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Noun pluralization

Nouns are declined for number according to two different models:

• Broken plural (or internal plural):

In this process the noun builds its plural by switching its vowels in the root:

sing. tape̥ → plur. utpi̥
father → fathers

sing. mu̥ha → plur. e̥mhu
father → fathers

This pluralization process is very widespread among original roots.

Since many basic nouns do not adhere to a define vowel switching pattern, their plural form is shown in the vocabulary.

This process is also used in many derivative patterns. Since these patterns are quite regular and predictive, their plural form is not shown in the vocabulary.

• Sound plural (or external plural):

The last vowel is reduplicated and placed at the end of the word. If this vowel is long, its reduplicated form is shortened.

• Vocalic class: If the noun ends in a short vowel, this vowel is lenghtened. If the last vowel is long, this vowel undergoes breaking or diphthongization. The vowel ə does not undergo any change.

Examples:

sing. tɬʼīx → plur. tɬʼīxi

sing. gāβra → plur. gāβrā

sing. βā → plur. βwa

There is, however, a certain amount of irregularities and exceptions to these rules. For example:

sing. βūβ → plur. βujβ

Noun declension

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

	consonantal class	vocalic class
nominative	-	-
accusative	-ɴ / əɴ1	-ɴ
gen.-dat.	-uɟ	-ɟ
instrumental	-iq	-q
locative	-aʈ	-ʈ

¹ This ending display two possible forms. The latter is used after a nasal consonant, the former is used in every other case.

Due to the pluralization process, nouns can shift from a class to the other one. In this case the proper endings to the new last phoneme are used.

Some examples are shown below: a consonantal class (in the singular) noun, tɬūβ, house, and a vocalic class (in the singular) noun, mū, cow.

	tɬūβ		mū
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	tɬūβ	tɬūβu	mū	muj
accusative	tɬūβɴ	tɬūβuɴ	mūɴ	mujɴ
gen.-dat.	tɬūβuɟ	tɬūβuɟ	mūɟ	mujuɟ
instrumental	tɬūβiq	tɬūβuq	mūq	mujiq
locative	tɬūβaʈ	tɬūβuʈ	mūʈ	mujaʈ

As it can be noticed, some endings in the oblique cases of the consonantal class can display the same vowel of the plural form of the noun. In these cases the nouns do not distinguish any different plural forms.