Proto-Alri morphology

Main article: Proto-Alri

This page gives an extensive description of Proto-Alri morphological features.

Cases

Proto-Alri nouns do decline, according to an ergative-absolutive system with 9 cases:

Case	Meaning
Ergative	This case marks the subject of a transitive verb.
Absolutive	This case marks primarily the direct object of a transitive verb. It is also used to mark the subject of an intransitive verb. It is regarded as the base form of the noun, and it is used as the vocative form.
Possessive	This case marks an intentional possession, from subjects with a clear and active will.
Terminative	This case marks the final point of a movement (motion toward a place), and, in a broad sense, the indirect object. In a broader sense, it can also mark a natural and unintentional belonging (for example, body parts), without any sign of will of possession, or an inverse belonging.
Ablative	This case marks the point of origin of a movement (motion from a place). It can also mark the origin or the source.
Causative	This case marks the reason or the cause, which are the source of an action or a state.
Benefactive	This case marks the final purpose of an action or a state. In a broad sense, it marks the ultimate beneficiary of an action or a state.
Instrumental	This case marks the tool or the instrument which are used to perform an action or to be in a certain state.
Locative	This case marks the place where an action is performed, or a certain state exist (stative location).

The cases are usually classified in 4 groups:

1. Primary main cases: ergative, possessive
2. Secondary main cases: assolutive
3. Primary oblique cases: terminative, ablative, causative, benefactive
4. Secondary oblique cases: instrumental, locative

Although nouns display neither gender nor class distinction, a noun referring to an intrisically animate entity cannot be declined in the secondary oblique cases, while a noun referring to an intrinsically inanimate entity cannot be declined in the primary main cases.

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

Noun declension

As already mentioned, the word root has a (C)VC structure. When taking a noun role, the root is usually expanded by the nominal suffix -e-.

ṫiʡ- → ṫiʡ- + -e- → ṫiʡe
human → person, human 

There is, however, a limited amount of exceptions, in which the root is not expanded by any suffix, by having a clear noun role.

Nouns do decline, according to their role in the sentence for case. They also distinguish two morphological numbers, singular, and plural.

A nominal root is thus declined for case and number by adding the following morphemes:

Numeral morphemes
singular	-
plural	-j-/-ij-
Case morphemes
ergative	-k̇ə
absolutive	-
possessive	-ṗu
terminative	-ʈu
ablative	-ʡo
causative	-no
abessive	-pə
instrumental	-ma
locative	-wa

The numeral morpheme is always placed before the case morphemes. The form -ij- is added after a semivowel.

Some examples are shown below: a typical active or animate noun, rome, father, and a typical inactive or inanimate noun, tojme, house.

	rome		tojme
	singular	plural	singular	plural
ergative	romek̇ə	romejk̇ə
absolutive	rome	romej	tojme	tojmej
possessive	romeṗu	romejṗu
terminative	romeʈu	romejʈu	tojmeʈu	tojmejʈu
ablative	romeʡo	romejʡo	tojmeʡo	tojmejʡo
causative	romeno	romejno	tojmeno	tojmejno
benefactive	romepə	romejpə	tojmepə	tojmejpə
instrumental			tojmema	tojmejma
locative			tojmewa	tojmejwa

The endings for the secondary oblique cases are not usually added to a semantically animate noun, while the endings for the primary main cases are not usually added to a semantically inanimate noun.

Numerals

Numeral roots are meant as nominal-verbal roots, with a (C)VC- structure.

The numeral system relies on a decimal base.

The first ten cardinal numbers are forms on their own:

digit	noun form
1:	ṫjes-
2:	moʈ-
3:	pʰijn-
4:	sjajr-
5:	ʂewṗ-
6:	kakʰ-
7:	njuʂ-
8:	towʡ-
9:	pəjt-
10:	lujm-

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

digit	noun form
100:	ʂowk̇-
1000:	k̇ajʂ-

If these roots have an adjoining noun, the adjectival ending -i is added to them. They are therefore treated like an adjective and declined in agreement with the noun.

ʂewṗ- → ʂewṗ- + -i- → ʂewṗi
five

If these roots are used as simple count forms, or in a pronominal role, the nominal ending -e is added to them. They are therefore treated like a pronoun and declined according the case required by their syntactical role.

njuʂ- → njuʂ- + -e- → njuʂe
seven

Other numerals do not have indipendent roots. Their forms are built by combining quite freely the already existing roots. There are no fixed construction patterns, as it is noticeable from the different results in daughter languages.

The numerals for tens, hundreds and thousands can be built:

• With the numeral root + the nominal ending -e, as an independent numeral form, NUM + -e:

digit	noun form
tens:	lujime
hundreds:	ʂowk̇e
thousands:	k̇ajʂe

• With the numeral root + the derivative suffix -ʂi, as an independent numeral form, NUM + -ʂi:

digit	noun form
tens:	lujimʂi
hundreds:	ʂowk̇ʂi
thousands:	k̇ajʂəʂi

The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands can be built:

• With the numeral root + lujme/ʂowk̇e/k̇ajʂe in the plural number, NUM + -lujmej/-ʂowk̇ej/-k̇ajʂej:

digit	noun form
30:	moʈlujmej
600:	sjajrʂowk̇ej
9000:	kakʰk̇ajʂej

• With the numeral root + lujmʂi/ʂowk̇ʂi/k̇ajʂəʂi in the plural number, NUM + -lujmʂij/-ʂowk̇ʂij/-k̇ajʂəʂij:

digit	noun form
30:	moʈlujmʂij
600:	sjajrʂowk̇ʂij
9000:	kakʰk̇ajʂəʂij

Numerals from 11 to 19 can be built:

• With the numeral root + the adjectival or nominal ending + lujmʂi, NUM + -i/-e + -lujmʂi

digit	noun form
11:	ṫjesilujmʂi / ṫjeselujmʂi

• With -lujme + the postposition nje, over, + the numeral root + the adjectival or nominal ending, lujme + nje + NUM + -i/-e:

digit	noun form
11:	lujmenjeṫjesi / lujmenjeṫjese

Numbers above the multiples of thousands have no name and are specified by the lesser numerals.

Composite numbers can be built:

• by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:

1985	k̇ajʂe pəjtʂowk̇ej towʡlujmej ʂewṗe

• by linking them with the conjunction tʰe, and, in descending order:

1985	k̇ajʂe tʰe pəjtʂowk̇ej tʰe towʡlujmej tʰe ʂewṗe

Ordinal numerals are be built with the numeral root + the comparative suffix -is + the adjectival ending -i, NUM + -is- + -i:

ṫjes- + -is- + -i- → ṫjesisi
one → first

The first 10 ordinal numerals are:

digit	noun form
1st:	ṫjesisi
2nd:	moʈisi
3rd:	pʰijnisi
4th:	sjajrisi
5th:	ʂewṗisi
6th:	kakʰisi
7th:	njuʂisi-
8th:	towʡisi
9th:	pəjtisi
10th:	lujmisi

For the ordinal numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands the comparative suffix -is- replaces the nominal or adjectival ending -e/-i.

digit	adjective form
11th:	ṫjesilujmʂisi / lujmenjeṫjesisi
12th:	moʈilujmʂisi / lujmenjemoʈisi
20th:	moʈlujmisi / moʈlujmʂisi
30th:	pʰijnlujmisi / pʰijnlujmʂisi
600th:	kakʰʂowk̇isi / kakʰʂowk̇ʂisi
9000th:	pəjtk̇ajʂisi / pəjtk̇ajʂəʂisi

If the numeral form is composite, the comparative ending is added to every form, and they agree with their adjoining noun in case and number:

• 378^th: pʰijnʂowk̇isi (tʰe) njuʂlujmisi (tʰe) towʡisi