Next (Vallés)

Glossary

a (prep.) < AD
afära (f.) "affair"
ajaj (excl.) exclamation of pain or despair
ake (conj.) < AD QUOD/QUID
al = a + il < AD + ILLE
ala = a + la
atecoň (f.) < ATTENTIONEM
aver (vt.) < HABERE
azutar (vi.) < ADIUTARE < ADIUVARE
bel (adj.) < BELLUM (adj.)
čel (pron.dem.) < ECCE ILLUM
čest (pron.dem.) < ECCE ISTUM
de (prep.) < DE
dela = de + la
denov (adv.) < DE + NOVUM
dežachtar (vt.) < DE + IACTARE
dom (m.) < DOMUM
dromir (vi.) < DORMIRE
dvir (v.cop.) < DEBERE
ej (excl.) "hey, oy"
facht = part.perf. of fačr
fačr (vt.) < FACERE
il (art./pron.pers.) < ILLUM
ila (pron.pers.) < ILLAM
ilau (pron.pers.) < ILLAM
ili (pron.pers.) < ILLES
j (conj.) < ET
jasltar (vt.) < ASSULTARE
je (prep.) < IN
jech (pron.pres.) < EGO
jel = je + il
jela = je + la
jerzä (adv.) < HERI DIE
ješr (v.cop.) < ESSE
jifať (m.) < INFANTEM
jla = ila (after a vowel)
jlu = ilu (after a vowel)
k (prep.) < CUM
kaťkl (m.) < CATT- + -ICULUM
ko (pron.int.) < QUOD
kul = k + il
kutar (vi./vt.) < CANTARE
kvešťoň (f.) < QUAESTIONEM
lachtař (m.) < *LACTARIUS
maž (conj.) < MAGIS
mlt (adj.) < MULTUM
mředa (f.) < MERDA
muďr (vi./vt.) > MANDERE
ne- (pref.) < NE
nošt (pron.poss.) < NOSTRUM
nov (pron.pers.) < NOBIS
nu (pron.pers.) < NOS
nuch (adv.) < NUNC
pasar (vi.) < PASSARE
polica (f.) < POLITIAM
ponďr (vt.) < PONERE
poťr (vt.) < POSSE
pro (prep.) < PRO
profud (adj.) < PROFUNDUM
prol = pro + il
pře- (pref.) < PER
při (prep.) < PRAE
přitep (m.) < PRAE + TEMPUS
řeštla (f.) "rest, leftover, remainder" < RESTARE
sdir (vi.) < SEDERE
sirar (vi./vt.) > SERRARE
slec (adj.) < SILENTEM
stlt (adj.) < STULTUM
še (pron.refl.) < SE
tot (pron.ind.) < TOTUM
třet (adj.) < CERTUM
tuch (adv.) < TUNC
un (art./num.) < UNUM
vaďr (vi.) < VADERE
vlir (v.cop.) < VELLE
vnir (vi.) < VENIRE
vništra (f.) < FENESTRA
vržeň (f.) < VIRGINEM
žok (m.) "game" < *IOCUM
žokar (vi./vt.) < IOCARE
žot (excl.): strong exclamation of pain, surprise, despair, anger, etc. Etymology unknown, but probably from the name of the letter Ž, which is the first letter of Žezus (Jesus).

Abbreviations

adj. - adjective
adv. - adverb
art. - article
conj. - conjunction
excl. - exclamation
f. - feminine
m. - masculine
num. - numeral
part.perf. - perfect participle
pl. - plural
pref. - prefix
prep. - preposition
pron.dem. - demonostrative pronoun
pron.ind. - indefinite pronoun
pron.int. - interrogative pronoun
pron.pers. - personal pronoun
pron.poss. - possessive pronoun
pron.refl. - reflexive pronoun
sg. - singular
v.cop. - verb (copula)
vi. - intransitive verb
vt. - transitive verb

Slezan (*)

Jan van Steenbergen

Ring Q

Atecoň al jifať!

- "Ej žot! Ko a pasat?"
- "Nuch, jerzä una vržeň bela maž stlta a vnit a nošt dom, j ila ava kutar prol lachtař. Ila a facht tot ko jla potva ake žokarši kul lachtař: ila žokava žoči k ilu, kutava jlu "Drom, kaťkl, drom", j čel azutava. Maž tuch, il jifať a jasltat j přesirat ilau! Il a mudut ilau j tuch dežachtat le řeštle dela vništra. Ko še pote nov fačr?"
- "Ajaj, nu sdim profudameť jela mředa denov! Ko nu fačram?"
- "Nuch, jel přitep nu dviram ješr slece de česta afära. Jech při tot nevlu vaďr ala polica!"
- "Třetu! Ili ponut přemlte kvešťoňe."

Beware of the child!

- "Oh Jesus! What happened?"
- "Well, yesterday a pretty but stupid girl came to our home, and she was supposed to sing for the baby. She did anything she could to play with the baby: she played games with him, sang "Sleep, kitty, sleep" for him, and that helped. But then, the child attacked her and sawed her through! He ate her and then threw out the rest out of the window. What can we do?"
- "Oh dear, we're sitting in deep shit again! What are we going to do?"
- "Well, in the meantime we will have be keep silent about this affair. Above all, I don't want to go to the police!"
- "Sure! They ask too many questions."

Some notes on grammar

Nouns

Slezan is a pretty straightforward Romance language. Nouns can have two genders (masculine and feminine) and two numbers (singular and plural). They end either in a consonant (masc. and fem.) or in -a (almost exclusively fem.). The plural is formed adding -i or -e to the root. There are two cases: the nominative (also used as accusative) and the dative. Pronouns also have a separate accusative form. Except for the pronoun nov, datives do not occur in this text.

Articles

The usage of articles is similar to German. Leaving aside the dative forms, you may encounter the following definite articles: il (m.sg.), la (f.sg.), li (m.pl.), le (f.pl.). Indefinite articles exist only in the singular; plural indefinite works without an article. The forms are un (m.sg.) and una (f.sg.).

Adjectives

Adjectives are usually (but not always) placed after the modified noun, and they agree with it in number, gender and case. The forms are: -Ø (m.sg.), -a (f.sg.), -e (m./f.pl.). Adverbs carry the ending -u or -meť.

Verbs

Verbs are listed in the glossary with their infinitives. You will encounter the following forms:

ROOT + -r: infinitive
ROOT + -(u)t: passive perfect participle
ROOT + -u: present tense, 1st person sg.
ROOT + -m: present tense, 1st person pl.
ROOT + -va: past tense, 1st and 3rd person sg.
ROOT + -ram: future tense, 1st person pl.
ROOT + -rši: subjunctive, 1st and 3rd person sg.
ROOT: imperative

Miscellaneous

The prefix pře- in combination with a verb means "through, over", in combination with an adjective "too".

More info can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/wenedyk/language/slezan.html. The page is slightly outdated, though.

Smooth translation of the text received

Beware of the child!

"Oh Zanckow (*)! What's happened?"
"Well, yesterday a pretty poultry salesperson (**) came to our home, and she was supposed to sing for the baby. She did whatever he could to play with the baby: she did games with him, sung "Y Chanelles" for him, and that did it. But then, the child attacked her and sawed her through! He ate her, and then threw the rest out of the window. What can be done, that's my question."
"Hey, we're in deep shit again! What are we going to do?"
"Well, for the time being, I'll have to keep silent about this thing - in particular, I am not going to the police!"
"Sure! They ask too many questions."

(*) No idea what kind of proper name this should be, so I turned it into a rather strong curse instead.

(**) I didn't really know how to translate the word "poulymongoer". Apparently, it means "poultry salesperson", but this completely doesn't fit with the rest of the text. So I assumed that this is a common expression for "stupid person". As this person later turned out to be female, I decided to translate it is "pretty but stupid girl".