Hallo!

On Thu, 5 Aug 2004 21:41:17 -0700,
Elliott Lash <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I thought I'd give you guys an example of a complete
> Silindion verb, conjugated in all the ways it can.
> It's not too large, so shouldn't be too much of a
> trouble..

Your language is gorgeous, and your posts on it shine a light
in the mirk of CHAT: posts and YAEPTs.

> principle parts:
>  nankiello "to discover, uncover, find"
>  nankén "He discovers"
>  nankerë "discovered"
>  anankë "He discovered"
>  nankena "discovered"

Are these forms unpredictable, like the principal parts students
of such languages as Latin and Greek have to learn for each verb?

> 1) INFINITE FORMS
>
> a) Infinitive:  nankiello  "to discover"
> b) Passive Participle:  nankerë "discovered"
> c) Active Paticiple:    nankëani "discovering"
> d) Necessitive Participle: nankendu "ought to be
> discovered"

Such a form is called a "gerundive" in Latin grammar.
I also notice that the Silindion gerundive is similar in shape
to the Latin one.

> e) Gerund: nankena "discovering"
> f) Conjunctive Gerund: inankena "while discovering"
> g) Anterior Gerund: nankisë "having discovered"
> h) Abessive Gerund: ennankena "without discovering"
> i) Imperative: nánkië "discover!-singular"
>                nankessë "discover!-plural"
>
> 2) Finite Active Forms:
>
> a) Present Tense  "I am discovering, I discover"
>  nankesi nankena
>  nankelë nankenta
>  nankén  nankento / nankentë (formal and dual, HS)
>
> b) Imperfect Tense
>  nankenesi  bankenena
>  nankenelë  nankenenta
>  nankenë    nankenento / nankenentë

The nasal element expressing the imperfect tense reminds me
of Quenya.  I also use a nasal marker for that purpose in
Old Albic, which has three allomorphs:

(1) homorganic nasal infixed before the root-final consonant,
    in root verbs with a root-closing obstruent:

    grat- `to write' : grantma  `I was writing'
    boc-  `to flee'  : boñcma   `I was fleeing'

(2) /n/ suffixed to the root, in root verbs with a root-closing
    liquid or semivowel:

    chvar- `to make' : chvarnma `I was making'

(3) suffix -@n, wherein /@/ assimilates to the preceding vowel,
    in all other cases:

    lin-   `to sing' : linemma   `I was singing' ( < *lin-in-ma)
    marar- `to kill' : mararamma `I was killing' ( < *mar-ar-an-ma)

(The verb marar- is a causative derived from the root verb
 mar- `to die'.)

> c) Past Tense
>  anankeisi  anankeina
>  anankeilë  anankeinta
>  anankë     anankeinto / anankeintë

An augment!  Again, I notice a similarity with Old Albic.
In Old Albic, the aorist is formed by prefixing an augment,
which repeats the root vowel:

  agratma   `I wrote'
  ilemma    `I sang' ( < *i-lin-ma)
  obocma    `I fled'

Does your augment also assimilate to the root vowel as in Quenya
or Old Albic, or is the vowel fixed as in Greek or Sanskrit?

> d) Optative-Future
>   nankiesi  nankiena
>   nankielë  nankienta
>   nankién   nankiento / -ntë
>
> e) Subjunctive Present
>   nankisi  nankina
>   nankilë  nankinta
>   nankín   nankinto / -ntë
>
> f) Past Subjunctive
>   (a)nankëusi   (a)nankëuna
>   (a)nankëulë   (a)nankëunta
>   (a)nankëu(n)  (a)nankëunto / -ntë

What do the (a)s mean?  Is the augment optional?

> 3) Finite Passive Forms
>
> [more forms snipped]
>
> Well, there you have it, a Silindion verb in all it's
> glory. I hope that it was somewhat enjoyable

Thanks!  It was!  Your language is a true masterpiece!

Greetings,

Jörg.