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Láadan

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Template:Short description Template:Multiple issues {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Láadan ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a gynocentric constructed language created by Suzette Haden Elgin in 1982 to test the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> specifically to determine if development of a language aimed at expressing the views of women would shape a culture; a subsidiary hypothesis was that Western natural languages may be better suited for expressing the views of men than women. The language was included in her science fiction Native Tongue series. Láadan contains a number of words that are used to make unambiguous statements that include how one feels about what one is saying. According to Elgin, this is designed to counter male-centered language's limitations on women, who are forced to respond "I know I said that, but I meant this".

PhonologyEdit

TonesEdit

Láadan is a tonal language. It utilises two distinct tones:

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Spaced ndash{{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, a short, medium or low tone, represented by a single unmarked vowel
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Spaced ndash{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, a short, high tone, represented by a single marked vowel

The word "Láadan" has three syllables: "lá-" with the short vowel /a/ plus high tone; "-a" with the short vowel /a/ and no tone; and "-dan".

Láadan doesn't allow any double (i.e. long) phonemes. Whenever two identical short vowels would occur side by side in a single morpheme, one of them has to be marked for high tone. When adding an affix would result in two identical vowels side by side, an epenthetic /h/ is inserted to prevent the forbidden sequence. The language will allow either {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, but not *maa. These combinations can be described as:

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Spaced ndash{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, a long, low-rising tone, represented by a double vowel, the second of which is marked
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Spaced ndash{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, a long, high-falling tone, represented by a double vowel, the first of which is marked

Some people analyze these tone sequences as tonemic as well, for a total of four tones. By this analysis, the word "Láadan" would thus be considered to have two syllables, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and /dan/.

Elgin preferred an analysis of the language as having no long vowels and a single tone, the high tone (distinguished from "neutral, baseline pitch"), but she acknowledged that linguists using other formalisms would be justified in saying that there are two tones, high and low (or unmarked or mid).

VowelsEdit

Láadan has five vowels:

ConsonantsEdit

Labial Dental /
Alveolar 		Postalveolar
/ Palatal 		Glottal
central lateral
Nasal m Template:IPAslink n Template:IPAslink
Plosive b Template:IPAslink d Template:IPAslink
Fricative voiceless th Template:IPAslink lh Template:IPAslink sh Template:IPAslink h Template:IPAslink
voiced zh Template:IPAslink
Approximant w Template:IPAslink r Template:IPAslink l Template:IPAslink y Template:IPAslink

Láadan lacks the consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. It uses b, d, sh ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}), m, n, l, r, w, y ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}), h with the same phonetic value as English. Three digraphs require further explanation:

GrammarEdit

Most Láadan sentences contain three particles:

  • The speech-act particleTemplate:Spaced ndashthis occurs at the beginning of the sentence and marks it as either a statement ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), a question ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), et cetera; in connected speech or writing, this particle is often omitted. They are:
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a declarative sentence (usually optional)
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a question
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a command; very rare, except to small children
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a request; this is the usual imperative/"command" form
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a promise
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Indicates a warning
  • The grammatical tense particleTemplate:Spaced ndashthis occurs second in the sentence and marks it as either present tense ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), past tense ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), future tense ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) or hypothetical ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}); without the tense particle, the sentence is assumed to have the same tense as the previous sentence.
  • The evidence particleTemplate:Spaced ndashthis occurs at the end of statements and indicates the trustworthiness of the statement. They are:
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Known to speaker because perceived by speaker, externally or internally
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Known to speaker because self-evident
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Perceived by speaker in a dream
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Assumed true by speaker because speaker trusts source
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Assumed false by speaker because speaker distrusts source; if evil intent by the source is also assumed, the form is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Imagined or invented by speaker, hypothetical
    {{#invoke
    Lang|lang}} : Used to indicate that the speaker states a total lack of knowledge as to the validity of the matter

Láadan is a verb–subject–object (VSO) language. Verbs and adjectives are interchangeable. There are no articles, and the object is marked by the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} suffix. The plural number is shown only by the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} prefix to the verb. The particle {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} following a verb makes it negative. Separate clauses are joined by the particle {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

OBJ:object REQ:request ST

<section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

Some basic sentences in Láadan
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MorphologyEdit

Láadan has an agglutinative morphology, and uses a number of affixes to indicate various feelings and moods that many natural languages can only indicate by tone of voice, body language or circumlocution.

Affix meaning example
lang}} disgust or dislike lang}}: "pleasantly bewildered"; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}: "unpleasantly bewildered"
lang}} to try to lang}}: "I tried to come"
lang}} to try in vain to lang}}: "I tried in vain to come"
lang}} progressive aspect lang}}: "I was trying in vain to come"
lang}} natural possessor lang}}: "her mother's milk"
lang}} customary or legal possessor lang}}: "my husband"
lang}} possessor by chance lang}}: "your money (gambling winnings)"
lang}} possessor by unknown provenance lang}}: "the cats' food"
lang}} denotes male (otherwise female or gender neutral) lang}}: "mother/parent"; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}: "father"

The speech-act particle, at the beginning of a sentence, can also carry several suffixes, which expand on the overall state of the sentence. For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} begins a statement, but {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} begins a statement that is part of a narrative; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} begins a request made in pain; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} begins a question that is meant in jest.

PronounsEdit

Pronouns in Láadan are built up from a number of constituent parts. The consonant l marks the first person, n the second person and b the third person. Usually, these are followed by the vowel e. The vowel a is used to designate someone who is loved ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is prefixed to describe someone who is despised). The suffix {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is used to mark a plural pronoun for numbers up to four, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for numbers beyond that. Therefore, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} means "we, several beloved", and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} means "they, many despised".

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

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