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1 # Midêkʰ
2
3 This is one of several conlanguages [][@:Rinna] is working on for an
4 eventual Dark Dungeons X (BECMI D&D retroclone) setting.
5 (fae welcomes input.)
6 Some useful (HTML-and-JS) tools for working with Midêkʰ words may be
7 found [here.
8 ](https://ekiru.github.io/conlang-tools/midekh/){title="Midêkʰ tools"}
9
10 rinna uses the token "TKTK" to mark places where more stuff is needed
11 later.
12
13 a minimal map of the world in question is below for a bit of context.
14 it is also necessary to know that all or most sentient creatures in the
15 setting are anthropomorphic animals, but that the corresponding
16 ordinary animals also exist but are considered non-sentient.
17
18 ![map of an as-yet unnamed world, with three contents and a few
19 islands](https://lyssa-rpg-docs.neocities.org/media/blorb-world-map-minimal.png){width=600}
20
21 Rinna has the following goals for Midêkʰ:
22
23 * it will serve as a proto-language for a number of languages spoken
24 along the west coast and within the temperate interior (mostly the
25 30°-45° zone) of the southeastern continent, possibly plus some
26 further-flung offshoots.
27 * fae wants to build it around a system of biliteral or triliteral
28 consonantal roots (as in Afro-Asiatic languages such as Tamazight,
29 Egyptian, Amharic, Hebrew, Akkadian, etc.)
30 * fae is inclined to include few vowel qualities, but with some
31 additional complication such as pitch accent, vowel length, or
32 extensive use of diphthongs that may develop into a more extensive
33 vowel system in daughter languages.
34 * it should not be too difficult to pronounce for the native US
35 English and Rioplatense Spanish speakers likely to play in the
36 setting, particularly since the most likely places for faese games
37 to start out will have this language prominent.
38 but some such difficulties can be resolved in daughter languages via
39 sound change.
40 * the proto-language and descendant languages will mostly but perhaps
41 not exclusively be used for names (of people/places/texts/etc.)
42
43 ## Phonology
44
45 To help with approachability for English/Spanish speakers, [][@:Rinna]
46 opted to draw inspiration from
47 [Wikipedia's account of Proto-Indo-European phonology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_phonology#Vowels){title="Wikipedia on reconstructed PIE phonology"}.
48
49 Consonant table:
50
51 | | labial | coronal | p.velar | velar | l.velar | glottal |
52 |-----------|:------:|:-------:|:-------:|:-----:|:-------:|:-------:|
53 | nasal | m | n | | ŋ | | |
54 | voiceless | p | t | kʲ | k | kʷ | |
55 | voiced | b | d | gʲ | g | gʷ | |
56 | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | kʲʰ | kʰ | kʷʰ | |
57 | fricative | f | s | | | | h |
58 | liquid | | r l | | | | |
59
60
61 The language featured three series of stops: voiceless, voiced, and
62 aspirated (voicing was not phonemic in aspirated consonants).
63 Each of these series included a labial stop, a coronal (dental or
64 alveolar) stop, and three variants of a velar stop: a plain variant, a
65 palatalized variant, and a labialized variant.
66
67 There were three fricatives: a (bi)labial fricative, a coronal
68 fricative, and a glottal fricative.
69
70 There were three nasal stops: labial, coronal, and velar.
71 There were two coronal approximants: rhotic and lateral.
72 Both the nasals and the approximants could be used as syllable nuclei.
73
74 There were three vowels: `*e` (mid front), `*o` (mid back), and `*i`
75 (close front).
76 Each vowel could be pronounced long or short, which was phonemic.
77 Long vowels are transcribed with a macron.
78
79 One syllable in each multisyllabic word was emphasized, likely with a
80 raised pitch (marked with an acute accent on the vowel).
81 Long vowels of accented syllables are marked with a circumflex for
82 ease of processing.
83
84 A syllable begins with a consonant followed by either a vowel, a nasal,
85 or an approximant as a nucleus.
86 A syllable with a short vowel can additionally have a final consonant.
87
88 ## Morphology
89
90 Most content words are derived from a "root" (TKTK) consisting of two
91 to four (but usually three) consonants, which are combined with a
92 particular template (TKTK) of surrounding and intervening sounds
93 (mostly vowels) to form a particular word.
94 Roots will be represented with their consonants separated by hyphens,
95 for example: `m-d-kʰ` (which is the root for language).
96 Templates can include any vowel but only certain consonants: nasal
97 stops (n m ŋ), the coronal and glottal fricatives (s h), and the
98 voiceless coronal stop (t).
99
100 ### Adjectives
101
102 Unlike nouns and verbs, adjective are not derived from using a
103 combination of root and template, with the exception of the active and
104 passive participles of verbs.
105 Some adjectives are fixed words, but most are the result of affixation
106 of other words.
107
108 Adjectives are marked for number, gender, and case to match the noun
109 modified.
110
111 ### Nouns
112
113 Nouns are marked for number (singular and plural) and case using a
114 prefix for case and a suffix for number.
115 Each noun also has a gender: either masculine, feminine, or neuter.
116
117 The cases present in the language were:
118
119 * Nominative: used for the subject of the verb.
120 * Accusative: used for the object of transitive verbs.
121 * Vocative: used for a party directly addressed by the speaker.
122 * Dative: used for the recipient or beneficiary of an action.
123 * Prepositional: used for the complement of most prepositions, although
124 some prepositions require or allow other cases.
125
126 ### Verbs
127
128 Verbs are inflected for tense, aspect, mood, person, and number.
129 Person is first, second, and third.
130 Number is either singular or plural.
131
132 There are two tenses, which reflect the time at which the action
133 occurred:
134
135 * Non-past: used for events happening now, in the future, in the
136 immediate past, or at an uncertain time.
137 * Past: used for events that started in the past, but not the immediate
138 past.
139
140 There are three aspects, although the continuous and habitual are only
141 distinguished in the indicative mood:
142
143 * Continuous: used to describe an ongoing process.
144 * Habitual: used to describe a recurring or cyclical activity.
145 * Perfective: used to describe an action as a single unit.
146
147 There are three moods:
148
149 * Indicative: used for statements of facts.
150 * Optative: used for wishes and hopes, conditional events, and some
151 commands.
152 * Subjunctive: used for hypothetical events, future events, and more
153 polite commands.
154
155 Issues such as questions and the active or passive voice are marked
156 elsewhere in a sentence.
157
158 There are three special forms of each verb:
159
160 * The verbal noun, which functions as a noun and can represent the act
161 of the verb occuring or a object related to the activity described by
162 the verb.
163 The gender of a verbal noun is determined by the verb's conjugation
164 group, but they receive affixes for number and case normally.
165 * The active participle, which functions as an adjective or adverb and
166 indicates that the modified word is related to the subject of the
167 verb.
168 * The passive participle, which functions as an adjective or adverb and
169 indicates that the modified word is related to the verb's object.
170
171 Both participles receive the normal affixes for number, gender, and
172 case agreement.
173
174 ### Numerals
175
176 Numerals attach to and modify nouns, but unlike adjectives are not
177 inflected for agreement.
178 For this reason they must immediately follow the modified noun.
179
180 The numerals are arranged rather regularly on a vigesimal basis:
181
182 * Numbers one to twenty have their own words, although the words for
183 11 through 19 are likely related to a combination of "b-t-r"
184 (measurement, leg) and the first nine numbers.
185 * Multiples of twenty are expressed as, for example, "fesso dōdekʷ"
186 ('40', literally 'twenty in-two').
187 * Numbers between two multiplies of twenty are expressed by
188 constructions such as "dekʷkokŋ" ('22', 'two-and twenty').
189 * Similar units exist for 400 "síkʲo" (20 times 20), and 8000 "dóho",
190 (20 times 20 times 20).
191 Multiples are formed just as with multiples of twenty.
192 400s follow 20s and 8000s follow 400s, with the connecting "kokŋ"
193 ('and') always attaching to the unit rather than the multiple, as for
194 example: "tʰonkokŋ fessokokŋ dōtʰon síkʲokokŋ dōdekʷ dóho" ('8863',
195 literally '3-and 20-and in-3 400-and in-2 8000').
196
197 The larger units are sometimes used more vaguely, with "síkʲo" 400
198 having a meaning akin to 'many', and "dóho" 8000 being used to refer to
199 'everything' or 'more than can be counted'.
200
201 Ordinal numbers can be formed by using the prepositionalclitic "dō-"
202 ('of') at the start of the number: "dōhekʷkokŋ fesso" for 21st.
203
204 Here are the numbers one-to-twenty:
205
206 * "hekʷ" one
207 * "dekʷ" two
208 * "tʰon" three
209 * "hētér" four
210 * "pēfe" five
211 * "hēgʲi" six
212 * "hēdol" seven
213 * "hot" eight
214 * "nemígʲi" nine
215 * "dehegʲi" ten
216 * "betrikʷ" eleven
217 * "betdor" twelve
218 * "botʰren" thirteen
219 * "bētetŕ" fourteen
220 * "bēptefr" fifteen
221 * "bētgʲr" sixteen
222 * "bētdelr" seventeen
223 * "botr" eighteen
224 * "bmgʲér" nineteen
225 * "fesso" twenty
226
227 And the units for larger numbers:
228
229 * "síkʲo" 400
230 * "dóho" 8000
231
232 ## Derivational morphology
233
234 The derivational morphology of Midêkʰ is based around the combination
235 of a root with a template to form a stem (TKTK).
236 These stems are further modified by infection to arrive at final word
237 forms.
238
239 This section and the following one on inflectional morphology will
240 represent roots using their consonants separated by hyphens: e.g.
241 m-d-kʰ, p-ŋ-r, h-s-t.
242 Groups of roots sharing only certain components will be represented
243 with a question mark `?` for any unspecified consonants: p-?-r would
244 include p-ŋ-r, p-k-r, p-s-r, etc.
245 Templates will be written with their surrounding and intervening sounds
246 and with the position of each root consonant represented by a plus
247 sign, for example: `+i+ē+`.
248 Groups of templates sharing certain components will be represented
249 using a question mark for any unspecified template positions: for
250 example, `?+i+?+?` represents all noun templates (which all place a
251 short /i/ between the first two consonants).
252
253 This section and the following will primarily use the root `m-d-kʰ` as
254 an example to express how roots are combined with templates to form
255 stems or words.
256
257 ### Derivation of noun stems
258
259 All noun templates place /i/ between the first two consonants of the
260 root, other than the verbal noun patterns which place /ī/ there, a long
261 vowel, instead.
262 These are summarized below, with more details below:
263
264 | pattern | description | m-d-kʰ | gender | english gloss |
265 |---------|--------------|----------|--------|--------------------------|
266 | +i++é | abstraction | midkʰé | f | linguistics/all language |
267 | +i+ê+ | prototype | midêkʰ | varies | the Midêkʰ language |
268 | so+í+i+ | place | somídikʰ | n | TKTK |
269 | mi+í++o | instrument | mimídkʰo | n | pen, stylus |
270 | +i+és+e | emphasis | midéskʰe | m/f | conversation/command |
271 | hê+i+o+ | personal | hêmidokʰ | m/f | orator, author, sage |
272 | hi+i++í | diminutive | himidkʰí | f | word |
273 | ŋô+i++o | derogative | ŋômidkʰo | m | nonsense, pleading |
274
275 * The noun of abstraction represents the abstract category of the root,
276 both the set of all of the things (or at least a particular type of
277 thing) encompassed by the root, the idealized concept of the root,
278 and sometimes the academic, artistic, or other sort of field related
279 to the root.
280 The noun of abstraction is not normally used in the plural, but this
281 may have occasionally happened in poetic language to refer to many or
282 all things belonging to the category.
283 * The prototype noun represents the prototypical object related to a
284 root.
285 For some roots, the prototype refers to a specific thing (as "Midêkʰ"
286 for the language) as a proper noun, in which case it cannot be used
287 in the plural and it has feminine gender.
288 In other cases, it refers to a typical type of object related to the
289 root (e.g. p-s-ŋ 'liquid' has the prototype pisêŋ 'water'), in which
290 case the noun may be used in the plural and has neuter gender if it
291 refers to a mindless animal and masculine gender otherwise.
292 * Nouns of place refer to a place associated with the root.
293 * Nouns of instrument refer to a tool used in performing actions
294 associated with the root.
295 * Nouns of emphasis refer to a repetition or intense form of an action
296 related to the root.
297 They are usually masculine, but in some cases a root gives rise to
298 two nouns of emphasis with identical form but with one masculine and
299 one feminine.
300 When this occurs, typically the feminine noun relates to intense
301 action and the masculine noun relates to repeated action.
302 * The personal noun refers to a type of person associated with the
303 root's meaning.
304 The noun is gendered according to the individual being referred to.
305 When not referring to a particular individual of known gender, the
306 word is typically masculine except when the meaning of the word was
307 strongly associated with women.
308 * Diminutives refer to something small or dear related to the root.
309 * Derogative nouns refer to something disapproved of related to the
310 root.
311 * There are also several "common noun" patterns which can give rise to
312 various nouns associated with the root without specific semantic
313 implications from the pattern.
314 Each root only is used with a subset of the common noun patterns.
315 Some patterns for common nouns (with the resulting noun's gender in
316 brackets) include "+í+o+" (f), "to+i+í+" (n), "te+i++ó" (m),
317 "no+i+é+" (f), "si+í+e+" (m).
318 * Finally there are verbal noun patterns that are treated below.
319
320 ### Derivation of verb stems
321
322 Verbs are similarly formed by combining a semantic root with one of
323 several patterns.
324 Unlike nouns, the patterns for verbs are grouped into several "forms",
325 each form consisting of several patterns for different uses of a verb.
326 The application of the patterns of a form to a given root are
327 considered different variations of the same verb.
328
329 Verb forms will be distinguished using a number (e.g. 1st form, 2nd
330 form).
331 Each form has patterns for the non-past tense stem, the past tense
332 stem, the verbal noun, the active participle, and the passive
333 participle.
334 The verb stems must then be inflected for aspect, mood, aspect, number,
335 and person to be used.
336
337 The patterns for each verb form are indicated in the following table,
338 with information about typical semantics and other properties of the
339 forms described after the table.
340
341 | Form | non-past | past | verbal noun | active part. | passive part. |
342 |------|----------|----------|-------------|--------------|---------------|
343 | 1st | +é++i | +e+í+ | +ī++é | +ó++o | +o+ó+ |
344 | 2nd | +én+i+ | +e++ín | +î++en | +ó++on | +o+nó+ |
345 | 3rd | hō+e++ó | hō+é+o+o | he+ī+é+ | +ó+ohi+ | he+o++ó |
346 | 4th | +é++it | te+é+i+ | +ī++ís | +ó+si+o | +o+is+ó |
347 | 5th | fe+é+e+ | fí+e+ē+ | fi+ī++í | fo+ó++o | fo+o+ó+ |
348 | 6th | +ém+e+ | +em+ē+é | +ī+mó+ | mo+o+ó+ | mo+ó++o |
349
350 * The 1st form refers to the action seen as most directly connected
351 with the meaning of the root.
352 They may be either transitive or intransitive depending on the
353 meaning of the verb, although ditransitive 1st form verbs are rare.
354 The verbal noun is of neuter gender.
355 * The 2nd form typically has a meaning related to some action with a
356 lasting effect or impact, although in some cases it is instead an
357 emphatic or more intense version of the root's 1st-form verb.
358 They may be either transitive or intransitive.
359 The verbal noun is of neuter gender.
360 * The 3rd form often functions as a causative, representing a
361 ditransitive form of a transitive 1st or 2nd form verb, or a
362 transitive form of an intransitive 1st or 2nd form verb.
363 When the 3rd form is a causative, it usually serves as causative for
364 both the 1st and 2nd form, not just one of them.
365 Even when not causative in meaning, the 3rd form is always transitive
366 or ditransitive.
367 The verbal noun is of masculine gender.
368 The active participle of ditransitive 3rd form verbs often relates to
369 either or both of the agent and patient of the action, with the
370 passive participle relating solely to the recipient or benefactor.
371 * The 4th form often refers to a reciprocal or repeated action related
372 to the root.
373 4th form verbs interact atypically with the case system: when they
374 have reciprocal meaning, all parties typically take the nominative
375 case, although for emphasis a single participant can be treated as
376 the subject while a preposition is used to identify other
377 participants;
378 if the verb can ever have reciprocal meaning, it never takes an
379 accusative object;
380 even when the particular verb cannot have reciprocal meaning, any
381 patient of the described action must be marked for the dative case.
382 The verbal noun is of feminine gender.
383 The active and passive participles are generally used to refer to
384 different aspects of the subject(s), often but not always using the
385 active participle for a more agentive aspect of the action.
386 * The 5th form often has a meaning related to either capability of
387 performing some action or the acquisition or possession of a
388 non-physical quality (capability of action perhaps being considered a
389 non-physical quality);
390 in some cases the verb may be used for both meanings.
391 5th form verbs are only transitive when used to indicate capability.
392 The verbal noun is of masculine gender.
393 The passive participle of 5th form verbs is usually used as a sort of
394 negative: it indicates that something does not have the quality or
395 cannot perform the action.
396 * The 6th form often has a meaning related to either resulting from an
397 action or having or gaining some physical quality, such as colour or
398 shape.
399 As with the 5th form, many of these verbs may be used for both meanings.
400 6th form verbs are never transitive.
401 The verbal noun is of neuter gender.
402 The active participle of 6th form verbs, similar to the passive
403 participle of 5th form verbs, usually serves as a negative: it
404 indicates that something does not result from the action or does not
405 have the quality.
406
407 ### Derivation of adjectives
408
409 As noted above, adjectives are not derived via the combination of a
410 root and pattern (other than the participles of verbs).
411 Instead most of them arise from affixation of existing words.
412
413 Some of these derivational affixes are listed below:
414
415 * The prefix "lo-" forms the "relational" adjective from a noun, which
416 indicates that the modified noun is in some fashion related to the
417 noun.
418 * The prefix "tr-" negates an adjective.
419 * The suffixes "-kor" and "-kel" produce comparative forms of an
420 adjective, with "-kor" indicating more and "-kel" less.
421
422 TKTK
423
424 ## Inflectional morphology
425
426 ### Noun and adjective inflection
427
428 Nouns receive a prefix for case and a suffix for number.
429 Each gender uses a separate set of case prefixes.
430 Adjectives use the same set of number suffixes, and they use the same
431 case markers as neuter nouns when modifying a neuter noun.
432 Adjectives modifying masculine or feminine nouns use slightly different
433 case markers from those used by the noun.
434
435 Here are the case prefixes:
436
437 | case | m.noun | m.adj. | f.noun | f.adj. | neuter |
438 |---------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
439 | nominative | - | - | gr- | gi- | pl- |
440 | accusative | de- | de- | ge- | ke- | po- |
441 | vocative | tʰo- | to- | kʰo- | ko- | pl- |
442 | dative | te- | ti- | gn- | go- | bo- |
443 | prepositional | dē- | dē- | kī- | kī- | pō- |
444
445 And the number suffixes, which differ depending on whether the stem
446 ends in a vowel or a consonant:
447
448 | number | after vowel | after consonant |
449 |----------|-------------|-----------------|
450 | singular | -k | - |
451 | plural | -hi | -i |
452
453 ### Verb inflection
454
455 Verb stems produced by derivation are inflected for aspect, mood,
456 number, and person.
457 One affix marks aspect and mood, a prefix marks person, and a suffix
458 marks number, with aspect-mood applied before person and number (such
459 that an aspect-mood prefix follows the person prefix and an aspect-mood
460 suffix precedes the number prefix).
461 The verb agrees in person and number with the syntactic subject (the
462 noun or pronoun in the nominative case).
463
464 The indicative mood uses a prefix for aspect-mood in the continuous
465 aspect, a suffix in the habitual aspect, and the plain stem in the
466 perfective aspect.
467 The indicative habitual suffix is identical to the continuous prefix.
468 In contrast, the optative and subjunctive moods uniformly use suffixes
469 for aspect-mood and do not distinguish the continuous and habitual
470 aspects.
471 All of these aspect-mood aspects are indicated in the table below (with
472 the hyphen marking where the stem is attached):
473
474 | mood | continuous | habitual | perfective |
475 |-------------|------------|----------|------------|
476 | indicative | bi- | -bi | - |
477 | optative | -r | -r | -n |
478 | subjunctive | -l | -l | -m |
479
480 The number suffixes for verbs differ depending on whether they follow a
481 vowel or a consonant, and are listed in the table below:
482
483 | number | after vowel | after consonant |
484 |----------|-------------|-----------------|
485 | singular | -g | - |
486 | plural | -hē | -ē |
487
488 The person suffixes are invariant and are listed in the table below:
489
490 | person | prefix |
491 |--------|--------|
492 | 1st | kʰo- |
493 | 2nd | tm- |
494 | 3rd | - |
495
496 As an example, here are a few inflections of the 2nd-form non-past
497 stem "méndikʰ" (write):
498
499 * biméndikʰē: they are writing (indicative non-past continuous
500 3rd-person plural)
501 * tmbiméndikʰ: you(sg.) are writing (indicative non-past continuous
502 2nd-person singular)
503 * kʰoméndikʰē: we write (indicative non-past perfective 1st-person plural)
504
505 ## Syntax
506
507 As a summary of word order concerns:
508
509 * Adjectives usually follow the noun but may be placed elsewhere as
510 they can be correlated with the right noun due to agreement.
511 Demonstratives must immediately precede and numerals must immediately
512 follow the noun when present.
513 * Relative clauses follow the noun.
514 * Prepositions
515 * Typically subject-verb-object, but it may vary.
516 * The question particle begins the sentence
517 * Questions do not alter sentence order
518 * Conditional sentences typically places the condition before the
519 conclusion
520 * Comparisons are of the form adjective-marker-standard (i.e. the
521 adjective being compared, an analogue to "than", then the standard
522 against which the comparison is being made)
523
524 ### Prepositions
525
526 Prepositions are placed before a noun or noun phrase to express various
527 relationships or to confer semantic roles on their objects.
528
529 Each preposition consists of a word ending in a consonant (often
530 monosyllabic).
531 Most prepositions also have a clitic form which is formed by dropping
532 the final consonant and lenghtening the preceding vowel and which can
533 be prefixed to its object.
534 Cliticized prepositions can be used with objects other than noun
535 phrases for various purposes.
536
537 Here are some of the prepositions in Midêkʰ with their meanings and
538 appropriate cases:
539
540 * dol/dō-: PREP in, within; DAT
541 * fin/fī-: as; measuring
542 * petʰ/pē-: PREP in (time), during (DAT with the same meaning but the
543 additional indication that the events were located entirely in the
544 specified period)
545 * sen/sē-: of, belonging to
546
547 ### Conjunctions
548
549 Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses in various
550 ways.
551
552 As with prepositions, conjunctions often have a clitic form.
553 Unlike prepositions, clitic conjunctions are suffixes and are not
554 predictable in form.
555
556 The conjunctions of Midêkʰ include:
557
558 * koko/-kokŋ: and, also
559
560 ## Semantics and Pragmatics
561
562 TKTK
563
564 ## Writing System
565
566 TKTK
567
568 ## Examples
569
570 Rinna's first example text will be what would translate to the English text below, but first fae needs a lottt of words and probably some more syntax to figure out.
571
572 > In the thirteenth year of Cat-King General-of-Horses, a heron-fighter appeared who called herself Sent-by-Dawn. She said that General-of-Horses stole from the sacrifices and offended the gods. Sent-by-Dawn gathered a great army of the people and overthrew the evil king. The people clamored for her to rule them, and she declined, but for three days they surrounded her tent and clamored for her to rule them. After three days without peace or slumber, Sent-by-Dawn emerged from her tent and again the people clamored for her to rule them. Finally she took up the crown, and led the sacrifices and stole nothing from the gods. That was how the first year of Heron-Queen Sent-by-Dawn began.
573
574 TKTK
575
576 ## Lexicon
577
578 Lists here are sorted using roughly the collation order of English.
579 Accented and long vowels are in the same position as the
580 unaccented/short analogues.
581 /ŋ/ follows /n/.
582 Aspirated consonants follow the non-aspirated analog.
583 For the velar consonants, the plain version comes first, followed by
584 the palatized, and finally the labialized.
585
586 ### Roots
587
588 * b-t-r: length, measurement, (leg)
589 * gʲ-l-p: transfer, commerce
590 * m-d-kʰ: language
591 * p-kʲʰ-t: movement
592 * p-s-ŋ: liquid/water
593 * r-h-r: purr
594 * s-l-h: flight
595
596 TKTK
597
598 ### Word stems
599
600 Format: stem (root, if any): part of speech. gloss (notes).
601
602 Parts of speech: **n**oun (**m**asculine, **f**eminine, **n**euter,
603 **v**arying by referent), **v**erb (**t**ransitive, **i**ntransitive,
604 **d**itransitive, **4**th form), **adj**ective, **num**eral,
605 **prep**osition, **conjunction**.
606
607 Verbs are listed with the present stem separated from the past stem by
608 a slash, but collated according the present stem.
609
610 * bémter/bemtēré (b-t-r): vi. to be long, to have a measurement (the
611 measurement is indicated using the preposition fin), to lengthen
612 * béntir/betrín (b-t-r): vi. to measure, especially to measure a
613 distance by walking it carefully (the thing measured is indicated
614 using the preposition dol and the dative case)
615 * bēptefr: num. fifteen
616 * bētdelr: num. seventeen
617 * bētetŕ: num. fourteen
618 * betdor: num. twelve
619 * bētgʲr: num. sixteen
620 * bétri/betír (b-t-r): vi. to walk
621 * betrikʷ: num. eleven
622 * bétrit/tebétir (b-t-r): vi. to pace back and forth, to patrol
623 * bitésre (b-t-r): nm. notch, marking (as the markings on a ruler)
624 * bitêr (b-t-r): nm. leg; pace (a unit of length)
625 * bītmór (b-t-r): nn. a measurement.
626 * bitré (b-t-r): nf.sg. measurement, distance, length
627 * bītré (b-t-r): nn. a step
628 * bîtren (b-t-r): nn. an act of measuring
629 * bītrís (b-t-r): nf. a pacing, a round of a patrol path
630 * botisró (b-t-r): adj. pacing, patrolling (emphasizing the repetition
631 in time)
632 * botnór (b-t-r): adj. measured
633 * bótohir (b-t-r): adj. measuring with a ruler or other instrument
634 (this carries an implication of both precision and small absolute
635 magnitude)
636 * botór (b-t-r): adj. walked through
637 * bótro (b-t-r): adj. walking
638 * bótron (b-t-r): adj. measuring
639 * bótsir (b-t-r): adj. pacing, patrolling (emphasizing the repetition
640 in space)
641 * botʰren: num. thirteen
642 * bmgʲér: num. nineteen
643 * botr: num. eighteen
644 * dehegʲi: num. ten
645 * dekʷ: num. two
646 * dóho: num. 8000
647 * dol: prep. in, within (takes prepositional case); through (takes
648 dative case)
649 * febéter/fíbetēr (b-t-r): vi. to be clearly defined or bounded (rarely
650 used transitively to mean the subject is defined or has its
651 boundaries defined by the object)
652 * fegʲélep/fígʲelēp (gʲ-l-p): vi. to be generous
653 * feréher/fírehēr (r-h-r): vi. to be content, to feel safe
654 * femédekʰ/fímedēkʰ (m-d-kʰ): vi. to be or become sapient, to be
655 capable of language
656 * fepékʲʰet/fípekʲʰēt (p-kʲʰ-t): vi. to be or become willful (in the
657 sense of directing your own actions)
658 * fepéseŋ/fípesēŋ (p-s-ŋ): vi. to be variable or flexible, to change
659 * feséleh/físelēh (s-l-h): vi. to be or become free (unconstrained)
660 * fesso: num. twenty
661 * fibītrí (b-t-r): nm. a definition or act of defining, a boundary or
662 act of specifying boundaries
663 * figʲīlpí (gʲ-l-p): nm. generosity
664 * fimīdkʰí (m-d-kʰ): nm. sapience
665 * fin: prep. as; measuring (used with the verb bémter/bemtēré to
666 indicate the measurement of the subject of the verb)
667 * fipīkʲʰtí (p-kʲʰ-t): nm. self-direction or will
668 * fipīsŋí (p-s-ŋ): nm. mutability, variability, change
669 * firīhrí (r-h-r): nm. contentment, feeling of safety (the concrete
670 feeling in the moment; for the feeling in the abstract or as a
671 general trait see "rihré")
672 * fisīlhí (s-l-h): nm. freedom from constraint
673 * fobótro (b-t-r): adj. clearly defined, bounded, finite in extent
674 * fobotór (b-t-r): adj. indefinable, unbounded, infinite
675 * fogʲolóp (gʲ-l-p): adj. ungenerous, covetous
676 * fogʲólpo (gʲ-l-p): adj. generous
677 * fomódkʰo (m-d-kʰ): adj. sapient, capable of language
678 * fomodókʰ (m-d-kʰ): adj. non-sapient, incapable of language, mindless
679 * fopokʲʰót (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. passive, controlled by others
680 * fopókʲʰto (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. willful, self-directed
681 * fopósŋo (p-s-ŋ): adj. variable, flexible, changing
682 * foposóŋ (p-s-ŋ): adj. static, rigid, unmoving
683 * forohór (r-h-r): adj. discontent, feeling unsafe
684 * foróhro (r-h-r): adj. content, feeling safe
685 * fosólho (s-l-h): adj. free from constraint
686 * fosolóh (s-l-h): adj. constrained, not free (the specifics of
687 application to people varied a lot in different places)
688 * gʲélpi/gʲelíp (gʲ-l-p): vd. to give
689 * gʲélpit/tegʲélip (gʲ-l-p): v4. to trade, to exchange, to swap
690 * gʲémlep/gʲemlēpé (gʲ-l-p): vi. to be valuable, to have value
691 * gʲénlip/gʲelpín (gʲ-l-p): vd. to take
692 * gʲilêp (gʲ-l-p): nm. gift
693 * gʲiléspe (gʲ-l-p): nm. transaction
694 * gʲīlmóp (gʲ-l-p): nn. property of being valuable
695 * gʲílop (gʲ-l-p): nm. commercial relationship
696 * gʲilpé (gʲ-l-p): nf. exchange, commerce
697 * gʲīlpé (gʲ-l-p): nn. act of giving, sale
698 * gʲîlpen (gʲ-l-p): nn. act of taking
699 * gʲīlpís (gʲ-l-p): nf. act of exchanging or swapping
700 * gʲolispó (gʲ-l-p): adj. exchanged, swapped, traded (the thing that is
701 traded)
702 * gʲolnóp (gʲ-l-p): adj. taken, stolen
703 * gʲólohip (gʲ-l-p): adj. selling
704 * gʲolóp (gʲ-l-p): adj. given as a gift
705 * gʲólpo (gʲ-l-p): adj. giving
706 * gʲólpon (gʲ-l-p): adj. taking
707 * gʲólsip (gʲ-l-p): adj. trading, exchanging, swapping; commercially
708 active
709 * hebītér (b-t-r): nm.ean act of measuring with a ruler or other
710 instrument, a measurement taken with a ruler or other instrument
711 (this carries an implication of both precision and small absolute
712 magnitude)
713 * hêbitor (b-t-r): nv. walker, runner (specifically referring to a
714 person who travels a long distance on foot)
715 * hebotró (b-t-r): adj. measured with a ruler or other instrument (this
716 carries an implication of both precision and small absolute
717 magnitude)
718 * hēdol: num. seven
719 * hēgʲi: num. six
720 * hegʲīlép (gʲ-l-p): nm. act of selling or buying
721 * hêgʲilop (gʲ-l-p): nv. merchant (one who buys and sells goods)
722 * hegʲolpó (gʲ-l-p): adj. sold
723 * hekʷ: num. one
724 * hemīdékʰ (m-d-kʰ): nm. dictation, decree, declaration
725 * hêmidokʰ (m-d-kʰ): nv. orator, author, sage
726 * hemodkʰó (m-d-kʰ): adj. being dictated to, subservient,
727 representative of
728 * hepīkʲʰét (p-kʲʰ-t): nm. act of moving something else, impetus
729 * hêpikʲʰot (p-kʲʰ-t): nv. horse-person, runner
730 * hepīséŋ (p-s-ŋ): nm. pouring, a pour, a cupful
731 * hêpisoŋ (p-s-ŋ): nv. cupbearer
732 * hepokʲʰtó (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. being moved
733 * heposŋó (p-s-ŋ): adj. being poured into, filled
734 * herīhér (r-h-r): nm. act that makes someone feel safe or content, act
735 of care
736 * hêrihor (r-h-r): nv. cat-person
737 * herohró (r-h-r): adj. cared for, feeling safe or content due to the
738 actions of another
739 * hesīléh (s-l-h): nm. a throw
740 * hêsiloh (s-l-h): nv. a bird-person, a person who flies
741 * hesolhó (s-l-h): adj. being thrown-at
742 * hētér: num. four
743 * hibitrí (b-t-r): nf. toe; digit (a unit of length)
744 * higʲilpí (gʲ-l-p): nf. purchase
745 * himidkʰí (m-d-kʰ): nf. word
746 * hipikʲʰtí (p-kʲʰ-t): nf. shake
747 * hipisŋí (p-s-ŋ): nf. pond, lake
748 * hirihrí (r-h-r): nf. pet animal (sometimes used for harmless non-pet
749 animals)
750 * hisilhí (s-l-h): nf. feather
751 * hōbetró/hōbétoro (b-t-r): vt. to measure with a ruler or other
752 instrument (this carries an implication of both precision and small
753 absolute magnitude)
754 * hōgʲelpó/hōgʲélopo (gʲ-l-p): vd. to sell, to buy (often but not
755 always with the passive particle for buying)
756 * hōmedkʰó/hōmédokʰo (m-d-kʰ): vt/vd. to dictate, to cause to say or
757 write
758 * hōpekʲʰtó/hōpékʲʰoto (p-kʲʰ-t): vt. to put into motion, to cause to
759 move or run
760 * hōpesŋó/hōpésoŋo (p-s-ŋ): vt/vd. to pour (trans.); to pour onto/into
761 (ditrans.)
762 * hōrehró/hōréhoro (r-h-r): vt. to cause to feel content or safe, to
763 take care of
764 * hōselhó/hōséloho (s-l-h): v. to throw (trans.), to throw at
765 (ditrans.)
766 * hot: num. eight
767 * -kokŋ/koko: conj. and, also
768 * médkʰi/medíkʰ (m-d-kʰ): vi/vt. speak, say, utter
769 * médkʰit/temédikʰ (m-d-kʰ): v4. to converse or correspond
770 * mémdekʰ/memdēkʰé (m-d-kʰ): vi. to be noisy, to make noise
771 * méndikʰ/medkʰín (m-d-kʰ): vi/vt. write
772 * mibítro (b-t-r): nn. yardstick, ruler
773 * midêkʰ (m-d-kʰ): nf.sg. the Midêkʰ language
774 * midéskʰe (m-d-kʰ): nf. command, order
775 * midéskʰe (m-d-kʰ): nm. conversation, dialogue (this can refer to a
776 spoken conversation or a written dialogue)
777 * midkʰé (m-d-kʰ): nf.sg. linguistics, language in general
778 * mīdkʰé (m-d-kʰ): nn. utterance, speech, act of speaking
779 * mîdkʰen (m-d-kʰ): nn. text, act of writing
780 * mīdkʰís (m-d-kʰ): nf. act of conversing or corresponding (in the
781 singular it normally refers to one utterance or letter and its
782 response; in the plural it can refer to an entire conversation or the
783 entire correspondence between two or more people)
784 * mīdmókʰ (m-d-kʰ): nn. noise, sound
785 * mídokʰ (m-d-kʰ): nf. book, scroll
786 * migʲílpo (gʲ-l-p): nn. money, coin
787 * mimídkʰo (m-d-kʰ): nn. pen, stylus, other writing instrument
788 * mipíkʲʰto (p-kʲʰ-t): nn. speed
789 * mipísŋo (p-s-ŋ): nn. canal
790 * miríhro (r-h-r): nn. throat, esp. the larynx
791 * misílho (s-l-h): nn. wing
792 * mobotór (b-t-r): adj. short
793 * mobótro (b-t-r): adj. long
794 * módkʰo (m-d-kʰ): adj. speaking, vocal
795 * módkʰon (m-d-kʰ): adj. literate, writing
796 * modiskʰó (m-d-kʰ): adj. comprehending, listening
797 * modnókʰ (m-d-kʰ): adj. written, textual, literary
798 * módohikʰ (m-d-kʰ): adj. dictating, imperious, acting indirectly
799 * modókʰ (m-d-kʰ): adj. spoken, verbal, oral
800 * módsikʰo (m-d-kʰ): adj. communicating, expressive
801 * mogʲolóp (gʲ-l-p): adj. worthless, cheap
802 * mogʲólpo (gʲ-l-p): adj. valuable, expensive
803 * momódkʰo (m-d-kʰ): adj. noisy, loud
804 * momodókʰ (m-d-kʰ): adj. quiet, noiseless, silent
805 * mopokʲʰót (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. stationary, immobile
806 * mopókʲʰto (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. mobile
807 * mopósŋo (p-s-ŋ): adj. melted, liquid, wet
808 * moposóŋ (p-s-ŋ): adj. dry
809 * morohór (r-h-r): adj. restless, not docile, agitated (of animals)
810 * moróhro (r-h-r): adj. calm, docile (of animals)
811 * mosólho (s-l-h): adj. in the air, floating
812 * mosolóh (s-l-h): adj. not in the air, not flying, heavier than air
813 * nemígʲi: num. nine
814 * nobitér (b-t-r): nf. long journey on foot
815 * nomidékʰ (m-d-kʰ): nf. message, letter
816 * nopikʲʰét (p-kʲʰ-t): nf. jump
817 * nôpisŋo (p-s-ŋ): nm. urine
818 * ŋôbitro (b-t-r): nm. heel, sole of foot
819 * ŋôgʲilpo (gʲ-l-p): nm. theft
820 * ŋômidkʰo (m-d-kʰ): nm. nonsense, pathetic request
821 * ŋôpikʲʰto (p-kʲʰ-t): nm. coward
822 * ŋôrihro (r-h-r): nm. overly dependent and helpless person
823 * ŋôsilho (s-l-h): nm. bad omen
824 * pēfe: num. five
825 * pékʲʰti/pekʲʰít (p-kʲʰ-t): vi. to move one's self
826 * pékʲʰtit/tepékʲʰit (p-kʲʰ-t): v4. to dance
827 * pémkʲʰet/pemkʲʰēté (p-kʲʰ-t): vi. to be mobile
828 * pémseŋ/pemsēŋé (p-s-ŋ): vi. to become liquid, to melt, to be or
829 become wet
830 * pénkʲʰit/pekʲʰtín (p-kʲʰ-t): vi. to run
831 * pénsiŋ/pesŋín (p-s-ŋ): vi/vt. pool (intr.); cover in liquid, flood,
832 overflow (trans.)
833 * pésŋi/pesíŋ (p-s-ŋ): vi. flow
834 * pésŋit/tepésiŋ (p-s-ŋ): v4. to rise and fall over time (as tides or
835 water level in a lake or river)
836 * pikʲʰéste (p-kʲʰ-t): nm. oscillation, vibration
837 * pikʲʰéste (p-kʲʰ-t): nf. sudden or short movement
838 * pikʲʰêt (p-kʲʰ-t): nn. horse
839 * pīkʲʰmót (p-kʲʰ-t): vi. mobility
840 * pikʲʰté (p-kʲʰ-t): nf.sg. motion, movement
841 * pīkʲʰté (p-kʲʰ-t): nn. a movement, a motion
842 * pîkʲʰten (p-kʲʰ-t): nn. an act of running, a running pace
843 * pīkʲʰtís (p-kʲʰ-t): nf. a dance, a dance step
844 * pisêŋ (p-s-ŋ): nm. water
845 * pisésŋe (p-s-ŋ): nm. flood
846 * pīsmóŋ (p-s-ŋ): nn. melting
847 * pisŋé (p-s-ŋ): nf.sg. liquids (the state of matter, and the science
848 of its behavior)
849 * pīsŋé (p-s-ŋ): nn. act of flowing
850 * pîsŋen (p-s-ŋ): nn. pool, puddle, act of pooling
851 * pīsŋís (p-s-ŋ): nf. tide, change in level (especially of a fluid)
852 * pokʲʰistó (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. dancing (especially following a lead or an
853 established dance)
854 * pókʲʰohit (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. causing things to move, impactful
855 * pokʲʰót (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. moving (due to external forces)
856 * pokʲʰnót (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. running (typically used of animals)
857 * pókʲʰsit (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. dancing (especially when leading or
858 creatively)
859 * pókʲʰto (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. moving (on its own), mobile
860 * pókʲʰton (p-kʲʰ-t): adj. running (typically used of people)
861 * pósŋo (p-s-ŋ): adj. flowing, fluid
862 * pósŋon (p-s-ŋ): adj. pooling, overflowing, stagnant
863 * posnóŋ (p-s-ŋ): adj. submerged, flooded, overflowed
864 * pósohiŋ (p-s-ŋ): adj. pouring (the one pouring a fluid), being
865 poured, raining
866 * posóŋ (p-s-ŋ): adj. watered (as e.g. plants, soil), irrigated
867 * réhri/rehír (r-h-r): vi. to purr, to make other noises expressing
868 contentment
869 * réhrit/teréhir (r-h-r); v4. to mutually care for each other, to love
870 (emphasizing action taken to care for one another)
871 * rémher/remhēré (r-h-r): vi. to be calm, to be docile (especially used
872 of animals)
873 * rénhir/rehrín (r-h-r): vi. to roar
874 * rihêr (r-h-r): nm. purr
875 * rihésre (r-h-r): nm. affectionate sounds made between lovers
876 * rīhmór (r-h-r): nn. calmness, docility (especially in animals)
877 * ríhor (r-h-r): nm. contentment noises, particularly from animals or
878 children
879 * rihré (r-h-r): nf. contentment, feeling of safety (primarily used to
880 discuss it in the abstract, or to describe a person's general
881 demeanor; for in-the-moment experiences of this feeling, see
882 "firīhrí")
883 * rīhré (r-h-r): nn. act of purring
884 * rîhren (r-h-r): nn. act of roaring, roar
885 * rīhrís (r-h-r): nf. love relationship (especially between young
886 people)
887 * rohisró (r-h-r): adj. loved (emphasizing lover(s) taking care of you)
888 * rohnór (r-h-r): adj. making threatening noises (only used with
889 animals)
890 * rohór (r-h-r): adj. making noises of contentment
891 * róhohir (r-h-r): adj. caretaking, making others to feel safe
892 * róhro (r-h-r): adj. purring
893 * róhron (r-h-r): adj. roaring
894 * róhsir (r-h-r): adj. loving (with an emphasis on action taken to make
895 lover(s) feel safe and content)
896 * sélhi/selíh (s-l-h): vi. to fly
897 * sélhit/tesélih (s-l-h): v4. to overfly (the place or thing flown over
898 takes the dative case); (rarely) to fly high or ascend
899 * sémleh/semlēhé (s-l-h): vi. to be in the air, to float in the air
900 * sen: prep. of, belonging to
901 * sénlih/selhín (s-l-h): v. to fly downward rapidly, to swoop (intr.);
902 to swoop down on (trans.)
903 * síkʲo: num. 400
904 * silêh (s-l-h): nn. mindless bird, flying animal
905 * siléshe (s-l-h): nm. a flight, journey by flight
906 * siléshe (s-l-h): nf. a flying ascent
907 * silhé (s-l-h): nf.sg. flight, the art of flying
908 * sīlhé (s-l-h): nn. act of flying, flap of wings
909 * sîlhen (s-l-h): nn. a flying descent, a swoop
910 * sīlhís (s-l-h): nf. an act of overflying
911 * sīlmóh (s-l-h): nn. the state of being in the air or floating
912 * síloh (s-l-h): nv. bat-person, a mammalian person who flies
913 * simídekʰ (m-d-kʰ): nm. language, script
914 * sipíkʲʰet (p-kʲʰ-t): nm. acceleration
915 * sipíseŋ (p-s-ŋ): nm. mouthful (esp. of liquids)
916 * sisíleh (s-l-h): nm. wingspan
917 * sobítir (b-t-r): nn. a far away place
918 * sogʲílip (gʲ-l-p): nn. market
919 * sólho (s-l-h): adj. flying, flapping
920 * sólhon (s-l-h): adj. swooping, flying downward
921 * solishó (s-l-h): adj. flying high
922 * solnóh (s-l-h): adj. swooped down upon
923 * solóh (s-l-h): adj. flying, wind-borne
924 * sólohih (s-l-h): adj. throwing, being thrown, moving through the air
925 * sólsih (s-l-h): adj. overflying something
926 * somídikʰ (m-d-kʰ): nn. TKTK (some sort of language place)
927 * sopíkʲʰit (p-kʲʰ-t): nn. path
928 * sopísiŋ (p-s-ŋ): nn. body of water or other liquid, esp. an ocean
929 * soríhir (r-h-r): nn. place of safety, home (in the sense of place
930 where one feels secure)
931 * sosílih (s-l-h): nn. high up place to perch on
932 * petʰ: prep. during, in (in the sense of a time period) (the dative
933 case indicates that the events described took place exclusively in
934 the time period, while the prepositional case does not specify
935 whether they extend outside of this time in either direction).
936 * tepisŋó (p-s-ŋ): nm. blood
937 * terihró (r-h-r): nm. whimpers, pleading noises
938 * tobitír (b-t-r): nn. foot, paw; foot (a unit of length)
939 * togʲilíp (gʲ-l-p): nn. price
940 * tōmidíkʰ (m-d-kʰ): nn. sentence
941 * tōpisíŋ (p-s-ŋ): nn. cup, waterskin, jug
942 * torihír (r-h-r): nn. mindless cat
943 * tosilíh (s-l-h): nn. mindless bat, flying mindless mammal
944 * tʰon: num. three
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