That’s an horrible example, Great-Uncle Táto

Thou Shalt not Kiss the Princess
http://sites.google.com/site/psalmofdreams/Home/introduction-to-babel-grammar/thou-shalt-not-kiss-the-princess


Epistle LXXXV: Thou Shalt Not Kiss the Princess!

My dearest bride Éfhelìnye,

We fought in the blizzard today. The snow was changing and blushing green. For some reason it made me think of you. Almost anything that comes to pass in these days of war remind me of you in some fashion. Great-Uncle Táto says that I am not eating enough. He’s been telling me that the Elders and the Noble Caste won’t mind if I never learn to talk, they would consider it not a minor miracle to have for the only time in history a silent Emperor. Natheless, the when the Stars came and fluttered all about our living ships they kept bowing unto me and fearing me and yet talking about controlling me. And they are not entirely sure, your deathless Aunts and Uncles, whether your becoming the new Moon Empress is below your station or above your estate. I do not know. Great-Uncle Táto was even saying that the Noble Caste would not mind locking you and me up somewhere in a new Ice Palace and keeping us pure and isolated from the rest of the worlds. I do not think it hurts to let the Elders and szlachta Caste to plot all they desire, for if they try to set us up in the Ice Palace, I shall just shatter open the windows, and Uncles Fhèrkifher and Xhnófho will bring up one of their coracles hovering beneath us, and we shall sail out unto the horizon and find our own adventures and be free from all expectation.

I have an idea on some topics for future epistles. But for this night Great-Uncle Táto says it would be a good idea for me to practice the forms of the moods. He has made me copy out the irrealis mood several times, at least all of the examples from your last couple of letters. He thought it would be a good idea for me also to paint out the suffixes of the injunctive mood also. He chanted that the injunctive mood is actually far easier to remember than all of the forms of the irrealis mood, and I think he may be write.
This is what he’s making me copy out.

The Injunctive Mood

+ Khrúju qìr xhmé (level four suffix)
+Xhmuju (level four suffix)

-ampei (level five suffix)
-ampeit (first person level five suffix)
-ampeis (second person level five suffix)
-ampein (third person level five suffix)

+suju (negative form, level four suffix)

Qìr xhmé (locative phrase which can be placed just about anywhere)

And appearently these are all of the forms of the Injunctive Mood, for the Presumptive Mood Mode I meant to write and the other Moods Modes I keep getting them confused. The Deferential Mode and Existential Mode and Honorific Mode also use these forms, or at least the independent level four forms. Thus is the third moon in Babel, the xhlélejo injunctive mood. I think it interesting that +khrúju qìr xhmé is an entire unit, that if one is going to use +khrúju with the injunctive mood that qìr xhmé has to come right after it directly even if there is an active. Also it’s interesting that we have level five suffixes for the injunctive mood, and they have first person and second person and third person forms.
Great-Uncle Táto is sitting at his side of the tbale and telling me that the Injunctive Mood is used to expression intention and should and ought to. He chanted that it is used for strong forceful commands for both the present and time to come, for normal discource and magic and prayer, for giving directions, and for being fancy and archaic. I have a slightly different perspective on the xhlèlejo mood. As you have deduced from my mews and purrs and the clacking clicks of my twin Ixhúja, the Language of Beasts sometimes inflects for moments of time, for what is and what was and what is to come, unlike Babel does. I think that the Injunctive Mood is the closest that Babel comes to a pure future tense.

Does one have to write examples now? Great-Uncle Táto saith that I can just use some of the examples in your last epistle and inflect them into the Injunctive Mood.

Eûxi khrúju qìr xhmé tlhir ijótlha toe’ éja!
Eûxi xhmuju tlhir ijótlha toe’ éja!
Euxiyàmpein tlhir ijótlha toe’ éja!
Thy words shalld ance o'er the whispering mountains!

Xhlár khrúju qìr xhmé khlíjo xhroe tóxing!
Xhlár xhmuju khlíjo xhroe tóxing!
Xhláràmpeis khlíjo xhroe tóxing!
Xhlár khrúju qìr xhmé khlíjo xhroe taê tóxing!
Xhlár xhmuju khlíjo xhroe taê tóxing!
Xhláràmpeis khlíjo xhroe taê tóxing!
Thou shalt eat scurrying rocks!

Óng khrúju qìr xhmé xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Óng xhmuju xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Óngàmpeis xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Your intensions shall always have honor!

Xhthènte khrúju qìr xhmé xhlir ójo’ okháxei!
Xhthènte xhmuju xhlir ójo’ okháxei!
Xhthenteyàmepin xhlir ójo’ okháxei!
Birds shall need to go through water!

Éjar khrúju qìr xhmé!
Éjar xhmuju!
Éjaràmpei!
Thou shalt speak!

Í khrúju qìr xhmé!
Í xhmuju!
Íyàmpei!
Thou shalt go!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhmé!
Khníjur xhmuju!
Khníjuràmpei!
Thou shalt sing!

Ojuxújor khrúju qìr xhmé!
Ojuxújor xhmuju!
Ojuxújoràmpei!
Thou shalt fear!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhmé yoaqe tó!
Khníjur xhmuju yoaqe tó!
Khníjur khrúju qìr xhmé yoaqe taê tó!
Khníjur xhmuju yoaqe taê tó!
Thou shalt be singing!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhm’e yoakhwe tó!
Khníjur xhmuju yoakhwe tó!
Khníjur khrúju qìr xhm’e yoakhwe taê tó!
Khníjur xhmuju yoakhwe taê tó!
Thou shalt be eternally singing!

Great-Uncle Táto tells me that all of the forms of the injunctive mood mean the same thing. +xhmuju is the same as –ampei which is the same as +khrúju qìr xhmé. And yet one cannot help but notice that khrúju qìr xhmé is one two three four different syllables, and it has a rising musical tone, a middle level tone, a falling tone, and then a rising musical tone again. There has to be some sort of difference, even if just in sound. To me +khrúju qìr xhmé sounds more formal than -ampei. But then again –ampei can inflect for person which is fairly utilitarian. It’s like having a few extra knives hidden in one’s sleeve.

+Xhmuju and +khrúju qìr xhmé can both be used with the aspect suffix things, and Great-Uncle Táto tells me that’s incredibly important.

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt kiss the ballerina princess!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yojhwa jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju yojhwa jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt kiss te ballerina princess more than once!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yupwar jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju yupwar jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt kiss the ballerina princess once!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yoaqe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju yoaqe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt be kissing the ballerina princess!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yoakhwe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju yoakhwe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt be eternally kissing the ballerina princess!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yaipoi jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Khniêr xhmuju yaipoi jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shall be fated to kiss the ballerina princess!

Great-Uncle Táto tells me that the above utterances are not appropriate for a grammar. Thou shalt not kiss the princess! One was telling him that these were private epistles being sent between husband and bride, but he reminds me as a practical purpose that just about everyone in our household has been reading these epistles, one cannot guess where the Traîkhiim have scattered the letters, who knows what the Immortal Áme are telling one another, and I think my dearest Karuláta Khniêma Akhlísa has been making epistles and distributing them throughout all the Land.

The negative form of the injunctive mood is always the level four suffix +suju. And since I’m not creative enough to create examples of mine own, I shall just negate the ones already writ.

Eûxi suju tlhir ijótlha toe’ éja!
Thy words shall not dance o'er the whispering mountains!

Xhlár suju khlíjo xhroe tóxing!
Xhlár suju khlíjo xhroe tae tóxing!
Thou shalt not eat scurrying rocks!

Óng suju xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
You intensions shall not always have honor!

Xhthènte suju xhlir ójo’ okháxei!
Birds shall not need to go through water!

Éjar smuju!
Thou shalt not speak!

Í suju!
Thou shalt go!

Khníjur smuju!
Thou shalt not sing!

Ojuxújor suju!
Thou shalt not fear!

Khníjur suju yoaqe tó!
Khníjur suju yoaqe taê tó!
Thou shalt not be singing!

Khníjur suju yoakhwe tó!
Khníjur suju yoakhwe taê tó!
Thou shalt not be eternally singing!

Khniêr smuju jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt not kiss the ballerina princess!

Khniêr suju yojhwa jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt not kiss te ballerina princess more than once!

Khniêr suju yupwar jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt not kiss the ballerina princess once!

Khniêr suju yoaqe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt not be kissing the ballerina princess!

Khniêr suju yoakhwe jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shalt not be eternally kissing the ballerina princess!

Khniêr suju yaipoi jhpaipasaraxìmejikh taê tó!
Thou shall not be fated to kiss the ballerina princess!

The injunctive mood, my beloved bride, as you well know takes the subject either in the experiencer case, or if the subject is second person, experiencer case or vocative case. However, quite often the injunctive mood likes to have its subject in the ergative case. Great-Uncle Táto is telling me that some say that the injunctive mood just naturally attacts volitional clauses. Using the ergative case with the injunctive mood and an object in the absolutive case may give the clause a slightly emphatic sense. Since Babel completely lacketh a pure future tense, I think that this particular combination of volitionality and injunctive mood comes the closest.

Eûxi khrúju qìr xhmé tlhir ijótlha toe’ éjayan!
Eûxi xhmuju tlhir ijótlha toe’ éjayan!
Euxiyàmpein tlhir ijótlha toe’ éjayan!
Thy words shall dance indeed o'er the whispering mountains!
Eûxi smuju tlhir ijótlha toe’ éjayan!
Thy words shall not dance indeed o'er the whispering mountains!

Xhlár khrúju qìr xhmé khlíjoyòjhwa tóyaning!
Xhlár xhmuju khlíjoyòjhwa tóyaning!
Xhláràmpeis khlíjoyòjhwa tóyaning!
Thou shall eat indeed scurrying rocks!
Xhlár suju khlíjoyòjhwa tóyaning!
Thou shall not eat indeed the scurrying rocks!

One does not use volitionality with the Habeo Construction, and so I would say:

Óngònyii khrúju qìr xhmé xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Óngònyii xhmuju xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Óngampeisònyii xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
You intensions shall always have honor on purpose!
Óngònyii suju xhmir xhméyoâkhwe tóxhrejor!
Your intensions shall not always have honor on purpose!

Xhthènte khrúju qìr xhmé xhlir ójo’ okháxeîyan!
Xhthènte xhmuju xhlir ójo’ okháxeîyan!
Xhthenteyàmepin xhlir ójo’ okháxeîyan!
Birds shall need indeed to go through water!
Xhthènte suju xhlir ójo’ okháxeîyan!
Birds shall not need to go through the water!

Éjar khrúju qìr xhmé túyan!
Éjar xhmuju túyan!
Éjaràmpeis túyan!
Thou shall speak indeed!
Éjar suju túyan!
Thou shall not speak indeed!

Í khrúju qìr xhmé túyan!
Í xhmuju túyan!
Íyàmpeis túyan!
Thou shall go indeed!
Í smuju túyan!
Thou shall not go indeed!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhmé túyan!
Khníjur xhmuju túyan!
Khníjuràmpeis túyan!
Thou shall sing indeed!
Khníjur suju túyan!
Thou shall not sing indeed!

Ojuxújor khrúju qìr xhmé túyan!
Ojuxújor xhmuju túyan!
Ojuxújoràmpeis túyan!
Thou shall fear indeed!
Ojuxújor suju túyan!
Thou shall fear not indeed!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhmé yoaqe túyan!
Khníjur xhmuju yoaqe túyan!
Thou shall be singing indeed!
Khníjur suju yoaqe túyan!
Thou shall not be singing indeed!

Khníjur khrúju qìr xhm’e yoakhwe túyan!
Khníjur xhmuju yoakhwe túyan!
Thou shall be eternally singing indeed!
Khníjur suju yoakhwe túyan!
Thou shall not be eternally singing indeed!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall kiss the ballerina princess indeed!
Khniêr suju jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not kiss the ballerina princess indeed!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yojhwa jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju yojhwa jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shalt kiss the ballerina princess indeed more than once!
Khniêr suju yojhwa jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not kiss the ballerina princess indeed more than once!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yupwar jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju yupwar jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shalt kiss the ballerina princess once!
Khniêr suju yupwar jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not kiss the ballerina princess indeed once!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yoaqe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju yoaqe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall be kissing the ballerina princess indeed!
Khniêr suju yoaqe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not be kissing the ballerina princess indeed!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yoakhwe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju yoakhwe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall be eternally kissing the ballerina princess indeed!
Khniêr smuju yoakhwe jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not be eternally kissing the ballerina princess indeed!

Khniêr khrúju qìr xhmé yaipoi jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Khniêr xhmuju yaipoi jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall be fated to kiss the ballerina princess!
Khniêr suju yaipoi jhpaipasàraximm túyan!
Thou shall not be fated to kiss the ballerina princess!

And one does not use the the injunctive mood with a non-volitional clause because the injunctive mood is volitional and purposed by its very nature. So Great-Uncle Táto tells me that the following utterances are just plain wrong.

Eûxi khrúju qìr xhmé tlhir ijótlha toe xhlir éja.
One would have to say
Euxiyònwo khrúju qìr xhmé tlhir ijótlha toe’ éja.
Thy word shall dance o'er Þe whispering mountains by accident.

This is wrong:
Xhlár khrúju qìr xhmé khlíloyòjhwa tóxhli.
But one can say:
Xhlárònwo khrúju qìr xhmé khlíloyòjhwa tóxhli.
Thou shalt eat scurrying rocks by accident.

Great-Uncle Táto wants me to write about how the injunctive mood is used with sentences which do not have a subject. Such constructions can take the injunctive suffix upon the predicate or one may sprinkle the locative phrase qìr xhmé somewhere within it.


Fhúnàlwaur pútlhi.
I am homesick.
Fhúnàlwaur khrúju qìr xhmé pútlhi.
Fhúnàlwaur xhmuju pútlhi.
Fhúnalwauràmpeit pútlhi.
Qìr xhmé fhúnàlwaur pútlhi.
Fhúnàlwaur qìr xhmé pútlhi.
Fhúnàlwaur pútlhi qìr xhmé.
I intend to be homesick.
Fhúnàlwaur suju pútlhi.
I shall not be homesick.

Tlhìntril xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Íngìkhmar’s Son is melancholy.
Tlhìntril khrúju qìr xhmé xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Tlhìntril xhmuju xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Tlhintrilàmpein xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Qìr xhmé tlhìntril xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Tlhìntril qìr xhmé xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Tlhìntril xhmir Íngikhmàrjem qìr xhmé.
Íngìkhmar’s Son must be melancholy.
Tlhìntril suju xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.
Íngìkhmar’s Son must not be sad.

And Great-Uncle reminds me that the above sentences actually have the subject in the locative case, but that even though Tlhìntril xhmir Íngikhmàrjem xhmuju is grammatically it is left oft chanted than Tlhìntril xhmuju xhmir Íngikhmàrjem.

Jàtsiin tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
The warrior wears a dreamcape.
Jàtsiin khrúju qìr xhmé tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
Jàtsiin xhmuju tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
Jatsiinàmpei tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
Qìr xhmé jàtsiin tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
Jàtsiin qìr xhmé tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
Jàtsiin tsena tlhir jakhtàqta qìr xhmé.
The warrior intends to wear a dreamcape.
Jàtsiin suju tsena tlhir jakhtàqta.
The warrior intends not to wear a dreamcape.

And the above examples have used some words rather dear to me, fhúnàlwaur longing, nostalgia, homesickness, sadness after a loss, hejmveo, droug ar ger, hiraeth and the express fhúnàlwaur tlhir X means X feels longing, nostalgia, homesickness, sadness after a loss, and the next examples have used tlhìntru, tlhìntril those who are sad, unhappy, melancholy, fo leann·dubh, pruddglwyfus, dreary, szomorú, malgaja, λaki and the utterance tlhìntril xhmir X meaneth X is sad, unhappy, melancholy while jàtsi, jàtsiin are dreamcapes, sagums, ngup, kethoneth paßim, chlamys, rimáayo and jàtsiin tlhir X signifieth dreamcapes that X wears or X wears dreamcapes.

And Great-Uncle Táto is wanting me to write that the locative phrase qìr xhmé likes the mediopassive voice, or that the mediopassive voice sounds best with the phrase qìr xhmé rather than with an injunctive suffix. I’m sure he shall provide me a couple of examples.

Tsèfheir tsenastélàrejikhh khmírafham qìr xhmé pú kae púyenwe.
I, a male, carry the princess whom I intend to love.
Jaê stélarùpwar jhkhéring kupejos qìr xhmé jakhtàqte kae púxhlisa.
I see the princess that the warrior intends to protect.
Thòthoas theupíyayùpwar qyekhènafham qìr xhmé tyaqája kae lwangpejàyepakh.
The peasant chanced to think about the virgin whom the slaves intended to kill.

That’s an horrible example, Great-Uncle Táto.

Great-Uncle saith that these are enough examples for now, and I am with that content.
I just hope that you and Fhermáta and the Traîkhiim are safe within the Otherworld. Please, if you need anything at all or need to leave the Otherworld at any time let me know at once. I know that Our Heart Raven is your Uncle by blood, but I think you should still be cautious of him. It is chanted that every family has at least one silly person, and I think Raven is the silliest one of the Clan of the Áme.
And, please, if you wish to stay with my Mother and Sisters I shall send the fleet for you. Just tell me. I won’t have Grandfather Pátifhar or your parents dictating where you should stay, if you do not wish to dwell in a place. Oh my love, my beloved, my precious, Qwasáta.
Thine for all time Puey