Περφικθυς
Perfiktous
Perfiktous (περφικθυς) is a sacred conlang with agglutinative morphology, grammatical cases, and a phonologically rich system based on the Hellenic alphabet. It was designed for ecclesiastical use, inspired by classical liturgical languages such as Sanskrit, Latin, and Ancient Greek. Its vocabulary is entirely a priori.
History
According to the traditions of the Church of Kybur (Kaybur), Perfiktous was the language spoken by the first human who pleaded with the gods for mercy. The gods responded, and a sacred covenant was formed. Since then, Perfiktous has been revered as a divine language. Members of the clergy and royalty are required to learn Perfiktous alongside Arini.
Phonology and Script
Vowels
| Letter | IPA |
|---|---|
| Αα | /ə/ |
| Εε | /e̞/ |
| Ηη | /i/ |
| Ιι | /ɪ/ |
| Οο | /o̞/ |
| Υυ | /ʊ/ |
| Ωω | /u/ |
Consonants
| Letter | IPA |
|---|---|
| Ββ | /v/ |
| Δδ | /ð/ |
| Γγ | /ʒ/ |
| Θθ | /θ/ |
| Ζζ | /z/ |
| Ξξ | /ɕ/ |
| Κκ | /k/ |
| Λλ | /l/ |
| Μμ | /m/ |
| Νν | /n/ |
| Ππ | /p/ |
| Ρρ | /ɾ/ |
| Σσς | /s/ |
| Ττ | /t/ |
| Χχ | /ʀ̥/ |
| Ψψ | /j/ |
| Φφ | /ɸ/ |
Grammar
Cases
Perfiktous is a morphologically rich and agglutinative language, designed to express sacred, formal, and philosophical concepts with clarity and reverence. Its grammar is built around a system of grammatical cases, elaborate gender distinctions, and layered verbal morphology that encodes tense, aspect, mood, person, and number.
| Case | Suffix |
|---|---|
| Genitive | -ί |
| Dative | -ύ |
| Accusative | -ν |
| Locative | -έι |
| Proprietive | -ωθ |
| Nominative (singular) | -ρ |
| Nominative (plural) | -ς |
| Adverbial | -μ |
Nouns are marked for one of eight cases, each serving a distinct syntactic or semantic function.
Genders
| Gender | Marker |
|---|---|
| Masculine | -ο- |
| Feminine | -ε- |
| Inanimate | -ω-, -ώη- |
| Neuter | -α- |
| Female beast | -ι- |
| Male beast | -υ- |
The language distinguishes six grammatical genders, which includes a category for animals, beasts or beasts of female and/or male sex, Although later these genera were also extended to plants, especially when it was desired to differentiate a male plant from a female one.
Tense, Aspect, Mood
| Category | Value | Marker |
|---|---|---|
| Tense | Past | ό |
| Tense | Present | ά |
| Tense | Future | έ |
| Aspect | Imperfective | -β |
| Aspect | Progressive | -δ |
| Aspect | Subjunctive | -ύι- |
| Mood | Imperative | -άη |
| Mood | Infinitive | -ώ |
| Mood | Immediative | όι |
Verbs in Perfiktous are highly inflected, combining multiple morphemes to express temporal, modal, and aspectual nuances. The verbal system includes three tenses (past, present, future), three aspects (imperfective, progressive, subjunctive), and three moods (imperative, infinitive, immediative). Person and number are encoded through dedicated affixes, often layered with other grammatical markers.
Person and Number
| Person | Marker |
|---|---|
| 1st | -γο, -ο, -γ- |
| 2nd | -τυ, -υ, -τ- |
| 3rd | -λε, -ε, -λ- |
It has three grammatical persons and these are discriminated in number through a suffix that discriminates singular from plural, without this suffix, the word obtains a meaning similar to "some" and/or "any".
| Number | Marker |
|---|---|
| Singular | -ς |
| Plural | -μ |
Class words
The language also features a clear distinction between transitive, intransitive, and impersonal verbs, and includes a compact set of pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interrogatives. Adjectives and adverbs are morphologically distinct and often derived from nominal or verbal roots.
Lexicon
Articles
Ερ — the
Pronouns
Γο — I Τυ — you Λε — he/she/they
Interrogatives
Θυτρερ — how much δατχ — what, that
Common Nouns
Ρωκτρακωρ — bridge Σιφωορ — father Αβλυω — water Θας — deities Γηφτως — poisons Φυωρ — air Γυρθιωρ — war Βωλυωρ — rain Θωιθωρ — everything Κωιρ — place Θιωρ — heaven/paradise Ξαξωρ — sword
Verbs
Transitive
Γιφτιώ — to marry Βω — to move Διταθώ — to be able Βακώ — to see Ραχώ — to kill Φικωξώ — to say
Intransitive
Κω — to live Φικώ — to speak Ρω — to be Νεκώ — to die
Impersonal
Δεργρώ — there is / there are
Adjectives
Γιφτιός — married Κώη — alive (animal) Χίως — important Χικραξτως — royal
Adverbs
Βωμ — actively Κρατεμ — emptily Φρωρ — yes Χωρ — no
Prepositions
Περ — for Αερ — to, toward Ενερ — in Ψι — of
Conjunctions
Δερ — if Ανδερ — and Μαερ — but
Interjections
Νερδρε — hello εσκαρητιέρ — thank you
Numbers
| Number | Word |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ονως |
| 2 | Ωννωμ |
| 3 | Τρονωμ |
| 4 | Κρονωμ |
| 5 | Ξονωμ |
| 6 | Γονωμ |
| 7 | Φρονωμ |
| 8 | Φρωννωμ |
| 9 | Φροτρονωμ |
| 10 | Φροκρονωμ |
| 11 | Φροξονωμ |
| 12 | Φεογονωμ |
| 13 | Φροφρονωμ |
| 14 | Οφροφρονωμ |
| 15 | Ωφροφρονωμ |
| 16 | Τροφροφρονωμ |
| 17 | Κροφροφρονωμ |
| 18 | Ξοφροφρονωμ |
| 19 | Γοφροφρονωμ |
| 20 | Θωιθονωμ |