Tetemempören: Language

  1. Tetemempören
  2. The Underground

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.

Language: Sentences

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”.

Language: Verb Rules

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.

Verb examples

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.

Verb Rules: Verbs

araek{}ilo {subject} I come open {subject}
gang{}alo {object} I tear {object}
geg{}tae I jump
kantir{}alo I lead {object}
kas{}aego I split (break apart) {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

Language: Nouns

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

ran: faith

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

Pronouns and Articles

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.

Nouns: Adjectives

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)

Language: Other

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.

Sounds of the Camprye

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
  1. Tetemempören
  2. The Underground