Ifuhuxu

Ifuhuxu is one of several languages created by Sraemoyes for her fictional universe. This language is spoken by trees.

Classification and Dialects
Ifuhuxu is an isolate language. It started deep in Falura and spread with the nifu population. Few dialects can be found as you travel long distances from the language's origin point. Although the population is immobile, native speakers are incredibly long-lived and can hear Ifuhuxu from many, many generations before - miles before on the windiest days. The language changes incredibly slowly.

Consonants
Nifu trees do not have humanoid mouths or vocal cords. Instead, they move their leaves and vibrate their twigs to communicate. The most similar human sounds are listed below.

Phonotactics
(C)V(C) Affricates may only occur in syllable onsets. Glottal stops may only occur between vowels.

Vowels may not touch at morpheme boundaries: glottal stops are inserted between them.

Double consonants are not allowed.

Double vowels are not allowed.

Writing System
Ifuhuxu has no writing system of its own. In-universe, it is sometimes written for the benefit of second language learners using the scripts of the learners' first language. The romanization is below.

Nouns
Suffix -x(i) turns nouns into present-tense adjectives. The i sometimes drops out when being turned back into a noun, such as in compounds.

Verbs
There is no copula in Ifuhuxu.

Verbs do not take tense.

Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives, when they occur, must have one of two tenses: present or past.

Present/future: -w when the adjective ends with a consonant. Plain when the adjective ends with a vowel.

Past: - ziu.

Adverbs may be unmarked for tense, but often are, following the same rule as adjectives. Adverbs take the tense for the sentence: past when the sentence is past, missing or unmarked when the sentence is present, and present/future when the sentence is in the future or will continue into the future.

Pronouns
Ifuhuxu has no personal pronouns. Instead, it uses referential pronouns with a noun.

Ifuhuxu's referential pronoun system is similar to Japanese: "here," "by you," "over there," and the interrogative. The pronouns are usually suffixes unless there is an adjective present in the phrase.

Syntax
OVS

A noun phrase looks like this: NP (AdjP) A determiner phrase looks like this when an adjective is present: (NP)(AdjP)DP

Ifuhuxu does not use questions. Instead, speakers state that they need information with the structure hwxw futhw (embedded clause).

Relative phrases come before the nouns they modify.

Lexicon
Fiswsi - the Fylosans (mountain range)

Fiswsihwxw - Fylosan (language)

Fwx (pronoun) - who/what; also serves as a suffix.

Hi'w (noun) - sun.

Hi'wxi (adjective) - sunny.

Husu (verb) - to whisper; to speak a language.

Hwxw (noun) - the wind; a language; a word or phrase.

Scux (noun) - a tree ring.

Scy (pronoun) - "by you"; "you"; also used as a suffix.

Scythu (noun) - a seedling.

Scythuxi (adjective) - young.

Suxi (determiner) - any.

Thify (noun) - human.

Thifyshythux (noun) - a young human of either gender; boy; girl

Thiscy (verb) - to have

Thuth (interrogative) - how many?

Wscwth* (number/noun) - a root that means one. This does not occur alone.

Wscwthxi (number/adjective) - alone; one.

Xyth (pronoun) - over there; also serves as a suffix.

Yfw (noun) - nifu tree.

Yfwhwxw (noun) - Ifuhuxu.

Yxix (noun) - Mekwek (country).

Yxixhwxw (noun) - Mekwekan (language).

Zwsysi (noun) - Tunisa (country).

Zwsysihwxw (noun) - Tunisan Creole (language).

Example text
Thifyscythux wscwthxi. It's a young human, all alone.

Yxixhwxw husu thify thifyxyth. It's a human who speaks Mekwekan.

Hwxw futhw yxixhwxw husu yfw yfwxyth suxi. Does any nifu tree around here speak Mekwekan?

Hwxw futhw yxixhwxw husu yfw yfwfwx. Which nifu trees speak Mekwekan?

Hwxw futhw scwx thuth yfwscy thishy. ''How old are you? (Only when asking trees. Divide the answer by two to get their age in years.)''