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| Keiphyos Keiϼyos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||
| Fusional | |||
| Alignment | |||
| Nominative-Accusitive | |||
| Head direction | |||
| First | |||
| Tonal | |||
| No | |||
| 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[]
Keiphyos is fusional language spoken on the planet Halonia, and it is also the name of the sentient clockwork robots who comprise the largest base of its speakers. There are also non-Keiphyos speakers, including both free and enslaved humans, and members of the other sentient robots. The Keiphyos are also known as Tinkers, which is sometimes useful to separate them from their language.
Some of the phonology and morphology of the language were inspired by Italic and Hellenic languages.
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | ||||
| Fricative | ɸ β | θ ð | s z | x | h | ||
| Affricate | ts dz | tš | |||||
| Approximant | j | w | |||||
| Liquid | l̪ | r |
Geminates are permitted of bilabial and alveolar nasals and plosives, and alveolar fricatives.
Vowels[]
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ij | u | |||
| Near-close | ɪ | ||||
| Close-mid | e | ||||
| Mid | ø | ə | o | ||
| Open-mid | ɛ | ||||
| Near-open | æ | ||||
| Open | ä | ɑ |
Phonemic diphthongs are [ij] and [ai].
Alphabet[]
The Keiphyos language is written in a unique two-line alphabet, with the vowels sitting atop their preceeding consonant. (Images forthcoming.)
The romanized typing system follows the IPA with a few exceptions.
Consonants[]
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | ||||
| Fricative | ϼ ƀ | ħ đ | s z | x | h | ||
| Affricate | ƾ ᵹ | c | |||||
| Approximant | y | w | |||||
| Liquid | l | r |
ϼ and ƀ are sometimes written f and v.
Vowels[]
| Front | Near-front | Central | Near-back | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | y | u | |||
| Near-close | i | ||||
| Close-mid | ei | ||||
| Mid | œ | œ | o | ||
| Open-mid | e | ||||
| Near-open | æ | ||||
| Open | a | a |
Phonotactics[]
- Syllable nucleus must be a vowel
- Onsets and codas may be complex, following sonority hierarchy
- Hiatus is generally avoided
Regular sound changes
- t, d → ts, dz /_V [-back]
- k, g → tš, dž /_V [-back], j
- n → m /_V [+round]
- V [+round] → ∅ /V [+round]_
- V [-round] → ∅ /V [-round]_
Non-standard dialect changes
These changes have developed in some human speakers, and there is resistance against them by the Keiphyos. Their language has been frozen with little historical change for generations until now.
- n → ŋ /_velar
- n → ɲ /_j, ij, e
- x → š /_j, ij, e
- c → š /k_, _#
- velar → [+round] /_V [+round]
Grammar Overview[]
| 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 | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Numbers | No | No | 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Adpositions | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Article | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Particle | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Keiphyos has a relatively free word order due to its solid case-marking morphology. However its morphology is rather complex; with a twelve-gender (really animacy) system, four grammatical numbers, and four cases, there are a number of criterion for morphology to cover. On top of that, the morpho-syntactic interface is quite extreme, and there is much affix-hopping involved.
Nouns and Articles[]
The nominal phrase must be marked for definitiness, animacy, number, and case. However, this job is split between both nominal morphology and the determiner system; case and definiteness are both marked by the interface between the determiner and the noun.
Declension[]
One number/animacy-bearing unit is the noun. Here, animacy and number declensions are marked overtly with one particle, which is generally a suffix, but also often a circumfix or prefix.
| class | sing. | dual | plural | mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| inanimate | -a | -oϼ | -os | ϼa- |
| natural | se- -el | se- -ol | -al | sa- -il |
| human | -on | -o | -om | na- |
| animal | -ol | -el | -et | la- -it |
| plant | ћæ- -el | ћei- -il | -al | ћa- -il |
| Keiphyos | -ot | -os | ka- | |
| aureli | -o | -ik | -i | ra- |
| silici | -ek | -am | -ek | ra- |
| deity | bes- -et | pas- -et | pas- | pa- -et |
| action | -akar | -akur | -ak | ka- |
| idea | ta/ -alit | ta- | ||
| general | un/ -us | a- |
| class | example | sing. | dual | plural | mass | root |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in | house | yusa | yusoϼ | yusos | ϼayus | yus |
| na | sand | setæsel | setæsol | tæsal | satæsil | tæs |
| hu | slave | keirison | keiriso | keirisom | nakeiris | keiris |
| an | horse | isanol | isanel | isanet | lasanit | isan |
| pla | grape | ћæcurosel | ћeicurosil | curosal | ћacurosil | curos |
| K | Xirian | xiryat | xiryatot | xiryatos | kaxiryat | xiryat |
| au | young aurel | biriso | birisik | birisi | rabiris | biris |
| si | zeilik | zailek | zailam | zailek | razail | zail |
| d | creator | besulumet | pasulumet | pasulum | pulumet | ulum |
| ac | painting | taϼakar | taϼakur | taϼak | kataϼ | taϼ |
| id | love | ƀeneđi | ƀeneđi | ƀeneđalit | taƀeneđ | ƀeneđi |
| gen | day | ƾuna | ƾuna | ƾunus | aƾuna | ƾuna |
(Aureli (sg 'aurel') and silici (sg 'silek') are the two other robot 'species' that live on Halonia; a zeilik are the particular subspecies of the silici that have the most cognitive function. Xiria is a country where the majority of inhabitants are Keiphyos.)
Some of these classes seem as though they would have very limited members, but there are a number of roots that can apply cross-categorically, e.g. often in the same manner that English has both 'waiter' and 'waitress.' So it is often true that names of professions may take human, Keiphyos, aureli, or silici agreement; on the other hand, anatomical features such as 'teeth' may belong to humans or animals.
There is some grey-area between 'inanimate' and 'natural.' Generally they are differentiated on whether or not they can pertain to one of the four classical elements of Western alchemy - earth, air, fire, or water - which are 'natural,' versus things like features of the land (mountains, deserts), buildings, tools, and other manufactured items.
Articles[]
The other form that may carry gender and number is the determiner of the noun in question.
| class | singular | dual | plural | mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in | ϼo | ϼot | ϼos | ϼe |
| na | so | sot | os | se |
| hu | mol | mot | nas | ne |
| an | læ | let | les | lei |
| pla | ћo | ћol | ћas | ћe |
| K | ko | kot | keis | ke |
| au | ro | res | ril | re |
| si | rat | ret | rel | rei |
| de | bo | pet | pes | pe |
| act | a | at | al | ke |
| id | to | tat | ta | te |
| gen | u | ut | un | tu |
Case & Definiteness[]
Keiphyos has both definite and indefinite marking, and a four-case system of nominative, accusitive, genitive and instrumental. However, the nominal case system is only two-way, and the markers are broadly categorized as nominative and accusative; instrumental and dative cases are formed in nouns with accusative marking and an adposition. The two number-bearing particles (articles and declension affixes) interact to show the case and definiteness of the relevant noun in a somewhat confusing manner.
| definite | indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | no article | declined | article | declined |
| accusative | article | not declined | no article | not declined |
With this paradigm established, it is now possible to show the full declension table for a noun.
| definite | indefinite | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sg | Dual | Plural | Mass | Sg | Dual | Plural | Mass | |
| nom | kiril | kirit | kiret | lakirit | læ kiril | let kirit | les kiret | lei lakirit |
| acc | læ kiri | let kiri | les kiri | lei kiri | kiri | |||
- kiril ceira 'the cheetah runs'
- kirit ceira 'the two cheetahs run'
- læ kiri ceira 'a cheetah runs'
- let kirit ceira 'two cheetahs run'
This system makes it impossible to impart the number or animacy of the indefinite object, which results in its occasional translation as a partitive or mass noun when it is not.
| definite | indefinite | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sg | Dual | Plural | Mass | Sg | Dual | Plural | Mass | |
| nom | ħærotel | ħeirotil | rotal | ħarotil | ħo ħærotel | ħol ħeirotil | ħas rotal | ħe ħarotil |
| acc | ħo rot | ħol rot | ħas rot | ħe rot | rot | |||
- ħo rot inar 'the apple is eaten'
- ħas rot inar 'the apples are eaten'
- rot inar 'apple is eaten'
- kiril rot nar 'the cheeta eats apple'
- ħas rot læ kiril inar 'the apples are eaten by a cheetah'
Pronouns and Verbs[]
Keiphyos verbs can be said to certainly conjugate for tense, aspect, mood, and voice. To a lesser extent, they also indicate number - if there is a pronominal suffix, the argument is singular, and in this case its person is also obvious; if there is no pronominal, then there is more than one actor.
Pronominals[]
Pronouns may be free in sentences, or they may be suffixes to the verb. This is determined by the number of the person in question; the suffixes are always singular. In other cases, the pronoun detatches itself from the verb so that the number affix has something to attach to.
The 12 word classes are somewhat collapsed in the pronouns, with only one form for first person, three for second (sentient, deity, other), and four for third (sentient, deity, natural, and other). However, when the standalone pronoun is used, it is still declined with its exact animacy.
In the following chart, forms before a slash indicate the standalone pronoun.
| person | animacy | nominative | accusative | dative | genitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | any | bas/ -ab | pas/ -ap | kubas/ -ep | bi |
| 2s | h, K, au, s | dos/ -oᵹ | tos/ -oƾ | kusƾos/ -œƾ | di |
| 2d | deity | lus/ -ol | tus/ -ut | kustos/ -ot | di |
| 2o | other | des/ -oᵹ | tes/ -eƾ | kusƾes/ -eƾ | di |
| 3s | h, K, au, s | ces/ -ec | zes/ -ez | kusces/ -eic | ci |
| 3d | deity | leis/ -eil | yeis/ -eiy | kuleis/ -es | li |
| 3n | pla, an, n | ћas/ -aћ | đas/ -ađ | kuƾћes/ -æћ | ћi |
| 3o | other | as/ -a | os/ -os | kusas/ -is | i |
- xinek 'to sing'
- xinakab 'I sing'
- xinakoƾ 'You (sentient) sing'
- bas xinak 'I sing' [rarely used]
- basom xinak 'We (human) sing'
- basos xinak 'We (Keiphyos) sing'
- basos xinakos 'We (K) sing it'
- basos ϼot bœla xinak 'We (K) sing the two songs'
Tense-Aspect[]
There are nine tense-aspect forms for verbs in Keiphyos (as well as additional aspects indicated by clitics). Generally simply called 'tense,' it is indicated by the form of the last syllable nucleus (usually just a vowel) in the word - which is often not word-final. The bare infinitive has e.
| Past | Present | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | o | a | u |
| Progressive | œ | æ | i |
| Perfect | eis | ys | |
- xinak 'sing'
- xinok 'sang'
- xinuk 'will sing'
- xinukab 'I will sing'
- xinæk 'is singing'
- xinœk 'was singing'
- xinik 'will be singing'
- xineisk 'have/has been singing'
- xinysk 'will have been singing'
Determiners and Adpositions[]
While most determiners in Keiphyos take the form of articles (seen above in the 'nouns and articles' section), there are also demonstratives, possessives, and quantifiers. Adpositions may also take the place of determiners, although sometimes one of each is required.
Demonstratives[]
Demonstratives attach to articles if present, but otherwise to the noun.
| prox to speaker | far from speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| prox to listener | đel- | ye- |
| far from listener | di- | la- |
- ħærotel 'the apple (nom)'
- ħo rot 'the apple (acc)'
- đelħærotel 'this apple (nom)'
- đelħo rot 'this apple (acc)'
- yeħo rot 'that apple (acc) near you'
- diħo rot 'this apple (acc) near me'
- laħo rot 'that apple (acc)'
- ħo ħærotel 'an apple (nom)'
- đelħo ħærotel 'one of these apples (nom)'
- yeħo ħærotel 'an apple near you (nom)'
- diħo ħærotel 'an apple near me (nom)'
- laħo ħærotel 'an apple over there (nom)'
- đelrot 'some of this/these apple(s) (acc)'
- đelħas rotal 'some of these apples (nom)'
Vocabulary[]
| No. | English | Keiphyos |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | -ab |
| 2 | you (singular) | -oᵹ, -ol, -eᵹ |
| 3 | he | -ec, -eil, -aћ, -a |
| 4 | we | bas |
| 5 | you (plural) | dos, lus, des |
| 6 | they | ces, leis, as, ћas |
| 7 | this | đel-, di- |
| 8 | that | ye-, la- |
| 9 | here | kai |
| 10 | there | tei |
| 11 | who | ga |
| 12 | what | ge |
| 13 | where | xeit |
| 14 | when | xis |
| 15 | how | ximot |
| 16 | not | ke |
| 17 | all | xalik |
| 18 | many | goxem |
| 19 | some | gexyn |
| 20 | few | latt |
| 21 | other | ciƀæs |
| 22 | one | a |
| 23 | two | ħei |
| 24 | three | pei |
| 25 | four | ϼal |
| 26 | five | lam |
| 27 | big | ᵹai |
| 28 | long | ħeiza |
| 29 | wide | œks |
| 30 | thick | lambat |
| 31 | heavy | ludræ |
| 32 | small | im |
| 33 | short | kođ |
| 34 | narrow | seir |
| 35 | thin | linz |
| 36 | woman | az numkyt |
| 37 | man (adult male) | kam numkyt |
| 38 | man (human being) | næmos |
| 39 | child | boriđ |
| 40 | wife | az ᵹæmt |
| 41 | husband | kam ᵹæmt |
| 42 | mother | az comyha, comyhaz |
| 43 | father | kam comyha, comykam |
| 44 | animal | lakiħ |
| 45 | fish | dineis |
| 46 | bird | meidd |
| 47 | dog | lemda |
| 48 | louse | tarœ |
| 49 | snake | gattœ |
| 50 | worm | karkar |
| 51 | tree | đorin |
| 52 | forest | haly |
| 53 | stick | nalo |
| 54 | fruit | ænna |
| 55 | seed | pasry |
| 56 | leaf | lybna |
| 57 | root | kor |
| 58 | bark | asel |
| 59 | flower | zelma |
| 60 | grass | seim |
| 61 | rope | lus |
| 62 | skin | sakrei |
| 63 | meat | tađ |
| 64 | blood | cewa |
| 65 | bone | damsat |
| 66 | fat | uel |
| 67 | egg | mæ |
| 68 | horn | butei |
| 69 | tail | kep |
| 70 | feather | ħœnæ |
| 71 | hair | kelp |
| 72 | head | yeidda |
| 73 | ear | suma |
| 74 | eye | som |
| 75 | nose | nelt |
| 76 | mouth | boz |
| 77 | tooth | ceiđa |
| 78 | tongue | elar |
| 79 | fingernail | kap |
| 80 | foot | hempya |
| 81 | leg | xazzet |
| 82 | knee | kœl |
| 83 | hand | wyl |
| 84 | wing | hassœ |
| 85 | belly | omzy |
| 86 | guts | ulu ulu |
| 87 | neck | ᵹæn |
| 88 | back | ϼota |
| 89 | breast | xebim |
| 90 | heart | ƾosa |
| 91 | liver | gleb ulu |
| 92 | drink | sœge/ isœge |
| 93 | eat | ner/ iner |
| 94 | bite | æmket/ æmiket |
| 95 | suck | utye/ utyye |
| 96 | spit | tuϼe/ tyuϼe |
| 97 | vomit | urleg/ urileg |
| 98 | blow | xame/ ikame |
| 99 | breathe | hel/ ikel |
| 100 | laugh | tæϼe/ tyæϼe |
| 101 | see | zure/ izure |
| 102 | hear | gzel/ gizel |
| 103 | know | đume/ đyume |
| 104 | think | attælem/ atisælem |
| 105 | smell | nænge/ nyænge |
| 106 | fear | higœe/ ikigœ |
| 107 | sleep | zoen/ zywen |
| 108 | live | xeime |
| 109 | die | ætten |
| 110 | kill | cotte/ gutte |
| 111 | fight | gosse/ igosse |
| 112 | hunt | hlet/ hilet |
| 113 | hit | tæppe/ tyæppe |
| 114 | cut | hep/ ikep |
| 115 | split | cæfte/ guæfte |
| 116 | stab | ddexe/ dizexe |
| 117 | scratch | ælme/ ælime |
| 118 | dig | utore/ yutore |
| 119 | swim | flœce/ filœce |
| 120 | fly | sawe/ isawe |
| 121 | walk | mæħe/ imæħe |
| 122 | come | ħere/ ħyere |
| 123 | lie | rœze/ ryœze |
| 124 | sit | plenc/ pilenc |
| 125 | stand | bres/ bires |
| 126 | turn | lamure/ yamure |
| 127 | fall | set/ iset |
| 128 | give | soƀe/ isoƀe |
| 129 | hold | ares/ yares |
| 130 | squeeze | bles/ biles |
| 131 | rub | masse/ imasse |
| 132 | wash | ᵹude/ dizude |
| 133 | wipe | sleme/ sileme |
| 134 | pull | emse/ emise |
| 135 | push | purze/ ipurze |
| 136 | throw | pose/ ipose |
| 137 | tie | dicame/ dyicame |
| 138 | sew | zœnna/ izœnna |
| 139 | count | hele/ ikele |
| 140 | say | hæke/ ikæke |
| 141 | sing | xinek/ ikinek |
| 142 | play | ᵹuge/ dizuge |
| 143 | float | halya/ ikalya |
| 144 | flow | wurue/ uwure |
| 145 | freeze | keiket/ ceiket |
| 146 | swell | latex/ yatex |
| 147 | sun | alæl |
| 148 | moon | ƾum |
| 149 | star | hælo |
| 150 | water | agul |
| 151 | rain | hatul |
| 152 | river | ħoræs |
| 153 | lake | gomma |
| 154 | sea | kaliđ |
| 155 | salt | steiro |
| 156 | stone | but |
| 157 | sand | tæs |
| 158 | dust | deiba |
| 159 | earth | hort |
| 160 | cloud | bar |
| 161 | fog | ƾeles |
| 162 | sky | næħæ |
| 163 | wind | ħætæk |
| 164 | snow | icip |
| 165 | ice | kissil |
| 166 | smoke | ϼmugo |
| 167 | fire | ħænos |
| 168 | ash | teissem |
| 169 | burn | galwet |
| 170 | road | ruϼ |
| 171 | mountain | gom |
| 172 | red | car |
| 173 | green | leđ |
| 174 | yellow | ᵹan |
| 175 | white | acæ |
| 176 | black | neir |
| 177 | night | tæpry |
| 178 | day | ƾuna |
| 179 | year | kemđ |
| 180 | warm | nanna |
| 181 | cold | eilun |
| 182 | full | pemz |
| 183 | new | xwen |
| 184 | old | ikdan |
| 185 | good | — |
| 186 | bad | — |
| 187 | rotten | — |
| 188 | dirty | — |
| 189 | straight | — |
| 190 | round | — |
| 191 | sharp | — |
| 192 | dull | — |
| 193 | smooth | — |
| 194 | wet | — |
| 195 | dry | — |
| 196 | correct | — |
| 197 | near | — |
| 198 | far | — |
| 199 | right | insa |
| 200 | left | gænt |
| 201 | at | -đa |
| 202 | in | -wem |
| 203 | with | — |
| 204 | and | — |
| 205 | if | — |
| 206 | because | — |
| 207 | name | — |