User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII: Difference between revisions
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šurẽtužə h́äc bükãšy | šurẽtužə h́äc bükãšy | ||
<small>the one million people</small> | |||
kö qaki šurẽtũ h́äc bükãšy | kö qaki šurẽtũ h́äc bükãšy | ||
<small>to the two billions people</small> | |||
In the modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Iðâɣ language. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics: | In the modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Iðâɣ language. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics: | ||
Revision as of 10:05, 30 August 2025
- Main article: Höśikə
This page gives an extensive description of Höśikə morphological features.
Nouns
Nouns in Höśikə 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 display neither gender nor class distinction. Nouns are divided and categorized in six declension groups, each distinguished by the plural formation and the last phoneme of the word.
There are, moreover, two morphological numbers for almost all nouns, singular and plural, and a limited case system. Nouns also display two forms, the indefinite form and the definite form, the latter being built by adding the postposed definite article.
Cases
Höśikə nouns do decline, according to a nominative-accusative system with 2 cases:
| Direct | This case marks both the subject and the direct object of a verb. It can be also used with some prepositions. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form. |
| Oblique | It has no specifical meaning and it is generally used only with prepositions. It can be occasionally used without prepositions, with some verbs, and it may mark the indirect object in some kinds of pronouns. |
Articles
There is only one article, the definite article, which is placed after the first element in the noun cluster as a suffixal form. It agrees with the noun cluster only in number.
In the singular direct case two forms of the article are listed. The choice between the two forms depends on the last phoneme of the definite word:
- žə is placed after a word ending with a vowel.
- ɛž is placed after a word ending with a consonant.
A noun or another element with the definite article attached is regarded as being in its definite form. A noun or another element without the article is regarded as being in its indefinite form.
When a noun cluster has more than one element, the article is attached only to the first element. Other elements remain in their indefinite form.
kɛvə - kɛvəžə a wolf - the wolf
ruqažə qokjə rimusjyti the good old shepherd
Noun declension
Nouns are divided in six groups for nominal declension. These groups are commonly called declensions. Such declensions are distinguished by the last phoneme of the singular direct case form, by the formation of plural forms and by the added phonemes within the declension process.
As a whole, plural formation is marked by nasalisation of the last vocalic phoneme. Some declension are further divided in subgroups.
Nouns are declined, moreover, in case by adding the following endings to the base form of the noun:
| - | |
| -šy |
First declension
First declension nouns end in a simple vowel in their base form.
This vowel is nasalized in the plural forms, but it remains unaffected in its quality in both case and plural formation. All patterns involve, thus, a single vowel:
Example: sopa, dog.
| sopa | sopažə | sopã | sopãžõ | |
| sopašy | sopašyžə | sopãšy | sopãšyžõ | |
Second declension
Second declension nouns end in a simple vowel in their base form.
This vowel is nasalized in the plural forms, and it undergoes some kind of alteration in quality in either case or plural formation.
Subgroup A
The final vowel remains unaffected in quality in the singular, but it undergoes a change in quality in the plural, together with nasalisation. All patterns involve, thus, two vowels:
Example: čeri, bridge.
| čeri | čerižə | čerỹ | čerỹžõ | |
| čerišy | čerišyžə | čerỹšy | čerỹšyžõ | |
Subgroup B
The final vowel rundergoes a change in quality both in the singular and in the plural, together with nasalisation. All patterns involve, thus, two vowels:
Example: ɛcə, year.
| ɛcə | ɛcəžə | ɛcõ | ɛcõžõ | |
| ɛcošy | ɛcošyžə | ɛcõšy | ɛcõšyžõ | |
Subgroup C
The final vowel (usually preceded by the semivowel -j-) undergoes a first change in quality in the singular, then it undergoes a further change and in the plural, together with nasalisation. All patterns involve, thus, three vowels:
Example: ħukjə, bear.
| ħukjə | ħukjəžə | ħukjỹ | ħukjỹžõ | |
| ħukješy | ħukješyžə | ħukjỹšy | ħukjỹšyžõ | |
Third declension
Third declension nouns end in a consonant in their base form.
A vowel is added withing declension. This vowel is nasalized in the plural forms, and it may undergo some kind of alteration in quality in either case or plural formation.
Subgroup A
The vowel -ɛ- is added. This vowel is nasalized in the plural forms, but it remains unaffected in its quality in both case and plural formation. All patterns involve, thus, a single vowel:
Example: uħetnỹm, stylus.
| uħetnỹm | uħetnỹmɛž | uħetnỹmɛ̃ | uħetnỹmɛ̃žõ | |
| uħetnỹmɛšy | uħetnỹmɛšyžə | uħetnỹmɛ̃šy | uħetnỹmɛ̃šyžõ | |
Subgroup B
The vowel -e- is added. This vowel undergoes a change in quality and it is nasalized in the plural forms. All patterns involve, thus, two vowels:
Example: büts, leg.
| büts | bütsɛž | bütsỹ | bütsỹžõ | |
| bütsešy | bütsešyžə | bütsỹšy | bütsỹšyžõ | |
Fourth declension
Fourth declension nouns end in a nasal vowel in their base form.
This vowel remains unaffected in quality and nasalisation in both case and plural formation. All patterns involve, thus, a single vowel:
Example: śuqɛ̃, woman.
| śuqɛ̃ | śuqɛ̃žə | śuqɛ̃ | śuqɛ̃žõ | |
| śuqɛ̃šy | śuqɛ̃šyžə | śuqɛ̃šy | śuqɛ̃šyžõ | |
As it can be easily noticed, nouns belonging to this declension do not actually distinguish the singular the plural number in their indefinite form. In such cases, distinction in number is made by other elements in the sentence, like adjectives or verbs.
śuqɛ̃ cöraq - śuqɛ̃ cöraqõ a woman is running - some women are running
Fifth declension
Fifth declension nouns end in a nasal vowel in their base form.
This vowel remains unaffected in nasalisation in the plural, but it undergoes a change in quality in case formation in the singular. All patterns involve, thus, two vowels:
Example: rjeħẽ, river.
| rjeħẽ | rjeħẽžə | rjeħỹ | rjeħỹžõ | |
| rjeħẽšy | rjeħẽšyžə | rjeħỹšy | rjeħỹšyžõ | |
Sixth declension
Sixth declension nouns do not display a regular declension pattern. This conjugation encompasses every noun which does not fit in the previous regular declensions.
Since it does not display a default pattern, the few sixth declension nouns are regarded as inherently irregular. The indefinite singular oblique form and the indefinite direct plural form are clearly mentioned in the dictionary.
Adjectives and pronouns
Adjectives closely resemble the noun form, usually showing the same exceptions of nouns. Pronouns, instead, may exhibit different forms in the root form.
Adjectives
Attributive adjectives are always placed before the nouns they specify, while predicative adjectives are always placed after them of after the verb.
höpäžə jyrə the young man
jyrəžə qɛň höpä the man is young
All adjectives agree in case and number with the noun they specify, being declined with the nominal endings and folliwing the same declension groups of the nominal declension. Within the noun cluster they can take the definite form, if they are the first element in a definite noun cluster.
rjeqəžə sovə h́äc höpäšyžə jyrošy mjeqis qü̃ pikə ɛci the young man’s new house is located in the nearby village
Declension of qualifying adjectives
Adjectival declension follow the same rules as the nominal declension, with the same exceptions.
Example: śüri, big, with sovə, house
| śüri sovə | śürižə sovə | śürỹ sovõ | śürỹžõ sovõ | |
| śürišy sovošy | śürišyžə sovošy | śürỹšy sovõšy | śürỹšyžõ sovõšy | |
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns feature a distinction between two forms for the oblique case. The first form (named oblique1) is used for most roles of the case, and with every preposition requiring the oblique case. The second form (named oblique2) is used as the indirect object of the clause, without any preposition.
The personal pronouns are:
| hə | nɛ | ni | hõ | nɛ̃ | nỹ | |
| hošy | nɛšy | nišy | hõšy | nɛ̃šy | nỹšy | |
| hoh́ɛ | nɛh́ɛ | nih́ɛ | hõh́ɛ | nɛ̃h́ɛ | nỹh́ɛ |
No personal pronoun displays a definite form. Personal pronouns tend to stay in their logical syntactical position inside the sentence:
hə öš ševə qaljyločytə nɛ I didn't see you
The forms for the genitive case cannot convey possession or belonging, conveying only other roles of such case. Either possession or belonging are conveyed through possessive adjectives or pronouns.
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
Cardinal numerals
Each cardinal number displays both an indefinite and a definite form. The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
| śäqə | śäqəžə | |
| qaki | qakižõ | |
| mikö | miköžõ | |
| vö | vöžõ | |
| çäv | çävžõ | |
| dö | döžõ | |
| h́aśɛ | h́aśɛžõ | |
| cuq | cuqžõ | |
| tsoby | tsobyžõ | |
| bjeqə | bjeqəžõ |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + βjeqẽ, with some irregularities:
| śäqoβjeqẽ | śäqoβjeqẽžõ | |
| qakiβjeqẽ | qakiβjeqẽžõ | |
| miköβjeqẽ | miköβjeqẽžõ | |
| vöβjeqẽ | vöβjeqẽžõ | |
| çäveβjeqẽ | çäveβjeqẽžõ | |
| döβjeqẽ | döβjeqẽžõ | |
| h́aśɛβjeqẽ | h́aśɛβjeqẽžõ | |
| cuqeβjeqẽ | cuqeβjeqẽžõ | |
| tsobuβjeqẽ | tsobuβjeqẽžõ |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
| ňäħy | ňäħyžõ | |
| iqä | iqäžõ |
The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + βjeqõ / ňäħỹ / -iqä̃, with some irregularities. Moreover, the ending -iqä̃ sistematically merges with the preceding numerals, resulting mostly in inherently irregular forms:
| qakiβjeqõ | qakiňäħỹ | qakiqä̃ | |
| miköβjeqõ | miköňäħỹ | mikyqä̃ | |
| vöβjeqõ | vöňäħỹ | vyqä̃ | |
| çäveβjeqõ | çäveňäħỹ | çäviqä̃ | |
| döβjeqõ | döňäħỹ | dyqä̃ | |
| h́aśɛβjeqõ | h́aśɛňäħỹ | h́aśyqä̃ | |
| cuqeβjeqõ | cuqeňäħỹ | cuqiqä̃ | |
| tsobuβjeqõ | tsobuňäħỹ | tsobüqä̃ |
Definite forms of these numerals are regularly built by adding the postposed article -žõ.
All cardinal numerals up to these forms are meant as invariable in case. They can however be used without an adjoining noun in their definite forms:
iqäžõ the one thousand
Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 1985: iqä tsobuňäħỹ cuqeβjeqõ çäv
When a composite number displays its definite form, unlike other elements of the noun cluster, the postposed article is added to the last numeral.
mikyqä̃ qakiňäħỹžõ the three thousand and two hundred
Numerals for “million” and “billion” are loanwords from Iðâɣ language:
| šurẽtu (from I. šúrěntu ) | |
| mešurẽtu (from I. mêšúrěntu ) |
These forms are treated as regularly declinable nouns:
| mikö šurẽtũ | |
| dö mešurẽtũ |
Quando queste forme vengono usate come semplici unità di conto, viene generalmente utilizzata la forma del caso accusativo. All’interno di una frase, invece, vengono declinati secondo il caso richiesto dal proprio ruolo sintattico. I nomi successivi a tali numeri vengono introdotti dalla preposizione h́äc e vanno al caso obliquo, e vengono usati alla forma determinata se necessario:
šurẽtužə h́äc bükãšy the one million people
kö qaki šurẽtũ h́äc bükãšy to the two billions people
In the modern period the idea of “zero” is introduced from Iðâɣ language. This numeral is however usually limited to mathematics:
| ħesu (from I. xesú) |
Ordinal numerals
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the adjectival ending -kə to the cardinal numeral form, with some irregularities:
| śäqokə | |
| qakikə | |
| mikökə | |
| vökə | |
| çävekə | |
| dökə | |
| h́aśɛkə | |
| cuqekə | |
| tsobukə | |
| bjeqokə | |
| śäqoβjeqẽkə | |
| qakiβjeqẽkə | |
| qakiβjeqõkə | |
| döβjeqõkə | |
| ňäħukə | |
| miköňäħỹkə | |
| tsobüqä̃kə |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: qakiβjeqõ çävekə
As adjectives, they display a complete declension, with both indefinite and definite forms.
Fractional numerals
Fractional numerals are formed by adding the derivative ending -vü to the cardinal numeral form, with the exceptions of the numeral one, an irregular suppletive form, and some other irregularities:
| - | |
| cüβə | |
| mikövü | |
| vövü | |
| çävevü | |
| dövü | |
| h́aśɛvü | |
| cuqevü | |
| tsobuvü | |
| bjeqovü | |
| śäqoβjeqẽvü | |
| qakiβjeqẽvü | |
| qakiβjeqõvü | |
| döβjeqõvü | |
| ňäħuvü | |
| miköňäħỹvü | |
| tsobüqä̃vü |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25: qakiβjeqõ çävevü
As nominal forms, they display a complete declension, with both indefinite and definite forms.
