The Lost Library of D'ni The Lost Library of D'ni

Lesson 16:

Negative Statements

Home Caverns Ages Messages The People of D'ni Previous Page
 

All of the sentences we've worked with so far are affirmative statements. That is, they all express something that is, or something that happens. What if, however, we wanted to say that something is not, or doesn't happen? We would then be constructing negative statements, which in English is accomplished by using the words no or not.

Examples:

Gehn is a great writer. (affirmative)
Gehn is not a great writer. (negative)
The master instructs. (affirmative)
The master does not instruct. (negative)
There is peace. (affirmative)
There is no peace. (negative)

D'ni has a similar, powerful little word that turns affirmative statements into negative ones: ril (ril). ril (ril) always comes immediately before the verb it negates; it is always adjacent to the verb and no other word will ever intervene between the two. Where English differentiates between constructions that use no and not, the D'ni  ril (ril) covers all forms of negation.

English also often uses the helping verb do in negative statements formed with not, the second pair of statements above, for example. D'ni has no need for this helping verb and it should never appear in English-to-D'ni translations. It may be helpful to think about these kinds of sentences — The master does not instruct — in an archaic English form that eliminates the do/doesThe master instructs not. Such rewriting may also help keep the negating word and complicated verb tenses clear and distinct.

Examples:

.gen ril Kenen erTseltan para (.gen ril kenen erthseltan para)
.renava ril SokUen (.renava ril shokūen)
.ril Kenen Sora (.ril kenen shora)

Because  ril is modifying the verb, we know that it's an adverb, and this means that it can be applied to other elements of a sentence, too: adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, etcetera. We'll soon learn about these other uses, but before we do so, it is important to have a firm grasp on how verbs are negated and the changes in meaning that result


Lesson 17

Myst, the Myst logo, and all games and books in the Myst series are registered trademarks and copyrights of Cyan Worlds, Inc. Myst Online: Uru Live is the sole property of Cyan Worlds Inc. The concepts, settings, characters, art, and situations of the Myst series of games and books are copyright Cyan Worlds, Inc. with all rights reserved.

I make no claims to any such rights or to the intellectual properties of Cyan Worlds; nor do I intend to profit financially from their work. This web site is a fan work, and is meant solely for the amusement of myself and other fans of the Myst series of games and books.