Dzetcavu
Introduction
Phonology
Consonants
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Post Alveolar | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voicless | p /p/ | t /t/ | k /k/ | ||
| voiced | b /b/ | d /d/ | g /g/ | |||
| Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f /f/ | s /s/ | c /ʃ/ | x /x/ | |
| voiced | v /v/ | z /z/ | j /ʒ/ | ĝ /ɣ/ | ||
| Trill | r /r/ | |||||
| Lateral Approximant | l /l/ | |||||
| Affricate | voiceless | ps /ps/ pc /pʃ/ pf /pf/ |
ts /ts/ tc /tʃ/ |
ks /ks/ kc /kʃ/ | ||
| voiced | bz /bz/ bj /bʒ/ bv /bv/ |
dz /dz/ dj /dʒ/ |
gz /gz/ gj /gʒ/ | |||
Vowels
| Front | Back | Diphthongs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i /i/ | u /u/ | ui /ui/ |
| Near-Close | ī /ɪ/ | ||
| Close-Mid | e /e/ | o /o/ | ei /ei/ |
| Open | a /a/ | ai /ai/ |
Orthography
Romanized Alphabet
Dzetcavu Alphabetical Order
p b t d k g m n r f v s z c j x ğ l i u ī e o a
Syntax
Word Order
- VOS/VPA
- Modifier second
Morphology
Morphosyntactic Alignment
- Ergative-Absolutive
Verbs
Tense
Tenses in Dzetcavu are indicated by tense particles proceeding the verb except for the present tense, indicated by the lack of tense particles . There are five tense particles: past, near past, future, near future, and the infinite.
Past
psio
Near Past
sega
Future
degz
Near Future
codz
Infinite
datcī
The Infinite Particle
The infinite "tense" particle is not so much a tense marker as a lack-of-tense marker. The infinite tense is used most often when stating facts or making promises and oaths. Any other situation where tense is not a factor, the infinite tense is used. It can also be used to make emphasize a declaration of some sort such as a declaration of faith, love, or guilt.
Imperative Mood
-ij Verbs
| Simple | Progressive | Perfect | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| 1st Person | -i | -iac | -ri | -ric | -ni | -nic |
| 2nd Person | -iz | -ita | -riz | -rita | -niz | -niza |
| 3rd Person | -ize | -izev | -rize | -riv | -nize | -niv |
-uj Verbs
| Simple | Progressive | Perfect | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| 1st Person | -u | -uīc | -ru | -ruc | -nu | -nuc |
| 2nd Person | -uz | -utī | -ruz | -rut | -nuz | -nut |
| 3rd Person | -uzī | -uzīv | -ruzī | -ruv | -nuzī | -nuv |
-īj Verbs
| Simple | Progressive | Perfect | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| 1st Person | -ī | -īc | -rī | -rīc | -nī | -nīc |
| 2nd Person | -īz | -īt | -rīz | -rīt | -nīz | -nīt |
| 3rd Person | -īze | -īv | -rīze | -rīv | -nīze | -nīv |
-ej Verbs
| Simple | Progressive | Perfect | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| 1st Person | -e | -ec | -re | -rec | -ne | -nec |
| 2nd Person | -ez | -eta | -rez | -ret | -nez | -net |
| 3rd Person | -eze | -ezev | -reze | -rev | -neze | -nev |
Nouns
Pronominal Open Class Words
Dzetcavu doesn't have any official pronouns. Instead, titles or a person's name are used to refer to who is being spoken to or about.
| Title | Person | Formality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| xes | 1st | formal | speaker |
| bai | 2nd | formal | audience |
Sample Texts
Sentences
Tezu pcak. tr. “I see [the] sky.”
Vakri datcī bai,. tr. “I love you.” (declaration)
Tezu xes. tr. “I see myself.”
Vakri nosītc xesdev bai,. tr. “I love you with my heart.”
Vakri xesov. tr. “I love us.”
Tezu lubzīr xesdev. tr. “I see my nose.”
Modkrī tezuj bai. tr. “I am wishing to see you”.
Adric tceks. tr. “We are drinking water.”