User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

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):

In this process the nound builds its plural by adding the ending -jë (to nouns ending in vowel) or -ëj (to nouns ending in vowel), without any root alterations:

sing. me̥rniq → plur. me̥rniqëj
mountain dweller → mountain dwellers

This pluralization process is widespread among loanwords and in some derivative patterns. They are usually shown in the vocabulary

Noun declension

Nouns are also declined in case by adding the following endings to the base form of the noun. Every ending has two different forms, whether it is added to a consonant phoneme or a vocalic phoneme:

	+ consonant	+ vowel
nominative	-	-
accusative	-im	-m
genitive	-aš	-š
dative	-oʔ	-ʔ

Due to the pluralization process, nouns can display a different last phoneme in both forms. In this case the proper endings to the new last phoneme are used.

Some examples are shown below: a noun with a broken plural, tape̥, father, and a noun with a sound plural, me̥rniq, mountain dweller.

	tape̥		me̥rniq
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	tape̥	utpi̥	me̥rniq	me̥rniqëj
accusative	tape̥m	utpi̥m	me̥rniqim	me̥rniqëjim
genitive	tape̥š	utpi̥š	me̥rniqaš	me̥rniqëjaš
dative	tape̥ʔ	utpi̥ʔ	me̥rniqoʔ	me̥rniqëjoʔ