Lili

Lili is an engineered a priori constructed language based on the concept of ambiguation and disambiguation.

Consonants
Lili has 16 consonants:

b: /b

c: /ʃ

d: /d

f: /f

g: /ɡ

j: /ʒ

k: /k

l: /l

m: /m

n: /n

p: /p

r: /r

s: /s

t: /t

v: /v

z: /z

Vowels
Lili has 5 vowels:

a: /a

e: /ɛ

i: /i

o: /ɔ

u: /u

Syntax
Lili has a SVO word order. Ignoring "p" and "t" (which we'll see later), the elements that occupy the odd positions in a sentence are called "operands", while the elements that occupy the even positions in a sentence are called "operators". Ignoring "p" and "t", there must always be an odd number of elements in a sentence, starting and ending with an operand and alternating with operators. A sentence in Lili looks like this:

operand+operator+operand+operator+operand... etc.

For example, let's take "I eat an apple" as an example. The sentence is:

"ci nakai rend"

c: I (operand)

naka: to eat (operator)

rend: apple (operand)

Now, there need to be some explanation. Every word is separated by an "l" or by an "i", and spaces are free. For example, the same sentence can be written as "cinakairend", "cinaka irend", "cinak airend", "cina kairend"... spaces are completely free.

Parentheses
Let's consider the following sentence: "I eat a red apple". The sentence will be:

"ci nakalpi rendi kickault"

c: I (operand)

naka: to eat (operator)

p: (open parenthesis)

rend: apple (operand)

k: (connects a noun to an adjective) (operator)

ckau: red (operand)

t: (close parenthesis)

The parenthesis after "naka" indicates that "red apple" is to be considered as a single entity. Without the parenthesis, "ci nakai rendi kickau" would have meant "the fact that I eat an apple is red", which makes no sense. That's because the word "red" would have modified the whole sentence, when in reality only the apple is red.

Switch
Adding an "e-" before any operator will switch A (the thing before the operator) and B (the thing after the operator). For example:

"cina kairend" = "I eat an apple"

"rend lena kalc" = "I eat an apple"

They mean exactly the same thing.

Degree words
Words with a hyphen like "z-ca" usually mean a thing or its opposite. In this case, "z-ca" means "sad-happy". They are inflected like this:

zuoca: very sad (-3)

zueca: sad (-2)

zuaca: a bit sad (-1)

zuca: neither sad nor happy (0)

zoca: a bit happy (1)

zeca: happy (2)

zaca: very happy (3)

Also:

zoece: saddest

zoace: happiest

zeuce: sadder

zeoce: happier

Verbal tenses
After the operator "z" (which introduces time), the operand "p-f" indicates past, present, or future.

puof: distant past (-3)

puef: medium past (-2)

puaf: immediate past (-1)

puf: present (0)

pof: immediate future (1)

pef: medium future (2)

paf: distant future (3)

For example:

"ci nakai rendi zipof" = "I'm about to eat an apple"

Singular and plural markers
Unmarked nouns in Lili are neither singular nor plural. To mark them as singular or plural you need to use the operator "k", and after that, "sn" for the singular, "pn" for the plural, and "gn" for generalizations. Marking singulars, plurals or generalization is optional, although marking generalizations is recommended.

rend = apple(s)

rendikisn = an apple

rendikipn = apples

rendikign = apples (in general)

The generalization marker is used in sentences like "humans are stupid".

"aboti kigni gelduesm" = "humans are stupid"

abot: human (operand)

k: (connects nouns to adjectives... in this case the generalization marker) (operator)

gn: (generalization marker) (operand)

ge: (copula) (operator)

d-sm: dumb-smart (operand)

Gendered pronouns
There are 5 genders in Lili: common, inanimate, animate, masculine and feminine.

Common is the gender that can be applied to anything.

Inanimate is the gender for inanimate and/or abstract things. It includes vegetation.

Animate is for humans and animals (both male and female).

Masculine is for male humans and animals.

Feminine is for female humans and animals.

Here are the pronouns:

c: I (animate)

ac: I (feminine)

uc: I (masculine)

j: you (animate)

aj: you (feminine)

uj: you (masculine)

deo: he/she/it (common)

duo: it (inanimate)

due: he/she (animate)

dea: she (feminine)

deu: he (masculine)

ce: we (inclusive... includes the listener)

co: we (exclusive... excludes the listener)

ja: you (plural)

doa: they

coa: we/they

You're probably confused about "coa". You might have noticed that in English, people say "we" when people belonging to the speaker's group have done something, even though the speaker did nothing. For example, if someone lives in London, he/she might say "we have the best food in the world", even though the speaker himself/herself doesn't have the best food in the world. In Lili, "coa" is the pronoun used in this case. To gender something else, like a cat, you have to use the operator "k" and then the operators "na" (feminine) or "vu" (masculine).

cuta: cat

cutalkina: female cat

cutalkivu: male cat

Case prepositions
There are a lot of operators that function like prepositions that function like cases. For example, "cm" is the comitative operator, that means "in company of", "with". For example:

"cidi asob icmij" = "I play with you"

c: I (operand)

d: (connects a subject to a verb) (operator)

asob: to play (operand)

cm: with/in company of (operator)

j: you (operand)

As another example, "ns" is the instrumental operator, that means "by the means of".

"cidi naka insizrau" = "I eat with a fork"

c: I (operand)

d: (connects a subject to a verb) (operator)

naka: to eat (operand)

ns: by the means of (instrumental) (operator)

zrau: fork (operand)

Evidentiality
After the operator "av", you can insert the source of a statement. For example:

fer: experienced event

kre: hearsay

dop: inference (when you are sure something happened but didn't experience it yourself)

zuf: speculation (when you have no idea whether what you're talking about is true or false, similar to the word "might" or "I suppose that...")

Example sentence:

"deuldi cafala vizuf" = "he might be sleeping"

deu: he (operand)

d: (connects a subject to a verb) (operator)

cafa: sleep (operand)

av: (insert source) (operator)

zuf: speculation (operand)

You can use normal words after "av", too. Like "benk" (to study). Adding "avibenk" to a sentence means you learned it through studying.

Negative and interrogative sentences
After the operator "k", the operand "u" turns the sentence (or a part of the sentence) to negative, while "ba" turns it into a yes/no interrogative. Examples:

ji nakai rendi zipedal kiu: you didn't eat any apple today

ji nakai rendi zipedal kiba: did you eat any apple today?

j: you (operand)

naka: to eat (operator)

rend: apple (operand)

z: (introduces time) (operator)

peda: the past part of today (operand)

k: (in this case connects the sentence to "u" or "ba") (operator)

u: negative (operand); ba: yes/no interrogative (operand)

It is possible to refer to only part of the sentence, to express some nuances. For example:

jikiul nakai rendi zipeda: it wasn't you who ate an apple today

jikibal nakai rendi zipeda: was it you who ate an apple today?

ji nakalpi rendikiulti zipeda: it wasn't an apple the thing you ate today

ji nakalpi rendkibalti zipeda: was it an apple the thing you ate today?

ji nakai rendi zipi pedalkiult: it wasn't today that you ate an apple

ji nakai rendi zipi pedalkibalt: was it today that you ate an apple?

Types of yes/no questions
There are 9 types of yes/no questions, according to what the speaker thinks and hopes the answer to be.

"ba": standard

"bae": the speaker hopes the answer will be "yes"

"bao": the speaker hopes the answer will be "no"

"be": the speaker thinks the answer will be "yes"

"bea": the speaker thinks and hopes the answer will be "yes"

"beo": the speaker thinks the answer will be "yes", but hopes the answer will be "no"

"bu": the speaker thinks the answer will be "no"

"bua": the speaker thinks the answer will be "no", but hopes the answer will be "yes"

"buo": the speaker thinks and hopes the answer will be "no"

Example:

jlaboci ciki bua: will you hug me? (the speaker thinks the listener isn't going to hug him/her, but hopes for a hug)

j: you (operand)

aboc: hug (operator)

c: I (operand)

k: (connecting operator)

bua: yes/no interrogative (operand)

Relative pronouns
There are mainly two relative pronouns, "reo" and "gno". For example:

medei reolpi ubutiri aboti tigel puesno: bears who kill humans are dangerous

medei gnolpi ubutiri aboti tigel puesno: bears, who kill humans, are dangerous

If the pronoun "reo" is used, then the sentence means that only the bears who kill humans are dangerous, while if the pronoun "gno" is used, then the sentence means that bears usually kill humans, therefore they are dangerous.

mede: bear (operand)

reo/gno: (relative pronouns) (operator)

p: (open parenthesis)

ubut: to kill (operand)

r: (connects a verb to an object) (operator)

abot: human (operand)

t: (close parenthesis)

ge: (copula) (operator)

p-sno: dangerous-safe (operand)

"Like"
There are four ways to say "like" to compare something to something else: use the operators "kak", "kek", "kok" or "kuk". For example:

jidi fbaki kak ikbac: you smell like a goat (you smell, and goats smell too)

jidi fbaki kek ikbac: you smell like a goat (the smell is similar)

jidi fbaki kok ikbac: you smell like a goat (the intensity is similar)

jidi fbaki kuk ikbac: you smell like a goat (the smell and intensity are similar)

j: you (operand)

d: (connects a subject to a verb) (operator)

fbak: to smell (like) (operand)

kak/kek/kok/kuk: "like" (comparison) (operator)

kbac: goat (operand)

From an individual to a group
The operand "koze", after the operator "k", modifies a noun and turns, for example, "human" into "humankind".

abot: human

aboti kikoze: humankind

Everyday, a guy looks at me
"catelki voklezipi abudi cbebiciti" = "everyday, a guy looks at me"

cate: day (period from 00:00:00 to 23:59:59) (operand)

k: (connecting operator)

vok: every (operand)

ez: (switched "z") (operator)

p: (open parenthesis)

abud: male human (operand)

cbeb: to look (at something) (operator)

c: I (operand)

t: (close parenthesis)

---

This sentence is ambiguous, because we don't know if it's always the same guy or if the guy can be different everytime. There is an optional way to disambiguate this sentence, putting the operand "dob" after the operator "k" to indicate that the guy is always the same, and "tob" to indicate that it can change.

"catelki voklezipi abudikidobi cbebiciti" = "everyday, a guy (always the same one) looks at me"

"catelki voklezipi abudikitobi cbebiciti" = "everyday, a guy (not always the same one) looks at me"

Expectations
"To expect" in English has two meanings: "to want", and "to think something will happen". They are translated as "casu" and "keco" respectively.

cicasul vtau: I expect (want) an answer cikecol vtau: I expect (think that will happen) an answer

---

c: I (operand)

casu/keco: (operators)

vtau: answer (operand)

Requests
After the operator "m", "rop" indicates that it's a request.

jlabo cici mirop: please hug me

j: you (operand)

aboc: hug (operator)

c: I (operand)

m: (operator)

rob: (request) (operand)

Emotions and tones of voice
After the operator "m", a word that indicates emotion or tone of voice, indicates that the sentence is said with that emotion or tone or voice. For example: cicasulpi clabo ciji timiursa: I want to hug you (said with a smile)

c: I (operand)

casu: to want (operator)

p: (open parenthesis)

c: I (operand)

aboc: to hug (operator)

j: you (operand)

t: (close parenthesis)

m: (operator)

ursa: smile (operand)

You can also use "m" as an operand, then use "r", and then the name of the emotion, to use them as emoticons.

miriursa: (smile emoticon, spoken equivalent of smiling)

Conditionals
"rac" means "therefore", and "erac" is the switch of "rac", it means "because".

jlabo cici racipi cigel zacalt: you hug me, therefore I'm very happy

cigel zacal eracipi jlabo cicilt: I'm very happy, because you hug me

"rof" means "if A, then B". Its switch "erof" is a bit difficult to translate in English, but it's something like:"it would be A, if B"

jlabo cici rofipi cigel zacalt: if you hug me, then I'm very happy

cigel zacal erofipi jlabo cicilt:  I would be very happy if you hugged me

"rer" can either mean "rac" or "rof"

jlabo cici reripi cigel zacalt

It's not specified whether the listener hugs the speaker or not.

Affirmative or negative
"au" after the operator "k" ambiguates the sentence, rendering it affirmative or negative.

deala bocici klau: she hugs me, OR she doesn't hug me

dea: she (operand)

aboc: to hug (operator)

c: I (operand)

k: (connecting operator)

au: (affirmative/negative) (operand)

The sentence can be approximately translated in English as "she doesn't necessarily hug me". Useful when you don't want to answer.

Yes/no
a: yes

au: yes OR no (when you don't want to answer)

u: no

Weather
Usually, saying "rejd" (rain) or "kavo" (snow) is enough to say "it rains" or "it snows". If you want to specify it's unambiguously a verb, then say "weather event" + "d" + "suba", for example:

rejdidi suba: it rains

But it's unnecessary. "rejd" is enough, even though it can be either a noun or a verb if alone. If you want to specify "rain" as a noun, use the noun suffix "un" after the operator "k".

rejd: rain (noun)/it rains

rejdidi suba: it rains

rejdi klun: rain (noun)

Reflexives
"caj" is the reflexive pronoun, and can be used interchangeably with normal pronouns.

clabo cic = clabo cicaj = I hug myself

Sexual orientations and fetishes
There are two words to describe your sexual preferences: "zoge" and "fnau". "zoge" means you want to have sex with someone, while "fnau" is a fetish. "Towards" is "r". They can be either operands or operators. zogeirigog: homosexuality

zogeiricta: heterosexuality zogeirizev: bisexuality

zogeiriguedo: pedophilia

zogeirikruko: necrophilia

zogeiripn: polygamy

fnauirigava: foot fetish

cizogelgog: I'm gay

cizogeicta: I'm straight

cifnaulgava: I have a foot fetish

The first time
"The first time she hugged me, I was very happy". Let's see how to translate this.

"Time" (in the sense of "occurrence") is "raop". "One" is "ras". To turn a cardinal number into an ordinal number, use "rod". "First" is "rasikirod". "The first time" is "raopikipi rasikiroditi". "She hugged me" is "deala bocic". To connect these two sentences, we must use the operator "dac".

"raopikipi rasikiroditi dacipi deala bociciti" = "the first time she hugged me".

"I was very happy" is "cigel zaca".

To connect these two sentences, we must use the operator "ez", which is the switch of "z". The complete sentence will be:

"raopikipi rasikiroditi dacipi deala bocicitlezipi cigel zacalt" = "The first time she hugged me, I was very happy"

Expressing your opinion about an event
Use the operand "b-ga" (bad-good) and refer to the whole sentence. For example:

jigei zbefi kibuega: you're fat (I don't like it) jigei zbefi kibuga: you're fat (I have a neutral opinion about it) jigei zbefi kibega: you're fat (I like it)

j: you (operand)

ge: (copula) (operator)

zb-f: slim-fat (operand)

k: (connecting operator)

b-ga: bad-good (operand)

Politeness
After the operator "m", the following operands express different levels of politeness.

fuerb: vulgar

fuarb: informal

furb: humble

forb: polite

ferb: honorific