The BG Language Creation Guide
Translation Task
Here is some summary information about the morphosyntax of the Liqupa language and a sampling of lexical items. Use these to gloss and translate the sentences at the bottom of the page.
Here is an answer and explanation. Other, slightly different translations are possible.
Phonology
The Liqupa syllable is CV only but a word final /q/ is permitted.
If combining morphemes results in a
syllable ending in /q/ appearing in the middle of a word, and if the next syllable also begins with a consonat, the /q/ must be deleted. For example:
malaq = yak
-ma = plural
* malaq-ma yak-plural
mala-ma yak-plural yaks
Morphosyntactic Information
- Liqupa is an OSV language.
- Verbs agree with the person of the subject. An inflectional prefix is used on the verb to indicate this agreement. These prefixs are as follows:
- 1st person = i-;
- 2nd person = a-;
- 3 = u-.
- Tense is marked with a bound inflectional prefix which comes between the verb root and the agreement marker. These morphemes are -pa- past tense, and -na- future tense. Present tense is unmarked.
- Thus, the order of verbal morphemes is agreement-tense-verb.
- There are no articles.
- -hu is a derivational suffix which changes adjectives and nouns into verbs.
- -ka is a derivational suffix which changes verbs and adjectives into nouns
- Plural is marked on nouns by a bound inflectional suffix on the noun. This plural morpheme has four allomorphs. If the noun is class 2 (intaniglbe) the plural is formed by -na. In the other class, nouns are pluralized as follows:
- If the last vowel of the stem is /a/, the allomorph of the plural is -ma
- If the last vowel of the stem is /i/, the allomorph of the plural is -mi
- If the last vowel of the stem is /u/, the allomorph of the plural is -mu
Function Words: Pronouns
Here is the pronominal system:
- 1.SG i | 1.PL imi
- 2.SG a | 2.PL ama
- 3.SG u | 3.PL umu
Content Words
- bird: pipa
- catch: mama
- child: mici-ya person-small
- duck: daq
- fish: maqu
- go: sasa
- person: mici
- small: -ya (bound suffix)
- swim: maqu-sa fish-go
- touch: (verb) nini
- walk (verb) mici-sa person-go
- warmth: mumu
Sentences to Translate
Translate and gloss the following into Liqupa
- The child goes.
- The bird will swim.
- The duckling caught the fish (PL).
- You touch the children.
- The duck flies.
- We warm up the little birds.
Updated 4/18/2011