ENG 313 Virtual Language Project

Brooke Schleter
Presentation Date: 04/23/2015

In this presentation we will

cover
Culture

Unique
Features

Demonstratio
n

Culture

Unique
Features

Demonstratio
n

Culture
The People of Kimyay are a matriarchal
society ruled by one queen known as
Kimyay, or Good Mother.
Considering every member of their
society to be a son or daughter of Kimyay,
they believe that they themselves and all
their possessions belong to her. This
affects the way in which their language
uses possession, causing speakers to refer to everything as belonging
to their leader, rather than one another.
Because they are an island people, the lexicon of their language is
largely influenced by the ocean. For example, the word wavy
means wave, but because this people sees the waves as always
coming to the shore, wavy can also mean approaching or soon.

Culture
The people of Kimyay are located on a
tropical island far removed from any
modern technological advances, but
they reside in a highly sophisticated
system of caves and sub-caves that
interconnect the homes of the entire
population.
The bats that coexist inside the caves with
them are considered sacred and are celebrated
annually with a festival called
kimdomarukruntaga or Bat Festival.
Kimdomarukruntaga is among many of the
annual festivals held by the People of Kimyay.
The speakers of our language also hold death in high regard, considering
it to be an assent into the afterlife in which a person can be with all of the
Good Mothers of the past. When a member of this society dies, a
ceremony is held in which attendees travel by boat to the nearby volcanic
island and deposit the body of the deceased into the active volcano.

Culture

Unique
Features

Demonstratio
n

Unique
Features

General

A
An
The

This language follows a subject-verb-object word order.

Neither the subject nor the object require an article before it.

Questions
In order to indicate question, the word amly, meaning
question, must appear at the beginning of the sentence.
Word order remains the same. Inflection is not required for
understanding.

English Structure
Did you go to the store?
store?
Do you like linguistics?

Kimyay Structure
Question before, you go
Question you like

Unique
Features

Tense
All verbs are present tense.
To indicate past tense

Add the word before to the

beginning of the sentence

Example:
English I was tired.
Kimyay Before, I am tired.

To indicate present tense

Example:
English I will be tired.
Kimyay Later, I am tired.

Add the word later to the

beginning of the sentence

Unique
Features
Plurality

In order to make a noun plural, you must add sh to the

end of the word. Verbs do not require a plural form.
The word for bat is
kimdomaru

The word for bats is

kimdomarush

Possession

Possession is unique in this language, because all things

belong to Kimyay. In order to indicate this possession, th
pronoun of is used immediately after the noun that is
being possessed and immediately before the possessor.

Englis
h

This
is my
home.

Kimyay

This is
home
of
Kimyay
.

Unique
Features

I swam quickly. (or)

I quickly swam. (or)
Quickly, I swam.

Kimya
y

Englis
h

Adverbs
Adverbs can only appear immediately after the verb they are
modifying.
I swam quickly.

The big wave crashed.

The beautiful wave crashed.

crash.

Kimya
y

Englis
h

Adjectives
Adjectives appear immediately before a noun, and whenever
useful, are combined with said noun to form a new word.
Bigwave crashed.
Before beautiful wave

The words big and wave are combined, because their combination
results in a useful noun. It can be used to classify types of waves,
similar to the English word tsunami.
The word beautiful is subjective and could not result in a word used to

Culture

Unique
Features

Demonstratio
n

Demonstratio
n

First, we will read our conversation in our

language.
Then, we will go back through the conversation
line by line, providing the literal translation and
the original English sentence.

Demonstratio
n
Kimra yaya un Kimyy.
Kimra. Amly by kimdomarukruntaga
un Kimyy makash Kim?
Kanu! Makash by kankan
Amly makash by kan?
Kruntaga by wavy!
Namy un Kimyy, maka glat!

Demonstratio
n
Kimra yaya un Kimyy.

Original English Sentence

Good day, daughter of Kimyy.

Literal Translation
Good day daughter of goodmother.

Demonstratio
n

Kimra. Amly by kimdomarukruntaga

un Kimyy makash Kim?
Original English Sentence
Literal Translation
Good day. Are the preparations Good day. Question be festival
for the Bat Festival going well? bats of Good-Mother makes
good?

Demonstratio
n

Kanu! Makash by kankan

Original English Sentence

No! The preparations are going
very bad!

Literal Translation
No! Makes be bad bad!

Demonstratio
n

Original English Sentence

Why are the preparations bad?

Literal Translation
Question makes be bad?

Amly makash by kan?

Demonstratio
n

Original English Sentence

The festival is approaching
soon!

Kruntaga by wavy!

Literal Translation
Festival be approaching!

Demonstratio
n

Original English Sentence

In the name of Kimyy, get it
done!

Literal Translation
Name of Good-Mother make
done!

Namy un Kimyy, maka glat!

Thank you for listening!

Kimra yaya un Kimyy.
Kimra. Amly by kimdomarukruntaga
un Kimyy makash Kim?
Kanu! Makash by kankan
Amly makash by kan?
Kruntaga by wavy!
Namy un Kimyy, maka glat!

Image Sources Cited

http://hirecall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Questions1.jpg
http://www.outsourcing-center.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/PastPresent-Future-neon-sig.jpg
http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-48890/40/4004/35EWF00Z/posters/peter-groenendijk-zulu-tribal-dance-groupdumazula-cultural-village-south-africa-africa.jpg
http://bdmariners.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Past-Present-FutureBlog.jpg
http://www.troll.me/images2/grammar-correction-guy/youre.jpg
http://www.productdomains.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/singular-orplural.jpg
http://www.edholden.com/images/wallpaper/20050813-008%20-%20Maine
%20-%20Waves%20crash%20on%20Cape%20Elizabeth%20shore-3.jpg
http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/82/153482-004-04C9FB09.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/697535448_e0945fa994.jpg