tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7707029542293601332024-03-07T20:40:49.438-08:00Teliya NevashiA Conlang-In-DevelopmentMiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-84803789146218440562015-09-01T21:12:00.000-07:002015-09-01T21:13:41.906-07:00Eighth Annual State of the LanguageIt's SEPTEMBER! I am so late! I had planned to do this much earlier in the year, in the form of a video address, but I had a baby in February and it has been pretty much non-stop craziness since then. I thought I might record a video tonight, but it is 11:30pm, I am in my pajamas, and I look terrible. (I thought about taking a still shot to demonstrate how terrible, but it was too terrible to show. I need to get some sleep and tame my snake-hair.)<br />
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Sorry about all that.<br />
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Enough with the excuses and apologies. Here's what's going on:<br />
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I haven't been doing as much conlanging as I might have liked over the last year, but I have done a little here and there. The grammar of Nevashi seems to be shifting in subtle ways as I use it more, but I am not prepared to describe exactly how. I've been giving a good deal of thought to the separation of Ashea (Earth) Nevashi and Ianea (Fictional World) Nevashi, but it hasn't quite escaped the thought stage yet. The lexicon is up to 832 entries. I found some word lists while repacking my belongings to move, so that number may jump soon.<br />
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I found my notebooks for Laozhea when I was repacking, so that project may see some work soon, also.<br />
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I've been thinking more about how and why I create languages, and why it is that I remain a serial conlanger, despite wanting to settle down with and become proficient in one of my languages. I am still looking for The One. I don't think Nevashi is The One-- it's fun, and I enjoy tinkering with it, but it isn't where I want to settle down. Ea-luna definitely isn't, although I find it charming and quirky at this point. I don't think Laozhea will be either; I had some notion that it might be when I started it.<br />
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I always have that notion before I start.<br />
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So, we're well on our way to 2016, and I just started a heavy fall semester, which will be followed by an equally heavy spring. I wouldn't expect much before I graduate in April, really. I will continue thinking about the underpinnings of my personal conlanging, though, and I may turn out a few posts on that topic before it is all over.<br />
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I have been thinking more about what I want in a personal language made for my own use (rather than what I think might be fun to experiment with), and I've also been considering another stab at a collaborative conlang at some point. My idea for that is to provide a basic or "classical" language and see if I can <strike>trick</strike> persuade people to use, expand, and modify it, individually, in community, or both.<br />
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But not tonight.<br />
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Veku! Bye!<br />
<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-14305738037883038842014-01-01T23:01:00.000-08:002014-01-01T23:01:36.155-08:00The 7th Annual State of the Language AddressGreetings! <div>
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It's that time of the year again. As you can tell by the post count, it was a slow year for Nevashi on the Internet, but there were some substantial advances made offline. The language grew by about 100 words over the last two months alone, and it saw more usage in short translations and status posts on Facebook this year. <div>
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It was another horrible year for public documentation of the ever-shifting grammar. It is beginning to settle a little bit, but there will need to be a lot more "test driving" before I've got all the kinks worked out. It seems that there's another little wrinkle around every corner I turn with this language.</div>
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There's a bit of bad news: I have started a new conlang. I don't intend to entirely shelve Nevashi (or ea-luna, for that matter), but my main effort for 2014 will be toward developing <a href="http://mianderings.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-laozhea.html" target="_blank">Laozhea</a>. </div>
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And I still owe y'all a video/audio post. I am trying to decide between one entirely in Nevashi and one in English talking about Nevashi. I have a laptop with a camera now, so I really don't have any excuse for getting on with it. </div>
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Anyway -- Im ceana noa yevaséd! A peaceful new year to you! </div>
Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-73594732754332901862013-11-17T22:29:00.001-08:002013-11-17T22:31:20.190-08:00Totally TMI Idiom Du JourI am female and sometimes I need to talk about the biological things that come along with that for most of us female folk. I recently came up with a Nevashi phrase for menstruation: to have high tide. This uses "ca" (bodily functions and speech) with "def" (to have, hold, contain, etc)-- a fairly rare combination.<br />
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<i>Ci def im ececian.</i> She has high tide. (Insert your favorite euphemism for menstruation here.)<br />
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You can blame Alabama for this, by the way. A Crimson Tide bumper sticker on the car ahead of me at a stoplight started this train of thought.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-31724803599016022212013-11-05T14:08:00.003-08:002013-11-05T14:08:38.856-08:00Lexember x2 <br />Since there are two -ember months in a row, I've decided to do back-to-back Lexembers, or 61 days of word creation. Today is day five, but Nevashi has gained more than five words so far. Here's the list: <div>
<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="163"></col><col width="183"></col><col width="554"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">zere</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">plant</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">zerenesh</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">vegetable (food)</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">zere + nash, with the e carried over </td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">ortlua</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">squash, gourd</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">ortluazh</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">pumpkin</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">den</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">sound, noise; to make a sound/noise (fa)</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">nedden</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">to chant (ca; religious) </td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">nedh + den</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">kelu</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">body</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">vesa</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">torso; (tree) trunk</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">detishna</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">notebook</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">detish (paper) + na (collective)</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">defín</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">container; storage; box</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">yai</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">wall (structural, e.g. of a house); separate (fa)</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">yaiva</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">separation (n)</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">dyofios</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">outdoors</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">dyo + fios</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">pafios</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">indoors</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">pa + fios</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">ashan</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">field, meadow; yard</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">yai ashani</td><td style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">fence, wall (as fence)</td><td style="border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; border-right: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 0 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">yaidefin</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">cabinet, cupboard</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">defar</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; direction: ltr; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"> storage room; closet; pantry</td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td><td style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; font-size: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
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And with that, I've passed the 700 word milestone. <i>Defar</i> was word #702. Onward to 800! </div>
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Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-40142914120586320582013-05-04T15:56:00.002-07:002013-05-04T15:56:37.950-07:00Nev, Tef, and Zel (Talking to myself in public)I have three words in my lexicon-spreadsheet-thing that are undefined: <i>nev</i>, <i>tef</i>, and <i>zel</i>. These would all probably be verbs, just looking at them. A lot of Nevashi verbs are CVC in their most basic form, and then add other bits to become other parts of speech.<br />
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<i>Nev </i>is the first element in "Nevash," the name of the island where the Nevashi people are from. The <i>ash</i> part means "land," but after all these years, I still don't know what the <i>nev</i> part means. No idea.<br />
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<i>Tef</i> is a possible verb form that might be behind the word <i>tefya</i>, "zero". I think it might have to do with absence or not-being. There are a lot of possibilities in running this through the different verb types: <i>ma tef, </i>"I am absent", or as a movement verb: <i>ka tef</i>, "I leave"... I will have to meditate on how that works.<br />
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I've tentatively defined <i>zel</i> as "to write poetry," backformed from <i>zelea</i>, "poem," but at some level, I know that's not exactly what that means. I'd like to find a way to make this work for writing poetry, composing music, and maybe for doing visual arts as well. And I wonder what it would mean as a verb of movement-- I have a word that means "to dance," but there's nothing wrong with having two ways to say that, I suppose.<br />
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<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-28671500815934582452013-01-08T15:19:00.003-08:002013-01-08T15:37:30.566-08:00The 6th Annual State of the Language AddressDidn't I just write one of these? What happened to 2012?<br />
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Here we are in 2013. <a href="http://nevashi.blogspot.com/2012/02/5th-annual-state-of-language-address.html" target="_blank">Remember all those things I said I'd do over the course of the last year? </a> Yeah. That didn't happen. It was a good year for Nevashi anyway.<br />
<br />
The Revised Revised Lexicon grew to 655 entries this year. <a href="http://fantasticaldevices.blogspot.com/2012/11/lexember.html" target="_blank">Lexember</a> gave a nice end of the year boost to the count. That raw number doesn't take into account any of the words that gained additional meanings or the new affixes you might use to derive new words from the old ones. Among those new affixes, my favorites are the two that you can use to make a given thing into a collective of those things: <i>-rí</i> (extracted from<i> zirirí </i>(swarm) and used in <i>sirurí</i> (guts)) and <i>-na</i> (used in <i>omanena</i> (crew)).<br />
<br />
I haven't written a new grammar, and the old one is teetering on the brink of being obsolete. What I have done is start working on compositions and translations. This is letting me iron out some kinks. I don't think I'll use the "write a grammar and then try to use it" method of language building again. I'm happy with the way that Nevashi has turned out, but it is evolving further and faster through use than it did through trying to build a structure to hang a usable language on later. I hope to do more writing and translating this year.<br />
<br />
I am slowly getting a better grip on the details of Nevashi culture. If I were to make any one resolution for Nevashi this year, it would be to write more about that. I still don't even know what <i>Nevash</i> means. I know that <i>ash</i> means "land." I have reserved line #656 in the Revised Revised Lexicon for <i>nev</i>.<br />
<br />
Since the last "State of the Language", I started attending the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (known locally as UPJ). I still have to work and I still have kids, too. This doesn't leave a lot of time for working on languages. That hasn't stopped me, but it is a factor in how much gets done. Language construction does make a nice diversion when I need a break from studying.<br />
<br />
So... That's that. I still owe y'all a video or some audio, at least. I did try to record a video at some point in the spring, but my daughter kept making me laugh, so I gave up on it. I would at least like to record some Nevashi so that people can hear what it sounds like. It's on the to-do list.<br />
<br />
Im ceana wadi jeyaséd! Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-70909152026946589852012-12-31T07:23:00.000-08:002012-12-31T07:23:00.070-08:0031 Days of LexemberWell, we have reached the end of Lexember and the end of 2012. I actually completed this month long challenge, albeit with some early and some belated entries. These were not the only words created in December. The total number of entries in the Revised Revised Lexicon grew to 655.
<ol>
<li><i>Urad Hristi</i>, Christmas</li>
<li><i>nashín</i>, meal</li>
<li><i>gitcea</i>, noon. <i>git</i>, middle, center.</li>
<li><i>tath</i>, root. <i>pwentath</i>, ginger</li>
<li><i>cevek</i>, deer</li>
<li><i>umo</i>, bear (the animal)</li>
<li><i>bron</i>, to be tired (with ca); to be bored (with sa</li>
<li><i>sashín,</i> candy</li>
<li><i>hula</i>, circle</li>
<li><i>ka'encel</i>, depressed. <i>ka'encelva</i>, depression.</li>
<li><i>nanal</i>, to study, in the sense of learning something academic, what you do to prepare for an exam.</li>
<li><i>suthol</i>, to study something to learn about it, research, "do a science"</li>
<li><i>gwisa</i>, ice. <i>gwisha</i>, frost</li>
<li><i>vegaviozh</i>, truck</li>
<li><i>kis</i>, to be named. <i>kisa</i>, name.</li>
<li><i>yun</i>, to be brave (with ma), to explore (with ka)</li>
<li><i>col</i>, milk</li>
<li><i>lemyan</i>, river</li>
<li><i>drus</i>, meat, flesh, muscle. <i>siru</i>, organ, organ meat. <i>sirurí</i>, guts, internal organs (collectively)</li>
<li><i>hin</i>, cloud</li>
<li><i>badh</i>, cow</li>
<li><i>zopa</i>, sheep</li>
<li><i>zhwes</i>, goat</li>
<li><i>peya</i>, chicken.</li>
<li><i>thes</i>, to dance (with ka)</li>
<li><i>grayu</i>, raven. <i>gawa</i>, crow</li>
<li><i>hom</i> (with sa), to think. <i>homa</i>, thought or idea. <i>homsiru</i>, brain.</li>
<li><i>hlet</i>, to lead (with fa), to persuade (with ca).In the "in charge" sense.</li>
<li><i>byu</i>, after (in a sequence of physical objects), following (adj)</li>
<li><i>joa</i>, to save or rescue (with sa). <i>joava</i>, rescue or salvation
</li>
<li><i>pie</i>, to jump (with ka). <i>ropie</i>, to leap up (ka), to pounce upon (ta)</li>
</ol>
Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-88901652018976770832012-12-29T22:00:00.003-08:002012-12-29T22:15:02.794-08:00Nevashi In UseA little story I wrote in Teliya Nevashi:<br />
<br />
<i>Eci dev ecu ecufios in Grayu wa Gawa, gyet oesi mur ala ti dhil keshas ged. Fish mise zo inim osal i Gawa im uje ofu fi ec im iane, ofu vici nan. Ci talala wa ki roho’a pa ya lemyan i Grayu.</i><br />
<br />
Raven and Crow sit on a rooftop, debating about which one is more clever. Crow fills a jar using stones in order to raise the water, in order to drink. Raven laughs and flies to the river.<br />
<br />
While I am posting that, I might as well post this translation of Psalm 146: 3-4:<br />
<br />
(ESV: <b id="internal-source-marker_0.27030982030555606" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.)</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.847045739647001" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Seya imoroishi inim hletif, im jenve seke kwe seya vesi joa inim denet lia. Gyet ci gorem, lumi an ash rakesh; gyet dha ceba kova, ci gorem tash rohoma voi .</i></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And translated back:</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do not trust leaders (captains), nothing more than a human that cannot rescue you. When he dies, he becomes earth (dirt) again; on that same day, his plan also dies. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't have a word for "princes" yet, but "leaders" or "captains" is more culturally appropriate. I do have the words for "when his breath (or spirit) departs," but I decided to go with the blunter, more direct approach. </span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
The new grammar is getting test driven and tweaked as I go lately. I should break it down for you, but it is after midnight and I should have been in bed hours ago. Maybe soon. No promises.<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-83770745157618176542012-12-18T19:13:00.002-08:002012-12-18T23:07:00.859-08:00Big Ol' Name PostMy fifteenth word for Lexember was <i>kis, </i>to be named. I thought I would take a moment here to explain how <i>kis </i>works in practice.<br />
<br />
<i>Ma kis im Mia. </i><br />
1st/non-past/be be-named DO-singular Mia.<br />
I am named Mia. My name is Mia.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Mish kis il ambai cei im Sherry it lash.</i><br />
3rd/singular*/be/causative be-named Subj-dual parent my DO-singular Sherry IO-singular me(dat.)**<br />
My parents named me Sherry.<br />
<br />
The name is the direct object. The subject of kis is the person who is named, or the person doing the naming when the causative is used. In the event that you are using the causative, talking about someone naming someone or something else, the recipient of the name is the indirect object.<br />
<br />
Two grammar points here:<br />
* Although it is mentioned in the grammar, it's worth noting here that the dual counts as singular for the purpose of conjugating verbs. I very nearly made a little error there myself, so I decided to mention it, even though it is unlikely anyone else will be writing any sentences in Nevashi. And if someone did, what are the chances that it would have a dual subject?<br />
<br />
** I don't think that it has been previously mentioned anywhere, but it has become an established practice with me that pronouns still carry the case markings from the old grammar even when used with the indirect object marker. I can't say why. It just<i> is</i>.<br />
<br />
So, how do you ask someone what their name is? I have a couple of ways to ask:<br />
<br />
<i>Kisa dei, mi an eyos?</i> (lit., "Your name, it is what?")<br />
<i>Me kis eyos?</i> (lit., "You are named what?")<br />
<br />
The former would probably be the more usual way of doing it. The second, I am not so sure about. I think maybe it should be "<i>Me kis im eyos?</i>" -- that is, making "what" (<i>eyos</i>) the direct object of <i>kis</i>-- but that's not the way it used to be done, and I am not 100% sure I will make that change, no matter how logical it is.<br />
<br />
For about 15 seconds, I considered a "How are you named?" option, but that wouldn't really make much sense, since the thing you are looking for is a "what"-- the thing that would be the object of the verb.<br />
<br />
And that brings us to the current list of personal names in Nevashi. The list is short so far.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Feminine Names</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Taji, Tajisha</i> - Marigold</li>
<li><i>Delya</i> - Victory</li>
<li><i>Sema</i> - Beautiful</li>
<li><i>Omanet</i> - Sailor</li>
<li><i>Yuna</i> - Brave</li>
<li><i>Umosha</i> - Bear</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><u>Masculine Names</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>Delyafan, Delyafano</i> - Victor</li>
<li><i>Edhél</i> - Strong</li>
<li><i>Oman</i> - Sailor</li>
<li><i>Yun</i> - Brave</li>
<li><i>Semu</i> - Beautiful</li>
<li><i>Umo, Umowe</i> - Bear</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><u>Unisex Names</u></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Imevi</i> - Hopeful</li>
<li><i>Imevazha</i> - Worthy of Being Wished For</li>
<li><i>Edhélva - </i>Strength</li>
<li><i>Shaoshan</i> - Owl</li>
<li><i>Kyun</i> - Explorer (from <i>ki yun</i>, "he/she explores", possibly under the influence of <i>kyu-</i>, "away/down")</li>
<li><i>Cevek</i> - Deer</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Yeah, a lot of those feminine names end in an unstressed <i>a. </i>I know, I know. Sue me. So do some of the unisex names... so there! Actually, this is just general usage; sex-and-gender isn't really such a big deal on Nevash. The only definitely masculine or feminine names up there are the ones that end in <i>-sha </i>(f) or <i>-we </i>(m), which are sex-specific diminutives. Go ahead, name your son <i>Tajiwe</i>. Nobody will laugh. I promise.<br />
<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-71850815850656463732012-12-09T13:09:00.000-08:002012-12-09T13:11:54.130-08:00The First 9 Days of Lexember. <span style="font-family: inherit;">It is 9 days into Lexember. Here's a list of the new words so far: </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Urad Hristi</i>, Christmas</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">nashín</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, meal</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">gitcea</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, noon. Also, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">git</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, middle, center.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">tath</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, root. Also, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">pwentath</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, ginger</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><i>cevek</i>, deer</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><i>umo</i>, bear (the animal)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i>bron</i>, to be tired (with ca); to be bored (with sa)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">sashín, </i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small; line-height: 18px;">candy</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">hula</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">, circle</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-49555097545662006942012-11-26T18:28:00.000-08:002012-12-19T10:10:32.247-08:00Chairs, Rebels, and Closing on 600.Nevashi finally has a word for "chair," <i>deviya</i>, so I will no longer be able to joke that it has a word for "non-dualism" but not one for "chair". This new word is <i>dev</i> (to be located/stand/sit) + <i>iya</i>. It is modeled on <i>meriya</i>, bed, which is from <i>mer</i>, to sleep. Neither of these words fits especially well with the general meaning of <i>-iya,</i> which normally turns a verb into a noun that is the usual object of that verb: <i>nash</i> (eat) + <i>iya = nashiya</i> (food). I think this must be some sort of furniture-related exception. I had thought that perhaps it should be "<i>devvi</i>," since <i>-vi</i> indicates a tool or instrument, but that doesn't really seem to fit with the idea of furniture in my mind either. I like these words the way they are, so that's what they will be.<br />
<br />
Another recent word I am especially fond of is <i>fafari, </i>rebellious or mutinous. I would say that it is derived from<i> faru</i>, to be opposed to, but that's not actually how it happened. "<i>Faru</i>" was reverse engineered from "<i>fafari</i>". File that under "Confessions of a Conlanger."<br />
<br />
There are fewer than 10 words left until Nevashi hits the 600 word mark. It's at 592 right now. There's a flurry of new words coming soon that will put me well into the 600's.<br />
<br />
After some conversation with Peter Bleackley (@PeteBleackley) on Twitter, a new word-building event was born: <a href="http://fantasticaldevices.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/lexember.html">Lexember</a> (link is to his blog post about it). That's a word a day for the 31 days of December. I am working on my list. I think I may do three words a day: one for Nevashi, one for ea-luna, and one for my embryonic personal auxiliary language, which I am currently calling "Maus"-- from "<b>M</b>ia <b>Aux</b>lang" and my crazy, enduring love of rodents. I'll be tweeting new words and posting them here as well. I hope to see plenty of #Lexember tweets, or posts elsewhere, with lots of interesting words to look at.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-62753571633318966582012-06-16T15:23:00.002-07:002012-06-16T15:32:59.916-07:00TidesNot too long ago, I attempted to console someone by saying, "Don't mistake low tide for failure." It later struck me as a particularly Nevashi thing to say. Last night, another saying came to mind and struck me as something that the Nevashi would appreciate: "A rising tide lifts all boats." I realized then that I didn't have the words to translate either of those things.
<br />
<br />
The concepts of cyclical change and flow (of time, of events, and in a more abstract sense too) are important in Nevashi culture. The tides would be symbolic beyond their practical importance to all the people living on the coast or on boats. So, I spent part of last night reading more about tides than I'll ever need to know, for the sake of better conlanging. (Conlanging has caused me to read about all sorts of things not directly related to languages and linguistics.) I had to adjust a couple of affixes, but I now have words for the rising and falling tides, plus high and low tide. (Slack, spring, and neap tides have yet to be Nevashized.)<br />
<br />
<i>Kyu-</i> used to be an affix for verbs that meant "down or toward", but it now means "down or away". <i>Ro-</i> meant "up or away", but now it is "up or toward". This better matches the experience of the tide if you're standing on the beach, and that makes it a better fit for Nevashi culture as well. <br />
<br />
Those weren't the only words missing, so I created a few more, and now Nevashi has over 550 words. Among those words are <i>pora</i>, "to be correct" and its opposite, <i>sipora</i>. These are related to <i>ora</i>, which means "true" (or as a <i>ma</i> verb, "to be true"; as a <i>ta</i> verb, "to be honest"; or "to tell the truth" as a <i>ca</i> verb). It must have been <i>pa ora</i> at one time, but got squished into <i>pora</i> and became a verb of its own, with <i>sa</i>. (That might be more than anyone wants to know. Consider it exposure of process.)<br />
<br />
So, back to the things I wanted to translate: <br />
<br />
<b>Don't mistake low tide for failure.</b> <br />
<i>Seya fremish yam sidelya gida yam ortortian.</i><br />
NEG confuse-IMP the-DObject failure instead-of the-DObj lowtide. <br />
<br />
I wasn't sure about it at first, especially with the preposition involved, but I've decided that this construction with both <i>sidelya</i> and <i>ortortian</i> as objects of <i>frem</i> makes me happy. Also, I decided to go with an imperative instead of a less direct "one shouldn't..." because I wanted it to be more than a suggestion-- more "cheer up!" and less "you really shouldn't be so unhappy."<br />
<br />
The imperative in Nevashi can be a little ambiguous because it loses the meaning carried in the first part of the verb. <i>Frem</i> isn't one of the more confusing verbs, though, because there are other clues to disambiguate-- where it means "to be confused", it would be intransitive, so there wouldn't be any object following it. Where it would mean "to confuse (someone)", it would have the imperative+causative (which is <i>-ih</i>i in the new grammar: <i>fremihi</i>). The only remaining possibility is what you see here. (At least until other meanings for <i>frem</i> come along.)<br />
<br />
<b>A rising tide lifts all boats.</b><br />
<i>fi ec ya roian inim shenai omo.</i><br />
3rd-nonpast lift the rising-tide pl-DObj all boats.<br />
<br />
This is pretty straightforward. I was back and forth on <i>shenai omo</i> and <i>omo shenai</i>, but went with the former because numbers come before nouns, and shenai ("all") specifically refers to a quantity. (I still think the latter <i>sounds</i> better.)<br />
<br />
So, there you have it! Two more things you can say in Nevashi.<br />
<br />
Oh! One more thing! In the process of creating vocabulary today, I added two new items to my list of personal names: <i>Delya</i> (f, "victory") and <i>Delyafan</i> (m, "victor". Or more literally, "victory-maker")Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-53779952320684606042012-05-24T17:41:00.001-07:002012-06-16T16:27:17.370-07:00I can't read my own shirt.<b>Update! The collected translations are at <a href="http://mianderings.blogspot.com/2012/06/t-shirt-translations.html">http://mianderings.blogspot.com/2012/06/t-shirt-translations.html</a> .</b><br />
<br />
Did I seriously publish a blank post? I don't remember doing that. I'm pretty sure that was an accident of some sort. Well, that's fixable. I'll just fill it up with something now.<br />
<br />
I ran into a person I know, the mother of one of my son's friends, and she showed me her new tattoo, which she thought was in Latin, but I immediately recognized as Spanish. I posted about it on Facebook because I figure it is something that my language geek friends can relate to.<br />
<br />
This rolled around in my brain for a little while, and I posted again that I thought I might create a line of t-shirts in obscure natlangs and/or conlangs that read "I can't read my own shirt." So, of course, I had to translate it into Nevashi: <i>Seya pa nal yam yera cei.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
This is wrong, however. I forgot the potential bit. It should have been <i>Seya vapa nal yam yera cei. </i>(It is a rule that every short translation I post in public will have at least one major error, and every long translation will have at least two major errors and a minimum of three minor mistakes.)<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
Before I get into my thought process below, I want to make a note that the emphasis of "my own" is expressed here with <i>ya... cei</i>, which is "the + my". I figure I won't remember that detail unless I write it down somewhere, and this blog is often that somewhere.<br />
<br />
And I should note here, also, that <i>ce</i> is the first person pronoun that emerged from the reforms that I still haven't posted in their entirety.<br />
<br />
~*~<br />
<br />
And now onto the inside-my-skull stuff:<br />
<br />
I thought with some dismay that it looked awfully choppy with all those little words. I'd been thinking for some time that I might like to eliminate some of the spaces between mandatory elements that are obliged to sit next to one another in a sentence with nothing between-- that space in the middle of a verb, for instance. I've decided against this, however, because the language has a fairly straight forward stress pattern (primary stress on the first syllable unless otherwise marked) which would be obscured or lost if the verb got smooshed together. This isn't such a big deal in a case like <i>pa nal </i>which<i> </i>would become <i>panal</i>, but if your verb is, say, <i>olugav adad</i>, then it would be little harder to tell that there's supposed to be stress on the first <i>a</i> in <i>adad</i> if it were written <i>olugavadad</i>. <br />
<br />
There's no reason why the verb couldn't be merged, other than trying to preserve the rhythm of the language as it is and keeping it easy for me to read aloud. And then that first part might be used independently, too. The example above, <i>olugav adad</i>, means "I forced myself to begin to run." I can imagine circumstances in which <i>olugav</i> ("I made myself start to (go)") could be used to answer a question. In the end, "I like it that way" is the only reason any conlanger needs to justify whatever weirdness they've got going on in their personal projects.<br />
<br />
I'll leave it alone.<br />
<br />
~*~<br />
<br />
I did the same translation into ea-luna, where I rendered it thus: <i>ewe ate lige la la-bagu-mupa. </i> I translated it correctly beforehand on paper and then typed wrong, once again leaving out the potential bit. (What is it with me and potentials? I dunno.)<br />
<br />
Later, I reconsidered, deciding it should have been<i> bagu-la-mupa</i> instead of <i>la-bagu-mupa, </i>to show the emphasis in "my own" in English. Those are "this-my-shirt" and "my-this-shirt" respectively. This is conlang cross-contamination from the "the + my" construction in Nevashi. Previously it would have been "my + same" in ea-luna: <i>la-mupa dati</i>.<br />
<br />
I think I'll keep both. More isn't always better, but sometimes it is.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-91385920774516553812012-04-03T22:47:00.003-07:002012-04-03T23:07:49.448-07:00What Not To Call PeopleLet's say that you've moved to Nevash, and you're very angry at someone, and you want to call them something that fully expresses exactly how you feel about them at that moment. The word you are looking for is <i>shufuma</i>.<br />
<br />
This literally means "fishmouth". It was originally a derogatory slang word for a dockside prostitute. As you might imagine, there are many popular explanations for the expression, each more obscene than the last. It has spread far beyond the docks, even into the mountains and onto the mainland, as a very strong, general purpose insult.<br />
<br />
<div>
If you're sitting in a Nevashi bar, wondering what it might be like to be hit over the head with a bottle in a brawl, try this sentence:</div>
<div>
<i>Mi an amá dei go shufuma. </i>("Your mother is a fishmouth.")</div>
<br />
On the other hand, <i>uma shufi </i>just means "mouth of a fish". If you call someone (or their mother) that, they'll know what you intended to say, but the effect will be more comedy than insult. They might hurt themselves laughing at you, though, so you might get your revenge after all.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-73995142101826549892012-02-01T08:03:00.000-08:002012-02-01T08:08:42.738-08:00The 5th Annual State of the Language AddressWell, dear readers, it is that time of the year again when I tell you that the language is developing very slowly and next year will be better. I had intended to say this in a video to mark the fifth year in a row that I've given an annual update, but that didn't work out. (I owe y'all a video this year.)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2011 was an eventful year for Teliya Nevashi. The way that nouns work has changed, I've started writing the new and updated version of the grammar, and the language finally has more than 500 words. There were some minor changes to some affixes, and there are going to be some teensy changes with verbs too, but all of that will appear in the Teliya Nevashi 2.0 grammar when it comes along.<br />
<br />
I'd hoped to have the grammar written by January, but that was outrageously optimistic. I am not even going to pretend that I have any idea when it will actually be written, but I do hope to have a new version available some time this year.<br />
<br />
Other than producing a new grammar for public consumption, I am hoping to hit 1000 words this year. The language lacks a lot of practical vocabulary for everyday use, so that will be my first priority. I'd like to be doing more translations than I have been, which should help the total count also.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
I spent a good amount of my language building time in 2011 messing with ea-luna instead. It's a deeply flawed language in so many different ways, but I can't help but have warm, mushy feelings for it. It's the oatmeal in my heart. I am beginning to think that it deserves a blog of its own, or perhaps I should start a general conlanging blog to cover all the things that I'm doing that aren't Nevashi.<br />
<br />
On a more personal note, 2011 was a year full of ups and downs, and when I've fallen into those downs, I've gotten a lot of support from my conlanger friends. Thank you, all of you who offered me kind words and a shoulder to cry on. You know who you are.</div>Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-5828674274483738922011-10-19T07:29:00.000-07:002011-10-19T07:32:43.103-07:00513 and rising. Seasons.I made some changes to a couple of affixes that has resulted in yet another revision to the vocabulary list. <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amki62P0cV4cdDJiaTNxTGY1NVUtTVh4RHpkdHZTNUE&hl=en_US">Here is the link to the Revised Revised version. </a><br />
<br />
I will get around to changing the link on the right. (It is on the right, isn't it? I always get that wrong.)<br />
<br />
There are 513 entries in the document now. This isn't a full listing of all Nevashi words. The pronouns aren't there, for instance. Despite some omissions, I am glad I've kept it almost complete and updated regularly. Now I just need to get that <i>other</i> document re-written. I am working on it, but it has been extremely slow going because my personal life hasn't been especially conlanging-friendly lately. <br />
<br />
Nevashi is the first conlang I've done that has never had a paper version. This was one of my goals for the project; I wanted to begin to work in a searchable and more shareable format. Of those two things, searchable is by far the more important of the two. The charm of looking for things in hand-written documents wears off pretty quickly when you're doing a lot of translations.<br />
<br />
We've moved on to the half of the year during which I accomplish the most in my creative pursuits. This season is called <i>kana</i> in Nevashi. It's autumn and winter taken together. The same word can be used to mean cold weather in a general sense too.<br />
<br />
Autumn is <i>kana gwisot,</i> "cool kana". Winter is <i>kana gwisel</i>, "freezing kana". <br />
<br />
Although I didn't make any notes on it, it would appear that the good people of Nevash measure the two seasons from equinox to equinox. The word for "south" is <i>pakana</i>, or "toward <i>kana</i>" and north is <i>palora</i>, "toward <i>lora</i>". (<i>Lora</i> is the other half of the year.) I will have to assume that they've generalized north/south as being "that direction on this side of the east-west line", based on where the sun is rising and setting. (I can only assume that's what I was thinking, since I didn't write anything down.)<br />
<br />
In any case, <i>kana</i> is the season during which I do most of my conlanging, writing, painting, and so on. I get introspective and spend a lot of time thinking about life, the universe, and everything. During <i>lora</i>, I'm too busy running around outside and chasing kids. It's my care-free season. <br />
<br />
<br />Do y'all have a conlanging season? Or am I just a freak?<br />
<br />Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-32064034238259956202011-09-27T07:16:00.000-07:002011-09-27T07:49:27.708-07:00Out-of-date documentationThe grammar I have linked over there on the right is terribly, terribly out-of-date. I plan on working on that a little bit today. It's still going to be very informal. Writing it all out in a conversational tone helps me get over my aversion to writing it out at all, and it makes it easier reading for my friends who aren't really all that interested in languages but are curious about what it is that I do.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In any case, whatever comes out of the revision will be better than the best available documentation for ea-luna. For instance, the ENTIRE documentation for ea-luna verbs is this:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>(ma/buna) (ae/ewe) (ema/ide) (eni) (uma/punu/bana) </i></blockquote>
That makes perfect sense to me, but it really doesn't tell anyone else much of anything useful. That's what I am working from on my end, though, for most of my languages-- just a cheat sheet for my own benefit that needs to be expanded and explained before it is fit for public consumption.<br />
<br />
On an different, but perhaps not wholly unrelated, note, the Nevashi word du jour, newly minted just this morning, is <i>semosva</i>, "procrastination" (or, more literally, "not-doing-ness"), which is just shy of <i>simosva</i>, "laziness".<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-949685750654333412011-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:002011-09-02T12:07:07.291-07:00Play!Recently there was a post I replied to on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/conlangs/">Conlangs group on Facebook</a> that asked for verbs that mean "play" or "have fun". I shared and then offered a brief explanation for <i>voya</i> and <i>lon</i>, which mean "play (pretend or with toys)" and "play (a game or sport)". I was questioned about which verb would be used for playing with a ball. I offered a non-explanation that there was some overlap and that the meaning could be shaded in different ways. Now I am going to offer a better explanation.<br />
<br />
<i>Voya</i> is open-ended play. If you're out throwing a ball back and forth, that's <i>voya</i>. <i>Lon</i> is competitive play, or any game where score is kept. If you and a friend are throwing the ball and seeing who hits a target more, that's <i>lon</i>. If you're throwing the ball at the target by yourself, it's <i>lon</i> if you're counting hits and trying to improve your numbers, but it is <i>voya</i> if you're just throwing the ball at the target for fun and not even keeping track.
I have <i>voya</i> listed with <i>ta</i>, the sense of which is "doing" or "acting". (When I am showing the most likely combinations, I list them in first person singular and present(non-past) tense for the sake of simplicity and consistency, so <i>ta voya</i> is "I play".) <i>Lon </i>is listed with <i>ka</i>, the sense of which is "moving" or "going". On the other hand, if I am building with blocks, that might actually be <i>fa voya</i>, since<i> fa</i> indicates making, building, creating, and that sort of thing, while playing chess would probably be <i>ta lon</i>, since chess isn't particularly active. It might even be <i>sa lon</i>, since it is a thinking game.<br />
<br />
I stink at chess. Playing against me is <i>ti lon</i>. Playing against someone good may be <i>si lon</i>. (I put these in 3rd person, since I don't normally play chess against myself. That would be reflexive anyway.)<br />
<br />
Very few of my existing verbs have been stretched out as far as they could go. Most have one suggested usage. Some have two. I'd like to see more of them expanded along the lines of <i>nedh</i>, which defined this way: "pray (ca); meditate (sa); carry out a religious ritual (fa); worship (ta)".<br />
<br />
If you wanted to shade the meaning of a verb a particular way, you might find this list handy:<br />
<ul>
<li>
be m/b </li>
<li>do, act t/d </li>
<li>make, create, build f /v </li>
<li>go, move k /g </li>
<li>receive, have, feel, perceive (senses) p /b </li>
<li>give, think s/z </li>
<li>bodily functions, music, speech c/j </li>
</ul>
The former is the non-past, the latter is past. Yes, the past tense of both <i>ma</i> and <i>pa</i> is <i>ba</i>. That wasn't a mistake. I like my languages a little messy.
Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-47689169935134182942011-08-07T14:13:00.000-07:002011-08-07T14:56:32.378-07:00A vocabulary installmentEarth now has a name in Nevashi. It's <i>Ashea</i>, which comes from <i>ash</i>, "land, earth, dirt". That's not terribly original, but I do like the way it fits together with <i>Ianea</i>, which comes from <i>iane</i>, "water". It should probably have been <i>Asha</i>, but I like the matching forms. <br />
<br />
Two other recent words are <i>tuzhel</i> and <i>benaséd</i>. They both mean "pregnant". The former would literally be something like "in an active state of being heavy" and the latter means "with child". <br />
<br />
<i>Tuzhi</i>, the ordinary word for heavy, is also new.<br />
<br />
And there's a word for "human" now, <i>jenve</i>, which combines <i>jen</i> ("person") and <i>ve</i>, which is the common part in "animal" and "pet", which must have to do with living beings.<br />
<br />
The recently revised vocabulary list is at <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amki62P0cV4cdGpPVXJxcFdORUVhbkZlUEJNbmhnMVE&hl=en_US&authkey=CMu26uYM">https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amki62P0cV4cdGpPVXJxcFdORUVhbkZlUEJNbmhnMVE&hl=en_US&authkey=CMu26uYM</a>, if that link works.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-55186436412421156242011-07-16T08:22:00.000-07:002011-07-16T08:29:22.911-07:00Tinkering, Aesthetics, and Carving Up Time.I will have to do a significant re-write of the documentation for Teliya Nevashi in the near future. There are many sweeping changes coming along. <br />
<br />
I am making some changes to the whole phono-mess. I am going to collapse my two r's (<i>rh </i>/R/ and <i>r</i> /4/) into one, which will be /r/ or /4/, and <i>x</i> /x/ will disappear into<i> h </i>/h/. Both changes affect the word <i>xirhos</i> ("how many"), which will become <i>hiros</i>. I do think that's an improvement. Part of me will miss <i>rh</i> and <i>x</i> though. Having those in addition to <i>r</i> and<i> h </i>was just asking for trouble from the start, and that was not an accident. <br />
<br />
I also don't see the point in actually writing in the glottal stop when the most common place it occurs is between two identical (consecutive) vowels, and it always occurs in that case. There are a few other places I've put it, but it really wouldn't be missed from those places.<br />
<br />
As described in the previous entry, I am making changes to the way nouns work, and I am scrapping the entire set of personal pronouns for new ones. (I will probably keep <i>de</i> for 2nd person, but the rest are history.)<br />
<br />
<b>All</b> of the examples will have to be rewritten for these changes. That alone could take a while. It will give me a chance to get a feel for how the changes work out in practice. There's quite a lot of work to be done, and that's not counting things not written anywhere that need to be documented. All of this tinkering is good for my mental health, though, since it keeps me from worrying about other things going on in my life. <br />
<br />
~~~~<br />
<br />
I have something to confess about the aesthetics of my conlangs: sometimes I make things ugly on purpose. And I don't mean, "This is an ugly concept, so it should have an ugly word." I mean that I quite often create things that aren't necessarily pretty to me because they are ugly in an interesting way or because a certain amount of ugliness makes a language feel more well-rounded to me. Otherwise, every word ends up sounding like "fishery" or "lilacs", words that I particularly like in English. For every "lilac fishery", there has to be a "salt water" (which sounds ugly to me, especially in my native dialect). <br />
<br />
<br />
~~~ <br />
<br />
Teliya Nevashi has two verb tenses: Past and Non-Past. The non-past covers present and future, but it also covers the very recent past. If something happened an hour ago, that's still non-past. If it happened last week but *feels* like it just happened, that's non-past too. This recent past bleeding into the present that's bleeding into the near future reflects how I carve up time in my own mind, and tends to be a thread running through my various conlangs, even when they have more tenses. What's "present" is a little fuzzy for me.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-47729594924775919322011-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:002011-09-27T04:22:04.623-07:00Nouns: A Progress Report...I decided to completely scrap my set of personal pronouns and to revise how nouns are marked for number and case. It's taking me a while to come up with the set of pronouns that I really like, but in the meantime, I can share this much about nouns: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b><br />
Nouns & Pronouns (Again.)</b><br />
<br />
I’ve never been ecstatically happy with the noun and pronoun systems of Nevashi, so this seems like a good time to try something new.<br />
<br />
Currently, there are a set of declensions based on suffixes. This proposal is for a system that parallels the way that verbs work, as suggested (by David Peterson?) at one point when I was kvetching on CONLANG-L about how unhappy I was with my nouns. While I am overhauling nouns, pronouns are getting reworked too.<br />
<br />
The genitive has shifted to -i, which is also the most common adjectival ending. This was a change that mainly had to do with sound, but it is also consistent with the established (alternative) practice of using adjectives to show possession.<br />
<br />
There are two sets of things that can precede nouns that can carry number and case markings. The first set is for use in any case where the noun, like the cheese, stands alone. The second set is case-and-number-marked definite article, demonstrative adjectives, and prepositions:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
singular dual plural<br />
Nom. (Optional) i il in<br />
Genitive i’i ili ini<br />
Accusative im ilim inim<br />
Dative it ilit init<br />
<br />
(I had thought, at first, that the nominative and genitive singular would be the same, but the glottal stop just isn’t getting enough play, so there it is, where it will suddenly become extremely common.)<br />
<br />
Ya (The definite article, now with fabulous new marking)<br />
Singular Dual Plural<br />
Nominative ya yal yan<br />
Genitive yai yalai yanai<br />
Accusative yam yalam yanam<br />
Dative *etc* yat yalat yanat</blockquote>
<br />
(And, of course, it butchered the tables in the copy & paste. Y'all are bright. You'll figure it out.)<br />
<br />
Everything else will likely follow the pattern of <i>ya</i> there, except for some vowel changes as necessary. As usual, any ending that requires a vowel will echo the last vowel before it. <br />
<br />
There's the possibility, under this system, of an empty, placeholder noun (similar to the magical verb <i>an</i>.) I am not sure what that would be or how it would be used, but the possibility is intriguing to me.<br />
<br />
These changes will require me to change (or at least provide the alternative using this system) for every example in the documentation. I haven't decided if I will simply replace the existing noun-related section or present this as an alternative scheme. <br />
<br />
Nevashi has always had alternate versions, which is one of the things I've lost in the existing documentation online. This is a shame because I've always enjoyed that aspect of this particular project. At one point, I had been working on a Babel text translation, and three versions emerged that were radically different in terms of structure, using exactly the same vocabulary set. I wish I had kept that, because it would give some insight into the overall development of Standard Teliya Nevashi, and also demonstrate how broad the shadow grammar really is. <br />
<br />
(I can't think of a better way to describe the undocumented or underdocumented alternative grammars than "shadow grammar".)Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-73397278083230823932011-07-02T16:53:00.000-07:002011-07-02T16:53:15.966-07:00Bits & PiecesOnce upon a time, I had a chat on Facebook about what kind of gender system a race of insectoids might have. I had a thought or two on that matter that turned into this, which I found in a file oh-so-descriptively named "notes.txt": <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Animate/Edible (most plants and animals, water, and enemies)<br />
Inanimate/Edible (meat; grains, cooked, processed or manufactured foods)<br />
Animate/Inedible (people, poisonous plants and animals, spirits, emotions, fire)<br />
Inanimate/Inedible (Most concrete, inanimate objects)<br />
<br />
The difference between 'pig' and 'pork' is one of gender-- a pig is A/E and pork is I/E.<br />
Abstract concepts are assigned gender according to where they seem to best fit metaphorically. Animate and inanimate could also be seen as moving/stationary-- “Murder” is probably A/I because it is an action (moving) committed by living things (animate), while “neglect” might be I/I, because it is a sort of non-action.</i><br />
<br />
Also in this file was a paradigm showing what I will assume is the present indicative of a verb <i>tos </i>or <i>tosva</i>. I know what <i>tosva</i> is ("there is, there are"), so I guess I was just working back from there to coax a more useful verb out of it. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I thought I'd post some orphaned bits and pieces while I work on a potential overhaul of Nevashi nouns, which is taking me longer to write up than I initially thought it would. (It's actually two different possible alternatives to the system in the documentation now.)Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-17354979791995571942011-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:002011-06-21T14:09:37.753-07:00Do fwata an.<i>Do fwata an</i> is "because I can."<br />
<br />
This is a bit of grammar I've used before, but never put into the grammar document explicitly. <i>An</i> is just there to complete all the required parts of the verb, since "can" and "do" are both contained in <i>fwata</i>.<br />
<br />
I was giving some thought to another blog (as if I kept up with the ones I already have) of translations and compositions in Nevashi, and maybe with guest appearances of ea-luna, Myjador (or however I was spelling that last), and that unnamed conlang I've been secretly working on. I thought I'd call it either <i>"Do Fwata An"</i> or <i>"Mufmuf"</i>.<br />
<br />
If you've ever needed to say that someone writes too much, <i>mufmuf</i> is your verb, modeled on <i>tel</i>/<i>teltel</i>. <i>Si mufmuf.</i> ("S/he writes too much.") And isn't that fun to say?Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-14004737506899556282011-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:002011-05-16T19:44:41.578-07:00Visiting Nevash: Travel from the MainlandI've been having mixed feelings about Teliya Nevashi recently. I am not in love with it right now, but I am not in loathe with it either. I think some sweeping changes to the phonology will do a lot to make me happier with it, and there are still few enough words that I could apply the changes manually. <br />
<br />
On top of that, I've got a new conlang pecking at the windows of my brain like that obnoxious raven from the poem. I would like to develop a conlang that's specifically a 'personal auxiliary language' for actual, general use by me. That's probably going to be my major summer project. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, I've decided to work on a phrasebook for tourists visiting Nevash. I thought I'd put it here in installments as I go, since it will probably take me a long time to complete. Here's a small installment, some useful phrases for the boat ride to Nevash from the mainland: <br />
<br />
Where is the boat? <br />
<i>Ya omo, mi dev alos?</i><br />
<br />
I am seasick. I am very ill. Please kill me. <br />
<i>Ca omosivek. Ca sisivek. Gorhemixi lat, so pe net. </i><br />
<br />
Don't vomit on my boat!<br />
<i>Seya sinashish omot laz!<br />
</i><br />
<br />
~~~<br />
Only one new word here: <i>so</i> ("if")<br />
I didn't have an expression for "please" that I could find, so I went with "if you choose". I am not sure what sort of verb "choose" is. I was thinking <i>pa</i> (for the 'recieve'/'have' aspect) or <i>sa</i> (for the 'think') aspect. I think that <i>sa net</i> might be closer to "I decide" and <i>pa net</i> is perhaps closer to "I select". Anyway, I have rendered please as <i>so pe net</i>, "if you choose."<br />
<br />
'Seasick' is 'boatsick' (<i>omosivek</i>). <i>Hanesivek</i>, literally 'seasick', refers to the symptoms of drinking sea water. It is also used to mean "crazy" or "stupid". (Or both crazy and stupid. Or reckless.)Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-770702954229360133.post-66996251504031178212011-05-10T14:37:00.000-07:002011-05-10T20:50:54.144-07:00Shmalon<i>Vlaca nash xixirhuzh shmalonam.</i><br />
I have eaten too many marshmallows. <br />
<br />
<i>Xirhuzh</i> -- a large quantity of. <i>Xirhos </i>existed as a question word meaning 'how much/many', and looking at the other question words, I can only assume that '<i>xirh</i>' means 'amount, quantity, number (count of items)'. <i>Xixirhuzh</i>, then, means a very large amount of something, or too much/many. <br />
<br />
<i>Xirhot</i> -- a small quantity of. <i>Xixirhot</i> would mean a tiny amount, or too little of whatever it is.<br />
<br />
<i>Shmalo</i> -- A word derived from the English, presumably because the Nevashi, upon first encountering this strange food, misheard the name as "my shmalo". The mistake dug itself in and refused to be turned out. <br />
<br />
I had a dream and woke up with a new Nevashi word in my head. It was something that ended with the -séd suffix, and contained an entirely new root... but I don't even remember what the general topic might have been. Maybe it will come to me while I take a nap to sleep off the marshmallow binge.Miahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13198019013774536934noreply@blogger.com0