Vocabulary Key to « Id Villa im Yowrleings »

 

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.

“Id Villa im Yowrleings” (“The Villa of Ghosts”) is an adaptation from a gamebook whose action takes place in a small seaside English town at the end of the XIX° century. The narrator, like Sherlock Holmes, investigates in and around a villa that would be haunted by ghosts (“yowrleing” = Fr. “revenant” = “coming back”, while “ghost” in general is “kabus”). The solution of this inquiry is given in a separate document, so that the reader may have some fun in drawing his/her conclusions. The text can be downloaded here: ID+VILLA+IM+YOWRLEINGS.doc  and  the solution here : Id+solution+ios+Villa+im+Yowrleings[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 :

Mier : big

Saint : saint

Smulk : small

Veut : old

 

Dex(ter)/lev(ter) = right/left

 

Sambahsa uses “quem” with them; thus “dexter quem id schkaf” = “to the right of the cupboard”.

 

Oik : some, a few

Neid : nothing; “no” as an adjective. Is declined; “neid” is the form for the nominative and accusative neutral singular.

 

Alter : the other; alyo (declined) : another

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)”

Dwo = 2

Bo : both

 

 

 

Prepositions:

Ab : by (after a passive verbal construction). It turns (seldom indeed) to “af” before “h”. Sometimes, it can mean “starting from” too.

De : about

Do : (in)to

Ep : on (before “h”, it can turn to “ef”)

Ex : out of

Inter : between

Med : with (an instrument).

Pos : after

Pre : before (in time)

Pro : for

Prosch : close to, near (with an idea of movement)

Sub : under

Tiel : till, up to

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:

Au : or

Bet : but

Dind : afterwards, then

Ghi : serves to emphasize the preceding word; it stands generally in second position in the clause. Ex: “Braham ghi ghyien id dwer” = “Braham did open the door”.

Otherwise, can be translated as “for”; ex: “Braham khiekit ghyane id dwer; isghi ne hieb id cleich” = “Braham couldn’t open the door, for he did not have the key”.

Ghom : down (irregular comparative : niter)

Her, ter, quer [ker]  correspond to English here, there, where.

Lyt : a little. “Lytil” = little; comparative and superlative : lyter, lytst

Ka : as a, like

Kafi : enough

Kam : like, as; as an interrogative pronoun: how ?

kay : in order to. Often used as “to” before a verb.

Meg : very, a lot;  “megil” = big, great; comparative and superlative : meger, megst

Od : that (as in “I know that...”). As in English, it can be often omitted.

Okwivid-ye : obviously

Quan(do) : when

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”

Ub : up

 

 

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)

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”

 

 

Other verbs are subjected to the “Von Wahl Rules”:

Decid (decide) = decis (decided)

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.

 

The “sigmatic aorist” can be added to verbal stems ending with a consonant:

“duxit” (he/she/it led) from “duc” = “to lead”

 

 

A note to proper nouns:

Family names can bear the plural ending when they refer to several members of this family: Ex. “I Pardoes” = Charlie Pardoe and his mother.

 

Normally, persons’ names keep their native forms. However, “stateless” people, like older Christian Saints, can be adapted into Sambahsa:

Ex: “Saint Benedict” = “Saint Bendict” [sänt bEndikt].

 

 

Nouns:

Bud : extremity, end

Buk : book

Bund : bottom (synonym: budmen)

Bureau : office, bureau

Dom : house

Drab (singular) : stairs

Drabplor : (stairs) landing (plor = floor)

Dwer : door

Fenster : window

Gnahsa : birth

Gon : side

Kamer : (sleeping) room

Kantun : corner (of a house, of a fireplace). A “corner” in general is “wangwl”.

Kellar : cellar

Kyal : room

Kyrk : church

Luce : light

Mur : wall

Odor : smell, odour

Poti : mister; Potnia : madam; Potnika : miss

Put : well, pit

Saat : hour (o’ clock; as a duration: hor)

Salon : living room

Schkaf : cupboard

Stol (or “stul”) : chair

Temos : darkness, obscurity

Ten : den, barrow

Wed : water