Other lexical notes

Logic

Logical connectives (other than negation, covered earlier) are binary words.

• Su taterhi pm.
• 2 D2\bear is.a
• You are a bear.

• Þu taterhi düžŋģē bm gžur.
• 1.EXCL D2\bear D3\fish D2\and give
• I gave things to a bear and a fish.

• Tatorhu taterhezpi gŋ þi fābur.
• bear D2\polar.bear except D2\1.EXCL chase
• A bear, but not a polar bear, chased me.

• Tatorhu dažŋģī ky þi fābur.
• bear D2\fish or D2\1.EXCL chase
• Either a bear or a fish chased me.

• Dažŋģū taterhi pfm.
• fish D2\bear imply
• Where there are fish, there are bears.

Numbers and other forms of quantification

value	digit	value	numeric constant
⅕	kaku	0	šu
⅓	puy	φ	bmpu
½	du	2π	wðu
1	fu	55	fazmfu
2	bu	89	bazmbu
3	tu	144	taðntu
5	ku	233	kažŋku
8	þu	377	þavrðu
13	tū	610	tāzntū
21	su	987	sazrsu
34	þtu	1597	þadnðtu

valence	prefix
0	tr-
1	pa-
2	pw-

A Daemonica number is formed by a numeric prefix and either a numeric constant, or a sequence of digits. Repeated digits, such as kaku (5, 5) are interpreted as reciprocals. The integers in the digit-representation are summed; the reciprocals are multiplied; and then the sum is multiplied by the reciprocals to form the actual number.

• tr-pay-to-ko-ko-þu
• numeric.0-one.third-three-five-five-eight
• eleven fifteenths ((3 + 8) / (3 × 5))

Numeric constants are not treated as digits.

• tr-vazmfu
• numeric.0-fifty.five
• fifty-five

• *tr-vazmfo-þtu
• numeric.0-fifty.five-thirty.four
• eighty-nine

A nullary number is simply an abstract value; a unary number is multiplied by its absolutive argument; a binary number is multiplied by its absolutive argument and then added to its ergative argument.

• tr-vazmfu pa-bu
• numeric.0-fifty.five numeric.1-two
• one hundred and ten

• tr-vazmfu tr-vu pw-þtu
• numeric.0-fifty.five numeric.0-one numeric.2-thirty-four
• eighty-nine

Other words can take numeric prefixes as well. The most common reason for doing this is to form units of measure.

• dažŋģū pa-džur
• fish numeric.1-pot
• a pot of fish

• tatorhu tr-zir pw-ðu
• bear D2\numeric.0-rock numeric.2-eight
• a bear that weighs about 375 kg (eight ‘rocks’)

Colors

Daemonica has three basic color words: þduy (black), þayžgu (white, gray, bright yellow, or pale blue), and gvu (orange or any shade of red). All other color terms are derived, often using the prefix þay-, which can derive a unary word for any sensory characteristic.

█	gva:vbū	noble red
█	gva:ðduy	cold red
█	gva:hoģur	exactly red
█	gva:džu	hot red
█	þayžgo:ðtuy	cold white
█	þayžgo:hoģur	exactly white
█	þayžgo:džu	hot white
█	þay:þoy:žgu	anti-white
█	þduy	black
█	þday:ðoyžgu	black-white
█	þay-žāpū	silver-like
█	þay-škavorhur	wood-like
█	þay-ðavur	copper-like
█	þay-zartður	dirt-like
█	þay-zāðduy	night-like
█	þay-zbū	water-like
█	þay-zpu	ice-like

Ethnic and sexual language

Terms related to sex, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity cannot be translated precisely into Daemonica—or, rather, the closest corresponding terms are too precise. Sometimes, speakers resort to euphemisms to hint at a culturally-specific category.

• Ša-vbū þi bā-vparpuy-kū þi bva-ša-dðiy pfm.
• raise.ERG-lead D2\1.EXCL want-independent-INCOH D2\1.EXCL D2\REFL-raise.ERG-young imply
• The boss wants to fire me because I’m a woman (because I should be taking care of children).

• Ša-vbū þi bā-vparpuy-kū þi bva-da-vbē:bī pfm.
• raise.ERG-lead D2\1.EXCL want-independent-INCOH D2\1.EXCL D2\REFL-raise.ABS-ruling.class imply
• The boss wants to fire me because I’m a woman (because I should not be in a position of authority).

• Ša-vbū þi bā-vparpuy-kū þi sũ-že fī pfm.
• raise.ERG-lead D2\1.EXCL want-independent-INCOH D2\1.EXCL D3\raise.LOC-nothing D2\ERG imply
• The boss wants to fire me because I belong to a landless ethnic group.

• Ša-vbū þi bā-vparpuy-kū þi tr-ðtü-ðæ-ti ķgir pfm.
• raise.ERG-lead D2\1.EXCL want-independent-INCOH D2\1.EXCL D3\numeric.2-thirty.four-eight-three D2\friend imply
• The boss wants to fire me because I’m a friend of ‘45.’

Consisently using the same word to translate one of these terms, instead of choosing the right synonym for the context, is one of the surest marks of a non-fluent Daemonica speaker.