A Pronoun Epiphany
Dec. 1st, 2011 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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noviceconlangersMountain/Sea has shedloads of personal pronouns -
For Gods and other persons (genders one and two)
First person singular
Second person singular - (used only when you know for certain that the person you're addressing is the right person)
Third person singular - inclusive - (used when you think the person you are addressing is the right person but aren't sure - bizarrely does have a vocative declension)
Third person singular - exclusive - (used only when you know for certain that the person you're addressing isn't the person you're talking about)
First person plural
Second person plural - (used only when you are certain what you are saying applies to all listeners/readers - the person version is rarely used in text except for quotes for this reason. The divine version gets used more but the gods are a diverse bunch so not as much as it could. There is no rhetorical you in this language - the closest you get is the vocative they in this person.)
Third person plural - inclusive - (used when you know it applies to some listeners/readers but even remotely suspect it doesn't apply to all.)
Third person plural - exclusive (weak) - (used when you know it doesn't apply to your listeners/readers but also indicates that it may not include all of the group you've earmarked as 'they').
Third person plural - exclusive (strong) - (indicates that you mean all of this 'they' and none of them are here. And if you are going to use this you'd better damn well be sure you're right - especially when badmouthing people).
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Each of the other animate genders has a specific pronoun but they only inflect for second and third (there is a first person but it's only used in fables and fairytales since animals and plants don't talk in this world) and singular and plural. The inanimate genders only have third person singular and plural pronouns. They also don't worry about exclusive/inclusive for animals.
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Pronouns in Island I have no idea yet. I'm pretty sure they'll be simpler than Mountain/Sea though.
For Gods and other persons (genders one and two)
First person singular
Second person singular - (used only when you know for certain that the person you're addressing is the right person)
Third person singular - inclusive - (used when you think the person you are addressing is the right person but aren't sure - bizarrely does have a vocative declension)
Third person singular - exclusive - (used only when you know for certain that the person you're addressing isn't the person you're talking about)
First person plural
Second person plural - (used only when you are certain what you are saying applies to all listeners/readers - the person version is rarely used in text except for quotes for this reason. The divine version gets used more but the gods are a diverse bunch so not as much as it could. There is no rhetorical you in this language - the closest you get is the vocative they in this person.)
Third person plural - inclusive - (used when you know it applies to some listeners/readers but even remotely suspect it doesn't apply to all.)
Third person plural - exclusive (weak) - (used when you know it doesn't apply to your listeners/readers but also indicates that it may not include all of the group you've earmarked as 'they').
Third person plural - exclusive (strong) - (indicates that you mean all of this 'they' and none of them are here. And if you are going to use this you'd better damn well be sure you're right - especially when badmouthing people).
---
Each of the other animate genders has a specific pronoun but they only inflect for second and third (there is a first person but it's only used in fables and fairytales since animals and plants don't talk in this world) and singular and plural. The inanimate genders only have third person singular and plural pronouns. They also don't worry about exclusive/inclusive for animals.
---
Pronouns in Island I have no idea yet. I'm pretty sure they'll be simpler than Mountain/Sea though.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 08:45 pm (UTC)I haven't decided what I want to do with pronouns. I may not even have any, beyond perhaps "me" and "you". They might just use a variation on ' person/thing' for unspecified he/she/it/they/those/etc. (I actually like that idea, I think I will keep it.)
The second/third inclusive/exclusive stuff is really neat! I'd imagine the third inclusive (singular and plural) get used the most.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 08:50 pm (UTC)... a variation on '(number)person/thing' ...
no subject
Date: 2011-12-02 01:33 am (UTC)So I bet the Callanthe have something like that, in both cases. A plural, and a formal/to-a-superior.
no subject
Date: 2011-12-02 04:44 am (UTC)Hmm, that makes me think that Artash should have special verb forms for the gods... they are, after all, a huge part of their society...