Akinaido

Akinaido is a language drawing heavy influence from both European and Asian languages. Because of the large number of declensions (nine and a half) and conjugations (eleven), the irregularities in verb conjugation, and the difficult pronunciation, it is considered by some to be a very hard language to learn.

Diphthongs
In Akinaido, the main vowel of a diphthong always agrees with its offglide in labial roundedness.

Phonotactics

Cases
Nominative is used for subjects of sentences and for the predicate nominative.

Genitive is used for for possession, instrumentality, and to indicate motion from something. It is the object of some prepositions.

Dative is used for the indirect object of verbs and also to indicate location. It is the object of some prepositions.

Accusative is used for the direct object of verbs and also to indicate motion towards something. It is the object of some prepositions.

Akinaido nouns never end with a high vowel in the nominative singular.

Rounded Declension
Nouns ending in rounded vowels are usually masculine.

In order to decline an Akinaido noun ending in a rounded vowel (œ, æ, or o) simply add the endings shown in the table below. These endings form a diphthong with the vowel at the end of the stem.

Unrounded Declension
Nouns ending in unrounded vowels are usually feminine.

In order to decline an Akinaido noun ending in an unrounded vowel (e, a, or ø), simply add the endings shown in the table below. These endings form a diphthong with the vowel at the end of the stem.

Consonant Declension
Nouns ending in consonants vary in gender. A rule of thumb is that nouns ending in sonorant consonants (nasals and liquids) are usually either masculine or feminine, depending on the vowel that precedes it (rounded = masculine; unrounded = feminine), whereas nouns ending in obstruent consonants (all others) are usually neuter.

In order to decline an Akinaido noun ending in a consonant, simply add the endings in the table below:

†For this form, an acute accent goes on the antepenult of the noun as a stress marker.

Indicative mood
The indicative mood is used to state facts and ask factual questions. It is marked by vowel the preceding the final "r" in the present active infinitive.

Subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood is used for many uses, including purpose clauses, result clauses introduced by degree words, rhetorical questions, wishes, mild imperatives, and many other uses. It is marked by a change in the vowel preceding the final "r" in the present active infinitive: high vowels move from the front to the back or vice versa, whereas other vowels move from mid to low or vice versa.

Infinitive mood
The infinitive is used to complement certain verbs, such as verbs of wishing or ordering

Conjugations
There is really only one "conjugation" in Akinaido, as verbs in Akinaido generally conjugate with the same endings (except for a few irregulars).

Personal Suffixes
These are the suffixes that indicate the person and number of a verb. They are always added on the very end of the verb.

Passive personal suffixes
†With this ending, an acute accent goes on the antepenult of the verb as a stress marker.

Progressive Prefix
To give a verb progressive aspect, add a prefix consisting of "e" and a nasal corresponding to the place of articulation of the first sound in the root.

So, in other words:
 * before a root starting with a labial consonant, add em-
 * before a root starting with a coronal consonant, add en- (†)
 * before a root starting with a palatal consonant or front vowel, add eñ- (††)
 * before a root starting with a velar consonant or back vowel, add eng-

† Changes to "end-" before "r".

†† "a" and "æ" are considered front vowels.

sir (to be)
Conjugation of sir (Irregular)

er (to go)
*Note: "Er" has passive forms that act as impersonal verbs.

Conjugation of er (Irregular)

kerir (to carry)
While this verb is standard fifth conjugation in present, imperfect, and future, it is irregular in the other tenses as the stem changes from "ker" to "teik".

Conjugation of kerir (Irregular)

star (to be) (DEFECTIVE)
Note: Star is defective in that it only conjugates in the present, imperfect, and future. It is only seen with passive verbs in these three tenses, such as in:

 stari ghestu = I am being carried  stabari  ghestu = I was being carried  stabeiri ghestu = I will be carried

Conjugation of star (First Conjugation Defective)

por (to be able, to be strong, to have power)
Conjugation of por (Irregular)

vell (to wish)
Conjugation of vell (Irregular)

mall (to prefer)
Conjugation of mall (Irregular)

noll (to refuse)
Conjugation of noll (Irregular)

fier (to be made, to become)
Conjugation of fier (Irregular)

empyr (to buy)
Conjugation of empyr (Irregular)

ess (to be there, to have got)
Conjugation of ess (Irregular)

Articles
Articles are considered formal and are usually left out of everyday conversation. However, they are found in textbooks to teach students the genders of nouns.

There are only definite articles in Akinaido:

=Adverbs=

Take the stem of an adjective and add iter.

sastu --> sast + iter ---> sastiter

Verbs
tatyr - to stand

sir - to be

er - to go

altier - to eat

kerir - to carry

kaver - to open

canur - to drink

solir - to wash

igoir - to play

trahair - to pull, to drag

pekuir - to climb

caneir - to sing

sasyr - to cook

fleur - to swim, to flow

nuer - to nod

quier - to hide

diikyr - to say, to speak

laber - to taste

volur - to fly

kazir - to swear, curse

savoir - to know

cosair - to run

loguir - to study

sekeir - to follow

sedyr - to sit

feur - to make

air - to do, to act

questier - to be necessary for (ex. me questiet cosair = it is necessary for me to run)

creier - to believe

leier - to read

ar - to paint (shortest verb)

sokashnihomonkadir - to lie down on a bed with a dog (longest verb)

Numbers
uno - one (DECLINES)

duoi - two (DECLINES)

trani - three (DECLINES)

All the rest of the numbers do not decline

coitro - four

sinco - five

seis - six

sietes - seven

achi - eight

nona - nine

dec - ten

decun - eleven

decdu - twelve

dectra - thirteen

deccoi - fourteen

decsinco - fifteen

decseis - sixteen

decsietes - seventeen

decachi - eighteen

decnona - nineteen

bisdec - twenty

bisdecun - twenty-one

bisdecdu - twenty-two

terdec - thirty

coiterdec - forty

sincodec - fifty

seisdec - sixty

sietesdec - seventy

achidec - eighty

nonadec - ninety

squar - one hundred

bissquar - two hundred

tersquar - three hundred

kuib - one thousand

coirt - ten thousand

Colloquial Phrases
salonui! - hello (to one person)

salud! - hello (to more than one person)

ponoi! - good-bye (to one person)

pod! - good-bye (to more than one person)

coit annuis ess? - how old are you?

essi unum annum - I am one year old

essi traniis annuis - I am three years old

essi deccoi annuis - I am fourteen years old

essi sincodectra annuis - I am fifty-three years old

essi squar annuis - I am one hundred years old

frijiet - it's cold

calet - it's hot

quid ais? or quid sis aizon? - what are you doing?

quid aos? - what did you do?

quid sit hon? - what is this?

altigaro - let's eat

essi meganim - I'm hungry

tss! - shh!, hush!