Verse:Irta/Music
Witcanese is a mainly agglutinative, head-final language.
- Kòtih wanaih kèpwanchè.
- 1SG.GEN-ERG mother-ERG 1SG.ABS-hate-WIT
- My mother used to hate me.
Phonology
Witcanese has a simple syllable structure relative to most European languages. Permissible syllable shapes are V, CV, VC, CVC, CGV, and CGVC where G is a glide.
Grammar
Nouns
| Noun Declension | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number→ Case↓ |
Singular | Plural | ||
| Absolutive | -0 | -y, -i | ||
| Ergative | -ih | -yih | ||
| Dative | -af | -yaf | ||
| Locative | -him | -ihim, -yhim | ||
| Ablative | -chay | -ichay, -ychay | ||
| Comitative | -yã | -iyã, -yã | ||
| Instrumental | -run | -irun, -yrun | ||
| Essive | -hòg | -ihòg, -yhòg | ||
| Genitive | -t- (see Genitive declension) | |||
Adjectives and Genitives
Adjectives (including genitives) agree with the noun in case and number. Adjectives take the same endings as nouns. However, many adjectives are genitive adjectives formed form nouns, corresponding to the adjectival suffix in other languages.
| Genitive Declension | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number→ Case↓ |
Singular | Plural | ||
| Absolutive | -t | -tèy | ||
| Ergative | -tih | -tyih | ||
| Dative | -taf | -tyaf | ||
| Locative | -thim | -tihim | ||
| Ablative | -tchay | -tichay | ||
| Comitative | -tyã | -tiyã | ||
| Instrumental | -tèrun | -tirun | ||
| Essive | -thòg | -tihòg | ||
| Genitive | -tèt- | |||
Verbs
Verbs in Witcanese have no tense or aspect inflection; instead, there is evidentiality and mood which can do double duty as certain tenses The irrealis is the default, unmarked mood/evidentiality, serving the role of the infinitive or the future in other languages.
| Witcanese mood/evidentiality affixes | |
|---|---|
| irrealis | -Ø |
| witness | -chè |
| emphatic | -kòd |
| jurative | -tèmuh |
| quotative | -sha |
| mirative | -quh |
| hearsay | -ot |
| inferential | -eq |
| assumptive | -rwè |
| optative | -mes |
| imperative | -wõ |
| potential | -hiw |
| desiderative | -pãs |
| admonitive | -ay |
| permissive | -hyè |
- Phátu nukuchè...
- When did I last see it... (lit. When it was_located-I saw...)
The mirative marks new information that the speaker is witnessing. It often corresponds to present tense. In narratives it is used to exhort the listener for attention.
- Qayòlih milám hugaquh.
- Hey, the demon's chasing the dog!/Behold, the demon chased the dog.
The quotative is used for information from third-party sources deemed to be authoritative. As such it is the evidential most often encountered in narratives.
- Qayòlih milám hugasha.
- The demon chased the dog. (narrative)
The admonitive is used in prohibitions and warnings, and for negative purpose clauses.
- Phi qhashãsay
- Do not wander around
- ha ãbè mòsipay
- lest this be forgotten
Witcanese makes use of verbal affixes, instead of intonation (like English) or word order (as in some European languages and Celtic/Hebrew), in order to focus a constituent.
| Focus prefixes | |
|---|---|
| absolutive | ne- |
| ergative | hin- |
| beneficiary | mac- |
| instrument | qo- |
| location | ya- |
| source | hòt- |
| goal | up- |
| time | al- |