Gęčokaxʔa

Gęčokaxʔa, literally "our language", is a polysynthetic language.

Consonants
Consonants are romanised as in IPA unless stated otherwise.

/ɧ/ may be labialised.

Vowels
Ogoneks indicate nasal vowels.

Diphthongs consist of any vowel+i or u. /ii/ and /uu/ are however not possible.

Phonotactics
The general syllable structure is CV(C), without any restrictions on what consonants can appear as onset or coda. Geminated consonants are however impossible; wherever any would occur due to affixation, it becomes a single consonant. Furthermore, adjacent plosives have to agree in voicing, just like nasals have to agree in POA with adjacent consonants.

Stress and pitch
The primary stress always falls on the first syllable of the main root (usually that's the verb root, but in nouns it's the first noun root). Secondary stress falls on incorporated noun roots, pronominal suffixes, and negative and interrogative suffixes. Primary stress is realised as an increase in both volume and pitch, while secondary stress is realised as an increase in pitch only.

Aspect
An oddity of Gęčokaxʔa morphology is that there are two types of aspect markers: a prefix indicating inceptive/cessative aspect and a suffix indicating perfect/imperfect. These can be left out and combined to form a total of nine aspects. The aspect markers are:
 * męk- (inceptive)
 * ča- (cessative)
 * -ʔin (perfect)
 * -mi (imperfect)

Pronominal suffixes
There is also an indefinite suffix -ʔąʔ, which can only be used as subject. When the object is unknown, it is simply left out.

These suffixes can be attached to nouns as well, which in English would mean "X is a Y". However, if the pronominal suffix is followed by the possessive suffix -ʔa, it means "X's Y".

Noun incorporation
Nouns can be incorporated into the verb. Depending on their placement, incorporated nouns can serve as either a subject or an object. Incorporated subjects follow the verb root; objects precede it.

Negatives and questions
Negatives and questions are made with the suffixes -ki and -loh respectively.

Causative
Causatives are made by prefixing þį-. The causative prefix can come either before or after the inceptive/cessative prefix, with a minor difference in meaning, as the causative can refer to either the aspect prefix or the root. Compare these two sentences:

Þįčakaʔhehe.

þį-ča-kaʔ-he-he

CAUS-CESS-know-3SG-3SG

He causes him to stop knowing.

Čaþįkaʔhehe.

ča-þį-kaʔ-he-he

CESS-CAUS-know-3SG-3SG

He stopped causing him to know.

Subordination
A verb can be subordinated by adding the prefix čiuhę-. A subordinated verb can be attached to a noun to form a relative clause.

Numerals and quantifiers
These behave like prefixes, thus one can say ląikmot for "one fish" and kiląifat for "four bears".

Examples
Čakaʔinþųloh?

ča-kaʔ-ʔin-þų-loh

stop-know-PERF-1SG-Q

Have I forgotten anything?

Hupotʔalęxčočʔinaupotʔaki.

hu-pot-ʔa-lęxčoč-ʔin-nau-pot-ʔa-ki

brother-2SG-POSS-eat-PERF-father-2SG-POSS-NEG

Your father hasn't eaten your brother.

Čuičiuhęnauþųʔahe kaʔhe čiuhęgęčokaxʔamękaʔimpot.

čui-čiuhę-nau-þų-ʔa-he kaʔ-he čiuhę-gęčo-kax-ʔa-męk-kaʔ-ʔin-pot

man-SUBORD-father-1SG-POSS-3SG know-3SG SUBORD-language-1PL-POSS-start-know-PERF-2SG

The man who is my father knows that you've learnt our language.

Lexicon
bek v to be sad bįnol n king, leader, chief bǫj n water čakaʔ v to forget čalui v to die čaþaþ v to disappear čui n man, human dąuku v to be blue fat n bear fiki n fool, idiot gai n sun gęčo n language goč n house hąči v to love heu v to drink hu n brother hųlų n food jeiš n sea kaʔ v to know kal n boy laj n mother laišpǫ n moon lęxčoč v to eat lui v to live, to be alive kiþu v to be big mąki v to greet mękaʔ v to learn mękhąči v to fall in love męklui v to be born mękpǫku v to fall asleep mękþaþ v to appear mot n fish nau n father noxpat n beer, wine ŋox v to see pǫku v to sleep sįč v to be white soh v to be good šąla v to be happy šouš n god, spirit, deity tąkau v to be strange toþ n child xaʔ v to be yellow þaþ v to exist þįbek v to sadden þįčalui v to kill þįkaʔ v to teach þįlęxčoč v to feed þįlui v to give birth þįþaþ v to create þǫbąš n stone ʔalkoʔol n alcohol ʔeþ n sister