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Women-specific 'artlang', invented by Suzette Haden Elgin. Lojban's [[BPFK Section: Evidentials|evidentials]] are inherited from it (although of course, Láadan in turn got them from Amerindian human languages.)
''Láadan'' (in Lojban {{jvs|banludunu}}), a women-specific [[artlang]], invented by Suzette Haden Elgin in 1982. Lojban's [[BPFK Section: Evidentials|evidentials]] are inherited from it (although of course, Láadan in turn got them from Amerindian human languages).


What does it mean for a language to have a gender? -- la [[kreig.daniyl|kreig.daniyl.]]
The language was created to perform another test of the [[Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]], among other things to determine if a language reflecting the way women think would be able to shape a new culture. A close hypothesis was that Western natural languages may be better suited for expressing the views of men than women.


Check out http://www.interlog.com/~kms/Laadan/ and you tell me! :-)
The language was included into Elgin's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Tongue_(Suzette_Haden_Elgin_novel) Native Tongue] science fiction series.
 
Another "test of the [http://www.lojban.org/tiki/Sapir-Whorf+Hypothesis Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis]" language.
 
It has words for womanly things. That doesn't make it womanly, just gender-neutral. English may be "male" in some way, but laadan strikes me as neither.
 
Láadan is clearly feminine; see the pretty purple they used for the web page? It looks like a breast cancer site.
 
But is the vocabulary purple also? (The vocabulary is indeed worth examining; it has specific terms for things like "discord in the home", "anger, for good and not futile reasons", "pain or loss which comes as a relief by virtue of ending the anticipation of its coming", "contentment despite negative circumstances", "the female sexual act", and "the act of relinquishing a cherished/ comforting/ familiar perception".)
 
I despair of this ThreadMode discourse ever congealing into DocumentMode :-) , but the foundational assumption of Láadan is that women's perception of the word is fundamentally incommensurable with men's. So if purple meta-means what I think it meta-means, the answer is yes.


== Grammar ==
== Grammar ==
  Lojban got its evidentials from Láadan, but they are organized quite differently: Most Láadan sentences contain three [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_particle particles]:
As for evidentials unlike in Lojban most Láadan sentences contain three [[particles]]:
1. The speech-act particle – this occurs at the beginning of the sentence and marks it as either a statement (''bíi''), a question (''báa''), etc. In connected speech or writing, this particle is often omitted.


1. The speech-act particle – this occurs at the beginning of the sentence and marks it as either a statement (bíi), a question (báa), et cetera; in connected speech or writing, this particle is often omitted. They are:
According to Elgin, this requirement is to counter "male-centered" language's limitations on women, who are forced to respond "I know I said that, but I meant this".
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | word
|| word
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | translation
|| translation
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Lojban equivalent
|| Lojban equivalent


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Bíi
|| Bíi
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a declarative sentence (usually optional)
|| Indicates a declarative sentence (usually optional)
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ju'a
|| {{jvs|ju'a}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Báa
|| Báa
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a question
|| Indicates a question
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | xu
|| {{jvs|xu}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Bó
|| Bó
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a command; very rare, except to small children
|| Indicates a command; very rare, except to small children
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ko
|| {{jvs|e'i}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Bóo
|| Bóo
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a request; this is the usual imperative/"command" form
|| Indicates a request; this is the usual imperative/"command" form
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | .e'o
|| {{jvs|e'o}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Bé
|| Bé
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a promise
|| Indicates a promise
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | nu'e
|| {{jvs|nu'e}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Bée
|| Bée
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Indicates a warning
|| Indicates a warning
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | .e'unai
|| {{vlapoi|e'u|nai}}


|}
|}
2. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_tense grammatical tense] particle.
2. The [[grammatical tense]] particle occurs second in the sentence.
 
This occurs second in the sentence and marks it as either
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | word
|| word
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | translation
|| translation
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Lojban equivalent
|| Lojban equivalent


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ril
|| ril
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_tense present tense]
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_tense present tense]
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ca [http://www.lojban.org/tiki/ku ku]
|| {{vlapoi|ca|ku}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | eril
|| eril
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_tense past tense]
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_tense past tense]
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | pu [http://www.lojban.org/tiki/ku ku]
|| {{vlapoi|pu|ku}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | aril
|| aril
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_tense future tense]
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_tense future tense]
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ba [http://www.lojban.org/tiki/ku ku]
|| {{vlapoi|ba|ku}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wil
|| wil
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | hypothetical
|| hypothetical
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | da'i
|| {{jvs|da'i}}


|}
|}


Without the tense particle, the sentence is assumed to have the same tense as the previous sentence.
Without the tense particle, the sentence is assumed to have the same tense as the previous sentence which in Lojban can be expressed using {{vlapoi|i|ca|bo}}.


3. The evidence particle – this occurs at the end of statements and indicates the trustworthiness of the statement. They are:
3. The evidence particle occurs at the end of statements and indicates the trustworthiness of the statement.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Láadan Evidence Act Morpheme
|| Láadan Evidence Act Morpheme
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | translation
|| translation
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Lojban equivalent
|| Lojban equivalent


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wa
|| wa
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Known to speaker because perceived by speaker, externally or internally
|| Known to speaker because perceived by speaker, externally or internally
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | za'a/se'o/ju'a
|| {{jvs|za'a}}, {{jvs|se'o}}, {{jvs|ju'a}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wi
|| wi
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Known to speaker because self-evident
|| Known to speaker because self-evident
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | li'a
|| {{jvs|li'a}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | we
|| we
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Perceived by speaker in a dream
|| Perceived by speaker in a dream
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | se'o
|| {{jvs|se'o}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wáa
|| wáa
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Assumed true by speaker because speaker trusts source
|| Assumed true by speaker because speaker trusts source
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | .iati'e
|| {{vlapoi|ia|ti'e}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | waá
|| waá
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Assumed false by speaker because speaker distrusts source; if evil intent by the source is also assumed, the form is "waálh"
|| Assumed false by speaker because speaker distrusts source; if evil intent by the source is also assumed, the form is "waálh"
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | .ianaiti'e
|| {{vlapoi|ia|nai|ti'e}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wo
|| wo
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Imagined or invented by speaker, hypothetical
|| Imagined or invented by speaker, hypothetical
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | da'i/ru'a
|| {{jvs|da'i}}, {{jvs|ru'a}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wóo
|| wóo
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | Used to indicate that the speaker states a total lack of knowledge as to the validity of the matter
|| Used to indicate that the speaker states a total lack of knowledge as to the validity of the matter
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" |  
|| {{vlapoi|ju'o|nai}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | waálh
|| waálh
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" |  
|| [[malicious intent]]
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | .ianaiti'e.iunaidai? (''There must be a better word for [http://www.lojban.org/tiki/malicious+intent malicious intent].'')
|| {{vlapoi|ia|nai|ti'e|iu|nai|dai}}


|-
|-
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | wáo
|| wáo
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" |  
||  
| style="solid #333;padding:0.0194in;" | ju'ocu'i/pe'icu'i
|| {{vlapoi|ju'o|cu'i}}, {{vlapoi|pe'i|cu'i}}


|}
|}
This brings up an interesting question: What is the correct evidential in Lojban (assuming normal experiences) for a sentence like "mi xagji"? za'a? se'o?
This brings up an interesting question:  
*What is the correct evidential in Lojban (assuming normal experiences) for a sentence like '''mi xagji'''? '''za'a'''? '''se'o'''?


== Extract from a Wikipedia article ==
==Phonology==
'''Láadan''' is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_language constructed language] created by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzette_Haden_Elgin Suzette Haden Elgin] in 1982 to test the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir–Whorf_Hypothesis Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis], specifically to determine if development of a language aimed at expressing the views of women would shape a culture; a subsidiary hypothesis was that Western[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language natural languages] may be better suited for expressing the views of men than women. The language was included in her [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction science fiction] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Tongue_(Suzette_Haden_Elgin_novel) Native Tongue] series. Láadan contains a number of words that are used to make unambiguous statements that include how one feels about what one is saying. According to Elgin, this is designed to counter ''male-centered'' language's limitations on women, who are forced to respond "I know I said that, but I meant this".
===Tones===


''Phonology''
Unusually for constructed languages, Láadan is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_(linguistics) tonal language]. It utilizes two distinct tones:
 
* ''lo'' – /lō/ or /lò/, a short, medium or low tone, represented by a single unmarked vowel
'''Tones'''
* ''ló'' – /ló/, a short, high tone, represented by a single marked vowel
 
Unusually for constructed languages, Láadan is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_(linguistics) tonal language]. It utilises two distinct tones:
 
* ''lo''  /lō/ or /lò/, a short, medium or low tone, represented by a single unmarked vowel
* ''ló''  /ló/, a short, high tone, represented by a single marked vowel


The word "Láadan" has three syllables: "lá-" with the short vowel /a/ plus high tone; "-a" with the short vowel /a/ and no tone; and "-dan".
The word "Láadan" has three syllables: "lá-" with the short vowel /a/ plus high tone; "-a" with the short vowel /a/ and no tone; and "-dan".


<nowiki>Láadan does not allow any double [i.e., long] phonemes. Whenever two identical short vowels would occur side by side in a single morpheme, one of them has to be marked for high tone. When adding an affix would result in two identical vowels side by side, an epenthetic /h/ is inserted to prevent the forbidden sequence. The language will allow either "máa" or "maá," but not "maa". These combinations can be described as:</nowiki>
<nowiki>Láadan does not allow any double [i.e., long] phonemes. Whenever two identical short vowels would occur side by side in a single morpheme, one of them has to be marked for high tone. When adding an affix would result in two identical vowels side by side, an epenthetic /h/ is inserted to prevent the forbidden sequence. The language will allow either "máa" or "maá," but not "maa". These combinations can be described as:</nowiki>
* ''loó'' – /lǒː/, a long, low-rising tone, represented by a double vowel, the second of which is marked
* ''lóo'' – /lôː/, a long, high-falling tone, represented by a double vowel, the first of which is marked


* ''loó''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/lǒː/, a long, low-rising tone, represented by a double vowel, the second of which is marked
Some people analyze these tone sequences as tonemic as well, for a total of four tones.
* ''lóo''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/lôː/, a long, high-falling tone, represented by a double vowel, the first of which is marked
 
(Some people analyze these tone sequences as tonemic as well, for a total of four tones.)
 
Elgin prefers an analysis of the language as having no long vowels and a single tone, the high tone (distinguished from "neutral, baseline pitch"), but she acknowledges that linguists using other formalisms would be justified in saying that there are two tones, high and low (or unmarked or mid).[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laadan#cite_note-0 [1]]


'''Vowels'''
Elgin prefers an analysis of the language as having no long vowels and a single tone, the high tone (distinguished from "neutral, baseline pitch"), but she acknowledges that linguists using other formalisms would be justified in saying that there are two tones, high and low (or unmarked or mid).


Láadan has five&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel vowels]:
===Vowels===
Láadan has five [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel vowels]:
* ''a'' – /ɑ/, an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_back_unrounded_vowel open back unrounded vowel] (as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language English] ''calm''),
* ''e'' – /ɛ/, an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_front_unrounded_vowel open-mid front unrounded vowel] (as English ''bell''),
* ''i'' – /ɪ/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-close_near-front_unrounded_vowel near-close near-front unrounded vowel] (as English ''bit''),
* ''o'' – /o/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_back_rounded_vowel close-mid back rounded vowel] (as English ''home''),
* ''u'' – /u/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_back_rounded_vowel close back rounded vowel] (as English ''boon'').


* ''a''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/ɑ/, an&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_back_unrounded_vowel open back unrounded vowel]&nbsp;(as&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language English]&nbsp;''calm''),
===Consonants===
* ''e''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/ɛ/, an&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_front_unrounded_vowel open-mid front unrounded vowel]&nbsp;(as English&nbsp;''bell''),
* ''i''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/ɪ/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-close_near-front_unrounded_vowel near-close near-front unrounded vowel]&nbsp;(as English&nbsp;''bit''),
* ''o''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/o/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-mid_back_rounded_vowel close-mid back rounded vowel]&nbsp;(as English&nbsp;''home''),
* ''u''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/u/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_back_rounded_vowel close back rounded vowel]&nbsp;(as English&nbsp;''boon'').
 
'''Consonants'''
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''&nbsp;'''</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>''' '''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labial_consonant Labial]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labial_consonant Labial]</center>
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_consonant Dental]&nbsp;/[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_consonant Alveolar]</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_consonant Dental] /[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_consonant Alveolar]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postalveolar_consonant Postalveolar]/&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatal_consonant Palatal]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postalveolar_consonant Postalveolar]/ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatal_consonant Palatal]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_consonant Glottal]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_consonant Glottal]</center>


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_consonant Central]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_consonant Central]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_consonant Lateral]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_consonant Lateral]</center>


|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_stop Nasal]</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_stop Nasal]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>m&nbsp;/m/</center>
|| <center>m /m/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>n&nbsp;/n/</center>
|| <center>n /n/</center>
| colspan="3" style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
| colspan="3"|  


|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plosive_consonant Plosive]</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plosive_consonant Plosive]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>b&nbsp;/b/</center>
|| <center>b /b/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>d&nbsp;/d/</center>
|| <center>d /d/</center>
| colspan="3" style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
| colspan="3"|  


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fricative_consonant Fricative]</center>
|| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fricative_consonant Fricative]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''voiceless'''</center>
|| <center>'''voiceless'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>th&nbsp;/θ/</center>
|| <center>th /θ/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>lh&nbsp;/ɬ/</center>
|| <center>lh /ɬ/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>sh&nbsp;/ʃ/</center>
|| <center>sh /ʃ/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>h&nbsp;/h/</center>
|| <center>h /h/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
||  


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''voiced'''</center>
|| <center>'''voiced'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>zh&nbsp;/ʒ/</center>
|| <center>zh /ʒ/</center>
| colspan="4" style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
| colspan="4"|  


|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotic_consonant Rhotic]</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotic_consonant Rhotic]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>r&nbsp;/r/</center>
|| <center>r /r/</center>
| colspan="4" style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
| colspan="4"|  


|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximant_consonant Approximant]</center>
| colspan="2"| <center>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximant_consonant Approximant]</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>w&nbsp;/w/</center>
|| <center>w /w/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>l&nbsp;/l/</center>
|| <center>l /l/</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>y&nbsp;/j/</center>
|| <center>y /j/</center>
| colspan="2" style="padding:0.0194in;" |  
| colspan="2"|  


|}
|}
Láadan lacks the&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant consonants]&nbsp;/p, t, k, ɡ, s/. However, it uses&nbsp;''b'',&nbsp;''d'',&nbsp;''sh''&nbsp;(/ʃ/),&nbsp;''m'',&nbsp;''n'',&nbsp;''l'',&nbsp;''r'',&nbsp;''w'',&nbsp;''y''&nbsp;(/j/),&nbsp;''h''&nbsp;with the same phonetic value as English. In addition to these, three&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digraph_(orthography) digraphs]&nbsp;require further explanation:
Láadan lacks the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant consonants] /p, t, k, ɡ, s/. However, it uses ''b'', ''d'', ''sh'' (/ʃ/), ''m'', ''n'', ''l'', ''r'', ''w'', ''y'' (/j/), ''h'' with the same phonetic value as English. In addition to these, three [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digraph_(orthography) digraphs] require further explanation:
* ''th'' – /θ/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_dental_fricative voiceless dental fricative] (always as in English ''think'', never as ''then''),
* ''zh'' – /ʒ/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_postalveolar_fricative voiced postalveolar fricative] (as English ''plea'''s'''ure''),
* ''lh'' – /ɬ/, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_lateral_fricative voiceless alveolar lateral fricative] (as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language Welsh] ''llan'').


* ''th''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/θ/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_dental_fricative voiceless dental fricative]&nbsp;(always as in English&nbsp;''think'', never as&nbsp;''then''),
==Syntax==
* ''zh''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/ʒ/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_postalveolar_fricative voiced postalveolar fricative]&nbsp;(as English&nbsp;''plea'''s'''ure''),
Láadan is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb–subject–object verb–subject–object] (VSO) language. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb Verbs] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective adjectives] are interchangeable. There are no [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(grammar) articles], and the object is marked by the ''-th'' or ''-eth'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffix suffix]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural plural] number is shown only by the ''me-'' prefix to the verb (''wo-'' is used in some versions of the language). The particle ''ra'' following a verb makes it negative.
* ''lh''&nbsp;–&nbsp;/ɬ/, a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolar_lateral_fricative voiceless alveolar lateral fricative]&nbsp;(as&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language Welsh]&nbsp;''llan'').


'''Grammar'''
==Basic sentences==
 
Láadan is a&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb–subject–object verb–subject–object]&nbsp;(VSO) language.&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb Verbs]&nbsp;and&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective adjectives]&nbsp;are interchangeable. There are no&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(grammar) articles], and the object is marked by the&nbsp;''-th''&nbsp;or&nbsp;''-eth''&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffix suffix]. The&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plural plural]&nbsp;number is shown only by the&nbsp;''me-''&nbsp;prefix to the verb (''wo-''&nbsp;is used in some versions of the language). The particle&nbsp;''ra''&nbsp;following a verb makes it negative.
 
<center>Some basic sentences in Láadan</center>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''Láadan'''</center>
|| <center>'''Láadan'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''literal translation'''</center>
|| <center>'''literal translation'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''idiomatic translation'''</center>
|| <center>'''idiomatic translation'''</center>


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | bíi ril áya mahina wa
|| bíi ril áya mahina wa
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''statement''&nbsp;''present-tense''&nbsp;beautiful/beautify flower&nbsp;''observed-truth''
|| ''statement'' ''present-tense'' beautiful/beautify flower ''observed-truth''
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | The flower is beautiful
|| The flower is beautiful


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | báa eril mesháad with
|| báa eril mesháad with
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''question''&nbsp;''past-tense''&nbsp;''plural''-go/come woman
|| ''question'' ''past-tense'' ''plural''-go/come woman
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | Did the women go/come?
|| Did the women go/come?


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | bíi ril lámála with ruleth wa
|| bíi ril lámála with ruleth wa
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''statement''&nbsp;''present-tense''&nbsp;stroke/caress woman cat-''object''&nbsp;''observed-truth''
|| ''statement'' ''present-tense'' stroke/caress woman cat-''object'' ''observed-truth''
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | The woman strokes the cat
|| The woman strokes the cat


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | bóo wil di le neth
|| bóo wil di le neth
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''request''&nbsp;''hypothetical''&nbsp;speak/say I you-''object''
|| ''request'' ''hypothetical'' speak/say I you-''object''
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | I would like to speak with you, please.
|| I would like to speak with you, please.


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | bíi aril meleyan ra lanemid wáa
|| bíi aril meleyan ra lanemid wáa
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''statement''&nbsp;''future-tense''&nbsp;''plural-''be-brown&nbsp;''negative''&nbsp;dog&nbsp;''received-truth''
|| ''statement'' ''future-tense'' ''plural-''be-brown ''negative'' dog ''received-truth''
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | I hear the dogs will not be brown
|| I hear the dogs will not be brown


|}
|}
'''Morphology'''
==Morphology==
 
Láadan has an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agglutinative_language agglutinative] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphology_(linguistics) morphology], and uses a number of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affix affixes] to indicate various feelings and moods that many [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language natural languages] can only indicate by tone of voice, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language body language] or circumlocution.
Láadan has an&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agglutinative_language agglutinative]&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphology_(linguistics) morphology], and uses a number of&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affix affixes]&nbsp;to indicate various feelings and moods that many&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language natural languages]&nbsp;can only indicate by tone of voice,&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language body language]&nbsp;or circumlocution.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''Affix'''</center>
|| <center>'''Affix'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''meaning'''</center>
|| <center>'''meaning'''</center>
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | <center>'''example'''</center>
|| <center>'''example'''</center>


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | (-)lh(-)
|| (-)lh(-)
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | disgust or dislike
|| disgust or dislike
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''hahodimi'': "pleasantly bewildered";&nbsp;''hahodimilh'': "unpleasantly bewildered"
|| ''hahodimi'': "pleasantly bewildered"; ''hahodimilh'': "unpleasantly bewildered"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | du-
|| du-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | to try to
|| to try to
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''bíi eril dusháad le wa'': "I tried to come"
|| ''bíi eril dusháad le wa'': "I tried to come"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | dúu-
|| dúu-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | to try in vain to
|| to try in vain to
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''bíi eril dúusháad le wa'': "I tried in vain to come"
|| ''bíi eril dúusháad le wa'': "I tried in vain to come"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ná-
|| ná-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | progressive aspect
|| progressive aspect
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''bíi eril dúunásháad le wa'': "I was trying in vain to come"
|| ''bíi eril dúunásháad le wa'': "I was trying in vain to come"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | -(e)tha
|| -(e)tha
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | natural possessor
|| natural possessor
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''lalal betha'': "her mother's milk"
|| ''lalal betha'': "her mother's milk"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | -(e)tho
|| -(e)tho
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | customary or legal possessor
|| customary or legal possessor
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''ebahid letho'': "my husband"
|| ''ebahid letho'': "my husband"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | -(e)thi
|| -(e)thi
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | possessor by chance
|| possessor by chance
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''losh nethi'': "your money (gambling winnings)"
|| ''losh nethi'': "your money (gambling winnings)"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | -(e)the
|| -(e)the
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | possessor by unknown provenance
|| possessor by unknown provenance
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''ana worulethe'': "the cats' food"
|| ''ana worulethe'': "the cats' food"


|-
|-
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | -id
|| -id
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | denotes male (otherwise female or gender neutral)
|| denotes male (otherwise female or gender neutral)
| style="padding:0.0194in;" | ''thul'': "mother/parent";&nbsp;''thulid'': "father"
|| ''thul'': "mother/parent"; ''thulid'': "father"


|}
|}
The&nbsp;''speech act''&nbsp;particle, at the beginning of a sentence, can also carry several suffixes, which expand on the overall state of the sentence. For example,&nbsp;''bíi''&nbsp;begins a statement, but&nbsp;''bíide''begins a statement that is part of a narrative;&nbsp;''bóoth''&nbsp;begins a request made in pain;&nbsp;''báada''&nbsp;begins a question that is meant in jest.
The "speech act" particle, at the beginning of a sentence, can also carry several suffixes, which expand on the overall state of the sentence. For example, ''bíi'' begins a statement, but ''bíide''begins a statement that is part of a narrative; ''bóoth'' begins a request made in pain; ''báada'' begins a question that is meant in jest.
 
'''Pronouns'''
 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronoun Pronouns]&nbsp;in Láadan are built up from a number of constituent parts. The consonant&nbsp;''l''&nbsp;marks the&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person first person],&nbsp;''n''&nbsp;the second person and&nbsp;''b''&nbsp;the third person. Usually, these are followed by the vowel&nbsp;''e''. However, the vowel&nbsp;''a''&nbsp;is used to designate someone who is loved (''lhe-''&nbsp;is prefixed to describe someone who is despised). The suffix&nbsp;''-zh''&nbsp;is used to mark a plural pronoun for numbers up to four, and&nbsp;''-n''&nbsp;for numbers beyond that. Therefore,&nbsp;''lazh''&nbsp;means "we, several beloved", and&nbsp;''lheben''&nbsp;means "they, many despised".
 
'''See also'''
 
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role_in_language Gender role in language]
 
'''References'''
 
[http://ozarque.livejournal.com/253528.html?thread=4544600#t4544600 Elgin's blog]
 
'''Further reading'''
* Elgin, Suzette Haden, & Diane Martin.&nbsp;''A First Dictionary and Grammar of Láadan''. Madison:&nbsp;[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WisCon Society for the Furtherance and Study of Fantasy and Science Fiction], 1988.
* Jones, Mari C. and Ishtla Singh,&nbsp;''Exploring Language Change'': Routledge, 2005; pp.&nbsp;169–182.


'''External links'''
==Pronouns==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronoun Pronouns] in Láadan are built up from a number of constituent parts. The consonant ''l'' marks the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_person first person], ''n'' the second person and ''b'' the third person. Usually, these are followed by the vowel ''e''. However, the vowel ''a'' is used to designate someone who is loved (''lhe-'' is prefixed to describe someone who is despised). The suffix ''-zh'' is used to mark a plural pronoun for numbers up to four, and ''-n'' for numbers beyond that. Therefore, ''lazh'' means "we, several beloved", and ''lheben'' means "they, many despised".


Look up&nbsp;[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Láadan Appendix:Láadan]&nbsp;in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
==See also==
* [http://www.laadanlanguage.org/pages/ Official Láadan website]
* [http://www.laadanlanguage.org/ Official Láadan website]
* [http://www.langmaker.com/db/Láadan Láadan Conlang Profile]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/Laadan.html Elgin's Láadan introduction]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/Laadan.html Elgin's Láadan introduction]
* [http://home.comcast.net/~amjbarnhart/ Láadan lessons]&nbsp;(moderately paced lessons in Láadan)
* [http://home.comcast.net/~amjbarnhart/ Láadan lessons] (moderately paced lessons in Láadan)
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/LanguageImperative/laadansampler.html A Láadan Sampler]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/LanguageImperative/laadansampler.html A Láadan Sampler]
* [http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/306a_web/Laadan.pdf Some Láadan (PDF)]&nbsp;(The text says that "wo-" is a plural marker. This is an error; the plural marker is "me-", "wo-" is a relativizer.)
* [http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/306a_web/Laadan.pdf Some Láadan (PDF)] (The text says that "wo-" is a plural marker. This is an error; the plural marker is "me-", "wo-" is a relativizer.)
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/LaadanLessons/Laadan01.html Lesson One of Láadan Made Easier]
* [http://www.sfwa.org/members/elgin/LaadanLessons/Laadan01.html Lesson One of Láadan Made Easier]
* [http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Láadan_Working_Group Láadan Working Group]
* [http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Láadan_Working_Group Láadan Working Group]
* [http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in-laadan/en/ldn/ How to count in Láadan]
* [http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in-laadan/en/ldn/ How to count in Láadan]
* http://www.interlog.com/~kms/Laadan/
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role_in_language Gender role in language]
*[http://ozarque.livejournal.com/253528.html?thread=4544600#t4544600 Elgin's blog]
* Elgin, Suzette Haden, & Diane Martin. ''A First Dictionary and Grammar of Láadan''. Madison: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WisCon Society for the Furtherance and Study of Fantasy and Science Fiction], 1988.
* Jones, Mari C. and Ishtla Singh, ''Exploring Language Change'': Routledge, 2005; pp. 169–182.
==Discussion==
*la [[kreig.daniyl|kreig.daniyl.]]:
**What does it mean for a language to have a gender? --
***It has words for womanly things. That doesn't make it womanly, just gender-neutral. English may be "male" in some way, but Láadan strikes me as neither.
***Láadan is clearly feminine; the pretty purple they used for the web page looks like a breast cancer site.
***But is the vocabulary purple also? The vocabulary is indeed worth examining; it has specific terms for things like "discord in the home", "anger, for good and not futile reasons", "pain or loss which comes as a relief by virtue of ending the anticipation of its coming", "contentment despite negative circumstances", "the female sexual act", and "the act of relinquishing a cherished / comforting / familiar perception".
***The foundational assumption of Láadan is that women's perception of the word is fundamentally incommensurable with men's. So if purple meta-means what I think it meta-means, the answer is yes.
[[Category:mupli lo bangu]]
[[Category:mupli lo bangu]]

Latest revision as of 14:30, 7 March 2015

Láadan (in Lojban banludunu), a women-specific artlang, invented by Suzette Haden Elgin in 1982. Lojban's evidentials are inherited from it (although of course, Láadan in turn got them from Amerindian human languages).

The language was created to perform another test of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, among other things to determine if a language reflecting the way women think would be able to shape a new culture. A close hypothesis was that Western natural languages may be better suited for expressing the views of men than women.

The language was included into Elgin's Native Tongue science fiction series.

Grammar

As for evidentials unlike in Lojban most Láadan sentences contain three particles: 1. The speech-act particle – this occurs at the beginning of the sentence and marks it as either a statement (bíi), a question (báa), etc. In connected speech or writing, this particle is often omitted.

According to Elgin, this requirement is to counter "male-centered" language's limitations on women, who are forced to respond "I know I said that, but I meant this".

word translation Lojban equivalent
Bíi Indicates a declarative sentence (usually optional) ju'a
Báa Indicates a question xu
Indicates a command; very rare, except to small children e'i
Bóo Indicates a request; this is the usual imperative/"command" form e'o
Indicates a promise nu'e
Bée Indicates a warning e'u nai

2. The grammatical tense particle occurs second in the sentence.

word translation Lojban equivalent
ril present tense ca ku
eril past tense pu ku
aril future tense ba ku
wil hypothetical da'i

Without the tense particle, the sentence is assumed to have the same tense as the previous sentence which in Lojban can be expressed using i ca bo.

3. The evidence particle occurs at the end of statements and indicates the trustworthiness of the statement.

Láadan Evidence Act Morpheme translation Lojban equivalent
wa Known to speaker because perceived by speaker, externally or internally za'a, se'o, ju'a
wi Known to speaker because self-evident li'a
we Perceived by speaker in a dream se'o
wáa Assumed true by speaker because speaker trusts source ia ti'e
waá Assumed false by speaker because speaker distrusts source; if evil intent by the source is also assumed, the form is "waálh" ia nai ti'e
wo Imagined or invented by speaker, hypothetical da'i, ru'a
wóo Used to indicate that the speaker states a total lack of knowledge as to the validity of the matter ju'o nai
waálh malicious intent ia nai ti'e iu nai dai
wáo ju'o cu'i, pe'i cu'i

This brings up an interesting question:

  • What is the correct evidential in Lojban (assuming normal experiences) for a sentence like mi xagji? za'a? se'o?

Phonology

Tones

Unusually for constructed languages, Láadan is a tonal language. It utilizes two distinct tones:

  • lo – /lō/ or /lò/, a short, medium or low tone, represented by a single unmarked vowel
  • – /ló/, a short, high tone, represented by a single marked vowel

The word "Láadan" has three syllables: "lá-" with the short vowel /a/ plus high tone; "-a" with the short vowel /a/ and no tone; and "-dan".

Láadan does not allow any double [i.e., long] phonemes. Whenever two identical short vowels would occur side by side in a single morpheme, one of them has to be marked for high tone. When adding an affix would result in two identical vowels side by side, an epenthetic /h/ is inserted to prevent the forbidden sequence. The language will allow either "máa" or "maá," but not "maa". These combinations can be described as:

  • loó – /lǒː/, a long, low-rising tone, represented by a double vowel, the second of which is marked
  • lóo – /lôː/, a long, high-falling tone, represented by a double vowel, the first of which is marked

Some people analyze these tone sequences as tonemic as well, for a total of four tones.

Elgin prefers an analysis of the language as having no long vowels and a single tone, the high tone (distinguished from "neutral, baseline pitch"), but she acknowledges that linguists using other formalisms would be justified in saying that there are two tones, high and low (or unmarked or mid).

Vowels

Láadan has five vowels:

Consonants

Labial
Dental /Alveolar
Postalveolar/ Palatal
Glottal
Central
Lateral
Nasal
m /m/
n /n/
Plosive
b /b/
d /d/
Fricative
voiceless
th /θ/
lh /ɬ/
sh /ʃ/
h /h/
voiced
zh /ʒ/
Rhotic
r /r/
Approximant
w /w/
l /l/
y /j/

Láadan lacks the consonants /p, t, k, ɡ, s/. However, it uses b, d, sh (/ʃ/), m, n, l, r, w, y (/j/), h with the same phonetic value as English. In addition to these, three digraphs require further explanation:

Syntax

Láadan is a verb–subject–object (VSO) language. Verbs and adjectives are interchangeable. There are no articles, and the object is marked by the -th or -eth suffix. The plural number is shown only by the me- prefix to the verb (wo- is used in some versions of the language). The particle ra following a verb makes it negative.

Basic sentences

Láadan
literal translation
idiomatic translation
bíi ril áya mahina wa statement present-tense beautiful/beautify flower observed-truth The flower is beautiful
báa eril mesháad with question past-tense plural-go/come woman Did the women go/come?
bíi ril lámála with ruleth wa statement present-tense stroke/caress woman cat-object observed-truth The woman strokes the cat
bóo wil di le neth request hypothetical speak/say I you-object I would like to speak with you, please.
bíi aril meleyan ra lanemid wáa statement future-tense plural-be-brown negative dog received-truth I hear the dogs will not be brown

Morphology

Láadan has an agglutinative morphology, and uses a number of affixes to indicate various feelings and moods that many natural languages can only indicate by tone of voice, body language or circumlocution.

Affix
meaning
example
(-)lh(-) disgust or dislike hahodimi: "pleasantly bewildered"; hahodimilh: "unpleasantly bewildered"
du- to try to bíi eril dusháad le wa: "I tried to come"
dúu- to try in vain to bíi eril dúusháad le wa: "I tried in vain to come"
ná- progressive aspect bíi eril dúunásháad le wa: "I was trying in vain to come"
-(e)tha natural possessor lalal betha: "her mother's milk"
-(e)tho customary or legal possessor ebahid letho: "my husband"
-(e)thi possessor by chance losh nethi: "your money (gambling winnings)"
-(e)the possessor by unknown provenance ana worulethe: "the cats' food"
-id denotes male (otherwise female or gender neutral) thul: "mother/parent"; thulid: "father"

The "speech act" particle, at the beginning of a sentence, can also carry several suffixes, which expand on the overall state of the sentence. For example, bíi begins a statement, but bíidebegins a statement that is part of a narrative; bóoth begins a request made in pain; báada begins a question that is meant in jest.

Pronouns

Pronouns in Láadan are built up from a number of constituent parts. The consonant l marks the first person, n the second person and b the third person. Usually, these are followed by the vowel e. However, the vowel a is used to designate someone who is loved (lhe- is prefixed to describe someone who is despised). The suffix -zh is used to mark a plural pronoun for numbers up to four, and -n for numbers beyond that. Therefore, lazh means "we, several beloved", and lheben means "they, many despised".

See also

Discussion

  • la kreig.daniyl.:
    • What does it mean for a language to have a gender? --
      • It has words for womanly things. That doesn't make it womanly, just gender-neutral. English may be "male" in some way, but Láadan strikes me as neither.
      • Láadan is clearly feminine; the pretty purple they used for the web page looks like a breast cancer site.
      • But is the vocabulary purple also? The vocabulary is indeed worth examining; it has specific terms for things like "discord in the home", "anger, for good and not futile reasons", "pain or loss which comes as a relief by virtue of ending the anticipation of its coming", "contentment despite negative circumstances", "the female sexual act", and "the act of relinquishing a cherished / comforting / familiar perception".
      • The foundational assumption of Láadan is that women's perception of the word is fundamentally incommensurable with men's. So if purple meta-means what I think it meta-means, the answer is yes.