- Isgalini is a made-up language with no major purpose beyond a slight experimentation. Its words are a mixture of mainly Latin, Spanish, French, Greek and English, with many of its own characteristics as well. Its grammar is similar to Spanish and English in different aspects.
Pronunciation Vowels (IPA in brackets.)
a - [a]
e - [ɛ] and [ei] when followed by a vowel
i - [iː]
o - [o] and [oː]
u - [uː]
- Accents on vowels (á é í ó ú) are used to denote stress -
- The diaeresis indicates that two adjoining letters that would normally be pronounced as one are instead to be pronounced as separate vowels -
- Circumflexes are used to show that a letter used to exist after the circumflexized vowel (like in French) or in the combination oî to indicate the pronunciation is [i:] not [oi] -
Consonants (IPA in brackets.)
b - [b]
c - when followed by i or e like [ʃ] Otherwise pronounced like [k]
d - [d]
f - [f]
g - [g] or when followed by i or e like [ʒ]
h - [h]
j - [ʒ]
k - [k]
l - [l]
m - [m]
n - [n]
p - [p]
q - [k] only used when followed by a u and proceeded by i or e
r - [r]
s - [s]
t - [t]
v - [v]
x - [ks]
y - [j] or [iː] as a vowel
z - [z]
Diphthongs (IPA in brackets.)
Oi/oy - [oi]
Ai/ay - [ai]
Ei/ey - [ei]
Au - [au]
Ch - [tʃ]
Sh - [ʃ]
Gu - [gw] when followed by a vowel*
Cu - [kw] *
Hu - [w] *
Dh - [ð] like in that
Th - [θ] like in thing
Oî - [i:] used when writing words of Greek origin with 'οι' like; φοίνιξ, τοίχος in Isgalini - foînix, toîsi
Pronouns
I- Mi
He- Li
She- Ji
It- Si
They- Ti
We- Ni
You- Dhi
You all/lot- Dhis
In constructing a sentence - the pronoun is placed before the verb, i.e. li sta vene - he is well
If this is turned negative no is placed in front, however this merges with the first letter of the pronoun so it becomes, nol sta vene - he isn't well. This process happens for all the pronouns except dhis.
If a verb begins with an i then the i in the pronoun is dropped, i.e. m'inmena or
Possessive pronouns
My- Ma
Your- Dha
His- La
Her- Ja
Our- Na
You lot's- Dhisa
Their- Ta
Its- Sa
Myself - Mastan
Yourself - Dhastan
Himself - Lastan
Herself - Jastan
Ourself - Nastan
Yourselves - Dhisastan
Themselves - Tastan
Itself - Sastan
(the stan translates as being, so mastan = my being.)
Connectives
that, than, which - dhei
Those, them - dheis
This, these - dhe, dhes
Who - poî
What - quei
When - cuân
Where - uvi
Here - hî
There - ivi
Why - po abbreviated from 'porqueí?'
Because - po abbreviated from 'pordheí'
But - sed
And - et (pronounced [ɛd].)
If - si
Not - no
Thus or yes - sî
Verb conjugation
Present
In the present tense verbs always end in a, staying the same as the infinitive except with a pronoun before it.
Mi tena e can (I have a dog)
Past
Verbs' endings with any pronoun before it become at (pronounced like [ad].)
Mi tenat e can (I had a dog)
Future
Sa is placed before the verb.
Mi sa tena e can (I will have a dog)
Conditional
Sau is placed before the verb.
Mi sau tena e can (I would have a dog)
Imperitive (commanding)
Remains the same as the infinitive, like in English.
Verb examples
Mi ema le músiqui i mi joia le quitari.
I like music and I play the guitar.
Nom thela ira contra quei dhi 'sa.
I don't want to go against what you know.
Prepositions
To - A
Infront of, before - Ante
Against - Contra
Toward - Pros
Inside - Ene
Outside - Exe
Below - Infra
Between, among - Inter
Within - Intra
Near - Juxta
Far from - Nejuxta
Through - Per
Behind, after - Meta
Over - Sup
Under - Suv
Beyond - Ultra
With - Con
Without - Necon
(Ne is used as a prefix to make the original word have an opposite meaning.)
Adjectives & adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs always end in e (some adverbs can end in y), (Except when the adverb is commonly used as a conjunction as well.) gender or pluralization does not affect this.
Le shoc megle consumat le pici micre.
The big shark ate the little fish.
Alexès ema shocolui calore po si sta plûe dolse dhei cafei.
Alexès likes hot chocolate because it is more sweet than coffee.
Lorentis thela jûe ira, sed nol posat trova la jaqueti.
Laurence just wanted to go, but he couldn't find his jacket.
Some common adjectives
cold - frige
big - megle
small - micre
weak - febue
Nouns
- Male nouns can end with any vowel (except a) or any consonant. -
- Female nouns end with an a or ès (stress still placed on è) -
- Nouns which are either male or female or do not have a physical gender end in i -
- Nouns are the route to form adjectives, for example; -
Richness (noun) - Pluti | Rich (adjective) - Plute
Jealousy (noun) - Jelosi | Jealous (adjective) - Jelose
Some example text about 'Fruit'
L'usis de fruxi por omis sta megle. L'une usi sta prinsipale por consumi crude, sed cuân ti sta cose ti deocasis ira plûe dolse et plute in sávori. Le fruxis sta parti de e planti con flosis, le fruxi sta de tisui spesifique de le flosi. Pole sentis de fruxis, come pomi, peshi, piri et manghis tena e valui comerse come mangi ome, ti posa manja freshe i come fruximis, marmeladis i ale preservis.
Vocabulary
Much of the vocabulary like nouns derive from the verbs they're related to. For example, dona - to give, doni - gift, joia - to play, joi - game.
Unique suffixes can be added to the root of a verb or noun to make a particular meaning
For example;
- qui added to the end of an already existent noun to mean 'producer, maker.' Fósiqui - fosi - light + qui means 'light producer' i.e. a light bulb.
- ci 'storer, thing' can be added to nouns like, lexi to form léxici - a dictionary (word thing)
- topi means 'place', like compratopi is a mixture of compra (to buy) and topi (place) making (buy place) or shop.
- or & ès used like like in English to describe what people do, writer, player added to verb and noun roots like joi- where the -a 'from joia is replaced with or or ès. For example, joior - player or grafor - writer.
Phonotactic constraints[]
In Isgalini the letter cluster 'ct' does not exist and appears as 'x'. 'Selecta', 'conecta', 'acta' become; selexa, conexa, axa, and so on.
Sometimes in the letter clusters, 'pl', 'bl' the l is replaced with a u, like in the words simpue, tempui, horibue, teribue. (simple, temple, horrible, terrible.)
Sometimes 's' is dropped in words like, hîtori - history, câteli - castle
Nouns which derive from words that would end in -ati, -uti, in Isgalini are lost and become, shocolati = shocolui, minuti = minui, caputi = capui
Phrases
Hello/good day - Venedí
Goodnight - Venenyxi
Goodbye -
How are you - Come sta dhi?
Body parts
capui - head
mani - hand
piei - foot
digiui - finger
capili - hair
vrasi - arm
fasi - face
ocli - eye
Numbers
uni - one
dui - two
tri - three
cui - four
sincui - five
sei - six
septi - seven
oxi - eight
novi - nine
desi - ten
unidesi - eleven
duidesi - twelve
(etc.)
duiginti - twenty
triginti - thirty
cuiginti - forty
sincuiginti - fifty
seiginti - sixty
septiginti - seventy
oxiginti - eighty
noviginti - ninety
senti - one hundred
duisenti - two hundred
(etc.)
mili - one thousand
Months
unemini - january
duemini - february
tremini - march
cuemini - april
sincuemini - may
seiemini - june
septemini - july
oxemini - august
novemini - september
desemini - october
unidesemini - november
duidesemini - december
(Months logically written for the twelve months of the year, like 'first month' = une - first, mini - month etc. )
Dictionary - Le Léxici (Eng - Isg)[]
a(n) - e(n) [article]
and - i [conjuntion]
all - tole [adjective/adverb]
ascend - asenda [verb]
arrive - ariva [verb]
abort - aborta [verb]
above - supre [adverb]
against - contra [preposition]
baby - infâni [noun]
bad - male [adjective]
base - fundamenti [noun]
book - livri [noun]
boy - pueo [noun]
breathe - respira [verb]
catalogue - indexi [noun]
castle - câteli [noun]
Some common verbs
To be - sta
To have - tena
To do/make - fara
To be able to - posa
To say - lea
To see - via
To sing - canta
To go - ira
To give - dona
To know - siensa or abbreviated to 'sa
To understand - inmena
To want - thela
To write - grafa
To work - lavora
To wear - vesta
To love - ama
To like - ema
To live - viva
To live (in area, place) - havita
To arrive - ariva
To add - prospona
To pass - pasa
To perform - exelesa
To ought to - deba
To put - pona
To be born - nata