Real Sentences
The stress test: real, complicated sentences that use all the rules at once.
Aesop's fable is the International Phonetic Association's specimen text, used since 1912 to demonstrate hundreds of languages. Notice what the chains build free: a traveler is a go-doer, "tried very hard" is try-strong+very-past, and the moral fits in five words.
First, as really written: one sentence per line, each line one unbroken rail - the line's end is the period. The low lines are the word separators:
The same eight sentences, pulled apart word by word:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wind and the Sun fought about the one who is stronger. | ifukwindigandatufsunesugfightnaspastagugaboutotaspersonagaswhichugukstrongnofafmore | ifukiiffuukkigiiggatufaattuuffesugnaseessuuggnnaassagugaagguuggotasoottaassagasaaggaassuguknofafuugguukknnooffaaff | |
| A traveler came along, wearing warm clothes. | ogakgonotdoerakigcomenaspastikukwithegakclothesnateghot | ogaknotooggaakknnoottakignasaakkiiggnnaassikukiikkuukkegaknategeeggaakknnaatteegg | |
| They said that the person who can drop the traveler's clothes is stronger. | egettheynagifsaynaspastekthatotaspersonagaswhichikagdropnugescanegakclothesnogatxheugukstrongnofafmore | egetnagifnaseeggeettnnaaggiiffnnaassekeekkotasoottaassagasaaggaassikagnugesiikkaaggnnuuggeessegaknogateeggaakknnooggaattuguknofafuugguukknnooffaaff | |
| The Wind tried very hard, but the traveler only held his clothes tighter. | ifukwindasiftrynugukstrongwasesverynaspastasotbutogakgonotdoeritotholdnofafmorenaspastegakclothesnogatxhe | ifukiiffuukkasifnugukwasesnasaassiiffnnuugguukkwwaasseessnnaassasotaassoottogaknotooggaakknnoottitotnofafnasiittoottnnooffaaffnnaassegaknogateeggaakknnooggaatt | |
| The Wind gave up. | ifukwindafughaltnaspast | ifukiiffuukkafugnasaaffuuggnnaass | |
| So the Sun gave out hot light, and the traveler quickly dropped his clothes. | ateksoatufsunisetgivenaspastoseklightnateghotigandogakgonotdoerikagdropnifasfastnaspastegakclothesnogatxhe | atekaatteekkatufaattuuffisetnasiisseettnnaassoseknategoosseekknnaatteeggigiiggogaknotooggaakknnoottikagnifasnasiikkaaggnniiffaassnnaassegaknogateeggaakknnooggaatt | |
| And the Wind said that you are stronger than me. | igandifukwindagifsaynaspastekthatokyounugukstrongnofafmoreotifasusme | igiiggifukiiffuukkagifnasaaggiiffnnaassekeekkoknuguknofafookknnuugguukknnooffaaffotifoottiiffusuuss | |
| The soft way beat the strong way. | otuswaynufagsoftutotwinnaspastotuswaynugukstrong | otusnufagoottuussnnuuffaaggutotnasuuttoottnnaassotusnugukoottuussnnuugguukk |
The word "that" introduces each inner thought, nesting as deep as needed:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xhe knows that I think that you are smart. | ogatxhenafogknowekthatusmenigifthinkekthatokyounafessmart | ogatnafogooggaattnnaaffooggekeekkusnigifuussnniiggiiffekeekkoknafesookknnaaffeess |
One sentence, four moving parts: an if-condition with a narrow + negation, a command, a "because", an "until" - the joining words all standing alone:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| If you do not want to help, tell me now, because we cannot wait until tomorrow. | asitifokyounigakhelpnafofwantwaknookyouniteftellnotufcommandusmeagutnowegikbecauseefwenigegwaitnugescannaknoatosuntilitogdaynisek1nitfuture | asitaassiittoknigaknafofwakookknniiggaakknnaaffooffwwaakkoknitefnotufookknniitteeffnnoottuuffusuussagutaagguuttegikeeggiikkefnigegnugesnakeeffnniiggeeggnnuuggeessnnaakkatosaattoossitogniseknitiittooggnniisseekknniitt |
The question piece is the very last piece of the sentence's final word - even when that word is a thing:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you see the black dog? | okyounotefseeegefdognefogblacknetquestion | oknotefookknnootteeffegefnefogneteeggeeffnneeffooggnneett | |
| Why did you not eat? | ekifwhyokyounagufeatnaspastnaknonetquestion | ekifeekkiiffoknagufnasnaknetookknnaagguuffnnaassnnaakknneett |
One chain carries a number, an ordinal and an owner in the fixed slot order - comparison is "more" on the quality plus "as" between the things compared:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| My friend's third dog is black. | egefdognegog3wekitordinalnofisfriendwusmeefogblack | egefnegogwekitnofiswuseeggeeffnneeggooggwweekkiittnnooffiisswwuussefogeeffoogg | |
| Your dog is faster than my dog. | egefdognokyouifasfastnofafmoreotifasegefdognusme | egefnokeeggeeffnnookkifasnofafiiffaassnnooffaaffotifoottiiffegefnuseeggeeffnnuuss |
A teacher is a teach-doer, a student a learn-doer - built on the fly:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| The teacher works in the school. | ikatteachnotdoeregukworkogotinukasschool | ikatnotiikkaattnnoottegukeegguukkogotooggoottukasuukkaass | |
| The student learns fast. | igiklearnnotdoerigiklearnnifasfast | igiknotiiggiikknnoottigiknifasiiggiikknniiffaass | |
| The child gives food to the dog every day. | oteschildisetgiveoseffoodisegtoegefdogitogdaynasokall | otesootteessisetiisseettosefoosseeffisegiisseeggegefeeggeeffitognasokiittooggnnaassookk |
"Always" sits in the sentence as its own word, and the degree word grades a quality like anything else (very hard = hard-very):
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| I will always love you. | usmenikaslovenitfutureokyouakugalways | usnikasnituussnniikkaassnniittokookkakugaakkuugg | |
| We will try again tomorrow, even if the work is very hard. | efwenasiftrynitfutureokefagainitogdaynisek1nitfutureasitifegukworkisakhardnasesveryugatorakno | efnasifniteeffnnaassiiffnniittokefookkeeffitogniseknitiittooggnniisseekknniittasitaassiittegukeegguukkisaknasesiissaakknnaasseessugatuuggaattakaakk |
Six famous monologues - colloquial, emotional, paragraph-long - translated sentence by sentence.
Rocky to his son (Rocky Balboa, 2006). "Keep moving forward" becomes go-front - "how winning is done" is the compound way-win:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let me tell you something you already know. | usmeniteftellnafofwantokyouetutthingagaswhichokyounafogknow | usnitefnafofuussnniitteeffnnaaffooffokookketuteettuuttagasaaggaassoknafogookknnaaffoogg | |
| The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. | afukworldafetisnaknooseklightnatufsunigandugefnigetrainbownosplural | afukaaffuukkafetnakaaffeettnnaakkoseknatufoosseekknnaattuuffigiiggugefnigetnosuuggeeffnniiggeettnnooss | |
| It's a very mean and nasty place. | utitnafetisusefplaceagaswhichesatnicenukantonymnasesvery | utnafetuuttnnaaffeettusefuusseeffagasaaggaassesatnuknaseseessaattnnuukknnaasseess | |
| It will beat you down and keep you there permanently if you don't fight. | utitnekukhitnugukstrongnitfutureokyouutofdownigandutitnitotholdnitfutureokyouokigthereusatforeverasitifokyounesugfightnakno | utnekuknuguknituuttnneekkuukknnuugguukknniittokookkutofuuttooffigiiggutnitotnituuttnniittoottnniittokookkokigookkiiggusatuussaattasitaassiittoknesugnakookknneessuuggnnaakk | |
| You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. | igaflifeekukhitnugukstrongnofafmoreotifasotaspersonnasokall | igafiiggaaffekuknuguknofafeekkuukknnuugguukknnooffaaffotifoottiiffotasnasokoottaassnnaassookk | |
| But it ain't about how hard you hit. | asotbutetutthingnifesimportantafetisnaknoekthatokyounekukhitnugukstrongwasesvery | asotaassoottetutnifeseettuuttnniiffeessafetnakaaffeettnnaakkekeekkoknekuknugukwasesookknneekkuukknnuugguukkwwaasseess | |
| It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. | etutthingnifesimportantafetisekthatokyounitotholdnugescanekukhitnospluraligandokyounogakgonigekfrontokefagain | etutnifeseettuuttnniiffeessafetaaffeettekeekkoknitotnugesookknniittoottnnuuggeessekuknoseekkuukknnoossigiiggoknogaknigekookknnooggaakknniiggeekkokefookkeeff | |
| That's how winning is done! | atthisafetisotuswaynutotwin | ataattafetaaffeettotusnutotoottuussnnuuttoott |
Roy Batty's dying monologue (Blade Runner, 1982). A warship is a boat-fight (a fighting boat), a tear is water-eye. Orion and Tannhauser are names: each walks behind the foreign marker and keeps its own script, mid-speech:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. | usmenotefseenaspastetutthingnospluralagaswhichokyounekasbelievenugescannakno | usnotefnasuussnnootteeffnnaassetutnoseettuuttnnoossagasaaggaassoknekasnugesnakookknneekkaassnnuuggeessnnaakk | |
| Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. | ekatboatnesugfightnospluralatokburnnaspastagotstarnospluralugekforeignOrion | ekatnesugnoseekkaattnneessuuggnnoossatoknasaattookknnaassagotnosaaggoottnnoossugekuuggeekkOrion | |
| I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. | usmenotefseenaspastoseklightnospluralagaswhichatukdanceogotinoseklightnukantonymogosdoornagotstarugekforeignTannhauser | usnotefnasuussnnootteeffnnaassoseknosoosseekknnoossagasaaggaassatukaattuukkogotooggoottoseknukoosseekknnuukkogosnagotooggoossnnaaggoottugekuuggeekkTannhauser | |
| All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. | ukikmomentnatthisnospluralnasokallogakgonitfutureukekwaternogaseyenospluralnogagsimilarogotinigetrain | ukiknatnosnasokuukkiikknnaattnnoossnnaassookkogaknitooggaakknniittukeknogasnosnogaguukkeekknnooggaassnnoossnnooggaaggogotooggoottigetiiggeett | |
| Time to die. | ufaktimenusotdeathegisexistakokhere | ufaknusotuuffaakknnuussoottegiseeggiissakokaakkookk |
The rooftop speech (Dirty Harry, 1971). "Do I feel lucky?" becomes "will good happen to me?" - a quoted question is simply said as its own sentence. ".44 Magnum" is a brand name: foreign marker, own script, mid-sentence this time:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| I know what you're thinking. | usmenafogknowetutthingagaswhichokyounigifthink | usnafoguussnnaaffooggetuteettuuttagasaaggaassoknigifookknniiggiiff | |
| "Did he fire six shots, or only five?" | etitsoundnutegweaponnugeg6agighappennaspastugatorekugonlyigog5netquestion | etitnutegnugegeettiittnnuutteeggnnuuggeeggagignasaaggiiggnnaassugatuuggaattekugeekkuuggigognetiiggooggnneett | |
| Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kind of lost track myself. | usmeniteftellokyouotaktrueekthatusmenasikcountnaspastnaknoogotinesugfightnatthis | usnitefuussnniitteeffokookkotakoottaakkekeekkusnasiknasnakuussnnaassiikknnaassnnaakkogotooggoottesugnateessuuggnnaatt | |
| But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off... | asotbututegweaponnatthisugekforeign.44 Magnumugukstrongnofafmoreotifasutegweaponnikugelsenasokallogotinafukworldigandutitnifokbreaknugescanetusheadnokyou | asotaassoottutegnatuutteeggnnaattugekuuggeekk.44 Magnumuguknofafuugguukknnooffaaffotifoottiiffutegnikugnasokuutteeggnniikkuuggnnaassookkogotooggoottafukaaffuukkigiiggutnifoknugesuuttnniiffookknnuuggeessetusnokeettuussnnookk | |
| ...you've got to ask yourself one question: | okyounosatasknatefshouldetutthingnisek1isegtoekikself | oknosatnatefookknnoossaattnnaatteeffetutnisekeettuuttnniisseekkisegiisseeggekikeekkiikk | |
| "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk? | afekgoodagighappennitfutureisegtousmenetquestion | afekaaffeekkagignitaaggiiggnniittisegiisseeggusnetuussnneett |
SUL keeps it just as bare: each line is a fragment naming the activity itself - do, or do-no - the same bare-verb-names-the-activity trick from the sentence lesson. (A direct order would chain the command word on.) The last line is the punchline: try exist-no, three morphemes:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| No! | akno | akaakk | |
| Try not. | asiftrynakno | asifnakaassiiffnnaakk | |
| Do. | ukefdo | ukefuukkeeff | |
| Or do not. | ugatorukefdonakno | ugatuuggaattukefnakuukkeeffnnaakk | |
| There is no try. | asiftryegisexistnakno | asifaassiiffegisnakeeggiissnnaakk |
Sam at the end of The Two Towers (2002). "Frodo" walks behind the foreign marker in its own script. Darkness is light-antonym, and "the shadow" is light-antonym-this:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. | utitnogagsimilaraketstorynifesimportantnospluralugekforeignFrodo | utnogaguuttnnooggaaggaketnifesnosaakkeettnniiffeessnnoossugekuuggeekkFrodo | |
| Full of darkness and danger they were. | aketstorynatthisnospluralafigfullnaspastikukwithoseklightnukantonymigandugokdanger | aketnatnosaakkeettnnaattnnoossafignasaaffiiggnnaassikukiikkuukkoseknukoosseekknnuukkigiiggugokuuggookk | |
| But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. | asotbutoseklightnukantonymnatthisafetisekugonlyetutthingagaswhichogakgonitfuture | asotaassoottoseknuknatoosseekknnuukknnaattafetaaffeettekugeekkuuggetuteettuuttagasaaggaassogaknitooggaakknniitt | |
| Even darkness must pass. | oseklightnukantonymnusoktooogakgonatefshould | oseknuknusokoosseekknnuukknnuussookkogaknatefooggaakknnaatteeff | |
| A new day will come. | itogdaynisusnewakigcomenitfuture | itognisusiittooggnniissuussakignitaakkiiggnniitt | |
| And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. | igandufotwhenatufsunisetgivenitfutureoseklightutitisetgivenitfutureoseklightnofafmore | igiiggufotuuffoottatufaattuuffisetnitiisseettnniittosekoosseekkutuuttisetnitiisseettnniittoseknofafoosseekknnooffaaff | |
| Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. | otaspersonnospluralogotinaketstorynatthisnospluralosigturnnugescannaspastasotbutegettheynosigturnnaspastnakno | otasnosoottaassnnoossogotooggoottaketnatnosaakkeettnnaattnnoossosignugesnasoossiiggnnuuggeessnnaassasotaassoottegetnosignasnakeeggeettnnoossiiggnnaassnnaakk | |
| They kept going, because they were holding on to something. | egettheynogakgonofafmorenaspastegikbecauseegettheynitotholdnaspastetutthingnagaksome | egetnogaknofafnaseeggeettnnooggaakknnooffaaffnnaassegikeeggiikkegetnitotnaseeggeettnniittoottnnaassetutnagakeettuuttnnaaggaakk | |
| That there's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for. | afekgoodnagaksomeegisexistogotinafukworldnatthisigandefwenesugfightnatefshouldegikbecauseafekgoodnatthisegisexist | afeknagakaaffeekknnaaggaakkegiseeggiissogotooggoottafuknataaffuukknnaattigiiggefnesugnatefeeffnneessuuggnnaatteeffegikeeggiikkafeknataaffeekknnaattegiseeggiiss |
A greeting, a foreign name behind its marker, a past-tense accusation, and death-you - "your death comes now". Four sentences, four rails:
And sentence by sentence:
| English | SUL | Written | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. | afushelloisasnamenusmeafetisugekforeignInigo Montoya | afusaaffuussisasnusiissaassnnuussafetaaffeettugekuuggeekkInigo Montoya | |
| You killed my father. | okyounitukkillnaspastotekfathernusme | oknituknasookknniittuukknnaassoteknusootteekknnuuss | |
| Prepare to die. | usotdeathnokyouakigcomeagutnow | usotnokuussoottnnookkakigaakkiiggagutaagguutt |