4 August 2018 1:26 AM (fiction | conlang)
Introduction
I was doing a silly one-off where people were exploring the infrastructure tunnels under a city. Given the urban legends about alligators living in the sewers, I had The Authorities and anyone they ran into from the Department of Water and Power insist there were no alligators at all. Not one.
The punch-line was that there were crocodiles. A small civilization of them, busting open water mains to make basking pools, smashing the valves on steam pipes to get heat to cook with, and stealing parts from monitoring equipment. Someone tried a bit of pointing and speaking slowly to try to talk to them; between that and a friend having mentioned that she wished someone would do a roleplay where the players had to work out how to communicate with speakers of another language, I decided to give it a shot.
Goals
-
Since this is a one-off, we won't be too elaborate. Nor will we introduce irregularity. Put in some case marking, but leave out grammatical number, just for the sake of simplicity. And remove verb agreement since that's one less thing for me to have to get wrong.
This also makes it easier for the players who are trying to figure out what different endings mean.
-
Use a simple word list, to start.
Generating vocabulary can be the hardest part, so I grabbed a list of the 1000 most frequently used English words and made a script to generate one list of all the one syllable words in this language and one list of all two syllable words. Then randomized them and picked as convenient. The one syllable words with no coda were used for more common words like pronouns, numerals, and other basic functionals.
Phonemes
Consonants
Really I should have more places of articulation. I imagine something with a long mouth like a crocodile would have distinguishable fore-palate, mid-palate, and rear-palate, say. No labials, though, because crocodiles always smile.
Transcription | Sound |
---|---|
q | Uvular ejective |
k | Velar ejective |
t | Alveolar ejective |
x | Unvoiced velar affricate |
ts | Unvoiced alveolar affricate |
ch | Unvoiced palatal fricative |
qh | Unvoiced uvular fricative |
ng | Voiced uvular nasal |
n | Voiced alveolar nasal |
gr | Voiced uvular trill |
dr | Voiced alveolar trill |
r | Retroflex alveolar approximant |
For those of you following along at home, an ejective is a sound made by stopping the flow of air with the tongue at some point, building up pressure behind it, and releasing it. The places of articulation refer to the spot in your mouth you press the tongue or narrow the flow of air: uvular being the uvula (the 'punching bag' in the back of the throat), velar being the soft palate, alveolar being the ridge into which ones top teeth are set, and palatal being the hard palate (roof of the mouth).
Consonants are voiced if the vocal cords are vibrating and unvoiced if it's just air. A fricative involves narrowing the flow of air so it becomes turbulent (like 's' and 'f' in English).
A nasal involves stopping the flow of air but opening the soft palate so it can come out through the nose. An affricate is a stop immediately released into a fricative. A trill is a narrowing beyond a fricative, so that the tongue touches and breaks contact (assisted by air flow) repeatedly.
The Alveolar Retroflex Approximant turns the tongue-tip back so the underside is near the alveolar ridge. This sounds like the way most Americans pronounce the letter 'r'. (Though in reality there are several ways Americans make this sound. Probably the most popular is the 'bunch-tongue', where the middle of the tongue is pulled back and heaved up toward the palate.)
Vowels
Transcription | Sound |
---|---|
y | ü as in über |
u | oo as in moo |
ue | oo as in book |
ou | awe as in awe |
o | o as in know |
i | e as in see |
a | a as in father |
e | schwa when unstressed, a as in way when stressed |
Phonology
Let C be any consonant and V any vowel. Let F be any affricate, fricative, nasal, or rhotic.
Valid words are
(CV)(CV)*F?
Put another way, all syllables must have an onset, and that onset may be any consonant. The nucleus may be any vowel. Only the ultimate syllable in a word may have a coda. That coda may be an affricate, fricative, nasal, or rhotic. (A rhotic is anything kind of like an 'r'.)
If adding a morpheme would cause two consonants in sequence, e is inserted. If adding a morpheme would cause two vowels in sequence, a nasal is inserted, assimilated to the first vowel.
If one word ends in a nasal and the next word begins with a stop, affricate, or trill the nasal assimilates.
If one morpheme ends in the vowels y or i and another morpheme beginning with a nasal is added, the nasal assimilates to become alveolar.
If one morpheme ends in the vowel a and another morpheme beginning with a nasal is added, the nasal assimilates to become uvular.
Stresses alternate. The ultimate of a word is always stressed. Primary stress is on the antepenult if there is one, on the ultimate otherwise.
In the case of a single syllable word, it is unstressed if following word's initial syllable is stressed, stressed otherwise.
Syntax
Nouns
Nouns are inflected for case. There is no gender. Number (dual and plural) is indicated with an adjective-like particle.
This is an ergative-absolutive language. (The absolutive case is used for the subjects of intransitive verbs and the objects of transitive verbs while the ergative case is used for the subject of transitive verbs.) It possesses the following cases:
- Absolutive
- Ergative
- Dative (Also indicates motion toward)
- Genitive (Also indicates motion away)
- Locative (Place where something is/action happens)
- Instrumental/Accompaniment
- Vocative
Verbs
Verbs are conjugated for mood and voice. Tense is indicated by adverbs.
Participles may be formed from the indicative mood and any voice.
Voices
- Active
- A transitive verb with the subject in the ergative is active but has an unspecified/unimportant object.
- Middle
- Not marked morphologically. A transitive verb with the subject in the absolutive is, semantically, in the middle voice. I love middle voice. I adore middle voice.
- Passive
- The subject of the verb is the patient of the action. If the agent is specified, it is in the genitive case.
Moods
- Indicative
- The realis mood for describing things that happened.
- Subjunctive
- Irrealis used for counterfactuals, or statements of belief for which the speaker implies no claim of truth. (e.g. 'Bill persuaded Dan that…' would take an indicative if the speaker believed the statement of which Dan was persuaded, subjunctive otherwise.) When used as an independent clause, expresses belief of possibility.
- Optative
- Used for wishes, desires, and orders. When used on its own, indicates a statement the speaker wishes would be carried out or believes to be a claim of obligation.
- Interrogative
- For questions.
- Imperative
- For commands.
Word Order
By default, word order is Subject-Object-Verb, adjectives follow the noun they modify, and genitives precede the nouns they modify. Adverbs often precede the verb they modify but may wander about the clause freely.
Prepositions
There are no prepositions.
To hell with prepositions.
The devil take them.
Functions normally performed by prepositions are performed by a combination of case marking and adverbs. Words like 'in' modify verbs rather than nouns. e.g. 'John-Abs house-dat inly walk.'
John walking while he happens to be in the house (pacing, say) ⇒
'John-ABS
house-LOC
inly walk.'
Clauses
Subordinating conjunctions are case-marked to indicate their position in the larger clause.
Relative clauses are handled with a relativising adjective (which may be substantive) and resumptive pronoun.
Genitive absolutes may appear anywhere in the sentence, but usually precede the subject. The genitive is used for the subject of the participle and the absolutive for the object, if there is one.
Explicitly marking events as happening in sequence uses the genitive absolute. Bill arrived after Jonathan left ⇒ 'Jonathan having left, Bill afterly arrived.'
Use of the genitive absolute turned out to be a mistake, and a quite grave one. Since I'm using the genitive for absolutes and as the genitive of agent in passive voice constructions, we can't have a genitive absolute in the passive voice with an agent. Or at least not without stuffing something between the subject and the agent. In retrospect I should have used locative absolutes instead. (I use the genitive for a lot. Absolute, agent, comparison, partitive, possession, authority…Pee-Wee Herman is probably going to pop up and go "Well if you love the genitive case so much, why don't you MARRY it?")
Morphology
Case
Case | Suffix |
---|---|
Absolutive | ∅ |
Ergative | -ts |
Dative | -ng |
Genitive | -ry |
Locative | -x |
Instrumental | -k |
Vocative | -to |
Voice
Voice | Suffix |
---|---|
Active | ∅ (Implied by case structure) |
Middle | ∅ (Implied by case structure) |
Passive | -ry |
Mood
Mood | Suffix |
---|---|
Indicative | -ko |
Subjunctive | -nue |
Optative | -ngy |
Interrogative | -nen |
Imperative | ∅ |
Verbals
Participles (adjectival forms of verbs. Like 'running' in 'the running man') are formed with the infix -ike-. Gerunds (Like 'fishing' in 'fishing is fun') are formed with the infix -exe-.
In participles and gerunds with no object, middle-voice meaning is assumed if appropriate. Explicitly specify a dummy pronoun of 'na' to get active voice.
A substantive, active participle is identical to the agentive. i.e. a 'walking one' is the same as a 'walker'.
Other
Function | Suffix |
---|---|
Adverb to adjective | -ne |
Noun-to-adjective (-ful) | -qhi |
Adjective-to-noun (-ness) | -qy |
Lexicon
Nouns
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
ngueqh | strength/power/ability |
grich | time/duration |
ngygr | time/moment/event |
xoudr | agree |
neqh | front/face/past |
chuer | air/gas |
nueng | amount/count/number |
qhydr | beast |
quch | place/location/area |
xouch | limb |
drogr | art/skill |
cheng | lore/knowledge/science |
nygr | wright/maker/crafter |
kyqh | right/leadership/authority |
qhuen | egg |
grang | back/rear/future |
tsouqh | bag/sack/box/container |
grydr | bank/shore |
nguts | river mouth |
qhoudr | river (large, flowing) |
tsach | pond/pool (still, small) |
tsedr | lake/ocean (waves, large) |
tsoudr | creek (small, flowing, safe) |
chan | home/safe spot/bed/basking place |
chogr | bit/small unimportant thing/speck |
chouqh | blood/kinship/energy/life |
kuedr | building material/substance/fabric/substrate/matter |
noung | body/torso/tree trunk/main subject |
tsueqh | parent |
nguech | clutchmate |
kueng | caregiving/elder kin |
gruedr | care-receiving/younger kin |
qhidr | cancer, swelling disease |
ruch | case/example/kind/instance |
xaqh | seat/appropriate place |
tsych | nature/character/accustomed way |
groux | person |
qoudr | community/polity/civilization |
ngur | type/kind/sort |
grex | group/collection/set/flock/swarm |
qoun | shade/color/hue |
ngar | thing given up/cost |
druets | run of river/course of process/path/order |
nyts | sin/crime/violation of tradition/peace |
xydr | duty/virtuous act |
nger | day (one sleep cycle, primarily) |
ngyr | detail (small important thing) |
gron | food |
tsix | direction/way/portal/door |
ngang | wasting disease/premature age |
ngix | medicine/salve |
chedr | force/power/ability/strength |
grach | light |
grux | edge/boundary/point in task |
ter | work/effort/attempt |
rygr | circumstance/environment |
qhyng | evidence/reasons given |
chour | example/role model/prototype |
tsing | eye/faculty of perception |
chou | land/ground/floor/bottom |
quegr | sky/outer space/ceiling |
chex | film/scum/surface layer/skin |
xor | digit (anat) |
rots | fire/blaze |
qhon | fish/open-water beast |
qar | mud/shallow water beast |
xang | land beast |
kougr | bird/air beast |
tsir | form/shape/figure |
qin | play/sport/game (team) |
gran | play/sport/game (solitaire) |
noch | garden/planned life/farm/genetic eng. |
noqh | wave/generation/rank/(step in process) |
nouqh | strand/hair/string/wire/line |
chue | part/portion/member/item in a group/piece |
xedr | head/top/summit/supreme importance |
koung | heart/seat of will/essential aspect |
drux | intestines/seat of compassion/altruism |
cho | gladness/joy/happiness |
chigr | contentment/satisfaction |
tygr | sadness/despair |
xueqh | restlessness/disquiet |
xon | hope |
queng | lust/intellectual interest/want/desire |
qur | task |
groqh | key (anything made to fit in some other space/system) |
ryqh | breath/speech/language/seat of rational thought/mind |
droun | law/tradition/custom |
tudr | list/sequence |
tox | heap/pile/lot |
nguets | engine/machine (obvious moving parts) |
ker | computer/subtle machine (electronic/unmoving parts/magic) |
kaqh | kidneys/memory/store of knowledge |
kor | method/way/procedure |
qhex | mouth/snout/nose |
qhar | music/rhythm/poetry (sound arranged aesthetically) |
tang | network/mesh |
kung | news/tidings |
roqh | fat/grease/oil |
chyng | pain/suffering |
gragr | peace/quiet/calm |
ton | plant/vegetable |
kar | secret/private matter |
qydr | right side of body |
ngougr | left side of body |
choun | stone/rock |
ting | soil/earth |
kong | mud |
ner | room/building/large structure/house/container for people |
qhouch | pure water/clear liquid |
grugr | muddy water/emulsion/suspension/cloudy or opaque liquid |
qaqh | salt water/solution |
tuts | season/month |
chur | year |
qhoung | excrement/foul substance/rot |
xats | hip/shoulder/joint |
ngaqh | side/flank |
droung | situation/circumstances/way things are (contingent) |
kouqh | source/origin |
qhoun | length/area/space/extent |
chuets | star/planet/indicator light |
tsun | thanks |
tong | salutation |
nguch | blessing/valediction |
rung | world (all that is reachable/terrestrial) |
nits | cosmos (all that exists) |
kyr | wind/air current/electricity |
kedr | wall/barrier/obstacle/blockage |
Adjectives
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
tech | true/certain/thus/yes/real |
drong | mature/complete/ripe |
qo | all/every |
gru | no/none |
nga | any |
roung | unused, available, gratis |
nguqh | unripe/incomplete/immature |
druech | bad/rotten/spoiled/unfit |
tsydr | bad/unstable/unsafe/evil |
qhugr | bad/crooked/warped/shoddy/unskillful |
ngots | round/spherical |
tsiqh | good/beautiful/skillfully made/healthy |
qhix | good/useful/robust/morally worthy/safe |
ngodr | most/greatest/largest |
xiqh | more/greater/larger (comp. to. gen) |
chits | less/smaller (comp. to gen) |
tydr | least/smallest |
touch | equal in quantity/degree/same/similar |
chor | large/great/big |
tsots | small/unimpressive |
rych | dark/black |
xoqh | bright/white/reflective |
taqh | wooden/of plant matter |
grax | central/middle/important |
drougr | difficult |
qhuqh | social/political |
tsin | clear/transparent/unsalted/unmuddied |
nguex | near/close/exactly |
rax | cold |
drich | common/communal/shared/widely known |
grin | deep/high |
ning | early |
qheqh | late |
tsouch | easy/light |
kix | beginning |
tou | whole/entire/in total |
tsan | especially/notable |
teqh | even/level/just/fair |
rogr | fine/on a small scale |
ngux | wise/expert/elder |
kets | firm/hard |
kux | fear |
nux | full/satisfied |
dron | empty/hungry/lacking |
nudr | hand/foot |
xodr | strange/alien |
rex | former/preceding |
nych | free, unrestrained, libre |
qing | wide/general |
ngex | narrow/specific |
qhan | hot |
qhouqh | heavy/weighty/tired |
dring | benevolent/altruistic/kind |
nguegr | correct/fitting/appropriate |
tsech | straight |
gruqh | bent/curved (appropriately/well) |
ruqh | long |
ngon | short (distance) |
qex | short/low (in vertical extent) |
ruex | high/tall (in vertical extent) |
qagr | male |
qon | female |
droux | middling/average/mean |
nuch | unkind/cruel |
nydr | valuable/precious/dear |
drueng | calm/patient/quiet/longsuffering/enduring |
dren | grave/serious |
ngyn | grainy/granular |
xoun | few |
Adverbs
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
ngyx | up/abovely/over |
ryr | down/belowly/beneath |
chets | accordingly (source in genitive) |
kour | acrossly |
qhou | afterly |
keqh | again/returning |
dror | against |
tsang | past/before |
grune | not/no |
qhagr | along |
qhueng | already |
ngech | also |
tsen | always/ever |
qhy | in/among/between |
tsats | in response/reply/reaction |
nets | around/concerning/on the topic of |
ren | now (simultaneous with) |
nar | needful/seeking |
qour | far(gen/dat)/widely(loc) |
tsur | causally (because w/gen abs) |
kodr | beginningly (starting an action/process) |
dragr | beyond/far side/other side |
xeng | this side/near side/closer |
chuch | by/passingly/along and past |
griqh | uncertain/unlikely |
druer | likely (but not absolutely certain |
rodr | easily/clearly/doubtlessly |
gryn | resumptively |
nouch | satisfying obligation (ind)/ought (subj) |
nyn | purposefully (with gen. abs. purpose of main) |
tix | enough |
tsyts | fast/quick |
ne | why? (By what cause?) |
kou | why? (For what reason?) |
nue | how? (Int. Pron. in instr. may be idiomatic) |
qeng | when? |
dry | initiation/expectation of other act/questioningly |
dre | in/into/inwardly |
ngo | through/across |
tsu | to |
ky | fro |
kach | wrong/false (mistakenly) |
kex | wrong/false (deceptively) |
xuegr | permitted (subj)/prosocial wish (opt) |
drun | forbidden (subj)/shameful wish (opt) |
ryts | explicitly not the case (subj)/futile (opt) |
qech | within a short time of now/soon/recently |
rou | almost |
tan | never |
tats | off |
xyng | often/frequently |
qhuedr | sometimes/infrequently |
koch | over/for a long time |
ngung | over/for a short time |
nagr | on/atop/onto |
gruen | uniqueness/only |
rudr | out |
drour | at/along/away from the side of |
kin | suddenly/unexpectedly/without warning |
droqh | offeringly/tentatively |
kue | intent/will |
ngeqh | whether, Yes/no questions with interrogative |
qots | nevertheless/definitely |
dryts | well/competently |
ngydr | haltingly/badly/uncertainly |
grir | together/in accord/in unison/in coordination |
xuedr | to excess/too much |
Verbs
Copula
The copula is irregular because the copula is always irregular.
Form | Function |
---|---|
ru | indicative |
tsung | subjunctive |
chin | optative |
gredr | interrogative |
xax | imperative |
cha | participle |
qhe | gerund |
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
roch | add to/improve (added thing in inst.)/grow (mid) |
nuedr | allow |
tsodr | except/minus/exclude (act)/decrease (mid) |
nuts | think (mid, topic in loc), solve/analyze (act) |
kyx | speak/say/tell |
kidr | fight/attack/row |
drits | attend/heed/listen/aid |
tsong | change (act)/become (mid) w/dat |
togr | guides/drives (act)/behaves (mid) |
qhong | informs/convinces (dat) of (abs) |
qhets | knows/believes (act)/is self-aware/conscious (mid) |
regr | make/build |
qoung | exchange (dat: trader. abs: got. inst: given) |
gregr | call/summon/attract attention |
qouch | care/nourish/moisten/remember (subj. ABS, obj. DAT) |
qheng | catch/arrest/hinder (ind)/stop/abandom action (mid) |
qhych | order/command |
rich | check/inspect/ensure |
qhor | select/choose |
qhen | assert/claim/demand |
tser | close/shut/block up |
qegr | open/unblock/make a path/become opportune (mid) |
kugr | compare/measure/count |
greng | discuss/confer/have a parliament |
tsoung | formally hear/decide as a group/civic function |
tsogr | cover/conceal/brood/warm (ind)/wear (mid) |
tsugr | flow |
qher | cut, unravel, implies purpose/precision |
groch | reason/decide |
rueng | defend/guard |
qhoqh | plan/design/consider/imagine |
ruech | forget (act), die (mid) |
kuex | differ (erg differs from abs), be unusual (mid) |
grouqh | find/discover |
grer | heal/minister medicinally |
kydr | write/draw/carve/make meaningful marks |
kyng | sleep |
dran | drop (act)/fall (mid) |
ridr | eat/burn |
ngych | like/enjoy/appreciate |
qyts | expect/await |
ngoun | lose (act)/fail/fall short (mid) |
xen | touch/feel/investigate/test |
rar | see/notice/perceive |
ngu | cause/enact/bring about (often w/participial phrase |
chux | fly |
tits | follow/come after |
tuch | get/take |
noux | give/release |
drir | guess |
xech | strike/hit |
ngedr | hang/suspend (act), dangle (mid) |
qong | happen/come about/come to term |
rouch | hear |
druegr | help/aid |
chuex | rescue/save |
rix | ABS is named INST / ERG calls/identifies ABS with INST |
grouch | point at/indicate/imply |
tuedr | work/do tasks of social utility |
qhats | ABS is replaced with INST |
grun | attach/fasten (ind)/join together w/dat (mid) |
tsor | kill (other than for food/agriculture) |
ngue | bellow with emotion (laughter/shock/pain) |
xyts | bend/manipulate/tame |
routs | lay (act)/lie (mid) |
qats | lay egg/drop fruit |
tegr | hatch/sprout |
ngan | break/damage/harm |
drech | carry/bear/lead |
tsour | study/learn/examine closely |
qudr | allow/let/sanction |
tsidr | live/other autonomous process continuing |
grix | love/be friends with |
kyn | oversee/manage |
xuch | have sex with (symmetric) |
dryn | meet/come together |
nun | needs/requires |
qhuech | present/offer |
qhyqh | perform/sing/tell story |
drudr | push/press |
tex | pull/drag |
xuen | put/place (ind)/sit/situate oneself (mid) |
grung | quite/vary/done with heightened intensity |
gridr | lift/raise/stand (ind)/stand up/rise (mid) |
nax | judge/evaluate/appraise (ind)/confess (mid) |
xegr | ERG prefers ABS to GEN/ |
qhodr | reach/touch/extend into/achieve |
chox | decode/find meaning in/read/understand |
ngoudr | ERG is ready for ABS/ABS is awake/ready to act/primed |
gring | return/give back/strike back |
ryx | reveal (ind)/appear (mid) |
qhur | endanger/threaten (ind)/take risk (mid) |
tsygr | look/intensely observe/examine/investigate |
kych | send |
xuex | shake/agitate |
ngich | share/distribute/hold in common |
ngoch | show/display/demonstrate |
nyr | to such a degree/so |
tsuegr | arrange by kinds/order/sort |
tuqh | succeed/accomplish |
kir | wait/tarry |
grits | twist/turn |
ngou | attempt/try |
grygr | throw/hurl |
roudr | do/act |
char | go/move |
tsuer | hold/keep/have (act) maintain oneself/stay (mid) |
tyx | cook/prepare |
Coordinating Conjunction
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
nge | and |
xu | but |
chy | or |
ke | for |
ti | yet |
ni | so/then |
Subordinating Conjunction
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
ngi | that |
drou | lest |
xi | introduces relative clause |
qu | if (subj/opt) / when (ind) |
che | until |
Pronoun
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
dra | this/here |
tsi | that/there |
xe | other one/far/yonder |
ki | I/we/(potentially inclusive) |
kits | we (but not you) |
gry | you |
dru | he/she/it |
na | whichever/whoever/whatever one |
xy | one/someone/something |
dro | one (resumptive) |
te | Interrog. What/who/which? |
Cardinal Numbers
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
qha | a (one) |
kuen | two (dual) |
nots | many (plural) |
ka | five |
ta | twenty |
qa | hundred, uncountably many |
Ordinal Numbers
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
qhadr | first |
kuenedr | second |
notsedr | subsequent |
kadr | fifth |
tadr | twentieth |
qadr | hundredth, 'final' |
Distributive Numbers
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
qhax | one-by-one |
kuenex | two-by-two |
notsex | in larger groups |
kax | five-by-five |
tax | twenty-by-twenty |
qax | in large groups |
Repetitive Numbers (adverbs)
Crocodilian | English |
---|---|
qhane | once |
kuenene | twice |
notsene | thrice |
kane | five times |
tane | twenty times |
qane | hundred/uncountably many times |
A Small Corpus
-
One is able to do. ⇒
xyts roudrikeng chedr tsuereko ⇒
One-
ERG
do-GER
-DAT
power-ABS
holds-IND
-
This tells that something. ⇒
drats tsin xy kyxeko ⇒
This-
ERG
that-DAT
something-ABS
tell-IND
-
He/she/it has come. ⇒
dru dran drongene chareko ⇒
He/she/it-
ABS
this-DAT
completely moves-IND
-
This seems (appears, looks) dark. ⇒
dra rych rareryko ⇒
This-
ABS
dark-ABS
see-PASSIVE
-IND
-
Water pipe ⇒
tsoudrery tsouqh ⇒
stream-
GEN
container-ABS
-
Steam ⇒
qhouchery chuer qhan ⇒
water-GEN gas-
ABS
hot-ABS
-
Electric wire ⇒
kyrery nouqh ⇒
electricity-GEN wire-
ABS
-
Those strangers approach. ⇒
xodr tsi tsu chareko ⇒
strangers-
ABS
that-ABS
to go-IND
-
We (but not you) are people. ⇒
kits groux ru
we-
ABS
person-ABS
is-IND
-
Why are they here again? ⇒
tsi drax kou keqh tsuerenen ⇒
That-
ABS
this-LOC
why? again have-INT
-
You greet them. ⇒
gry tsongek tsin roudr
You-
ABS
salutation-INST
that-DAT
do-IMP
-
Hello. ⇒
gry tsiqh xax ⇒
You-
ABS
healthy-ABS
be-IMP
-
Goodbye. ⇒
gryts cho tsuer ⇒
You-
ERG
joy-ABS
hold-IMP
-
I ate before you came. ⇒
kiry tsan ridrikery gry tsu chareko ⇒
I-
GEN
before eat-PART
-GEN
you-ABS
to go-IND
-
I wonder whether they might be thinking beasts. ⇒
ki ngix tsi qhydr nutsike ngeqh tsun dry nutseko ⇒
I-
ABS
that-LOC
that-ABS
beast-ABS
think-PART
-ABS
be-SUBJ
wonder think-IND
-
I cook for the one who opened the pipe. ⇒
kits xin drots tsugrery tsouqh tsang qegreko tyxeko ⇒
I-
ERG
relwho-DAT
resone-ERG
flow-GEN
container-ABS
before open-IND
cook-IND
-
One of them made the electricity again when they came. ⇒
tsiry notsery qhiry kyr keqh ren regrikery tsu tsan chareko ⇒
that-
GEN
plural-GEN
one-GEN
electricity-ABS
again simultaneous fixed-PART
-GEN
to before go-IND
-
What do we do? ⇒
kits notsets te roudrenen ⇒
I-
ERG
plural-ERG
what?-ABS
do-INTERROG