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{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|image        = NWO-1.png
|image        = Na_Pantera_na_Sufetysyn.png
|imagesize    = 350px
|imagesize    = 350px
|imagecaption  = Flag of the New World Order
|imagecaption  = Flag of the New World Order
|name          = High Common
|name          = High Common
|nativename    = ''na Xafen''
|nativename    = na Xafen
|pronunciation = [ˈʃa.ven]
|pronunciation = ˈʃa.ven
|region        = Global
|region        = Global
|nation        = New World Order
|nation        = New World Order
|speakers      = ~800 million, 4.5 billion L2
|speakers      = ~800 million
|speakers2    = L2: 4.5 billion
|date          = 2115
|date          = 2115
|familycolor  = #8fe9ff
|familycolor  = Na-Dené
|fam1          = Old Common
|fam1          = Old Common
|fam2          = Modern Common
|fam2          = Modern Common
|creator      = Peter K. Davidson
|creator      = Peter K. Davidson
|setting      = Earth 0077
|setting      = Earth-0077
|dialects      = Old Common, High Common, various Low Common
|dialects      = Old Common, High Common, various Low Common
|script        = Common alphabet (Roman alphabet without b, d, g, q and v)
|script        = Common alphabet (Roman alphabet without b, d, g, q and v)
|agency        = ''Na Akkatemi na Xafen Zisse''<br/>(Common Language Academy)
|agency        = ''Na Akkatemi na Xafen Zisse''<br/>(Common Language Academy)
|iso3         = qcx
|clcr         = qcx
|notice        = IPA
|notice        = IPA
}}
}}
Common is a language spoken on Earth 0077. In that dimension, almost the entire planet is dominated by a polity called the New World Order. Almost all media obtained from that dimension are in the Common language, although there is ample evidence of natural languages we are familiar with from our own dimension still being spoken.
'''Common''' is a language spoken on Earth-0077. In that dimension, almost the entire planet is dominated by a polity called the New World Order. Almost all media obtained from that dimension are in the Common language, although there is ample evidence of natural languages we are familiar with from our own dimension still being spoken.


The history of Earth 0077 and our own dimension appear nearly identical until the early 2020s, where they begin to diverge significantly. Because of the dominance of Common in most public life in Earth 0077, the aetherscope has been able to recover an abundance of materials in Common from this dimension but little in the way of exposition on the Common language itself in English. Our greatest source on the Common language itself is a blog published in the Free State of Britain, which is apparently the sole remaining polity on earth where English remains dominant.
The histories of Earth-0077 and our own dimension appear nearly identical until the early 2020s, where we presume they begin to diverge significantly. One major early difference is that the COVID-19 pandemic did not occur in that dimension, instead records refer to a similar but later COVID-23 global pandemic. Because of the dominance of Common in most public life in Earth-0077, the aetherscope has been able to recover an abundance of materials in Common from this dimension but little in the way of exposition on the Common language itself in English. Our greatest source on the Common language itself is a blog published in the Free State of Britain, which is apparently the sole remaining polity on earth where English remains dominant.


The writer, who writes under the pseudonym "Trafalgar," writes in English for an English-speaking audience. They appear to be a former adventurer and current academic, and the purpose of their blog is to provide information on Common and the New World Order for British people. It seems that they write under a pseudonym in order to provide unvarnished, nuanced opinions without suffering personal, negative consequences. They write as though they may have collaborators, but all posts thus far have been tagged as posted by Trafalgar, and there is no definite evidence of other collaborators.
The writer, who writes under the pseudonym "Trafalgar," writes in English for an English-speaking audience. They appear to be a former adventurer and current academic, and the purpose of their blog is to provide information on Common and the New World Order for British people. It seems that they write under a pseudonym in order to provide unvarnished, nuanced opinions without suffering personal, negative consequences. They write as though they may have collaborators, but all posts thus far have been tagged as posted by Trafalgar, and there is no definite evidence of other collaborators.


Earth 0077 is interesting because it is time-slipped relative to our own. For that reason, it is a potential source of new technologies, as well as information and cautions about the dangers we may face in our own time. The aetherscope accesses that dimension at a time point with a constant offset from our own that appears to be approximately 100 years in the future.
Earth-0077 is interesting because it is time-slipped relative to our own. For that reason, it is a potential source of new technologies, as well as information and cautions about the dangers we may face in our own time. The aetherscope accesses that dimension at a time point with a constant offset from our own that appears to be approximately 100 years in the future.


Trafalgar's [https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/language/common/ Common Social Resource blog] is mirrored in real time at the link given here, but frustratingly, they don't include the year in their article publication dates, and the publication date is updated every time they edit and release a new version of an article, which is frequently. Trafalgar's materials are invaluable, however, because they allow us to understand potentially useful materials from Earth 0077 with much greater ease than would otherwise be possible, and their exposition about the New World Order, while necessarily limited and biased, has nevertheless been hugely helpful in understanding the context of other materials recovered from that dimension. They appear to be exceptionally knowledgeable about the New World Order and at least make an attempt at academic objectivity, as a number of their assertions that researchers initially questioned turned out to be corroborated and confirmed by other sources.
Trafalgar's [https://www.designerlanguages.com/language/common/ Common Social Resource blog] is mirrored in real time at the link given here, but frustratingly, they don't include the year in their article publication dates, and the publication date is updated every time they edit and release a new version of an article, which is frequently. Trafalgar's materials are invaluable, however, because they allow us to understand potentially useful materials from Earth-0077 with much greater ease than would otherwise be possible, and their exposition about the New World Order, while necessarily limited and biased, has nevertheless been hugely helpful in understanding the context of other materials recovered from that dimension. They appear to be exceptionally knowledgeable about the New World Order and at least make an attempt at academic objectivity, as a number of their assertions that researchers initially questioned turned out to be corroborated and confirmed by other sources.


We have relied heavily on Trafalgar's work to create this article, some of which is copied word-for-word from the Common Social Resource blog.
We have relied heavily on Trafalgar's work to create this article, some of which is copied word-for-word from the Common Social Resource blog.
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==Introduction==
==Introduction==


Common is the official and main working language of the New World Order (NWO - in Common, ''na Lufis Sefetysyn na Onpa'' or ''LSO''). The NWO is the dominant governmental authority on Earth 0077, claiming to be the sole, rightful global sovereignty. The Order appears to control the entire planet with the exception of the Five Free States ("nar suz ikrowéteras sifysyn" in Common, "the five noncompliant states"), consisting of Britain, Québec, Israel, South Korea and Japan. These five states are all nuclear powers, and are able to exclude the authority of the New World Order form their territory. The Order is able to effectively control the rest of Earth 0077, and from the Order's perspective, the Free States are not legitimate, independent sovereignties, but NWO states in a state of noncompliance.
Common is the official and main working language of the New World Order (NWO - in Common, ''na Lufis Sufetysyn na Onpa'' or ''LSO''). The NWO is the dominant governmental authority on Earth-0077, claiming to be the sole, rightful global sovereignty. The Order appears to control the entire planet with the exception of the Five Free States ("nar suz ikrowéteras sifysyn" in Common, "the five noncompliant states"), consisting of Britain, Québec, Israel, South Korea and Japan. These five states are all nuclear powers, and are able to exclude the authority of the New World Order from their territory. The Order is able to effectively control the rest of Earth-0077, and from the Order's perspective, the Free States are not legitimate, independent sovereignties, but NWO states in a state of noncompliance.


Common is the first language of about 800 million people, or approximately 11% of the global population, and is estimated to have approximately 4.5 billion second language speakers. These figures come from the 2115 Global Census. However, as Trafalgar writes about their world, "Yes, technological civilization survived and yes, some areas of technology like computers and biotech are more refined, but in general, the modern world is tired and broken and cruel, and healing only slowly."[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/6/] The Order's ability to gather data is hence somewhat flawed despite its technological advantages, and the Order itself is far from transparent. These figures need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, enough corroboration exists that we believe they are roughly correct.
Common is the first language of about 800 million people, or approximately 11% of the global population, and is estimated to have approximately 4.5 billion second language speakers. These figures come from the 2115 Global Census. However, as Trafalgar writes about their world, "Yes, technological civilization survived and yes, some areas of technology like computers and biotech are more refined, but in general, the modern world is tired and broken and cruel, and healing only slowly."[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/6/] The Order's ability to gather data is hence somewhat flawed despite its technological advantages, and the Order itself is far from transparent. These figures need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, enough corroboration exists that we believe they are roughly correct.


These numbers understate the importance of Common. Those 800 million people represent the entire elite class and most of the professional class in the NWO. Virtually all education and public life is conducted in that language, and other languages appear to be driven to a substratum position. The time point observed by the aetherscope appears to be one where language replacement of most natural languages by Common on a massive scale is in its early phases but advancing rapidly.
These numbers understate the importance of Common. Those 800 million people represent the entire elite class and most of the professional class in the NWO. Virtually all education and public life is conducted in that language, and other languages appear to be driven to a substratum position. The time point observed by the aetherscope appears to be one where language replacement of most natural languages by Common on a massive scale is in its early phases but advancing rapidly.
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===Characteristics===
===Characteristics===


Common is an a priori constructed language with extensive real-world language contact influences. Its creator was commissioned to create a language that wasn't based on any existing language that would seem unfamiliar or disorienting to an audience and not evoke any particular real-world society, but that would not pose an undue challenge for English speaking actors. It was important that actors be able to pronounce the language, but not important that they understand what they were saying. Hence, Common is relatively prosaic phonologically from an English perspective but has some relatively stranger qualities in other respects.
Common is an a priori constructed language with extensive real-world language contact influences. Its creator was commissioned to create a language that wasn't based on any existing language and that would seem unfamiliar or disorienting to an audience and not evoke any particular real-world society, but that would not pose an undue challenge for English speaking actors. It was important that actors be able to pronounce the language, but not important that they understand what they were saying. Hence, Common is relatively prosaic phonologically from an English perspective but has some relatively stranger qualities in other respects.


Common has isolating tendencies. It prefers an SVO word order but uses case marking on its mandatory articles and has relatively free phrase order. It uses ergative-absolutive alignment, which is unusual for an SVO language, but Trafalgar speculates that Davidson didn't have a full grasp on what he was doing when he created this aspect of Common.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/114/] It does not have grammatical gender, but the original version of the language did, and traces of the original system remain in the language.
Common has isolating tendencies. It prefers an SVO word order but uses case marking on its mandatory articles and has relatively free phrase order. It uses ergative-absolutive alignment, which is unusual for an SVO language, but Trafalgar speculates that Davidson didn't have a full grasp on what he was doing when he created this aspect of Common.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/114/] It does not have grammatical gender, but the original version of the language did, and traces of the original system remain in the language.


The structure of Common is very pro-drop with many elements in specific roles being able to be dropped very readily. Verbs are unique for declaring their core argument structure without agreeing with any of their arguments. Old Common had an abstract/concrete gender distinction, but this was lost in the transition to modern High Common.
The structure of Common is very pro-drop with many elements in specific roles being able to be dropped very readily. Verbs are unique for declaring their core argument structure without agreeing with any of their arguments. All arguments to a verb may be dropped if clear from context. Old Common had an abstract/concrete gender distinction, but this was lost in the transition to modern High Common.


Common is notable for a very specific phrase structure with both head first and head last qualities. Every phrase has a left head that carries all of the grammatical information and a right head that carries the most salient semantic information. It has four cases, three numbers, two tenses, two aspects and two moods, as well as declaring five valence patterns.
Common is notable for a very specific phrase structure with both head first and head last qualities. Every phrase has a left head that carries all of the grammatical information and a right head that carries the most salient semantic information. It has four cases, three numbers, two tenses, two aspects and two moods, as well as declaring five valence patterns.


Common defines its own linguistic concepts and forces people to deal with them. Trafalgar is often at pains to point out where Common is making up its own categories and terminology that they regard as nonstandard or incorrect. This is seen particularly with parts of speech. The parts of speech of Common are determiners (mandatory articles that introduce noun phrases and mandatory auxiliary verbs that introduce verb phrases), terms (a collapsed class of nouns and verbs that get their "noun-ness" or "verb-ness" from the determiner they are used with), modifiers (adjectives and adverbs), conjunctions, and interjections.
Common defines its own linguistic concepts and forces people to deal with them. Trafalgar is often at pains to point out where Common is making up its own categories and terminology that they regard as nonstandard or incorrect. This is seen particularly with parts of speech. The parts of speech of Common are determiners (mandatory articles that introduce noun phrases and mandatory auxiliary verbs that introduce verb phrases), terms (a collapsed class of nouns and verbs that get their "noun-ness" or "verb-ness" from the determiner they are used with), modifiers (prepositions, adjectives and adverbs), conjunctions, and interjections.


===History===
===History===


Trafalgar has written a more extensive history of the language, and a number of other articles that fill in significant gaps in Common's history as we know it.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/6/] The first ''Hillbillies'' episodes with dialog in Common aired in 2022, so the substantial work of the creating the language was probably performed in 2021-2022.
Trafalgar has written a more extensive history of the language, and a number of other articles that fill in significant gaps in Common's history as we know it.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/6/] The first ''Hillbillies'' episodes with dialog in Common aired in 2022, so the substantial work of the creating the language was probably performed in 2021-2022.


Peter K. Davidson claims to have followed a naturalistic process to create the Common language, but Trafalgar, for one, clearly doubts this was actually the case. They seem to think that Davidson gave Common some attributes designed to make it look like it was created in a naturalistic fashion (i.e., evolved from a constructed protolanguage following the principles of historical linguistics to create a language that looks like the product of normal linguistic evolution). Davidson died during civil unrest in 2031 at the age of 44 and his husband followed not long after, and it appears few of his personal notes survived. Davidson's death marks the end of the fan- and creator-driven growth of the language and the transition into Common being more the possession of young, radical Globalists who had significant overlap with the ''Hillbillies'' fan base and who used it as a kind of code speech.
Peter K. Davidson claims to have followed a naturalistic process to create the Common language, but Trafalgar, for one, clearly doubts this was actually the case. They seem to think that Davidson gave Common some attributes designed to make it look like it was created in a naturalistic fashion (i.e., evolved from a constructed protolanguage following the principles of historical linguistics to create a language that looks like the product of normal linguistic evolution).  
 
Davidson died during civil unrest in 2031 at the age of 44 and his husband followed not long after, and it appears few of his personal notes survived. Davidson's death marks the end of the fan- and creator-driven growth of the language and the transition into Common being more the possession of young, radical Globalists who had significant overlap with the ''Hillbillies'' fan base and who used it as a kind of code speech.


The language underwent extensive evolution between its creation in ca. 2021 and its adoption as the official language of the New World Order in 2043. During this period, the world went through the Global Collapse, a devastating and protracted unraveling of the global economy and national and global institutions coupled with an accelerating and multifaceted environmental crisis. Common underwent phonological and grammatical changes during this time, especially the loss of gender and the re-purposing of the gender agreement morphology to mark a definite/indefinite distinction on nouns and to take over the realis/irrealis marking on verbs. It also coined and borrowed a large amount of new vocabulary.
The language underwent extensive evolution between its creation in ca. 2021 and its adoption as the official language of the New World Order in 2043. During this period, the world went through the Global Collapse, a devastating and protracted unraveling of the global economy and national and global institutions coupled with an accelerating and multifaceted environmental crisis. Common underwent phonological and grammatical changes during this time, especially the loss of gender and the re-purposing of the gender agreement morphology to mark a definite/indefinite distinction on nouns and to take over the realis/irrealis marking on verbs. It also coined and borrowed a large amount of new vocabulary.


''Na Akkatemi na Xafen Zisse'', the "Common Language Academy," or "AXZ," was created in 2043 to codify the Common language.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/102/] Under the leadership of David Chang, the formal language today known as "High Common" was codified in a way that attempted to both make it standard and universal, but within that to keep it as close to the actual speech of elite speakers as possible. This had the effect of formalizing the changes away from Old Common, the language of ''Hillbillies''. The AXZ was tasked with hiring an army of experts in every field imaginable coining a huge amount of new vocabulary and terminology to make Common a fully competent replacement for English.
''Na Akkatemi na Xafen Zisse'', the "Common Language Academy," or "AXZ," was created in 2043 to codify the Common language.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/102/] Under the leadership of David Chang, the formal language today known as "High Common" was codified in a way that attempted to both make it standard and universal, but within that to keep it as close to the actual speech of elite speakers as possible. This had the effect of formalizing the changes away from Old Common, the language of ''Hillbillies''. The AXZ was tasked with hiring an army of experts in every field imaginable to coin a huge amount of new vocabulary and terminology to make Common a fully competent replacement for English.


Since roughly the 2060s, changes to official High Common have slowed down, and at the same time, adoption of the language has grown exponentially. Common is the language of education and public life, and parents who are speakers of other languages will often speak only Common to their children, so their children will grow up as native speakers and obtain social and economic advantages. At the same time, the status of other languages has cratered, and English in particular outside the protective oasis of Britain has fallen dramatically in status.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/108/]
Since roughly the 2060s, changes to official High Common have slowed down, and at the same time, adoption of the language has grown exponentially. Common is the language of education and public life, and parents who are speakers of other languages will often speak only Common to their children, so their children will grow up as native speakers and obtain social and economic advantages. At the same time, the status of other languages has cratered, and English in particular outside the protective oasis of Britain has fallen dramatically in status.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/108/]


===Sociolinguistics===
===Sociolinguistics===
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Any consonants except /j/, /w/ and /h/ can be geminated. Geminate consonants occur internally to words only, and the syllable boundary runs right through them. The letters <j>, <w> and <h> corresponding to /j/, /w/ and /h/ may appear doubled in writing due to affixation but are treated as a single, normal-length consonant.


====Allophonic Rules====
====Allophonic Rules====
Any consonants except /j/, /w/ and /h/ can be geminated. Geminate consonants occur internally to words only, and the syllable boundary runs right through them. The letters <j>, <w> and <h> corresponding to /j/, /w/ and /h/ may appear doubled in writing due to affixation but are treated as a single, normal-length consonant.


For some speakers, and in some circumstances such as speaking emphatically or enunciating carefully, aspirated consonants may be heard, especially in areas where a major substratum language has them, such as phonemically in Chinese or allophonically as in English. However, such sounds don't participate in systematic allophonic variation and are generally ignored in a basic discussion of the sound structure of Common. Systematic allophonies are taught, because a large amount of Common learning is L2, and L2 speakers need to understand these rules for good pronunciation. The rules of allophony are not reflected in spelling and must be understood through native speaker intuition or learned.
For some speakers, and in some circumstances such as speaking emphatically or enunciating carefully, aspirated consonants may be heard, especially in areas where a major substratum language has them, such as phonemically in Chinese or allophonically as in English. However, such sounds don't participate in systematic allophonic variation and are generally ignored in a basic discussion of the sound structure of Common. Systematic allophonies are taught, because a large amount of Common learning is L2, and L2 speakers need to understand these rules for good pronunciation. The rules of allophony are not reflected in spelling and must be understood through native speaker intuition or learned.
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C > [+voice] / [+voice]__[+voice]
C > [+voice] / [+voice]__[+voice]


Essentially this means that inside a word, a single consonant in this class will always be voiced if it is between two sounds which are always voiced. These voiced sounds would be things like vowels, or consonants without unvoiced variants, like /l/, /w/, /r/, /n/, and /m/. If a consonant cluster or geminate (double) consonant occurs, matters become more complicated. If the cluster starts with a continuant (any sound which does not completely obstruct the airflow, such as [s] but not [t]), the voicing does not take effect; otherwise it does, except in the case of gemination. geminate consonants in this class are always devoiced.
Essentially this means that inside a word, a single consonant in this class will always be voiced if it is between two sounds which are always voiced. These voiced sounds would be things like vowels, or consonants without unvoiced variants, like /l/, /w/, /r/, /n/, and /m/. If a consonant cluster or geminate (double) consonant occurs, matters become more complicated. If the cluster starts with a continuant (any sound which does not completely obstruct the airflow, such as [s] but not [t]), the voicing does not take effect; otherwise it does, except in the case of gemination. Geminate consonants in this class are always devoiced.


[-cont]C > [+voice][+voice] / [+voice]__[+voice]
[-cont]C > [+voice][+voice] / [+voice]__[+voice]
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V can be any vowel or diphthong. C3 can be any consonant other than a semivowel (j and w are out - if they appear, it will be in a CV type syllable where V is a diphthong). C1, C2 and C3 are all allowed to be ∅, so V is an allowed syllable. If C1 is ∅, C2 can be any consonant. If C2 is a stop, lateral or nasal, C1 can be s. If C2 is a trill [r], it may be preceded in C1 by a dental consonant, z or t. Those are all of the allowed onset patterns. Listing off the possible syllable onsets, they are:
V can be any vowel or diphthong. C3 can be any consonant other than a semivowel (j and w are out - if they appear, it will be in a CV type syllable where V is a diphthong). C1, C2 and C3 are all allowed to be ∅, so V is an allowed syllable. If C1 is ∅, C2 can be any consonant. If C2 is a stop, lateral or nasal, C1 can be s. If C2 is a trill [r], it may be preceded in C1 by a dental consonant, z or t. Those are all of the allowed onset patterns. Listing off the possible syllable onsets, they are:


Null: ∅
Null: ∅<br>
Single consonant: c, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, x, z
Single consonant: c, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, x, z<br>
Two consonants: sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, tr, zr
Two consonants: sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, tr, zr


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b, d, g, q, v
b, d, g, q, v


Thus, Common uses a 21 letter alphabet. The Common writing system tends to be a very good phonemic representation of Common pronunciation, but does not capture any of the rules of allophony. The other five letters, however, are part of the official Common alphabet and are actually used, although increasingly rarely. They exist for historical reasons, because the first keyboards used by writers of Common had these letters, and because Common writers routinely employed some loanwords without adjusting their spelling to the rules of Common.
Thus, Common uses a 21 letter alphabet. The Common writing system tends to be a very good phonemic representation of Common pronunciation, but does not capture any of the rules of allophony. The other five letters, however, are part of the de facto Common alphabet and are actually used, although increasingly rarely. They exist for historical reasons, because the first keyboards used by writers of Common had these letters, and because Common writers routinely employed some loanwords without adjusting their spelling to the rules of Common.


Even today, some loanwords may have these letters, and they introduce an element of chaos into Common spelling. The best, encouraged style today is to "Commonise" such borrowings to use the closest approximation using the 21 official letters, but a significant number of official, proper spellings using these letters still exist, and as well they are common in personal and place names. The general strategy that Common speakers use to handle such a letter if it appears is to treat it the same as the letter it's most similar to, so to treat d as the same as t, for example, but this is complicated by many factors, such as preservation of irregularities found in the source language, and the fact that many speakers actually can distinguish and pronounce the voiceless/voiced distinction, and do so deliberately, to show off their erudition, or because they are already a speaker of the source language or another, similar language.
Even today, some loanwords may have these letters, and they introduce an element of chaos into Common spelling. The best, encouraged style today is to "Commonise" such borrowings to use the closest approximation using the 21 official letters, but a significant number of official, proper spellings using these letters still exist, and as well they are common in personal and place names. The general strategy that Common speakers use to handle such a letter if it appears is to treat it the same as the letter it's most similar to, so to treat d as the same as t, for example, but this is complicated by many factors, such as preservation of irregularities found in the source language, and the fact that many speakers actually can distinguish and pronounce the voiceless/voiced distinction, and do so deliberately, to show off their erudition, or because they are already a speaker of the source language or another, similar language.


The alphabetical order, including the non-standard letters is the same as English. This came about because of the early influence of English on the development of the language - the language's creator was an Anglophone, the ''Hillbillies'' TV itself was an American show, the show's first audience was Anglophone, and the first published materials for the language were written in English. Table 5 summarizes the alphabet and how the letters are used. Non-standard letters and the basic repair strategy used if they are encountered are included, in italics.
The alphabetical order, including the non-standard letters is the same as English. This came about because of the early influence of English on the development of the language - the language's creator was an Anglophone, the ''Hillbillies'' TV itself was an American show, the show's first audience was Anglophone, and the first published materials for the language were written in English. The table below summarizes the alphabet and how the letters are used. Non-standard letters and the basic repair strategy used if they are encountered are included, in italics.


{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 660px; text-align:center;"
{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="bluetable lightbluebg" style="width: 660px; text-align:center;"
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===Writing and Keyboards===
===Writing and Keyboards===


Like British English, Common is primarily written using keyboards, either physical or touchscreen, and secondarily using pen and paper. Historically, during much of its development, Common was written almost exclusively on keyboards, heavily favoring touch devices.
Common is primarily written using keyboards, either physical or touchscreen, and secondarily using pen and paper. Historically, during much of its development, Common was written almost exclusively on keyboards, heavily favoring touch devices.


During much of its development, Common was written using the English QWERTY keyboard or in variants - people who used the Roman alphabet natively tended to use their native keyboard, because the Common alphabet is a subset of most language's alphabets. This situation had certain impacts on the development of Common - for example, the tendency of writers in Common to omit accents, despite the fact Common has a small amount of phonemic stress, arose partly through laziness, because it is more work to write accents than not on an English QWERTY keyboard, even a smart one.
During much of its development, Common was written using the English QWERTY keyboard or in variants - people who used the Roman alphabet natively tended to use their native keyboard, because the Common alphabet is a subset of most language's alphabets. This situation had certain impacts on the development of Common - for example, the tendency of writers in Common to omit accents, despite the fact Common has a small amount of phonemic stress, arose partly through laziness, because it is more work to write accents than not on an English QWERTY keyboard, even a smart one.
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===Word Order===
===Word Order===


In terms of its default word order, Common is an SVO language in main clauses. It is also an ergative language. SVO word order is unusual for an SVO language. As Trafalgar points out, though, Common is only morphologically ergative, through its article cases.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/113/] Syntactically, Common is actually accusative, as they point out with the following example:
In terms of its default word order, Common is an SVO language in main clauses. It is also an ergative language. SVO word order is unusual for an SVO language. As Trafalgar points out, though, Common is only morphologically ergative, through its article cases.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/113/] Syntactically, Common is actually accusative, as they point out with the following example:


Ja pikki(A) tene slek a skitrem(P)
''Ja pikki(A) tene slek a skitrem(P)''<br>
3.SG.DEF.ERG cat TRN.NPST.PRF.REAL eat 3.SG.DEF.ABS mouse
3.SG.DEF.ERG cat TRN.NPST.PRF.REAL eat 3.SG.DEF.ABS mouse<br>
The cat has eaten the mouse.
"The cat has eaten the mouse."


Compare this to:
Compare this to:


A pikki(S) se hitaj.
''A pikki(S) se hitaj.''<br>
3.SG.DEF.ABS cat NTRN.NPST.NPRF.REAL sleep
3.SG.DEF.ABS cat NTRN.NPST.NPRF.REAL sleep<br>
The cat is sleeping.
"The cat is sleeping."


Morphologically, Common treats S the same as P - they are both in the absolutive case. But syntactically it treats S the same as A - although Common has free word order, it does have a preferred word order, which is SVO, and in that word order, both A and S appear before the verb. S is treated like A syntactically.
Morphologically, Common treats S the same as P - they are both in the absolutive case. But syntactically it treats S the same as A - although Common has free word order, it does have a preferred word order, which is SVO, and in that word order, both A and S appear before the verb. S is treated like A syntactically.
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===Dependent Clauses===
===Dependent Clauses===


Common prefers SOV work order in dependent clauses - in theory, it is completely mandatory for the verb to come last, but in practice there is some leeway around this rule if the dependent clause occurs at the end of a sentence.
Common prefers SOV word order in dependent clauses - in theory, it is completely mandatory for the verb to come last, but in practice there is some leeway around this rule if the dependent clause occurs at the end of a sentence.


Conceptually, Common dependent clauses work like noun or verb phrases with a Determiner - Head bracketing structure. In this case, the Determiner is a relativizing particle and the head is the verb that is required to go to the end of the clause. While there is sometimes a little leeway in practice around verb placement (as much as this upsets grammarians), native speakers never, ever omit the relativizer.
Conceptually, Common dependent clauses work like noun or verb phrases with a Determiner - Head bracketing structure. In this case, the Determiner is a relativizing particle and the head is the verb that is required to go to the end of the clause. While there is sometimes a little leeway in practice around verb placement (as much as this upsets grammarians), native speakers never, ever omit the relativizer.
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==Morphology==
==Morphology==


Common has a largely inflecting and isolating morphology, with some limited agglutination used in word building but a general preference to avoid complex derivations. All classes of word that can inflect are closed classes. All open class word are invariant other than for agglutinative derivational morphology and compounding. Nouns and verbs always exist as noun and verb phrases, with a determiner, the article in the case of nouns and the auxiliary in the case of verbs, being an absolutely mandatory introductory element and a head term containing the semantic freight being an optional right-most element - although if any modifiers are present, it is mandatory to use a dummy substitute head term ("yn" or a paradigm verb) if omitting the head.
Common has a largely inflecting and isolating morphology, with some limited agglutination used in word building but a general preference to avoid complex derivations. All classes of word that can inflect are closed classes. All open class words are invariant other than for agglutinative derivational morphology and compounding. Nouns and verbs always exist as noun and verb phrases, with a determiner, the article in the case of nouns and the auxiliary in the case of verbs, being an absolutely mandatory introductory element and a head term containing the semantic freight being an optional right-most element - although if any modifiers are present, it is mandatory to use a dummy substitute head term ("yn" or a paradigm verb) if omitting the head.


===Verbs===
===Verbs===
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**Imperfect - NPRF: Ongoing or habitual actions.
**Imperfect - NPRF: Ongoing or habitual actions.
*'''Mood (na Puesyn)'''. There are two grammatical moods:
*'''Mood (na Puesyn)'''. There are two grammatical moods:
**Realis (na zra puesyn): The action is real and concrete.
**Realis - REAL (na zra puesyn): The action is real and concrete.
**Irrealis (na sihys puesyn): The action is somehow hypothetical or potentially counterfactual. The reason why the moods are called "realis" and "irrealis" rather than "indicative" and "subjunctive," which arguably is what they actually are since they are mediated by inflection, is because the irrealis used to be indicated by an affix in Old Common. During the breakdown of the gender system, the abstract gender agreement form of the auxiliary was repurposed to indicate the irrealis, but the terminology used to refer to it was not updated.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/47/]
**Irrealis - IRREAL (na sihys puesyn): The action is somehow hypothetical or potentially counterfactual. The reason why the moods are called "realis" and "irrealis" rather than "indicative" and "subjunctive," which arguably is what they actually are since they are mediated by inflection, is because the irrealis used to be indicated by an affix in Old Common. During the breakdown of the gender system, the abstract gender agreement form of the auxiliary was repurposed to indicate the irrealis, but the terminology used to refer to it was not updated.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/47/]


The most important of these categories is valence. There are actually five verbal auxiliaries - one for each valence pattern. Each auxiliary then inflects for tense, aspect and mood in a separate conjugational paradigm.
The most important of these categories is valence. There are actually five verbal auxiliaries - one for each valence pattern. Each auxiliary then inflects for tense, aspect and mood in a separate conjugational paradigm.
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'''Auxiliary Lemma''': se
'''Auxiliary Lemma''': se


Intransitive verbs have a single actor, a subject in the absolutive case which experiences the action of the verb. Examples are verbs like 'sleep'. The paradigm verb is 'stand', which Common means in the sense of 'to be at a place' or 'to be upright' as opposed to the sense in English of 'to stand something up'. That latter sense can be achieved by using a causitive form of 'pali'. Notice the irregularity in the past irreal, where the 'a' ending doesn't raise like in the other auxiliary verbs.
Intransitive verbs have a single actor, a subject in the absolutive case which experiences the action of the verb. Examples are verbs like 'sleep'. The paradigm verb is 'stand', which Common means in the sense of 'to be at a place' or 'to be upright' as opposed to the sense in English of 'to stand something up'. That latter sense can be achieved by using a causitive form of 'pali'. Notice the irregularity in the past irrealis, where the 'a' ending doesn't raise like in the other auxiliary verbs.


''Realis Conjugation of '''se'''''
''Realis Conjugation of '''se'''''
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Verbs of motion mostly fall into this category, with the destination of the motion as the dative object. If the dative object is omitted, the action is still considered to be purposeful towards an end. To get the sense of no specific end, as in the English expression 'go away', the "disintentive" valence change operation is performed to use the intransitive agreement instead of the semitransitive.
Verbs of motion mostly fall into this category, with the destination of the motion as the dative object. If the dative object is omitted, the action is still considered to be purposeful towards an end. To get the sense of no specific end, as in the English expression 'go away', the "disintentive" valence change operation is performed to use the intransitive agreement instead of the semitransitive.


An important category of verbs that are semitransitive, aside from verbs of motion, are verbs of abstract possession or ownership, where the owner is the absolutive subject and the thing owned is the dative indirect object. Such constructions express relatively alienable possession.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/8/]
An important category of verbs that are semitransitive, aside from verbs of motion, are verbs of abstract possession or ownership, where the owner is the absolutive subject and the thing owned is the dative indirect object. Such constructions express relatively alienable possession.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/8/]


''Realis Conjugation of '''nox'''''
''Realis Conjugation of '''nox'''''
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'The woman let her dog eat.'
'The woman let her dog eat.'


The word 'sy' is a term of respect and is actually referring back to the woman in this case, not the dog (if it were referring to the dog it would be last). This is an adposition possessive, referring to the referent in a respectful way.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/8/]
The word 'sy' is a term of respect and is actually referring back to the woman in this case, not the dog (if it were referring to the dog it would be last). This is an adposition possessive, referring to the referent in a respectful way.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/8/]


====Valence Change Operations====
====Valence Change Operations====
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By default, when conjugating a verb, you identify the verb's paradigm verb, select the verbal auxiliary that goes with that paradigm, and then conjugate the auxiliary for mood, tense and aspect as needed. However, many if not most verbs can be used with auxiliaries other than the default one for their paradigm. These are valence change operations. The meaning of the specific valence change depends on the paradigm the verb belongs to. Hence, if the head term is omitted or replaced with 'yn', the proper interpretation of the verbal auxiliary is ambiguous and must be determined from context. The speaker can substitute the verb with its paradigm verb to disambiguate this aspect and still obscure the head term.
By default, when conjugating a verb, you identify the verb's paradigm verb, select the verbal auxiliary that goes with that paradigm, and then conjugate the auxiliary for mood, tense and aspect as needed. However, many if not most verbs can be used with auxiliaries other than the default one for their paradigm. These are valence change operations. The meaning of the specific valence change depends on the paradigm the verb belongs to. Hence, if the head term is omitted or replaced with 'yn', the proper interpretation of the verbal auxiliary is ambiguous and must be determined from context. The speaker can substitute the verb with its paradigm verb to disambiguate this aspect and still obscure the head term.


There are four possible valence change operations in Common. These operations are limited, and all have paraphrastic workarounds. All, however, are very commonly used in popular idioms of modern Common. For each operation, only verbs that belong to certain paradigms can undergo the shift. For example, an intransitive verb (pali paradigm) can be placed in the causative, but a transitive verb (skurun paradigm) cannot form a causative. Causation of a transitive verb can only be expressed periphrastically.
There are four possible valence change operations in Common. These operations are limited, and all have pariphrastic workarounds. All, however, are very commonly used in popular idioms of modern Common. For each operation, only verbs that belong to certain paradigms can undergo the shift. For example, an intransitive verb (pali paradigm) can be placed in the causative, but a transitive verb (skurun paradigm) cannot form a causative. Causation of a transitive verb can only be expressed periphrastically.


*'''Antipassive (Na Hultanys Ajsy)''': Change "te" to "se" or "hap" to "nox." Removes the absolutive patient (which can be referred to periphrastically using a noun phrase in the nominative case introduced with the null preposition) and promotes the ergative agent to the absolutive case. Any dative indirect object is retained. The Common antipassive is often used as an idiomatic reflexive.
*'''Antipassive (Na Hultanys Ajsy)''': Change "te" to "se" or "hap" to "nox." Removes the absolutive patient (which can be referred to periphrastically using a noun phrase in the nominative case introduced with the null preposition) and promotes the ergative agent to the absolutive case. Any dative indirect object is retained. The Common antipassive is often used as an idiomatic reflexive.
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A note on number: Common tends not to use mass nouns. If there is an idiomatic way to use the plural, Common tends to choose it. So a word like "mury," "hair," is treated like a singular hair, and to refer to a head of hair one would use the plural, "naz mury," much like French. Mass nouns tend to be things that are not naturally distinguishable as being composed of individual parts, like fluids. If it is necessary to count portions of a mass noun, like drops of water, a word for the portion is counted in the paucal or referred to in the plural, and then the substance is referred to periphrastically using the null preposition.
A note on number: Common tends not to use mass nouns. If there is an idiomatic way to use the plural, Common tends to choose it. So a word like "mury," "hair," is treated like a singular hair, and to refer to a head of hair one would use the plural, "naz mury," much like French. Mass nouns tend to be things that are not naturally distinguishable as being composed of individual parts, like fluids. If it is necessary to count portions of a mass noun, like drops of water, a word for the portion is counted in the paucal or referred to in the plural, and then the substance is referred to periphrastically using the null preposition.


In the following sections, each of the noun determiners/articles/pronouns will be detailed with their declensions and usage. The lemma, or dictionary entry, for each article is its absolutive singular form. Note: it is not an omission that possessive forms of the pronouns are not given. Common genuinely lacks explicitly possessive forms, although one way to indicate possession is using the null preposition, which takes an object in the nominative case, allowing the nominative to sometimes act like a genitive case.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/8/]
In the following sections, each of the noun determiners/articles/pronouns will be detailed with their declensions and usage. The lemma, or dictionary entry, for each article is its absolutive singular form. Note: it is not an omission that possessive forms of the pronouns are not given. Common genuinely lacks explicitly possessive forms, although one way to indicate possession is using the null preposition, which takes an object in the nominative case, allowing the nominative to sometimes act like a genitive case.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/8/]


====First Person - Ates Palisyn (we)====
====First Person - Ates Palisyn (we)====
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====Second Person - Kawas Palisyn (zu)====
====Second Person - Kawas Palisyn (zu)====


The second person pronoun/article is "zu". Like "we", it is a normal determiner that can take a head term. Unlike 'we', it is actually quite common to use a head term with "zu." Honorific or polite forms of address are virtually mandatory except with intimates, functioning like a T-V distinction in a language like French or Spanish. These are implemented in Common with honorific head terms rather than grammaticalized. Formality and respectful address in Common is an extensive topic that Trafalgar addresses [https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/23/ here].
The second person pronoun/article is "zu". Like "we", it is a normal determiner that can take a head term. Unlike 'we', it is actually quite common to use a head term with "zu." Honorific or polite forms of address are virtually mandatory except with intimates, functioning like a T-V distinction in a language like French or Spanish. These are implemented in Common with honorific head terms rather than grammaticalized. Formality and respectful address in Common is an extensive topic that Trafalgar addresses [https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/23/ here].


The nominative form of zu is used quite often as a sort of vocative case to address someone directly without syntactically relating it to a verb. Personal names are also often used in this fashion. For example, an imperative sentence like 'Tony, look at the child' could be written as 'Ju Toni te zeul a pocuk'. The 'ju' is required, you could not address a person by name without it. You cannot refer to a person by name in general without including an article, similar to Catalan.
The nominative form of zu is used quite often as a sort of vocative case to address someone directly without syntactically relating it to a verb. Personal names are also often used in this fashion. For example, an imperative sentence like 'Tony, look at the child' could be written as 'Ju Toni te zeul a pocuk'. The 'ju' is required, you could not address a person by name without it. You cannot refer to a person by name in general without including an article, similar to Catalan.
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====Interrogative/Uncertain Pronoun - Na Zikos Samorka (ko)====
====Interrogative/Uncertain Pronoun - Na Zikos Samorka (ko)====


There is one interrogative pronoun in Common, "ko." Ko does not have a definiteness distinction but does have all three numbers. It is used in asking questions, but despite the fact that Common grammarians refer to it as an interrogative, its presence does not always indicate a question. It can also be used just like "what" in English in non-questions, like "I don't care what kind" to "which one," a declarative sentence, where ko's function is to signal that its referent is open to question in some way. Common doesn't actually have a clear and unambiguous way to ask questions (or to give orders) and depends on context and idiom. [https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/40/] In general, 'ko' can be used as a replacement for 'a' in questions and it signals the questionable element.
There is one interrogative pronoun in Common, "ko." Ko does not have a definiteness distinction but does have all three numbers. It is used in asking questions, but despite the fact that Common grammarians refer to it as an interrogative, its presence does not always indicate a question. It can also be used just like "what" in English in non-questions, like "I don't care what kind" to "which one," a declarative sentence, where ko's function is to signal that its referent is open to question in some way. Common doesn't actually have a clear and unambiguous way to ask questions (or to give orders) and depends on context and idiom. [https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/40/] In general, 'ko' can be used as a replacement for 'a' in questions and it signals the questionable element.


Ko glosses as approximately "what" or "which" in English. It can be used for other "wh-" type words by adding a head term that clarifies its meaning. Common doesn't have simple, direct words for things like "who" and "how."
Ko glosses as approximately "what" or "which" in English. It can be used for other "wh-" type words by adding a head term that clarifies its meaning. Common doesn't have simple, direct words for things like "who" and "how."
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====Noun Modifiers====
====Noun Modifiers====


Noun modifiers in Common equate to adjectives, prepositions that refer to noun phrases, and nominal relativisers.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/7/]
Noun modifiers in Common equate to adjectives, prepositions that refer to noun phrases, and nominal relativisers.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/7/]


As in English, Common has a natural, preferred order of modifiers in a noun phrase. This order is very similar to that of English, which is unsurprising given the common head-final word building of both languages, the prevalence of this approximate order in many of the world's languages, and the direct influence of English on Common. The most general order of elements in the noun phrase is as follows, from beginning to end. Mandatory elements are in '''''bold italic'''''. Elements which have a strict position that never deviates when present are in '''bold'''. Elements which are generally found in this position but which may have exceptions in order to convey a special meaning or for literary effect are undecorated. The head term, which is mandatory if any modifiers are present, is in ''italic''.
As in English, Common has a natural, preferred order of modifiers in a noun phrase. This order is very similar to that of English, which is unsurprising given the common head-final word building of both languages, the prevalence of this approximate order in many of the world's languages, and the direct influence of English on Common. The most general order of elements in the noun phrase is as follows, from beginning to end. Mandatory elements are in '''''bold italic'''''. Elements which have a strict position that never deviates when present are in '''bold'''. Elements which are generally found in this position but which may have exceptions in order to convey a special meaning or for literary effect are undecorated. The head term, which is mandatory if any modifiers are present, is in ''italic''.
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====Verb Modifiers (Adverbials)====
====Verb Modifiers (Adverbials)====


Verb modifiers in Common equate to adjectives, prepositions that refer to verb phrases or entire sentences, and verbal relativisers.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/9/]
Verb modifiers in Common equate to adjectives, prepositions that refer to verb phrases or entire sentences, and verbal relativisers.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/9/]


Common considers noun and verb modifiers to be the same part of speech and allows them to be freely zero derived from each other, but there are differences in practice. Here are some of the major differences between modifiers on verbs as opposed to nouns:
Common considers noun and verb modifiers to be the same part of speech and allows them to be freely zero derived from each other, but there are differences in practice. Here are some of the major differences between modifiers on verbs as opposed to nouns:
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*There is a standard order, but it's not the same as for nouns. See below.
*There is a standard order, but it's not the same as for nouns. See below.
*Adverbial expressions can freely leave the auxiliary-head term bracket and move around the sentence to certain locations.
*Adverbial expressions can freely leave the auxiliary-head term bracket and move around the sentence to certain locations.
**Before or after the verb phrase. However prepositional phrases cannot go right in front of the auxiliary is the verb phrase isn't the first element in the sentence but must go after the head term or to the begining of the sentence.
**Before or after the verb phrase. However prepositional phrases cannot go right in front of the auxiliary if the verb phrase isn't the first element in the sentence but must go after the head term or to the beginning of the sentence.
**To the beginning of the sentence. Many adverbials can do this, whether they have an object or not.
**To the beginning of the sentence. Many adverbials can do this, whether they have an object or not.
**To precede the article for one of the arguments to the verb to modify the argument in relation to the verb. A particular verb might mandate such modifiers as required or as optional.
**To precede the article for one of the arguments to the verb to modify the argument in relation to the verb. A particular verb might mandate such modifiers as required or as optional.
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=====Polarity (Negation and Answering Yes/No Questions)=====
=====Polarity (Negation and Answering Yes/No Questions)=====


Note for making negative statements that Common is a negative concord language. See Trafalgar for details.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/42/]
Note that for making negative statements, Common is a negative concord language. See Trafalgar for details.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/42/]


Polarity refers to whether the verb is positive or negative. Common has particles to indicate both - the positive particle is less often required, but is used to emphasize the positiveness of a verb, such as to contradict a negative assertion about the action. The negative particle does the name thing as "not" in English, and is required to express a negative. If another adverbial indicates a negative meaning to the verb somehow, the negative particle is still required - Common demands a double negative in these circumstances, and a double negative is still a negative, or a more intense negative.
Polarity refers to whether the verb is positive or negative. Common has particles to indicate both - the positive particle is less often required, but is used to emphasize the positiveness of a verb, such as to contradict a negative assertion about the action. The negative particle does the name thing as "not" in English, and is required to express a negative. If another adverbial indicates a negative meaning to the verb somehow, the negative particle is still required - Common demands a double negative in these circumstances, and a double negative is still a negative, or a more intense negative.
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====Modifiers of Modifiers====
====Modifiers of Modifiers====


Common has a concept of "tight" or "loose binding" in modifiers.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/10/] All modifiers inherently have this binding property. Loose binding modifiers are as we have discussed - they apply to the overall noun or verb phrase. Tight binding modifiers are a smaller class of modifiers that bind "tightly" to whatever follows them - in essence, they are modifiers of modifiers.
Common has a concept of "tight" or "loose binding" in modifiers.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/10/] All modifiers inherently have this binding property. Loose binding modifiers are as we have discussed - they apply to the overall noun or verb phrase. Tight binding modifiers are a smaller class of modifiers that bind "tightly" to whatever follows them - in essence, they are modifiers of modifiers.


Tight binding modifiers can be irregular, or else regular and derived from loose binding modifiers by adding the suffix "-no." Irregular tight binding modifiers like "faj," "very," can never be derived into loose binding modifiers, and may or may not have an irregular loose binding partner.  
Tight binding modifiers can be irregular, or else regular and derived from loose binding modifiers by adding the suffix "-no." Irregular tight binding modifiers like "faj," "very," can never be derived into loose binding modifiers, and may or may not have an irregular loose binding partner.  
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====Prepositions====
====Prepositions====


Common exclusively has prepositions as opposed to postpositions.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/17/] Prepositions are seen as a kind of modifier. Modifiers fall into grades - the first grade is a closed class of weak modifiers that all require objects. They are all prepositions. The second grade that generally also take an object but that can sometimes function without one, and so are sometimes prepositions. The third grade is an open class and can never take an object, so never function as prepositions.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/82/]
Common exclusively has prepositions as opposed to postpositions.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/17/] Prepositions are seen as a kind of modifier. Modifiers fall into grades - the first grade is a closed class of weak modifiers that all require objects. They are all prepositions. The second grade that generally also take an object but that can sometimes function without one, and so are sometimes prepositions. The third grade is an open class and can never take an object, so never function as prepositions.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/82/]


The object of a preposition can be a noun phrase or a dependent clause. If a noun phrase, the article must be in the nominative case. If a dependent clause, it must be introduced with "sin," the verbal relativizer "si" in the nominative case, and the verb is required to be the last element in order to comply with formal High Common grammar.
The object of a preposition can be a noun phrase or a dependent clause. If a noun phrase, the article must be in the nominative case. If a dependent clause, it must be introduced with "sin," the verbal relativizer "si" in the nominative case, and the verb is required to be the last element in order to comply with formal High Common grammar.
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===Conjunctions===
===Conjunctions===


Conjunctions in Common are a closed class and typically are used for rhetorical flow. They come in two varieties, "edge" and "internal."[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/12/] Edge conjunctions are used to join phrases or sentences, whereas internal conjunctions are used to join elements inside a phrase. Edge and internal conjunctions often come in pairs with similar meaning and sometimes are identical. An example where there is a difference is "pi" (internal) and "epis" (edge) which both mean "and."
Conjunctions in Common are a closed class and typically are used for rhetorical flow. They come in two varieties, "edge" and "internal."[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/12/] Edge conjunctions are used to join phrases or sentences, whereas internal conjunctions are used to join elements inside a phrase. Edge and internal conjunctions often come in pairs with similar meaning and sometimes are identical. An example where there is a difference is "pi" (internal) and "epis" (edge) which both mean "and."


Examples:
Examples:
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===Derivational Morphology===
===Derivational Morphology===


Common has a wide range of suffixes and prefixes that can be used derive new words with different meanings.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/13/] The most significant and useful are:
Common has a wide range of suffixes and prefixes that can be used derive new words with different meanings.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/13/] The most significant and useful are:


*-(y)n: Derives a modifier into a term.
*-(y)n: Derives a modifier into a term.
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There are also a few extremely productive but also extremely idiomatic prefixes derived from prepositions that are used to perform radial derivations from base roots, such as "u-" which implies becoming, "e-" which implies sustained effort, and "ro-" which intensifies or implied completion.
There are also a few extremely productive but also extremely idiomatic prefixes derived from prepositions that are used to perform radial derivations from base roots, such as "u-" which implies becoming, "e-" which implies sustained effort, and "ro-" which intensifies or implied completion.


As well, it is possible in Common to create compound words.[https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/94/] Compounds are usually of terms, with the head being the rightmost term.
As well, it is possible in Common to create compound words.[https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/94/] Compounds are usually of terms, with the head being the rightmost term.
 
==Vocabulary==
 
Trafalgar's blog includes a [https://www.designerlanguages.com/lexeme/common/list/ searchable lexicon]. While we have found words in other sources that are not in the lexicon and have inferred something about their meaning, Trafalgar's lexicon is reasonably detailed and written in English and is the best source we have on Common vocabulary. Their dictionary appears to be a work in progress and adds new words on a regular basis.
 
The vocabulary of Common consists of a core of a priori vocabulary created by Davidson, combined with a large accretion of loanwords and calques from various natural languages. Davidson's a priori vocabulary contains some "Easter eggs" and unconscious influences from natural languages, but by far the greatest outside influence on Common came from later speakers. In  particular, the early effort of the AXZ to coin a complete technical vocabulary for Common massively resulted in a huge number of loanwords.
 
The single most influential language on High Common was English. Low Common dialects tend to have widely varying additional substratum influences, but  in order to make it into High Common, a particular influence had to achieve a global scope.


==Example Text==
==Example Text - The Globalist Manifesto==


Trafalgar provides a series of example texts along with some contextual background on [https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/list/literature/ the literature section of their blog]. Here we will give one, specific example with a full IPA pronunciation and gloss, which Trafalgar doesn't always provide.
Trafalgar provides a series of example texts along with some contextual background on [https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/list/literature/ the literature section of their blog]. Here we will give one, specific example with a full IPA pronunciation and gloss, which Trafalgar doesn't always provide.


This text is a paragraph from the [https://webconlang.infiniterecursion.ca/article/common/110/ Globalist Manifesto], a founding document of the New World Order. The link goes to a larger except, which has the IPA and a sound file but not a full gloss.
This text is a paragraph from the [https://www.designerlanguages.com/article/common/110/ Globalist Manifesto], a founding document of the New World Order. The link goes to a larger except, which has the IPA and some contextual information but not a full gloss.


===Common Original===
===Common Original===
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