Two-step conlang. The first step is to alter the grammar of English by removing all inflections and replacing them with particles and coined words to mark case and tense. (As large a language as English will probably require the 32oz. bottle of disinflectant.) The second step is to simply relexify the resultant language, which should be easy because only one form of any word is ever needed. The resulting conlang can be completed very quickly. From there it can serve as a proto-language and be evolved in just about any direction, including, for example, bringing back inflections in a more regularized manner by moving the particles to the rear and attaching them as suffixes. As presented word meanings will correspond exactly to English word meanings. A more elaborate recipe would include the step of replacing single English words with a variety of different conlang words depending on difference between the range of meanings between the English word and the roughly equivalent relexified word. For example "He left the only left shoe he had left at home." would be changed to make each occurance of "left" into a different word that reflected the different meaning. ------------------------------------------------------ I. Verbs A. Verbs are not inflected for person. 1. They normally take the same form as used in the infinitive. 2. They always require the use of a personal pronoun to mark person. EX: John runs. -> John he run. B. Tense is marked by a particle that preceeds the verb. 1. John ran. -> John he dun run. 2. John is running. -> John he dobe run. 3. John was running. -> John he dun dobe run. 4. John will run. -> John he guna run. 5. John will be running. -> John he guna dobe run. C. Passive is formed by the particle "bin". 1. Mary is called. -> Mary she bin call. 2. Mary is being helped. -> Mary she dobe bin help. D. Habitual or customary action is marked by a word that follows the verb. 1. John he run often. John he run usually. E. "Be" when it acts as a copula is 'be'. 1. Apples are red. -> Apple they be em red. F. Gerund is formed by preceeding the verb with the coined word "actof" or "acta". 1. Running is difficult. -> Acta run it be difficult. G. "Be" when it specifies location is a passive form derived from "site" = "bin saiten". The "-n" is added to distinguish it from "bin sight", "to be sighted." 1. John is at the park. -> John he bin saiten at the park. H. The imperative is formed with the particle "ga" and the person pronoun. 1. Run! -> You ga run! II. Case marking particles. A. The direct object is marked with the particle "em" unless already marked with a preposition. 1. John took the book. -> John he dun take im the book. B. When the object is a clause it is marked with "det" instead if "em". "det" can also be used to qualify the noun marked with "em". 2. John saw the boy in the tent. -> John he dun see det the boy he bin saiten in the tent. OR John he dun see im the boy det he bin saiten in the tent. C. "Im" may still be optionally used even if the noun is marked with a preposition. 1. John he bin saiten im upon the box. 2. John he bin saiten upon im the box. D. Indirect objects are usually marked with some preposition. 1. John gave Mary the book. -> John he did give im the book to Mary. E. The particle groups must stay intact, but can be expressed in any order. The particle groups are: John he did give im the book to Mary Among the 24 possible sentence orders are: John he did give im the book to Mary. To Mary im the book John he did give. John to Mary im the book he did give. He did give im the book John to Mary. III. Nouns and Pronouns A. Plurals are not marked when plurality is implied by the pronoun on the verb. 1. Apples are red. -> Apple they be red. B. When plurality must be indicated it is usually done by replacing the article. 1. John lost the books. -> John he did lose some book. 2. John lost the books. -> John he did lose all book. 3. I got the eggs. -> I did get im these egg. C. Possesives use the word "blongta", from "to belong to" but not a verb. 1. John is reading his book. -> John he be read im book blongta he. D. Pronouns appear in their nominative case form only. 1. I gave the book to him. -> I did give im the book to he. "to he" is equivalent to "him". IV. Articles A. The indefinite article does not exist. 1. I saw a book. -> I did see book. V. Forming questions A. The simplest question is to make a statement and add "eh?" 1. Are apples red? -> Apple they be im red, eh? =================================== ======= ENGLISH ======== 1. The dog ran. 2. Is the cat on the mat? 3. The cat is on the mat. 4. The man has a pen. 5. Is the pen in his hand? 6. It is in his hand. 7. The fat hen is on the box. 8. The rat ran from the box. 9. Can the hen run? 10. See Rab! See Ann 11. See! Rab has the hat. 12. Can Ann catch Rab? 13. Ann can catch Rab. 14. See! She has the hat. 15. Now Ann can pat Rab. 16. Let me pat Rab too. 17. Ned has fed the hen. 18. She is a black hen. 19. She has left the nest. 20. See the eggs in the nest! 21. Will the hen let Ned get them? 22. Let me get the black hat. 23. Now Ned has it on his head, and he is a big man. 24. Come, Nat, see the big man with his black hat. 25. Ned is on the box. 26. He has a pen in his hand. 27. A big rat is in the box. 28. Can the dog catch the rat? 29. Come with me, Ann, and see the man with a black hat on his head. 30. The fat hen has left the nest. 31. Run, Nat, and get the eggs. ====== DISINFLECTED ====== 1. The dog he did run. 2. The cat it bin saiten upon the mat, eh? 3. Upon the mat it bin saiten the cat. 4. The man he have im pen. 5. The pen it bin saiten in hand blongta he, eh? 6. It bin saiten in hand blongta he. 7. The fat hen she bin saiten upon the box. 8. The rat he did run from the box. 9. The hen she bin able to run, eh? 10. You ga see. You ga see im Ann. 11. You ga see! Rab he have im the hat. 12. Ann she bin able to catch im Rab, eh? 13. Ann she bin able to catch im Rab. 14. You ga see! She have im the hat. 15. Ann now she able to pat im Rab. 16. You ga let that I pat also im Rab. 17. Ned he did feed im the hen. 18. She be im black hen. 19. She did leave im the nest. 20. You ga see that some egg they bin saiten in the nest. 21. The hen will let that Ned he get im they, eh? 22. You ga let that I get im the black hat. 23. Ned he now have im it bin saiten upon head blongta he, and he be big man. 24. Nat you ga come, you ga see im the big man with black hat blongta he. 25. Ned he bin saiten upon the box. 26. He have im pen that it saiten in hand blongta he. 27. Big rat he saiten im in the box. 28. The dog he able to catch im the rat, eh? 29. Ann you ga come with I and you ga see im the man that he have im black hat it saiten upon head blongta he. 30. The fat hen she did leave im the nest. 31. Nat you ga run, you ga get im these egg. ======== RELEXIFIED ======= 1. Di kopu ele ka vileo. 2. Di peru eta bin saiten sopar di halu, eh? 3. Sopar di halu eta bin saiten di peru. 4. Di andru ele pozo im kursu. 5. Di kursu eta bin saiten oda aklu blongta ele, eh? 6. Eta bin saiten oda aklu blongta ele. 7. Di pilampa shiku selu bin saiten sopar di bindu. 8. Di dentu ele ka vileo ousa di bindu. 9. Di shiku selu bin kinto dua vileo, eh? 10. Vu ga viziro. Vu ga viziro im Ann. 11. Vu ga viziro! Rab ele pozo im di harapu. 12. Ann selu bin kinto dua trecho im Rab, eh? 13. Ann selu bin kinto dua trecho im Rab. 14. Vu ga viziro! Selu pozo im di harapu. 15. Ann ekaa selu kinto dua troko im Rab. 16. Vu ga zineo senu ku troko epe im Rab. 17. Ned ele ka tabiro im di shiku. 18. Selu esto im seya shiku. 19. Selu ka huero im di teriagu. 20. Vu ga viziro senu verali hovu ti bin saiten oda di teriagu. 21. Di shiku gwen zineo senu Ned ele numio im ti, eh? 22. Vu ga zineo senu ku numio im di seya harapu. 23. Ned ele ekaa pozo im eta bin saiten sopar kapitu blongta ele, yen ele esto grusa andru. 24. Nat vu ga revio, vu ga viziro im di grusa andru mitten seya harapu blongta ele. 25. Ned ele bin saiten sopar di bindu. 26. Ele pozo im kursu senu eta saiten oda aklu blongta ele. 27. Grusa dentu ele saiten im oda di bindu. 28. Di kopu ele kinto dua trecho im di dentu, eh? 29. Ann vu ga revio mitten ku yen vu ga viziro im di andru senu ele pozo im seya harapu eta saiten sopar kapitu blongta ele. 30. Di pilampa shiku selu ka huero im di teriagu. 31. Nat vu ga vileo, vu ga numio im shi hovu.