Here is a little poem by a friend of mine and its translation into Loglan with extensive critical apparatus. 21/1/2018 contains revisions of the translation which need to further be copied and discussed in the notes. The Tower Clock struck 12 -------------------------------- The Tower Clock, in the little church, by the unknown square, rattled a little. Then it piped up and struck 12 on a cracked bell. The hands confirmed what it just had done, the clock just struck 12, all correct. He walked by, and so did she but in a different direction. They met, just an instant and parted again, as people do. It is hum drum stuff, except in the cinemascope, where their eyes would fuse and limbs stop and jaws drop. Here, he was on his way to the library, she to the bus.... If you had asked them five minutes later, they would not have remembered each other. The only significant thing that actually took place, was that - - the Tower Clock in the little church, by the unknown square, struck 12 on a cracked bell. That is how life is. Brief, insignificant, chopped up into bits and pieces and then - forgotten. Laura, May 21 - 2018 ----------------- The Loglan Translation on its own ------------------------ La Ganynurbai Jokla, pa hirmao la Neton La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa cmaclamao. ifa, Gai sackao lepoi clacla, e hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. * Lo jokla hanco ga krisalcko le nu hirmao je Gai gue ji lepo la Jokla, pazi dreti hirmao la Neton. Lo jokla hanco ga krisalcko le nu hirmao je Gai gue jio le ckemo bi la Neton, soi dreti Le mrenu pia vi dzoru vuva ba, ice le fumna pia vi dzoru sui vuva su nomeba. i Mai jmite ce nu jmite Fai, nazi ba, icefazi, Mai nartycea ce nu nartycea Fai, duo be ji nuduo lopo lo pernu rona jmite, e nartycea. * i ciuki Mai jmite ce nu jmite Fai, nazi ba, icefazi, Mai nartycea, ce nu nartycea Fai, ki lo pernu rona jmite, e nartycea. [original version of previous line; new version clearly better but this is interesting Loglan] Lo clika je tio ga cketeu danri, onoi nu speni vi su sinma. I vi sei gi, lo menki ga sluko katca, ice lo korbadjo ga stise, ice lo ditbongu ga felda. I vi lo danri gi, Mai dzoru vuva le buksrosia, ice Fai dua vuva le grutaksi. I kanoi tu kentaa le to pernu pei fa su minta je lio fe, gue ji fazi tio, ki pei no driki canoi notbi pei. * I tu kentaa le to pernu pei fa su minta je lio fe, gue ji fazi tio, inocana, pei no driki canoi notbi pei. [another version of the previous line] Pia vetci ga ne djipo, ji lepo La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. Tio vizmao lopo clivi, ji nu parti ba ji ckecoa, e norjio, e cmapiu nu bloklu, efa, nu nordriki. ----------------- Line by line notes ----------------- Pronunciation of Loglan: penultimate stress in words is always safe and in predicates obligatory. Letters have continental European values (not the strange English values for vowels) except c is always sh, as in ship, j is as the z in azure (zh, not the j in judge, which would be dj in Loglan), and y is the unstressed schwa vowel (uh). La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa cmaclamao. is an article forming names; (high building) is "tower" [for Loglanists, I comment this predicate could have a second argument: X ganynurbai Y could mean "X is a tower of building or complex Y"]; is "clock". is thus "the Tower Clock"; the use of rather than the more usual article translates the capitalization. means "which is () at/in () the () small () church () [Loglan lacks a word for "church" specifically; is "temple, house of worship"]" means "which is () at/in () the () not- () known (: reverses the arguments of a predicate, it could be thought of as forming passives.) square (specifically a town square) (). It should be noted that this clause specifically attaches to the church: it is the small church which is placed at the unknown square. Loglan cannot be vague about such things. means "rattled". is the past tense marker. Loglan doesnt have a word for "rattle": I coined the word (small-noise-make) for this occasion: I think a better metaphorical construction meaning more clearly "rattle" might be achievable. Originally I had , but this is a tonguetwister). ifa, Gai sackao lepoi clacla, e hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. and then () G ( is a pronoun referring back to La Ganynurbai Jokla; pronoun reference is not by gender but by initial letter; I could have used ) started (; this actually suggests intention on the part of the clock, poetically permissible) (the action of) making a din (: this is a noun phrase, the event of ( making a din ()) and () "struck" ( does not mean "struck", Loglan doesnt have this metaphor; this is a new word that I made, analogous to , to show, make seen; is to make heard, to show something by making a sound) twelve o'clock (: this is a name, marked by , is 12, <-n> marks it phonetically as a proper name) by means of ( a () cracked (; note the "passive" formation) bell (). Lo jokla hanco ga krisalcko le nu hirmao je Gai gue ji lepo la Jokla, pazi dreti hirmao la Neton. The clock hands (: the word used for "the" refers to the hands of the clock as a single mass individual) confirmed (: is a null tense marker serving a purely grammatical purpose here; = confirm) what is shown by a sound (by G, the Tower Bell; should NOT be thought of as directly translating "by", it is a specifically Loglan grammatical word; serves to close off this clause) which is that () the Clock (la Jokla) just a moment ago () accurately showed (by sound) () twelve o'clock () Le mrenu pia vi dzoru vuva ba, ice le fumna pia vi dzoru sui vuva su nomeba. The man () was walking there (: is past progressive tense, and is also being used as a tense, meaning "at the same place, there") to somewhere () and () the woman () was walking there () also () to somewhere else () [it is difficult to say "in a different direction" in Loglan in the way the original does because L will ask "different from what"; one needs to make reference to the man's direction so that one can say the woman's direction is different; is "something which is not the direction in which the man was walking", using a construction which is not really translatable in such a compact space in English] i Mai jmite ce nu jmite Fai, nazi ba, icefazi, Mai nartycea ce nu nartycea Fai, duo be ji nuduo lepo lo pernu rona jmite, e nartycea. [this line is hard to translate: Loglan has problems with reciprocation, though they are quite solvable, and "in the same way as" took thought] and (: this isnt really and, it is a required sentence introducer) he (: really it is M, carries no indication of gender) met and was met by () her (), really F) (at a precise brief moment) and right afterward () he left her behind and was left behind by her (parted doesnt have a passive) () in the same way as () (this is really untranslatable, a clever logical construction) the mass of people often meet and part () Note to Loglanists: conversion of PA words is a new construction: is seen to be quite useful here! Lo clika je tio ga cketeu danri, onoi nu speni vi su sinma. The mass of events like this () is boringly ordinary () exactly if not () experienced in a movie (, speni is "experience", is in/at, is roughly "a", is "movie"; I can't match the archaic feel of "cinemascope") Note to Loglanists: the in is of course figurative. I vi sei gi, lo menki ga sluko katca, ice lo korbadjo ga stise, ice lo ditbongu ga felda. new sentence () in the movie ( the eyes () are locked together (, literally "gaze in a locked manner") and the limbs stop and the jaws fall [the use of here suggests mass inviduals made of the eyes, limbs, jaws of both persons] [the use of "fuse" in the original with respect to the eyes I could not see how to match, though on reflections I may manage this] Note to Loglanists: in this and the following line is important to get the relative clause to distribute over all conjuncts of the following sentence with . I vi lo danri gi, Mai dzoru vuva le buksrosia, ice Fai dua vuva le grutaksi. And in the ordinary (world) he () walks () to the library () and () she () performs the same action (, this is like a pronoun but for a verb) to the bus () I kanoi tu kentaa le to pernu pei fa su minta je lio fe, gue ji fazi tio, ki pei no driki canoi notbi pei. and if ( you () asked () the two people () about each other (, this is a pronoun referring back to by the initial letter device) after five minutes (; the exact Loglan turn of phrase here is untranslatable) immediately after these events (: this additional very precise clause could be omitted) then they would have forgotten each other (; is then in if then; says "they will have forgotten each other" in a very odd way to the English ear: literally, it says that one of P will have forgotten one of P if the two members of P chosen are different: would imply that the two had forgotten themselves as well as each other; a *Loglan* poet might say such a thing on purpose, because a Loglan hearer would catch this point; again, Loglan treats reciprocation oddly, and this is a different solution). Pia vetci ga ne djipo, ji lepo La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. There was occurring () exactly one thing of importance (; the marks delay of the subject after the verb), which is that the Tower Clock, which is in the small church, which is in the unknown square, showed (by sound) that it was twelve o'clock, by means of a cracked bell () Tio vizmao lopo clivi, ji nu parti ba ji ckecoa, e norjio, e cmapiu nu bloklu, efa, nu nordriki. This (, these events) shows (, makes seen) life (, the mass of all lives) which has as parts () things which are () brief () and unimportant ) and chopped into bits (, I was pleased to get a nice translation of this) and afterward -- forgotten (). ---- Parses (not for the faint of heart) ------------ The parser works all the way from the level of *letters*, using phonetic cues to sort words by part of speech (of course it recognizes grammatical vocabulary). It doesn't show you the phoneme level analysis, mercifully...it *could* but it would be very hard to survey. In any case, sentences can be checked for correctness, and the indentation makes it relatively easy to check that the sentence says what is intended. ------------ La Ganynurbai Jokla, pa hirmao la Neton [uttF: statement: [subject: argument: La [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: Ganynurbai] [despredD: predunit: Jokla [freemod: comma: ,]]]] [predicate: markpred: pa [barepred: [sentpred: predunit: hirmao] [termset: argument: la [name: Neton]]]]] La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa cmaclamao. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: [arg1a: descriptn: La [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: Ganynurbai] [despredD: predunit: Jokla [freemod: comma: ,]]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: vi [argument1: arg2: [arg1a: descriptn: le [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: cmalo] [despredD: predunit: tepli]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: vi [argument1: descriptn: le [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: no [predunit1: nu djano]] [despredD: predunit: kursia [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]]]]]] [predicate: markpred: pa [barepred: predunit: cmaclamao]]] [period: .]] ifa, Gai sackao lepoi clacla, e hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. ifa [freemod: comma: ,] [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: Gai] [predicate: predicate2: [backpred: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: sackao] [termset: argument: le [descpred: predunit: poi [predunit3: predunit1: clacla [freemod: comma: ,]]]]] e [backpred: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: hirmao] [termset: terms: [argumentA: argument: la [name: Neton [freemod: comma: ,]]] [modifiersx: modifier: tie [argument1: indef1: su [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: nu karku] [despredD: predunit: bekli]]]]]]]] [period: .]] Lo jokla hanco ga krisalcko le nu hirmao je Gai gue ji lepo la Jokla, pazi dreti hirmao la Neton. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: Lo [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: jokla] [despredD: predunit: hanco]]] [predicate: markpred: ga [barepred: [sentpred: predunit: krisalcko] [termset: argument: [arg1a: descriptn: le [descpred: predunit: [predunit2: predunit1: nu hirmao] [linkargs: linkargs1: [jelink: je [term: argument: Gai]] [gue: gue]]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [argument1: abstractn: le po [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: la [descpred: predunit: Jokla [freemod: comma: ,]]] [predicate: markpred: pazi [barepred: [sentpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: dreti] [despredD: predunit: hirmao]] [termset: argument: la [name: Neton]]]]]]]]]]] [period: .]] Le mrenu pia vi dzoru vuva ba, ice le fumna pia vi dzoru sui vuva su nomeba. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: Le [descpred: predunit: mrenu]] [predicate: markpred: pia vi [barepred: [sentpred: predunit: dzoru] [termset: modifier: vuva [argument1: arg1a: ba [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]] ice [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: le [descpred: predunit: fumna]] [predicate: markpred: pia vi [barepred: [sentpred: predunit: dzoru [freemod: sui]] [termset: modifier: vuva [argument1: indef1: su [descpred: predunit: no [predunit1: me [argument1: arg1a: ba]]]]]]]]] [period: .]] i Mai jmite ce nu jmite Fai, nazi ba, icefazi, Mai nartycea, ce nu nartycea Fai, duo be ji nuduo lepo lo pernu rona jmite, e nartycea. i [uttF: uttD: [sentence: [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: Mai] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: despredD: [despredB: predunit: jmite] ce [despredB: predunit: nu jmite]] [termset: terms: [argumentA: argument: Fai [freemod: comma: ,]] [modifiersx: modifier: nazi [argument1: arg1a: ba [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]] icefazi [freemod: comma: ,] [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: Mai] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: despredD: [despredB: predunit: nartycea] ce [despredB: predunit: nu nartycea]] [termset: terms: [argumentA: argument: Fai [freemod: comma: ,]] [modifiersx: modifier: duo [argument1: arg2: [arg1a: be] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: nuduo [argument1: abstractn: le po [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: lo [descpred: predunit: pernu]] [predicate: predicate2: [backpred: markpred: rona [barepred: predunit: jmite [freemod: comma: ,]]] e [backpred: predunit: nartycea]]]]]]]]]]]] [period: .]] * i ciuki Mai jmite ce nu jmite je Fai, nazi ba, icefazi, Mai nartycea, ce nu nartycea Fai, ki lo pernu rona jmite, e nartycea. [original version of previous line; new version clearly better but this is interesting Loglan] Lo clika je tio ga cketeu danri, onoi nu speni vi su sinma. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: Lo [descpred: predunit: [predunit2: predunit1: clika] [linkargs: jelink: je [term: argument: tio]]]] [predicate: predicate2: [backpred: markpred: ga [barepred: sentpred: [despredD: predunit: cketeu] [despredD: predunit: danri [freemod: comma: ,]]]] onoi [backpred: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: nu speni] [termset: modifier: vi [argument1: indef1: su [descpred: predunit: sinma]]]]]] [period: .]] I vi sei gi, lo menki ga sluko katca, ice lo korbadjo ga stise, ice lo ditbongu ga felda. I [uttF: uttC: [uttAx: [headterms: [terms: modifier: vi [argument1: arg1a: sei]] gi] [freemod: comma: ,] [sentence: [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: lo [descpred: predunit: menki]] [predicate: markpred: ga [barepred: sentpred: [despredD: predunit: sluko] [despredD: predunit: katca [freemod: comma: ,]]]]] ice [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: lo [descpred: predunit: korbadjo]] [predicate: markpred: ga [barepred: predunit: stise [freemod: comma: ,]]]] ice [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: lo [descpred: predunit: ditbongu]] [predicate: markpred: ga [barepred: predunit: felda]]]]] [period: .]] I vi lo danri gi, Mai dzoru vuva le buksrosia, ice Fai dua vuva le grutaksi. I [uttF: uttC: [uttAx: [headterms: [terms: modifier: vi [argument1: descriptn: lo [descpred: predunit: danri]]] gi] [freemod: comma: ,] [sentence: [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: Mai] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: dzoru] [termset: modifier: vuva [argument1: descriptn: le [descpred: predunit: buksrosia [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]] ice [sen1: statement: [subject: argument: Fai] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: dua] [termset: modifier: vuva [argument1: descriptn: le [descpred: predunit: grutaksi]]]]]]] [period: .]] I kanoi tu kentaa le to pernu pei fa su minta je lio fe, gue ji fazi tio, ki pei no driki canoi notbi pei. I [uttF: uttD: [sentence: keksent: kanoi [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: tu] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: kentaa] [termset: terms: [argumentA: argument: le to [descpred: predunit: pernu]] [argumentB: argument: pei] [modifiersx: modifier: fa [argument1: indef2: [indef1: su [descpred: predunit: [predunit2: predunit1: minta] [linkargs: linkargs1: [jelink: je [term: argument: [arg1: lio fe] [freemod: comma: ,]]] [gue: gue]]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: fazi [argument1: arg1a: tio [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]]]]] ki [uttA0: statement: [subject: argument: pei] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: despredD: [despredB: predunit: no [predunit1: driki]] canoi [despredB: predunit: notbi]] [termset: argument: pei]]]] [period: .]] * I tu kentaa le to pernu pei fa su minta je lio fe, gue ji fazi tio, inocana, pei no driki canoi notbi pei. [another version of the previous line] Pia vetci ga ne djipo, ji lepo La Ganynurbai Jokla, ji vi le cmalo tepli ji vi le no nu djano kursia, pa hirmao la Neton, tie su nu karku bekli. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: Pia [sentpred: predunit: vetci] ga [subject: argument: [indef1: ne [descpred: predunit: djipo [freemod: comma: ,]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [argument1: abstractn: le po [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: [arg1a: descriptn: La [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: Ganynurbai] [despredD: predunit: Jokla [freemod: comma: ,]]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: vi [argument1: arg2: [arg1a: descriptn: le [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: cmalo] [despredD: predunit: tepli]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [modifier: mod1: vi [argument1: descriptn: le [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: no [predunit1: nu djano]] [despredD: predunit: kursia [freemod: comma: ,]]]]]]]]]] [predicate: markpred: pa [barepred: [sentpred: predunit: hirmao] [termset: terms: [argumentA: argument: la [name: Neton [freemod: comma: ,]]] [modifiersx: modifier: tie [argument1: indef1: su [descpred: despredE: [despredD: predunit: nu karku] [despredD: predunit: bekli]]]]]]]]]]]] [period: .]] Tio vizmao lopo clivi, ji nu parti ba ji ckecoa, e norjio, e cmapiu nu bloklu, efa, nu nordriki. [uttF: uttD: [sentence: statement: [subject: argument: Tio] [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: vizmao] [termset: argument: [arg1a: abstractn: lo po [sentence: predunit: clivi [freemod: comma: ,]]] [argmod: argmod1: ji [predicate: barepred: [sentpred: predunit: nu parti] [termset: argument: [arg1a: ba] [argmod: argmod1: ji [predicate: predicate2: [backpred: predunit: ckecoa [freemod: comma: ,]] e [backpred: predunit: norjio [freemod: comma: ,]] e [backpred: sentpred: [despredD: predunit: cmapiu] [despredD: predunit: nu bloklu [freemod: comma: ,]]] efa [freemod: comma: ,] [backpred: predunit: nu nordriki]]]]]]]]] [period: .]]