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Colors in Hip'alŭk' (media.kbin.social)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by ThatOneKirbyMain2568@kbin.social to c/conlangs@kbin.social
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[-] ThatOneKirbyMain2568@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

In Hip'alŭk' (previously "unnamed conlang"), the word for "color" is nŭr [ˈnʊɾ], coming from the preposition ʌn meaning "like, similar to". In Hip'alŭk', prepositions can also be verbs; in this case, ʌn can also be a verb meaning "to be like". This verb's gerund, ʌnŭr (meaning "a likeness"), is what nŭr comes from.

There are 6 basic color words. These are all verbs, and the names all stem from phrase starting with ʌn and were evolved with the tride and true "this word is common so I can do whatever and it'll probably make sense" method.

  • Nŭlu [ˈnʊlu] covers very light, cool colors*. It comes from ʌn ilŭ [ˈʌn ˈɪlʊ], meaning "like the sky".
  • Šinši [ˈʃinʃi] covers very light, warm colors*. It comes from ʌn šihi [ˈʌn ˈʃiçi], meaning "like sand".
  • Xonsa [ˈxonsa] covers ambers, yellows, and chartreuses. It comes from ʌn xosat [ˈʌn ˈxozat], meaning "like a leaf".
  • Qala [ˈqala] covers pinks, reds, oranges, and browns. It comes from ʌn qlak [ˈʌn ˈqlakˈ], meaning "like the ground".
  • Řolɔn [ˈʀolɔn] covers greens, cyans, and blues. It comes from ʌn řolɔ [ˈʌn ˈʀolɔ], meaning "like a river".
  • Nɔqi [ˈnɔqi] covers very dark colors. It comes from ʌn ɔqi [ˈʌn ˈɔqi], meaning "like the night".

*White can go under either nŭlu or šinši depending on context. For example, a cloud would take nŭlu, while a daytime sun would take šinši.

this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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