Pkalho-Kolo

I started creating languages in my teens; a little later I found out that Tolkien's fictional world had begun with creating languages. I was relieved: I wasn't the only person crazy enough to do this. His favourite language was Finnish, also my favourite language. For years I just took it up off and on, pursuing one idea, then another. In the 1990's, at the height of popularity of the Fantasy genre, friends, who knew I had always been good at writing, suggested that I try my hand at writing a book. I did, and the result was terrible beyond all telling, but it did make me settle on one phonological and grammatical system. At that time I created fewer than a hundred words; but a few years ago I had a period of illness and passed the time by adding to the vocabulary. I quite seriously intended to make up about 20,000 words, but fatigue set in after about 4,500.

I had a few definite aims: one was to create a language without distinction of parts of speech; another was to create an agglutinative language with quite a modest number of affixes (there are 32.) In phonology I wanted to create at least a couple of sounds not found in any natural language; to have no sibilants; and to have an abundance of labial or labialised consonants. These are the consonants of Pkalho-Kölo:

p m ph  pk v fh   pkw pw  pr rl   t lh th   c l   cw y fw   kw w hw   k n h

There are four unrounded vowels: a ë e i   and four rounded vowels: ä ö o u.

A brief sample text, in Latin letters (Pkalho-Kölo has its own writing system, alphabetic and written from top to bottom and right to left, though a few of the literate prefer left to right.) This is the beginning of a translation of the Grimm Brothers story called "The Seven Ravens":

Fhalhvo Nikö

Täthumä atäla lemäi tonun lamo niköli akäto teina eali. Cimekoäkuto cwëllen e wöhela icwiyi löipë nörövafheila eto iturë ölvu thena-mäyupiela yuli. Oto cwinli pintörë eali lamovon atähi kwellapkwe poucahwäli ewan valarikurë lumphë nälmen. Epkëväiloto nöweiwë poucamöli, e hëfworë nilneripë fhampon nömäihi kovo nälhmulemä. Waweto pkäpkweyearë lhaun kanlöla vayi haulato emäin thopala muriphili.

The English is:

There was once a man who had seven sons, and last of all one daughter. Although the little girl was very pretty, she was so weak and small that they thought she could not live but they said she should at once be christened. So the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be the first at drawing the water, and so they were in such a hurry that all let their pitchers fall into the well, and they stood foolishly looking at one another, and did not know what to do, for none dared to go home.

Sometime I will probably upload some grammar and samples of the writing system, if I can figure out how to do so.

OK. The basic grammar of Pkalho-Kölo is as follows:

I. The first rule is that any unmarked word that precedes a word with a suffix, is a modifier. Long strings of modifiers are not uncommon. The second rule is that the head word of any complete utterance is the first word with a suffix, and this will be one of nine Order suffixes (excuse the random technical terms,) or one of seven Mood suffixes (which we will come to later.)

The first three Order suffixes are:

Stative:        -la

Active:        -rë

Habitual:      -mu

Stative describes a state or condition: cilola - “it is blue”; phoäla - “there are flowers.” Active describes an event at a specific time: pkaterë - “(it) broke”; hwicorë - “there was a flash of lightning.” Habitual describes an event that happens generally or usually: kapu wëlamu - “(he/she) reads a lot”; ëfwumu - “it gets cold.” These are all impersonal, neither active nor passive. So keila means “sees” or “is visible”; lhomirë means “dies”, “kills” or “is killed.”

The next three are replace the stative suffix -la

Interrogative:     -wo

Conjectural:     -pwä

Concessive:     -ku

Interrogative forms questions: möiwo - “is (he/she) asleep?”; ëfwuwo - “are you cold?”.

Conjectural translates maybe, perhaps: möipwä - “perhaps (he/she) is asleep”; thulopwä - “perhaps (he/she) has forgotten.”

Concessive expresses surprise or an admission: ëfwuku - “it’s so cold”; yempaku - “yes, it is foolish.” If we are talking about an event, we add one of the other suffixes: pkateworë - “did it break?”; cännuwomu - “do (they) (usually) sing?”

If we are talking about an event, we add one of the other suffixes: pkateworë - “did it break?”; cännuwomu - “do (they) (usually) sing?”

The last three are:

Denominative:    -to

Conjunctive:     -yi

Resultative:      -pë

Denominative names or identifies things: cwäilato - “(he/she) is a friend”; fhiruto - “it is a ruby”.

Conjunctive refers back to the previous word with an Order suffix; it translates “and”: hwäivorë cännuyi - “(they) danced and sang”; lhurkarë hwicoyi - “there was thunder and lightning.”

Resultative describes the result of the previous word with an Order suffix: tepkurë pkatepë - “(he) hit (it) so that it broke”; ämrlola möipë - “it was so warm (I) fell asleep.”

II. Words that add information to a word with an Order suffix are said to be subordinated. There are nine Subordination suffixes, which are, I must sadly admit, a case system under another name. But cases such as nominative, accusative and genitive are notably absent.

The first three Subordinations are:

Relative:        -n(i)

Allative:         -li

Ablative:        -hi

Relative describes what could be called inseparability: cilola phoän - “the flower is blue”; hwäivorë pwenyan - “the boy danced.” (The flower is not separate from its blueness, nor the boy from his dancing.)

Allative marks destination or recipient: wipräli - “to the woods”; kwearë cälpan pali - “(he) gave me a book”.

Allative is also used for the locus of thoughts and perceptions: keila cilo phoän pali - “I saw the blue flower(s)”; mathörë pwenyan rlupeli - “the dog remembered the boy.”

Ablative marks origin or originator: tännuhi - “from the mountain”; pkaterë pwenyahi - “the boy broke (it)”; ceirë pali apkohi - “my older brother told me.”

The next four describe location:

Locative:        -wë

Prolative:        -thu

Adessive:        -kö

Inessive:        -mä

Locative is for general location; often translates “at, by.” Toröwë - “at the front”; leawë - “by the tree.”

Locative is also used for the locus of knowledge or emotion: pamela lho pwenyan pawë - “I know that boy”; yafhëla pawë - “I am afraid.”

It also marks the instrument of an action: cikorë hiwan kilviwë - “(he) cut the rope with a knife.”

Prolative marks location with regard to a line: often translates “along, through.” Tiltarë cähethu - “(they) walked along the street”; larirë pwahethu - “(they) ran through the room.”

It’s also used for means of transport: leperë phawethu - “(they) came here by boat.”

Adessive marks location with regard to a surface: often translates “on.” Këula cälpan tällikö - “the book is on the table”; fwärerë pa näkekö - “it settled on my hand.” It often describes the place of impact: tepkurë pakö - “(he) hit me”; kipërë thuoläkö - “(he) played (on) the harp.”

Inessive marks ambient location in space or time: often translates “in.” Kaulomä - “in the garden”; cantomä - “in the box”; torllumä - “in summer”.

The last two are:

Partitive:        -vo

Directive:        -pkwe

Partitive is for the substance of something, or a part of something: torömä tämovon - “in the front of the house” (compare: toröwë tämohin - “in front of the house”); muirë nulhävo nuoyi rlucovo - “(they) ate bread and drank wine”.

Directive marks orientation: thihupkwe - “towards the north”; proärë kilvin apkopkwe - “(I) bought a knife for my older brother”; keila cwean thilkopkwe - “(I) saw a face in the mirror.”

The relative suffix -ni is usually contracted to -n. In this form it links back to the previous word with any suffix, and it can be added to any other Subordination suffix. Këula tällikö - “(it) is on the table.” Këula cantomä tällikön - “(it) is in the box (which is) on the table. (Note that there is no word to translate “to be.” When this means “to be in a place” the word këu. to find, is often used: “it can be found on the table.”) When the suffix is used is its full form, -ni, it links back to the previous word with an Order suffix.

OK. That's enough for now.