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Nuim Nuim | |||
---|---|---|---|
Type | |||
Isolating | |||
Alignment | |||
Direct | |||
Head direction | |||
Final | |||
Tonal | |||
No | |||
Declensions | |||
No | |||
Conjugations | |||
No | |||
Genders | |||
No | |||
Nouns decline according to... | |||
Case | Number | ||
Definiteness | Gender | ||
Verbs conjugate according to... | |||
Voice | Mood | ||
Person | Number | ||
Tense | Aspect |
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.
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
Bilabial | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ||||
Plosive | p | t | k | |||
Fricative | f | s | ʃ | h | ||
Approximant | ɹ | j | w | |||
Lateral App. | l |
- /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[]
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | ə | o | |
Open | a |
- [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.
Grammar[]
Onsets[]
An onset is a set of words at the beginning of a sentence that describe the thoughts and feelings the speaker wishes to convey. An onsets consists of two parts, an emotive and an evidential.
Emotives[]
Emotives describe the feelings the speaker wishes to convey with the sentence. Onsets require an emotive.
Emotive | English |
---|---|
ar | joy |
was | love |
no | trust |
cis | submission |
fi | fear |
un | awe |
wi | surprise |
am | disapproval |
re | sadness |
fo | remorse |
ne | disgust |
ka | contempt |
ho | anger |
cep | aggressiveness |
ri | anticipation |
ya | optimism |
- Ar is the default emotive. It often has a neutral connotation when not intensified.
- Ri is often used when making requests.
- Was has a connotation closer to "like" than "love" when not intensified. It is often used when thanking someone.
Intensification[]
An emotive can be intensified by reduplicating it.
Derivations[]
An emotive can be derived into a bound verb with the following suffixes.
Suffix | English |
---|---|
-si | speaker's feeling |
-n/-ne | agent's feeling |
Evidentials[]
Evidentials describe the speaker's evidence for the sentence. Onsets require an evidential if the sentence is indicative and the speaker is not the agent.
Evidential | English |
---|---|
men | visual sensory |
ro | nonvisual sensory |
om | inferential |
yo | reportative |
Derivations[]
An evidential can be derived into a bound verb with the following suffixes.
Suffix | English |
---|---|
-si | speaker's evidence |
-n/-ne | agent's evidence |
Nouns[]
Nuim nouns are not inflected for gender or definiteness. They are inflected for number and possession. Nouns are not inflected for case but do take case particles.
Number[]
Nuim has two numbers: paucal and plural. An un-reduplicated noun is paucal and refers to zero, one, or a small number of items. A reduplicated noun is plural and refers to a large number of items or the item in general.
Possession[]
Nuim has two types of possession: alienable and inalienable. A possession is alienable if it can be gained or lost and inalienable if it can't. Possession is indicated by prefixes. The possessor always comes before the possessed.
Prefix | English |
---|---|
ro- | alienable |
hi- | inalienable |
If the possessor is a pronoun, it should be incorporated into the possessed as one of the following prefixes. A noun with an incorporated possessor cannot take a possession prefix.
Prefix | English |
---|---|
yu- | my |
ci- | our |
if- | your |
ha- | his/her/its |
Cases[]
A noun's case is indicated by case particles. Case particles follow their noun.
Particle | Case | English |
---|---|---|
lo | locative | in, at, on |
hi | ablative | from |
nit | allative | to, toward |
wap | perlative | through, along |
es | instrumental | with, by means of |
ses | negative instrumental | without |
rak | benefactive | for, on behalf of |
wu | comparative | as, than |
lal | essive | as, in the capacity of, in the role of |
ca | concerning, about |
Parts of a Noun[]
(relative.clause | possessor) (number classifier) (possession- | incorporation-) NOUN (case)
Pronouns[]
Pronoun | Abbr. | English |
---|---|---|
yuma | 1x | I, me, myself |
cima | 1i | we, us, ourselves |
ifma | 2 | you, yourself |
hama | 3h | he/she (merrow) |
hazu | 3a | it (animate) |
haga | 3i | it (inanimate) |
Correlatives[]
Interrogative | Demonstrative | Quantifier | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Proximal | Medial | Distal | Existential | Universal | Negative | |||
Determiner | rel | hok | ari | mari | wic | imi | em | |
Pronoun | Merrow | relma | hokma | arima | marima | wicma | imima | emma |
Animate | relsu | hoksu | arizu | marizu | wicsu | imizu | emsu | |
Inanimate | relka | hokka | ariga | mariga | wicka | imiga | emka | |
Location | relra | hokra | arira | marira | wicra | imira | emra | |
Time | relki | hokki | arigi | marigi | wicki | imigi | emki | |
Pro-adverb | Purpose | relwa | hokwa | ariwa | mariwa | wicwa | imiwa | emwa |
Reason | reloc | hogoc | arioc | marioc | wixoc | imioc | emoc | |
Manner | relnu | hoknu | arinu | marinu | wicnu | iminu | emnu |
Determiners behave like numbers and require classifiers.
Verbs[]
Nuim verbs are not inflected for agreement, tense, or aspect. They are inflected for word order and intensification. Verbs are not inflected for negation, voice, or mood but do take particles for these things.
Word Order[]
Nuim does not require the subject to come before the object or vice versa. Instead, Nuim nouns are ordered by their animacy, as followa: merrow, animate things, 3-dimensional things, 2-dimensional things, and 1-dimensional things. If, as a result of this order, the object would precede the subject, the verb should take the prefix ya-.
If the subject is a pronoun, it should be incorporated into the verb as one of the following prefixes. A verb with an incorporated pronoun cannot and does not need to take the ya- prefix.
Prefix | English |
---|---|
yu- | I, me, myself |
ci- | We, us, ourselves |
if- | You, yourself |
ha- | he/she/it |
Intensification[]
A verb can be intensified by reduplicating it.
Negation[]
A verb can be negated with the particle sis. Sis precedes its verb.
Comparison[]
To compare two noun, one should be the subject and the other should be followed by wu. The manner of comparison is indicated by comparison particles. Comparison particles precede the verb at issue.
Comparative | English |
---|---|
cos | most |
lu | more |
uk | less |
ti | least |
Voices[]
A verb's voice is indicated by voice particles. Voice particles follow their verb.
Voice | English |
---|---|
yor | passive |
te | causative |
lo | locative applicative |
hi | ablative applicative |
nit | allative applicative |
wap | perlative applicative |
- When you indicate that a verb is passive, turn its object into the subject. You can omit the old subject or follow it with hi.
- When you indicate that a verb is causative, turn the causer into the subject. You can omit the old subject or follow it with nit.
- When you indicate that a verb is applicative, turn an appropriate oblique noun into the object. You can omit the old object or follow it with ca.
Moods[]
A verb's mood is indicated by mood particles. Mood particles follow their verb.
Mood | English |
---|---|
ra | interrogative |
fos | imperative |
kin | hortative |
Serial Verbs[]
Two verbs are serial if one verb follows the other and neither verb is subordinate. 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[]
Two verbs make a compound if one verb follows the other and the second verb is subordinate to the first. The second verb should take the prefix wo-. 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 and usually do not take the wo- prefix.
Derivations[]
A verb can be derived into a noun with the following suffixes.
Suffix | English |
---|---|
-m/-me | deverbal noun |
-t/-ta | agent noun |
-so | patient noun |
Parts of a Verb[]
(negation) (comparison) (word.order- | incorporation-) VERB (voice) (mood)
Numbers[]
Nuim numbers are octal (base-8) and can be formed into larger numbers with two subsystems: a multiplicative subsystem and a positional subsystem.
Basic Numerals[]
Number | Base-8 | Base-10 |
---|---|---|
e | 0 | 0 |
hi | 1 | 1 |
fu | 2 | 2 |
mi | 3 | 3 |
yo | 4 | 4 |
i | 5 | 5 |
mu | 6 | 6 |
na | 7 | 7 |
ya | 10 | 8 |
ko | 100 | 64 |
to | 1000 | 512 |
Multiplicative Numerals[]
Number | Base-8 | Base-10 |
---|---|---|
ya-hi | 11 | 9 |
ya-fu | 12 | 10 |
ya-mi | 13 | 11 |
ya-yo | 14 | 12 |
ya-i | 15 | 13 |
ya-mu | 16 | 14 |
ya-na | 17 | 15 |
fuya | 20 | 16 |
miya | 30 | 24 |
yoya | 40 | 32 |
... | ... | ... |
Positional Numerals[]
Number | Base-8 | Base-10 |
---|---|---|
hi (hira) | 1 | 1 |
hi fura | 10 | 8 |
hi mira | 100 | 64 |
hi yora | 1000 | 512 |
hi ira | 10,000 | 4096 |
hi mura | 100,000 | 32768 |
hi nara | 1,000,000 | 262144 |
hi yara | 10,000,000 | 2097152 |
hi ya-hira | 100,000,000 | 16777216 |
hi ya-fura | 1,000,000,000 | 134217728 |
... | ... | ... |
Classifiers[]
To count a noun, a number should come before it and a classifier should come between the number and the noun.
Classifier | Abbr. | English |
---|---|---|
ma | mr | merrow |
su | an | animate |
ya | 1d | 1-dimensional |
ta | 2d | 2-dimensional |
fan | 3d | 3-dimensional; abstract |
Derivations[]
A number can be derived into other parts of speech with the following suffixes.
Suffix | English |
---|---|
-fe | fraction (num.) |
-k/-ku | ordinal (v.) |
-sa | frequency (adv.) |
- Derived fractions are of the form "1/N." Fractions can be counted to specify their numerators.
Clauses[]
Nuim clauses require zero or more nouns and at least one verb. A main clause also requires an onset. In an indicative clause the subject should be omitted if it's the speaker. In a interrogative or imperative clause the subject should be omitted if it's the addressee.
Adverbial Clauses[]
A clause is adverbial if it is dependent on and modifies another clause. An adverbial clause comes before its main clause and takes one of the following adverbial particles. Adverbial particles follow their adverbial clause.
Particle | Function | English |
---|---|---|
ru | condition | if |
ti | purpose | in order to |
nan | reason | because, since |
yu | concession | but, although |
ni | manner | as, like |
ros | result | so...that, such...that |
Relative Clauses[]
A clause is relative if it is dependent on and modifies a noun. A relative clause comes before its noun. The modified noun should be omitted from the relative clause unless its oblique, in which case it should be replaced with an appropriate pronoun.
Quotations[]
A clause can be quoted with the particle le. Le follows its clause.
Parts of a Clause[]
(onset) (adverbial.clause | quotation) {noun} verb
Questions[]
A clause is a question if its main verb is interrogative. As Nuim doesn't have words for "yes" or "no," questions are answered 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 their elements. In general, conjoined elements behave like a single element.
Conjunction | English |
---|---|
ki | and |
si | and etc. |
in | or |
nat | or etc. |
Fal behaves a bit differently than the other conjunctions. It sets the second element to the first, changing or creating a definition. Fal is most frequently used to provide extra detail about a word or create a temporary pronoun.
See Also[]
External Links[]
- Nuim on ConWorkShop