth Vader.
Mōkōfod Ōbēwon mig Yūk kū demyobokab. «Obi-Wan and Luke rode to the city.»
Drive-3p-pst Obi-Wan and Luke to [large city]-def.
Pokyikod Ōbēwon empē dam nūpdokod Yūk vepo efkamak fēn. «Obi-Wan persuaded a person that
Luke had a good ID card.»
Persuade-3s-pst Obi-Wan person that possess-3s-pst Luke card self-adj good.
Demofod kū yōdamē bēpenomak. «They went to a restaurant.»
Go-3p-pst to store meal-adj.
Efmamōfod mig benkēmōfod wuhafdi. «Animals were eating and drinking, and playing instruments.»
Eat-pro-3p-pst and [play instruments]-pro-3p-pst animal-pl.
Ihekod Ūboku dūp ne mig būdabnakod mephadi. «Chewbacca was big and wasn’t wearing clothes.»
Measure-3s-pst Chewbacca big all-around and neg-wear-3p-pst clothes-pl.
Nūpdokod kēyūf kaēpin. «He had a lot of fur.»
Possess-3s-pst fur much.
Kāk Hon Ōyō ūmowē naf Ūboku. «Han Solo was Chewbacca’s friend.»
Be.3s.pst Han Solo friend of Chewbacca.
Nūpdofod yepdog. «They had a ship.»
Possess-3p.pst ship.
Kāk yepdogkab «Kowā Andem Kaēgōdimak» mig mobokod wind. «The ship was «Thousand Years-
Bird and it sailed quickly.»
Be.3s.pst ship-the «bird thousand year-pl-adj» and sail-3s-pst quickly.
Mobokod kūwind dif yepdogdikab kifdo yūkōkab. «It sailed more quickly than the ships of the cruel.»
Sail-3s-pst more-quick than ship-pl-the of cruel-def. [7]
Fepnokod Ōbēwon bumnandem pāvdi kū Hon. «Obi-Wan gave Han two thousand checks.»
Give-3s-pst Obi-Wan two-thousand check-pl to Han. [8]
Bekakod Hon fon Gwēdō mig Dobu. «Han talked with Greedo and Jabba.»
Talk-3s-pst Han with Greedo and Jabba.
Ifdōfod Gwēdō mig Dobu dam fepnokod Hon yif kū fim. «Greedo and Jabba wanted Han to give them
money.»
Want-3p-pst Greedo and Jabba that give-3s-past Han money to 3p.iop.
Bamafod Hon Gwēdō. «Han feared Greedo.»
Fear-3p-pst Han Greedo.
Paēpebefod Gwēdō…dag paēpebefod Gwēdō Hon efwād? «He shot Greedo…or did Greedo shoot Han
first?»
Shoot-3s-pst Greedo…or shoot-3s-pst Greedo Han first one-ord-irreg.
Paēpebefod yepdogdi pog bakyufod Kowākab. «Ships shot in order to destroy the Bird.»
Shoot-3p-pst ship-pl [in order to] destroy-3p-pst bird-def.
Mobokod Kowākab kūwind dif ambē. «The Bird sailed faster than light.»
Sail-3s-pst bird-the more-fast than light.
Mobokod Kōmokab Emgokmak kū Oduwon. «The Death Star sailed to Alderaan.»
Sail-3s-pst star-the die-inf-adj to Alderaan.
Ifdōkod Do Vādu dam epnakod dagafod finaēkdikab vobo. «Darth Vader wanted to know where the
rebels were.»
Want-3s-pst Darth Vader that know-3s-pst be.located-3p-pst extremist-pl-def where.
Mogdakod Yāu. «Leia lied.»
Lie-3s-pst Leia.
Kamukod pekēwā Oduwon himnafod empēdikab yūkō. «The cruel people made Alderaan cease to
exist.»
Become-3s-pst greywhite Alderaan make-3p-pst person-pl-def cruel. [9]
Difyēkod Ōbēwon vōkan. «Obi-Wan felt sad.»
Feel.emotion-3s-pst Obi-Wan sad.
Dimanēfod Ūboku mig 2 D 2. «Chewbacca and R2-D2 played a game of skill.»
[Play a game of skill]-3p-pst Chewbacca and R2-D2.
Bindekod 2 D 2 Ūboku. «R2-D2 slowly got on Chewbacca’s nerves.»
Annoy-3s-pst R2-D2 Chewbacca.
Fūfēkod mig monokod Yūk ked. «Luke practiced and focused on a ball.»
Practice-3s-pst and focus-3s-pst Luke ball.
Ifdōkod Ōbēwon dam dekakod Yūk. «Obi-Wan wanted to teach Luke.»
Want-3s-pst Obi-Wan that teach-3s-pst Luke.
Kēbokod Hon. «Han laughed.»
Laugh-3s-pst Han.
Būninkākod dūyitdi daduko. «He tended not to open up to religious leaders.»
Neg-trust-3s-pst [religious leader]-pl habitually.
Bēkofod mig mēmid būfipek Oduwon. «They arrived and they could not see Alderaan.»
Arrive-3p-pst and can.3p-pst neg-see-inf Alderaan.
Onomēfod. «Big shooting stars fell.»
[Be big shooting star]-3p-pst.
Fipefod nindigbin dūp ne. «They saw a big satellite.»
See-3p-pst circle-iag big all-around.
Kāk Kōmokab Emgokmak. «It was…the Death Star!»
Be.3s.pst star-def die-inf-adj.
Demofod nen yepdogkab. «They went inside the big ship.»
Go-3p-pst within ship-def.
Maēkyēkod Hon wod kāk Ōbēwon vakum. «Han said that Obi-Wan was an idiot.»
Say-3s-pst Han that be.3s.pst Obi-Wan idiot. [10]
Baēhākod Ōbēwon Do Vādu. «Obi-Wan looked for Darth Vader.»
Seek-3s-pst Obi-Wan Darth Vader.
Ifdōkod Yūk dam baēhāfod Hon mig Yūk Yāu. «Luke wanted Han and himself to look for Leia.»
Want-3s-pst Luke that seek-3p-pst Han and Luke Leia.
Bekakod Hon fon dōēphabin waēpakmak ond imēko. «Han talked to a storm killer by radio.»
Talk-3s-pst Han with kill-pag storm-inf-adj [by means of] radio.
Paēpebekod imēkokab. «He shot the radio.»
Shoot-3p-pst radio-def.
Fōbofod Hon mig Yūk kū bumūnekāgofenbumnandemwā doko. «Luke and Han went to the two
thousand one hundred eighty seventh room.»
Go-3p-pst Han and Luke to seven-tens-eight-hundred-two-thousands-ord room.
Dagakod Yāu nen dokokab. «Leia was in the room.»
Be.located-3s-pst Leia within room-def.
Ihekod Yūk kūham dif dōēphabindi waēpakmak bo. «Luke was shorter than storm killers.»
Measure-3s-pst Luke more-small than kill-pag-pl storm-inf-adj heightwise.
Yūpofod kū doko pifepmak. «They jumped to a garbage room.»
Jump-3p-pst to room garbage-adj.
Nabdafod pungepdi hemyokab. «Magnets closed the door.»
Close-3p-pst magnet-pl door-def.
Kāyēfod wuhafdi būm pifepkab. «Animals swam in the trash.»
Swim-3p-pst animal-pl in garbage-def. [11]
Kamukod dokokab ham pāv. «The room became narrow.»
Become-3s-pst room-def small lengthwise.
Kengikod dokokab himnakod 3 P O. «C3PO made the room stop.»
[Stop working]-3s-pst room-def make-3s-pst C-3PO.
Paēpebefod Yāu mig Yūk mig Hon mig Ūboku mig 3 P O mig 2 D 2 dōēphabindi waēpakmak mig
dūnofod. «Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie, C-3PO and R2-D2 shot storm killers and ran.»
Shoot-3p-pst Leia and Luke and Han and Chewbacca and C-3PO and R2-D2 kill-pag-pl storm-inf-adj
and run-3p-pst.
Dobokod Yāu dam Yūk kāk pim. «Leia hoped that Luke was lucky.»
Hope-3s-pst Leia that Luke be.3s.pst lucky.
Didēkēkod kō. «She made out with him.»
[Make out with].3p.pst 3p.dop. [12]
Nūpdofod Do Vādu mig Ōbēwon ambēdi dūp pāv. «Darth Vader and Obi-Wan had long lights.»
Possess-3p-pl Darth Vader and Obi-Wan light-pl big lengthwise.
Ifdōkod Do Vādu dam dōēphakod Ōbēwon. «Darth Vader wanted to kill Obi-Wan.»
Want-3s-pst Darth Vader that kill-3s-pst Obi-Wan.
Emhūyēkod Ōbēwon. «Obi-Wan sacrificed himself.»
Sacrifice-3s-pst Obi-Wan.
Endēkōkod Hon Kowākab. «Han launched the Bird.»
Launch-3s-pst Han bird-def.
Paēpebekod Kowākab yepdogdi. «The Bird shot ships.»
Shoot-3s-pst bird-def ship-pl.
Difyēkod Yūk vōkan mig dafdan dam emgokod Ōbēwon. «Luke felt sad and angry that Obi-Wan died.»
Feel.emotion-3s-pst Luke sad and angry that die-3s-pst Obi-Wan.
Dagakod Hon fon Yāu pog mefnikod yif. «Han was with Leia in order to earn money.»
Be.located-3s-pst Han with Leia [in order to] earn-3s-pst money.
Būdobokod Yūk dam dōfakod Yāu Hon. «Luke didn’t hope that Leia loved Han.»
Neg-hope-3s-pst Luke that love.person-3s-pst Leia Han.
Bēkofod kū wofwā nindigbin naf Yovin. «They arrived to the fourth satellite of Yavin.»
Arrive-3p-pst to four-ord circle-iag of Yavin.
Nūfdofod yopobindi naf finaēkdi dam mēd kengikod Kōmokab Emgokmak. «Leaders of the rebels
learned that the Death Star could malfunction.»
Learn-3p-pst lead-pag-pl of extremist-pl that can.3s.pst break-3s-pst star-def die-inf-adj.
Kāk yepdogkab kohān. «The ship was unstable.»
Be.3s.pst ship-def unstable.
Difyēkod Hon deg, mig bamakod empēdikab yūkō. «Han felt unsafe and he feared the cruel people.»
Feel-emotion-3s-pst Han unsafe and fear-3s-pst person-pl-def cruel.
Mobokod nen Kowākab. «He sailed in the Bird.»
Sail-3s-pst within bird-def.
Kamukod Yūk «Den Nōyag.» «Luke became «Red Five.»»
Become-3s-pst Luke «Red Five.»
Paēpebefod finaēkdi Kōmokab Emgokmak. «Rebels shot the Death Star.»
Shoot-3p-pst extremist-pl star-def die-inf-adj.
Demokod Do Vādu nen yepdog ham ne. «Darth Vader went inside a small ship.»
Go-3s-pst Darth Vader within ship small all-around.
Dōēphakod finaēkdi. «He killed rebels.»
Kill-3s-pst extremist-pl.
Difyēfod wūkin. «They felt time pressure.»
Feel.emotion-3p-pst zeitnot.
Nūbokod Yūk dugo. «Luke heard a man.»
Hear-3s-pst Luke man.
Hepekod mūm Dadūēn! «He sounded of Tatooine!»
Sound-3s-pst of Tatooine.
Bekakod Ōbēwon. «Obi-Wan spoke.»
Talk-3s-pst Obi-Wan.
Dobokod dam monokod mig ninkākod Yūk kō. «He hoped that Luke focused and trusted him.»
Hope-3s-pst that focus-3s-pst and trust-3s-pst Luke 3s.dop.
Bēnakod Yūk mig būmobokod damnanu. «Luke closed his eyes and he didn’t sail on autopilot.»
Close.eyes-3s-pst Luke and neg-sail-3s-pst [on autopilot].
Afgokod Hon dam kamukonid bokok. «Han decided that he would become loyal.»
Decide-3s-pst Han that become-3s-fut-past loyal.
Komdokod mig demnokod Kowākab. «He stopped and turned the Bird.»
Stop-3s-pst and turn-3s-pst bird-def.
Dōēphakod damfōē naf Do Vādu. «He killed Darth Vader’s ally.»
Kill-3s-pst comrade of Darth Vader.
Bakyukod Yūk Kōmokab Emgokmak. «Luke destroyed the Death Star.»
Destroy-3s-pst Luke star-def die-inf-adj.
Damafod finaēkdikab. «The rebels won.»
Win-3p-pst extremist-pl-def.
Gahindōēfod. «They hugged.»
Hug-3p-pst.
Fepnokod Yāu nindigdi pidyim kū Hon mig Yūk. «Leia gave Han and Luke metal circles.»
Give-3s-pst Leia circle-pl medal to Han and Luke.
Glossing key:
3p: third person plural
3s: third person singular
adj: adjective (used after a noun to convert it into an adjective)
def: definite article
dop: direct object pronoun
fut: future tense. Here often used with past tense to form «future past»; parallel between «I hope
(present) that I can blow up (future) the space station» and «I hoped (past) that I could blow up (future
past) the space station.»
iag: impersonal agent (-er when it’s not a person)
inf: infinitive
iop: indirect object pronoun
irreg: irregular ending (here marks the -d on the end of «efwād,» «first,» which is irregular for ordinals)
neg: negation. Usually used to mean «at that specific moment» and not «in general»
obl: obligatory mood, «should»
ord: ordinal number
pag: personal agent (-er when it’s a person)
pl: plural
pos: possessive
pro: progressive
pst: past tense
Usage Notes:
[1] Pa (“at”) is used in cases where you might say “I live ‘in’ Los Angeles/California/the United
States.” I’m guessing a culture that was used to interstellar travel would translate ‘in this galaxy’ the
same way, although you might also use “nen” (“in, totally enclosed by”).
[2] Taking the controversial position here that droids aren’t actually “people.”
[3] “Mōkō,” translated here as “drive,” is used for any kind of (land) vehicle where the subject is in
control; “to ride a bike,” but not “to ride a train.” (The culture this conlang is mainly used for doesn’t
have a lot of “driving cars.”)
[4] “kifdo” and “naf” can be used somewhat interchangeably for possessives, but “kifdo” is more often
used for physical possession and “naf” more often used for intangible possession.
[5] “Mono-” on its own means “to focus,” but in combination with “dam” (“that”), it can mean “to will
that” (which is how it’s used to describe Vader’s force-choke abilities).
[6] “yamwōg kifbepē” is the two-word translation of “Parliament;” “yamwog” is a word used in the
phrase that describes both archaic and modern notions of “city council.”
[7] The adjective is converting into a noun here, although there’s perhaps an implied [“person”] at the
end.
[8] A “check” is the unit of currency in the fictional culture where the language is spoken. (There are a
lot of other chess puns too, which derived independently of the conlang.)
[9] To “go grey and white” is a metaphor for ceasing to exist in my broader conculture, adapted from
the mechanics of a roleplaying game where it’s set.
[10] Most subclauses use “dam” to offset them, but “wod” sets off speech or belief.
[11] Another type of “in;” this is more “in” the pocket than “nen” (total enclosure), although that one
might also work here.
[12] “didēkē” is an informal word that can describe a range of actions, sometimes meaning more than
kiss, but I don’t have a word for “kiss” as of this writing.
Transliteration:
kA yObyokab naf fObobindikab nEbogmak amEkab.
namkafod damhondi amE kaEgOdi dipo. bUnamkafod pa fef
wonho.
ihebod «kOmokab emgokmak» yepdog dUp ne. dobofod
finaEkdi dam mEmid bakyufonid kO. bwinyEfod pog
nUfdofod me kAk fEn.
dagakod yAu daping fon damfOEdi pidyim kifdO. kAk
yAu vOyindemkab naf bwAhu mig bA. kAk bwAhu yopobinkab naf
yogak kifdO mig dobokod dam hUmnokonid yAu kO. kAk k 3 p O
bekadip. kAk 2 d 2 mobodip. baEhAfod empEdi yUkO yAu.
fepnokod yAu vepo kU 2d2. demofod k3pO mig 2d2 kU dadUEn.
KAk dadUEn yogak fagyi. dagafod ifdi pa kO.
difyEkod do vAdu vOkan dam bUnUpdokod yAu pemendi.
kAk do vAdu yopobin naf empEdikab yUkO. dabnakod
mephadi gOunan mig wOdEmokod kAbin kifdO. kakikod
dakadak.
namkakod yUk fon wEbanimdi kifdO. bAnE Owen mig buwU.
bokikod Owen k3pO mig 2d2.
mepdEkod yUk nOm himnakod Owen. wopekod yUk 2d2 mig
fipekod fapinon mobE ningAn. dobokod yAu dam namkakod
ObEwon kenObE pa dadUEn. epnakod yUk ben kenObE. kAk ben
wEnim EnEf.
ifdOkod yUk dam demokod kU wOmuwA. danamakod Owen vAg
hifwEbin wifingmak. bUifdOkod dam fAphEkod yUk.
baEhAkod 2d2 Ben. mOkOkod yUk fon k3pO. ifdOfod
empEdi ifdimak didi kifdo yUk. kopukod ben. bamafod
empEdikab ifdimak wuhafdi dUp ne mig dUnofod. nUfdokod
yUk dam kAk ben ObEwon. bAnE ObEwon mig dUmono dugo kifdo yUk
edaE. kAk anukin dUmono kifdo yUk. mOkOkod bEn fef wonho.
kAk dabuhA mig UmowE kifdo ObEwon. fepnokod ambE dUp pAv
ObEwon. imkUvEkod mig dOEphakod do vAdu anukin.
fipefod ObEwon mig yUk fapinonkab mobE kifdo yAu.
ifdOfod yAu mig bA dam dEwAkod ObEwon kU yogak kamdO. kAk
yogak kamdO oduwon. dobokod ObEwon dam nUfdokonid yUk monok.
danamakofid yUk fon damhondi kifdO.
bakyufod empEdikab yUkO yamwOg kifbepE. difyEkod
do vAdu dafdan dam bUninkAkod modi kO. monokod dam modi
bUkakikod.
fipekod yUk fwakdi yowumak. dOEphafod dOEphabindi
waEpakmak yowudikab. indAmOkod mipdam kifdo yUk.
emgofod buwU mig Owen. mOkUmukod yAu do vAdu.
mOkOfod ObEwon mig yUk kU demyobokab. pokyikod ObEwon
empE dam nUpdokod yUk vepo efkamak fEn. demofod kU
yOdamE bEpenomak. efmamOfod mig benkEmOfod wuhafdi.
ihekod Uboku dUp ne mig bUdabnakod mephadi. nUpdokod
kEyUf kaEpin. kAk son OyO UmowE naf Uboku. nUpdofod yepdog.
kAk yepdogkab «kowA andem kaEgOdimak» mig mobokod wind.
mobokod kUwind dif yepdogdikab kifdo yUkOkab. fepnokod
ObEwon bumnandem pAvdi kU hon.
bekakod hon fon gwEdO mig dobu. ifdOfod gwEdO mig dobu
dam fepnokod hon yif kU fim.
bamafod hon gwEdO. paEpebefod gwEdO…dag paEpebefod
gwEdO hon efwAd?
paEpebefod yepdogdi pog bakyufod kowAkab. mobokod
kowAkab kUwind dif ambE. mobokod kOmokab emgokmak kU
oduwon. ifdOkod do vAdu dam epnakod dagafod finaEkdikab
vobo. mogdakod yAu. kamukod pekEwA oduwon himnafod
empEdikab yUkO. difyEkod ObEwon vOkan.
dimanEfod Uboku mig 2 d 2. bindekod 2 d 2 Uboku. fUfEkod
mig monokod yUk ked. ifdOkod ObEwon dam dekakod yUk.
kEbokod hon. bUninkAkod dUyitdi daduko.
bEkofod mig mEmid bUfipek oduwon. onomEfod. fipefod
nindigbin dUp ne. kAk kOmokab emgokmak. demofod nen
yepdogkab. maEkyEkod hon wod kAk ObEwon vakum. baEhAkod
obEwon do vAdu. ifdOkod yUk dam baEhAfod hon mig yUk yAu.
bekakod hon fon dOEphabin waEpakmak ond imEko.
paEpebekod imEkokab.
fObofod hon mig yUk kU bumUnekAgofenbumnandemwA doko.
dagakod yAu nen dokokab. yUpofod kU doko pifepmak.
nabdafod pungepdi hemyokab. kAyEfod wuhafdi bUm
pifepkab. kamukod dokokab ham pAv. kengikod dokokab
himnakod 3 p O. paEpebefod yAu mig yUk mig hon mig Uboku mig 3
p O mig 2 d 2 dOEphabindi waEpakmak mig dUnofod. dobokod
yAu dam yUk kAk pim. didEkEkod kO.
nUpdofod do vAdu mig ObEwon ambEdi dUp pAv. ifdOkod
do vAdu dam dOEphakod ObEwon.
emhUyEkod ObEwon. endEkOkod hon kowAkab. paEpebekod
kowAkab yepdogdi. difyEkod yUk vOkan mig dafdan dam
emgokod ObEwon.
dagakod hon fon yAu pog mefnikod yif. bUdobokod yUk dam
dOfakod yAu hon. bEkofod kU wofwA nindigbin naf yovin.
nUfdofod yopobindi naf finaEkdi dam mEd kengikod
kOmokab emgokmak. kAk yepdogkab kohAn. difyEkod hon deg, mig
bamakod empEdikab yUkO. mobokod nen kowAkab.
kamukod yUk «den nOyag.» paEpebefod finaEkdi kOmokab
emgokmak. demokod do vAdu nen yepdog ham ne. dOEphakod
finaEkdi. difyEfod wUkin.
nUbokod yUk dugo. hepekod mUm dadUEn! bekakod ObEwon.
dobokod dam monokod mig ninkAkod yUk kO. bEnakod yUk mig
bUmobokod damnanu.
afgokod hon dam kamukonid bokok. komdokod mig demnokod kowAkab.
dOEphakod damfOE naf do vAdu. bakyukod yUk kOmokab emgokmak.
damafod finaEkdikab. gahindOEfod. fepnokod yAu nindigdi pidyim
kU hon mig yUk.
