How to Speak Shamn
By Ewan Lester
What is Shamn?
And why should YOU learn it?
Shamn is one of my constructed languages, or conlangs. It is an artlang, aka artisitic language. Artlangs are made for fun or for a project, like Shamn. Artlangs are less restrictive than other conlang types. Shamn’s “gimmick” is that it has no plosives, aka stops. That gives it a soft, easy to hear - and speak - feel.
Sounds
This brings me great pain, but I must provide English examples for these sounds alongside the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcription. Ew. 〈thing〉is how it is written, /thing/ is the IPA, and “thing” is the discostang English approximation.
/m/ “mat” 〈m〉 /n/ “not”〈n〉 /f/ “fly”〈f〉 /v/ “vat”〈v〉 /θ/ “think”〈th〉
/ð/ “that” 〈dh〉 /s/ “sat” 〈s〉 /z/ “zit” 〈z〉 /ʃ/ “shut” 〈sh〉 /ʒ/ “vision” 〈zh〉
/ɹ/ “rot” 〈r〉 /h/ “hit” 〈h〉 /j/ “yes” 〈y〉 /tʃ/ “chat” 〈ch〉 /w/ “wit” 〈w〉
/l/ “lit” 〈l〉
/a~ɑ/ “dog, fart” 〈a〉 /i/ “beet” 〈í〉 /u/ “boot” 〈ú〉 /e/ “hate” 〈á〉 /o/ “so” 〈o〉
/ʊ~ʌ~ə/ “but, book” 〈u〉 /ɛ/ “bet” 〈e〉 /ɪ/ “kit” 〈i〉
Grammar - Pt. 1 - Terms
Perfective (PFV): an action that is viewed as one point in time with no internal parts
Imperfective (IPFV): an action that is viewed as having parts or happening over time
Genitive (GEN): basically a possessive
Locative (LOC): related to the location of something
Nominative (NOM): marks subjects
Accusative (ACC): marks objects
SG/PL/Dual (DU): singular/plural/two of something
Conditional (COND): if …(COND, then…
Subjunctive (SUBJ): think of “maybe”
Imperative (IMP): a command or declaration, or similar
Grammar Pt. 2 - Nouns
| Genitive | Locative | Plain |
Nominative Singular | -uzh | -ásh | -odh |
Nominative Dual | -im | -ál | -úsh |
Nominative Plural | -íz | -os | -uth |
Accusative Singular | -ám | -iv | -an |
Accusative Dual | -edh | -ur | -us |
Accusative Plural | -un | -af | -ev |
Grammar Pt. 3 - Verbs (Tense/Aspect)
| Perfective | Imperfective |
Past | -ir | -ath |
Present | -il | |
Future | -ús | -or |
Grammar Pt. 4 - Verbs (Modality)
| Prefix |
Imperative | as- |
Subjunctive | ol- |
Conditional | ín- |
Pronouns
| Suffixes |
1st Person Singular | -en |
1st Person Dual | -ím |
1st Person Plural | -ív |
2nd Person Singular | -esh |
2nd Person Dual | -ár |
2nd Person Plural | -úf |
3rd Person Singular | -as |
3rd Person Dual | -oz |
3rd Person Plural | -or |
Misc Prefixes
the: if consonant, e-; if vowel, r-
a: if consonant, a-; if vowel, l-
of: if consonant, á-; if vowel, n-
for: if consonant, i-; if vowel, v-
I/etc: if consonant, u-; if vowel, m-
to: if consonant, ú-; if vowel, z-
from: if consonant, o; if vowel, f-
Other Stuff
Regular nouns (and adjectives) end in -l(vowel)
Regular verbs (and adverbs) end in -r(vowel)
Subject-Object-Verb word order
Adjectives follow nouns
Adverbs follow verbs
Document Link
Words! - Pt. 1 - Basics
aúne: I/etc for some sentences
elará: to be
shamn: people of the spirits
áúf: and
la: in
arí: to have
aús: get
ála: many
ile: it
ule: on
filá: with
nich: as
sorí: to do
vela/o: this/that
fola/o: here/there
nial: but
wili: by
ílá: or
rarú: hello (informal)
rárú: hello (formal)
úlí: all
sári: would
álí: like
ízri: say
malú: how
eli: place
elú: what
áori: so
nalu: up
húli: out
fila: good
molá: too
úr: yes
ru: no
ara: more
úl: then
sále: now
ízro: look
íúra: only
hora: come
úolí: over
hiru: think
súro: also
zhli: good
úslá: bad
ere: just
imra: to know
imla: knowledge
ílu: time
ífra: take
álí: person
úrá: into
múle: not
mola: some
áyra: could
chulá: sight
churá: to see
máchla: other
iímro: to go
aflá: because
ádhala: any
mearu: to give
úláre: most
azulí: back
lárili: after
merá: use
thurá: how
misro: work
huníla: first
yinara: well
mirale: way
mezhlú: even
vúalá: new
íyore: want
dhulo: day
dhalo: sun
shúlú: night
fasúlú: moon
zholu: away
hula: light
úrlo: dark/darkness
Words! - Pt. 2
dhúra: to live
dhúla: life
dhúluzh: my life
dhúlám: your life
umúla: purpose
lúrí: to write
lúlí: writing (noun)
chorú: to love
cholú: love
áúlo: land
dhídhla: book
dhídhra: to read
núfira: to eat
núfila: food
yila: female (when used in certain situations, it is the suffix -yi)
molu: male (when used in certain situations, it is the suffix -mo)
miola: gender neutral as a specification (when used in certain situations, it is the suffix -mi)
áríaro: to speak
áríalo: speech
áríathle: language
áríadhlí: word
thílí: connection
thírí: to connect
sílá: crown
áíra: to run
chira: to walk
evúrú: to fight
samra: to hear
ranora: to feel
nolu: pride
noru: to be proud
uchíra: to joke
síála: stupid
úiri: to pursue
zoírú: to press, to continue to press a point
zúáro: to ask, to question
zúálo: question
imíla: to perceive
walro: to disagree
welri: to agree
chúamlo: to argue
íúloli: false
úlúlí: true
ríochro: to claim, to present an argument
zithrá: to convene, to meet
zithlá: meeting place
sháslú: color
zhiore: to create
íhilo: game
íhiro: to play
zhulú: wood
fárí: to carve
nosla: tree
iyálú: written character
futhre: to make a decision
wálú: idea
írola: house
zala: metal
úwadhro: to derive
Words! - Pt. 3
ránelo: ancestor
úemílo: tea (from tea leaves)
elaílo: herb
elaúemílo: herbal tea
úemíhúlo: green tea
úemíaelo: black tea
úemíaálo: white tea
namnalo: spirit
chilo: inside
cholo: inner
úemíamránelo: ancestors of the tea spirits
názhro: to pray to, to call upon
názhlo: prayer
názhálí: pray-er
emníro: calm
emnaro: calmness
úhásro: to bring
úhásaúre: to bring to someone/thing
imori: to hope
imoli: hope
imoálí: hoper
lurerí: to lie
lulelí: lie
luleálí: liar
zuzrú: to wish
zuzlú: wish
zuzálí: wisher
lechirzholi: magic bean buyer
uruthero: to pretend
urutheálí: pretender
lúmorí: to sit
uhíchla: fire
iíromli: gold
iíramli: golden
waihro: to tell a story, or stories
waihlo: story
sízre: to dream
sízle: dream
sízálí: dreamer
iíramlisízlu: golden dreams, desert
fívúli: flax golden
názlú: river
othalo: base, foundation
otharo: to provide a base for something
thalí: horse
iáthele: work
iáthere: to work
luwashre: to set
úrá: to paint
úlá: paint (noun)
iloylu: school
zeri: to learn, specifically something new
dhelú: glass
dherú: to blow glass
áeralo: great
foúnlí: hall
úarolí: mountain
ithalu: east
athuli: west
vaílo: sea
yiuthlo: hand
lanra: to retrieve something of value
lanla: something of value
Words! - Pt. 4
lothlí: wheel
theonlá: hard, tough
lethlí: iron
thathlo: coal
volethli: copper
lemle: clay
thozlo: foreign axe
thenthslá: pickaxe
esvro: to sort
emlí: big
áchla: small
uzhrí: to own
ríuslo: dedication
azhuli: tragedy
Numbers & Colors
Numbers
-sho: ordinal
fale: one
ushlo:
holí: three
marulú: four
Colors
saámlu: white
aelorelu: black
oníchlo: red
avidhlú: orange
húmalo: yellow
húwavelo: yellow-green, matcha tea color
waveflo: green
thárilí: blue
Thanks for Learning!