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:
- 1st class: human beings, animals, deities
- 2nd 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.
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
| šâ | |
| áɣi | |
| miɣò | |
| gô | |
| pâ | |
| hû | |
| áša | |
| kù | |
| sô | |
| çê |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + ɣi (derived form of gu, over) + çê:
| šâɣiçê | |
| áɣiɣiçê | |
| miɣòɣiçê | |
| gôɣiçê | |
| pâɣiçê | |
| hûɣiçê | |
| ášaɣiçê | |
| kùɣiçê | |
| sôɣiçê |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
| náðu | |
| 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:
| áɣirəɸê | áɣirənáðu | áɣirêntu | |
| miɣòrəɸê | miɣòrənáðu | miɣòrêntu | |
| gôrəɸê | gôrənáðu | gôrêntu | |
| pârəɸê | pârənáðu | pârêntu | |
| hûrəɸê | hûrənáðu | hûrêntu | |
| ášarəɸê | ášarənáðu | ášarêntu | |
| kùrəɸê | kùrənáðu | kùrêntu | |
| 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).
| šúrěntu (from šúri ěntu) | |
| mêšúrěntu (from mê šúri ěntu) |
These forms are treated as regularly declinable nouns:
| 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:
| xesú (from C. xesü) |
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the adjectival ending -ɣə to the cardinal numeral form:
| šâɣə | |
| áɣiɣə | |
| miɣòɣə | |
| gôɣə | |
| pâɣə | |
| hûɣə | |
| ášaɣə | |
| kùɣə | |
| sôɣə | |
| 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:
| šúrěntuɣə | |
| mêšúrěntuɣə | |
| miɣòmêšúrěntuɣə |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: áɣirəɸê pâɣə
