Saso

Dipthongs and Digraphs
ãi /ai/

õi /ɔɪ/

eu /ʊəʳ/

ãi(/eɪ/)

aê /eəʳ/

ãe(/ɪəʳ/)

sh(/sʰ/)

fw (/ʍ/)

Phonotactics
(C/Dg)V/Dp(C)(V)

Syllables in Saso follow the pattern above. C is a consonant, Dg is a digraph, V is a vowel, and Dp is a Diphthong. If the syllable has a diphthong, the diphthong must be followed by a consonant. There may never be more than two consonants next to each other in a word. For a vowel to stand alone as a syllable, it must be e, ã, or o. A dipthong may stand alone only if it is ãi.

The letters j(/j/) or h(/h/) may never appear as the last letter of a word.

Stress
Stress is placed on the first short vowel of a word. If there is no short vowel, then it is placed on the first vowel of the word.

In Saso, stress is placed on a because it is the first short vowel.

In Sãso, stress is laced on ã because there are no short vowels, and it is the first vowel.

Parts of Speech
The part of speech a work occupies is determined through a prefix. The prefixes are listed below

Verbs
All verbs in Saso end in ãs. A verb in the infinitive is the only time a word will not have a prefix. The different verb endings have different verb conjugations. Verbs conjugate for person, number, tense, moood, and aspect. Below is the chart for verb conjugations for regular verbs. The infinitive is dropped when conjugating verbs. The suffix for every mood is the same. Saso uses suffixes to express tense, aspect, person, and number. Mood is expressed through a prefix. To indicate mood, verbs have a prefix attatached to them. A reflexive verb must also have a prefix An example of a fully conjugated verb is Ofãsis, IMP-build-2P-SNG.

Certain verbs are irregular in Saso. The most notable ones are nãgãs (to do), fazãs (to be), and powãs (to go). No verbs in Saso experience changes in affixes. Instead, they experience stem changes. While there are other irregular verbs in Saso, the ones below are the most common. Aneguuf - I used to do it. Remember, the first u is silent.

Nouns
Nouns in Saso decline for number and case. Nouns in Saso are marked with the prefix Î. For example, Îfãs means building. The declensions are listed below. Informal speech does not mark the Nominative case. However, formal Saso marks all cases. There are 2 different sets of declensions, one for nouns that end in a consonant, and one for nouns that end in vowels. The following table is for nouns that end in a vowel To indicate a plural noun in Saso, one simply adds s for nouns that end in a consonat, and ã for nouns that end in a vowel. The reflexive marking is only added to pronouns. The dative case is also used for comparisons. Proper nouns in Saso are required to be marked with case and nunber. The marking goes before the proper noun, but not attatched to it. If Jack is the subject of the sentence, speakers of Saso are required to say e Jack. Nouns that end in g experience a stem change on the nominative and accusative cases.

g --> gu

Nouns that end in z experience a stem change in the genitive, voactive, and locative cases.

z --> sz. (Îfez --> Îfeszãi). Note that the s and the z are in two separate syllables.

The following chart lists the pronouns. Pronouns decline for case by using the singlur side of the declension chart. Pronouns also require the ø prefix. While there are informal vs formal pronouns in Saso, verbs do not agree with formality.

Demonstrative Pronouns are equivalent to this one, that one, these, or those. They decline like regular nouns, and take the ø prefix

A reflexive verb requires a reflexive pronoun. To make a pronouns reflexive, add an aê to the end. Øfosaê is a reflexive pronoun.

Direct object pronouns (pronouns in the accusative case) are placed before the conjugated verb. Indirect object pronouns (pronouns in the dative case) are placed after the conjugated verb. Direct object pronouns are attatched to the end of the infinitive verb. Indirect objects are attatched to the end of the infinitive verb, but placed after a direct object pronoun.

Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives and Adverbs agree in number with the nouns they modify. Adjectives and Adverbs also agree in formality if they are modifying are pronoun. Adjectives agree in case with the noun they are modifying. Adjectives take the ãi prefix Adverbs do not agree in case, only in number and person with the verb. Note how the declensions are the same as the declensions for the nominative case of adjective declensions. Due to the prefix system of Saso, suffixes are often times reused between different parts of speech. Adverbs take the u prefix.

Articles
Nouns do not decline for definiteness; articles do instead. Articles take the adjective prefix of ãi. Articles are different from all other adjectives in that they do not decline for case. They do not agree with the noun in case.

Demonstratives
Demonstrative adjectives are this, that, these, and those. Notice how the roots are the exact same as the demonstrative pronouns. Demonstrative adjectives agree in number and case with the nouns they describe. Ço and çoq decline using the singular formal adjective declensions; zo and zoq decline using the plural adjective declensions.

Comparisons
To use an adjective in a comparative, the following declensions are used. While case is not explicitly marked, adjectives in comparisons agree with the dative case. The following lists the endings added on to adjectives. Comparisons in Saso are formed very different than from English. The structure of a comparison is VSOA, where A is the adjective that is being used in the comparison.

In English we say This house is prettier than that house. In Saso we say Is this house that house prettier than.

Gerund
Forming gerunds is quite simple in Saso. Simply leave the verb in the inifinitve, add on the prefix for a noun, and decline it like a noun.

sasãs is to write poetry. To make this into a gerund, One simply adds Î to the verb, making it Îsasãs. this can then be declined.

Syntax
Saso is VSO in most cases