Psalmanaazaaran Formosan (constructed language)

Being a starting attempt at a dictionary of George Psalmanaazaar's Formosan language, as briefly described in his 1704 book An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, an Island Subject to the Emperor of Japan: Giving an Account: Giving an Account of the Religion, Customs, Manners, &c., of the Inhabitants (London: Printed for Dan. Brown, at the Black Swan without Temple-Bar, etc.).

Alphabet

According to Psalmanaazaar, the language of Formosa had a written form consisting of twenty glyphs, each with three forms (minuscule, accented, majuscule), that were assembled from right-to-left.

The Formosan Alphabet

Name	Power (Maj.)	Power (Acc.)	Power (Min.)	Figure (Min.)	Figure (Acc.)	Figure (Maj.)	Name
Am̃	A	ꜵ/ao	a
Mem̃	M	m̃	m
Neñ	N	ñ	n
Taph	T	th	t
Lam̃do	L	ll	l
Sam̃do	S	ch	s
Vomera	V	w	u
Bagdo	B	b	b
Hamno	H	kh	h
Pedlo	P	pp	p
Kaphi	K	k	χ
Om̃da	O	o	ω
Ilda	I	y	i
Xatara	X	xh	x
Dam	D	th	d
Zamphi	Z	ts	z
Epsi	E	ε/e	η
Fandem	F	ph	f
Raw	R	rh	r
Gomera	G (J)	g	j

Dictionary

(Some words originally spelled with c have been changed to use a k, as there was no glyph corresponding to a solitary c in Psalmanaazaar's book. This was no doubt a simple oversight on his part.)

Formosan (tl.)	English	Formosan
abinaye	(to) deliver
adiato	(an) image
ai	the
ali	but
amien	amen
amy	our
anakhounie	murder
ande	his (possessive)
anso	sea
angon	king [alt. form]
ania	all
ant	us
apin	another
apo	as
ardaan	communion
ardanay	catholic, universal
areo	may
arvanros	kinsmen, siblings
avia	isle, island
avitere	(to) hold
azaton	innocent
badakhen	buried
badi	earth
bagalendro	viceroy
bagalender	viceroy [alt. form]
bagalin	kingdom
bagalo	King
baghathaan cheveraal	Emperor (Most-High Monarch)
bagne	lead (to)
bajane	woman, wife
banaar	(to) judge
banajo	man, husband
bard	under
barhaniaan	almightiness, omnipotence
barhanian	almighty
barhaw	countrymen
bayneye	brought
bejray	in vain
beloftosnautuo	precepts, laws
bosken	(the) dead
bot	son
boti	daughter
botos	sons
boty	virgin
brachos	gates
broskaey	evil
bsekoy	like
chalminajey	eternal
charby	third
chataan	love
chenaber	Sabbath
chexner	(to) take
chin	in, at
chinania	to all
chinn	to, into
chorhe	creator
chorheye	created
christo	Christ
chslae	church
dai	which
dan	who, whom
dekie	six
demech	(to) say
domion	will
dos [oios] dos	of [those, them]
ebdoulamin	beloved
egypto	Egypt
ey	or
eyen	so
eyfodere	come
eyvomere	honour, worship
farbey	labour
farbout	work
fary	glory
fen	thou
fignou	ass, donkey
foder	will come (to)
genr	me
geovreo	brother
giftaye	(to) hear
gnadey	(to) make
gnadou	(to) do (for)
gnay	holy
gnayfrataye	hallowed
gnayji	saints (holies, holy ones)
grebiachim	generation(s)
ianate	one thousand
ichnay	whatsoever
ido	that
janda	upon
jandafien	arose, rose (from)
jandafiond	resurrection
jansiero	stranger
javraijin	sister
jenrh	me
jerh	I (first-person pronoun)
jerhvie	I am
jorh	was [past]
jorhe	(to) be [present]
jorhen	prolonged
kaa	house
kai	and
karokhen* (carokhen)	crucified
kan-fien	ascended
kasseo* (casseo)	village, town
kau	not
kay	and
kens	for
kenzoy	therefore
khatsada	bread
khie	places
kiorbi	fourth
konraye* (conraye)	(to) serve
koriakia	the Lord's [poss.]
korian	lord
krikin	flesh
laan	(to) keep
lakchen	suffered
ledum	life
lokieyr	steal
lory	name
lournou	with
macho	oxen, ox
mal	beneath
mal-fien	descended
malaboski	temptation
mandaar	sanctity
maria	Maria, Mary
meniobe	seventh
mios	my
modiou	testimony
nadaan	against
nadakchion	daily
nadayi	today
nade	day
nados	days
noskion	believe
oi	the, (he)
oion	it, (him)
oios	those, them
ornio	heaven
os	the [irregular]
ouillo	water
oyto	before
pagot	god
pei	until
piches	ghost, spirit
pilato	Pilate (Pontius)
plessios	soldiers
pontio	Pontius (Pilate)
porniin	mother
pornio	father
poulinos	citizens
radonaye	(to be) forgive(n)
radonayun	remission
radonem	(to) forgive
sai	thy, thine, (your)
sendabey	ages
sger	servant
sger-bot	man-servant
sger-boti	maid-servant
skneaye	blessed
slapat	bondage
sochiakhin	sinners (trespassers)
sochin	sin (trespasses)
soios	thine, thy [irregular]
spadou	jealous
splan	before (in front of)
stedello	rested
stel	false
tandatou	image
tanos	nobles
tanos soulletos	city governors, island governors
tavede	belongs (possession)
teltulda	mercy
testar	right
testar-olab	right-hand
tillo	city
tonien	(the) quick
toye	give (to)
tuen	of, from
vehnen	remember
versierie	fornicate
videgan	hate
vie	the [irregular]
vien	them
vienen	conceived
viey	are, art
voliamene	covet
vomera	prayer
xaken	(to) sitteth, (sit)
xana	infernal
ynade	(to) do, perform
zexe	have
ziesken	born

Numbers

1-10		11-19		20-1000		Combined examples
1	taufb	11	taufkon (or amkon)	20	borhny	21	borhny-tauf (or borhny-am)
2	bogio	12	bogiokon	30	chorhny	22	borhny-bogio
3	charhe	13	charhekon	40	kiorhny	33	chorhny-charhe
4	kiorh	14	kiorhkon	50	nikiorhny	34	chorhny-kiorh
5	nokin	15	nokiekon	60	dekiorhny	45	kiorhny-nokin
6	dekie	16	dekiekon	70	meniorhny	56	nikiorhny-dekie
7	meni	17	menikon	80	theniorhny	67	dekiorhny-meni
8	thenio	18	thenikon	90	soniorhny	78	meniorhny-thenio
9	sonio	19	soniokon	100	ptommftomm	889	thenio-ptommftomm theniorhny-sonio
10	kon			1000	Ianate	1704	ianate meni-ptommftomm kiorh

Psalm-Formosan

Formosan (tl.)	Numeral	Formosan
taufb	1
bogio	2
charhe	3
kiorh	4
nokin	5
dekie	6
meni	7
thenio	8
sonio	9
kon	10
taufkon	11
amkon	11
bogiokon	12
charhekon	13
kiorhkon	14
nokiekon	15
dekiekon	16
menikon	17
thenikon	18
soniokon	19
borhny	20
chorhny	30
kiorhny	40
nikiorhny	50
dekiorhny	60
meniorhny	70
theniorhny	80
soniorhny	90
ptommftomm	100
ianate	1000

Translations

Koriakia Vomera (The Lord's Prayer)

 

English	Formosan (tl.)	Formosan
OUR Father who in Heaven art, Hallowed be	Amy Pornio dan chin Ornio viey, Gnay jorhe
thy Name, Come thy Kingdom, Be done thy Will	sai Lory, Eyfodere sai Bagalin, jorhe sai domion
as in Heaven, also in Earth so, Our bread	apo chin Ornio, kay chin Badi eyen, Amy khatsada
daily give us today, and forgive us	nadakchion toye ant nadayi, kay Radonaye ant
our trespasses, as we forgive our trespassers,	amy Sochin, apo ant radonern amy Sochiakhin,
do lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from	bagne ant kau chin malaboski, ali abinaye ant tuen
Evil, for thine is the Kingdom, and Glory, and	Broskaey, kens sai vie Bagalin, kay Fary, kay
Omnipotence to all ages. Amen.	Barhaniaan chinania sendabey. Amien.

Jovian Chin Shirpatle (Apostles' Creed)

   

English	Formosan (tl.)	Formosan
I Believe in God the almighty Father,	Jerh noskion chin Pagot Barhanian Pornio
Creator of Heaven and of Earth:	chorhe tuen Ornio kay tuen Badi:
And in Jesus Christ his beloved Son	Kay chin J. christo ande ebdoulamin bot
our Lord, who conceived was of	amy Korian, dan vienen jorh tuen
the Holy Ghost, born of Mary the	gnay Piches, ziesken tuen Maria
Virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was	boty, lakchen bard Pontio Pilato, jorh
crucified, dead and buried, descended	carokhen, bosken kay badakhen, mal-fien
to the infernal places, on the third day	chinn xana Khie, charby nade
rose from the dead, ascended into [the] Heaven,	jandafien tuen bosken, Kan-fien chinn Ornio,
sitteth at the right hand of thy God	xaken chin testar-olab tuen Pagot
his Father almighty, who will come to	ande Pornio barhaniaa, dan foder
judge quick and dead	banaar tonien kay bosken.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,	Jerh noskion chin Gnay Piches,
the Holy Catholick Church,	Gnay Ardanay chslae,
the Communion of the Saints,	Ardaan tuen Gnayji
the Remission of the Sins,	Radonayun tuen Sochin,
the Resurrection of the Flesh,	jandafiond tuen Krikin
the Life Eternal. Amen.	Ledum chalminajey. Amien.

Kon Kinapatanana Chingutngan (The Ten Commandments)

   

English	Formosan (tl.)	Formosan
HEAR O Israel, I am the Lord thy	Giftaye O Israel, Jerh vie oi Korian sai
God who brought thee out of the Land of [the]	Pagot dan bayneye fen tuen badi tuen
Egypt, and out of the house of [the] bondage,	Egypto, kay tuen Kaa tuen slapat,
I. Not have another God before me,	Kau zexe apin Pagot oyto Jenrh.	.
II. Not make to thee a graven Image,	Kau Gnadey fen Tandatou
not an Image like to those things which in	kau adiato bsekoy oios dai chin
Heaven are, or in Earth, or [beneath] the	Ornio [viey], ey chin Badi, ey mal
Earth, not worship, not serve it, for	Badi, kau eyvomere kau conraye oion, kens
I am thy Lord God jealous, and I	Jerhvie sai Korian Pagot spadou, kay Jerh
with the sins of the Father upon the	lournou os sochin tuen Pornio janda os
Sons, until the third and fourth generation	botos pei chin charby kai kiorbi Grebiachim
of those who me hate, and mercy	dos oios dos genr videgan, kai teltulda
I do to thousand generations of	Jerh gnadou chinn ianate Grebiachim dos
them who me love, and my precepts keep.	oios dos genr chataan kai mios beloftosnautuo laan.
III. Not take the name of [the] God thy	Kau chexner ai lory tuen Pagot sai
Lord in vain, for the Lord will not hold	Korian bejray, kens oi Korian kau avitere
innocent him who his name shall take	azaton oion dan ande Lory chexner
in vain.	bejray.
IV. Remember that thou sanctity the Sabbath,	Vehnen ido fen mandaar ai chenaber,
six days labour and do all thy	dekie nados farbey kai ynade ania sai
work, but the seventh is the day of	Farbout, kai ai meniobe vie ai nade tuen
Sabbath of thy Lord, not labour in	chenaber tuen sai Korian kau farbey chin
that day, thou not thy son, not thy daughter,	ai nade, fen kau sai bot, kau sai boti,
not thy man-servant, not thy maid-servant, not	kau sai sger-bot, kau sai sger-boti, kau
the stranger who before thy gates [art], for	oi jansiero dan splan sai brachos viey, kens
the Lord created Heaven, Earth, Sea,	oi Korian chorheye Ornio, Badi, Anso,
and all things which in them are in six	kai ania dai chin oios vien chin dekie
days, and on the seventh rested, therefore	nados, kai ai meniobe stedello, kenzoy
he blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.	[oi] skneaye ai meniobe nade kay gnayfrataye oion.
V. Honour Father and Mother thine	Eyvomere Pornio kai Porniin soios,
that may be prolong'd thy days in land,	ido areo jorhen os soios nados chin badi
which the Lord thy God shall give thee,	[dai] oi Korian sai Pagot toye fen.
VI. Not Murder.	Kau anakhounie.
VII. Not Fornicate.	Kau versierie.
VIII. Not Steal.	Kau lokieyr.
IX. Not say a false testimony against thy Brother.	Kau demech stel modiou nadaan sai Geovreo.
X. Not covet the house of thy Brother,	Kau voliamene ai kaa tuen sai Geovreo,
not covet the wife of thy Brother,	kau voliamene ey bajane tuen sai Geovreo,
not covet his man-servant or his	kau voliamene ande sger-bot, ey ande
maid-servant, or his oxen, or his ass,	sger-boti, ey ande macho, ey ande fignou,
or whatsoever to him belongs.	ey ichnay oion tavede.