Prev: [Pronunciation & Transliteration]
[Printable (pdf) version of this lesson]
NOTE: If you find grammar-geekiness intimidating, skip to “Word Order 2.”
Don’t be concerned about the notation above; it will be useful in the long run. A “Case Phrase” is the same thing as what traditional English grammars call a “prepositional phrase.” In English this means a preposition and its following noun phrase, as in “with a hatchet” or “to the beach,” most of the time; in Láadan it usually means a noun phrase and its ending. This will become clear as we go along, and each of the sentence patterns explained will use the notation, with “Case Phrase” abbreviated to just “CP” in future to save space. “Case Phrase–Subject” will be written “CP–S.”
Bíi
Type-of-Sentence Word—declarative
A Láadan sentence begins with a word, called the [Type-of-Sentence Word], that tells you what sort of sentence it is—statement, question, request, etc. The most common of these words is “Bíi,” which begins ordinary statements (known grammatically as declarative sentences).
wa
Evidence Word—claimed to be true because the speaker herself perceived what has been said
A Láadan sentence ends with a word, called the [“Evidence Word,”] that states why the speaker considers the sentence to be true. Probably the most common of these words is “wa,” which means “claimed to be true because the speaker herself perceived whatever has been said.”
Within the sentence that begins with the Type-of-Sentence Word and ends with the Evidence Word, the Verb comes before the Noun(s).
adaa
to laugh
áya
to be beautiful
doth
to follow
hal
to work
hena
sibling (by birth)
mid
animal; any creature
óoha
to be tired; to be weary
shóod
to be busy
thul
parent
with
person
Note that Láadan doesn’t divide adjectives and verbs into two classes as English does. Thus “áya” means “be beautiful” without any need for a separate word “be” in the sentence.
When discussing the distinctions among the types of verbs in Láadan, it can be useful to describe the descriptive verbs as “stative verbs” (verbs that describe a state of being, eg “áya,” “&ooacute;oha,” and “shóod” above) as differentiated from “active verbs” (verbs that describe an action, eg “ada,” “doth,” and “hal” above).
Bíi ada hena wa.
(The/A) sibling laughs.
Bíi áya mid wa.
(The/An) animal is beautiful.
Bíi doth thul wa.
(The/A) parent follows.
Bíi hal with wa.
(The/A) person works.
Note that Láadan has no separate words for “a(n)” or “the.” In future examples, one or the other will be provided for the purposes of the English translation.
Bíi óoha Bétheni wa.
Bethany is weary.
Note that names occupy the noun’s place in a sentence, just like any other noun.
1
Bíi shóod hena wa.
2
Bíi ada thul wa.
3
Bíi áya with wa.
4
Bíi doth Másha wa.
5
Bíi hal hena wa.
6
Bíi óoha mid wa.
7
thul wa bíi shóod
8
bíi with ada wa
9
áya Elízhabeth bíi wa
10
wa hena bíi doth
11
mid bíi hal wa
12
óoha bíi wa thul
13
The person is busy.
14
Margaret laughs.
15
A sibling is beautiful.
16
An animal follows.
17
The parent works.
18
A person is weary.
top1
The sibling is busy.
2
A parent laughs.
3
The person is beautiful.
4
Marsha follows.
5
A sibling works.
6
The creature is weary.
7
Bíi shóod thul wa.
The parent is busy.
8
Bíi ada with wa.
A person laughs.
9
Bíi &áya Elízhabeth wa.
Elizabeth is beautiful.
10
Bíi doth hena wa.
The sibling follows.
11
Bíi hal mid wa.
The animal works.
12
Bíi óoha thul wa.
The parent is weary.
13
14
15
Bíi áya hena wa.
16
Bíi doth mid wa.
17
Bíi hal thul wa.
18
Bíi óoha with wa.
top