Vocabulary Key to « Deusker quem Temos »
This analysis is based on the “Wordle” software; thanks to D.McLeod who made me discover it.
This aim of this document is to help people interested by Sambahsa who would like to foster their knowledges in this language, and who can find here some indications on the most used words in some translated texts.
“Deusker quem temos” (Darker than Darkness) is an adaptation in Sambahsa from a gamebook whose action takes place in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, just before the War of the Ring. Five unexperienced adventurers explore barrows near Bree and encounter Aragorn and Gandalf. This text can be downloaded here : Deusker_quem_temos[1][1].doc
The most common words are pronouns and the diverse conjugated forms of the irregular verbs “ses” and “habe”. As all this is explained in detail in the “Sambahsa grammar in English”, we can only recommend the readers to refer to the informations contained in this document. Likewise, we haven’t included proper nouns and words similar to their equivalents in English.
Adjectives :
Deub : ghem
Ghem : low
Gwaur : heavy
Lent : slow
Mier : big
Oik : some, a few
Sem : some, certain
Hol = “whole”
Quant = “all”; but “all the” is “vasyo”, which is declined according to the “euphonic vocalisation”.
Oin = one
Un = a(n). Remember that all those three words can bear the optional declensional endings. A frequent encountered form is “uns” = “of a(n)”
Prepositions:
Ab : by (after a passive verbal construction). It turns (seldom indeed) to “af” before “h”. Sometimes, it can mean “starting from” too.
Ad : at
Apter : behind
Bayna : among
Con : with (accompanied by)
Do : (in)to
Ep : on (before “h”, it can turn to “ef”)
Ex : out of
Kye : in the direction of, towards. It merges with the following article or personal pronoun of the 3° person. “kyid” = “towards the/id” is frequently encountered.
Med : with (an instrument).
Nieb : beside
Ob : because
Per : through
Pos : after
Pre : before (in time)
Pro : for
Prosch : close to, near (with an idea of movement)
Sub : under
Ud : from
Unte : within a certain time/space. For example: “unte id wer” = “during spring”; “unte id dwer” = “through the door”. Can be used as an interrogative and relative pronoun too.
Ye : has no definite meaning, it expresses a circumstance, a condition. Examples: “ye mien surprise” = “to my surprise”; “ye mieno mayn” = in my opinion”.
As an hyphenated suffix to adjectives and even substantives, it serves to make adverbs.
Other invariable words:
Bet : but
Dar : still
Dind : afterwards, then
Ed : and
Her, ter, quer [ker] correspond to English here, there, where.
Ja : already
Lyt : a little. “Lytil” = little; comparative and superlative : lyter, lytst
Kafi : enough
Kam : like, as; as an interrogative pronoun: how ?
kay : in order to. Often used as “to” before a verb.
Kun : as, when
Meis : more
Naiwo : never
Neti : no more
Nun : now
Od : that (as in “I know that...”). As in English, it can be often omitted.
Pior : too (much/many)
Quayque : although
Sei : if (to introduce a condition)
Tem... quem : as.... as. “Tem” alone is “so (much)”, while “quem” corresponds to “than”.
Tik : only
Tun : then
To : “that” when referring to a whole statement; its relative pronominal form is “quo”
Verbs:
Most verbs occur at the past tense in this text. In Sambahsa, ehV verbs undergo ablaut in the past tense (they turn to ohV)
Thus:
Ghehd (to be able to) = Ghohd (was/were able to)
Gwehm (to come) = gwohm (came)
Kwehk (to seem) = kwohk (seemed)
Verbs in “a” turn it to “ie”.
Aur (to hear) = ieur (heard)
“-nt” is the ending of the 3° person plural of the present indicative, but, where there is no risk of confusion, it can be used as the present active participle, beside “-nd”.
Thus “stahnt” = “they stand” or “standing”, from “stah-“ = “to stand”.
Nouns:
Bren : thought
Cap : head
Clin : hill
Dien : day
Dikhliz : corridor
Drukh : evil spirit, ghost
Dwer : door
Eins : sword
Gwit : life
Ighnos : trail, track
Kamer : (sleeping) room
Kyal : room
Leuds : people, folks
Luce : light
Magh : power
Meja : table (for eating)
Mierstieups : name of Aragorn : “big steps” = “Strider”. “mier” = big; “stieup” = step.
Noct : night
Pieut : food (as a verb: to feed)
Prient : friend
Seil : rope
Strad : street, road
Weik : town, borough, commune (as a verb : to dwell)
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