Lingwa de Planeta | Word formation, derivation

The possibilities of word formation in Lidepla are affixes (various prefixes and suffixes that are written together), particles (written with a hyphen) and word compounding.

As a general rule, words and suffixes are combined directly in their basic form, but in some cases the regular final vowel (i.e., 'a' in nouns, 'e' in adjectives and 'i' in verbs) can be omitted.

Affixes

Affixes, in addition to being divided into prefixes and suffixes (prefixes are added at the beginning of the word, suffixes at the end), may or may not change the class of the original word.

This chapter presents the complete system of Lidepla affixes. The most commonly used ones have already been encountered in previous chapters.

Change the word class

• Noun => adjective: -ful ("full of"), -lik ("like").

• Noun => verb: -vati (general meaning), -isi ("lead to", "place in")

• Adjective => adverb: -m (general meaning)

• Adjective => noun: -itaa, nesa (abstract nouns), -nik ("bearer of a characteristic property"), -ka ("something that possesses a quality")

• Adjective => verb: -ifi ("to become in a certain way"), -isi ("to make in a certain way"), -fai ("to show a quality")

• Verb => noun: -(s)a, -ing (general meaning); -er (agent suffix), -nik ("lover"); -ka (something related to the action), -wat (object of the action), -tura (final result of the action).

• Verb => adjective: -ke (related to the action), -bile (on the which the action can be performed), -val (worthy of the action), -tive (that can perform the action and/or performs it) (-titive = -tive), -shil (prone to performing the action)

• Numeral => noun: -ka: dwaka - pair, shika - ten

• Numeral => adjective: -ple (multiple): dwaple - double

Do not change the word class

Nouns:

• Prefixes: pre- (precedence), pra- (ancestor), yun- (offspring); dus- (bad, perverse)

• Suffixes: -o (masculine), -ina (feminine); -kin (diminution with change of quality), -gron (augmentation with change of quality); -inka (part), -tot (whole); -dan (storage container); -ista, -er (profession or doctrine), -nik (fan, characterized);

Adjective:

• Prefixes: bu- (negation), no- (opposite)

• Suffix: -ish ("to some extent"): blanish: whitish

Verb:

• Prefixes: be- (changes regency or object of action); de(s)- (opposite action), dus- (perform action badly), mis- (incorrectness), pre- (precedence), ras- (dispersion, division), ri- (do again)

Numeral:

• Suffix -fen (fraction): trifen: one third

Particles

Particles are written with words with a hyphen. General particles, which can be used with words of different classes, and special particles, which are used only with words of a certain class, are distinguished.

General

• Augmentative prefix particle gro- and diminutive-affective postfix particle -ki (used with all parts of speech)

Note that in Lidepla there is also the adverb gro, so you can say, for example, Zai gro-pluvi. or Zai pluvi gro.

With proper nouns, it denotes a term of endearment: Ana-ki: Annie

• To express similarity ("like, kind of, a sort of") the postfix particle -si is used:

• To express partiality, the word haf (half) can be used, which can function as a particle:

Note that with nouns the word haf specifically means "half": haf-dey: midday.

The particles gro-, -ki, -si, haf- do not change the class (function) of the word.

• The particle fa- denotes an involuntary transition (i.e., occurring independently of the will of the object) to a new state. The state word thus formed can take some verbal particles:

• The particle mah- means a voluntary transition (i.e., requiring conscious effort) of something (the object of the action) to a certain state. The verb thus formed can take verbal particles:

• Note that mah can function independently as a causative verb.

• The determinative particle -ney is widely used to form adjectives. The particle can be used with individual words as well as with phrases:

• To express a negative attitude, the general prefix particles fuy- (expresses contempt, aversion) and shma- (expresses contempt) are used. These particles are most often used with nouns, but it is also possible to use them with other parts of speech:

Special

Noun particles

• The gender of a person or other living being can be specified with the prefix particles man- and gin-:

The same meaning (for nouns ending in -a) can be expressed with the suffixes -o and -ina: dogo, dogina.

• The absence of blood relationship is expressed with the prefix particle stif-:

• The absence of direct kinship is expressed with the postfix particle -inloo:

Note that forms with -inloo are rather colloquial, as they have a very general meaning. For greater precision, it is recommended to use compound words such as bratadocha (= niece).

Verbal particles

• The prefix particle ko- denotes community, conjunction:

• The prefix particles en- and ek- denote, respectively, the beginning and the uniqueness (and/or suddenness) of the action:

• The determinative particle -ke forms adjectives from phrases with verbs (with individual verbs it functions as a suffix and is written together):

• The particles -ney and -she form participles:

The particle -yen forms gerunds:

Abbreviated forms of words with particles -ney and -she and their derivatives

From adjectives ending in -ney, adverbs (-nem) and abstract nouns (-nesa, written together) can be formed:

Also -ney in adjectives formed from nouns can change to -nish (-nish = -ney + -ish):

From adjectives (participles) ending in -she, adverbs (-shem) and nouns with the meaning of agent (-sha) can be formed:

For adjectives ending in -ney, formed from nouns ending in Ca (where C is a consonant), the abbreviation type Ca-ney => Ce is allowed: farka-ney => farke

Resulting adjectives can participate in word formation:

• parta-ney => parte => partitaa (partiality)

Note that if -ney expresses genitive, the abbreviation is not made:

• mata-ney kitaba (not *mate kitaba)

For adjectives (participles) ending in -ney, formed from monosyllabic i-verbs, the abbreviation Ci-ney => Cen is allowed:

• ofensi-ney => ofensen

For adverbs derived from the type Ca-nem and Ci-nem, the abbreviation type Cem is allowed:

• farka-nem => farkem
• kontra-nem => kontrem
• ofensi-nem => ofensem

In the absence of ambiguities, abbreviations of the type Ci-shem => Cem are also allowed:

• ahfi-shem => ahfem

In the composition of a word there can be more than one affix and/or particle:

• kalme => nokalme => nokalmitaa (worry)
• piti => nopiti => nopitishil => nopitishiltaa (cruelty)
• vidi => vidibile => vidibilitaa (visibility)
• derma => dermisi => dedermisi => dedermising (skinning)
• krai => kraisaktaisaful (full of cries)
• freshe => freshisi => rifreshisi (to refresh)
• samaji => samajibile => gro-samajibile (easily understandable)
• syao => fa-syao => en-fa-syao (to begin to decrease)

Word compounding

Compound words in Lidepla can be formed by combining simple words. The meaning of the resulting compound word depends primarily on the classes of the simple words that compose it. Note that compound words are generally written together, although, to improve readability, particularly long words can be written with a hyphen.

Compounding of full-meaning words

Any compound word consists of two parts: the main word and the determiner, the main word always being the end of the compound word. Most often, the meaning of a compound word can be explained with a phrase. For example,

• suryflor (sunflower) = flor do surya
• skribitabla (desk) = tabla fo skribi.

However, it is important to understand that the meaning of a compound word often differs slightly from the meaning of the phrase: a phrase characterizes something concrete, for example, a specific object, while a compound word defines a class of objects. That is, tabla fo skribi is a message that this specific table is used for writing ("table on which one writes"), while skribitabla designates a whole special class of tables used for writing ("desk").

Noun + noun

Meaning "special type":

• spikabush (hawthorn) (= bush do spika)
• gubrajuk (dung beetle) (= juk do gubra)
• botelabrash (bottle brush) (= brash fo botelas)
• kindashamba (children's room) (= shamba de kinda)
• sabahfan (breakfast) (= fan do sabah)
• chaychiza (teaspoon) (= chiza do chay)
• kavaldom (stable) (= dom do kaval)
• legumgarden (vegetable garden) (= garden do legum)
• batalakraisa (war cry) (= kraisa do batala = krai duran batala + sa)
• mauskapter (mousetrap) (= kapter do maus = kapti maus + er)

In some cases, the meaning of the main word in the combination differs slightly from its basic meaning:

• kindagarden (kindergarten) (= garden-si do kinda)

Meaning "part":

• harriza (hair roots) (= riza de har)
• kaudanok (tail tip) (= nok de kauda)
• daokrosa (crossroads) (= krosa de dao)

Combinations with other meanings, corresponding to phrases with the preposition de, are generally considered precisely as combinations, not as compound words, and are written with a hyphen:

• surya-luma (sunlight) (= luma de surya)
• monta-kadena (mountain range) (= kadena de monta)

Several words are used so frequently in combinations of the type considered that their meaning approaches that of suffixes, so that the combination denotes rather not a type of main word, but a word derived from the determining word.

• jen, man, gina (person):
  • jadujen (wizard/witch)
  • jaduman (wizard)
  • jadugina (witch)
  • jadu (witchcraft)
  • arkuman (archer, shooter (zodiac sign)) (= man do arku)
  • arku: (bow (weapon))
  • fishgina (mermaid) (= gina to fish)
  • fish (fish)

• lok (from loko) (place)
  • malinalok: raspberry bush (malina - raspberry) (= loko do (mucho) malina)
  • kabralok (cemetery)
  • kabra (grave)
  • montalok (mountains, mountainous area)

• menga (crowd, agglomeration):
  • jenmenga (crowd) (= menga de jen)
  • moskamenga (swarm of flies)
  • moska (fly)

• guan ("public establishment, institution")
  • fanguan (dining hall)
  • kitabaguan (library)

• yuan ("employee, worker, staff member, member of some organization"; "worker of..., worker in...")
  • shopyuan (shop assistant)
  • polisyuan (policeman)
  • dwaryuan (doorman, concierge)
  • agniyuan (firefighter) (= agnibrigadayuan)
  • maryuan (sailor)
  • trenyuan (conductor (on a train))

marjen: person of the sea (life related to the sea), maryuan: sailor (work related to the sea), marnik (sea lover / marine life).

Verb + noun

Most often, combinations of the type "verb + noun" define the type of concept/object expressed by the main word, and its meaning can be represented as a phrase with the preposition fo:

• saltikorda (jump rope) (= korda fo salti)
• lernikitaba (textbook) (= kitaba fo lerni)
• skribitabla (desk) (= tabla fo skribi)
• chifantabla (dining table) (= tabla fo chifan)
• guntaim (working hours) (= taim fo gun)
• frisiguan (hairdresser) (= guan fo frisi)
• habitilok (place of residence, dwelling) (= lok(o) fo habiti)
• banishamba (bathroom) (= shamba fo bani)
• banipen (bathtub) (= pen fo bani)

The meaning may not be literal:

• fukiflor (dandelion)

Some combinations of the type verb + noun can be considered as combinations of participle + noun:

• flaifish (flying fish) (= flai-she fish)
• sendijen (envoy) (= sendi-ney jen)

Adjective + noun

Combinations of the type "adjective + noun" name the type of concept denoted by the main word:

• laojen (old man)
• lao jen (old person (concrete))
• chyenlok (shoal)
• chyen lok(o) (shallow place (any))

Adjectives ending in -e can omit the final vowel:

• platbota (barge (type of boat))
• plate bota (flat boat)
• garibjen (stranger, foreigner)
• garibe jen (strange person)

Noun + verb

The combination of a verb with its complement can be represented in the form of a noun + verb combination, if it is necessary to emphasize the process as a whole. Combinations of this type are quite rare, they are written with a hyphen, for example:

• ala-trepi (to flap wings)

The word fin ("end") is used as a prefix with the meaning of completed action:

• lekti (finlekti (to finish reading, to read to the end))

Verb + verb

Refers to an action that consists of actions performed simultaneously, or that has properties of both actions. As in all words, the main word of the combination is the last word. The verbs that make up the combination are written with a hyphen.

• embrasi-karesi (to embrace; to caress, embracing)
• lai-dansi (to approach, dancing (the character of the movement is important — dance-like))
• dansi-lai (to approach, dancing (the approach is important))
• sheiki-swingi (to shake and swing)

Combinations with adverbs and simple pronouns

Adverbs and simple (monosyllabic) pronouns can participate in the formation of combinations. Combinations of this type are written with a hyphen.

• for-gun (to continue working) (= gun for)
• for-gunsa (continuation of work, additional work)
• pro-guverna-ney (pro-government circles)
• pro-westa-ney (pro-Western)
• swa-luba (selfishness)
• swa-kontrola (self-control)

Combinations with prepositions

Prepositions can function as prefixes (derived words of this type are written together):

• aus (from, out of)
• ausen (outside)
• auslanda (foreign country)
• kontra (against, in opposition, in contrast)
• kontrakosa (opposition)
• kontratoxin (antidote)
• kontrapon (to oppose)
• tra (through, from beginning to end)
• tralekti (to read through, to read from beginning to end)
• tranochi (to spend the night)

Combination of all word formation methods

• landa => auslanda => auslandajen (foreigner)
• taim => same taim => samtaimjen (contemporary)
• chi => chi gro => chigronik (glutton)
• dom => sin dom => sindomnik (homeless)
• sensu => sin sensu => sinsensu-ney (senseless)
• gloria => sin gloria => singloria-ney (inglorious)

New verbs

Language in focus: French

French belongs to the group of Romance languages, but precisely French has moved furthest from Vulgar Latin. Before the Roman conquest, the territory of present-day France was inhabited by the Gauls, tribes of the Celtic group. Gaul was one of the Roman provinces for five centuries, from the 2nd-1st century BC, and during this time the local population gradually assimilated with the Romans and adopted their language, retaining, however, in speech the so-called "Celtic substratum", i.e., traces of the ancient disappeared local language. After the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD, Gaul was conquered by Germanic tribes, the Franks being the strongest. Of course, the language of the conquerors influenced the language of the local population in some way, but in the end Vulgar Latin prevailed, as a more developed dialect. And by the 9th century, a new common language, French, was formed in northern France, which by the 16th century became the main means of communication in the state.

Excerpt from The Little Prince in the original language: (in French, the stress always falls on the last syllable)

Ah! Petit prince, j’ai compris, peu à peu, ainsi ta petite vie mélancolique.
aa pti prens je konpri pyo a pyo ensi ta ptit vi melankolik

Tu n’avais eu longtemps pour distraction que la douceur des couchers de soleil.
tyu nave e/o lontan pur distraksion kyo lya dusyor de kushe dyo soley

J’ai appris ce détail nouveau, le quatrième jour au matin, quand tu m’as dit:
je apri syo detay nuvo lyo katryem jur o maten kan tyu ma di

J’aime bien les couchers de soleil.
jem byen le kushe dyo soley

Frequent words from Lidepla taken from French:

non-significant:

• avan (forward)
• kelke (some)
• walaa (here it is)
• kel (which)
• kom (as)
• malgree (despite)
• non (no)
• nu (we)
• nul (none)
• tal (such)
• swa (self)
• apropoo (by the way)

nouns:

• gayar (boy)
• garson (waiter)
• charma (charm)

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