Vocabulary Key to « Ithacus is Calator »
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.
“Ithacus is Calator” is an adaptation from the last gamebook of the “Fabled Lands” series by D.Morris and J.Thomson. The authors most generously granted their permission for a non-commercial use of this text in Sambahsa, so you can download it here: Ithacus[2].doc
This story takes place in a Japan-like medieval fantasy country, and the translation of many non-European Sambahsa words is already given in footnotes to this text.
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 :
Albh: white
Apank : remote (can work as an adverb too)
Bergwnt : steep
Cort : short
Hog : high
Plen : full
Saul : sole, only
Veut : old
Weur : broad
Ielg : each
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.
Aun : without
De : about
Do : (in)to
Ep : on (before “h”, it can turn to “ef”)
Inter : between
Kye : in the direction of, towards. It merges with the following determinant or pronoun of the third person. Thus, we often find “kyid” = towards the, towards it.
Med : with (an instrument).
Ob : because (of)
Po : in exchange of
Pos : after
Pre : before (in time)
Pro : for
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.
Uper : over
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
Bad : finally, at last; ne... bad = not yet
Dind : afterwards, then
Ghi : has no definite meaning, it often appears in second position in a clause and serves to emphasize the preceding word. It is sometimes suffixed to the preceding adverb or pronoun. It can be translated as “then”, or as “for”, f.e. : “Is ne kieup id wogh, isghi ne hieb denars”: “He didn’t buy the car for he had no money”.
Ghom : down (irregular comparative : niter)
Her, ter, quer [ker] correspond to English here, there, where.
Kam : “like” and “how”
kay : in order to. Often use as “to” before a verb.
Kun : when, as (only as a conjunction); “tun” is “then”. “Quan(do)” = “when” can be used as an interrogative pronoun and as a conjunction.
Od : that (as in “I know that...”). As in English, it can be often omitted.
Tem... quem : as.... as. “Tem” alone is “so (much)”, while “quem” corresponds to “than”.
Tik : only
Tsay : back (as an adverb)
Ub : up
Cardinal directions are in Sambahsa (from north to west): nord, eust, sud, west.
To say “to the ... of”, Sambahsa uses a comparative.
Ex: “Euster quem Chambara” = “To the east of Chambara”.
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 (come) = gwohm (came)
Kwehk (seem) = Kwohk (seemed)
Lyehg (to lie) = lyohg (lay)
Wehs (to be [located], to find oneself) = wohs (found oneself)
“ay” turns (regularly) to “iey” in the past tense. It has two meanings:
“to consider as” with a double accusative: “Ia iey John un allieit” = “She considered John as an allied”.
With no accusative, it means “say” in dialogues.
“Quer est John ?” iey ia = “Where is John ?” she said. (cf. Latin “ait”)
Otherwise, “to say, to tell” is “sayg”, past tense: “sieyg”
The ablaut of –ei- verbs is –i-; thus “reik” (to get back to, to return to) is “rik”. Such –ei- verbs have an infinitive with an ablaut and the addition of “-es”; thus “rikes” [riks].
“Reik” is used without any preposition.
“Ithacus rik Chambara” = “Ithacus got back to Chambara”.
Other verbs are subjected to the “Von Wahl Rules”:
Vid (see) = vis (saw/seen)
All the preceding verbs are not compelled to bear the endings of the past tense since their stem undergoes a change. But these endings are compulsory for the other verbs.
Ex: “gwah” = “to go to”.
For purposes of euphonics, an optional “s” (called “the sigmatic aorist”) can be inserted between the verbal stem and the past tense endings. The recommended past conjugation of “gwah” is: gwahsim, gwahst(a), gwahsit, gwahsam, gwahsat, gwahr.
“gwah” works without a preposition. Thus: “Linda gwahsit San Francisco” = “Linda went to S.F.”. On the contrary, “eih” = “to go” requires prepositions.
Nouns:
Blouseut : wisteria (exists in Sambahsa too)
Calator : wayfarer
Cancellar : chancelor
Cap : head
Citad : (big) city
Clin : hill
Dien : day
Dom : house
Dru : tree
Fenn : heath, moor
Fluv : river that flows into the sea. Other rivers are “rivier”. Watercourse = “sreumen”.
Herbehrg : inn (to overnight)
Meunweus : moonrise (“meun” = moon; “weus” = “to rise” for a celestial body)
Nav : ship
Noct : night
Palat : palace
Paund : path
Pic : peak
Puik : pine tree
Regwos : dusk
Ritter : knight
Schangdien : shrine
Shard : (not a Sambahsa word; it is the currency unit of Akatsuray)
Souverain : sovereign
Swamen : lord
Temos : darkness
Urb : city
Yuwen : youth, young man
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