Gilkesh language

Vocabulary and Basics

VOCABULARY - UPDATED OCTOBER 21, 2007

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INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE Introduction to Gilkesh grammar.

Distinctive features of Gilkesh include a thoroughly developed system of verbal nouns (called abstractives); a fully inflected fourth-person verbal form for actions outside of the speaker’s direct experience; and separate forms for the collective plural and discrete plural.

1. Parts of speech.

The usual category of “nouns” is here split into agentives and abstractives, which are grammatically distinct enough to be treated as separate parts of speech. The class of agentives generally consists of all concrete nouns (including a few nouns such as dair, name, which are not physically tangible but are treated as concrete). The class of abstractives includes all intangibles, abstractions, verbal nouns, gerunds, and infinitival nouns. This class comprises four primary orders (numbered first through fourth) which will be explained in detail below.

2. Agentives and verbs.

There is a fixed relationship (called agent equivalence) between the primary forms of the verb and the agentive (or substantive). In essence, the agentive always represents the agent of the corresponding verb; or conversely, the verbal endings function as a the copular verb when attached to an agentive.

3. The abstractive.

To express ideas like “love”, “life”, and so on, we use abstractives. There are four primary orders. The first abstractive represents the universal ideal associated with a given root. Its ending is the stem vowel for the appropriate case (absolutive, nominative, mediative, or objective) followed by –s. The first abstractive does not form plurals because, by definition, it represents a non-countable entity. The second abstractive usually represents an attribute, quality, or condition. It is formed through internal changes to the vowel of the root verb. Unlike the first abstractive, it may be countable, and often proper to some person or thing. Frequently its English translation is the same as the first abstractive, but it is used differently. The third abstractive represents an instance, occasion, or occurrence. It sometimes takes on a substantive-like meaning; its exact meaning depends on the word. It is marked by reduplication of the strong consonant. It is always countable. The fourth abstractive represents an action. It closely corresponds with the infinitive or gerund, and is formed by adding noun cases to the infinitive stem ending in -i. The fourth abstractive is frequently used with auxiliary verbs such as: to be able, to want, to need, and so on. For measurable quantities, the fifth and sixth abstractives represent quantity and magnitude respectively. These concepts are discussed in detail in the section on quantity and magnitude.

The Absolutive Case

This post presents a detailed discussion of the usage of the absolutive case in the Gilkesh language.

To begin with, it should be understood that the Gilkesh absolutive case is not identical with the absolutive case of ergative languages. Our usage of the term reflects the role of the Gilkesh absolutive in marking a noun that does not participate directly in the action of the verb. In this context, the GK absolutive marks the predicate of a copula in a sentence, i.e. the argument of verbs like "to be", "to become", "to seem", and so forth. By the same token, the Gilkesh absolutive is usually unmarked (the euphonic -i ending is optional, unlike the case endings -u, -e, and -a) and is used

as the lemma to represent a lexeme

- that is, to represent the "dictionary form" of a noun. This corresponds with its usage in the context of nouns in a "grammatical vacuum", or outside of the context of a regular sentence.

The principal use of the absolutive is to mark the predicate of a copula:

Heiti edhu sapir. - This is a book.

Here the subject of the sentence is obviously edhu, "this", and it's marked by the nominative case ending -u. The "this" that's marked as the subject of the sentence is doing something - but what's it doing? It's "being". But where does the book come in? Fact is, the book isn't doing anything, and it isn't having anything done to it either. The word "book" is actually something that exists outside of the action of the verb, and whose idea is being invoked to complete the meaning of the sentence - in this case, that the "this" of the subject belongs to a class of objects called "book".

This becomes a little clearer when we consider the principle of agent equivalence. In Gilkesh grammar, any noun can - in principle - be turned into a verb by adding verbal suffixes to the root. In such a case, the verb will always have the meaning of "being" the noun. Thus, the verb sapirti can mean "is a book", "acts as a book", "serves the purpose of a book", or something similar; but it cannot mean, for instance, "makes a book" or "writes in a book" or anything else.

Thus, the sentence in the example above could be rewritten thus:

Heiti edhu sapir. = Sapirti edhu.

The second sentence is odd-sounding but intelligible. And notice that the subject "edhu" doesn't change, and retains its nominative case ending.

Indefinite Present and Immediate Present

This post explores the usage of the indefinite present and immediate present tenses in the Gilkesh language, with a digression on the usages of the corresponding tenses in English.

The usage of the indefinite present and immediate present tenses closely parallels the so-called "simple present" and "present progressive" in English. (I am of the opinion, which is shared by some grammarians, that the term "present tense" is a misnomer as it is usually applied to English grammar, for reasons that will become clear.) Here I will use the terms "indefinite present" and "immediate present" to refer to both the English and Gilkesh tenses.

The indefinite present in Gilkesh is marked by the null suffix, i.e. none; it's formed by adding the personal suffix, and plural marker if applicable, to the verb root:

gan + mi = ganmi (I go)

Like the equivalent English tense, the indefinite present refers to action whose time of occurrence is habitual, continuous, indefinite, or unspecified.

Nangimi kasha. (I drink beer [on a regular basis].)
Durmi Ingliskaye. (I speak English.)
Cay-ganmi marchara, ferdimi qora. (When I go to the store, I take money.)

We always use the indefinite present (rather than the immediate present) in antecedent clauses like "When I go to the store ..." because the time of action of the event in the clause itself is indefinite; the time of action of the consequent clause depends on it.

In English, we normally say "When I go to the store ..." (for an action contemplated in the future) but "When I went to the store ..." (for an event that happened in the past). This is because the time of the past event is definite, but the time of the future event is not. Non-native English speakers will sometimes use the future tense for an action contemplated in the future, as in, "When I will go to the store, I will buy some bread," but native speakers almost never do this.

The immediate present is formed by adding the vowel -e after the personal suffix (followed by the plural marker as applicable).

We use the immediate present to indicate action that is actually happening right now:

Frimbimiem kasha. (We're drinking beer. [Want to join us?])
Durmie Gilkeshkaye. (I am speaking Gilkesh [at this moment].)
Ganmie marchara. (I'm on my way to the store. [Can I get you something?])

Notice that in English, we never use the immediate present (present progressive) for any of the usages served by the indefinite present (simple present). For example, in locutions like "We say it this way, and we don't say it that way," what's being discussed is the normal and usual way of saying something, i.e. habitual and continuous action. Or consider the following examples:

I speak English.
I speak French.

Both of these utterances, voiced in the English language, make sense, because they may refer to the speaker's capability or habitual use of the specified language. Now contrast these with the following:

I am speaking English.
*I am speaking French.

The first statement makes sense. The second one doesn't; that's why I've marked it with the asterisk that means "this isn't a normal construction". You can say "I speak French" and you may mean that you learned French in school, or that you come from a French-speaking family, or that you like to speak French to impress your friends; but if you walk up to somebody and say "I am speaking French", they are going to look at you funny and tell you "It sure sounds like English to me."

The Gilkesh Verb - Fully Conjugated

GANIYI - to go

AGENTIVE
gani (absolutive; also, gan) - one who goes
ganu (nominative)
gane (mediative)
gana (objective)

ABSTRACTIVES
1st abstractive: ganis - motion, locomotion, movement (in the universal or abstract sense)
2nd abstractive: gahan - movement (of a particular person or thing); mobility; the property of moving
3rd abstractive: gagan - a trip, a voyage, a journey
4th abstractive: ganiyi - to go, going (infinitive or gerund)

INDICATIVE MOOD CONJUGATIONS, ACTIVE VOICE

INDEFINITE PRESENT - ALL PERSONS, SINGULAR
1st person: ganmi - I go
2nd person: gansi - you go
3rd person: ganti - she goes
4th person: ganvi - she is said to go

SIMPLE TENSES (FIRST PERSON)
indefinite present: ganmi - I go
past tense: ganmid - I went
immediate present: ganmie - I am going
future tense: ganmiji - I will go

PARTICIPLES ( = AGENTIVES)
aorist participle: gani - one who goes (also, gan; similarly for all forms in the singular)
past participle: egani - one who has gone
present participle: megani - one who is going
future participle: yagani - one who is about to go

COMPOUND TENSES
eganmi - I have gone
eganmid - I had gone
eganmie - I have just gone (lit. "I am having gone")
eganmiji - I will have gone
meganmi - I am going
meganmid - I was going
meganmie - I am going right now
meganmiji - I will be going
yaganmi - I am about to go
yaganmid - I was about to go
yaganmie - I am just about to go
yaganmiji - I will be going to go

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
ganmai - (if) I should go
ganmaid - (if) I should have gone
ganmaye - (if) I should be going
ganmaiji - (if) I should go (in the future)

CONTRAFACTUAL MOOD
ganmoi - (if) I went
ganmoid - (if) had gone
ganmoye - (if) I were going
ganmoiji - (if) I were going to go

Plurals form regularly with the addition of -m (collective plural) and -n (discrete plural).

Vocabulary Updates

The following words are added to the vocabulary of the Gilkesh language:

sherdi - criminal
sherdis - criminality
shered - crime (incidence of crime)
sherded - a crime (single criminal act)
sherdiyi - to commit a crime

kor - fortress, stronghold; military base; any building or structure secured either from without or from within
sherdikor - a jail or prison

zaq'h - a refugee or fugitive; one who has fled the political control of the state

sharim - news
gaal-sharim - major news media (a terrestrialism)

Words and Phrases - Trilingual/Trilingva/Eshbayashokh

Esperanto examples are adapted from Joseph F. Conroy, Esperanto-English/English-Esperanto Dictionary and Phrasebook.

I have been studying Gilkesh ...
Mi studas Gilkesxon ...
Edamlie Gilkeshkaya ...

Notes: Edamlie literally translates "I am having studied". We use the the perfect aspect prfix e- and the present progressive suffix -e to indicate that the action has been occurring continuously since a time in the past and is still ongoing.

The suffix -ka denotes the name of a language. Gilkeshka and Gilkesh bayash may be used interchangeably. For nouns ending in a vowel (like Gilkeshka) we insert -y- before adding the case ending (here the objective case, -a).

... for a few months.
... kelkaj monatoj.
... qharom shonem.

Note: We use the collective plural (ending in -m) to indicate an approximate number. The mediative case (-em)includes all instrumental usages, and by extension, duration of an activity (lit., "with several months").

Letter names - strong consonants.

Each Gilkesh letter begins its own name. The names of the Gilkesh strong consonants are as follows:

pa
phaha
bab
bhahab

te
thehe
ded
dhehedh

ci
chihi
jij
jhihijh

ko
khoho
gog
ghohogh

qu
qhuhu
q'uq'
q'huhuq'h

The Gilkesh letter names are formed regularly: unvoiced letter names are open, and names of voiced letters repeat the letter sound at the end of the letter name; aspirated letters have two-syllable names with an 'h' in the middle. Each articulation point (p, t, c, k, q) is associated with a different vowel. These features allow the letter names to be easily differentiated in spoken communication.

New Words

The following additions are made to the Gilkesh vocabulary:

hod - belly, tummy, abdomen

dan - a Gilkesh standard hour; 1/16th of the rotation period of Shakti, or about 6400 terrestrial seconds. By default, dan refers to a sidereal hour.

gildan - one sidereal hour (see above)

roshdan - one solar hour.

shanan - a menstrual period. The average Gilkesh adult experienced sixteen periods per year.

shon - a Gilkesh month; 1/16 of a year on Shakti.

gilshon - a sidereal month.

tav - sign; constellation; specified star or group of stars marking a particular hour; most commonly, a division of the sky, corresponding to 1/16th of the celestial sphere, used in reckoning time. The transiting tav (i.e. directly overhead) indicated the sidereal hour.

{The approximate solar hour (roshdan) could be found by subtracting the number of the month (gilshon) from the sidereal hour (gildan).}

qhuri - to burp or belch

-ir - suffix denoting a list, table, chart, or array

danir - schedule

gilir - almanac (astronomical); in common use, a calendar or planner

shanir - calendar; in usage, often synonymous with gilir

keshir - diary, journal (either personal, as a personal diary, or public, as a news archive, official chronicle, etc.)

watir - numerical or mathematical table

adyal - unitary, united, indivisible; in mathematics, prime; a prime number

watir en adyalin - table of prime numbers

adyalim - prime numbers (as a class)

{In mathematics, we use the discrete plural, -in, to represent items in a finite list. When referring to an entire class of numbers, we use the collective plural, -im.}

Number suffixes: cardinal, ordinal, nominal.

The following suffixes are used with Gilkesh numbers:

cardinal: -ge
ordinal: -wi
nominal: -ko
general number delimiter: -yik

Cardinal (or counting) numbers indicate how many of something there are. The suffix -ge indicates cardinal numbers; in ordinary conversation, it may be omitted when the context is sufficiently clear:

eshge keshin - three women
esh keshin - three women

The suffix -ge is used only with positive integers and countable objects; for measurements involving other types of numbers, see below.

Ordinal numbers, denoting a place in a series, take the suffix -wi. These have the same meaning and usage as ordinals in English:

dilwi - first
minwi - second
eshwi - third
... etc.

The category of nominal numbers refers to things designated by an arbitrary numerical value. This includes things like address and telephone numbers, serial numbers, and in general anything referred to as "number such-and-such".

haran minom eshko dar - building #123 (decimal)
min-thon esh-haran tesom shumko shod - room #2395 (decimal)

In modern usage, times and dates use the nominal form. Older texts dating from before the standardization of timekeeping use the ordinal, just as older English usage refers to "the third hour".

eshko dan - three o'clock [The standard Gilkesh day is based on the 28.5-hour rotation period of Shakti. It is divided into 16 danin or "hours" of about 107 terrestrial minutes, each comprising 256 hilqin or "minutes" of 25 terrestrial seconds. Timekeeping was originally reckoned from nightfall and was calculated according to the sixteen constellations, or danin, of the Gilkesh "zodiac".]

Finally, an all-purpose number delimiter, -yik, finds frequent use in mathematical and scientific environments. It indicates the end of a numerical value, and may be attached to integers, fractions, irrationals, positive or negative values, and real or imaginary numbers.

min chiym shumyik sentimetri - 2.5 centimeters (terrestrial measure)

Note that -yik does not itself specify whether a value is exact or approximate. For this, the correlatives akaron (lit. "the same number") and egaron (lit. "a different number") are used with the sense of "exactly" and "approximately".

Fingers, and more fingers.

Is the thumb a finger?

In prehistoric times, two main dialects of Gilkesh evolved. One of the principal differences was the use of two different words for "finger": ishid, which included thumbs, and shus, which excluded thumbs. (Thumbs were called tus by these speakers.)

The development of numeration systems paralleled the naming of fingers. Tribes that used the thumb-inclusive ishid adopted the decimal system, while the tribes that called their fingers (but not their thumbs) shus used octal numbers. (As we've noted elsewhere, the octal system eventually prevailed, and evolved into the hexadecimal system used in modern times.) It's not clear whether the difference in numeration arose from the difference in nomenclature or vice versa, and it may be a chicken/egg question. But it is clear that some populations thought of all ten manual digits as the same entity, and named and counted them accordingly; while others, reckoning the thumb as a thing apart, counted only the fingers that shared a common name.

In Universal Standard Gilkesh, both terms are retained, with their original meanings, but the dialectal division has long since disappeared.

Vocabulary List in Gilkesh Script

Download GK-vocabulary.pdf

Sentence Patterns

Sagti.
It's good.

Qholti.
It's bad.

Vosagti.
She's (feeling) well.

Vosagmi.
I'm fine.

Nesagti.
It's not good.

Neqholti.
It's not bad.

Sagvi.
It's said to be good.

Qholvi.
It's said to be bad.

Sagtim.
They're good. (collective)

Gaalti.
It's big.

Plinti.
It's small.

Kumti.
It's hot.

Sheqti.
It's cold.

Vosheqmi.
I'm cold.

Vosheqsi-ha?
Are you cold?

Sagti li-abu.
The water is good.

Sagti oi abu.
Water is good.

Ashti oi keshu oi saga.
Humankind desires what is good.

GK Factorials

Download GK-hex-factorial.pdf

The first 32 factorials, in hexadecimal GK notation.

GK Fibonacci Numbers

Download GK-hex-fibonacci.pdf

The first 64 Fibonacci numbers, in hexadecimal GK notation.

GK Prime Numbers

Download GK-hexprimes.pdf

The first 256 prime numbers, in hexadecimal GK notation.

Phi in Hexadecimal Notation

Phi (the Golden Ratio constant) to 256 hexadecimal mantissa places, in GK notation.

E in Hexadecimal Notation

E (Euler's constant) to 256 hexadecimal mantissa places, in GK notation.

Pi in Hexadecimal Notation

GK Hexadecimal Numbers

Numbers played an important role in the development of agriculture, accounting, and astronomy in early Gilkesh civilization. Although most archaeological records have been lost, the surviving information attests to a well-developed system of mathematics dating even from prehistoric times.

Hexadecimal numbers first evolved as a shorthand form of octal notation. It should be noted that conversion between octal and hexadecimal is not generally trivial for large numbers (since sixteen is not a power of eight) and requires conversion to binary as an intermediate step; however, for numbers of one or two digits it is not terribly complicated. Probably the notation passed through a transitional, mixed-base phase. In any event, the hexadecimal system retained all the advantages of octal and allowed for large numbers to be expressed more concisely.

The names of the numbers in the Gilkesh hexadecimal system are:

decimal hex GK name

0 0 run

1 1 dil

2 2 min

3 3 esh

4 4 lem

5 5 shum

6 6 seth

7 7 sab

8 8 astu

9 9 astil

10 A asmin

11 B astesh

12 C aslem

13 D astum

14 E assith

15 F astab

16 10 mist

32 20 minon

48 30 eshon

64 40 lemon

80 50 shumon

96 60 sethon

256 100 rab

512 200 min rab

4096 1000 rob

65536 10000 ribub

The use of large numbers is of great antiquity, and both exponential and mantissa numeration were introduced early. Large quantities may be denoted either with common numbers, as above, or with exponential numeration. The suffix -oi marks the exponent and may be roughly translated as, "times sixteen to the power of". Thus, rab=minoi, rob=eshoi, ribub=lemoi.

[exponent marker] -oi

16^2 10^2 minoi

16^3 10^3 eshoi

2*16^4 2*10^4 min lemoi

Additionally, the word 'diyul' serves as a mantissa marker (or hexadecimal equivalent of a "decimal point"). It can combine with the exponent marker to produce a form of "scientific notation".

[mantissa marker]---- diyul

3 + 4/16 3.4 esh diyul lem

5 + 7/256 5.07 shum diyul run sab

32976 8.D*10^5 astu diyul astum shumoi

The first sixteen prime numbers are:

min, esh, shum, sab, astesh, astum, mistil, mistesh, mist-sab, mist-astum, mist-astab, minon-shum, minon-astil, minon-astesh, minon-astab, eshon-shum.

The first sixteen Fibonacci numbers are:

dil, dil, min, esh, shum, astu, astum, mist-shum, minon-min, eshon-sab, shumon-astil, astilon, astithon-astil, rab sabon-astil, min rab sethon-min, esh rab astumon-astesh

The first eight factorials are:

dil, min, seth, mist-astu, sabon-astu, min rab astumon, rob esh rab asteshon, astil rob astum rab aston

Pi to eight hexadecimal mantissa places (rounded):

esh diyul min lem esh astab seth astin astu astil

E to eight places:

min diyul astesh sab astith dil shum dil seth esh

Phi to eight places:

dil diyul astil astith esh sab sab astil astesh astil

In hexadecimal rounding, mantissa digits less than 8 (astu) are truncated.

Numerical tables were generated with the aid of Mathematica.