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Abgal64
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01 Sep 2011, 7:55 pm

Hello, due to people's interest in my constructed language when I described my miniature wargame as well as my desire to see what other's interest in my language is, I shall introduce you to Sumam.

Sumam, pronounced /sumɐm/, is an artificial language with a vocabulary based partially on terms I have come up with myself and partially on vocabulary from existing natural languages: For example, the prefix tan- "celestial, of the sky" is based on the Mandarin word Tian "heaven" while the root mam "speech, word, language" is of my own creation. Sumam has 16 phonemes, or speech sounds, 6 vowels and 10 consonants. Most roots are taken from Sumerian, Tamil and Karuk along with a few from about a dozen other languages.

Sumam's grammar is based on Salishan (Pacific Northwest Coast) and Pama-Nyungan (Australia) languages and Sumerian and Japanese; though I only know Sumerian well, I have read enough about the other 3 language groups to construct a language, with the help of the great deal of linguistics that I have taught myself. Sumam can put the phrases of a sentence in any order, it is non-configurational, and is very nominal (noun and adjectives combined) heavy, much like most Pama-Nyungan languages, while it has no compound words but a large amount of lexical affixes that act as classifiers or modifiers as well as having some that act like verbs.

I am currently developing a writing system for Sumam based on the Lepcha Script.

Well, that is it for now. What does everyone think?



Mindslave
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01 Sep 2011, 8:08 pm

If you can create a language, that's great. Go for it, big guy.



naturalplastic
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01 Sep 2011, 8:11 pm

I dont know whether it would fly as a language.
But Im impressed ( indeed awestruck) with your expertise and diligence.
There is an actual linguistics professor who frequents the Philosophy, Politics, and Religion, Forum here on WP if you want to talk to a pro. He goes by the nickname of "Philogos".



Abgal64
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01 Sep 2011, 10:01 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
I dont know whether it would fly as a language.
But Im impressed ( indeed awestruck) with your expertise and diligence.
There is an actual linguistics professor who frequents the Philosophy, Politics, and Religion, Forum here on WP if you want to talk to a pro. He goes by the nickname of "Philogos".
Sumam is not complete yet, but it is capable of making complex sentences as can be seen below:

Fewfamfymsesenymsenky fumtuk fampalmojsawkylum laky kysuket; tenfamfumtuktuk fampalmojsawkylum laky kufakem; tenfamfymketsuket famllapwimsojin laky; fewpalpural'lum laky.

Spear a fish when a small, quick meal is needed; net a fish on a boat when variety is needed; farm a fish when quantity is needed; keep a fish in a glass vessel when beauty is needed.

Thank you for your suggestions; I think I have already responded to Philogos; he is the one with the Socrates avatar, is he not?



naturalplastic
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02 Sep 2011, 9:39 pm

Abgal64 wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
I dont know whether it would fly as a language.
But Im impressed ( indeed awestruck) with your expertise and diligence.
There is an actual linguistics professor who frequents the Philosophy, Politics, and Religion, Forum here on WP if you want to talk to a pro. He goes by the nickname of "Philogos".
Sumam is not complete yet, but it is capable of making complex sentences as can be seen below:

Fewfamfymsesenymsenky fumtuk fampalmojsawkylum laky kysuket; tenfamfumtuktuk fampalmojsawkylum laky kufakem; tenfamfymketsuket famllapwimsojin laky; fewpalpural'lum laky.

Spear a fish when a small, quick meal is needed; net a fish on a boat when variety is needed; farm a fish when quantity is needed; keep a fish in a glass vessel when beauty is needed.

Thank you for your suggestions; I think I have already responded to Philogos; he is the one with the Socrates avatar, is he not?



No, thats someone else ( think I know that person too- forget their name).

Philologos (left out a syllable) doesnt have any picture avatar.

But if you drop in on the PPR forum youll see his many posts.
I never seem him in any other of these forums, but he goes to that one alot.