Hey all. This has been owing a long time, and in gratitude for your help in making my Kickstarter dreams a reality and Soulwoven a book to be published in February 2014, I wanted to make sure I finally gave it to you. Enjoy. Every phrase in Sh'ma in the book should be translatable using this primer.
- JS
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Sh'ma Language Primer
(Eshua Taeshura Sh'ma)
Verb Construction
The particle 'sh' forms the 'action-giving' portion of a word. All verbs will end in this particle, with the rest of the word forming the meaning of the action taking place. The simple past tense is connoted by 'sha added to the end of the verb. The past imperfect is connoted by 'ysh added to the end of the verb, the future by 'shou, the conditional by prefacing the verb with kua, and "should" with e'kua. A verb is negated by 'na added at the end.
Sentence Order
The most active verb always comes at the end of a sentence (cf. German).
Pronoun Construction
Adding 'n' to the end of a noun or pronoun creates the object form of it.
Noun Construction
Adding 'r' to the end of a verb stem usually creates the noun form of the verb.
Imperatives
Given by lopping the 'h' off of an imperfect verb (i.e. Es! - Speak!). The sound has elements of a 'z' at the end, and could be transliterated as 'sz'.
Adjective Construction
Adjectives are placed immediately following the noun. In the event that multiple adjectives describe a noun, they are listed in order of importance to the overall state or appearance of the noun. Adjectives are often constructed by placing 'ay' at the end of a verb stem. Adjectives are also negated by the use of 'na at the end. 'a placed at the end of a number turns it into an adjective (i.e. Ith'a - first)
Possessives
Formed by placing the possessing noun in the place of first adjective (immediately following the noun described).
Plurals
Formed by adding 'e' to the end of a noun ending in a consonant, or 'i' to the end of a noun ending in a vowel.
Overall Sense
The language as a whole is quite versatile, capable of being either quick, harsh, and practical or slow, languid, and poetic. It is a soft language, featuring many soft vowel sounds, few hard consonants, and a flowing, iambic meter in most words. The ' in the written language represents a hard stop. (i.e. Sh'ma rather than Shma) 'r's are rolled.
Lexicon
Esh (v.) - to communicate
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Soulwoven
FantasyThe first volume in the epic fantasy series Soulwoven. Litnig Jin has spent his life yearning for the power to weave the souls of the dead into magic. His brother Cole has spent his believing in nothing bigger than his own two hands. When a dragon s...
