K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

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K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

So I've been working on a conlang that is now called K'otê ([k'ɵ.ˈtəː]), which is just the word for "Language". I plan on making a world for it and deriving desendants from it, but that's a ways off. Here's what I have so far.

Phonology and Orthography:

/m n/ ⟨m n⟩
/p t t͡s t͡ʃ t͡ɬ k q ʔ/ ⟨p t c č ć k q h*⟩
/t' t͡s' t͡ʃ' t͡ɬ' k' q'/ ⟨t' c' č' ć' k' q'⟩
/f s ʃ ɬ χ/ ⟨f s š ś x⟩
/l j w/ ⟨l y w⟩
/i ɨ u e ə o a/ ⟨i ï u e ë o a⟩
/iː ɨː uː eː əː oː aː/ ⟨í î ú é ê ó á⟩

*⟨h⟩ is not written at the beginning of a word unless a consonant follows it

Vowel Harmony: There is vowel harmony between /i(ː) ɨ(ː) u(ː) ə(ː)/ and /e(ː) ə(ː) o(ː) a(ː)/ respectively.

Stress: Stress can fall on either the first or second syllable. If only one is a heavy syllable, then that one takes stress. If both are/aren't, then the first syllable takes stress. If one of the syllables contains a filler vowel /ə/ (put inbetween morphemes to avoid illegal consonant clusters), then it can't take stress. A heavy syllable is one with a long vowel and/or a coda.

Syllable Shape: A syllable looks like this:
(C)(A)V(A)(C)
C: Any consonant other than /l j w/
A: one of /l j w/
V: a vowel
Two vowels aren't allowed next to each other within the same word.

Allophony:
/i ɨ u e ə o a/ → [ɨ ɨ ʉ ə ə ɵ ə] when unstressed. Long vowels remain the same regardless of stress.
/t͡ɬl ɬl lɬ/ → [t͡ɬ ɬ ɬ]
Nasals assimilate to the place of articulation of a following stop/affricate/nasal.
A stop/affricate will assimilate in ejectiveness to a following stop/affricate.

Some Noun Grammar:
I'll only touch on this right now since it's late over here.

There is grammatical gender in this language. The distinction is between animate and inanimate. Inflectional morphology is the same for both.

Noun Inflection:

NOM.SG: -∅
NOM.PL: -tú/tó
OBL.SG: -(ë)l
OBL.PL: -lú/ló
POSS.1.SG: -mê/má
POSS.1.PL: -mêt/mát
POSS.2.SG: -nú/nó
POSS.2.PL: -nút/nót
POSS.3.ANIM.SG: -kí/ké
POSS.3.ANIM.PL: -kít/két
POSS.3.INAN.SG: -sê/sá
POSS.3.INAN.PL: -sêt/sát
POSS.INDEF: -lê/lá

Personal Pronouns:

1.SG.NOM: Am
1.PL.NOM: Mató
1.SG.OBL: Mal
1.PL.OBL: Maló

2.SG.NOM: Un
2.PL.NOM: Nutú
2.SG.OBL: Nul
2.PL.OBL: Nulú

3.ANIM.SG.NOM: Key
3.ANIM.PL.NOM: Keytó
3.ANIM.SG.OBL: Keyël
3.ANIM.PL.OBL: Keyló

3.INAN.SG.NOM: Sá
3.INAN.PL.NOM: Sátó
3.INAN.SG.OBL: Sál
3.INAN.PL.OBL: Sáló



That's all for right now, I'll post more tomorrow.
Last edited by this_is_an_account on 24 Aug 2018 01:42, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

I'm back! So I guess I should start with verbs now.

Transitivity:
Verbs can be either inherintly transitive or intransitive. Transitive verbs can be made intransitive in two ways. 1 is by adding an intransitive suffix, and 2 is by using a passive construction.

EX:
I killed him.
keyël tuštunmë.
[ˈke.jəl ˈtuʃ.tʉm.mə]
key-ël tuš-tun-më
3.ANIM-OBL kill-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

I killed.
tušxïtunmë.
[ˈtuʃ.χɨ.tʉm.mə]
tuš--tun-më
kill-INTRAN-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

He was killed.
tušët'xí êntunki.
[ˈtu.ʃət'.χiː ˈəːn.tʉŋ.kɨ]
tuš-ët'xí ên-tun-ki
kill-CVB COP.PST-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A

As you can see, passives are formed with an auxiliary copula, like in english. The main verb is a converb, and takes no other marking other than a comverb ending. Ditransitive verbs can be made transitive with a passive, but with some ambiguity.

EX:
I will give you a rock.
nul wëqyíl líštïmë.
[ˈnul ˈwəq.jiːl ˈliːʃ.tɨ.mə]
nul wëqyí-l lí-štï-më
2.SG.OBL rock-OBL give-FUT-1.SG.A

Here, word order determines the meaning. the oblique that comes first is the recipient and the oblique that comes second is thing being given.

A rock will be given/A rock will be given to.
wëqyí lít'xí nëštïsë.
[ˈwəq.jiː ˈliːt'.χiː ˈnəʃ.tɨ.sə]
wëqyí lí-t'xí n-ëštï-së
rock give-CVB cop.npst-fut-3.inan.sg.a

Since it isn't known whether the rock was being given or being given to before the passive was applied, the meaning is ambiguous, though it can be infered based on the fact that you don't usually give rocks things.

Intransitive verbs can be made transitive with a causitive construction. Transitive verbs can be made Ditransitive this way aswell, and Ditransitives can be made Tritransitive.

EX:
I went.
čawtonma.
[ˈt͡ʃaw.tɵm.mə]
čaw-ton-ma
go.PST-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

He made me go.
mal čawt'xé pet'tonke.
[ˈmal ˈt͡ʃawt'.χeː ˈpet.tɵŋ.kə]
mal čaw-t'xé pet'-ton-ke
1.SG.OBL go.PST-CVB push-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A
Literally: He pushed me to go.

The causative construction uses the verb "push" as an auxiliary.

Tense, Aspect, and Mood

Verbs can be continuous, habitual, or neither.

EX:
I go.
nêkma.
[ˈnəːk.mə]
nêk-∅-ma
go.NPST-REAL.PRES-1.SG.A

I am going.
nêktéma.
[ˈnəːk.teː.mə]
nêk--∅-ma
go.NPST-CONT-REAL.PRES-1.SG.A

I (usually) go.
nêkq'oma.
[ˈnəːk'.q'ɵ.mə]
nêk-q'o-∅-ma
go.NPST-HAB-REAL.PRES-1.SG.A

There are 4 tenses: Imperfect, Preterite, Present, and Future. The first three have two forms each, Realis and Irrealis. The Irrealis is used when the verb is negated and when an Irrealis mood is used.

EX:
I go.
nêkma.
[nəːk.mə]
nêk--ma
go.NPST-REAL.PRES-1.SG.A

I didn't go.
mú nêkëšma.
[ˈmuː ˈnəː.kəʃ.mə]
mú nêk-ëš-ma
NEG go.NPST-IRR.PRES-1.SG.A

I went.
čawyáma.
[ˈt͡ʃaw.jaː.mə]
čaw--ma
go.PST-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

I didn't go.
mú čawšáma.
[ˈmuː ˈt͡ʃaw.ʃaː.mə]
mú čaw-šá-ma
NEG go.PST-IRR.IMPERF-1.SG.A

I had gone.
čawtonma.
[ˈt͡ʃaw.tɵm.mə]
čaw-ton-ma
go.PST-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

I hadn't gone.
mú čawšonma.
[ˈmuː ˈt͡ʃaw.ʃɵm.mə]
mú čaw-šon-ma
NEG go.PST-IRR.PRET-1.SG.A

I will go.
nêkëštëma.
[ˈnəː.kəʃ.tə.mə]
nêk-ëštë-ma
go.NPST-FUT-1.SG.A

Person Marking

Verbs agree with agents in person and number, and patients in just person.

1.SG.A: -më/ma
1.PL.A: -mët/mat
2.SG.A: -nu/no
2.PL.A: -nut/not
3.ANIM.SG.A: -ki/ke
3.ANIM.PL.A: -kit/ket
3.INAN.SG.A: -së/sa
3.INAN.PL.A: -sët/sat
INDEF.A: -lë/la

1.P: -(h)ëm/(h)am
2.P: -(h)un/(h)on
3.P: -∅
INDEF.P: -∅

Imperative/Hortative

IMP: -yï/yë

Imperative verbs don't take patient marking. If the agent suffix ends in a vowel, it gets deleted before ading the Imperative suffix.

EX:
(You) Kill him!
keyël tušëšnyï!
[ˈke.jəl ˈtu.ʃəʃ.njɨ]
key-ël tuš-ëš-n-
3.ANIM-OBL kill-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A-IMP

Non-Finite Verbs

The first kind of non-finite verb is the infinitive. It is used when you want to make a verb into a noun phrase.

EX:
I like to eat.
yofpê set'ma
[ˈjof.pəː ˈset'.mə]
yof- set'-ma
eat-INF like-1.SG.A

The second kind is the participle. This one is used to make adjectives out of verbs and to make relative clauses.

EX:
The running man. (or "The man who runs")
unúmyú pul
[ʉ.ˈnuːm.juː ˈpul]
unú-myú pul
run-PTCP man

The last kind is the converb. As seen before, it can be used for auxiliary constructions. It can also be used for satelite verb constructions.

EX:
I had ran out of the house.
elfël unút'xí noyátolma.
[ˈel.fəl ʉ.nuːt'.χiː nɵ.jaː.tɵl.mə]
elf-ël unú-t'xí noyá-tol-ma
house-OBL run-CVB exit-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

Converbs are also used for serial verb constructions.

EX:
I had jumped and screamed.
conët'xé k'átolma.
[ˈt͡so.nət'.χeː ˈk'aː.tɵl.mə]
con-ët'xé k'á-tol-ma
jump-CVB scream-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

That's pretty much all I have sofar. I'll post more when I've come up with more.
Last edited by this_is_an_account on 19 Aug 2018 19:38, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

Quick bit on questions.

Polar Questions:

Polar questions are formed by adding the particle ⟨t'é⟩ to the end of the question. The part in the sentence that is being questioned can be emphasized to show it is being questioned.

EX:
Did you see him?
keyël č'aqtonno t'é?
[ˈke.jəl ˈt͡ʃ'aq.tɵn.nɵ ˈt'eː]
key-ël č'aq-ton-no t'é
3.ANIM-OBL SEE-REAL.PRET-2.SG.A Q

Content Questions:

The interrogative pronoun is ⟨yêl⟩. It takes normal case and number marking. If you don't no how many of what ever your asking about there are, you default to the singular form. There are also interrogative adnominals, ⟨yêlí⟩ and ⟨yêlê⟩ for animate and inanimate nouns respectively, with a meaning of "which." The interrogative pronoun uses indefinite possessive affixes and indefinite verb agreement.

EX:
Who are you?
yêl un nëlë?
[ˈjəːl ˈun nə.ˈlə]
yêl un në-lë
INTER.PRO 2.SG COP.NPST-INDEF.A

Which house is this?
čik yêlê elfël nësë?
[ˈt͡ʃik ˈjəː.ləː ˈel.fəl nə.ˈsə]
čik yêlê elf-ël në-së
DEM.PROX INTER.ADN.INAN house-POSS.INDEF COP.NPST-3.INAN.SG.A

Whose house is this?
čik yêl elfël nësë?
[ˈt͡ʃik ˈjəːl ˈel.fəl nə.ˈsə]
čik yêl elf-ël në-së
DEM.PROX INTER.PRO house-POSS.INDEF COP.NPST-3.INAN.SG.A
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by eldin raigmore »

So far, so good!
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

eldin raigmore wrote: 19 Aug 2018 02:02 So far, so good!
Thanks! I plan on going more into depth on nouns and verbs, then talking about adjectives.
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by shimobaatar »

this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 So I've been working on a conlang that as of now has no name. I plan on making a world for it and deriving desendants from it, but that's a ways off. Here's what I have so far.
I like what you have here so far! Looking forward to more whenever you have it. [:)]
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 Phonology and Orthography:
I like the use of <ć ć' ś> for /t͡ɬ t͡ɬ' ɬ/.
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 *⟨h⟩ is not written at the beginning of a word unless a consonant follows it
So, for example, initial <a> is always /ʔa/?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 Vowel Harmony: There is vowel harmony between /i(ː) ɨ(ː) u(ː) ə(ː)/ and /e(ː) ə(ː) o(ː) a(ː)/ respectively.
Interesting how /ə(ː)/ can be either "high" or "low".
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 If one of the syllables contains a filler vowel /ə/ (put inbetween morphemes to avoid illegal consonant clusters), then it can't take stress.
Does epenthetic /ə/ factor into vowel harmony?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 Two vowels aren't allowed next to each other within the same word.
Could you perhaps elaborate on this? What counts as "within the same word"?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 There is grammatical gender in this language. The distinction is between animate and inanimate. Inflectional morphology is the same for both.
What makes them distinct, then? Does the distinction only matter when it comes to third person pronouns?

Also, how is a noun's placement in either the animate or inanimate class determined?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 08:20 Noun Inflection:
Can a noun take both a case suffix and a possessive suffix at the same time? If so, which comes first?

this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 I killed him.
keyël tuštunmë.
[ˈke.jəl ˈtuʃ.tʉm.mə]
key-ël tuš-tun-më
3.INAN-OBL kill-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A
Is this "him" meant to be glossed as inanimate?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 Transitive verbs can be made Ditransitive this way aswell, and Ditransitives can be made Tritransitive.
Could you perhaps give examples of these?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 Verbs can be continuous, habitual, or neither.
Is every combination of tense and aspect allowed?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 There are 4 tenses: Imperfect, Preterite, Present, and Future. The first three have two forms each, Realis and Irrealis. The Irrealis is used when the verb is negated and when an Irrealis mood is used.
Looking at the glosses, I take it that verbs have different stems for the past (imperfect and preterite) and nonpast (present and future) tenses?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 Verbs agree with agents in person and number, and patients in just person.
Do patient suffixes come before or after agent suffixes?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 Imperative/Hortative
So the hortative is just another name for the imperative here?
this_is_an_account wrote: 15 Aug 2018 20:55 The second kind is the participle. This one is used to make adjectives out of verbs and to make relative clauses.

EX:
The running man. (or "The man who runs")
unúmyú pul
[ʉ.ˈnuːm.juː ˈpul]
unú-myú pul
run-PTCP man
I really like the form of the participle suffix.

Is there only one kind of participle? In other words, could the phrase above theoretically be interpreted as, for example, "the man who ran", since tense, aspect, and mood are unspecified?

this_is_an_account wrote: 18 Aug 2018 00:26 The interrogative pronoun is ⟨yêl⟩. It takes normal case and number marking. If you don't no how many of what ever your asking about there are, you default to the singular form. There are also interrogative adnominals, ⟨yêlí⟩ and ⟨yêlê⟩ for animate and inanimate nouns respectively, with a meaning of "which." The interrogative pronoun uses indefinite possessive affixes and indefinite verb agreement.
If I understand correctly, <yêl> corresponds to "who" or "what"? Are there equivalents to, for example, "when" or "where"?
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

I like what you have here so far! Looking forward to more whenever you have it. [:)]
Thanks!
I like the use of <ć ć' ś> for /t͡ɬ t͡ɬ' ɬ/.
I borrowed it from Proto-Semitic's use of ⟨ś⟩ for */ɬ/
So, for example, initial <a> is always /ʔa/?
Correct.
Interesting how /ə(ː)/ can be either "high" or "low".
Words whose only vowel is /ə(ː)/ can be either high or low, it depends on the word.
Does epenthetic /ə/ factor into vowel harmony?
No. It stays /ə/ no matter what.
Could you perhaps elaborate on this? What counts as "within the same word"?
If a word/affix ends in a vowel, and the following affix begins with a vowel, a glottal stop (⟨h⟩) is put between them. No root or affix can contain two vowels right next to each other.
What makes them distinct, then? Does the distinction only matter when it comes to third person pronouns?

Also, how is a noun's placement in either the animate or inanimate class determined?
The distinction comes in adjective agreement, pronoun agreement, and verb agreement. A noun's placement is usually semantically determined, though there will be some outliers.
Can a noun take both a case suffix and a possessive suffix at the same time? If so, which comes first?
Yes. The case/number suffix goes first, and the possessive goes second.
Is this "him" meant to be glossed as inanimate?
Yes, thanks for catching that!
Could you perhaps give examples of these?
Sure.

I killed a man.
pulël tuštunmë.
[ˈpu.ləl ˈtuʃ.tʉm.mə]
pul-ël tuš-tun-më
man.OBL kill-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

He made me kill a man.
pulël tušët'xí pet'tonkeham.
[ˈpu.ləl ˈtu.ʃət'.χiː ˈpet.tɵŋ.kə.ʔəm]
pul-ël tuš-ët'xí pet'-ton-ke-ham
man-OBL kill-CVB push-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A-1.P

I gave a man a rock.
pulël wëqyíl lítunmë.
[ˈpu.ləl ˈwəq.jiːl ˈliː.tʉm.mə]
pul-ël wëqyí-l lí-tun-më
man-OBL rock-OBL give-REAL.PRET-1.SG.A

He made me give a man a rock.
pulël wëqyíl lít'xí pet'tonkeham.
[ˈpu.ləl ˈwəq.jiːl ˈliːt'.χiː ˈpet.tɵŋ.kə.ʔəm]
pul-ël wëqyí-l lí-t'xí pet'-ton-ke-ham
man-OBL rock-OBL give-CVB push-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A-1.P
Is every combination of tense and aspect allowed?
Yes. You can take any of Habitual, Continuous, or Neither, and combine it with any of Present, Preterite, Imperfect, or Future.
Looking at the glosses, I take it that verbs have different stems for the past (imperfect and preterite) and nonpast (present and future) tenses?
Some of the more common verbs have this distinction, such as the copula. Some verbs even have a seperate negative form (though they look more like the negative particle fused to them). Non-past verbs still need to take tense markings, but you don't need to use the negative particle if the verb has a negative form.
Do patient suffixes come before or after agent suffixes?
After.
So the hortative is just another name for the imperative here?
From what I understand, hortative is like the imperative, but for the 1st and 3rd person, Like in "Let us begin!" or "Let them eat cake!" This language uses the same marking for both, so I just gloss it as "IMP."
Is there only one kind of participle? In other words, could the phrase above theoretically be interpreted as, for example, "the man who ran", since tense, aspect, and mood are unspecified?
I might do something like this, or I might have tense/aspect marking. I haven't decided yet.
If I understand correctly, <yêl> corresponds to "who" or "what"? Are there equivalents to, for example, "when" or "where"?
Correct, ⟨yêl⟩ is "who/what." For "when" and "where," you would use "which time" and "which place" respectively.

Thanks for the indepth questions!
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

Small note before I get started.
All words starting with a vowel have a glottal stop before it. For example ⟨elf⟩ is pronounced /ʔelf/. It isn't always pronounced. If a word precedes this word that starts with a glottal stop, it isn't pronounced. If the preceding word ends in a vowel, the glottal stop is pronounced. I haven't been writing glottal stops in the phonetic transcriptions, and I don't want to go back through and change it all, so I'll just leave this here and make sure to use the glottal stop appropriately from here on out.

Adjectives:

Adjectives make up a distinct part of speech. They always precede their noun. They have to agree in gender with the noun they modify, and take suffixes to do so.

Animate: -(h)í/(h)é
Inanimate: -(h)ê/(h)á

EX:
A tall man.
ciní pul.
[t͡sɨ.ˈniː ˈpul]
cin-í pul
tall-ANIM man

A tall house.
cinê elf
[t͡sɨ.nəː ˈʔelf]
cin-ê elf
tall-INAN house

Relative Clauses:

As briefly mentioned before in a different comment, the verb of a relative clause is a participle. The verb can take transitivity marking and tense and aspect marking, but not person marking. When the relative clause consists of just a verb, it precedes the noun. If it includes nouns as well, it follows the noun.

EX:
The man who is exiting.
śesxëtémyó pul.
[ˈɬes.χə.teːm.joː ˈpul]
śes-xë-té-myó pul
exit.NPST-INTRAN-CONT-PTCP man

The man who is exiting his house.
pul elfké śestémyó.
[ˈpul ˈelf.keː ˈɬes.teːm.joː]
pul elf-ké śes-té-myó
man house-POSS.3.ANIM.SG exit.NPST-CONT-PTCP


I haven't decided how relative clauses with serial or auxiliary verb contructions will work. These are my two ideas right now.

The house that is being exited.
1:
elf śesët'xé nëtémyó.
[ˈʔelf ˈɬe.sət'.χeː nə.ˈteːm.joː]
elf śes-ët'xé në-té-myó
house exit-CVB COP.NPST-CONT-PTCP
2:
elf śesmyó nëtémyó.
[ˈʔelf ˈɬes.mjoː nə.ˈteːm.joː]
elf śes-myó në-té-myó
house exit-PTCP COP.NPST-CONT-PTCP

In the first one, the converb stays a converb, and the finite verb becomes a participle. In the second one, both verbs are participles. I haven't decided which one I'll go with. Which one do you guys like best?
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Re: An Unnamed Conlang

Post by this_is_an_account »

I wrote this whole thing and then it turned out I wasn't logged in . Now I've gotta write it again [:'(]

Content and Infinitive Clauses:

Content clauses and infinitive clauses are pretty similar. Infinitive clauses are basically content clauses where the subject of the main clause and the content clause are the same. Take for instance the sentance "He likes that the woman eats food." If you replace the subject of the content clause, "the woman" with a repeat of the main clause's subject, "He," you get "He likes that he eats food" which means about the same thing as "He likes to eat food." For this reason, infinitive and content clauses will be treated more or less like the same thing in my conlang.

EX:
Infinitive clause:
He likes to eat food.
set'ke qimël yofpê.
[ˈset.kə ˈqi.məl ˈjof.pəː]
set'-ke qim-ël yof-pê
like-3.ANIM.SG.A food-OBL eat-INF

Content clause:
He likes that the woman eats food.
set'ke tám qimël yofpê.
[ˈset.kə ˈtaːm ˈqi.məl ˈjof.pəː]
set'-ke tám qim-ël yof-pê
like-3.ANIM.SG.A woman food-OBL eat-INF

The verb of a content/infinitive clause is an infinitive. Like in relative clauses, these verbs can take transitivity, tense, and aspect markers, but not person markers. Also like relative clauses, when a content/infinitive clause consists of just a verb, it takes the place it should as a subject or object. If the clause is longer than one verb, it will go at the end of a sentence.

EX:
He likes to eat.
yofxëpê set'ke.
[ˈjof.χə.pəː ˈset.kə]
yof-xë-pê set'-ke
eat-INTRAN-INF like-3.ANIM.SG.A

He likes to eat food.
set'ke qimël yofpê.
[ˈset.kə ˈqi.məl ˈjof.pəː]
set'-ke qim-ël yof-pê
like-3.ANIM.SG.A food-OBL eat-INF

There are two kinds of content clauses:
Declarative clause: "He likes that the woman eats food."
Interrogative clause: "He likes what the woman eats," "He likes whoever eats the food."

Interrogative content clauses aren't used in this conlang. Instead of "He likes what the woman eats," one would say "He likes that which is eaten by the woman" using a relative clause.

EX:
He like what the woman eats. (Literally "He likes that which is eaten by the woman")
čanël támël *yofët'xé/yofmyó nëmyó set'ke.
[ˈt͡ʃa.nəl ˈtaː.məl ˈjo.fət'.χeː/ˈjof.mjoː nəm.ˈjoː ˈset.kə]
čan-ël tám-ël yof-ët'xé/yof-myó në-myó set'-ke
that-OBL woman-OBL eat-CVB/eat-PTCP COP.NPST-PTCP like-3.ANIM.SG.A

*still haven't decided how to handle converbs in relative clauses, see last comment for context.

Content and infinitive clauses face the same problem that relative clauses face: What should happen to converbs?

EX:
Food likes to be eaten.
1:
qim set'sa yofët'xé nëpê.
[ˈqim ˈset'.sə ˈjo.fət'.χeː nə.ˈpəː]
qim set'-sa yof-ët'xé në-
food like-3.INAN.SG.A eat-CVB COP.NPST-INF
2:
qim set'sa yofpê nëpê.
[ˈqim ˈset'.sə ˈjof.pəː nə.ˈpəː]
qim set'-sa yof- në-
food like-3.INAN.SG.A eat-INF COP.NPST-INF

The first option is for the converb tostay a converb, while the finite verb becomes an infinitive. The second is for both to become infinitives. Which one do you guys think is better?
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Derivational Morphology:
This list will be added to probably.

Noun → Noun
Collective:
Animate: -kwí/kwé or reduplicate first syllable
Inanimate: -misë/mësa or reduplicate first syllable

Singulative:
Animate: -në/na
Inanimate: -yí/yé

Diminutive: -(ë)ncí/(ë)ncé

Augmentative: -kulê/kolá

Noun → Adjective
(Noun)-like:
Animate: -nlí/nlé
Inanimate: -nlê/nlá

Un-(Noun)-like:
Animate: -milí/melé
Inanimate: -milê/melá

From (Noun):
Animate: -(ë)nqí/(ë)nqé
Inanimate: -(ë)nqê/(ë)nqá

Noun → Verb
To become (Noun): -lúc/lóc

Adjective → Adjective
Un-(Adjective):
Animate: -tëkí/také
Inanimate: -tëkê/taká

Adjective → Noun
(Adjective) One:
Inanimate: -(ë)wsê/(ë)wsá

Un-(Adjective) One: -mïs/mës

Adjective → Verb
To become (Adjective): -líl/lél

Verb → Verb
Intensifier: (C)(C)V(C)(C)- (reduplication of first syllable)

Verb → Noun
Agent: -nát

Patient: -qeye
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Numbers:

1: ay
2: pay
3: lï
4: k'ak'
5: sït
6: čuyën
7: fow
8: lá
9: qaś
10: t'oxo

11: t'oxo ay
12: t'oxo pay
...

20: payt'ó
30: lït'ú
40: k'ak't'ó
50: sïtt'ú
60: čuyënt'ú
70: fowt'ó
80: lát'ó
90: qaśt'ó
100: mlay

200: paymá
300: lïmê
400: k'ak'má
500: sïtmê
600: čuyënmê
700: fowmá
800: lámá
900: qaśmá
1000: č'ïkí

2000: payč'ë
3000: lïč'ï
4000: k'ak'č'ë
5000: sïtč'ï
6000: čuyënč'ï
7000: fowč'ë
8000: láč'ë
9000: qaśč'ë

9999: qaśč'ë qaśmá qaśt'ó qaś
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Random Idea:

I have an idea to introduce some split ergativity to K'otê.

pul támël t'isët'xí č'aqtonke.
[ˈpul ˈtaː.məl ˈt'i.sət'.χiː ˈt͡ʃaq.tɵŋ.kə]
pul tám-ël t'is-ët'xí č'aq-ton-ke
man woman-OBL move.ANIM-CVB see-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A

Different languages would interperet there equivalent of this sentence in different ways. According to wikipedia, The Chinese version of the sentence would mean "A man moved and had seen a woman." In Hindi it would mean "A woman moved and a man had seen her." My idea is to have split ergativity, but only in situations where there's a serial verb construction like this one where the first verb is intransitive and the second is transitive. This split ergativity will be based on tense, with the preterite triggering it.

EX:
A man moved and saw a woman.
pul támël t'isët'xí č'aqáke.
[ˈpul ˈtaː.məl ˈt'i.sət'.χiː t͡ʃ'a.ˈqaː.kə]
pul tám-ël t'is-ët'xí čaq-á-ke
man woman-OBL move.INAN-CVB see-REAL.IMPERF-3.ANIM.SG.A
Since the verb isn't in the preterite, the agent is the same for both verbs.

A woman moved and a man had seen her.
pul támël t'isët'xí č'aqtonke.
[ˈpul ˈtaː.məl ˈt'i.sət'.χiː ˈt͡ʃaq.tɵŋ.kə]
pul tám-ël t'is-ët'xí č'aq-ton-ke
man woman-OBL move.ANIM-CVB see-REAL.PRET-3.ANIM.SG.A
Since the verb is in the preterite, the agent of the verb "move" is the object of the verb see.

I may or may not actually use this.
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by Khemehekis »

When KaiTheHomoSapien joined, Thrice Xandvii wrote: "Your user name is very descriptive, I'd've never guessed you were human otherwise! [:)]"

Well, this_is_an_account, your screenname is even MORE descriptive! [:D]
♂♥♂♀

Squirrels chase koi . . . chase squirrels

My Kankonian-English dictionary: 86,336 words and counting

31,416: The number of the conlanging beast!
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Khemehekis wrote: 30 Aug 2018 02:18 When KaiTheHomoSapien joined, Thrice Xandvii wrote: "Your user name is very descriptive, I'd've never guessed you were human otherwise! [:)]"

Well, this_is_an_account, your screenname is even MORE descriptive! [:D]
I try my best [:D]

Random Idea II:

Having read this paper on lexical typology (http://fiatlingua.org/2018/08/), I have an idea for what kinds of verbs will occur in this conlang. I'm thinking that non-causative verbs will be predominantly Motion+Path and causative verbs will be predominantly Motion+Thing.

EX:
I moved the rock up.
wëqyíl nalkët'xé śomáma.
[ˈwəq.jiːl ˈnal.kət'.χeː ɬɵ.ˈmaː.mə]
wëqyí-l nalk-ët'xé śom-á-ma
rock-OBL move.up-CVB be.moved-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

I moved the rock up.
wëqyíl nalkët'xé pet'áma.
[ˈwəq.jiːl ˈnal.kət'.χeː pə.t'aː.mə]
wëqyí-l nalk-ët'xé pet'-á-ma
rock-OBL move.up-CVB push-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

Something to note: The root "śom" in the first sentence, specifically means for a smallish roundish object to be moved (but that's a pain to gloss).

The first sentence will be the normal un-marked way to say "I moved the rock up." The second will put emphasis on the fact that it's being moved up.

Also, the second sentence uses the causative auxiliary construction, which isn't used in the first sentence since the main verb is already causative.

EX:
The rock moved up.
wëqyí nalkása.
[ˈwəq.jiː ˈnal.kaː.sə]
wëqyí nalk-á-sa
rock move.up-REAL.IMPERF-3.INAN.SG.A

The rock moved up.
wëqyí nalkët'xé śomët'xé nêsë.
[ˈwəq.jiː ˈnal.kət'.χeː ˈɬo.mət'.χeː ˈnəː.sə]
wëqyí nalk-ët'xé śom-ët'xé n-ê-së
rock move.up-CVB be.moved-CVB COP-REAL.IMPERF-3.INAN.SG.A

The first sentence is the regular way of saying "The rock moved up." The second is puttin gemphasis on the fact that a smallish roundish object is moving by using the root "śom."

Also, a passive is used in the second sentence because the "śom" is causative. This isn't needed in the first sentence because the verb "nalk" isn't causative.

If based on context, you already know that the rock is moving upwards, or it isn't important which direction the rock is moving, you can leave it out as shown below, which makes for a less bulky sentence.

EX:
The rock moved.
wëqyí śomët'xé nêsë.
[ˈwəq.jiː ˈɬo.mət'.χeː ˈnəː.sə]
wëqyí śom-ët'xé n-ê-së
rock be.moved-CVB COP-REAL.IMPERF-3.INAN.SG

If you want to say "The rock moved" without putting emphasis on the fact that it's a roundish smallish object moving, you can use the verb "lis" which means to move for any inanimate thing, and isn't marked as weird or emphasizing anything.

EX:
the rock moved.
wëqyí lisêsë.
[ˈwəq.jiː lɨ.ˈsəː.sə]
wëqyí lis-ê-së
rock move.inan-REAL.IMPERF-3.INAN.SG.A
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Converbs in Dependent Clauses:

I hadn't decided how to deal with these before, but I've decided now that converbs will keep their converb ending in dependent clauses.

EX:
The man who was seen.
pul č'aqët'xé nêpî.
[ˈpul ˈt͡ʃa.qət'.χeː ˈnəː.pɨː]
pul č'aq-ët'xé n-ê-pî
man see-CVB COP-REAL.IMPERF-PTCP

Random Ideas:

I've decided against using my first random idea for split ergativity. As for my second random idea, I'll probably keep it.

Comparatives:

K'otê uses a locational comparative.

EX:
I am taller than my brother.
ciní pyelmá ló nëmë.
[t͡sɨ.ˈniː ˈpjel.maː loː nə.ˈmə]
cin-í pye-l-má ló në-më
tall-ANIM brother-OBL-POSS.1.SG for COP-1.SG.A

The thing being compared, "I," goes first (but it's dropped here. You can tell it's still first because of the verb marking), and the thing being compared to, "my brother," goes before the verb. It gets a benefactive postposition, "for." What the two things are being compared about, "taller," goes in between.
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by Zekoslav »

I've always liked synthetic languages, especially those which differ from the usual IE. model (which, as an aspiring Indo-Europeanist, I'm all to familiar with), and this one fits the bill with it's numerous non-finite verb forms. I'm impressed that you're already putting so much thought into vocabulary (and thank you for that paper [:D]), since it makes the language seem very unique.
Languages:
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- Guide to Slavic accentuation
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Zekoslav wrote: 30 Aug 2018 13:32 I've always liked synthetic languages, especially those which differ from the usual IE. model (which, as an aspiring Indo-Europeanist, I'm all to familiar with), and this one fits the bill with it's numerous non-finite verb forms. I'm impressed that you're already putting so much thought into vocabulary (and thank you for that paper [:D]), since it makes the language seem very unique.
Thanks! My first attempts at conlanging were very different. I'm not sure if everyone goes through a phase like this, but for me, all my beginning conlangs were extremely agglutinative with tons of case endings. I tried to tone it down a bit here and use way less cases, and have some paraphrastic constructions with verbs. Your welcome for the paper! I gotta say, I really feel like a bit of reading really made all the difference between a good and bad conlang for me.
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Mood:

I already talked about the imperative earlier. It's the only mood that is marked with an affix. The rest get particles.

Imperative:
Go!
Nêkëšnyë!
[ˈnəː.kəʃ.njə]
nêk-ëš-n-
go.NPSG-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A-IMP

Subjunctive:
You should go.
Uc' nêkëš.
[ʉc' ˈnəː.kəʃ]
uc' nêk-ëš-∅
SBJV go.NPST-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A

Desiderative:
You want to go.
Šáy nêkës.
[ʃaːj ˈnəː.kəs]
šáy nêk-ës-∅
DESI go.NPST-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A

Potential:
You might go.
Toh nêkës.
[tɵʔ ˈnəː.kəs]
toh nêk-ës-∅
POT go.NPST-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A

Dynamic:
You can go.
Xút nêkës.
[χuːt ˈnəː.kəs]
xút nêk-ës-∅
DYN go.NPST-IRR.PRES-2.SG.A
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

Converbs:

One measly converb isn't gonna cut it. So I've added six new ones, and they each have a negative form.

Posterior:
After I ate, I left the house.
Yofxëqaqé, elfël noyáháma.
[ˈjof.χə.qə.qeː | ˈʔel.fəl nɵ.ˈjaː.ʔaː.mə]
yof-xë-qaqé elf-ël noyá-há-ma
eat-INTRAN-POST house-OBL exit.PST-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

Simultaneous:
While I ate, I left the house.
Yofxëśya, elfël noyáháma.
[ˈjof.χəɬ.jə | ˈʔel.fəl nɵ.ˈjaː.ʔaː.mə]
yof-xë-śya elf-ël noyá-há-ma
eat-INTRAN-SIMULT house-OBL exit.NPST-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

Anterior:
Before I ate, I left the house.
Yofxënk'a, elfël noyáháma.
[ˈjof.χəŋ.k'ə | ˈʔel.fəl nɵ.ˈjaː.ʔaː.mə]
yof-xë-nk'a elf-ël noyá-há-ma
eat-INTRAN-ANT house-OBL exit.NPST-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A

Conditional:
If they go into the house, I will go too.
Keytó elfël wilshí, wilštïmë.
[ˈkej.toː ˈʔel.fəl ˈwils.ʔiː | ˈwilʃ.tɨ.mə]
key-tó elf-ël wil-shí wil-štï-më
3.ANIM-PL house-OBL enter-COND enter-FUT-1.SG.A

Explicative:
Because I'm tired, I want to sleep.
Xúyí nënëtkë, šáy monëšma.
[ˈχuː.jiː nə.ˈnət.kə | ʃaːj ˈmo.nəʃ.mə]
xúy-í në-nëtkë šáy mon-ëš-ma
tired-ANIM COP.NPST-EXPLIC DESI sleep-IRR.PRES-1.SG.A

Purposive:
So that I could leave, I gave him my house.
Xút noyáhápa, keyël elfëlmá lasáma.
[χuːt nɵ.ˈjaː.ʔaː.pə | ˈke.jəl ˈel.fəl.maː lə.ˈsaː.mə]
xút noyá-hápa key-ël elf-ël-má las-á-ma
DESI exit-PURP 3.ANIM-OBL house-OBL-POSS.1.SG give-REAL.IMPERF-1.SG.A


That should be enough converbs for now. I might add even more later.
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Re: K'otê (formerly "An Unnamed Conlang")

Post by this_is_an_account »

The North Wind and the Sun
(I only have the first sentence so far.)

The north wind and the sun disputed as to which was the most powerful,

Pánté t'ëp yë k'inë čë kéyoló keyël fáy yé keyló nët'xé kïlohé ló ćíhí šen nëmyú q'emët'xé,

[ˈpaːn.teː ˈt'əp jə ˈk'i.nə t͡ʃə ˈkeː.jɵ.loː ˈke.jəl faːj jeː ˈkej.loː nət'.ˈχiː ˈkɨ.lɵ.ʔeː loː ˈt͡ɬiː.ʔiː ˈʃen nəm.ˈjuː ˈq'e.mət'.χeː]

Code: Select all

pánt -é    t'ëp yë  k'inë čë   kéyo       -ló     key   -ël  fáy   yé   key   -ló     në      -t'xí kïlo    -hé   ló  ćí   -hí   šen        në      -myú  q'em -ët'xé
north-ANIM wind and sun   with 3.ANIM.REFL-OBL.PL 3.ANIM-OBL about from 3.ANIM-OBL.PL COP.NPST-CVB  powerful-ANIM for other-ANIM thing.ANIM COP.NPST-PTCP argue-CVB

and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes.

kućuhêkit key tánël čenël xút tîqët'xí myïlšêmyú sahté uc' nëšpî.

[ˈku.t͡ɬʉ.ʔəː.kɨt ˈkej ˈtaː.nəl ˈt͡ʃe.nəl χuːt ˈtɨː.qət'.χiː ˈmjɨl.ʃəːm.juː ˈsaʔ.teː ʉt͡s' nəʃ.ˈpɨː]

Code: Select all

kuću -hê         -kit         key    tán    -ël  čen     -ël  xút tîq     -ët'xí myïl     -šê        -myú  saht      -é    uc'  në      -š       -pî
agree-REAL.IMPERF-3.ANIM.PL.A 3.ANIM garment-OBL traveler-OBL DYN move.off-CVB   move.caus-IRR.IMPERF-PTCP victorious-ANIM SBJV COP.NPST-IRR.PRES-INF
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