#lexember2025 — Public Fediverse posts

#conlang #lexember #lexember2025

I'm sick and feverish. I want to use this time to coin some new words, but I want to avoid using words for sickness and its ilk. I need some hints because my meat computer is a bit busy.

Day 28: My Lexember 2025 in HTML

I published this thread as a web page: https://raek.se/conlang/lexember_2025.html

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 27: Landscape: "kwidunu nâfumbâ"

New Words

• kwidunu n. view, visual perception, act of seeing
• kwidunu nâfumbâ: n. landscape, scenerey, view

Example

• [ˈbiⁿtsi keˈkoⁿdʑa lə ˈkugi ᵑkʷiˈdunu nəˈɸuᵐbə]
• Binsi kekonja lâ kugi nkwidunu nâfumbâ.
• binsi ke~konja lâ kugi N=kwidunu n=âfumbâ
• 1PL.IN IPFV~travel along road GEN=view GEN=land
• We're taking the scenic route.

Finished?

Now all 26 words in the "landscape" visual dictionary are finished as well as the title itself. I originally committed to these 27 days, and I haven't decided yet what to do with the remaining four of Lexember.

See the ALT text on the image for the complete list of words.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 26: Cliff: "tibunu nâfumbâ"

New Words

• tibunu: n. an instance of the act dropping, the distance which something drops, very steep or nearly vertical rock face
• tibunu nâfumbâ: n. rock face, cliff (more explicitly the geographic sense)

Example

• [tɕa ˈkeᵑgoˈ ⁿti'bunu ˈhiⁿtə aᵑˈkʷeⁿda ˈkeᵑgo ˈᵐboje]
• Cha kengo ntibunu hintâ ankwenda kengo mboye.
• cha kengo N=tibunu hintâ AN-kwenda kengo N=boye
• on top GEN=cliff 1PL.EX AV-see top GEN=cloud
• From the top of the cliff we saw the top of the clouds.

The not-very-subtle easter egg: boye

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 25: Canal: "bilunu nkekonsa"

New Words

• kekonsa: adj. constructed, man-made, artificial (actually passive voice of the verb konsa`make, build, construct)
• bilunu nkekonsa: n. canal ("man-made river")
• kwânyâ: n. tongue, language
• kwânyâ nkekonsa: n. conlang ♥️

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 24: Glacier: "bilunu mboro"

New Words

• bilunu mboro n. glacier (literally "ice river")

Example

• Boro ambenka tumunuhâ cha kengo nteme lâ bilunu mboro.
• boro AN-benka tumunu=HA cha kengo N=teme lâ bilunu N=boro
• snow AV-pit cover=3SG.IN at overside GEN=mountain and river GEN=ice
• The snow layed its cover over mountain and glacier.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 23: Ice Cap: "tumunu mboro"

New Words

• tumunu: n. coating, (non-rigid) cover, blanket (metaphorically)
• boro: n snow, ice
• tumunu mboro: ice cap

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 22: Volcano: "teme ngwahenga (lâ kolyo)"

I've been looking forward to this one!

New Words

• kolyo: n. contained fire (like in a stove, oven, kiln or furnace; not for light, or in the open like in a campfire or bonfire), blaze [also see Day 3]
• henga: n. oven
• wahenga: n. kiln
• teme ngwahenga: n. volcano (literally "kiln mountain")
• teme ngwahenga lâ kolyo: n. erupting volcano ("kiln mountain ablaze")

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 21: Harbor, Port

New Words

• ondofo: harbor, port

Grammar

The letters/phones f [ɸ], h [x̞], and hw [x̞ʷ] are allophones of "one and a half" phoneme: a non-sibilant fricative with labialization only phonemic before non-rounded vowels.

Valid combinations:

• he, hi, hwe, hwi
• ha, hâ, hwa, hwâ
• fo, fu

If f appears before a non-roubded vowel it turns into hw, and if h or hw appear before a rounded vowel they turn into f.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

#lexember day 17. Now realizing I didn't have all three:

xálaf - nowhere
kʷólaf - somewhere
aɣʲéŋʲax - everywhere

gotta love some irregularity
#lexember2025

#lexember days 13-16: The saga of indefinite pronouns continues! (for my Material Plane Proto Lang)

aɣʲébɣʲə - everyone
aɣʲéŋʲax - everywhere
aɣʲēlʷas - everytime, each time, always
aɣʲedēnʲə - everything. Also, the entirety of a thing

from Inner Planar ici (each, all) plus:
-bki (person)
ɴœci (place. This differs from the words for somewhere and nowhere, which use rafu, meaning 'where?')
ærœnse (time, time period)
adeññy (thing)

#lexember2025

Day 20: Horizon: "tunyu rhimbi"

New Words

• rhimbi: n. sky, heaven
• tunyu rhimbi: n. horizon
• degwe: n. inside
• ko degwe n-: prep. into

Example

• [siˈrumə ˈseⁿdʑa lə ˈsində ˈⁿtuɲu ˈɾʑiᵐbi ko ˈdegʷe ˈᵐpaᵑka]
• Sirumâ senja lâ sindâ ntunyu rhimbi ko degwe mpanka.
• sirumâ senja lâ sindâ N=tuny N=rhimbi ko degwe N=panka
• sun step across width GEN=shore GEN=sky to inside GEN=ocean
• The sun stepped across the horizon into the ocean.

Inspiration

Tunyu rhimbi is a calque of the Finnish word taivaanranta.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 19: Sea, Ocean: "halacha, panka"

New Words

• halacha: n. sea (from where you can see the coast)
• panka: n. ocean, sea (from where you can't see the coast)
• sindâ: n. breadth, extent from side to side
• lâ sindâ n-: prep. across (the breadth)

Example

• [kiˈrumu ˈkoⁿdʑa lə ˈsində ˈᵐpaᵑka we ʔəˈɸuᵐbə ˈneka ko ʔəˈɸuᵐbə ˈrawe]
• Kirumu konja lâ sindâ mpanka we âfumbâ neka ko âfumbâ rawe.
• kirumu konja lâ sindâ N=panka we âfumbâ N=eka ko âfumbâ N=rawea
• 3PL.AN fare across width GEN=ocean from island ATTR=first to island ATTR=other
• They travelled across the ocean from the one island to the other island.

Grammar

The meanings of the preposition lâ include:

• Comitative: in company with (someone)
• Istrumental: using (something)
• Perlative: through, across, along [new meaning from today]

Lâ is also the conjuction "and".

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

#lexember2025 day 12

xadzʲēnʲə • noun (1st class): dagger, knife (as a weapon or eating utensil)

The plural is xédemxʲólsʲə, how's THAT for complicated?

from Inner Planar kejeciññy: dagger, needle. (the plural there was kejeciñynsæ), from Primordial qɪdɛʃɪ: sharp, pointy

Day 18: Beach: "tunyu ndânku"

New Words

• dânku: n. sand
• kâtu ndânku: n. sandbank, (partially) submerged ridge of sand
• tunyu ndânku: n. beach, sandy shore, sandy riverbank

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

#lexember2025 days 10-11

daf • to where (like the more general "taf" (when) but taking the accusative marking) ← IP rafu

dávwan • from where (as above, but taking the dative marking) ← IP rafu

#lexember2025 day 9

lālswen • when (specifically asking about the future) ← IP ra-ærœse-ñy (question particle + time period + dative marker)

(I'm particularly proud of this one)

Day 17: Bay, Gulf: "jumâ ntunyu"

New Words

• jumâ: n.
  1. hollow, hole, pocket
  2. lap, bosom, embrace, arms
  3. den, (hollow of a) bird's nest
  4. bay, gulf

Example

• [ˈrawe ˈɲaᵑga ʔaˈnaⁿdʑa ˈʍəɲu tɕa ˈdʑumə ˈmama kiˈrumu]
• Rawe nyanga ananja hwânyu cha jumâ mama nkirumu.
• rawe nyanga AN-nanja H-wânyu cha jumâ N=mama N=kirumu
• two child AV-want COMPL=sit in lap GEN=mom GEN=3PL.AN
• The two children wanted to sit in their mother's lap.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

#lexember2025 day 8

lālwas • "when" (specifically asking about the past) ← IP ra-ærœse (question particle + time period)

Day 16: Ridge: "kâtu nteme"

New Words

• kâtu: n. ridge; Anatomy: back; Geography: montain ridge
• teme: n. mountain
• kâtu nteme: n mountain ridge (more explicitly the geographic sense)

Flag

A while ago I played with https://flag-creator.com/ and made a flag for the fictitious island where Kwanyani is spoken.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

#lexember2025 day 7, we'll get to 31 one day lol

la• how ← IP ra (question particle) (this one is the simple one because I had "clever" ways to do all the other question words)

Day 15: Highland: "âfumbâ nkengo"

New Words

• kengo: n. overside, height
• cha kengo n-: prep. over
• âfumbâ nkengo: n. highland

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 14: Lowland: "âfumbâ ndesa"

New Words

• desa: n. underside, low
• cha desa n-: prep. under
• âfumbâ ndesa: n. lowland, (capitalized) the Netherlands

Example

• [ˈkomo ʔaˈnaⁿdʑa ˈkoⁿdʑa lə ˈwelo tɕa ʔəˈɸuᵐbə ˈⁿdesa]
• Komo ananja konja lâ welo cha Âfumbâ nDesa.
• komo AN-naja konja lâ welo cha Âfumbâ N=Desa
• 1SG AV-want fare with bike in land GEN=low
• I want to cycle in the Netherlands.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 13: Tarn: "kwere"

New Words

• kwere: n. tarn, mountain lake, pond
• belya v. bathe, spend time in water for leisurely pleasure, to swim (when not going anywheree)

Example

• [kiˈrumu ˈbeʎa tɕa ˈkʷere lə kʷiˈkʷəx̞ə ˈʔuwə ku ˈxʷələ ᵑku]
• Kirumu belya cha kwere, lâ kwikwâhâ uwâ ku hwâlâ nku.
• kirumu belya cha kwere lâ kwikwâ=HA uwâ ku hwâlâ N=ku
• 3PL.AN swim in tarn and water=3SG.IN be_warm that day ATTR=that
• They swam in a tarn, and its water was warm that day.

Grammar

The personal pronouns of Kwanyani distinguishes between first person exclusive and inclusive. First exclusive, second, and third persons pronouns have singular and plural forms. The first person inclusive have dual and plural forms, and this is the only part of the grammar where the dual shows up. The table of pronoun forms becomes more regular if one thinks of minimal vs augmented (instead of singular vs plural) for four persons: 1, 1+2, 2, and 3.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_number#Minimal,_unit_augmented,_and_augmented

Minimal personal pronouns (independent and clitic forms):

• 1SG: komo, =MU
• 1DU.INCL: yumbâ, =MBA
• 2SG: wende, =NDE
• 3SG.AN: eyo, =YO
• 3SG.IN: oha, =HA

Augmented personal pronouns (independent forms only):

• 1PL.EXCL: hintâ
• 1PL.INCL: binsi
• 2PL: dulu
• 3PL.AN: kirumu
• 3PL.IN: asahe

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 12: Lake: "gwânshâ"

New Words

gwânshâ: n. lake

Example

• [ˈbaⁿtse siˈrumə heˈheʎa tɕa ˈbuᵑgu ˌᵑkebeˈbamo ˈgʷəⁿɕə ˈⁿtsiʎə lə ˈkumu ɲaˈmeᵐbe]
• Banse sirumâ hehelya cha bungu, nkebebamo gwânshâ nSilyâ lâ kumu nyamembe.
• banse sirumâ he~helya cha bungu N=KI-be~bamo gwânshâ N=Silyâ lâ kumu N=lyamembe
• now sun IPFV~shine on isthmus REL=PV-IPFV~embrace lake GEN=Silyâ with arm ATTR=blue
• Now the sun is shining on the istmus, which Lake Silyâ embraces with blue arms.

A translation of a line from the song "Slåttervisa", performed by the acapella group Viba Femba (you can find it on Spotify and YouTube).

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Lexember 2025 Entry – Lortho

hlosh- [hloʃ] adj. : quiet, still; eerie, uneasy

#lexember #lexember2025 #lortho #conlang

Day 11: River Delta: "jekwembo mbumu"

New Words

• embo: n. corner
• jiku: num. three
• jekwembo: n. triangle
• jekwembo mbumu: n. river delta
• gega: n. mud, clay, silt

Example

• [biˈlunu ˌʔaⁿteˈtoma dʑeˈkʷeᵐbo ˈᵐbumu lə ˈgega]
• Bilunu antetoma jekwembo mbumu lâ gega.
• bilunu AN-te~toma jekwembo N=bumu lâ gega
• river AV-IPFV~cover triangle GEN=river_mouth with silt
• The river covers the delta with silt.

Grammar

The imperfective stem of the verb is used for actions occurring habitually and for general truths.

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Day 10: Tributary: "bilunu ndoga"

New Words

• loga: n. help, aid, auxiliary, supplement
• bilunu ndoga: n. tributary
• benda: v. to flow
• lâ kugi n-: prep. through, via

Example

• [biˈlunu ˈⁿtsewe ᵑkʷa ˈloga ᵑko biˈlunu ˈᵑgote ˈbeⁿda lə ˈkugi ˈnax̞a ⁿtəˈⁿdimu aˈlenⁿtso]
• Bilunu nSewe, nkwa loga nko bilunu nGote, benda lâ kugi naha ntândimu, Alenso.
• bilunu N=Sewe N=kwa loga N=ko bilunu N=Gote benda lâ kugi N=naha N=tandi=MU Alenso
• river GEN=Sewe REL=be tributary ATTR=to river GEN=Gote flow by way GEN=city GEN=home=1SG Alenso
• The Sewe River, which is a tributary of the Gote River, flows through my hometown, Alenso.

Grammar

When non-obstruent consonants are prenasalized, they mutate like this:

• nasal and prenasalized consonants remain unchanged
• r and rh remain unchanged (the nasal disappears)
• l fortifies into nd
• ly and y nasalize into ny
• w fortifies into ngw

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang

Lexember 2025 Entry - Dhakhsh

chulsq [t͡ɕɯlsq] n. : sedimentary rocks, layered or striped rock formations; plural: chulseq

#lexember #lexember2025 #dhakhsh #conlang

Day 9: River Mouth: "bumu (mbilunu)"

New Words

• bumu: n mouth, lip, opening, river mouth
• bumu mbilunu: n river mouth (more explicitly the geographic sense)

I couldn't come up with an interesting example today. :-)

But I'll share something about word building. It was not my plan to make up a conculture for the conlang, but I have spent some time thinking about where this conlang would belong geographically. I've drawn influence from Bantu and Austronesian languages, so I've started to imagine something like "What if there were another Madagascar (but smaller)?". Some granite (non-volcanic) island in the Indian Ocean, similar to the Mahé island of the Seychelles, maybe?

#lexember #lexember2025 #conlang