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| Mentekan men1te1kan1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||
| Agglutinative | |||
| Alignment | |||
| Nominative-Accusative | |||
| Head direction | |||
| Final | |||
| Tonal | |||
| Yes | |||
| Declensions | |||
| Yes | |||
| Conjugations | |||
| Yes | |||
| Genders | |||
| No | |||
| Nouns decline according to... | |||
| Case | Number | ||
| Definiteness | Gender | ||
| Verbs conjugate according to... | |||
| Voice | Mood | ||
| Person | Number | ||
| Tense | Aspect | ||
General information[]
An old Mentekan idiom: "Hurting like a door."
The language of Mentekan is a language spoken on an isolated island, and formerly a language spoken on the mainland. A small number of islanders migrated to the mainland, taking the language with them and inventing several writing systems for the formerly only spoken language. After many thousands of years, the dialect of Mentekan spoken on the mainland diverged to form Emitìnehänə. The dialect on the island stayed more or less the same as when the mainlanders left.
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
| Bilabial | Labio-dental | Dental | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Epiglottal | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||||||||
| Plosive | t tʰ tʼ d | ɖ |
k kʼ kʷʰ g gʼ |
ʔ | ||||||||
| Fricative | s z | ʃ ʒ | x xʷ | |||||||||
| Affricate | ts tsʰ tsʼ | tʃ tʃʼ dʒ | ||||||||||
| Approximant | j | w | ||||||||||
| Trill | ||||||||||||
| Flap or tap | ||||||||||||
| Lateral fric. | ||||||||||||
| Lateral app. | ||||||||||||
| Lateral flap |
Possible consonant clusters are included in the chart.
Vowels[]
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |||
| Near-close | ɪ | ||||
| Close-mid | e | ||||
| Mid | |||||
| Open-mid | ʌ | ||||
| Near-open | æ | ||||
| Open | ɑ |
Diphthongs[]
The three diphthongs are /eɪ/, /aɪ/, and /aʊ/. They are counted as single vowels in the syllable.
Transcription[]
| IPA | Transcription |
|---|---|
| tʃʰ | č" |
| tsʰ | c" |
| tʃ | č |
| ts | c |
| ɪ | ì |
| ʃ | š |
| ɑ | a |
| ʒ | ž |
| kʷʰ | kw |
| xʷ | xw |
| ɖ | dd |
| ʔ | - |
| ʼ | ' |
| ʌ | o |
| æ | ä |
| tʰ | t" |
| ʊ | u |
Phonotactics[]
The syllable structure of Mentekan is CV(n). C is any consonant or consonant cluster and V is any vowel or diphthong. The glottal stop /ʔ/ cannot be placed at the initial consonant of the initial syllable of a word. n is optional and comprised of /z/, /ts/, /n/, /m/, /tʃ/, /ʃ/, and /s/. Noun roots are triconsonantal and tritonal in nature, while other words are not. The pattern of stress for the words usually stresses the close (includes near-close) vowel syllables. If there are two of the same close vowel syllables adjeacent to one another, the initial one takes precedence. If there are two different close vowel syllables adjacent to each other, /i/ takes precedence over /u/ and /u/ over /ɪ/. If there are no close vowel syllables in the word, the first syllable takes precedence. The particles and affixes are always unstressed, except for pronomial affixes which follow the normal stress rules.
Tones[]
The tones in Mentekan are only found in the tritonal noun roots, and are not part of the stress pattern rule. There are four tones used in the noun roots, which are represented by their respective numbers in superscript attached to the syllable.
- Neutral
- High
- Falling
- Rising
Grammar[]
| Gender | Cases | Numbers | Tenses | Persons | Moods | Voices | Aspects | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nouns | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Adjectives | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Numbers | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Participles | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Adverb | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Pronouns | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Adpositions | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Article | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Particle | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Sentence Structure[]
The canon word order of Mentekan is SOV, with subclauses being SVO. The subclauses are attached to the modified word by a conjunction preceding the subclause. There are two kinds of subclauses, relative and causative.
Relativization[]
je2ji1džeš1xwu žečt"u jeì2ke1wan1xwu nìndajaziddauc činsaxwanwi
honored-stranger.nom cnj house.nom imm.pas.to-build.pfv.asp dei.cop.pfv.dur
The honored stranger who built the house is here.
The verb inside the subclause takes on a passive voice in order to accept the real subject, the builder of the house.
Causatives[]
je2ji1džeš1xwu džaìm jeì2ke1wan1xwu nìndajaziddauc činsaxwanwi
honored-stranger.nom cnj house.nom imm.pas.to-build.pfv.asp dei.cop.pfv.dur
The honored stranger who caused the house to be built is here.
In this sentence the passive voice functions normally inside the subclause.
Conjunctions[]
There are several conjunction words that are placed at the end of a clause to link to another clause, or placed as a case marker to link two nouns.
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dun | effect and cause (clause link) |
| džic | if (clause link) |
| džiz | would if (clause link) |
| xwäč | and (clause link) |
| t"a | and; list (noun link) |
| gu | but (clause link) |
| dženi | thanks to (clause link) |
| g'i | to; action and purpose (clause link) |
| can | end to start; duration (noun link) |
| žečt"u | relative (clause link) |
| džaìm | causative (clause link) |
Numbers[]
There is a base 10 numeral system in Mentekan. Cardinal numbers 1 to 10 have unique words, while the numerals 11 to 19 are formed by attaching a "plus 10" suffix /čat"us/ to the numerals 1 to 9. The numerals 20-100 are formed by attaching a multiply 10 suffix /t"uccos/ to the numerals 2 to 10. Numbers can only be used as nouns, unless the case dictates otherwise, or as part of a compound word.
| Base Numeral | +10 | x10 |
|---|---|---|
| (1) cač | (11) caččat"us | - |
| (2) t"ič | (12) t"iččat"us | (20) t"ičt"uccos |
| (3) čìč | (13) čìččat"us | (30) čìčt"uccos |
| (4) čuc | (14) čucčat"us | (40) čuct"uccos |
| (5) niš | (15) niščat"us | (50) ništ"uccos |
| (6) xwez | (16) xwezčat"us | (60) xwezt"uccos |
| (7) č'äc | (17) č'äcčat"us | (70) č'äct"uccos |
| (8) t"eč | (18) t"eččat"us | (80) t"ečt"uccos |
| (9) duč | (19) duččat"us | (90) dučt"uccos |
| (10) t"iš | - | (100) t"išt"uccos |
To form cardinal numerals higher than 20 between the multiples of 10, one must suffix the ones digit to the tens digit. The multiplicative suffixes takes on its respective combining form /cos/.
| 20 | 40 |
|---|---|
| t"ičt"uccos | čuct"uccos |
| 21-29 | 41-49 |
| (21) t"ičcoscač | (41) čuccoscač |
| (22) t"ičcost"ič | (42) čuccost"ič |
| (23) t"ičcosčìč | (43) čuccosčìč |
| (24) t"ičcosčuc | (44) čuccosčuc |
| (25) t"ičcosniš | (45) čuccosniš |
| (26) t"ičcosxwez | (46) čuccosxwez |
| (27) t"ičcosč'äc | (47) čuccosč'äc |
| (28) t"ičcost"eč | (48) čuccost"eč |
| (29) t"ičcosduč | (49) čuccosduč |
The cardinal numerals 100-900 may be formed by attaching the combining form of the multiplication suffix /cos/ to the numerals 1 to 9 and then adding the shortened word for hundred after. Any numbers with the addition suffix attached to this changes the addition suffix into the combination form /ča/. The numerals beyond 900 can be formed in the same way.
| Base Numeral | x100 |
|---|---|
| (1) cač | (100) cačcos t"išcos |
| (2) t"ič | (200) t"ičcos t"išcos |
| (3) čìč | (300) čìčcos t"išcos |
| (4) čuc | (400) čuccos t"išcos |
| (5) niš | (500) nišcos t"išcos |
| (6) xwez | (600) xwezcos t"išcos |
| (7) č'äc | (700) č'äccos t"išcos |
| (8) t"eč | (800) t"ečcos t"išcos |
| (9) duč | (900) dučcos t"išcos |
| (10) t"iš | (1000) t"išcos t"išcos |
Nouns[]
The noun roots in Mentekan are triliteral and tritonal, with six aspects of inflection through vowels and tones. The case of the noun is marked by a case prefix. The possible combinations of all six aspect inflections are counted as genders.
Genders[]
Nouns can be formed by manipulating abstract three consonant roots. For example:
m - t - k - is the root with the general meaning of communication.
men1te1kan1 means the language.
neuter | action related concept | definite | inanimate tool honorific | singular
| Vowel 1 | Tone 1 | Vowel 2 | Tone 2 | Vowel 3 | Tone 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | male a | living 2 | superior e | definite 1 | person honorific eš | singular 1 |
| close relative a | ||||||
| neuter e | arbitrary 1 | far relative ä | dual 2 | |||
| close friend o | ||||||
| female ä | deceased 3 | acquaintance ì | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | |
| stranger i | ||||||
| subordinate u | plural 4 | |||||
| Animal | male o | living 2 | wild a | definite 1 | animate tool honorific ìs | singular 1 |
| neuter ì | arbitrary 1 | domesticated tool e | dual 2 | |||
| female aì | deceased 3 | domesticated food ä | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | |
| plural 4 | ||||||
| Plant | male o | living 2 | wild a | definite 1 | inanimate tool honorific an | singular 1 |
| neuter ì | arbitrary 1 | domesticated tool e | dual 2 | |||
| female aì | deceased 3 | domesticated food ä | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | |
| plural 4 | ||||||
| Place | neuter eì | accessible 2 | familiar/owned place e | definite 1 | inanimate tool honorific an | singular 1 |
| arbitrary 1 | new place a | dual 2 | ||||
| inaccessible 3 | public place ä | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | ||
| other place o | plural 4 | |||||
| Object | male az | accessible 2 | owned tool e | definite 1 | inanimate tool honorific an | singular 1 |
| neuter ez | arbitrary 1 | public tool ä | dual 2 | |||
| female äz | inaccessible 3 | body part ì | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | |
| other object o | plural 4 | |||||
|
Abstract |
male ac | neutral 1 | action related concept e | definite 1 | inanimate tool honorific an | singular 1 |
| neuter en | relational concept aì | concept honorific ic | dual 2 | |||
| female äč | other concept eì | indefinite 2 | neutral e | trial 3 | ||
| plural 4 |
The classification of these subgenders are quite arbitrary.
Cases[]
There is an expansive system of case prefixes in Mentekan, with categories of Syntax, Relation, Semantics, and State. Some cases are redundant and/or archaic in everyday speech.
Syntax[]
| Case | Prefix | Usage | Word Position | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | xwu | agent; experiencer | subject | tez2xä1kan1xwu nìndajač'enxwau | The door was pushed just now. |
| accusative | dič | patient; direct object of transitive verb | object | tez2xä1kan1dič nìnnicezjač'enxwau | I pushed the door just now. |
| instructive | t'ìc | means; how? | preceding modified | tez2xä1kan1t'ìc jeì2ke1wan1dič nìnnicezjamuzc"aun | I entered the house by means of the door just now. |
| instrumental | t'ič | instrument; using which thing? | preceding modified | tez2xä1kan1t'ìč jeì2ke1wan1dič nìnnicezjamuzc"aun | I entered the house using the door just now. |
Relation[]
| Case | Prefix | Usage | Word Position | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aversive | ddiz | avoiding or fear | preceding modified | tez2xä1kan1ddiz jeì2ke1wan1dič nìnnicezjamuzc"aun | I entered the house avoiding the door just now. |
| benefactive | näz | for; for the benefit of; intended for | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1näz tez2xä1kan1dič nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built the door for the house just now. |
| causal | čìc | because; because of | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1čìc tez2xä1kan1dič nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built the door because of the house just now. |
| comitative | čudi | in the company of something | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1čudi tez2xä1kan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The door in the company of the house was built just now. |
| dative | xwäs | shows recipient | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1xwäs nìnnicezjazuc-au | I gave the round object to the house just now. |
| distributive | gis | distribution by piece | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1gis tez2xä2kan2dič nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built a pair of doors per house just now. |
| distributive-temporal | gaz | how often something happens | preceding modified | ten1jeì2nic1gaz tez2xä2kan4dič nosanicezjaziddaìc | I build doors daily now. |
| genitive | nucmun | shows relationship; possession | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1nucmun tez2xä1kan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The house's door was built just now. |
| ornative | nä | endowed with something | preceding modified | tez2xä2kan1nä jeì2ke1wan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The house equipped with a door was built just now. |
| possessed | nusnu | possession by something | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1nusnu nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built the house owned by someone just now. |
| privative | t'uka | lacking something | preceding modified | tez2xä2kan1t'uka jeì2ke1wan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The house without a door was built just now. |
| semblative | čučt'ìc | similarity to something | preceding modified | mo2ga2me1čučt'ìc jeì2ke1wan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The house like a thick, wild tree was built just now. |
| sociative | č'oč | along with something; together with something | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1č'oč tez2xä1kan1xwu nìndajaziddauc | The door along with the house was built just now. |
Semantics[]
| Case | Prefix | Usage | Word Position | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| partitive | zi | used for amounts | preceding modified | čìčzi jeì2ke1wan4dič nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built three of the houses just now. |
| vocative | čict"in | used for addressing someone | preceding clause | je2ji1džeš1čict"in jeì2ke1wan1dič mematočnìnnicezjaziddauc | Honored stranger, I built your house just now. |
State[]
| Case | Prefix | Usage | Word Position | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| adverbial | käc | being as something; deriving adverbs from nouns/verbs | preceding modified | tez2xä2kan1käc sat"ezšenunk'u | Hurting like a door. |
| essive-modal | kwez | marking a condition as a quality of being | preceding modified | mo2ga2me1kwez sanicezxwank'u | I am as a thick, wild tree. |
| essive-formal | k'iz | marking a condition as a quality of shape | preceding modified | mo2ga2me1k'iz sanicezxwank'u | I am the shape of a thick, wild tree. |
| exessive | ko | marking a transition from a condition | preceding modified | mo2ga2me1ko jeì2ke1wan1dič nìnnicezjaziddauc | I built the house from a thick, wild tree just now. |
| identical | g'amänt'o | showing that something is identical | preceding modified | mo2ga1me1g'amänt'o mo2ga1me1xwu xošjagìčč'auč | The thick, wild tree being the thick, wild tree did not fall in the nonfuture. |
| orientative | dži | oriented towards something | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1dži mo2ga1me1xwu xošjagìčč'auč | The thick, wild tree turned towards the house did not fall in the nonfuture. |
| revertive | t"o | backwards to something | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1t"o mo2ga1me1xwu xošjagìčč'auč | The thick, wild tree against the house did not fall in the nonfuture. |
| translative | t'ančič | change of a condition into another | preceding modified | jeì2ke1wan1t'ančič mo2ga1me1xwu xošjagìčč'auč | The thick, wild tree turned into the house did not fall in the nonfuture. |
Postpositions[]
There are many postpositions that can be attached to nouns to make postpositional phrases that express both place and time. The postpositional phrase then is placed preceding the modified noun phrase. The postpositions can also be pattached to verbs for pronomial statements. The postpositions are similar to case markers in every way except in that they are attached at the end of the noun. Most cases can be used for temporal location as well as spatial location.
Location[]
| Case | Postposition | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| adessive | t"ez | adjacent location | jeì2ke1wan1t"ez mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree near the house is here. |
| apudessive | duni | location next to something | jeì2ke1wan1duni mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree next to the house is here. |
| inessive | sidžiz | inside something | jeì2ke1wan1sidžiz mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree inside the house is here. |
| intrative | t"ä | between something | jeì2ke1wan1t"ä mo2ga1me2xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree between the pair of houses is here. |
| locative | cu | location | jeì2ke1wan1cu mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree at/on/in the house is here. |
| pertingent | t"inč'ìt'o | in contact with something | jeì2ke1wan1t"inč'ìt'o mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree touching the house is here. |
| subessive | t"eddu | under something | jeì2ke1wan1t"eddu mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick, wild tree under the house is here. |
| superessive | mäz | on the surface | jeì2ke1wan1mäz mo2ga1me1xwu činsaxwanwi | The thick. wild tree on top of the house is here. |
Motion From[]
| Case | Postposition | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ablative | zìn | movement away from something | jeì2ke1wan1zìn nošnicezjaničnau | I ran away from the house. |
| delative | č'uč | movement from the surface | jeì2ke1wan1č'uč nošnicezjaničnau | I ran from the top of the house. |
| egressive | dì | marking the beginning of a movement or time | jeì2ke1wan1dì nošnicezjaničnau | I ran beginning at the house. |
| elative | t'ìn | out of something | jeì2ke1wan1t'ìn nošnicezjaničnau | I ran out of the house. |
| initiative | džinčiz | starting point of an action | jeì2ke1wan1džinčiz nošnicezjaničnau | I ran beginning from the house. |
Motion To[]
| Case | Postposition | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| allative | džeckit'o | movement to the adjacency of something | jeì2ke1wan1džeckit'o nošnicezjaničnau | I ran to the adjacency of the house. |
| illative | t'ut'i | movement into something | jeì2ke1wan1t'ut'i nošnicezjaničnau | I ran into the house. |
| lative | džo | movement to something | jeì2ke1wan1džo nošnicezjaničnau | I ran to the house. |
| sublative | das | movement under something | jeì2ke1wan1džo nošnicezjaničnau | I ran under the house. |
| terminative | k'u | marking the end of a movement or time | jeì2ke1wan1k'u nošnicezjaničnau | I ran as far as the house. |
Motion Via[]
| Case | Postposition | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| perlative | ddač | movement through or along | jeì2ke1wan1ddač nošnicezjaničnau | I ran through the house. |
| prolative | dičdžič | movement using a surface or way | jeì2ke1wan1dičdžič nošnicezjaničnau | I ran by way of the house. |
Time[]
| Case | Postposition | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| temporal | kwunt"u | specifying a time | č'äcdžac1neì2ke4kwunt"u nošnicezjaničnau | I ran at the seventh hour. |
Verbs[]
The most important element in Mentekan is the verb, consisting of an abstract stem and any number of inflectional and/or derivational prefixes. All verbs must have at least one prefix, and the prefixes are to be added in a specific order. Verbs also replace the role of adjectives. Verb stems, while mostly bisyllabic, have no specific rules of construction, and are not triliteral.
Verb Template[]
The way of assembling prefixes is very convoluted and filled with exceptions and archaic constructions. A verb does not have to fill all of the categories in the template. The prefixes can be generally split into dynamic and stative templates with disjunct and conjunct categories as follows:
Dynamic[]
The dynamic verb template is used when the verb is an action.
|
Disjunct |
Conjunct | Stem | Postposition | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| postposition object | adverbial- thematic | iterative | plural | direct object | deictic | adverbial- thematic | tense | subject | classifier | type | stem | postposition |
Stative[]
The stative verb template is used when the verb is a state of being.
|
Disjunct |
Conjunct | Stative Construction | Stem | Postposition | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
| postposition object | adverbial- thematic | inchoative | plural | direct object | deictic | adverbial- thematic | tense | subject | classifier | thematic | state | type | stem | postposition |
Mode and Aspect[]
The mode category affects which aspects can be used; often the mode is in fact an aspect. Each mode has a null form for stand alone use. The iterative and inchoative prefixes are placed in their respective positions in null form instead of being expressed in the stem, if not linked with an aspect. Some verbs are incompatible with certain modes/aspects. The modes are:
- Imperfective - an event or action that has begun but is not complete
- Perfective - an event or action that has been completed
- Progressive - an incomplete event/action that is ongoing without reference to the beginning or end
- Usitative - a repetitive event/action that takes place customarily
- Iterative - a repetitive event/action that takes place repeatedly and customarily
- Inchoative - a state that has just begun
- Optative - a desire or wish
The modes below are not expressed in the verb stem but instead are placed in null form after the clause.
- Jussive - a plea or insistence (null form /gì/)
- Imperative - a command (null form /t"uc/)
- Interrogative - a question (null form /sin/)
The aspects are:
- Momentaneous - takes place in a point in time
- Continuative - indefinite span of time, movement with specified direction
- Durative - indefinite span of time, non-locomotive uninterrupted continuum
- Repetitive - continuum of repeated acts or connected series of acts
- Conclusive - like durative but in perfective mode terminates with a static sequel
- Semelfactive - single act in a repetitive series of acts
- Distributive - distributive manipulation of objects or performance of actions
- Diversative - movement distributed among things
- Reversative - results in directional change
- Conative - attempted action
- Transitional - shift from one state to another
- Cursive - progression in a line through time/space (only progressive mode)
- Completive - event/action takes place
- Terminative - stopping of action
- Stative - sequentially durative and static
- Inceptive - beginning of action
- Terminal - inherently terminal action
- Prolongative - arrested beginning or ending of action
- Seriative - interconnected series of successive separate and distinct acts
- Reversionary - return to previous state or location
- Semeliterative - single repetition of event/action
The verb copula /xwanna/ shall be used in this paradigm of mode and aspect. If a verb has more than two syllables, the last two syllables shall be used to inflect in the manner of this paradigm.
| Imperfective | Perfective | Progressive | Usitative | Iterative | Inchoative | Optative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| null | maì | jau | wac | -e/ce | -o/no | xeì | ku |
| Momentaneous | xwannaì
null vowel replace 2nd vowel |
xwannau | xwannac | xwanne | xwanno | xwanneì | xwannu |
| Continuative | xwanmaì
null syllable replace 2nd syllable |
xwanjau | xwanwac | xwan-e | xwan-o | xwanxeì | xwanku |
| Durative | xwant'e
replace 2nd syllable |
xwanwi | xwank'u | xwanjä | xwanse | xwant'a | xwanc"e |
| Repetitive | xwanxwamaì
duplicate 1st initial to 2nd initial implant null syllable |
- | - | - | - | xwanxwaxeì | - |
| Conclusive | nanxwamaì
switch 1st initial with 2nd initial implant null syllable |
nanxwajau | nanxwawac | nanxwa-e | nanxwa-o | nanxwaxeì | nanxwaku |
| Semelfactive | xwane
remove finals replace 2nd vowel |
xwano | xwaneì | xwanä | xwanu | xwana | xwanì |
| Distributive | xwaìnna
null vowel replace 1st vowel |
xwaunna | xwacna | xwenna | xwonna | xweìnna | xwunna |
| Diversative | xwaìt'e
remove finals null vowel replace 1st vowel replace 2nd syllable |
xwaut'e | xwact'e | xwet'e | xwot'e | xweìt'e | xwut'e |
| Reversative | xwaìmake
remove finals null vowel replace 1st vowel replace 2nd syllable with double null initial replace 2nd initial |
xwaujake | xwacwake | xwe-ake | xwo-ake | xweìxake | xwukuke |
| Conative | xwannanaì
implant 2nd syllable null vowel replace 3rd vowel |
xwannanau | xwannanac | xwannane | xwannano | xwannaneì | xwannanu |
| Transitional | xwati
replace 2nd syllable |
xwakun | xwagoc | xwatus | xwaga | xwato | xwakìs |
| Cursive | -
implant null syllable null vowel replace 1st vowel |
- | xwacwacna | - | - | - | - |
| Completive | -
1st initial replace 2nd initial null initial replace 1st initial |
janxwa | wanxwa | canxwa | nanxwa | - | kanxwa |
| Terminative | xwanma
null initial replace 2nd initial |
xwanja | xwanwa | xwan-a | xwan-a | xwanxa | xwanka |
| Stative | xwaìnnaì
null vowel replace both vowel |
xwaunnau | xwacnac | xwenne | xwonno | xweìnneì | xwunnu |
| Inceptive | xwannen
replace 2nd vowel |
xwannic | xwannam | xwannaz | xwannos | xwannun | xwannìm |
| Terminal | maìxwan
truncate 2nd syllable implant null syllable |
jauxwan | wacxwan | cexwan | nexwan | xeìxwan | kuxwan |
| Prolongative | xwaxwaìna
remove finals implant 1st syllable null vowel replace 2nd vowel |
- | xwaxwacna | - | - | xwaxweìna | - |
| Seriative | xwanmaìnaì
implant null syllable null vowel replace 3rd vowel |
xwanjaunau | xwanwacnac | xwan-ene | xwan-ono | xwanxeìneì | xwankunu |
| Reversionary | manna
null initial replace 1st initial |
janna | wanna | canna | nanna | xanna | kanna |
| Semeliterative | xwaìn
null vowel replace 1st vowel truncate 2nd syllable |
xwaun | xwac | xwe | xwo | xweìn | xwun |
Type[]
There are two prefixes which determine whether the verb template is dynamic or stative: the dynamic prefix /ja/, and the stative prefix /še/. The copula does not apply to any type, and thus has no type prefix or stative construction.
Stative Construction[]
The stative construction is one syllable with the thematic being the initial consonant and the state being the rest. Most speakers omit this construction when there are pronomial prefixes. The thematic has no distinguishable meaning anymore and changes based on the state and the verb stem. The state communicates the category of the stative verb. There are three categories:
- Physical - /um/
- Mental - /ez/
- Other - /o/
The thematic varies first based on the category, then mutates according to the prevalent vowel of the verb stem. The prevalent vowel is either the vowel that occurs first or the most commonly occuring vowel.
| Prevalent Vowel | Physical | Mental | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| e, a, ä, o | k | d | w |
| i, ì | g | t | j |
| u, aì, eì | g' | t" | ž |
Classifier[]
The classifier prefix decides transitivity and voice. The prefix /da/ signifies a passive voice, while no prefix signifies an active voice. The prefix /wa/ transforms a transitive verb into an intransitive verb. The transitive verb has no prefix. If the intransitive verb requires a passive voice, the prefix /wa/ changes into /wä/. Speakers usually employ passive voice to keep sentences shorter.
Pronomial Inflection[]
Mentekan verbs have prefixes that act as pronouns which mark both subjects and objects, thereby forming a clause within the verb. The prefixes can by modified by pronoun modifiers attached preceding the prefix to change the type of pronoun. The pronoun prefix is placed in the postposition object, the direct object, or the subject position in the verb template.
| Person | Gender Category | Subject | Object | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural | ||||
| First | General | nicez | č'u | nucčäz | doc | ||||||
| Second | Human | matoč | mat"o | manì | mac | mäčt"ic | mäče | mänto | mäm | ||
| Animal | motìč | mot"ì | mona | moc | mičt"ac | miče | minto | mim | |||
| Plant | mutoč | mut"o | muna | muc | maìčt"ac | maìča | maìnta | maìm | |||
| Place | meìtač | meìt"an | meìčt"ac | meìčt"an | |||||||
| Object | maztoč | mazt"an | mäzčt"ic | mäzc"an | |||||||
| Abstract | macmun | mäčmun | |||||||||
| Third | Human | t'ankuc | t'ank"o | t'andì | t'ac | t"äct"uš | t"äce | t"änto | t"äm | ||
| Animal | t'onkuc | t'onk"ì | t'onda | t'oc | t"ict"aš | t"ice | t"into | t"im | |||
| Plant | t'unkìc | t'unk"o | t'unda | t'uc | t"act"aš | t"aìca | t"aìnta | t"aìm | |||
| Place | t'eìkac | t'eìk"a | t'eìnda | t'eìc | t"eìct"aš | t"eìca | t"eìnta | t"eìm | |||
| Object | t'azkuc | t'azk"o | t'azdì | t'az | t"äzt"uš | t"äzce | t"äzto | t"äz | |||
| Abstract | t'ackuc | t'ack"o | t'acdì | t'acne | t"äčt"uš | t"äčce | t"äčto | t"äč | |||
| Fourth | Human | č'adžeč | č'adžo | č'adžì | č'ac | č'äčddi | č'äče | č'änto | č'äm | ||
| Animal | č'odžeč | č'odžì | č'odža | č'oc | č'ičdda | č'iče | č'into | č'im | |||
| Plant | č'udžeč | č'udžo | č'udža | č'uc | č'aìčdda | č'aìča | č'aìnta | č'aìm | |||
| Place | č'eìdžač | č'eìdžan | č'eìčdda | č'eìčddan | |||||||
| Object | č'azdžìč | č'azdžo | č'azdžì | č'az | č'äzddì | č'äzče | č'äzto | č'äz | |||
| Abstract | č'acdžìč | č'acdžan | č'äčdda | č'äčddan | |||||||
| Indefinite | Human | gamicč'en | gamicč'o | gamicdì | gamic | gäčuz | gäče | gänto | gäm | ||
| Animal | gomicč'en | gomicč'ì | gomicda | gomic | gičuz | giče | ginto | gim | |||
| Plant | gumicč'en | gumicč'o | gumicda | gumic | gaìčaz | gaìča | gaìnta | gaìm | |||
| Place | geìmicč'an | geìmicč'a | geìmicda | geìmic | geìčaz | geìča | geìnta | geìm | |||
| Object | gazmicč'en | gazmicč'o | gazmicdì | gazmic | gäzčìz | gäzče | gäzto | gäz | |||
| Abstract | gacmicč'en | gacmicč'o | gacmicdì | gacmic | gäččìz | gäčče | gäčto | gäč | |||
| Interrogative | Human | ddandži | ddandžo | ddandžì | ddac | ddät'u | ddäce | ddänto | ddäm | ||
| Animal | ddondži | ddondžì | ddondža | ddoc | ddit'u | ddice | ddinto | ddim | |||
| Plant | ddundži | ddundžo | ddundža | dduc | ddaìt'a | ddaìca | ddaìnta | ddaìm | |||
| Place | ddeìndža | ddeìndžane | ddeìndžana | ddeìc | ddeìt'a | ddeìca | ddeìnta | ddeìm | |||
| Object | ddazdži | ddazdžo | ddazdžì | ddaz | ddäzt'u | ddäzce | ddäzto | ddäz | |||
| Abstract | ddacdži | ddacdžo | ddacdžì | ddacne | ddäčt'u | ddäčce | ddäčto | ddäč | |||
| Reciprocal | Human | t'amun | t"ämun | ||||||||
| Animal | t'omun | t"imun | |||||||||
| Plant | t'umìn | t"aìman | |||||||||
| Place | t'eìman | t"eìman | |||||||||
| Object | t'azmun | t"äzmun | |||||||||
| Abstract | t'acmun | t"äčmun | |||||||||
The reciprocal prefix only occurs if there is no other pronomial prefix, and cannot take pronoun modifiers.
Pronoun Modifiers[]
The pronoun modifiers inflect based on the syntax and person of the prefix being modified.
| Modifier | Person | Subject | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| Possessive | First | ne | nì |
| Second | me | mì | |
| Third | t'e | t"ì | |
| Fourth | č'e | č'ì | |
| Indefinite | ge | gì | |
| Interrogative | dde | ddì | |
| Reflexive | First | nau | neì |
| Second | mau | meì | |
| Third | t'au | t"eì | |
| Fourth | č'au | č'eì | |
| Indefinite | gau | geì | |
| Interrogative | ddau | ddeì | |
| Intensive | First | nez | nen |
| Second | mez | men | |
| Third | t'ez | ten | |
| Fourth | č'ez | č'en | |
| Indefinite | gez | gen | |
| Interrogative | ddez | dden |
Tense Inflection[]
This prefix marks the tense of a verb. There is an extensive system of tenses developed in the concise literary tradition of Mentekan, but only a few are used in the spoken language.
Future Tense[]
| Immediate | Near | Hodiernal | Vespertine | Post-Hodiernal | Crastinal | Remote | Relative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | right now
žìn |
soon
žiz |
later today
žeìc |
this evening
žìč |
after today
žus |
tomorrow
žaus |
in the far future
žec |
in the arbitrary future
žum |
| Negative | not happening right now
xwìn |
not happening soon
xwiz |
not happening later today
xweìc |
not happening this evening
xwìč |
not happening after today
xwus |
not happening tomorrow
xwaus |
not happening in the far future
xwec |
not happening in the arbitrary future
xwum |
Present/Other Tense[]
| Nonfuture | Present | Nonpast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | not in the future
soš |
now
sa |
not in the past
sum |
| Negative | not happening not in the future
xoš |
not happening now
xa |
not happening not in the past
xum |
Past Tense[]
| Immediate | Recent | Hodiernal | Matutinal | Prehodiernal | Hesternal | Prehesternal | Remote | Historical | Ancestral | Relative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | just now
nìn |
in the last few days
niz |
earlier today
neìc |
this morning
nač |
before today
nuš |
yesterday
nauz |
before yesterday
nis |
more than a few days ago
nec |
action/state was part of an event in the past
nam |
in the legendary past
naì |
in the arbitrary past
noš |
| Negative | not happening just now
kwìn |
not happening in the last few days
kwiz |
not happening earlier today
kweìc |
not happening this morning
kwač |
not happening before today
kwuš |
not happening yesterday
kwauz |
not happening before yesterday
kwis |
not happening more than a few days ago
kwec |
action/state was not part of an event in the past
kwam |
not happening in the legendary past
kwaì |
not happening in the arbitrary past
kwoš |
Adverbial-Thematic Inflection[]
There are relatively few adverbs in Mentekan, and they must always be accompanied by a thematic prefix. The thematic is required to occur with adverbs of different categories. The prefix for adverbs of manner is /že/, for probability /kon/, and for frequency /jeì/.
Demonstrative Prefixes[]
The demonstrative prefixes are placed in the deictic position in the verb template. The demonstrative series consists of four prefixes:
- Proximal (this) - /čin/
- Mesioproximal (that near you) - /wač/
- Mesiodistal (that over there but still near) - /t'ä/
- Distal (that over there far away) - /mìš/
Plural Inflection[]
The plural prefix is a rarely used feature that expresses how much the entire verb has been done. There are four prefixes corresponding to the number:
- Singular/Ambiguous - none
- Dual - /duz/
- Trial - /zin/
- Plural - /zac/
Classificatory Verbs[]
There are several verb stems that classify objects by physical characteristics and describe the manner of motion as a dynamic verb.
| Half-Stem | Characteristic | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| zuc | solid roundish object | bottle, ball, boot, box, etc. |
| nada | load, pack, burden | backpack, bundle, sack, saddle, etc. |
| c'es | non-compact matter | bunch of hair or grass, cloud, fog, etc. |
| mon | slender flexible object | rope, mittens, socks, pile of fried onions, etc. |
| kwega | slender stiff object | arrow, bracelet, skillet, saw, etc. |
| zaz | flat flexible object | blanket, coat, sack of groceries, etc. |
| mume | mushy matter | ice cream, mud, slumped-over drunken person, etc. |
| gaun | plural objects | eggs, balls, animals, coins, etc. |
| k'aum | other plural objects | marbles, seeds, sugar, bugs, etc. |
| joz | open container | glass of milk, spoonful of food, handful of flour, etc. |
| c"uc | animate object | microbe, person, corpse, doll, etc. |
The other half of the stem placed after the first describes the state of the object. There are three states:
- Handling (carrying, lowering, taking) - /-u/
- Propelling (tossing, dropping, throwing) - /nau/
- Free Flight (falling, flying through space) - /-aì/
Nominalization[]
To change a verb into a noun, one must remove the prefixes and use the infinitive form of the verb.
Example text[]
Dolgopolsky List[]
Used for comparisons with Emitìnehänə. The closest prefixes are given for the English with no equivalent words in Mentekan.
| English | Mentekan |
|---|---|
| I/me | nicez |
| two/pair | t"ič |
| you (singular, informal) | matoč |
| who/what | ddandži/ddazdži |
| tongue | säz2mì1kan1 |
| name | men1naì1wic1 |
| eye | nez2nì1man1 |
| heart | xez1tì1dan1 |
| tooth | sez2mì1kan4 |
| no/not | xije |
| nail (finger-nail) | tez2zì1kan4 |
| louse/nit | kì2t'a1ze1 |
| tear/teardrop | sez1jì1me1 |
| water | säz1jä1man1 |
| dead | saseìjaun |
Writing System[]
There were several writing systems used to transcribe Mentekan, but only on survived to transfer to the mainland, while the others slowly died off as the islanders became illiterate and isolated.
Dduzdoddeč[]
Dduzdoddeč is the only extant writing system of Mentekan, the name of which is the verb to make one understand. Dduzdoddeč is an abugida with 27 consonant characters, 14 final consonant characters, 10 vowel diacritics, 18 vowel final characters/diacritics, 4 tone diacritics, and 11 number logographs. The consonants with the capability to be finals get separate final characters, and if the initial of the next syllable is the same, the final character becomes a final-duple character. The vowels get characters if they are the final of a word, and have different diacritics when attached to a final-duple. The consonants have an inherent vowel of /e/.
