It is assumed that you have at least skimmed through the reference manual for the Latenkwa language. The manual can be obtained at the following URLs:
http://www.eskimo.com/~ram/lexical_semantics.html
http://www.axxess.net/ram/lexical_semantics.html
Please bookmark the URL (or save a copy) for use in future lessons.
I will also point out which section(s) of the manual should be re-read in order to re-acquaint you with the material being introduced in the current lesson.
For this lesson, you should re-read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the reference manual before starting Lesson 1. You may also want to skim through Appendices C and D.
Vowels are pronounced as follows (assuming standard British Received Pronunciation or USA Boston pronunciation):
'a' like "a" in "father"
'e' like "e" in "let" or like "a" in "late"
'i' like "i" in "sit" or like "ea" in "heat"
'o' like "o" in "lost" or like "o" in "low"
'u' like "oo" in "book" or "boot"
Most consonants are pronounced as in English. The exceptions are:
'c' like "ch" in "check"
'g' always as in "bug" or "give", NEVER as in "germ" or "age"
'j' as in "jump"
'w' as in "away"
'x' like "sh" in "shop"
'y' as in "yo-yo" or "toy"
The letters 'q' and 'r' are not used in native Latenkwa words, but may be used in proper names. The letter 'q' should be pronounced like "s" in "measure" or "vision". The letter 'r' can be pronounced as a flap (like "tt" in "butter"), as a trill (like "rr" in Spanish "carro"), or as a retroflex (like "r" in "hurry"). The flap pronunciation is preferred.
Each word should be stressed on the first vowel of the root. If there is at least one vowel between the first root vowel and the penultimate (i.e., the next-to-last) vowel of the entire word, then the penultimate vowel should also receive stress.
A more thorough description of Latenkwa pronunciation can be found at the end of Appendix A in the reference manual.
-cay elements and compounds (oxygen, carbon, water, sodium chloride, methanol, DNA) -ko mental states (know, think, remember, fear, be angry, love, want, be happy) -ca activities (go, smoke, eat, ski, swim, walk, work, study, sing, fly, bark, teach, play) -te speech acts, default (tell, shout, ask, explain, flatter, lie, mock, offer, thank, curse, congratulate, recommend, decree) -kwa protocols, paradigms, formalisms, programs, and designs (language, creole, dialect, program, design, protocol, code, plan/scheme, recipe, score/music, rule, law, contract, instruction/direction, standard, treaty, curriculum, custom/more) -xe people (president, congressman, officer, astronaut, nobleman, ambassador, colonel, duchess, policeman, judge, dictator, carpenter, physician, teacher, farmer, journeyman, salesman, actor, scholar, gymnast, gardener, chess player, hobbyist, person, worker/laborer, prisoner, pilot, polyglot, adult) -ta birds (ostrich, kiwi, chicken, duck, sparrow, crow, hawk, pelican, gull, penguin, owl, woodpecker, parrot, pigeon, crane) -pwe mammals (dolphin, camel, cattle, horse, rhinocerose, elephant, coyote, monkey, kangaroo, rabbit, mouse, dog, porcupine, hedgehog, bat, platypus, armadillo, aardvark) -ti vehicles (boat, canoe, catamaran, rowboat, ship, ocean liner, submarine, sailboat, raft, automobile, bulldozer, airplane, locomotive, rickshaw, bicycle, truck, train) -ci sections of buildings and similar supporting or enclosing structures or artificial plots of land (garage, room, pantry, kitchen, bedroom, cell, parlor, attic, hallway, prison/jail cell, apartment, closet, basement/cellar, porch, balcony, story/floor, hold, bleacher, platform/stage, gallows, wharf, upstairs, staircase, garden, patio, yard) -pa buildings and groups of buildings, including places of business (house, stadium, skyscraper, library, shed, enclave, commune, farm, ranch, school/university, factory, refinery, prison, military base, bakery, restaurant, hotel, shopping mall, zoo, doctor's office, bazaar, gas station, museum, hospital, marketplace) -co other scalar non-relational states - typically vague or subjective (big, wet, sharp, strong, clean, light/lit, sunny, smooth, common, sweet, good, attractive, fragrant, normal, wise, friendly, talkative/garrulous, wealthy, tasty) -ku numerics, (one, seventh, three-fourths, 7.23E-5, three-at-a-time) -fa personal pronouns
ko - know about/that [i.e., know a fact, NOT a person]
ponko - want, desire [stress: PON-ko]
zayko - like, enjoy [stress: ZAY-ko]
ca - work, labor
konca - teach [stress: KON-ca]
ponkonca - study [stress: PON-kon-ca]
boca - drink, imbibe
tanca - fly, keep oneself airborne
te - tell, say to
konte - explain
tenkwa - language
Latenkwa - the name of the interlingua ["la-" is the proper name
prefix]
xe - person
bonxe - doctor, physician
konxe - teacher
ponkonxe - student
tenxe - linguist
pa - house
twinpa - building
konpa - school
zaypwe - dog
panpwe - cat [domestic]
ta - sparrow
twinta - bird
tenta - parrot
bocay - water
ti - car, automobile
twinti - vehicle, craft
tunti - bicycle
ci - room
boci - bathroom, water closet, W.C.
zayco - friendly, amiable
konco - wise, sage, sagacious, sapient
tenco - talkative, garrulous, loquacious, verbose
tunku - two
giku - three
fa - I, me
tunfa - you [singular]
juka - not, clause negator
kade - interrogative sentence marker
te: "te" is a stand-alone root meaning 'say/tell'. It is an A/P/F-d
verb by default.
konte: "te" is a classifier indicating that the root "konte" is a
speech act. "Kon" is a modifier with the vague sense
'knowledge/teaching/learning/etc'. It is derived from the word
"ko" meaning 'know'. The combination means 'explain'.
tenta: "ten" is a modifier with the vague sense 'speaking/
communicating', and "ta" is the classifier for 'birds'.
The combination means 'parrot'.
There are also modifiers that are not derived from classifiers. Examples from the vocabulary are "bo" with the vague meaning 'wet/liquid/flowing/clean/translucent' and "zay" with the vague meaning 'like/enjoy/fun/friend(ly)'.
2. In Latenkwa, noun phrases are definite by default. This means that we almost never need a word for English "the". We'll see later how to handle "the" in the rare case when it is needed. We'll also learn about the Latenkwa equivalent for the English indefinite articles "a" and "an".
3. The tense of all verbs is past-perfective unless they are marked otherwise. We'll learn how to change this in later lessons. [If you don't remember what 'past-perfective' means, re-read chapter 15.0.]
4. In Latenkwa, the verb precedes the subject, the subject precedes the direct object (if there is one, of course), which in turn precedes the indirect object (if there is one, of course):
Ca fa.
I worked.
Zayko bonxe panpwe.
The doctor liked the cat.
Te tunfa konxe ponko fa tunti.
You told the teacher that I wanted the bicycle.
Adjectives always follow the noun:
Ca ponkonxe tunku.
The two students worked.
Adjective modification is cumulative and the meaning becomes more precise as each adjective is added on the right. This means that, in general, Latenkwa adjective order will be exactly the opposite of English adjective order:
xe zayco tunku = the two friendly people
This will become more clear as we do the drills in this and subsequent lessons.
5. You can negate a verb by placing "juka" at the beginning of the sentence:
Juka ca fa.
I didn't work.
Ko konxe juka ponkonca fa.
The teacher knew that I didn't study.
"Juka" literally means 'It is not true that ...', and consists of the zero polarity modifier "ju" and the epistemic modal classifier "ka". We'll have a lot more to say about modals in later lessons.
6. You can make a sentence interrogative by placing the special word "kade" at the very beginning of the sentence:
Kade zayko tunfa pa?
Did you like the house?
Kade ponko ponkonxe tunti?
Did the student want the bicycle?
"Kade" literally means 'Is it true that ...', and consists of the
epistemic modal root "ka" and the interrogative suffix "-de".
Repetition drills on tape will have the following format:
1. Sentence in English.
2. Sentence in Latenkwa.
3. Pause. Student repeats the Latenkwa sentence during the
pause.
4. Same sentence in Latenkwa again.
5. Pause. Student repeats the Latenkwa sentence during the
pause.
The student studied.
Ponkonca ponkonxe.
Did the sparrow drink?
Kade boca ta?
I wanted the bicycle.
Ponko fa tunti.
The bird didn't fly.
Juka tanca twinta.
Did the dog like the house?
Kade zayko zaypwe pa?
The three linguists wanted the car.
Ponko tenxe giku ti.
Did you study?
Kade ponkonca tunfa?
I liked the talkative student.
Zayko fa ponkonxe tenco.
The cat wanted the water.
Ponko panpwe bocay.
The linguist knew about the three languages.
Ko tenxe tenkwa giku.
I knew that you liked the room.
Ko fa zayko tunfa ci.
Did the linguist like the school?
Kade zayko tenxe konpa?
The teacher wanted the parrot to fly.
Ponko konxe tanca tenta.
You didn't like the three friendly dogs.
Juka zayko tunfa zaypwe zayco giku.
Did you know that the wise doctor worked?
Kade ko tunfa ca bonxe konco?
The three people didn't like the bathroom.
Juka zayko xe giku boci.
The doctor didn't want me to teach.
Juka ponko bonxe konca fa.
Did the talkative teacher tell you that I liked the
building?
Kade te konxe tenco tunfa zayko fa twinpa?
The two people explained to me that the vehicle didn't
fly.
Konte xe tunku fa juka tanca twinti.
Did I tell you that the two friendly students drank?
Kade te fa tunfa boca ponkonxe zayco tunku?
Translation drills on tape will use the same sentences as were used
for the repetition drills, but with the following format:
1. Sentence in English.
2. Pause. Student should utter the Latenkwa equivalent during
the pause.
3. Sentence in Latenkwa.
4. Pause. Student repeats the Latenkwa sentence during the
pause.
The student should repeat the drills as often as necessary until
they are mastered.