The sixteenth text, written for the words the writing had never reached for. Counted on September 4, 2026: 55 of the 300 roots appeared in no text at all — they were taught in a lesson, drilled once, and never used again.
The surprise was what they are. Not obscure nouns: o (or), kadar (as … as), kurang (less), lasim (must), berapa (how many), kaifa (how), fikir (to think). Function words — the joints of the language — exercised in lessons and never once in a sentence anybody wrote for its own sake.
A market is where a person says how much, less, or, and as … as, so a market is what this is.
Mi lasim go market hafta ini.
Tacir beca fruta, telur aur nyama.
Mi tanya: "Berapa harga fruta?"
Ta respon: "Des pesa."
Mi fikir. Harga ini kabir kadar harga in madina baru.
Mi sema: "Kurang, plis."
Tacir sema: "Ba pesa. Bas."
Ta tanya: "Yu mau nyama o samaki?"
Mi respon: "Samaki, plis. Nyama lebi eski."
Mi kupi fruta, telur aur samaki. Mano mi plen.
Fruta ini dulce.
Tacir funga market in aksam. Insan-insan go dom.
Kaifa mi tabak samaki? Mi no bil.
Mi fikir mi lasim tanya mama mi.
Mi pone samaki in tabla. Mi ambil sikin.
Mausim ini barid, aur cok badal in asman.
Besok mi saufa tabak samaki una mama mi.
Mi fikir samaki saufa hao.
Line by line
| Amadunia | English |
|---|---|
| Mi lasim go market hafta ini. | This week I have to go to the market. |
| Tacir beca fruta, telur aur nyama. | The merchant sells fruit, eggs and meat. |
| Mi tanya: “Berapa harga fruta?” | I ask: “How much is the fruit?” |
| Ta respon: “Des pesa.” | He answers: “Ten money.” |
| Mi fikir. | I think. |
| Harga ini kabir kadar harga in madina baru. | This price is as big as the price in the new city. |
| Mi sema: “Kurang, plis.” | I say: “Less, please.” |
| Tacir sema: “Ba pesa. Bas.” | The merchant says: “Eight money. Enough.” |
| Ta tanya: “Yu mau nyama o samaki?” | He asks: “Do you want meat or fish?” |
| Mi respon: “Samaki, plis. Nyama lebi eski.” | I answer: “Fish, please. The meat is older.” |
| Mi kupi fruta, telur aur samaki. | I buy fruit, eggs and fish. |
| Mano mi plen. | My hands are full. |
| Fruta ini dulce. | This fruit is sweet. |
| Tacir funga market in aksam. | The merchant closes the market in the evening. |
| Insan-insan go dom. | The people go home. |
| Kaifa mi tabak samaki? | How do I cook fish? |
| Mi no bil. | I do not know. |
| Mi fikir mi lasim tanya mama mi. | I think I have to ask my mother. |
| Mi pone samaki in tabla. Mi ambil sikin. | I put the fish on the table. I take a knife. |
| Mausim ini barid, aur cok badal in asman. | This season is cold, and there are many clouds in the sky. |
| Besok mi saufa tabak samaki una mama mi. | Tomorrow I will cook the fish with my mother. |
| Mi fikir samaki saufa hao. | I think the fish will be good. |
What it reached
Twenty-one of the fifty-five, counted rather than guessed: badal, beca, berapa, besok, dulce, fikir, fruta, funga, hafta, kadar, kaifa, kurang, lasim, mausim, nyama, o, plen, samaki, sikin, tabla, telur. Thirty-four are still unused — one scene about buying food reached two fifths of them, which says something about the rest.
The function words behaved. o joined two nouns inside a question and needed nothing; kadar compared two prices with no degree word, as comparison.md says it must; kurang stood alone as a whole turn, which the fragment rule allows and no lesson had shown; lasim chained twice, once with go and once with tanya.
Gaps
No word for but, again. Nyama lebi eski wants to be “the meat is cheaper but older”, and the bargaining scene is where a contrast belongs most. Ninth on the list and now asked for by three separate pages.
A price cannot be named. Des pesa is “ten money”, because pesa is the substance and there is no coin. Recorded from text 9; a market text makes it worse, because bargaining is entirely about the difference between an amount and a price.
No word for cheap or expensive. (the list.) The whole exchange runs on kabir and kurang — big and less — and says this price is as big as the price in the new city where a person would say this is dear. Found here, and the first time a text has wanted it.
Roots used
62 of 300.