Behru cesik: Difference between revisions

 

 

 

|Name = Behru Cesik

 

 

 

Behru cesik (a combination of Behru, an ethnonym, and cesik, meaning "way of speaking"), is the official language of the 7 billion denizens of the Behru empire, which expands across the Behru and Maidn river valleys (exluding the maritime regions ravaged by the sea of endless storms) and the fertile plains atop the plateau of the Jisok outcropping. The language represented in this article is that of the empire 4000 years after its founding, when Behru Cesik was first widely standardized.

 

Verb Morphology

===The four basic stems===

The four stems of the root cet, meaning to speak, are: cet, crwiit, cidaa, and cocash(y).

''(verb-stem final vowels are considered to be after the verb stem, not a part of it)''

====='''Clause 1:If not, lengthen the first vowel after the verb stem'''=====

====='''Clause 2: Do not lengthen the second syllable if it follows a consonant cluster created by the end of the verb stem and the beginnning of a personal ending. Instead, insert an epenthetic vowel appropriate to the verb stem between the stem and ending.'''=====

That was allot to take in, wasn't it? It will seem simpler with examples. For examples, the form "cedbi" would have ivc 1 clause 2 applied to it because a: it is only 2 syllables long (ced+bi), and, the cluster "db was created by the t(changed to a d) at the end of the verb stem "cet" + the b at the beginning of the personal ending "bi". Thus, you'd add the epenthetic vowel appropriate to "cet" (a), between stem and ending, producing "cedabi" (cet+a+bi).

However, if you want to say "I float", clause two does not apply. When you take the basic stem of to float, "kómt"(takes the epenthetic vowel a), and add "ú", you make "kómtú"(Why didn't the t change to a d like in "cedú"? Read sandhi rule 12.). You might think to apply clause two because of the consonant, making "kómadú", but that is not correct. The consonant cluster was not created by contact with the end of the verb stem and beginning of the personal ending, it was already there in the stem, thus clause one would apply, forming "kómtúu". However, clause two does apply in the form "kómdbi" (we speak), because the cluster "mdb" was created by the b in the ending "bi", meaning we(ex.), thus, "kómdbi" would become "kómtabi", not "kómdbii".

This rule would apply in cases like when you want to say "you(singular) speak". You add the ending "k" to "cet", forming "cetk". you then apply clause two to "cetk", forming "cetak". However, there is still only one syllable after the stem even after the applucation of clause two. Clause three says to lengthen the epenthetic vowel inserted by clause two, thus "cetak" becomes "cedaak". "kómtk" (you float) becomes "kómtak" beomces "kómtaak", "vápk" (you swim)becomes "vápek", becomes "vábiik", etc. (the e in vabek lengthens to "ii", not "ee", this alway happens, as there is no "ee" sound in Behru).

===='''Ivc rule 2: disyllabic endings become monosyllabic after verb stems ending in a vowel.'''====

This rule is in much the same vein as ivc rule 1, it keeps the verb ending at two syllables, as the final vowel in the verb stem takes up a syllable, forcing the ending to give up a syllable in its place. For example, "they go", is "zíihnloon" (zíin+hloon), however, "they flee", is "shúndahlon", "hloon" giving up a vowel to become "hlon" to accomodate the final a in "shúnda".

"you heal me" is "hnaalnimu"("hnaal"+"nimu"), however, "you hit me", is "cábammyu", "nimu" being reduced to "mmyu" to accomodate the final a in "cába".

"you heal us", is "hnaaldasa"("hnaal+dasa), "you hit us", is "cábatsa", etc.

add li before the final syllable of the stem or the very final consonant.

add ni before the final syllable of the stem or the very final consonant.

===The passive and causative stems===

The passive is formed by palatilizing the last consonant in the first consonant cluster (adding a y). The causative is formed by labialization of that same consonant(adding a w). The first vowel is lengthened in both forms. Some initial consonants/ consonant clusters must be sonorized before being palatalized or labialized. The causative stem is included in the principle parts to show whether or not this happens. You must check this in the dictionary entry on the verb's stems. For example, the causative stem of cet is crwiit. To change it to passive, replace the w with y, crwiit to cryiit. Sandhi changes cryiit to crshiit. The causative stem of lup is lvuup. The v was a w, changed to a v by sandhi. So replace the w(changed into a v), with y, lvuup to lyuup

===Clitic verbs===

There exists a closed class of clitic verbs in Behru which are suffixed to the stem of a free standing verb. The basic stem is not used, instead the special compound stem is used. The form of the special compound stem is unpredictable and thus is a principle part. (note: the basic stem is used in ordinary compound verbs, not the special compound stem.)

 

cet becomes cocash/ cocay

 

mála becomes hmáalash/ hmáalay

zén becomes zhóni/ zhónis

xworji becomes xworojii/ xworojii(s)

ghóon: to start, eg: cocazhghóohnlo: he is about to begin speaking

===Tense and aspect in compound verbs.===

The very last verb in a compound always recieves the tense/aspect infixes, in the same manner as a normal verb.

thus, cocayet: can speak, as in cocayedbi: we can speak, vs cocayenit: was able to speak, as in cocayenidbi: we were able to speak.

|ñu

|mav

|ñoon

|+Descriptive endings

|mév

|Described object

The copulas are suffixes attached to the predicate noun in an equative sentence. It conjugates irregularily. The -lu copula is the stative copula, you use it to say "the dog is red". The ru copula is the change copula, you'd use it to say "the dog has gotten redder", or "the dog is red but it wasn't the last time I saw it.". The byu copula is used to indicate resemblance but not equality, "that dog is like its owner."

|díin

 

==Behru syntax==

===Basic case===

-the agent of a transitive verb

 

'''múk''' shüneha kyocarayáa: '''the dog''' pushes the man

 

-the participant in an intransitive verb

 

'''múk '''cetlo: '''the dog '''speaks

 

-before the topic particle zú

 

'''múuge '''zú nebalíl: as for '''dogs''', they run

===The topic===

The topic of the sentence is a noun marked with the postposition zú. It is used in the gnomic tense, to set that noun apart from other nouns in a dsecription. The topic need not be the subject of the sentence, it can be in any case. Verbs marked with a 4th person agreement agree with the last stated topic in a discourse

 

===Causative case===

The causative case is used for the cause of a verb in the causative.

 

'''cinidémiye''' múk nwiinibahlo: '''because I spoke, '''the dog ran

 

 

 

 

 

'''másajákint''' cenitlo: she spoke '''strongly '''(wih strength).