Far to the west strange creatures dwell, and among them in the terminus of the northern fawn river are the Camprye. Insular and unfriendly to strangers. They live among marshes and lakes in the foothills of the Great Mountains.
The Camprye live upon the water. The water rises and falls seasonally, and brings their houses with it. Their houses are of reed, twined together into huge, arched beams.
The Camprye have no written language. Though there are instances in the underground of a runic form of the language, the Camprye have no knowledge of it.
Sentences are constructed with the verb first, then the object, then the subject. Adjectives follow nouns. For example, “Paersrole attacked the Oruat” would be “kempino Paersrole Oruat”.
The base form of verbs is the informal present ‘I’. Infixes modify the first person, as follows:
|
infix |
present |
past |
future tenses |
|
I |
it |
ip |
in |
|
you |
ri |
li |
si |
|
they |
ar |
al |
as |
|
he/she |
ir |
il |
is |
|
it |
ki |
pi |
ti |
|
them (pl, it) |
ka |
pa |
ta |
Present I is not generally used except with reduplication, or as a plural. Both the “I” and “you” forms represent singular and plural.
Reduplication of the infix indicates extent; i.e., right now, far past, or far future.
Negation is marked by placing ‘el’ in front of the infix. Negation may be reduplicated to indicate stronger negation.
Queries are marked by placing ‘am’ in front of the infix. Note that if the infix is reduplicated, the query does not have to be reduplicated, but it can be, so as to indicate a very strong questioning. Reduplicating the query is as much as to say “don’t do that” as “why are you doing that?”
Adjectives we would form with “ing” are formed by combining the present and future infixes. This is to describe a noun that is doing that sort of thing right now. Adjectives we would form with “ous” or “y” are formed by combining the present and past infixes. This is to describe a noun that is the kind of noun that does this sort of thing. The form of infix that matches the noun is used (usually, they, he/she/, it, or them). For example, telirisilo is an adjective for someone that is fidgeting now, and telirililo is the adjective for the kind of person who fidgets. There is no reduplication on these forms.
Nouns we would form with “er” are often variations on the base form (before where the infix would go) with “ai” added to the end. The noun telai is a fidgeter.
|
Tamkio ki ‘haggis’. |
What is this ‘haggis’? |
|
Tampio. |
What was that? |
|
Tamtio pent. |
What will be red? |
|
Tamrilo lu. |
Who are you? |
|
Kemititino tik! |
I attack the hobgoblin now! |
|
To telekar-Telekai. |
I am Telekai of the Eagle Clan. |
|
Tik mekkitialo |
Murdering Orc |
|
Tik mekkipialo |
Murderous Orc |
|
Lud gegiristae |
A person who is jumping |
|
Luim gegiriltae |
Persons who jump |
|
kerai |
Protector |
|
Pelengito camprai. |
I do not speak the Camprye tongue. |
|
Niipaego kae. |
I created it. |
Sentences are generally of the form verb-object-subject. For example, Telekai killed the orc chief: Mekilalo kantirai tikim Telekai.
Many sentences will have no subject word. Pronouns such as “I”, or “they” must be inferred from the verb form. For example, They flew to the mountain long ago: Letalaltae tetemempören.
|
araek{}ilo {subject} |
I come open {subject} |
|
gang{}alo {object} |
I tear {object} |
|
geg{}tae |
I jump |
|
kantir{}alo |
I lead {object} |
|
kem{}ino {object} |
I attack {object} |
|
kem{}to |
I dig |
|
ker{}aeno {object} |
I protect {object} |
|
kil{}aego {object} |
I move {object} |
|
k{}ilo {object} |
I summon {object} |
|
len{}to |
I move |
|
let{}tae |
I fly (to {object}) |
|
maer{}alo {object} |
I heal {object} |
|
mal{}ato {object} |
I father {object--child} |
|
mek{}alo {object} |
I kill {object} |
|
ni{}aego {object} |
I create {object} |
|
peng{}alo {object} |
I speak/discuss/understand {object} |
|
t{}o {object} |
I am {object} |
|
tel{}ilo {object} |
I fidget |
To pluralize a noun, add ‘r’ to the end of it. Nouns that end in a consonant will have the plural form in parentheses. The vowel added is pronounced in an abbreviated manner.
Nouns are often emphasized by repeating the last syllable. Extreme fear, for example, would be ketaetae. Extreme darkness, ikaelolo. A great wind, lelele. Generally, if a noun ends in a consonant-vowel, the consonant and vowel are repeated. If a noun ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant, all three are repeated. If a noun ends in consonant-consonant, only the final consonant is repeated.
ae-aga: face
aekel (aekeler): door
aelgen (aelgen): outside
gangai: renderer, tearer
gra: disappearance
iaegra: appearance
ikaelo: darkness
imes (imesir): badger
kaeles (kaeles): snow
kaelo: light
ka: eye
kai: caller, summoner
karu: crab
kerai: protector
ketae: fear
keto: insect swarm
kugae: maw
le: wind
lek (lekar): eagle
lenkititopes (lenkititopeser): river
lor (lor): fire
lud: person
luim: a people or group of people
malatar (malatar): child
mekai: killer, murderer
neta: rod, sceptre
ork (ork): duck
oru: bat
paer (paer): slug
pes (pesir): water
pören (pörenor): rock
rantaera: wind
rol (roler): nothing
saepes (saepesir): pond, small lake
saern (saern): forest
sakm (sakmer): spider
santaer (santaer): bubbles, boils
srol (srol): emptiness
supes (supeser): lake
tömene: mesh, web
tetemempören (tetemempören): mountain
tik (tikir): orc
miritel (miriteler): affection
tolu: dislike
|
kae |
that (as subject or object) |
|
kae |
it (as object, indicates previous object |
|
ki |
this (as subject or object) |
|
ki {noun} |
this or that {noun} |
|
lu |
who (as subject or object) |
|
{noun}+im |
a (as in a class of nouns, suffix) |
|
dai |
me (as object) |
The “im” form of a noun can also be used as an adjective.
There is no equivalent of “the”. Unless im or ki are used, the meaning will be the same as if, in English, there were a “the” as appropriate. Thus, kilipaego pören is I moved the rock.
Adjectives (including those made out of verbs) generally follow the noun they describe.
aelgen: without
elekiraes: forbidden
ga: pink
kem: deep (below)
lekrae: unseen, hidden, invisible
memen: tall
peme: dark
pent: red
set: short
soom: spiked, toothy
srimaeg: crazy
srole: stupid, idiotic
sut: long
tae-ele: dark (deeply so)
|
te{+object} {subject} |
{subject} of the {object} |
|
tete {+noun} |
land of {noun} |
|
tae {+noun} |
like the {noun} |
For example, tele kair, summoners of the wind.
|
a |
lap, cab, dapper |
|
ai |
like, Maian, tai-pan |
|
e |
emily, men |
|
i |
leap, feel, Easter |
|
k |
card, technical, mask |
|
l |
long, stella |
|
m |
more, lemmings |
|
n |
no, linen, ban |
|
o |
more, only, cone |
|
ö |
mop, phonics |
|
p (non-aspirated, soft) |
No English equivalent |
|
r |
Christmas, care, fear |
|
s |
stool, lesson, mass |
|
t |
tell, two |
|
u |
luger, soon, tune |
|
ae |
hay, kay |
|
g |
great, gore |
Many of the creatures of the underground are listed in the Encounter Guide using their Camprye name, and others have Camprye names that they are known by in the underground.
Aeagarsut
Gakemai
Gangai
Kamekkipialo
Karuat
Ketelekrae: pronounced ketaelekrae
Kugesum: pronounced kugaesum
Oruat
Sakmat
Santaeraeagar: Beaked Sweepers