Xalu

yaziluna, voskan sa.
After clarity comes honor.

A Xalu saying that refers not only to the months of October and November,
but also to the way in which clear thought can give rise to honorable action.

• Oldtale (leluiv)
• Phonology
• Writing System
• Notes
• Charts that are mostly about structure
• Charts with words for things
• A Lot of Vocabulary
• Translations

Xalu is the first conlang I made, and the most developed. I started on it, let’s see… almost ten years ago now. There was quite a learning curve. After four years, when I had translated everything I wanted to and felt like I could communicate arbitrary things in Xalu with a little thought, I called it good and stopped working on it. I still like it.

Unlike my other languages, which are each connected to a fictional culture, Xalu is a language for me. It wasn’t at all meant to be naturalistic, but nor was it particularly aiming for any sort of objectivity. I was trying out this whole language-making concept, and I decided that two main parameters of my language were that it should apply to the world I lived in (society and calendar and relevant concerns and so on), and that it should be a language that I personally would like to use. One simple example of how these parameters interact is that Xalu has names for the seven days of the week, but those names are based on mythical creatures.

I had a pretty solid command of Esperanto at the time (rusty now, alas), and I was very fond of (most of) its affix system, so I gave Xalu a whole bunch of affixes. Back then I didn’t particularly feel like stretching my pronunciation abilities, so the phonemes are basically a subset of those in English. I used SVO word order just because it was easiest for me. I was familiar with the concept of adjectives following nouns, and that seemed slightly more interesting, so I went with that. I made no morphological restrictions based on part of speech, so that I could use any sound-patterns that felt right to me. I gave words similar sounds when they referred to the same sort of thing. I made words for the concepts I wanted words for that were missing in English. And so on. I knew a lot more by the time I was done than I had when I started.

(Throughout this page, ‘kipi’ is used to essentially mean ‘etc.’)

Oldtale

leluiv
weieidiviv, skelu kapa moiosem. keltomon, veimon.
oen boav yodn skeluem, toi yodaiv caid. heikapalux.
oen heisik skelu hez dam, yai yulisalezux moidoix heiwa.
skelu moid hiqumiq.

leluiv
tale-old

weieidiviv, skelu kapa moiosem. keltomon, veimon.
PST-time-old-old, crocodile run all-place-to. hill-AUG-PL, plant-AUG-PL.

oen boav yodn skeluem, toi yodaiv caid. heikapalux.
god-PL give-thing tooth-PL crocodile-to, but tooth-each cost. NEG-run-continue.

oen heisik skelu hez dam, yai yulisalezux moidoix heiwa.
god-PL NEG-know crocodile lazy which.amount, want water-go-in-continue all.time-duration NEG-affecting.

skelu moid hiqumiq.
crocodile all.time trick-inclined-ish.

Oldtale
Long ago, crocodile ran everyplace. Mountains, trees.
Gods gifted crocodile teeth, but each tooth cost. No more running.
Gods didn’t know crocodile so lazy, wanted stay in river forever anyway.
Crocodile always tricksy.

Phonology

Consonants: ki, ti, da, pa, bi, va, ci, xa, ji, si, za, qa, ni, ma, la
Half-vowels: ha, ya, wa
Vowels: a, o, i, u, e, ei, ai, au, oi

j = zh; q = ng; x = sh; c = ch; e = eh (ɛ)

Consonants and most vowels can go anywhere; half-vowels and e can’t end syllables (a single exception for the word ‘oe’ (god)).

Stress is on the penultimate syllable by default, but stress often doesn’t change with added compounds/affixes. Except for the word ‘m’, every stressed syllable needs a vowel.

If an affix or compound ends up with an unacceptable vowel combination, an l is inserted between them (as in eili).

A ‘skip’ is when two consonants that don’t blend into a single pronunciation (as in zuqk), or roll off the tongue without a skip (as in anza), are next to each other (as in mokl); they’re pronounced with either no vowel or a very short schwa between them, and count as unstressed syllables. This means that pretty much any cluster of consonants is easily pronounceable – just add a skip whenever it helps. In front of some consonants, m, n, and q are pronounced as though they were solo.

Writing System

The writing system for Xalu came from my lingering indignation at the irregularities of cursive English; I wanted to make a fully cursive script, in the sense that it could write any word without lifting the pen. As far as the result goes, I think I had too many restrictions (‘fully’ cursive, clearly distinguishable letters, not difficult or too lengthy to write, up to 18 relevant phonemes per side, each one stayed on its side) and ended up sacrificing aesthetics somewhat (plus it does not lend itself to a straightforward font, and my handwriting isn’t super). But anyway, here’s the key.

It could be considered a syllabic alphabet; it has one glyph per phoneme, but all consonants (and half-vowels) go on the left and all vowels go on the right, for efficiency (of vertical space). Initial and final forms of the letters are truncated. Numerals combine the four base digits (1, 2, 3, 6) to form the others.

Notes

Subject pronouns suffix to the verb, and object pronouns prefix. When the word ‘m’ (and) applies to a single word rather than a phrase, it circumfixes to both beginning and end of the word (m-m), only to the first and last words in a list. Many other words or word-parts, such as adpositions, also attach to each other.

Words are rarely verbs by default, but any word can be used directly as a verb.

Almost no redundancy/agreement: no plural when using a number or quantifier, pluralize adjectives only when ambiguous, don’t use tense when timeframe is specified, kipi.

SVO. No articles. Zero copula.

Subclauses: that and which (noninterrogative) are both da, prefixed to noun for ‘that’ and to the following word for ‘which’.

Charts that are mostly about structure

Really, most of Xalu is in its affixes. Have some charts: affixes, adpositions, phrase-ending particles.

Affixes

(* marks phrase-ending particles, ** prepositions kipi)

Adpositions kipi

(* marks phrase-ending particles)

Phrase-Ending Particles

(* marks additional meaning of affix or preposition kipi)
Well, you never know what connotations you might want to make clear, I guess.

Translations

Miscellaneous, Tower of Babel, North Wind and the Sun, If I Caught a Wind, and a pizza recipe.

a fluffy prairie dog digs a simple maze along a convenient wall.
cait puxam hoid blizk weiq jausov yen.
prairie.dog fluff-ful dig maze simple along-wall convenient.
(I admit that I coined a word or two to create a perfect pangram that made sense.)

My hovercraft is full of eels and octopuses.
ceiazeiatanali watozowinamam mnozinumnm.
vehicle-fly-still-1P.S-of fish-long-PL-ful-REDUP and-tentacle-eight-PL-and

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
beluzipn dus holeida xen ckackaliq.
brain-product-new-PL green lacking-color sleep anger-REDUP-ly

May you live in interesting times.
lailizaio eidnez tli.
good-if-live-2P.S time-PL-in interesting

I cautiously give the dangerous man my father’s money at the predetermined square in front of the church.
bobunta cobaliali jumnoiliq coento kaltalam uauios woinetiliq pozioelos.
give-money-1P.S male-parent-of-1P.S-of caution-ly male-human danger-ful room-place already-select-ed forward-of-god-place

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
moienton pyai liai mvom bauzixoiamal mlailisexanm. Bohojeibelalej maublailim m lailiupun wanaulun maixalal vualiq.
all-human-PL birth free and-same-and qua-worth-ful-ness and-good-if-allowance-PL-and. give-lacking-bad-brain-ness-ee and-instinct-good-if-and and good-if-act-3P-PL affecting-other-3P-PL accordant-meaning-ness sibling-ness-ish.

The Tower of Babel

kodzeb zibabel

Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
tid musadeseni weilixaiam nu moijm leiudiq nu.

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
medaim, diziweihlesiun xuzel, siska somivunya dasomiez xinar, msaim teis.

Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
yuweileiudun naulunem, “pausa, pauauazen hamdunn meixaltxaltaizam.” hamdunubam bauziundun, mcsum bauzikustalundun.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
mweileiudunm, “pausa, pauenkeitelen saidomo, mkodzebm dazuos alunez; pauenkeiauaz lap, keihei saumibiap noiem otomovaj zimusadeseni.”

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
toi oe weibei keidau saidomo mkodzebm dacokin zienton weitel.

And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
m oe weileiud, “ai eln baunu m moi lixaiam nu, m ti dapapun; tid unhodaheipuxej silepun.

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
“pausa, paubeian mxajam lixaiuni teis, kei heiyaxolun leiud nauluni.”

So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
ku oe unweisaumibiap noiem xuteis otomovaj zimusadeseni, mtutelunm saidomo.

Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
ku lapeili lap babel, kuzi teis oe weixaja lixai zimusadeseni; m xuteis oe unsaumibiap otomovaj zimusadeseni.

The North Wind and the Sun

The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him, until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do. The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth. The Traveler no sooner felt his genial rays than he took off one garment after another, and at last, fairly overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a stream that lay in his path.

Moral: Use the right tool for the job.

aizasalut mtsalenim
aizasalut mtsalenim weisiqaut luad kwasalamas, mmaim dal yacauej tyanel dal taihokepxlaz nus coento hlesiliq. aizasalut pa taikwasaluioij nus maizasam moikwasaluiliq, toi aizasalednui tsikas, mai hlesiel oimotsoim umas xveiliaioilioij, audzikem, dizijexohei moilatsi tyan, aizasa lokai tsaleni kei dalu siska taidapu. tsaleni poiala moiaxalaluiliq. heiwau hlesiel xam luzinui mbai nicikepxlisoi mkepxlisnm, maudzikemm, smaimobiliq axaxalaloij, cikepxl mmulyam dayulisalez au oijoiliez.

cdokwo: uqet daluq taiz keicoilis.

If I caught a wind

If I caught a wind inside a jar,
and whispered truth to it until it was mine,
and then let it loose, and asked it to carry a piece of paper,
and the words on it, across the ocean to the far-off land where you live now,
and if the wind blew there and found the rock in the center of the forest, the one with old trees,
and left the paper there, and then detoured on its way to the moon to breathe in your ear where to go,
and if you traveled deep into the forest, and pulled the roots from the stone, and found my message, and read it,
what would it say?

lihiteiqka aizasa
lihiteiqka aizasa oidez,
meiudibiemm aial alieiem,
myueiliaiazm, meistauozm vatilis,
mlapnm eiot, sululu dasomiem noi disaio,
mli aizasa teisem msiskam undunis veimodoloqez, danu veimolivnam,
mbzesm vati teis, myusalaujm dizioijeili inleniem keiahi voioliez das keisa,
m lihlesio sulu veimodoezem, mduzm buln xulundunis, msiskam leilisali, meisavm,
lu hileiei?

Mix yeast and sugar into water in a big bowl and let sit 10 minutes.
Mix in salt, seasoning, and oil, then flour.
Keep it in the bowl and cover with plastic.
Put in refrigerator overnight or keep out at least 1 hour.
Make the dough into a ball, separate into 2 parts, spread some, and let sit.
Cut up ingredients, and microwave onion and garlic 3 minutes and, separately, mushrooms for 2.
Mix onion etc. (oregano, red pepper) into sauce.
Stretch out dough completely (on cornmeal) on 2 oiled pans.
Bake at 450 2 minutes, add toppings, and bake >10 minutes.
OR
Spread toppings in lines or squares on half of the dough, cover with the rest, make holes in the top, cut apart, and bake at 400 for ~20 minutes (check early).

xajalet xez mziwim yuliezem yasomoez meibzesm zem 12.
xajalez kel, nais, msluxm, yubudi.
eiyasezux mmotsm empoij.
uvwalez uajoix wivaulux seizemodo 1.
masaz yaha, not loiem 2, mutu jaim, mbzesm.
istist ub, m alwazit ops mupsim zem 3 m, notiq, ombun 2oix.
xaja ops kipi (eluki, saukapsat) xoliezem.
mumutu yaha (budimediot) tuqalwalot 2 weibosluxiq.
xaltaiza 700ep zem 2, bolub, mxaltm zem >12.
wi
mutu ub zulniq wihosutniq qoziyahalot, mots bzesejoij, oeinaz zuosez, ist notem, mxaltaiza 620ep zem ~24 (sadi wau).