Nuim

General Information
Nuim is the native language of the merrow who live in the world shiel.

Consonants

 * /p/, /t/, and /k/ are voiced [b], [d], and [g] between vowels.
 * /f/, /s/, and /ʃ/ are voiced [v], [z], and [ʒ] between vowels.
 * [ʃ], [ʒ], [ɹ], and [j] are romanized "c", "x", "r", and "y".

Phonotactics
Nuim's syllable structure is (C)V(C). /p/, /t/, /k/, /h/, /j/, and /w/ are not permitted as codas.

Stress
Nuim places stress on either the first complex syllable or the second syllable, whichever comes first.

Grammar
According to the rules of Nuim phonology, any voiceless consonant surrounded by vowels becomes voiced. However, to make certain suffixes more easily recognizable, any consonants an suffix would have that should be voiced according to this rule are not as long as the suffix is preceded by "-."

Some suffixes are written as -CV/-C. As long as the syllable before one of these suffixes has a coda, the suffix is realized as -CV. Otherwise, the suffix is realized as -C.

Nouns
Nouns are not inflected for gender, number, or case and Nuim does not have articles.

Possession
Nuim nouns can be inflected to show that they are possessed. The following suffixes indicate possession.

Nouns are not inflected for third person possessors. Instead, the noun particle ma is used.

Noun Particles
Nouns can be marked by particles to indicate case and/or theme. These noun particles come after the noun they mark.

Derivations
Nouns can be transformed into stative verbs with the suffix -yo. The resulting verb means something like "N-like" or "possessing the salient qualities of N."

Nouns All Together
A single noun phrase can consist of many parts: a possessive phrase marked with ma, a relative clause or adjectival phrase, a classifier phrase, a possessive prefix, the noun stem, and a noun particle. In most cases, the parts of a noun phrase occur in this order.

There are cases where this is not true. No noun phrase can have both a possessive phrase and a possessive prefix. A "heavy" relative clause or adjectival phrase (one with arguments) usually comes before any possessive phrases. No matter what, the noun particle, if any, always comes at the very end of the noun phrase.

Pronouns
Pronouns follow a paradigm unlike English's "first person, second person, third person" paradigm. Instead, Nuim cares about whether or not the pronoun includes the speaker and whether or not the pronoun includes the addressee.

The mu- group of pronouns includes the speaker but excludes the addressee. As such, this group is similar to "I" or an exclusive "we." The noc- group of pronouns includes both the speaker and the addressee. As such, this group is similar to an inclusive "we." The su- group of pronouns doesn't include the speaker but does include the addressee. As such, this group is similar to "you." The final group of pronouns, which doesn't include the speaker or addressee, is unmarked.

The similarity between this paradigm and that of the noun possessive prefixes should be apparent. They are, in fact, the same paradigm and use the same prefixes.

Numbers
Numbers are quinary (base-5). Some number words have meaning outside of the realm of numbers. Most number words, however, only have meaning as numbers.

Complex Numbers
Simple numbers can be combined via multiplication and subtraction into complex numbers. Multipliers should always be multiples of 5 and multiplicands should always be smaller than their multiplies. Elements should always be combined from largest to smallest.

Fractions
Numbers can be transformed into fractions by placing the classifier soryi between the numerator and denominator. The resulting fraction is itself a number and can be used wherever numbers can be used.

Ordinal Numbers
Numbers can be transformed into ordinal numbers by following the number with the bound verb heor. The resulting stative verb behaves like any other verb, even though it consists of two words. Only the heor part of the ordinal number can be inflected.

Frequency Numbers
Numbers can be transformed into frequency numbers by following the number with the bound adverb tabom. The resulting adverb behaves like any other adverb, even though it consists of two words.

Classifiers
Numbers and determiners cannot modify nouns without the use of classifiers. A single classifier can take a determiner, a number (or other quantifier), or a determiner and a number, in that order.

Verbs
Verbs are not inflected for gender, tense, or aspect.

Agreement
Verbs can be inflected for agreement with the subject. As with the possessive prefixes and pronouns, this follows the mu-, noc-, su- paradigm. The lack of an agreement prefix indicates that the subject is third person.

Voice
Verbs can be inflected for voice with the following suffixes. The lack of a voice suffix indicates that the verb is in the active voice.


 * The active object becomes the passive subject. The active subject becomes a passive oblique marked with la.
 * The causer becomes the causative subject. The active subject becomes a causative oblique marked with wi.
 * The active ac, wi, or la oblique becomes the applicative object. The active object becomes an applicative oblique marked with ac.

Negation
Verbs can be inflected for negation with the suffix -te. This suffix comes after any voice suffixes that may be present.

Mood
Verbs can be inflected for mood with the following suffixes. These suffixes come after the negation suffix, if it is present. A verb in an imperative mood cannot be inflected for agreement. The lack of a mood suffix indicates that the verb is in the indicative mood.


 * -com is equivalent to the standard English imperative "V!"
 * -u is equivalent to the English "Lets V!" It is more polite than -com, and as such is often used even when the speaker themself has no intention of doing V.

Serial Verbs
Multiple verbs can be strung one after another to indicate some relationship between the actions. Verbs cannot be strung together in this way unless each verb shares the same subject, voice, and polarity (positive or negative). Only the first verb in such a string is marked for agreement and only the last verb in such a string is marked for voice and negation.

Generally the strung together actions occur either sequentially or at the same time as a single event.

Compound Verbs
Some verbs can be strung after other verbs without indicating additional actions or events. Many stative and bound verbs behave adverbially when strung after other verbs. This is Nuim's equivalent to the English suffix "-ly."

If a single verb phrase has both serial verbs (verbs that add actions/events) and compound verbs (verbs that behave adverbially), the compound verbs come later.

Derivations
Verbs can be transformed into other parts of speech with the following suffixes. These suffixes come after any other suffixes the verb may already have.


 * V-he is equivalent to the English "V-er."
 * V-lu/V-l is equivalent to the English "in order to V."

Verbs All Together
A single verb phrase can consist of many parts: an emotion word, the subject, the object, some number of oblique noun phrases, some number of adverbs, an agreement prefix, the verb stem, a voice suffix, and a negation suffix. In most cases, the parts of a verb phrase occur in this order.

There are cases where this is not true. Time-based oblique noun phrases and adverbs tend to come before the subject.

Copula
The Nuim verb un serves as the copula. Unlike in English, un behaves just like any other verb. Similarly unlike in English, un does not occur with adjectives.

Adjectives
Adjectives are and behave just like stative verbs. They are not listed separately from verbs in the Nuim vocabulary list and are only described in their own section for the benefit of those whose language draws a distinction between adjectives and verbs.

Comparatives
Adjectives are not inflected for comparison. To compare two things, the thing being compared to is marked with the comparative particle kac and is placed before the subject. As this is the only way to compare two things, sentences like "he's redder" are impossible without overtly mentioned who "he" is redder than.

Superlatives
Adjectives are also not inflected for superlative-ness. The adverb pazer "most" is used instead.

Intensifiers
The following adverbs can be used to intensify adjectives.


 * Couc and moac can only be used if the adjective is not negated.
 * Orar and fizur can only be used if the adjective is negated.

Emotion Words
All sentences in Nuim must begin with an emotion word. These denote the speaker's feelings about the actions and/or events of the sentence. Emotion words can only be used to denote the speaker's feelings and cannot be used to denote the feelings of the addressee or any of the actors within the sentence.


 * Fal can be used to indicate that the speaker likes a particular thing. To say "I like N." in Nuim, use Fal N waf. wec, mif, and ton can be used in the same way.
 * Yor is often used to denote that the speaker would be grateful if the addressee would preform the action requested in the sentence. In this way, it is similar to "please."
 * Ar is used as the default emotion word in ordinary speech. The speaker's expression should be used to determine whether or not the speaker is actually happy.
 * Fiwa should not be used as a default emotion word in ordinary speech, where it is seen as offensive. Fiwa is used as the default emotion word in scientific speech.
 * Mi functions like a question marker and is only used in interrogative sentences. It cannot be derived into a stative verb.

Intensifiers
Emotion words can be reduplicated to intensify them. Only reduplicate the last syllable of the emotion word.

Derivations
Emotion words can be transformed into stative verbs by following the emotion word with the bound verb yugar. The resulting stative verb means something like "to feel EMOTION" and can be used to denote the feelings of the addressee or an actor in the sentence. Only the yugar part of the ordinal number can be inflected.

Sentences
Nuim is an SOV language.

Relative Clauses
A relative clause is just like a normal clause, with the following exceptions. If the noun the relative clause is modifying would be the subject or object of the relative clause, the relative clause cannot have a subject/object. The relative clause's main verb must still inflect to agree with the subject. If the noun that the relative clause is modifying would be an oblique argument of the relative clause, there must be a 'dummy' oblique in the relative clause.

Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate clause is even more like a normal clause. The only difference between a subordinate clause and a normal clause is that the subordinate clause must be marked with a clause particle. Like noun particles, clause particles come after the clause they mark.

Clause Chains
Like Verbs, multiple clauses can be strung one after another to indicate some relationship between the clauses. Unlike verbs, clauses strung together this way do not need to share subjects or any other properties. Also unlike verbs, a clause needs to be inflected to be strung together in this way. With the exception of the last clause in the string, each clause's main verb must be inflected with the suffix -ca, which comes after any other suffixes the verb might have.

Generally the strung together clauses occur sequentially. Clause strings can also be used to indicate that a later clause is the result or natural consequence a prior clause.

Questions
The emotion word mi behaves like a question marker and indicates that a sentence is interrogative. There are two types of question in Nuim: yes-no questions, which have mi but no interrogative pronouns, and wh-questions, which have mi and at least one interrogative pronoun. Unlike in English, interrogative sentences are ordered exactly like declarative sentences. Interrogative pronouns occur wherever a word of their class would appear normally.

Nuim does not have words for "yes" or "no." Instead, yes-no questions are answered with the main verb of the question. The polarity of the verb indicates whether "yes" or "no" is meant.

Nuim does have words for the answers to wh-questions. As such, wh-questions are answered by replacing the interrogative pronouns in the question with the answers.

The emotion word and question marker mi can be reduplicated (i.e. intensified) to indicate that a given yes-no question assumes an answer in line with the polarity of the question. A reduplicated mi doesn't mean anything in wh-questions, and is rarely done.

Quotations
A clause can be transformed into quoted speech by following the clause with the quotative particle re. In a sentence, quote speech typically comes just after the emotion word, before any other arguments. Grammatically, Nuim only draws one distinction between direct and indirect quotations. Indirect quotations cannot use emotion words to denote the feelings of the speaker of the quotation. Any emotion words used must be derived into stative verbs or omitted.

Conjunctions
Any two noun phrases, verb phrases, or clauses can be conjoined by marking the element with a conjunction particle. Conjunction particles come between the two elements they conjoin and replace any particles marking the first element.


 * si can be inclusive or exclusive.