Schlaub

Schlaub/Lexicon

Schlaub
Ntzog Schlaub
Pronunciation	[/ⁿz̪o̤˧ ɬəʊ˩˧/]
Created by	Praimhín, IlL
Setting	Verse:Tricin
Language family	Hlou-Shum Schlaub

Schlaub (English: /(h)loʊ/ loh; natively: Ntzog Schlaub /ⁿz̪o̤˧ ɬəʊ˨˦/) is a Bjeheondian tonal language, inspired by Hmong and German.

Dahn schaul weg zu Mpfëin aus zu Schnod = We speak about love and hate

(1PL speak about VN love and VN hate)

Are you saving it for me? = Zied tsohl ja nun xan ab? (2SG save 3SG.inan for 1SG INTERR)

we love him so we are welcoming him = Dahn mpfëin so weil dahn nkeiß zu Schleib an so sein (1PL love 3SG.anim CONJ 1PL celebrate VN come GEN 3SG.anim PRES.PROG)

Numbers: die, beid, lähn, schred, kaß, traun, heid, ntzob, glaub, weiß

Background

As folk etymology has it, the ethnonym Schlaub comes from the word schlaub 'temperate', thus 'of the temperate lands'.

Phonology

a e i o u = /a e i o u/
ä ö ë = /ã õ ẽ/
ah eh ih oh uh äh öh ëh = /aʔ eʔ .../ [only occurs with -Ø, -n, -l tones]
ei ie au äu ëi = /əi iə əu əũ əĩ/
initials: p b pf pl bl m mpf ml f v fl /pʰ p pɸ pʰl pl m mɸ ml f v fl/
t d tz tl dl n ntz nl /tʰ t ts tʰl tl n ns nl/
k g kl gl = /kʰ k kʰl kl/
z s x sch schr = /s̻ s̺ ʃ ɧ ʂ/
ts nts tx ntx mp mb nt nd nk ng nkl ngl as expected
l r j w h = /l ʐ~ɹ j w h/
tr dr trl drl nr ntr ndr = retroflex versions of t d tl dl n nt nd
schm schn schnr schl schw = voiceless m n nr l w

Schlaub has 8 tones:

b = low rising (24): Laub /ləʊ˨˦/ 'spring (season)'
Ø = mid level / mid entering (33): lau /ləʊ˧/ 'to plant'
d = peaking / high falling (353~51): Laud /ləʊ˧˥˧/ 'shoe'
g = breathy mid level (33 + breathy): laug /ləʊ̤˧/ 'to knit'
s = dipping (313): Laus /ləʊ˧˩˧/ 'anise'
ß = glottalized (3ˀ5): lauß /ləʊ˧ˀ˥/ 'to smile'
n = low falling / low entering (21~11): Laun /ləʊ˨˩/ 'wrinkle'
l = high rising / high entering (45~55): Laul /ləʊ˦˥/ 'song'

Grammar

Pronouns

Person	Singular	Dual	Plural
1	xan	bluß	dahn
2	zied	jen	schlag
3	so (animate) ja (inanimate)	eib	zug

Sie = polite pronoun (all persons and numbers)

Demonstratives:

• naus, nab, nein, nan: what, this, that, anything
• draus, drab, drein, dran: where, here, there, anywhere
• raus, rab, rein, ran: how/to what extent, like this/this much, like that/that much, any way/to any extent

Prepositions

• an = of
• bis = in, at
• je = from
• nun = for
• ob = vocative
• weg = about
• wie = to
• wen = like

Particles

• sein = present progressive
• hin = past
• bei = future
• ihn = imperative
• mal = cohortative
• ab = interrogative (sentence final)
  • eh = tag question (sentence final)
• da = exclamatory
• viel = softening
• eh = negative
• schon = prohibitive
• los = inchoative
• wohl = emphatic

Conjunctions

• aus = and
• in = or
• leid = but
• von = relative clause
• tun = complement clause
• daß = if
• weil = then, so, therefore
• bloß = because

Nouns

ein = definite article

die = indefinite article

Words are pluralized by reduplication.

Classifiers

Schlaub does not use classifiers, unlike other languages in the region.

Numerals

1-10: die, beid, lähn, schred, kaß, traun, heid, ntzob, glaub, weiß

100: trleh

1000: schöd

Schm-reduplication

Hloh uses schm-reduplication, which works just like schm-reduplication in English, except that the schm-reduplicant is often repeated.

"Leid xan zahl heb die Nöl da!" = but I COP just a noob EXCL "Nöl schmöl Nöl schmöl, zied mbuh ngäs man wohl!" = noob schmoob noob schmoob you can make_it EMPH

Fossilized morphology

Tone changes? Prenasalization?

• Schlähn 'tribe' < lähn 'three'
• Laub 'spring' < lau 'to plant'
  • suggests Schlaub 'Hlou' < Laub 'spring'

Tower of Babel

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

Bis Ndreib ein Schal tzeg flug die Ntzog aus die zu Wel meid hin.

LOC present DEF world whole have INDEF language CONJ INDEF VN speak common PAST

As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

Leid [bis Glied] zu Ntrub an ein Zëhl wie Schlähn zug raug die Schwiß bis Xi-Na aus [ntlub man] drein hin.

but [as] VN move GEN DEF people PREP east 3PL find INDEF plain PREP Shinar CONJ [settle] there PAST

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly."

Aus ein Zëhl tlau wie veß, "Ob bus Ngu aus nlaß zug [schlög schlög] mal."

CONJ DEF people say PREP one_another, VOC make brick CONJ fire_ceramic 3PL [throughly] COHORT

They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

Zug [raug Mlob] Ngu [bis rohn] Pfaub aus Schrähl [bis rohn] [Kis Mbeh] hin.

3PL use brick instead_of stone and tar instead_of mortar PAST

And they said: "Come, let's build a city for ourselves and a tower in it, whose top would reach the sky.

Aus zug tlau, "Ob saud die Mbihl nun dahn aus bis ja die Nklohl von Schnraub [raug man] Ntse mal."

and 3PL say, VOC build INDEF city for 1PL and in it a tower REL top reach DEF sky COHORT