Round 17 ends with Doug as the winner. The Theme: the construction of a new language Ronald Kunne was the Judge. Stein Kulseth was the Wizard. 39 Rules were posted, a record hard to beat. 10 Players submitted rules and 7 made it until after the cut-off. Style Point results: Chuck has 4 Style Points Doug has 3 Style Points Garth has 3 Style Points Storm has 2 Style Points Stein has 1 Style Points Oerjan has 0 Style Points Vlad has 0 Style Points Alyxx has -1 Style Points Ian has -1 Style Points Waggie has -1 Style Points Chuck is the new Wizard Doug is the winner of this Round and the new Judge (Times are GMT+1) Fantasy Rules of Round 17: ==== Fantasy Rule 17:1 (Alyxx, Tue, 22 Feb 1994 14:38:24) VALID (0 Points) >While rules may be described in english, they must add at least one new word >or grammatical rule to the new language. To wit: The language shall be named >(in itself) "val$ar" ($ is a unique letter, pronounced ALMOST like the 'sch' >sound of the Germanic (and some other) languages, but with more "z" (vahl- >sczAR) (accent on last sylable) ==== Fantasy Rule 17:2 (Doug, Tue, 22 Feb 1994 14:56:10) VALID (1 Point) >In a complete sentence of "val$ar", the main verb is always the first word >of the sentence. For example, "I think" translates to "y$ir ol", where >"y$ir" is the verb meaning "to think". > >The language does not allow any compound sentences or subordinate clauses, so >the previous rule has no exceptions. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:3 (Stein, Tue, 22 Feb 1994 15:57:56) INVALID (-2 Points) >All complete sentences of "val$ar" consist of only two words, where >the second word is the subject. Complex meanings are constructed >by modifying the subject and verb. Take the previous sentence >"y$ir ol", and the val$ar word for fish, "arg". Then: >"argy$ir ol" means "I think of a fish" >"y$irarg ol" means "I think like a fish" >"y$ir argol" means "I, a fish, think" ==== Fantasy Rule 17:4 (Storm, Tue, 22 Feb 1994 21:40:43) VALID (+1 Point) > val$ar has two ways to make a plural: > > ti before a noun means it refers to some number of those things. > Example: ti arg "some fish, a quantity of fish". > > tiyi before a noun means it refers to things of that sort as a class. > Example: tiyi arg "fish in general" > > Compare: > mkhavir tiyi arg "I hate fish [in general]" > mkhavir ti arg "I hate [those specific] fish" ==== Fantasy Rule 17:5 (Garth, Tue, 22 Feb 1994 22:22:09) INVALID (-2 Points) >All val$ar words end in a single vowel followed by a single consonant. >Pronouns and articles have only two letters, all others have at least >three. > >The vowel modifies the sense of the stem as follows: > >Nouns have a final vowel of "a", or "e" if they are plural. > >Verbs have a final vowel of "i" (present tense), "o" (past tense), or >"u" (future tense). > >Pronouns consist of two letters only, with the vowel being "o". > >Adjectives (and adverbs) have the same vowel as the noun (or verb) they >modify. > >The final consonant further modifies the sense: For nouns, "l" denotes self, >"m" denotes the male gender, "n" denotes the female gender, "p" denotes >the abstract. "S" and "t" are reserved for adjectives and adverbs, >respectively. "R", in a verb, gives the nominative case. Pronouns use >consonants just as nouns. > >Hence, from the stem "y$", we obtain: > >"y$ir ol" I think, "y$or ol" I thought, "y$ur ol" I will think, >"y$ir om" he thinks, "y$or on" she thought, "y$ir op" it thinks. > >"y$ap" a thought, "y$ep" thoughts, "y$as" thoughtful (ie pensive), >"y$ot" thoughtfully (ie pensively) (modifies past tense verb) > >The only exceptions to these forms are the occasional foreign borrowings. >A striking example is the words "ti" and "tiyi". They are used in placeof >the "e" vowel in nouns when the distinction they denote is considered worthy >of emphasis. > >"Arg" (fish) is another of these rare exceptions (at most ten or twelve in >the entire language). Val$ar is spoken by the people in the Great Eastern >Desert, hence the word's borrowed nature. It is slowly being transformed in >speech to "ag" in order to conform to val$ar norms. === Fantasy Rule 17:6 (Waggie, Tue, 23 Feb 94 10:28:31) VALID (+1 Point) >There is no distinction between adjectives and adverbs in val$ar. >For example, "bliskpug" means both "quickly" and "rapid". These >modifiers always occur immediately after what they modify, as in >the sentence: >"y$ir ol 'nakka val$ar zmebby" >(I think that the val$ar language is beautiful.) ==== Fantasy Rule 17:7 (Alyxx, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 20:19:18) INVALID (-1 Point) >TENSES!! > >The tense of a verb is generally described by the ending of the SUBJECT or >OBJECT NOUN. The verb form is ALWAYS in what is, I suppose, the infinative >form. To make an action in the simple past tense, "q" is added to the END of t >the noun. >Example: (the noun is triimi, or 'sand') >Khavir (To love, the opposite of mkhavir, to hate) > >Khavir tiyi triimi. I love [in general] sand. >Khavir tiyi triimiq. I loved [in general] sand. >Khavir ti triimiq. I loved those sands. (as a desert. the other two are an > implied plural, excuse me for not explaining) > >To put the action into the simple future tense, we put the "q" at the start of >the noun. i.e. >excuse me...if the noun begins with a consonant, it is usual to put "qa" not >just "q", however contractions work, as in english, with q' substituting. > >Khavir tiyi qatriimi. I will love sand. (again, meaning all sands, implied > pl.) >Khavir tiyi q'triimi. I'll love sand. (short form) >Khavir tiyi qarg. I love [all] fish. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:8 (Waggie, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 20:53:41) INVALID (-2 Points) > >A verb or modifier is negated by prefixing the particle "m"- or "ma"- >to the main word form. For example "khavir" (to love) "makhavir" (to not love) >and "mkhavir" (to hate) "mamkhavir" (to not hate), "mablispug" (not rapid), >"meg$ivl" (not correct). ==== Fantasy Rule 17:9 (Waggie, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 20:58:54) VALID (1 Point) >A modifier can be constructed from a noun by appending the particle -"pug". >For example, "blisk" (speed) "bliskpug" (rapid/quickly), or >"arg" (fish) "argpug" (fishy), "zempa" (word) "zempapug" (wordy/verbose). ==== Fantasy Rule 17:10 (Ian, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 20:59:19) INVALID (-1 Points) > >*!*val$ar is a complex language, to be *!*sure. for instance, there are no >capitalized letters in *!*val$ar. the symbol-combination *!*, which in >*!*val$ar is called a 'tealxi' is placed directly before words that would >normally be *!*capitolized. in *!*val$ar, this includes only proper names and >the very last word of a *!*sentence. to demonstrate this game's devotion >to defining and learning *!*val$ar, every rule that adds a new word >or grammatical rule to the new language, from this point on, will adhere >to this grammatical *!*structure. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:11 (Oerjan, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 21:13:44) INVALID (0 Points) > >The val$ar language is very orthophonic: to each sound >corresponds one letter, and to each letter one sound. >Each letter/sound is either a vowel, a semi-vowel >or a consonant. Each consonant must always be adjacent to a vowel or >semi-vowel in the same word. Vowels are never adjacent to each other >in the same word, neither are semi-vowels. > ==== Fantasy Rule 17:12 (Waggie, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 21:29:54) INVALID (-1 Points) > >The numbers 0 to 9 are >ott, ebb, kek, zee, sok, mum, nub, foo, bar, baf. >Multiples of 10 are obtained by suffixing -"lep" to these: >ebblep, keklep, zeelep, and so on, up to baflep. >Multiples of 100 are obtained by suffixing -"$ug": >ebb$sug, kek$ug,...,baf$ug. >Multiples of 1000 are obtained by suffixing -"znoj": >ebbznoj, kekznoj,...,bafznoj. >All numbers greater than bafznoj baf$ug baflep baf are referred to >by the word "mrxrm". ==== Fantasy Rule 17:13 (Waggie, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 21:34:20) VALID (-2 Point) > >The coincidence of "mkhavir" (to hate) and "makhavir" (to not love) is >a hold-over from the prehistory of the "'nakka val$ar", when social >relations were not complex enough to warrant a distinction between the >two. "Mkhavir" means "to hate", which in ancient times was considered the >negation of "to love". In modern times finer distinctions are made, but >the root form of "mkhavir" was originally "makhavir"-- today these are >distinct words with separate meanings. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:14 (Waggie, Wed, 23 Feb 1994 23:19:07) INVALID (0 Points) >This rule includes a small lexicon of words from the 'nakka val$ar, >as well as their English equivalents. > >english val$ar >----------------------------------- >word ....................... zempa >sentence ................... ologo >language ................... 'nakka >noun ....................... benga >verb ....................... u$var >modifier ................... umup >subject .................... ralpa >object ..................... zomb >past ....................... ondal >present .................... eyha >future ..................... elgou >rule ....................... brikh >game ....................... $azam >true ....................... kuklu >person ..................... ejep >man ........................ ep >woman ...................... ej >old ........................ ngah >new .........................urha > >If a zempa in the 'nakka val$ar has been defined which corresponds to >an english zempa then in the elgou, that zempa val$ar must be used in >every brikh urha. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:15 (Waggie, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 00:02:16) VALID, (-1 Points) >This rule includes a small lexicon of words from the 'nakka val$ar, >as well as their English equivalents. > >english val$ar >----------------------------------- >word ....................... zempa >sentence ................... ologo >language ................... 'nakka >noun ....................... benga >verb ....................... u$var >modifier ................... umup >subject .................... ralpa >object ..................... zomb >past ....................... ondal >present .................... eyha >future ..................... elgou >rule ....................... brikh >game ....................... $azam >true ....................... kuklu >person ..................... ejep >man ........................ ep >woman ...................... ej >old ........................ ngah >new .........................urha ==== Fantasy Rule 17:16 (Waggie, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 00:13:57) INVALID by vote (1 Point) > >A grammatically correct sentence in the 'nakka val$ar has the >following form: > >A has the form: . >If the is missing it is understood to be "ol". >For example: >"mkhavir argq bliskpug tiyi triimi ngah makuklu." >(The quick fish hated those old false sands.) ==== Fantasy Rule 17:17 (Waggie, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 00:33:01) INVALID (0 Points) > >If denotes an u$var in the 'nakka val$ar, then there is an >associated benga which refers to an act or instance of the action >of . This associated benga is "$vi-". >Examples: >y$ir q'ep gnakpug $viy$ir zolo >(a lucky man will think big thoughts.) ==== Fantasy Rule 17:18 (Waggie, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 00:39:50) VALID (1 Point) > >if denotes an umup in the 'nakka val$ar, then there is an >associated benga which refers to the attribute of having : >this benga is ingi-. >For example: >ingizolo argpug zong gnakpug >(literally: bigness-fishly thing-lucky. >That is, the size of a fish is a matter of chance.) > ==== Fantasy Rule 17:19 (Vlad, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 00:54:39) INVALID (0 Points) > > Studies are showing that val$ar is a deep and >complex language. It is already clear that most >of the simple words and rules have already been discovered. >Therefore, we must abide by this simple rule: >To disregard all posts by a fellow scholar after >his or her second of each week. Any such posts are >bound to be poorly researched. > For example, it took hours of grueling labor >to find out that in val$ar, nouns have two kinds >of 'gender', the traditional 'masculine' or 'feminine', >and one described as 'good' or 'evil'. Of course, the >words in each category are largely arbitrary. I was not >able to find out how to tell the gender of a noun, but >did find that certain clases of nouns may be distinguished >by either or both kinds of gender. For example 'lohar' ('comet') >is both 'feminine' and 'evil'. However a general rule still eludes us. > ==== 32 Fantasy Rule 17:20 (Garth, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 06:08:40) VALID (0 Points) > >Val$ar does not use any articles, either definite or indefinite. > >Neither does it use any pronouns, save for "I" ("ol") and "you" ("ok"). > >The functions of "he" and "she" are filled by the words for "man" and >"woman" respectively. > >"We" and "they" are translated as the plurals of "ol" and "ok". > >There is no distinction between "I" and "me", and no reflexive pronouns >(such as "myself"). ==== Fantasy Rule 17:21 (Chuck, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 08:47:11) (INVALID) (1 Point) > >There are four ways of indicating a singular in val$ar: > >1) i before a noun indicates a specific item: > >rel kuits i $azamq #er (I won that game of chess yesterday) >cchavir i ghers ute (I like this good cigar) > > >2) iyi before a noun indicates any such item of that class: > >$etir shortnigel iyi $azam #er ute (Nigel Short plays a good game of chess) >cchavir iyi ghers ute (I like a good cigar) > > >3) i and iyi are usually left off and understood by context, except >when the distinction between the two is important. > > >4) iryi before a noun indicates the entire institution of that noun. >For many nouns (such as arg and ghers) this would be meaningless >and is not used (either iyi ghers or tiyi ghers would be appropriate). >Some examples where it can be used: > >te$ iryi $azam #er ngah ten#al (The game of chess has a long [literally, > old] history) > (Note: *the* game of chess, i.e. the rules; as opposed to a specific game > of chess (or even a general game of chess) and the moves involved.) > >cchavir iryi reingesin (I like television; as opposed to "cchavir i > reingesin," I like the television [set].) > >Unlike i and iyi, iryi is *never* omitted. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:22 (Vlad, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 08:58:37) UNSUCCESSFUL > >Val$ar has a simple yet flexible verb system. There are >three tenses, present, past, and future, and three aspects: >progressive, indicating repeated or continuous action, >and punctual, indicating action at a single point in time. >The dual is explained below. The present tense has no aspect. >The past and future tenses are formed by adding the >following prefixes: > > Progressive Punctual > >Past an/ana en/ena > >Future on/ono un/uno > > The alphabet shift has led many scholars to conclude that >the above forms date after the invention of writing. The forms >are easy to remember if you keep in mind that [anar] means [old] >and [onwo] means [new] > > Here are some examples: >y$ir ol: I think/am thinking >anagemir ol: I was writing >enagemir ol: I wrote >uny$ir ol: I will think >onogemir ol: I will be writing >The dual is a curiosity, formed by the prefix hov, or >ho before a consonant. This clearly comes from the word >for two, [hova]. The original meaning indicated an action done >twice. The rarity of this use led it to adopt (around 400 years ago) >the function of the plural. > >Examples: >hovenagemir ol: [I wrote twice] or [We wrote] ==== Fantasy Rule 17:23 (Storm, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 10:25:25) INVALID (1 Point) >it is considered very impolite in the desert nation where val$sar is spoken >to attribute feelings to another person, and thus verbs of feeling are in >first person by *!*default. > >khavit *!*arg. -- [I] like the *!*fish. > >"khavit ol *!*arg" is grammatical but very *!*formal. > >it would be quite insulting to say "khavit os *!*arg" as, although it >would literally mean "you like the *!*fish", the implication is that >the listener is too immature to know eir own *!*mind. > ==== Fantasy Rule 17:24 (Stein, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 12:34:36) VALID (2 Points) > >The eye movements that are used in val$ar for expressing >the true emotional content of speech (which may or may not correspond >to the literal meaning of a sentence), are transliterated in written >val$ar by small lines at the start of the word. In ascii we use: > > ) fast upward glance expresses love, adoration > / slow upward glance expresses content, joy > ( fast downward glance expresses anger, hate > \ slow downward glance expresses disgust discomfort > > leftward glance expresses indifference > < rightward glance expresses interest > | repeated up-down movements expresses curiosity or uncertainty > - repeated left-right moves expresses sincerity > >Thus a sentence can be given many complex meanings, that are >often very hard to translate accurately. Here are some examples >using the root sentence "I love you" ("khavir ol ok"), >and with attempted english translations: > >"-khavir ol (ok" ~ I do love you, bastard! >")khavir |ol ok" ~ I'm so mixed up, but my love for you is strong >""\khavir -ol ok" ~ You truly disgust me (the use of "khavir" is > obvious sarcasm). ==== Fantasy Rule 17:25 (Alyxx, Thu, 24 Feb 1994 16:53:02) VALID (0 Points) > >TENSES!! > >The tense of a verb is generally described by the prefix or suffix of the >SUBJECT or OBJECT _NOUN_. The verb form is ALWAYS in what is, I suppose, the >infinative form. To make an action in the simple past tense "q" is added to >the END of the noun. >Example: (the noun is triimi, or 'sand') > >Khavir (to love, the opposite of mkhavir, to hate) > >Khavir tiyi triimi. I love [in general] sand. >Khavir tiyi triimiq. I loved [in general] sand. >khavir ti triimiq. I loved those sands. (as a desert. the other two are an > implied plural.) >To put the action into the simple future tense, we put the "q" at the start >of the noun, unless the noun begins with a consonant, when it is usual to put >"qa" (or the contraction "q'") rather than just "q." > >khavir tiyi qatriimi. I will love sand (implied plural....sand in general) >khavir tiyi q'triimi. I'll love sand. (short form) >khavir tiyi qarg. I'll love [all] fish. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:26 (Waggie, Sat, 26 Feb 1994 23:12:18) VALID (1 Point) >To escape my many obligations, I went on a journey this morning to the >Great Eastern Desert. It is surprisingly nearby: one just goes a >short way in a purely imaginary direction, and there you are. Thank >goodness we live in a complex world! Anyway, when I arrived, I >encountered a man standing on a large rock in a sandy expanse. His arms >were upraised to the sky, and he was chanting in a powerful voice. >As my understanding of the 'nakka val$ar is still rather limited, I did >not understand much of what he said. When he had finished and climbed >down from the rock, I approached him and greeted him with the traditional >"ok ep embi", to which he replied in kind "ok za ep embi". Luckily, he >knew some English (though not much!) and we were able to communicate. >I learned that his name was bezembaha, and asked him what he had been >doing. His response was keialoriu; although I could not determine its >exact meaning I surmise it is one (or more) of invocation, incantation, >poetry, prayer, or recitation. I asked him if he would allow me to >transcribe a short sample, and he agreed. This is it: > >m'yfir m'elgoupug qol keialo ri zmebby ri bwvrl >nak $po zhubulpug, nak ezba ulurupug. >u foompug pe$gar @joe ik zongfa @bwvrl. >mra. \gemir tiyi epedeb tiyi keialo. >sibwvrl$a joe ebbpug bwvrl. > >This raises several problems, some of which I am in a position to >comment on, most of which I will have to leave to other scholars. > >First, in my transcription, I mistakenly wrote "wajoe" and "wabwvrl" for >"@joe" and "@bwvrl", as that is how they are pronounced. bezembaha >explained that the symbol @ is used only as a prefix for nouns, and >expresses the genetive declension. This is in addition to the archaic >form of -pug to express the genetive declension, and is more common >in modern val$ar. Thus @joe is translated as Joe's, and the references >to Joe in the third and fifth lines lead me to believe that there was a >character named Joe-- either historical or mythological-- who had a >profound impact on the culture of the val$ar speaking world. Much research >remains to be done on this subject. > >Secondly, although bezembaha's eyes were moving rapidly during his >recitation, the motion associated with the utterance of gemir was >particularly theatrical, and I have annotated the text according to >scholarly convention. > >Finally, although much of the passage is incomprehensible to me, the >first line contains several familiar words. The construction involving >ri, however, was unfamiliar to me, and I asked bezembaha to explain. >As it happens the structure is this: if and are noun-phrases >and is a modifier phrase, then ri ri is a comparative >structure which indicates that is as as , or indicates >a which is as as , variously depending on context. >Thus, I will attempt a partial translation of the first line of the >passage, although I do not claim complete correctness for this >interpretation. > >m'yfir m'elgoupug qol keialo ri zmebby ri bwvrl >not-(to ?) not-future-ly will-I ? as beautiful as ? > >It seems to be little appreciated by fellow scholars that the prefixes >ma-, m-, and m'- can be applied to verbs and modifiers to obtain their >negations. There may indeed be other forms of negation, however. >The appearance of the word keialo is reminiscent of the word keialoriu, >which bezembaha used to describe his activity. Thus I will assume that >keialo refers to an instance of this activity, and provisionally >translate it as (the noun) incantation. Then the verb yfir, given its >structural similarity to y$ir, may plausibly be construed as a mental >activity. In this case, an act of perception, such as hearing, is >most likely. Thus we obtain > >m'yfir m'elgoupug qol keialo ri zmebby ri bwvrl >not-(to hear) not-future-ly will-I incantation as beautiful as ? > >That is, > >I will never again hear an incantation as beautiful as bwvrl. > >As for the rest of the passage, I must leave that to future study. === Fantasy Rule 17:27 (Chuck, Mon, 28 Feb 1994 17:49:28) VALID (0 Points) >There are four ways of indicating a singular noun in val$ar: > >1) i before a noun indicates a specific item: > >/rel kuits i >$azamq #er (I won that game of chess yesterday) >-cchavir i /ghers ute (I like this good cigar) > > >2) iyi before a noun indicates any such item of that class: > > >$etir \shortnigel iyi $azam /#er ute (Nigel Short plays a good game of chess > [Note on eye movements: the speaker doesn't particularly care > for Nigel Short, but the speaker does respect his ability at chess.) >-cchavir iyi /ghers ute (I like a good cigar) > > >3) i and iyi are usually omitted and understood by context, except >when the distinction between the two is important. It has recently >been discovered that there are at least five nouns in the 'nakka >val$ar with which i or iyi (when appropriate) can *not* be omitted. >However, it is not yet known which nouns these are. > > >4) iryi before a noun indicates the entire institution of that noun. >For many nouns (such as arg and gher) this would be meaningless >and is not used (either iyi gher or tiyi gher would be appropriate). >Some examples where it can be used: > >te$ iryi $azam #er old] history) > (Note: *the* game of chess, i.e. the rules; as opposed to a specific game > of chess (or even a general game of chess) and the moves involved.) > > /reingesin," I like the television [set].) > >Unlike i and iyi, iryi is *never* omitted. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:28 (Doug, Mon, 28 Feb 1994 19:12:51) VALID (2 Point) > (Common Numbering System) In val$ar, the word "+" (pronounced as >if one were pretending to spit) means "one" and "first" (there being no >difference between ordinal and cardinal numbers in val$ar). The word "u" >means "five" (and "fifth") and "o" stands for "zero". The numbers from 0 to 9 >are "o","+","++","+++","++++","u","u+","u++","u+++" and "u++++". > Val$ar has a decimal numbering system, with "i" separating the digits. >So 2034 would be "++ioi+++i++++". However, most native speakers have no use >for numbers above twenty, so one will most likely never encounter long,ugly >val$ar-ian numbers like the one for 2034. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:29 (Garth, Mon, 28 Feb 1994 23:34:26) VALID (2 Points) >Me esteemed colleague Waggie has transcribed a keialo of great interest >to me, as I have been making a thorough study of the religious forms >of the ejep val$ar. > >In my studies, I have found that "keialo" is a principal form of worship >among the ejep val$ar, the word translating roughly as "religious chant". > >I have heard much of the keialo form, but never before heard one, as tiyi >nakeialo (the val$ar prefix "na" meaning much the same as English "-ist"; >a "nakeialo" is a professional bard) guard them jealously. You do not >know your good fortune, Waggie, in coming upon one being recited. Your >questions were answered because bezembaha had been recalling "bwvrl", the >prime epic of the ejep val$ar (said to have been written by the legendary >poet joe) and thus was under oath to treat all men as brothers and >initiates for the next three days. > >Here is a literal translation of the keialo @bezembaha, along with my >suggested eyemarks. I follow it with my more conventional rendering. > >\m'yfir m'elgoupug qol keialo ri -zmebby ri bwvrl > >Not-hear not-future will-I keialo as beautiful as bwvrl > >nak $po /zhubulpug, nak ezba /ulurupug > >like hawk warlike, like wind gentle > >u foompug pe$gar )@Joe ik zongfa @bwvrl > >Came-enlightenment holy soul of-Joe from strength of-bwvrl. > >m'ra. (gemir tiyi ep edeb tiyi |keialo > >Not-glance spirit men brave (and) keialo > >-sibwvrl$a )joe ebbpug /bwvrl > >Become-bwvrl-like joe sunlike bwvrl > > >Or, rendered for ears raised in English (I have here translated "keialo" as >"song"): > >Never again shall I hear a song as beautiful as bwvrl >Like a fierce hawk, like a gentle breeze. >Holy enlightenment touched joe's soul from the power of bwvrl. >The Demon ignored the brave People and their songs; >Great joe shaped bwvrl into a mighty song. > >Note that the translation of tiyi keialo is more difficult than ordinary >translation of val$ar. The keialo form uses many obscure and poetical >forms not found in everyday speech. I doubt that I have properly translated >the phrase "tiyi ep edeb tiyi keialo", but I can see no better at this point. > >Several of the above words are of interest in understanding val$ar culture: > >I have rendered the val$ar word "epppug", or "sunlike", as "great", but it >connotes more than that. The sun is the lifegiver and triumphant warrior >against darkness in val$ar thought. Thus, it is a high compliment to joe, >the first nakeialo, who banished a demon with his chanting of bwvrl. > >"M'ra." means literally "to not look at". Eye movements are very important >to the ejep val$ar, so figuratively this means "to ignore utterly". (The >"." is pronounced as a quick click of the tongue.) > >"U" is a verb whose importance cannot be overstated. It means, very roughly, >"to be touched by the deep knowledge of the gods". It is also used as a >meditational mantra. > >Since study of a language without knowledge of the culture behind it is empty, >I propose that future scholarly missives on val$ar contain at least some >discussion of the beliefs and customs of the ejep val$ar as well. === Fantasy Rule 17:30 (Stein, Tue, 1 Mar 1994 08:02:05) VALID (1 Point) >NAK LISTS > >The use of nak lists often seem slightly unintuitive and >illogical to the novice val$ar speaker, but as one gets used to >them, one will learn to appreciate them as one of the most >beautiful - and versatile - aspects of the language. > >The structure itself is simple enough, the entire list is >grammatically a modifieri-phrase, where the modifying is done by listing >associations to the word-phrase to be modified. The associations are >introduced by 'nak', and separated by commas. More often than not >the associations are only distantly related to the subject, and >are meant to give color, not primarily to provide information. > >Example: > >(mkhavir tiyi \urbou nak )katak ferispug, nak >ep ngah olpug, >nak (m'gnak zolo. > >I hate dogs {sunny Katak, my old man, bad luck} > >>From this little excerpt only it is difficult to see why the >speaker associates dogs (which he doesn't like), with a southern >holiday resort (which he obviously does like). But therein lies >the true beauty of the nak list, it says something without really >saying it. > >As an interesting aside, we note that in val$ar you literally >use 'my old man' for 'father'. === Fantasy Rule 17:31 (Waggie, Tue, 1 Mar 1994 17:50:04) INVALID (0 Points) >Having journeyed again to the "$imari ehwa zolo" last night, and knowing >that "-mkhavir /'judge' tiyi @ol (ingizempapug", I will briefly explain >my adventure. This time I met a fellow named fredzbro. Unlike bezembaha, >he was completelely fluid in English; we had a long conversation over >++ krima$. He had done a Ph.D. at Princeton but was unable to find work >(the title of his thesis was "Strange C_mt Production from Spontaneous >Walrus Decay") so he returned to his home town, of the younger generation, and thoroughly westernized, he thinks that >joe is a shmoe and keialoriu is a waste of time. I took the opportunity >to ask him about verbal modality, and was stunned to learn the concept of >the compound verb. > >Some familiar modes are expressed as follows. The prefixes hr'- and hra- >can be applied to to express the possibility of . >The previxes gj'- and gje- can be applied to to express the >neccesity of . The prefixes ux'- and uxu- can be applied to > to express the moral goodness of . For example > >\hr'yfir ol ok. -ux'e can-hear I you. should-be will-you quiet more >I can hear you. You should be more quiet. > >(There is no distinction between "to hear" and "to listen", nor >between "to see" and "to read" and "to notice". The ejep val$ar are >very aware of their environment. The u$var "e" is the existential verb, >which is frequently omitted or implied.) > >Compound verbs are stranger animals. Given two verbs and >we form another verb ^. The symbol ^ is pronounced as an >unvoiced glottal stop. Only one ^ may be used. Rather than describe >the semantics in detail, I will give a few examples. > >y$ir^wyir ol garth joe nakeialo zolo bozta tiyi @ejep val$ar. >think^believe I Garth Joe poet big most of-people val$ar. >I think Garth believes Joe is the greatest poet of the val$ar people. > >kztek^tabda qdoug ti ep ejembi @doug. >kill^touch FT-Doug those man girlfriend Doug's. >Doug will kill any man who touches his girlfriend. > >yfir^boink olq chuckq ejembi @doug. >hear^diddle I-PT Chuckq girlfriend Doug's. >I heard that Chuck diddled Doug's girlfriend. === Fantasy Rule 17:32 (Alyxx, Tue, 1 Mar 1994 18:09:40) INVALID (-1 Point) >In keeping with the very valid notion that language cannot be understood withou >cultural context, I present a brief overview of my findings on food and cooking > > Within the nomadic tribes of the ejep val$ar, the tasks of gathering >vegetable matter for food tends to fall on tiyi ngah ej se tiyi urha ejep. >(the old women and the "new people" [children]). Some staples include the >krikrikpug argpug [spikey fishy?] a native cactus named in part for the odor >of the cut leaves (each about 30 - 40 cm long) and various groop. [iryi groop] > > As in many tribal societies, the hunting is done by the men. (ep). The >primary prey are small marsupials, like tiyi groop ingignak (fruit having luck >lucky berries? I don't really know....) Here is a native recipe, roughly tran >slated. > > groop qwishpug >u+++ krikrikpug argpug kothomba >++ groop ingignak >+ urbou (not really a dog, but a doglike animal) >+ satt gwinto gnakpug (lucky blood...the juice of a plant) >+ satt olokpug (me and you like.....water) > >qwish +io (a small clan) > >nikar q'ki urha ejeppug. tarm q'ol ki tittalpug. shubshub qngaheyha. >qwish ejep! > >groop made edible (foodlike groop) (or, literally, groop [meaning groop ingigna >not fruit] will be food-y") >8 spikey-fishy leaves >2 small animals called groop ingignak (lucky fruit) >1 doglike animal...call it a dog if you want. >1 satt (a unit of measure 193 ml or so) plant juice >1 satt water. (what we are made of! vital in a desert culture) > >feeds 10 (1, decimal place 0 after the decimal place = 10, I hope?) > >to cut (also the noun, knife), everything will like children. OR You will >cut everything small. to put you will everything potlike. OR You will put >everything in a pot. boil future old present. (huh? Oh...it is how one >would say "you will boil it all day" qngaheyha is idiomatic. old-present.) > >qwish ejep! (feed everyone!) (lit. feed people) > === Fantasy Rule 17:33 (Storm, Wed, 2 Mar 1994 06:05:12) UNSUCCESSFUL >Date: Tue, 1 Mar 94 15:15:59 -0800 > >I recently had the opportunity to ask a young speaker of val$ar why her >desert people are so concerned with fish. She was quite amused, and took it >on herself to explain to me that "arg" is so seldom used literally among the >ejep val$ar that it has taken on a euphemistic use. It generally refers to >the key virtue of unu, honesty, or more often its regrettable absence. For >example, in most contexts the sentence > >mkhavir tiyi \arg bliskpug > >which literally means "I hate fast fish", would be taken as an indication of >the speaker's desire for more honesty and directness in discourse, while > >mkhavir ok ti \arg bliskpug nak tiyi $azam, nak tiyi ep > >is a very direct (if vaguely sexist) way of accusing the listener of >dishonesty (given its directness, probably an outright lie). > >When I had grasped this point, my young informant told me: > >/bendal ok i |arg gnak + > >I have been able to come to a few conclusions about this statement, namely >that "bendal" refers to the act of purchasing or obtaining, and that the use >of the number "+" as an adjective (when number has already been established >by "i") corresponds to the English adjectives "whole" or "entire"; but I am >left wondering in exactly what sense I have bought the big fish. === Fantasy Rule 17:34 (Garth, Thu, 3 Mar 1994 08:07:40) VALID (3 Points) > >Questions in val$ar are denoted by an eyemark, "?", which denotes a >small shake of the head while maintaining eye contact. The "?" is >placed before the most relevant word or words of the sentence. >(That is, the word or words the questioner desires information on.) > >Questions do not differ from statements in any other way, though >many of the sentences used as questions are too obvious or odd >ever to be said as statements. > >Here are a few examples. A "#a$" is a fierce predator which >is the subject of ceremonial hunts by the ejep val$ar. > >(The #a$ is a holy animal whose name may only be spoken on certain >occasions. At other times, it is called a fish ("arg"). Fish >are so seldom mentioned by the ejep val$ar that #a$ and fish are >rarely confused. If an ejep val$ar really means to say "fish", >e will generally refer to "arg @$wa", or "fish of water". The >#a$ is seen as the embodiment of unu, or honesty, which may have >caused some confusion to my fellow scholar Storm.) > >?kztek okq arg (You *killed* the #a$?, or "Did you kill the #a$?") >kztek okq ?arg (You killed the *#a$*?) >kztek ?okq arg (*You* killed the #a$?) >?kztek ?okq ?arg (You killed the #a$?! What on earth are you talking about??? > >kztek ?$irakq @ok arg (What was your intention in killing the #a$?, or > "Why did you kill the #a$?") > >kztek $irakq ?@ok arg (Did you intend (Was it your intention) to kill the #a$? > >e katak ?an (Where (What place) is Katak?) > >e dro$ ?um (When (What time) is the hunt?) >?e dro$ um (Is the hunt still on?) > >In case there is any doubt, the nouns "$irak", "an" and "um" mean "intention", >"place", and "time" respectively. === Fantasy Rule 17:35 (Stein, Thu, 3 Mar 1994 11:17:46) INVALID (0 Points) >The favorite pastime of the people of the Great Eastern Desert >is to watch american action movies on TV. The movies are of course >dubbed in val$ar, and the actors' eyes are redrawn in closeups. > >Last week when I was visiting my good friend cakopalt, the station >"reingesin urha" was showing two "bondbondjames" (an obvious translator >misunderstanding here) movies: "e ok ++ kara" and ">e qam'ol. >kztek >qam'ol". >Afterwards I discussed val$ar imperative forms with cakopalt. > >cakopalt explained that it was considered very rude to demand something >from someone, and that the language therefore had no grammatical form >for imperative. So imperative requests cannot be expressed directly, >and the second film title was thus translated as "Someone other than >me will be (ie will live). Someone other than me will kill." >This aversion to imperatives was also clear in the phrase >"rakir "A dry (sandlike) martini will shake. A dry martini will not stir" >and where the actual request is done by eyemovement. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:36 (Chuck, Sun, 6 Mar 1994 02:10:08) VALID (2 Points) >I have recently returned from a visit to Katak, where I disguised >myself as a val$arian chef from a distant part of the desert in order to >learn some of the great recipies of tiyi ejep val$ar. > >My interest was due to my recent discovery that the preparation of >food carries an almost immeasurable religious significance to tiyi >ejep val$ar. In fact, in val$ar recipes are always written or spoken >in the keialo form. Such a keialo is known as "keialo ebbpug" -- literally, >"sunlike song" or "great song." The chefs of tiyi ejep val$ar are known >as "tiyi nakeialo ebbpug." -- literally, "sunlike bards." I believe that >Joe was one of the greatest of tiyi nakeialo ebbpug. (As one might expect, >"keialoriu ebbpug" -- literally "to sing sunlike" -- means to cook or >prepare food) > >I discovered at Katak that bwvrl is in fact one of the most holy, >and most delicious of tiyi qwish val$ar (val$ar foods). bwvrl >can also refer to the keialo ebbpug which describes the preparation >of bwvrl. Referring to the food and the keialo ebbpug describing that >food by the same name is common in val$ar. (Where the distinction >is not obvious by context, the two can be referred to as "qwish @bwvrl" >and "keialo ebbpug @bwvrl," respectively.) > >This suggests an explanation why bezembaha could not recite bwvrl >itself to Waggie. bezembaha most likely had not yet achieved >nakeialo ebbpug status, and therefore was not permitted to >recite the entire keialo ebbpug. He could only tell Waggie part of the >preface of bwvrl. > >I too could not discover the recipe for bwvrl, as it is only prepared >once a year, and I was not in Katak at the right time of the year. >However, I did learn another recipe. It describes the preparation >of $eveqa, a specialty of Katak. Its main ingredient is fish. >(Real fish (arg @$wa). Katak is on the edge of a fairly sizable oasis with >delectable fish in its lake, and Katak is well known for its fish >dishes.) It tells of nehtef, the woman who first found lake Katak >and (of course) developed $eveqa. > >As this missive has already grown rather long, I will send the >keialo ebbpug and its translation, with my comments, in my >next message. Meanwhile, I suggest we all devote ourselves to >the study of tiyi keialo ebbpug, since they represent the highest >art form of tiyi ejep val$ar. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:37 (Garth, Sun, 6 Mar 1994 06:48:09) INVALID (0 Points) > >I feel bound to point out to my esteemed colleague Chuck that the >keialo ebbpug is not merely a recipe. It is an epic poem which, >when "translated" via a complex set of allusions and metaphors, >may be read as a recipe. The art is in *both* the poem and the >food in question. > >bwvrl, in particular, is certainly not just a recipe (though the >eating of that food is a prime religious event), but as I mentioned >before, the prime epic of the ejep val$ar. It tells of the >beginnings of things and the story of the earliest ejep. Myth >has it that its recitation was used to banish the demon ra$ka. >Only later, when the rou @val$ar (roughly, "religion" of val$ar) was >developed, was it "translated" into food. > >The reason for this translation is clear. Food plays an enormous >role in val$ar thought. The act of eating and digestion is that >by which we transform the raw material of the world into ourselves, >just as in poetry we transform the raw material of thought into >part of our minds and beliefs. Eating is a ritual event among the >ejep val$ar, and great attention is paid to ingredients. One is >felt to take on the mystic qualities of the plants and animals >eaten. (This is one of the reasons for the hunt of the #a$, its >meat is incorporated into the qwish @bwvrl to instill unu.) And so >there was felt a great need to make a connection between the keialo >and food, that which nourishes the soul and that which nourishes the >body, for soul and body should be of one piece. > >As I say, originally this custom developed out of the keialo ebbpug, >which was prior to the recipes. But since then, some ti keialo have >actually been composed that were first "written" in food! "$eveqa" >which you mentioned, is one of these. > >However, in general, a keialo ebbpug will not *obviously* refer >to the preparation of food at all! This will come out only after >long literary analysis. For example, a reference to the hero >kol$anta as "edeb" will generally mean that chopped dron#a is an >ingredient, as kol$anta was a mighty swordsman ("chopped") and >the dron#a is an animal seen as the essence of bravery. But >even this will not be *always* true, as the system of allusions >used by the nakeialo is very complex. > >Finally, "keialoriu ebbpug" is not the usual word for "to cook"; >more often it means "to sing a great keialo". This is doubtless >a mystic allusion used by the nakeialo ebbpug. The common ejep >would use the verb "viqwish" for "to cook". (The prefix "vi-" >attached to means "to make ". It may be abbreviated >to "v'-" freely.) > >I truly envy your experience amongst the nakeialo ebbpug, but feel >bound to correct this very understandable error. One must be very >careful in taking tiyi nakeialo literally, as they have many verbal >traps set for the unwary. As is said, (I am sure you must have >heard this proverb during your stay), "e zempa bryghi nak gitsu @ejep", >literally, "is word maze like intestines of-person" or "A word is a >maze like unto the vitals of a man." This saying perfectly capsulates >for me the connection between mind and body in val$ar thought. > >(Note: "gitsu" is in the singular, unlike "vitals" or "intestines" >in English.) ==== Fantasy Rule 17:38 (Doug, Mon, 7 Mar 1994 17:40:16) VALID (0 Points) > According to the dominant religion of the speakers of val$ar, there is >"yehaw everpug" (torment everlasting) reserved for those who commit serious >sins, one of the worst of which is to mispronounce any of the religious >recipe-songs. (This is the main reason for the restrictions on who can sings >these songs.) The victims of "yehaw everpug" must spend eternity staying >afloat in an ocean that's dark and bitterly cold (but not frozen --- the >laws of chemistry and physics dont apply here). > Future rules may be no longer than this one is. ==== Fantasy Rule 17:39 (Chuck, Sat, 12 Mar 1994 16:54:42) INVALID (1 Point) > >Iyi keialo ebbpug has two parts: the preface and the recipe proper. >Here I transcribe the first stanza of $eveqa, part of its preface: > \kzetek i (argq )epembiut @nehtef ngah > \m'ane buhupug nehtefq /reande @ej > >antou >sudghen nehtefq ti ebbum +++ > >ane buhupug nehtefq ti >triimi > |qwishmute nar ebbq ej |qwishmute nar ti triimiq ej >If a rule has part of i keialo, the next rule must give its translation.