Tunisan Creole

Tunisan Creole is one of several conlangs created by Sraemoyes for her novels-in-progress. Another, Fylosan, has largely been added to Conlang Wikia.

Classification and Dialects
As all creoles, Tunisan Creole started as a pidgin.

Once upon a time, there was a tribe of Twanic people calling themselves the Umili. They had settled on the Umili River at western the edge of the Fylosan Mountain Range. They entered into a trade agreement and political alliance with a clan of river dragons who acted as pirates. They spoke to each other using a pidgin form of the Twanic language.

By the time that the Umili and the river dragons formed a country they called Tunisa, there were several native speakers. Although Twanic remained a ceremonial language, Tunisan Creole became the official academic and business language of the young country.

It had two dialects to start off with - a human dialect with sounds and expressions carried over from the Twanic language, and a dragon dialect with sounds and expressions carried over from the Fylosan language. However, the number of dialects grew rapidly as Tunisa started annexing its neighbors and forcing its language upon them.

Phonotactics
(C)V(C)

The only sounds that may end a syllable are vowels, /l/, and nasals.

/ɛ/ may only touch another vowel when it's preceding /i/.

Stress
Stress is usually determined by the first syllable. However, syllables with diphthongs will always be stressed.

Writing System
Twanic lacked a written system when the Umili first traded with the river dragons, but it was quick to borrow - and adapt - Fylosan. Tunisan Creole does use logographs in its highest registers, but it has an alpha-syllabary for every day use.

The alpha-syllabary comes in two scripts: a "grave" script for carving; and a "brush" script for ink and paint.

As there is no spacing between words, all the characters that may appear at the end of the word also have a word-final form to signal word boundaries. These word-final forms appear in both scripts. A chart will be given later.

Grammar
Pronouns

Tunisan Creole has seven personal pronouns: one exclusive first person pronoun (meaning that the addressee is excluded); one inclusive first person pronoun (meaning that the addressee is included); one second person pronoun; one third person masculine pronoun, an artifact from Twanic's two-gender system, used to refer to biological males; one third person feminine pronoun, another artifact from Twanic, used to refer to biological females; one interrogative pronoun; and one indeterminate pronoun, for unknown parties and anything that is not covered by any other pronoun.

These words are also used as possessive pronouns.

Nouns
Occassionally, nouns might inflect for inclusivity and exclusivity. When this happens, they will attach -se to the end of a noun for exclusivity and -be for inclusivity. However, nouns do not normally inflect at all.

Example:

fil - mountain

sei filse- my/our mountain; not yours, his, hers, etc.

vel filse - somebody else's mountain

sei filbe - our mountain

vel filbe - everybody's mountain

Proper names do not act as nouns.

Verbs
Verbs may take one of two tenses: past or present/future.

Past - add -zali to the base.

Present/future - base, dictionary form.

Example:

geka - come

gekazali - came

Tunisan Creole has no copula.

Syntax
SVO language.

Adjectives come before nouns.

Quantifiers come before nouns. They come before adjectives if present.

Prepositions come before nouns. They come before any present quantifiers and adjectives as well.

Adverbs come before verbs.

Negation comes before the thing it negates. In a verb phrase with adverbs, it comes before the adverbs.

With verbs that take three arguments, direct objects must always come before indirect objects.

Clause markers come at the very beginning of their clause.

Numbers

One/first - kasi

Two - deza

Three - tuasi

Four -

Five - men

Lexicon
Agita - Yukalitan (adj) (derogatory). (Yukalita is a neighboring country.)

Agitana - Yukalitan (person) (derogatory).

Amlon - to poison; poisonous; venomous.

Amlona - poison (n); a poison.

Amlonkara - Poison Dragon (a highly venomous breed of mountain dragon).

Ansu - to believe; to trust; to have faith in; faithful

Ansuna - belief; trust; faith; believer

Aumigia - to rock

Asei - to teach/to educate; to use magic; educational; magical

Aseina - education; magic

Aunua - to reside/to dwell/to live; to protect; to swear allegiance to; residential; protective; loyal

Aunuanau - a soldier

Auzo - occurring in; located in.

Boken - to be loyal; patriotic

Bokenbo - patriotism

Den - to set fire; to build a fire; to breathe fire onto something

Denden - a maintained fire

Dentui - to lose control; out-of-control

Dentuiden - a wildfire

Dentuni - (name of a city in Tunisa)

Depen - alternative; foreign; non-official; rebellious; to rebel

Depende - an alternative culture or lifestyle; a foreign culture; a non-official language in a country; a subculture

Desi - to carve; to excavate

Deside - a mine

Deza - two

Dilau - quality of life; lifestyle

Dilauni - to succeed; successful

Dilaunidi - success

Dilesni - to live/to survive; living

Dilesnidi - life (in general); survival; a living being

Dirosin - life expectancy

Ege - to cover; water-proof

Egene - skin; scales

Ekoria - to fall in love; to get to know; romantic

Ekoriane - romantic love; a friend (platonic)

Ekosi - to tell; to testify in court

Ekosine - a claim; an accusation

Elei - to fell a tree

Eleine - lumber; log; trunk

Eleite - a lumberjack

Elmi - to go; to travel; far/distant

Elmipala - to relocate (on royal orders)

Elminel - a journey, travel, a trip

En - too; excessively; extra; to exceed

Enen - an extra; a surplus/the surplus; excess

Esel - up

Esel ul - in the tree

Eule - to have offspring; related

Eulesu - a family; a relative

Euteiki - near/close (physical distance); to stay

Eutel - Yukalita (a neighboring country); Yukalitan (adjective)

Eutelneu - a Yukalitan

Euvi - to lie/to deceive/to trick; false; deceitful; deceptive

Euvifa - a lie; a deception; a trick

Ezi - to sleep

Ezil - white; to whiten

Ezul - a cradle; to cradle. Note: this is a Twanic compound "ez" (modern "ezi") and "ul." The second word of this compound got the stress, so "e ZUL," not "E zul."

Fan - a root (plants)

Fil - a mountain

Finse - an era

Fu - a potion

Fuka - to turn into a dragon

Fukara - a dragon descended from humans

Fune - to turn into a human

Funebem - a human descended from dragons

Gaife - when

Gari - to love/to commit to; committed; deligent

Gariave - the mouth of a river

Gariga - to marry for love

Garigari - a marriage for love

Garin - to eat; edible

Garinga - food

Geka.1 - a citizen

Geka.2 - to come; native;

Gekage - an arrival. (An event or an arriving boat.)

Gifa - to play; fun

Gifagi - a game

Gileuke - to imagine; creative; imaginative

Gileukegi - imagination; creativity

Gomua - a dragon chief

Gomuavula - any high-ranking dragon who is not a chief

Guagua - a citizen from newly annexed territory; a first-generation citizen (short version)

Guaka - a citizen from newly annexed territory; a first-generation citizen (derogatory)

Guavuoge - to annex

Guavuogegua - a citizen from newly annexed territory; a first-generation citizen (long version)

Guazau - regional

Guazel - Gwazori (an island-based nation)

Guazelte - the Gwazori Archipelago

Im - to see; visible

Imim - vision; eyesight

Iosu - to treat well; nice; kind; gentle

Iosunio - kindness; gentleness; a favor

Ivuase - to meet; acquainted.

Ivuaseni - an acquaintance.

Kan - the mouth of a river (place names only)

Kara - a dragon

Kasi - one; first; originally.

Kasun - a general; a commanding officer

Kaulva - good (generic); high-quality

Kaulvakau - the quality

Kegeguifo - to buy; to sell

Kegeguifoke - business

Kiluge - fast/speedy (for land speed); to run

Kua.1 - meat; muscle

Kua.2 - vicious; cruel; evil

Kuakua - a tyrant

Kue - masculine

Kuete - a male

La - a child; a pup; an infant; a seedling

Laboka - Laboka (a breed of forest dragon; also the name of a language primarily spoken by Labokas)

Lauseite - to benefit; beneficial; healthy

Lauseilau - a benefit; health

Lausileite - an adviser; a member of the royal household

Leige - to experience; seasoned; experienced

Leigelei - an experience; experience (N)

Leke - a star

Leozo - to decompose/decay/rot; rotten

Lepe - persuasive; true (not false); correct; wise; to persuade; to correct (factually); to advise

Lepele - truth; wisdom; persuasion

Li.1 - sentient/intelligent

Li.2 - to pirate

Li.3 - river (in names only)

Libui - a year; yearly

Libuisikevo - a birthday

Lika - a pirate

Lilel - down; under; to fall

Lili - delivery service; postal service

Lite - a border; territory

Lontuaze - a type of Tunisan pole-arm

Lua - (negation)

Luatui - a developmental problem where a dragon does not know how to access its fire; a pup with this disorder

Luvi - a blade; a knife; a sword

Mamel - to make/to force to do

Man - a house (*obsolete)

Megen - stone; rock; a stone; a rock

Mei - question marker.

Mekueka - Mekwek (name of a neighboring country).

Mel - to have something done

Mela - to hatch (for species of lesser intelligence)

Melmel - a service

Men - five

Merei - to laugh; to smile; happy

Mereime - laughter; a smile; happiness

Mia - to argue; to debate; loud; out-spoken

Miamia - an argument; a debate

Mide - a church (building); a shrine

Mie - but

Mikei - all; every

Mil.1 - a limb (not plants)

Mil.2 - sacred; holy; to worship

Milmil - a church (organization); a religion; any set of codified religious beliefs

Milsuan - the afterlife

Mipel.1 - a fishing boat; a fish

Mipel.2 - a person who is cold and unfeeling

Mitisun - a foreigner

Muate - yes

Muel - to owe

Muelse - a debt; money; tribute

Na.1 - about that (discourse marker)

Na.2 - a dragon den (dialectal).

Na.3 - to carve out a den; sizeable.

Nana - a dragon den.

Nata - to pave; to build a wall; paved

Natana - stone paving; stone walls; tiled roofing; a tile (construction); a tile (game piece)

Nebem - a human citizen

Ne - to read; literate; legible; literary

Nede - a book; a textbook

Nel - the sun; bright; to shine

Neo - a spouse

Neokue - manly; masculine

Neokueta - a husband

Neopeu - a wife

Neosuel - a school

Netuimide - a university

Ni - to break

Niteke - affluent; rich; to inherit

Nitekene - inheritance

Nua - to construct

Nuate - a building

Pala - a government; to govern

Pesi - to call/to name; famous.

Pesikuepe - a human male (shorter form of the word).

Pesipe.1 - a name.

Pesipe.2 - selfish

Pesipua - personal; private; shy; reserved; to hide; to conceal

Pesipuakuete - a human male (official form of the word).

Pesipuapeu - a human female.

Peu - female; a female.

Pil - definitely not

Pimdi - oppressive; to oppress

Pimdipim - a champion; a winner (carries the sense of "at someone else's expense.")

Pisa - dangerous; to endanger

Pisapi - a danger (also used to cry for help)

Rekua - to excel; superior; supremacy

Sekuete - a human boy; a young, male dragon

Senal - beautiful; good-looking; handsome; pretty.

Senalse - a beauty (person); a crush.

Senalsen - a beauty (person); a crush (dialectal).

Sike - well-lit; to light; to carve lighting runes into something.

Sikevo - a light.

Sim - a dragon clan

Sisipin - a minority group

Sizi - to have/to own; rich.

Sizisi - ownership; rich person.

Sodei - a mixed-species military unit

Sual - to sail; to drift

Sualsei - a boat (in general)

Ta - an egg (of intelligent species)

Tage.1 - (unit of weight)

Tage.2 - mighty; physically strong; to lift (something heavy)

Tageta - physical strength

Taltal - a promise; a reputation

Talval - a family name; a law

Talvaltal - to promise

Taramau - the rapids

Taramia - fast (when traveling through air or water); a type of river boat

Teifa - to fly

Teil - alone; lonely; single (relationship status)

Teilteil - a bachelor; a bachelorette

Tesi - (Tunisan currency)

Tuafim - a human king; a human queen

Tuasi - three

Tuaze - pole-arms (in general)

Tui - dragon fire; dragon magic in general

Tunisa - (name of country)

Tunisa - the Tunisan Peninsula

Tureso - (name of a Tunisan terrorist organization)

Ua - a shield or a weapon intended for dragon use

Uakel - a river

Uam - military food; military rations; dry (food); pickled (food); disgusting; unappetizing; yuck; to pickle

Uamuam - a pickle

Uamoma.1 - a foundling

Uamoma.2 - a creature of Fylosan mythology

Uasua - (the name of the continent on which Tunisa and most of its neighboring countries hold the majority of their territory)

Ueno - by (time)

Ufi - to tell a story; fantastical

Ufinu - a story

Ugel - to annoy; to bother; annoying; a nuisance (person); a jerk (person)

Ui - to descriminate; bigoted; discriminatory; unfair

Uilo - a bigot; bigotry; discrimination

Ukalita - the Yukalitan language

Ul - a tree; wood; to plant

Ulul.1 - a plant (dialectal)

Ulul - wood (dialectal)

Umin - Umili University (abbreviation)

Use - a map; well laid-out

Useikeil - to bend over

Useikeilnu - a hunchback

Usiga - soil; earth

Ulveioka - here

Va - as (not time)

Val - from the direction of; originating from; through the means of

Vasia - to know (a fact)

Velein - the wind; to blow

Vitua - to hit; to lunge; to sweep (combat); to swing in a horizontal motion); to swipe (combat)

Vos - preposition for all generalities (dialectal)

Vosa.1 - preposition general time or location

Vosa.2 - preposition for precise location

Vuadi - to calm/to calm down; calm/peaceful; hello.

Vuadivau - peace.

Vual - to do

Vuisite - hard (not soft)

Example text
Vuadi. Sei sizi pesipe _____. ''Hello. My name is _____. (Lit. I have the name _____.)''

Sei kasi gekazali val _____. ''I'm from _____. (Lit. I originally came from _____.)''

Mei sen kasi gekazali val ti? Where are you from?

Pesikuepe kasi gekazali val tunisa. The man is from Tunisa.

Auzo mekueka bese ivuasezali senal pesipuapeu. He met a beautiful woman in Mekwek.

Fun Translation
* Of course, this doesn't actually exist in-universe.

Rock-a-Bye Baby
Aumigia la esel ul,          Rocking child in the tree,

sen velein aumigia ezul. for you, the wind will rock the cradle.

Gaife ul ni, lilel sen         When the tree breaks, under you

vuisite usiga, megen. will be hard earth and stone.