Iðâɣ morphology

Main article: Iðâɣ

This page gives an extensive description of Iðâɣ morphological features.

Nouns

Nouns in Iðâɣ language can end either in a vowel or in a consonant, although there is a marked tendency for the vocalic ending. Nouns ending in a consonant usually add a euphonic vowel before the normal declension endings.

Nouns are grouped into two declension classes: animate nouns or first class and inanimate nouns or second class. The first class generally includes nouns indicating animate beings, namely capable of intentional motion or action, while the second class includes inanimate objects or entities. As a rule, we can sketch out the following scheme:

• 1^st class: human beings, animals, deities
• 2^nd class: plants, objects, ideas, feelings, senses, perceptions

A noun is not irreversibly included in one of the two classes, as nouns lack clear morphological marks for each class. There is, thus, a certain amount of exceptions to this general rule.

Despite the general lack of morphological markers in the basic forms, being thus unable to distinguish the two classes, the declension patterns depend on which class a noun belongs to.

There are two morphological numbers for almost all nouns, singular and plural.

Cases

Iðâɣ nouns do decline, according to a nominative-accusative system with 4 cases:

Case	Meaning
Direct	This case marks both the subject and the direct object of a verb. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form.
Genitive-Dative	This case marks possession and belonging, either intentional, unintentional, or indirect, and the indirect object. These meanings are distinguished by the presence of the prepositive article.
Instrumental	This case marks the tool or the instrument which are used to perform an action or to be in a certain state. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 2nd class.
Locative	This case marks the place where an action is performed, or a certain state exist (stative location). It can also have a temporal value. It can be used only with nouns belonging to the 2nd class.

The cases are usually classified in 4 groups:

1. Primary cases: direct, genitive-dative
2. Secondary cases: instrumental, locative

Other types of clause complements are conveyed using various prepositions, which can select one or more cases.

Noun declension

Nouns are declined in case and number by adding the following endings to the base form of the noun:

	1st class		2nd class
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	-	-nə	-	-nə
gen.-dat.	-re	-nore	-re	-nore
instrumental			-xa	-noxa
locative			-sah	-nosah

Some examples are shown below: a 1^st class noun, paβu, father, and a 2^nd class noun, sóɣə, house.

	paβu		sóɣə
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	paβu	paβunə	sóɣə	sóɣənə
gen.-dat.	paβure	paβunore	sóɣəre	sóɣənore
instrumental			sóɣəxa	sóɣənoxa
locative			sóɣəsah	sóɣənosah

As for the rules, the endings for the secondary oblique cases cannot be added to a 1^st class noun.

Nouns ending in a consonant in the singular direct case usually add a euphonic vowel before the endings of the other cases. This vowel is generally -ə-, but other vowels are also possible.

dir. piɣ → g.d. piɣəre, ...
dir. šóneh → g.d. šónehare, ...

Some irregular nouns, conversely, change their last vowel in the root before adding other endings. The commonest changes are e → a, or ə → o. A lot of these nouns display both irregular and regular forms, especially in earlier texts. In modern texts the amount of irregular forms is increasingly limited.

dir. soβe → g.d. soβere or soβare, ...
dir. sanə → g.d. sanəre or sanore, ...

Adjectives and pronouns

Adjectives closely resemble the noun form, while displaying a greater variety. Pronouns, instead, may exhibit different forms in the root form.

Adjectives

Both attributive and predicative adjectives are always placed after the nouns they specify, with a few exceptions.

îrə ô jóβé
the young man

îrə án (ô) jóβé
the man is young

All adjectives are usually deemed as indeclinable words, but they do agree in case and number with the noun they specify through the prepositive article. Attributive adjectives are always used with the prepositive article, while its usage with predicative adjectives is optional.

Declension of qualifying adjectives

Example: šúri, big, with sóɣə, house

	definite form		indefinite form
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	sóɣə ô šúri	sóɣənə ôn šúri	sóɣə šô šúri	sóɣənə šôn šúri
gen.-dat.	sóɣəre ôr šúri	sóɣənore ônər šúri	sóɣəre šôr šúri	sóɣənore šônər šúri
instrumental	sóɣəxa ôx šúri	sóɣənoxa ônəx šúri	sóɣəxa šôx šúri	sóɣənoxa šônəx šúri
locative	sóɣəsah ôs šúri	sóɣənosah ônəs šúri	sóɣəsah šôs šúri	sóɣənosah šônəs šúri

Numerals

The numeral system relies on a decimal base.

Cardinal numerals

The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:

digit	noun form
1:	šâ
2:	áɣi
3:	miɣò
4:	gô
5:	pâ
6:	hû
7:	áša
8:	kù
9:	sô
10:	çê

Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + ɣi (derived form of gu, over) + çê:

digit	noun form
11:	šâɣiçê
12:	áɣiɣiçê
13:	miɣòɣiçê
14:	gôɣiçê
15:	pâɣiçê
16:	hûɣiçê
17:	ášaɣiçê
18:	kùɣiçê
19:	sôɣiçê

The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:

digit	noun form
100:	náðu
1000:	ěn

The numerals for the multiples of tens and hundreds are built with the construction NUM + rə + ɸê / náðu: The nouns for the multiples of thousands are built with the construction NUM + rêntu instead:

	tens	hundreds	thousands
2x:	áɣirəɸê	áɣirənáðu	áɣirêntu
3x:	miɣòrəɸê	miɣòrənáðu	miɣòrêntu
4x:	gôrəɸê	gôrənáðu	gôrêntu
5x:	pârəɸê	pârənáðu	pârêntu
6x:	hûrəɸê	hûrənáðu	hûrêntu
7x:	ášarəɸê	ášarənáðu	ášarêntu
8x:	kùrəɸê	kùrənáðu	kùrêntu
9x:	sôrəɸê	sôrənáðu	sôrêntu

Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:

• 1985: ěn sôrənáðu kùrəɸê pâ

All cardinal numerals up to these forms are meant as invariable. They can however be used without an adjoining noun by putting the definite prepositive articles before them:

ôn ěn 
the one thousand

Numerals for “million” and “billion” are formed from the word ěntu (an archaich form for thousand).

digit	noun form
1,000,000:	šúrěntu (from šúri ěntu)
1,000,000,000:	mêšúrěntu (from mê šúri ěntu)

These forms are treated as regularly declinable nouns:

digit	noun form
3,000,000,000:	miɣò mêšúrěntunə

Nouns adjoining such numerals are not preceded by any preposition and are declined in the case required by their syntactical role in the sentence, as the numerals themselves:

áɣi šúrěntunore çuɣenore
to two millions people

In the earlier modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Cärähə language, while borrowing the digit form. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics:

digit	noun form
0:	xesú (from C. xesü)

Ordinal numerals

Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the adjectival ending -ɣə to the cardinal numeral form:

digit	adjective form
1st:	šâɣə
2nd:	áɣiɣə
3rd:	miɣòɣə
4th:	gôɣə
5th:	pâɣə
6th:	hûɣə
7th:	ášaɣə
8th:	kùɣə
9th:	sôɣə
10th:	çêɣə

Ordinal numerals for “millionth” and “billionth” are regularly formed from their corresponding cardinal forms, while their multiples are formed by unifying the separated forms in an only adjectival word:

digit	adjective form
1,000,000th:	šúrěntuɣə
1,000,000,000th:	mêšúrěntuɣə
3,000,000,000th:	miɣòmêšúrěntuɣə

If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:

• 25^th: áɣirəɸê pâɣə

Fractional numerals

Fractional numerals are formed by adding the derivative ending -gū́ to the cardinal numeral form, with the exceptions of the numerals zero, one, and an irregular suppletive form:

digit	full form
1:	-
2:	kúɸə
3:	miɣòɣú
4:	gôɣú
5:	pâɣú
6:	hûɣú
7:	ášaɣú
8:	kùɣú
9:	sôɣú
10:	çêɣú
11:	šâɣiçêɣú
12:	áɣiɣiçêɣú
20:	áɣirəɸêɣú
60:	hûrəɸêɣú
300:	miɣòrənáðuɣú
9000:	sôrêntuɣú

Fractional numerals for “millionth” and “billionth” are regularly formed from their corresponding cardinal forms, while their multiples are formed by unifying the separated forms in an only word:

digit	adjective form
1,000,000:	šúrěntuɣú
1,000,000,000:	mêšúrěntuɣú
3,000,000,000:	miɣòmêšúrěntuɣú

If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:

• 25: áɣirəɸê pâɣú

Verbs

The verbal system of Iðâɣ language displays the following features:

• tense:
  • simple tenses: present, imperfect
  • compound tenses: preterite, plusquamperfect, future, anterior future, future in the past
• mood:
  • definite moods: indicative, subjunctive, conditional
  • indefinite moods: infinitive, active participle, passive participle
• diathesis: active, passive

Past tenses are mostly marked by the prefix á-, known as augment, while non-past forms are unmarked. Conversely, the augment can be found also in the anterior future and in the future in the past tenses.

The citation form of verbs is the present infinitive, marked by the ending -am. From such form the verbal root can be inferred and can be changed in every other verbal form.

In simple tenses the following personal endings are added to the verbal root. In this way, verbs show their agreement with the clause subject in person and number:

1st sing.	-ò
2nd sing.	-əh
3rd sing.	-
1st plur.	-onò
2nd plur.	-onəh
3rd plur.	-on

Compound tenses are usually formed through an auxiliary verb (tòram, to have, or kiɣam, to come) with the forms of the participles or the infinitive. The different moods are formed by adding the following infixes to the verbal root, before the personal endings:

• indicative: Ø
• subjunctive: -in-
• conditional: -as-

The non-finite verbal forms are meant as nominal/adjectival forms of the same verbs. They do not add the personal endings, but they are declined as nouns or adjectives with the nominal declension endings.

As verbal forms can, however, take the augment. They can also add the modal infixes before their typical endings.

The non-finite endings are:

• infinitive: -am
• agentive participle: -íðə
• passive participle: -uɣi

The infinitival form is meant as a 2^nd class noun.

Conjugation of a regular verb (with examples of auxiliary and irregular verbs)

Sample verb: ránosam, to breastfeed, to nurse, to give suckle

Active diathesis

Indicative mood

Present tense

The present is a simple tense. The personal endings are added to the verbal roots:

1st sing.	ránosò
2nd sing.	ránosəh
3rd sing.	rános
1st plur.	ránosonò
2nd plur.	ránosonəh
3rd plur.	ránoson

In the 3^rd singular person, which features the null ending, irregularities may often occur, like dropping or altering the last root consonant:

íméham → ímé
to go → he/she/it goes

namíɣam → namík
to bite → he/she/it bites

There are, however, a sizeable amount of irregular verbs. Among these verbs the conjugation of the auxiliary verbs tòram, to have, and kiɣam, to come, is shown:

	tòram	kiɣam
1st sing.	tòrò	kiɣò
2nd sing.	tôh	kîh
3rd sing.	tòr	kìɣ
1st plur.	tòrô	kiɣô
2nd plur.	tòrôh	kiɣôh
3rd plur.	tôr	kîɣ

The present tense conveys ongoing, habitual or gnomic actions or states.

Imperfect tense

The imperfect is a simple tense. The personal endings and the augment, -á-,are added to the verbal roots:

1st sing.	ránosò
2nd sing.	áránosəh
3rd sing.	árános
1st plur.	áránosonò
2nd plur.	áránosonəh
3rd plur.	áránoson

In the 3^rd singular person, which features the null ending, irregularities may often occur, like dropping or altering the last root consonant:

íméham → ěmé
to go → he/she/it was going

namíɣam → ánamík
to bite → he/she/it was biting

However, most irregularities occur in the verbal root, due to the augment. The augment prefix can merge with the verbal root, with possible prominent alterations, resulting in a sort of a past root, different from the basic verbal root. As an example, the verbs íméham, to go, and lîβam, to see:

	íméham	lîβam
1st sing.	ěmehò	êβò
2nd sing.	ěméhəh	êβéh
3rd sing.	ěmé	êp
1st plur.	ěméhonò	êβonò
2nd plur.	ěméhonəh	êβonəh
3rd plur.	ěméhon	êβon

Among the irregulatr verbs the conjugation of the auxiliary verbs tòram, to have, and kiɣam, to come, is shown:

	tòram	kiɣam
1st sing.	áðòrò	áɣiɣò
2nd sing.	áðôh	áɣîh
3rd sing.	áðòr	áɣìɣ
1st plur.	áðòrô	áɣiɣô
2nd plur.	áðòrôh	áɣiɣôh
3rd plur.	áðôr	áɣîɣ

The 3^rd singular person in the imperfect tense usually display both the typical irregularities of the null ending and the typical irregularities of the augmen merging. Thus it is normally cited in dictionary to exemplify the irregularities of the verbs:

lîβam (êp)
to see

The imperfect tense conveys ongoing or habitual actions or states in the past.