This is a game of borrowing and loaning words! To give our conlangs a more naturalistic flair, this game can help us get realistic loans into our language by giving us an artificial-ish "world" to pull words from!

The Telephone Game will be posted every Monday and Friday, hopefully.

Rules

1) Post a word in your language, with IPA and a definition.

Note: try to show your word inflected, as it would appear in a typical sentence. This can be the source of many interesting borrowings in natlangs (like how so many Arabic words were borrowed with the definite article fossilized onto it! algebra, alcohol, etc.)

2) Respond to a post by adapting the word to your language's phonology, and consider shifting the meaning of the word a bit!

3) Sometimes, you may see an interesting phrase or construction in a language. Instead of adopting the word as a loan word, you are welcome to calque the phrase -- for example, taking skyscraper by using your language's native words for sky and scraper. If you do this, please label the post at the start as Calque so people don't get confused about your path of adopting/loaning.

Last Time...

Åu̯reim by /u/RpxdYTX

raej [xɛʒ]

adj. angry, enraged

konkhair [ye] raejvah

[kʰonkʰaɪx (je) xɛʒvaː]

[I've] been angry lately

Stay cool, conlangerinos

Peace, Love, & Conlanging ❤️

  • џэмиш ɟ͡ʑɛˈmɪˑɕ a berry

    Дашдэмирэм атлэрариўдиш џэмиш адыггыс.

    Western: ˈdaʃd̥ɛmɪrɛm atl̥ɛrɐˈrɪːdiʃ d͡ʒɛˈmiʃ ɐˈdɯɣɣɯs

Core: ˈd̥æˑɕd̥ɛmɪrɛm ɐtʰl̝̊ɛrɐˈrɪˑʊ̯ð̞iɕ ɟ͡ʑɛˈmɪˑɕ ɐˈð̞ɯˑg̠̊g̠̊ɯs

Eastern: ˈtɐʃtʲɛmʲɪrʲɛm ɐtʰɬʲɛrɐˈrʲiːtʲiʃ t͡ɕɛˈmʲɪʃ ɐˈtɯ̽qqɯ̽s

Daşdemir-SG.ERG eat-3SG.PROG.PAST.INTENS berry-PL.ABS bear-SG.ESS

Дашдэмир-эм атл-эр-ар-иўди-ш џэмиш-Ø адыг-гыс
    parent

    Øder

    kermihn /ˈc͡çe.mɪɬ/ ~ /ˈc͡çe.mɪθ̠/

    v. to grow on a tree or bush

    ``` Arnehr ehn kermihner.

    Money doesn’t grow on trees

    parent root

    Stîscesti

    cemîc /ceˈmɨc/ nm. talent; innate or natural skill

    Tiń môi ît zrêźjîntî, zńemîċ cemîcac.

    /tiɲ mɔi ɨt zrɛˈʒjɨn.tɨ ˈzɲe.mɨɟ ˈce.mɨ.cac/

    tiń        môi   ît             zrêźjî-ntî  zńem-îċ         cemîc-ac
3SG.F.GEN  song  COP.3SG.N.PRS  bad-INTS    lack-3SG.F.PRS  talent-M.SG.ACC

    Her song is very bad, she lacks talent.

    parent root

    Dogbonẽ

    kebe, kebi- [ˈkebe]
    v. to be able to, to be capable of.

    Go fæi kebuŋã ko kokiauka kottauŋã?
    this kid can.IRR-3.PROX COMP spear.OBV throw.IRR-3.PROX
    "Can this kid throw a spear?"

    parent root

    Proto-Strinjalian

    tsemis /tse̞mis/
    n. a cranberry (Any plant of the subgenus Oxycoccus)

    Derived term:
    tsemisrvu /tse̞misɻʷu/
    n. blueberry (lit. tsemis + rvu "blue")

    parent root

  • Øder

    leost /lɛst/

    n. moss, lichen, carpet

    ``` Hneug legt Leost

    The moss is green

    parent

  • Zurāł

    ȝuȷéğt [ʰɸuɮéi̯t̚]

    n. nail; layer of ice

    Case sing               plur                 coll          
    Nom   ʰɸuɮéi̯t̚         ʰɸuɮázʲat̚           ʰɸuɮɨ̯ɪ́      
    Voc   ʰɸuɮéi̯           ʰɸuɮázʲat̚           ʰɸuɮɨ̯ɪ́      
    Acc   ʰɸuɮéi̯u         ʰɸuɮát̚             ʰɸuɮɨ̯ɪ́      
    Gen   ʰɸuɮiát̚         ʰɸuɮióːm           ʰɸuɮiát̚      
    Dat   ʰɸuɮéi̯           ʰɸuɮipʰót̚         ʰɸuɮéi̯      
    Abl   ʰɸuɮiát̚         ʰɸuɮipʰót̚         ʰɸuɮiát̚      
    Ins   ʰɸuɮiá           ʰɸuɮipʰít̚         ʰɸuɮiá        
    Loc   ʰɸuɮiéːi̯         ʰɸuɮitú             ʰɸuɮiéːi̯    
    Lat   dárʰɸuɮiéːzʲu   dárʰɸuɮitú         dárʰɸuɮiéːzʲu
    parent

    Proto-Strinjalian

    därphïljesu /dæɻpʰɨlje̞su/
    n. a glacier

    parent root

    Trevisk

    futzehriem /ˈfuːt͡sə.hriːm/ n. permafrost

    parent root

  • oñaɓa

    nivèvè [nivəvə]

    nom. world, infinite place

    lèt fioŝa oñ nivèvè ji

    [lət fjoŝa oŋ nivəvə ji]

    I may see your world in the near future.

    parent

    Takanaa

    niwəwə ['niwəwə] adj. "secular", "worldly", "of the earth"; "normal", "usual"

    parent root

  • Aöpo-llok

    pellë [ˈpeʎːɜ] n. countable - feather

    [...] Kolće wa ënmara kriś uljan mem ahw titsya
    iwolmwo pellë tikarallo !

    kolće wa  ënmara    kriś  uljan      me-m       ahw titsya
beg   ADN story.ABS about breath.ABS SUBORD-EQU too disabled.ABS
i-wolmwo     pellë       tikar-allo !
DAT/GER-move feather.ABS small-SUP

    "[...] to beg of a tale about a breath too weak / to move the littlest feather!"

    Excerpt from All in the Golden Afternoon (Öyo Arem wa Tejyon)

    parent

    Proto-Strinjalian

    phiĺe /pʰiʟe̞/
    n. wing

    parent root

    Øder

    bilg /pʰɨlkʰ/

    n. side, flank, hull

    parent root

  • Åu̯reim

    vehil [vexɪl]

    v. to hide, to conceal

    arsvah y̆nyilvenum ad yilven, h'y̆lishan ad vehil

    [arsvaː jːnjːlvenum adˀ jːlven, xjɪlɪʃʌn adˀ vexɪl]

    [To make] art is to see what's unseen, and to hide what's in plain sight

    parent

    Englysch / Old Colony Dialect

    Avechyl /afɛχyl/ n. "hidden object, the unseen", n-plural Avechylen

    Hyn aren an Sorscho od dö Avechyl
[hyn aʁən ən sɔʁʃɔ ɔd dø afɛχyl]
"Appearances are a glimpse of the unseen."
sight.PL be.3PL ART.IND glimpse of ART.DEF unseen
    parent root

    Jesheeb Ylyp

    v. vēhil [ˈvehɪl]

    1. to put away
    2. to organize

    Example sentence:

    Dahvēhilboh oon faal ovaatmxha ty

    [daˌfehɪlˈbɜh‿ʌːm‿faːl ʌˌvaːtnˈd͡ʒa tɘ]

    1S-3S-put.away DEM.PROX time clothing-FOR all

    ‘I’ve already (folded and) put away all of my clothes’

    parent root

  • Aesärie

    ažĒso /a.ˈdʒeː˨.so/ - n. "Milk"

    vuTwäni pèn lá-icÙm ŧoj đoňoNe'én: ažĒso, ašEsò ta ašEsó.

    /vu.ˈt͜ʋa˦ː.ni pe˨n ˌla˦.i.ˈcu˨m θoj ðo.ǂ̃o.ne.ˈʔe˦n: a.ˈdʒe˨ː.so, a.ʃe.ˈso˨ ta a.ʃe.ˈso˦/

    life-NOM three time-pl.LOC in divide-RFX.PNT: milk-NOM, water-NOM and blood-NOM.

    Life is divided in three times: milk, water and blood (proverb)

    parent

    Englysch / Old Colony Dialect

    Adgöse /aʤøzə/ n. "Milk mimicking products, such as Soy Milk", n-plural Adgösen

    Ysch n'wonn den schöss Adgöse nocht!
[yʃ nəvɔn dɛn ʃøs aʤøzə nɔχt]
"I don't want your shitty fake milk!"
PN.1SG.SUBJ NEG.want.1SG PN.2SG.POSS shitty milk-alternative.SG NEG
    parent root

    Proto-Strinjalian

    atsërë /atsəɻə/
    n. water left over after boiling grain

    parent root

    Dogbonẽ

    atoe [ˈɑtowe]
    n. large cooking pot, cauldron.

    parent root