Karklak Reconstruction

Karklak Reconstruction

This is a reconstruction of the structure of the language, based on the sole surviving materials.

Letters

Here are the letters used in Karklak syllables, with their frequency:

r	92
k	79
a	61
n	58
e	54
d	40
o	29
z	25
g	23
l	19
b	16
i	14
v	10
u	8
x	2
j	1
s	1

The 'x', 'j' and 's' appear to be mistakes. The 'x' could be shorthand for /gz/. The 'j' could be /dz/, and the 's' is probably an allophone of /z/.

Sound System

The vowels include short /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ and long /ee/ (used only in two syllables: keel and beel).

Here are the consonants:

	b
	d
k	g
	v
	z

Devoicing is almost never used as a contrast, with the exception of /k/ vs. /g/.

A wide variety of consonant clusters are shown in the word list.

Gender

The most unusual aspect of Karklak is that it featured a gender system involving offensive gender and defensive gender. I can't remember how this militant system was meant to be used, though many words on the index cards are marked "o." or "d." to indicate their gender. A small set of words have different forms depending on their gender.

Verbs

Verbs typically ended in a vowel and -n, and could be formed from nouns by doubling the final consonant and adding -en, as in dezzen, "to lie", from dez, "a lie".

Here's all the mythology I had developed: Dunor was the god of thunder, and dunor could be used for cross-shapes or T-shapes "as there was no Christ nor cross in Wundrian".

The language even borrowed authors' imaginary words, something I try to do with every language I invent. The verb grokken, "to know", was from Heinlein's grok. The word gron, "gate", was probably from Grond, the

battering ram the orcs of Mordor broke the gates of Minas Tirith with.

Sentences

If I recall correctly, the sentences were VSO (Verb + Subject + Object) order, because the Dragon magazine article stressed that this pattern was suitable for a group that emphasized action, like my fighting gnomes.

rarden