Word Order
The word order is generally free, but words may be placed earlier in a sentence for emphasis. Adjectives go either right before or after the noun they describe.
Verb Conjugation
With verb conjugation, the verb form of a word
is used. For example, noka (foot) as a verb
becomes to foot or to walk.
Relative person can be translated to who, whom,
whose, which, that, etc. in English.
It is possible to verbify nouns with cases applied
to them. For example, lavotun (lative) means I get.
Singular
| Tense/Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past | -(i)nu | -(i)su | -(i)pu | -(i)mu |
| Present | -(i)n | -(i)s | -(i)pi | -(i)m |
| Future | -(i)nas | -(i)sas | -(i)pas | -(i)mas |
Examples
I walk
You walk
I walked
The animal that walked
Plural
Plural is added to a conjugation to express
a plurality in the person. This would turn I into
we, or 3rd person singular into they.
su
Examples
We will act
Noun & Descriptor Conjugation
Noun and descriptor conjugation is used when a word
should not be verbified. Instead, it expresses state.
For example, ikeve (small) conjugated in this way
results in to be small. With verb conjugation, it
would instead refer to to decrease.
Singular
| Tense/Person | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past | -(i)not | -(i)sot | -(i)pot | -(i)mot |
| Present | -(i)naa | -(i)saa | -(i)paa | -(i)mes |
| Future | -(i)now | -(i)sow | -(i)pow | -(i)mow |
Examples
I am big
You are big
I was big
Plural
Plural is added to a conjugation to express
a plurality in the person. This would turn I into
we, or 3rd person singular into they.
lu
Number
Plural in this form is used to express plurality
for words themself. For example, object (oni)
into objects (oniye). When applied to verbs,
it refers to something being done several times.
| Kind | Plural |
|---|---|
| Noun | -ye |
| Verb | -yoa |
Examples
Hands
To hold several times
Comparison
Comparative and superlative are added to descriptors.
| Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|
| -vo | -vie |
Examples
Bigger
Biggest
Questions
esa
The esa article is used for questions. It can be placed
anywhere in a sentence, but is generally placed at the start
or end of a sentence.
Cases
List of Cases
| Case | Suffix | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | - | - |
| Accusative | -t | direct object |
| Dative | -da | indirect object, together with |
| Genitive | -di | possession |
| Lative | -tu | motion towards, for |
| Ablative | -tol | motion from |
| Prolative | -tat | via, through, along, by means of |
| Partitive | -tia | direct object, incomplete |
| Locative/Essive | -li | at (location, time) |
| Semblative | -kus | similarity |
Accusative
-t
Accusative is used to mark a word as a direct object. The direct object is the part of a sentence that the verb is acted on. Unlike in some languages, it does not indicate movement. Instead, the lative case is used to express movement towards the direct object.
Examples
I have a plant
Dative
-da
Dative is used to mark a word as an indirect object. The indirect object is the recipient/beneficiary of an action.
Examples
I talk to you
Genitive
-di
Genitive marks possession of another noun (the possession). By default, it marks a word as a nominative. This makes it necessary to add another case, such as accusative or dative, in cases where the word is not the subject of a sentence.
Examples
My plant
I walk to his house
Note: Since the genitive word is also an indirect object, the dative suffix is stacked on top
Lative, Ablative & Prolative
Lative, ablative and prolative mark a word as a direct object, but also indicate various types of abstract or concrete movement. The lative case indicates movement towards the direct object while ablative indicates movement from it. Prolative is used to express that an action is done by means of/via/through the direct object.
Examples
I walk to you
It is for you
I walk from you
You walk through the hole
Partitive
-tia
Partitive is similar to accusative but also expresses that something is incomplete, for example a book only being partly read. It is normally optional and is used when clarifying completeness is relevant.
Examples
I read part of a book
Locative/Essive
Locative indicates location of the subject of a sentence. It is also used to mark a point in time.
-li
Examples
I am at home
I will walk at 2 o'clock
Semblative
-kus
Semblative expressses some form of similarity between objects or concepts.
Examples
It is dark like at night
Additional Stacking Cases
These cases can only be added after regular cases. For example,
the In- case could be combined with locative to create
inessive, -lie, meaning inside.
| Case | Suffix | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| In- | -e | in, inside |
| Super- | -u | over, above, on |
| Sub- | -os | under |
| Behind | -st | behind |
| In front | -se | in front |
| Adjacent | -at | adjacent, nearby |
| Inter- | -wo | between, in-between |
Examples
I am inside a house
Nil Word
The nil word (eni) can be used to extract the pure meaning
of grammatical features. For example, in order to say just in,
one could say enilie.
Pronouns
Pronouns are created by applying a conjugation suffix to the nil word.
Examples
Me
It is similar to you
Voices
Passive
| Kind | Past | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | -sla | -slu | -slei |
| Noun/Descriptor | -sto | -sti | -stei |
The passive voice is used as an unspecified person. It can also be used
to verbify a word without specifying a person (eg. leg -> to walk), in which
case it turns the word into a noun.
Although slightly different, adding the passive suffix to a word can be compared to adding -ing to
a word in English.
Examples
One reads
I like to walk
Was built
Moods
Imperative/Optative
Expresses a demand or wish.
| Suffix | |
|---|---|
| Verbs | -(i)stu |
| Nouns & Descriptors | -(i)stoi |
Examples
Read a book
Be calm
You should read a book
Subordinate Clause
The word eta can be used at the start of a subordinate
clause similar to the word that in English.
Examples
I like that the house is red
Morphology Syntax
Suffix priority:
- Gradiency
- Intensifier/diminutive
- Number
- Case
- Mood
- Voice
- Conjugation