Let’s make a language, part 17c: The body (Ardari)

Ardari, like Isian, is a human language. That makes our lives easier, because we don’t have to worry about alien anatomy, and that’s a big help with Ardari. The phonology and grammar are enough trouble by themselves!

The body

The Ardari body, or apsa, has seven main sections, and that’s a bit of a cross between physiology and philosophy. But that’s how they see it, so who are we to argue?

The first is the chäf “head”. That’s where the mouth (mim) is, so we need it to eat (tum-) and drink (kabus-). The head also has our zhajëlad “hair”, another important part of being human…unless you’re bald.

The head also physically contains the sense organs, but Ardari counts them as part of the brain, sènga. The agya “eye” lets us see (ivit-). To smell (aws-), we use the khun “nose”. The mèka “ear” is how we hear (ablon-). In addition to helping us eat, one part of the mouth, the lèta “tongue”, is used to taste (aty-). Touching (tejv-) is perceived by the brain, too, though the skin (prall) covers the entire body.

The head connects via the ghaf “neck” to the next part of the body: the chest, or ghall. It contains a number of important bones (singular: oqa) and muscles (singular: zuna).

But the chest’s most vital purpose is housing another section of the body: the rocha, or “heart”. The heart, to Ardari speakers, controls the chonga “blood”, one of the essences of life.

Sticking out of either side of the upper body is a kyem “arm”. Bending at the krin “elbow”, it ends at a hand, or kyur. Five fingers (singular: inda) are on that hand, one of which is the special kyu “thumb”.

Farther down the body is the lubrall, the abdomen. It has quite a few interesting bits, but the most pertinent for this post are the legs (singular: khära). Like arms, these have a bending joint, the knee or kubya. And at the end of each is one allga “foot”, complete with five toes (singular: alyinda). Put together, they’re how we walk (brin-).

Bodily functions

People live (derva-) and die (lo-). They sleep (rhèch-) and wake (äske-). And they do so much more.

Lovers will kiss (alym-) and perhaps dance (tatyer-), friends will laugh (jejs-) and smile (miwe-). Those who are sad can cry (ajn-), but someone will often be there to hold (yfily-) them. And that’s only a taste (atyëndasö) of what’s out there.

Word list

As with Isian, this is a larger list of words that contains those mentioned in this post and a number of others created for this topic.

Body parts
  • abdomen: lubrall
  • arm: kyem
  • back (rear): sur
  • blood: chonga
  • body: apsa
  • bone: oqa
  • brain: sènga
  • chest: ghall
  • ear: mèka
  • elbow: krin
  • eye: agya
  • face: sòl
  • finger: inda
  • flesh: tyaza
  • forehead: nèchäf
  • foot: allga
  • hair (single): zhaj
  • hair (collective): zhajëlad
  • hand: kyur
  • head: chäf
  • heart: rocha
  • knee: kubya
  • leg: khära
  • mouth: mim
  • muscle: zuna
  • neck: ghaf
  • nose: khun
  • skeleton: lejoqa
  • skin: prall
  • spine: oqoza
  • stomach: cheld
  • sweat: kwèd
  • tear (drop): osi
  • thumb: kyu (neuter, declined as kyuw-)
  • toe: alyinda
  • tongue: lèta
  • tooth: käga
Bodily terms
  • alive: dervant
  • awake: äskent
  • dead: lont
  • dream: omi
  • fat: vukh
  • sick: blòkh
  • skinny: tris
  • tired: zorant
  • to die: lo-
  • to kill: dyèg-
  • to live: derva-
  • to sleep: rhèch-
  • to wake: äske-
Bodily actions
  • to breathe: dèrèlo-
  • to catch: kòp-
  • to cry: ajn-
  • to dance: tatyer-
  • to drink: kabus-
  • to eat: tum-
  • to hold: yfily-
  • to kick: algèlo-
  • to kiss: alym-
  • to laugh: jejs-
  • to lie (down): dwe-
  • to run: okhyn-
  • to shout: eja-
  • to smile: miwe-
  • to sit: bun-
  • to stand: minla-
  • to swim: tso-
  • to throw: ghur-
  • to walk: brin-
The senses
  • sense: llad
  • smell: awsönda
  • taste: atyënda
  • to feel: luch-
  • to hear: ablon-
  • to listen for: èkhlyd-
  • to look at: tojs-
  • to see: ivit-
  • to smell: aws-
  • to sniff: nyaz-
  • to taste: aty-
  • to touch: tejv-

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