Negation

Because of taboo, negation in Nolwynn can be complex.

There are several negative words that you can use:

- Iig: no, not: use when negating a noun
- Iig…iig: neither…nor, absolutely not
- kuwéleeyg: never
- iizel: nowhere
- iizozatsa: nothing
- lozúleeyg: no one, nobody
- iikareey: no “I don’t agree” [often followed by esakey]
- katxeey: no, “I don’t agree because it is incompatible.” It signifies the incompatibility/unsuitability of something with something else
- šwazeey: no, “I don’t agree because it is impossible.” denotes an absence, or an impossibility such that that response "no" is either not applicable or not accurate enough.
- lókaa [from luka and lóraa]: this one is almost always used only when a negative comes near a person’s name. It is not a negative word - it means something like "one" or "the one who"
- yom [from eeyg + om]: this is an intensifier that greatly intensifies the negative meaning of any word.
- enka [in + eeyg]: this is similar to yom, but it is less intense
- ezo [iig + zo]: this one is used when listing things
- katxa [from katxeey]: This one is used in much the same way as iig, but it further specifies something that didn’t or can’t happen because it is unsuitable or inappropriate.
- šwaza [from šwazeey]: This one is used in much the same way as iig, but it further specifies something that didn’t or can’t happen because it is impossible.

Finally, you can also use the cessative aspect -lxu- : especially when used with a negative word, the cessative aspect can show that the root verb did not happen.

Many of these words are based on the verb iig. This is a special verb in Nolwynn. It has a variety of meanings such as “it is not, to be contrary, to forbid, to deny.” You can read a bit more about it in the article Fossils.

Notes:

- Many of the negative words are verbs and can be conjugated as such.
- Negative words usually come after the thing being negated. Negatives only impact the word they are after. So this means every word in a sentence can be made negative.
- When you negate a noun, it is always singular in Nolwynn.
- When using the verb ii[g] with a noun referring to a living creature, especially a human, it becomes the masculine affix. For example mera "girl" vs iimera "boy." When used like this, ii is usually pronounced /e/

[edit] [top]Basic Examples

Imer iig iimera iir.
The boy has no algae.
Literally: “It is not [that] the boy has algae.”

Imer katxa iimera iir.
The boy has no algae [because algae would be inappropriate or unsuitable].

Imer iimera šwaza iir.
It is not the boy who has algae [because it is impossible for him].

Imer iimer iilxur.
The boy does not have algae [he doesn’t have it anymore].

Iig nyona ezo zintsyona txamareey
or
nyona ezo zintsyona txamareey.
I want neither apples nor apricots.

[edit] [top]Avoidance Language

With the basics out of the way, we can now dive into how negation impacts the Avoidance Language, a ritualized register used by Nolwynn speakers. Read an explanation of what it is here.

To be polite, the Nolwynn are careful when using negatives and someone’s name, or negatives and a pronoun referring to someone who could be in danger [for example, on land or pregnant]. They often rely on euphemism to make things clear. Since the Tulwyn don’t honor the Avoidance Language, this taboo is unknown to them, and what follows is not applicable to that dialect.

For example, this sentence - though grammatically correct - would not be uttered by those who honor the Avoidance Language:

Kxalina lókaa iig imá
Kxalina TOPIC not.3S be.3S
She’s not Kxalina

There is a better way - one that would keep Kxalina safer from the forces that make the Avoidance Language necessary. However, it relies on euphemism and is ambiguous:

Kxalina lókaa imá
Kxalina TOPIC be.3S
She’s [not] Kxalina

Lókaa is a contraction of luka [“having to do with”] and lóraa [topicalization marker]. Luka is used in other instances where politeness is important, such as when a person’s name is used as a direct object. It is seen as a way of separating a person from undue magical energies.

Nolwynn speakers would never use lóraa when a negative word or phrase is near someone’s name, but lókaa can be used like this AND also in the same manner as one would use lóraa. What specific instances trigger its use vary somewhat from clan to clan.

Back to the example sentence, it is clear that Nolwynn speakers actually don’t negate someone’s name. The second sentence actually reads: “She is Kxalina,” even though it is understood to mean that she isn’t Kxalina.

So how can this ambiguity be resolved? There are several ways.

Kxalina lókaa imá, areey.
She is Kxalina, yes.

Areey actually means “I agree” and is used to mean yes, general agreement, or can positively emphasize something.

Of course, speakers can bypass any ambiguity by using a taboo name rather than their actual name:

Merina lókaa iig imá
She isn’t Kxalina.

Additionally, if you want to be rude - for example, if you are speaking about someone who is banished or if you wish to curse them with bad luck - you would use their name like this. Be prepared, however, for backlash since misusing the Avoidance Language is itself a banishable offense.

Here is another way of resolving the ambiguity:

Kxalina lókaa imá, katxeey/šwazeey.
She is Kxalina, no.

Katxeey and šwazeey both mean “no” or “not” but have different nuances [see above], so pick which one fits the meaning you want.

Finally, the ambiguity can be resolved by using a relative clause as in this example:

Yxolera iig, Kxalina imá
The one that is not, is Kxalina

There are other methods to resolve the ambiguity in situations like these, but these examples are the most common.

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