Yacavestu
Yacavestu is a head-final ("Altaic") agglutinative language spoken in Eastern Talma and Northern Etalocin, and is an official language of Quelocin (!werotunub in Yacavestu, from the !Zoom name tkwe) alongside Clofabosin. It's inspired aesthetically by drug names (cf. Clofabosin), Zulu, Welsh, and Estonian. It has clicks from !Zoom and is also in a sprachbund with Adutsib. It is an isolate, though some believe it is related to Idavic.
Yal eŋcuvil g!ifam herazu vestazad. = Methavir nalaminyl mekerylide ester axoram.
Todo
- reduplication
- -mad (e.g. ololirmad)
- -vab
- -mob
- -al
- -am
- -xab
- -mob
- -zob?
- -ub
- -ode
- rotunu = 'world'
- elir = 'one'
Panzux should be Yaca
Phonology
Consonants
m n ŋ p t ʈ k b d g f s h v z l ɬ r r(voiceless) j ⟨m n ŋ p t th c b d g f s h v z l hl r hr y⟩
clicks: @ g@ ! g! | g| || g||
(/ks/ is written ⟨x⟩.)
Word final l may be retroflexed to /ɭ/ or even lenited to /ɻ/. The lateral fricative /ɬ/ may be a palatal lateral fricative or even a palatal central fricative /ç/ depending on dialect. In those dialects the lateral click is also realized as a palatal click.
/d/ is often retroflex.
Final ŋ is disallowed but initial ŋ is allowed
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i /i/ | u /u/ | |
| Mid | e /e/ | o /o/ | |
| Open | a /a/ |
Morphology
Nouns
Case suffixes
- -b/-ub: definite accusative
- -am: genitive
- -zod: at, in
- -adul: to / -zodul
- -vil: from / -zovil
Suffixaufnahme
-am herazu, -amerazu = about
Definiteness and possession
Nouns take a suffix for definiteness. Possessive suffixes are added directly to the noun for inalienable possession, and to the classifier for alienable possession.
| vestu - 'language' | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number→ State↓ |
Singular | Plural |
| Indefinite | vestu | vestil |
| Definite | vestub | vestilab |
| 1sg possessor | vestel | vestilel |
| 2sg possessor | vestiyab | vestiliyab |
| 3sg possessor | vestun | vestilun |
| 1pl possessor | vestelax | vestilelax |
| 2pl possessor | vestubax | vestilubax |
| 3pl possessor | vestunax | vestilunax |
Verbs
Unlike in Clofabosin, Yacavestu verbs come in many different conjugations.
The subjunctive comes from a historical *hu.
Active verbs: -zad, subjunctive -zathu
Stative verbs: -rub, subjunctive -rugu
Verbs of motion: -thol, subjunctive -tholu
question particle: -bi, as in tritholubi? (is he coming?)
Usage
Yacavestu doesn't use personal pronouns as commonly as Clofabosin; verbs of motion, titles, names or kinship terms are generally used.