The LCC4 Relay

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The inclusion of "Primordial" was done because, according to the Ŧuàn Book of Long-Time (Zó Luón = horizon of unmeasured time = eternity, primordial), there was a time that animals could talk. This was the best way I could find to interpret the word Lars used, for a mythical goat.

The river became a "streaming channel" because, near the end of Lars' version, we learn the "river" belonged to "a farm." That would not literally be a river; that would be what we in Netherlands call a "sloot." These are usually filled with water, so it is not so much of a change.

Also: Ŧuàn State (and Ndongo) are both on another world, which happens to have three moons. The first is slightly larger than ours, and the other two moons are one-third the size. This is the reason for the diminutive case (rán) and for calling them, in English, "lesser moons".

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Grammar

A simple lesson on the Ŧuàn language: what you kneed to know.

(01) Ŧuàn is an isolating language. Each syllable is a separate word. There are no conjugations or inflections; there are no pre-, in-, or suffixes.

(02) Every Ŧuàn sentence is strictly VOS. There is no alternative sentence structure.

(03) Ŧuàn has no grammar, as we understand it.

(04) More strikingly, Ŧuàn has no parts of speech (but one). There is no difference between nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

(05) The syntax compensates for the lack of grammar and parts of speech. Where a word appears in a sentence tells you that the word is being used as a verb or a noun, et cetera.

(06) This results in the strict sentence structure mentioned above. In English, we do not have to place the verb at the beginning of the sentence. In Ŧuàn, the fact that the word appears at the beginning of the sentence means that the word is a verb.

(07) Words also influence each other: sometimes, two words form a phrase. This is analogous to Chinese, where you say “green copper” when you mean, “bronze,” and you say “radiant heaven” when you mean, “tomorrow.”

(08) Every phrase begins with a case word: this is the only “part of speech” that exists in Ŧuàn. The case words serve the same function as declensions serve in Latin, or affixes in Finnish.

(09) The case words (ẍuí ruèn – literally hinge-words) also serve as grammatical segues: they indicate when we are moving from verb to object, and then to subject.

(10) In the above interpretation from Suraetua, I transcribed most of the Ŧuàn sentences in three phrases, separated by commas. Each phrase will begin with at least one (sometimes two or three) case word[s].

(11) Once case is established, the next word in the first phrase (the Verb) will naturally be the verb, followed by auxiliary verbs and/or adverbs, if necessary.

(12): Sometimes there are four clauses in a sentence. If so, the second clause will go with the verbal clause; the next clauses will be object and subject, respectively.

(13) Once case is established, the next word in the second phrase (the Object) will be a noun/pronoun, followed by adjectives, conjunctions, and articles, if any are needed. The same is also true of the third phrase (the Subject).

(13): To summarise: Ŧuàn sentences are as follows:

Phrase I: (Case, verb, auxiliary verb/adverb)
Phrase II: (Case, noun/object, adjectives and conjunctions)
Phrase III: (case, noun/subject, adjectives and conjunctions).

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Glossary

Bwú: Two
Byâ: Body (byâ ròn = now)
Byú: three
Chuà: Behind (chuà ròn = after that)
Dùng: Telia-case; the completion of an action.
Dyèng: Head.
Dhâng: Sheep and/or goat.
Dhé: To observe, to watch and/or listen.
Dhén: To understand, to realise.
Dhéng: To judge.
Dhú: Accidental-case; what happens to you outside of your decisions.
Dhuóng: [here] sharp, acute.
Fuì: Sound, hearing.
Fuìn: (as verb) to guess; (as noun) laughter.
Fyóng: To choose; to indicate something.
Ghyín: An arch, a bridge.
Hán: Moon.
Huèng: Face (as verb: to appear to be; to communicate without conscious intention)
Hyó: First-person (I, we)
Hyón: Second-person (you)
Hyóng: Third-person (he, she, they)
Juín: Bonding, wedding; to form a partnership.
Juóng: Invitational case (as in, Let us do so)
Ká: Anterior, in front (ká ròn = previously)
Kéng: A bladed weapon
Kí: Concessive-case (done for you, it includes you)
K’ín: Manner
Kòng: Beauty; happy feelings.
Kuà: Past-tense weak (it happened, it no longer happens, and it has no direct influence on what happens now)
Kuàng: Past-present tense (it was and is)
Kyú: To walk
Khìn: Below, lower than.
Luón: Time, unmeasured.
Lyán: Above, higher than.
Lyù: To-case.
Lyùn: Via-case (I went by highway, I used a car.)
Lyùng: From-case
Mùn: Should/must.
Myè: (verb) to make noise (interjection) wow
Pèn: Repeat, echo.
Puâng: The object of the sentence (case-word used by default)
Puòn: Vocative-case, middle: used for dialog between equals.
Qú: To separate from, to sever; apartness.
Qwà: To know (close to French savoir, or Dutch weten)
Qwèn: Involvement-case (this is about, I am interested in)
Qwèng: Immanence-nearness case.
Qwù: To detatch, to separate from.
Qwùn: to fall down, to topple.
Qyán: Doer case.
Rán: Diminutive.
Ròn: Timeline (cf above: byâ, chuà, ká)
Shó: Estimated-present tense (what might be so)
Shuìn: Potential
Syùn: Foot, to step or stand.
Th’èn: Eye(s).
Thyá: Interrogative case (a question)
Thyáng: A name, an identity.
Tóng: Subject case (used by default)
Ŧéng: Symbolic case (intentional communication)
Ŧóng: All parts of something, together.
Ŧuóng: Death.
Vó: So.
Ẍán: To resemble; to be a metaphor of.
Ẍuí: A spoken syllable/word.
Ẍuín: (verb) to speak (noun) a spoken sentence/speech.
Ẍyùn: Water, liquid.
Zó: Horizon (Zó Luón: an idiom for the longness of the centuries and the ancient nature of prehistory; it can also mean “from primordial times”)
Zón: To traverse; across.
Zyè: Quality-case (qualities I have that are a part of me, not my possessions)
Zyèn: Elkaar-case (for shared ownership; each other. The word necessarily goes with the word for “marriage”)
Zyèng: Possession-case (things I own, that I have in my hand; with feelings, those I choose to have instead of those that are presumably part of my nature.)
Zhòng: Swiftness.
ºà: No, negative.
ºàn: (untranslatable: yes/no)
ºàng: Yes, affirmative.
ºí: But
ºíng: And.
ºó: Person.
ºóng: To ponder, to think.
ºwán: To be the effect of, true now but not always true.
ºwè: A water-filled irrigation ditch.
ºwó: Female, woman.
ºyán: To be the cause of, true now but not always true.
ºyè: Indefinite (a bottle)
ºyèn: Definite (the bottle)
ºyó: Male
ºyùng: Dexterity; graceful movements; smooth actions.

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The LCC4 Relay

8. Ŧuàn by Chrys Jordan

Notes

Grammar

Glossary

Ŧuàn-ẍuíng Zyèng Myè Fuì Qyán Dhâng Zó Luón. Kuàng luón kyú zón, lyù syùn ghyín lyán ºwè ºyè, qyán ºó ºwó kòng ºyè. ºí chuà ròn ŧéng ẍuín, lyù hyóng ºwó, lyùng Dhâng Zó Luón ºyó ºyè. ºyán dùng kyú, qyán hyóng ºwó, tóng vó ºyèn. Ŧéng ẍuín, puâng vó, tóng hyóng ºyó. “Myè, ºàng kòng ºyùng, zyè hyón. Juóng dhé, lyù hyó. Byâ ròn huèng, ẍán bwú hán rán, zyè bwú th’èn hyón. Zyèn juín fyóng, puâng hyón, tóng hyó.” Lyùn dhén fuì, ŧéng ºyèn, qyán ºwó ºyèn. ºyán fuìn fuì, lyù hyóng ºwó, tóng vó ºyèn. “Thyá ºàn huèng vó, zyè bwú th’èn hyó, ẍán bwú hán rán? Thyá ºàn zyèn juín mùn, lyùn hyón, qyán hyó? ºà shuìn ºóng fuìn, zyèng byú ẍuí thyáng hyó, shó qyán hyón. ºyán qwà, qwèn vó ºyèn, qyán hyón. ºwán ŧéng ẍuín, lyù hyó, lyùng hyón.” ºwán ẍuín pèn, lyù hyóng ºwó, lyùng Dhâng Zó Luón ºyèn. “Puòn ŧéng ẍuín, qwèn byú ẍuí thyáng hyón, qyán hyón.” ºwán ẍuín pèn, lyù hyóng ºyó, lyùng hyóng ºwó. “ºà dhé fuì, lyù hyóng ºwó, lyùng hyón ºyó. ºwán ẍuín pèn, lyù hyóng ºwó, lyùng hyóng ºyó. “Puòn ká ròn ẍuín, ŧéng vó, lyù hyó. Puòn zyèn chuà ròn juín qwèn, zyèn hyón, zyèn hyó. Thyá k’ín ẍuín pèn, qwèng hyón, kí hyó? ºwán ẍuín pèn, lyù hyóng ºyó, lyùng hyóng ºwó. “Byâ ròn ẍuín pèn vó, lyù hyón, lyùng hyó.” Chuà ròn qú ŧuóng, lyùn kéng dhuóng, lyù hyóng ºyó, qyán hyóng ºwó. ºíng lyùng qú qwù zhòng, puâng zyè dyèng ŧóng hyóng ºyó, qyán hyóng ºwó. Chuà ròn, lyù qwùn khìn, lyù ºwè ẍyùn, dhú zyè dyèng ŧóng dhâng. Ká ròn ºyèn, dùng ẍuín zhòng, lyù hyóng ºwo, lyùng hyóng ºyó. Ẍuín, ŧéng vó, lyùng hyóng ºyó. “Thyá dhéng ºàng, hyón?”		Smooth English A Noisy Primordial Goat. This happened before, but it does not matter when. A beautiful woman was crossing a streaming channel via a bridge. But a primordial goat spoke to her. This caused her to stop. The goat said this: "Wow, you are beautiful and graceful. Look at me. My eyes are showing happiness. You eyes resemble the lesser moons. I want to marry you." The woman heard what he said; it caused her to laugh. She said this: "So, my eyes look like the lesser moons. So, I should marry you. You cannot guess my name. If you know [what it is], then tell me." So the goat spoke to her: "Tell me your name." So she answered: "Are you not listening to me?" So he answered: "I just spoke to you. I asked you to marry me. What is your answer?" So she replied: "This is my answer." Next, she slashed him to death with a bladed weapon; and she severed the goat's head entirely. Then the head fell into the waters of the streaming channel. Before it fell, the goat's head quickly spoke. This is what it said: "Do you agree (judge positively)?"

Smooth English of Suraetua The Noisy Goat [This happened an unspecified time ago] A beautiful woman was going over the bridge across the river/ditch. A [male] goat stopped her by speaking to her. [This is what he said:] “See how happy my eyes look now. Your eyes look like moons. I intend to marry you.” The woman heard this from the goat, and she laughed. [She said]: “So, my eyes look like moons, do they? So, I should marry you? [I invite you to] guess my name. If you know it, tell me.” The goat answered her: “Tell me about your name.” [She said]: “Aren’t you listening to me?” [He said]: “I told you that I was ready to marry you. What is your answer?” The woman answered him. “This is my answer,” said she. She began to cut him to death with a sharp knife. Next, she swiftly cut off the goat’s head. As the head fell into the river/ditch, it quickly asked: “Do you agree?”