Nuim

General Information
Nuim is spoken by the Mero, a race of merfolk living in the oceans of Ciel. It is isolating, head-final, and encodes the speaker's thoughts and feelings within every utterance.

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 as "c", "x", "r", and "y."

Vowels

 * [ə] is romanized as "e."

Phonotactics
Nuim's syllable structure is (C)V(C). /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. Any syllable with a coda is complex.

Onsets
All nuim sentences begin with an onset: a set of words that describe the speaker's thoughts and feelings. An onset usually consists of an emotive followed by an evidential.

Emotives
Emotives describe the speaker's feelings about the sentence. All onsets require an emotive.


 * is the default emotive. It often has a neutral connotation when not intensified.
 * is often used when making requests, similar to "please."
 * is often used when thanking someone, similar to "thank you."

Intensifiers
Emotives can be intensified by reduplication.

Derivations
Nouns can be derived from emotives by appending the suffix -(e)s.

Evidentials
Evidentials describe the speaker's evidence for the sentence. Onsets require an evidential if the sentence is indicative and the subject is not the agent.

Derivations
Verbs can be derived from evidentials by appending the suffix -ha. The resulting verbs are bound.

Nouns
Nuim nouns are not inflected for number, gender, or definiteness. Nouns are not inflected for case but do take case particles.

Collectivity
A reduplicated noun describes a distinct group of that noun. A reduplicated proper noun describes a distinct group consisting of that noun and some number of other entities related to that noun.

Modification
If one noun immediately precedes another, the first noun modifies the second. This modification can indicate possession, composition, origin, etc. The separator particle we can be inserted to break up adjacent nouns that aren't modifying each other.

If a pronoun would modify a noun, prepend one of the following prefixes to the noun instead of preceding it with the pronoun.

Cases
Nouns can take case particles to indicate their case. Case particles immediately follow their noun.

Correlatives

 * A noun can't be modified by a determiner unless a classifier suffix is appended to the noun.

Verbs
Nuim verbs are not inflected for agreement, tense, or aspect. Verbs are not inflected for negation, voice, or mood but do take particles for those things.

Incorporation
If a pronoun would be the subject of a verb, it can be incorporated into that verb. Incorporated pronouns function as prefixes and should be prepended to the verb incorporating them.

Negation
Verbs can be negated with the negation particle sis. Sis precedes the verb it negates.

Intensifiers
Verbs can be intensified by reduplication.

Comparatives
You can compare the subject of a verb with another noun by preceding the verb with a comparative particle and following the other noun with. Comparative particles precede negation particles.

Voices
Verbs can take voice particles to indicate their voice. Voice particles immediately follow their verb.


 * When you indicate a verb as passive, turn its object into the subject. You can omit the old subject or follow it with.
 * When you indicate a verb as causative, turn the causer into the subject. You can omit the old subject or follow it with.
 * When you indicate a verb as applicative, turn the appropriate oblique into the object. You can omit the old object or follow it with.

Moods
Verbs can take mood particles to indicate their mood. Mood particles follow their verb after any voice particles.

Serial Verbs
If one verb immediately follows another and neither verb is subordinate to the other, those verbs are serial. Serial verbs behave like a single verb and take particles and affixes appropriately. A serial verb generally expresses multiple actions, one occurring after the other.

Compound Verbs
If one verb immediately follows another and the second verb is subordinate to the first, those verbs make a compound. The second verb should have the compound prefix wo- prepended to it. Compound verbs behave like a single verb and take particles and affixes (other than the compound prefix) appropriately. A compound verb generally expresses a single action.

Bound verbs can only appear in compounds.

Derivations
Nouns can be derived from verbs by appending the following suffixes.

Numbers
Nuim numbers are octal (base-8) and can be formed into larger numbers with two subsystems: a multiplicative subsystem and a positional subsystem.

Classifiers
A noun can't be counted unless a classifier suffix is appended to it.

Derivations
Numbers can be derived into other parts of speech by appending the following suffixes.


 * Derived fractions are of the form "1/N." You can count a fraction to specify its numerator.

Clauses
Nuim clauses are noun-verb, with nouns ordered according to their animacy. The animacy classes and their order are as follows: merrow, animate things, 3-dimensional things, 2-dimensional things, and 1-dimensional things. If, as a result of this ordering, the clause's object would precede its subject, the clause's verb should be immediately preceded by the inversion particle a.

If a noun can be inferred from context, it can be omitted. The subject should be omitted if it's the speaker and the clause is indicative. The subject should also be omitted if its the addressee and the clause isn't indicative.

Adverbial Clauses
If one clause immediately follows another and the first clause is dependent on the second, the first clause modifies the second. The first clause should be followed by a clause particle to indicate the nature of this modification.

Relative Clauses
If a clause immediately precedes a noun, the clause modifies that noun. If a modified noun would appear in its relative clause, it should be omitted from the clause. If the modified noun was oblique in the relative clause, it should instead be replaced with a pronoun.

Quotations
Clauses can be quoted with the quotation particle le. Le follows the clause it quotes. Direct quotations should include onsets; indirect quotations should not. A quotation is usually the first element in its clause.

Questions
If a clause's main verb is interrogative, the clause is a question. You can answer a question by echoing the main verb affirmatively or negatively and replacing any interrogative pronouns or pro-adverbs with their answers.

Conjunctions
Any two nouns, verbs, or clauses can be conjoined. Conjunctions come between the elements they conjoin. Conjoined elements behave like a single element and take particles and affixes appropriately.

Special Particles
Nuim has two special particles which do not fit in with any of the particles described above. The first special particle is the separator particle we. You can insert we between any two elements to break them apart. We is often used to break apart nouns that would otherwise be modifying each other.

The second special particle is the definer particle fal. You can use fal to define any sequence of sounds as any noun, verb, or clause. The sequence of sounds being defined follows fal and the noun, verb, or clause providing the definition precedes it. Fal is often used to give additional information about a thing or create temporary pronouns.