Rertu morphology
- Main article: Rertu
This page gives an extensive description of Rertu morphological features.
As already mentioned, Rertu is a morphologically isolating language. Each lexeme does not undergo any morphological mutation. Syntactical roles are thus entirely expressed by syntax and word order. Lexemes can, however, combine in many derivative processes.
Nouns
Nouns in Rertu usually have a multisyllabic form; they very rarely have a monosyllabic form.
On the morphological level nouns display no number, case or definiteness, exhibiting always the same unaltered form:
mṓrɟa wolf - a wolf - the wolf - wolves - the wolves
Adjectives and pronouns
Adjectives and pronouns have their own form, but, like the nouns, they do not display any morphological change for either number, case or definiteness.
Adjectives
Both attributive and predicative adjectives are always placed after the nouns they specify.
rosmɔ ī́rjun a young man
ɛšaʔ rosmɔ ī́rjun the man is young
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a decimal base.
Cardinal numerals
The first ten cardinal numbers are forms on their own:
| pɛ̄́m | |
| laz | |
| hū́d | |
| ɟā̀r | |
| šuʔ | |
| tū̀ŋ | |
| kī́r | |
| žḗr | |
| bɔp | |
| šū̀l |
Numerals from 11 to 19 are built with the construction NUM + šū̀l, with one irregular form:
| pɛ̄́mšū̀l | |
| lašū̀l | |
| hū́dšū̀l | |
| ɟā̀ršū̀l | |
| šuʔšū̀l | |
| tū̀ŋšū̀l | |
| kī́ršū̀l | |
| žḗršū̀l | |
| bɔpšū̀l |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are forms on their own:
| ī̀m | |
| ɔrī̀m |
The numerals for the multiples of tens, hundreds and thousands are built with the construction NUM + -(a)rašū̀l / -(a)razī̀m / -(a)razɔrī̀m:
| lazrašū̀l | lazrazī̀m | lazrazɔrī̀m | |
| hū́drašū̀l | hū́drazī̀m | hū́drazɔrī̀m | |
| ɟā̀rarašū̀l | ɟā̀rarazī̀m | ɟā̀rarazɔrī̀m | |
| šuʔrašū̀l | šuʔrazī̀m | šuʔrazɔrī̀m | |
| tū̀ŋrašū̀l | tū̀ŋrazī̀m | tū̀ŋrazɔrī̀m | |
| kī́rarašū̀l | kī́rarazī̀m | kī́rarazɔrī̀m | |
| žḗrarašū̀l | žḗrarazī̀m | žḗrarazɔrī̀m | |
| bɔprašū̀l | bɔprazī̀m | bɔprazɔrī̀m |
Numbers above the multiples of thousands have no name and are specified by the lesser numerals.
Composite numbers are built by just putting them beside, without any conjunction, in descending order:
- 2985: lazrazɔrī̀m bɔprazī̀m žḗrarašū̀l šuʔ
As for other parts of the language, all cardinal numerals are meant as invariable forms.
Ordinal numerals
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the prefix pe- to the cardinal numeral form:
| pepɛ̄́m | |
| pelaz | |
| pehū́d | |
| peɟā̀r | |
| pešuʔ | |
| petū̀ŋ | |
| pekī́r | |
| pežḗr | |
| pebɔp | |
| pešū̀l | |
| pepɛ̄́mšū̀l | |
| pelašū̀l | |
| pelazrašū̀l | |
| pehū́drašū̀l | |
| petū̀ŋrazī̀m | |
| pebɔprazɔrī̀m |
If the numeral form is composite, the prefix is added to every form:
- 325th: pehū́drazī̀m pelazrašū̀l pešuʔ
