Oo-inoutha Tower of Babel Translation
I recently finished my first conlang, called Oo-inoutha. I was inspired by languages with small consonant inventories like Hawai'ian and Rotokas as well as languages with lots of lenition/deletion like French. Oo-inoutha is spoken on the Christmas and Keeling Islands (which in our world had no indigenous population). Oo-inoutha has six consonants: /k/, /ʔ/, /l̪/, /n̪/, /θ/, /w/, and /j/, which is an allophone of /i/. However, it has many different vowels: /i/, /iː/, /u/, /uː/, /a/, /aː/, /ou/, /au/, and /ai/.
It has a very simple alphabet:
Aa /a/
Hh *no value on its own, only in digraphs
Ii /i/
Kk /k/
Ll /l̪/
Nn /n̪/
Oo *no value on its own, only in digraphs
Qq /ʔ/
Tt *no value on its own, only in digraphs
Uu /u/
Ww /w/
Yy /j/
Digraphs (and the hyphen)ː
Aa aa /aː/
Ai ai /ai/
Au au /au/
Ii ii /iː/
Oo oo /ou/ or /uː/ word-finally
Ou ou /ou/
Th th /θ/
Uu uu /uː/
- *used to separate vowels that aren’t parts of digraphs, pronounced as /ʔ/
Anyway, finally, here is my translation:
Kawii Thathaa (The Tower of Babel):
A aquu thithi niwaqa atha ou-i a atha tha-u. A a-a niqali, ka aqathu aa-aqaa ka thanuu, aqa niqathaa ka aqathou-aa ka Thinaa, a thana, aqa niquu-aa aqathu ali. Aqa nooqathoo, “Ou-i, kau-aa kathaqatha, a thai-aa aqa nooya.” A aqathu kathaqatha niwaq-i kathu, a aqa nithouthuu aqa ana thanaa ouluu. A aqa nou-aa, “Ou-i, kau-aa ali, a kawii tha-aa thou-aa ka lanii; kali kanoo ka tha thou aqaa ka thithi.” A Athou-aa nithou-uu ka atha ali a kawii tha-aa oonaa-ounaa tha-u niqau-aa. A Athou-aa nou-aa, “Naa, aqa waqa-i atha naithu a aqa waqa atha ou-i; a a-a waqa-i na-atha au-uu tha-aa aqa thou-u kau-aa: a a-aqa, Ou-u thou thou-u aaqaa aqathu lathoolathoo. Ou-i, thou-uu a outhuu aqathu athaa ou-i, ka aqa thou thou-u oo-aaqaa.” Ka Athou-aa nanuu aqa thanu thithi: a aqa naaqaa kau-aa aqathu ali. Ka aqa ninathaa a-a, “Thathaa,” ka thana, Athou-aa nouthuu aqathu athaa ou-i a ka thana Athou-aa nanuu aqa thanu thithi.
Gloss:
tower Babel:
And all earth PAST-have one language and one speech. And 3SG PAST-happen, LOC 3PL.GEN wander-NOMINALIZE LOC southeast, 3PL PAST-arrive LOC plain LOC Shinar, and there, 3PL PAST-made 3PL.GEN town. 3PL PAST-RECIP-tell, “Come, make brick~PL, and burn 3PL well.” And 3PL.GEN brick~PL PAST-be stone, a 3PL PAST-stack 3PL INSTR sticky.earth. And 3PL PAST-say, “Come, make town, and tower REL ascend LOC sky; become famous CONJ 1PL.INC.NOM NEG wander LOC earth.” And God PAST-descend CONJ see town and tower REL child~PL mankind PAST-make. And God PAST-say, “Look, 3PL be one culture and 3PL have one language; and PROXPRO be only beginning REL 3PL be.able.to do: and now 1SG NEG be.able.to stop 3PL.GEN intention~PL. Come, descend and take.away 3PL.GEN comprehension language. CONJ God PAST-scatter 3PL all.around earth: and 3PL PAST-stop build 3PL.GEN town. CONJ 3PL PAST-name 3SG, “Babel,” CONJ there, God PAST-take.away 3PL.GEN comprehension language and LOC there God PAST-scatter 3PL all.around earth.
Sorry that I didn't include an IPA transcription, but 1. It would be really hard and 2. The alphabet is largely phonetic anyway.