Conlangs of a Remembrancer

Shshi Text: Ki’shto’ba’s Challenge Speech

In Chapter 2 of Volume Two of The Termite Queen Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head confronts the Star-Beings and challenges them to single combat.  The following is the text of that speech as Kaitrin  Oliva transcribed and later translated it.

Text in English translation:

Strange Ones, I address you!  I am Ki’shto’ba Huge Head, of To’wak, Champion of the fortress of Lo’ro’ra.  We are the Shshi of Lo’ro’ra and if we must, we will fight you to keep our fortress safe.  And yet I call the Challenge in the name of Lo’ro’ra’s Holy One and King:  Let there be honorable single combat so that the deaths of many can be avoided!  Send out your Champion, Strange Ones, and alone I will fight it!  If I prevail, then you must go away and leave Lo’ro’ra in peace!

Shshi text:

shkhai’zei|  sho’gano| ya| shbei’a|>||  sho| ↻ ki’shto’ba’ze| no’no| um’zi| to’wak’mik| lo’hi’zei| ki| cha| lo’ro’ra’mik| || shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| lo’ro’ra’mik| u| shsho| thi| shsho’u’paio| ↻ shbei’a| ⇅yako| ↻ cha| ki’shsho| ||   u| wei’tra’il| sho’lo’raito| ↻ uk’zi| i’fit| na’ta’zei| u| na’sha’ma| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||  ¡sho|! fro|> ↻ pai’o’kwi’zi| da’fu| tu’ai| ki| shkwi’sho’zei| shkwi’sho’zei| shweio’zi| ⇆ shfa’paho| ⇅sho| wei|> ||  ¡gado|! ↻ lo’hi’zei| ki’shbei| chun| shkhai’zei| u| kwi’il| sho’u’paio| ↻ fa’a|>||   sho’ei’bamo| ei’dal| shbei’treio| thi| u| shbei’theido| thi| ↻ lo’ro’ra’mi| da’el|>||

Word-for-word translation and Shshi text:

Strange Ones, I speak to you!
shkhai’zei| sho’gano| ya| shbei’a|>||

I am Ki’shto’ba Huge Head of To’wak,Champion of fortress of Lo’ro’ra.
sho | ↻ ki’shto’ba’ze| no’no| um’zi| to’wak’mik| lo’hi’zei| ki| cha| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||

We are Shshi of Lo’ro’ra
shsho| ↻ shshi’zei| lo’ro’ra’mik|

and if we must we will fight you to keep safe fortress our.
* u| shsho| thi| shsho’u’paio| ↻ shbei’a| ⇅yako| ↻ cha| ki’shsho| ||

And yet I call Challenge in name of Holy One and King of Lo’ro’ra:
u| wei’tra’il| sho’lo’raito| ↻ uk’zi| i’fit| na’ta’zei| u| na’sha’ma| lo’ro’ra’mik| ||

* Let there be [i.e. be may] single combat honorable
sho|! fro|> ↻ pai’o’kwi’zi| da’fu|

so that of persons persons [i.e. many persons] deaths are able to be not! [i.e. can be avoided]
tu’ai| ki| shkwi’sho’zei| shkwi’sho’zei| shweio’zi| ⇆ shfa’paho|⇅sho| wei|>||

Send Champion your forth, Strange Ones, and alone I will fight it!
¡gado|! ↻ lo’hi’zei| ki’shbei| chun| shkhai’zei| u| kwi’il| sho’u’paio| ↻ fa’a|>||

If I prevail [win], then you must go away and you must leave Lo’ro’ra in peace.
sho’ei’bamo| ei’dal| shbei’treio | thi| u| shbei’theido| thi| ↻ lo’ro’ra’mi| da’el|>|| **

* These constructions employ the modal auxiliaries thi| [must] and fro| [may] in idiomatic constructions.
shsho| thi| is an idiomatic expression meaning “[If] we must.”
sho| fro|> means “Let there be.”  > is an augmentative blip that strengthens the exclamation.  It’s not a true imperative construction, which would have the verb enclosed in exclamation points like this : ¡gado|! [Send!]

** da’el|: adjective meaning “peaceful”; idiomatically, “in peace.”