I use my favorite phonology which is nearly the same as that in my previous short-lasting project.
Some features
- Simple (C)(C)V(C) roots
- Conversion is common. Verbs can become nouns and vice versa.
(I have to consider word formation more, if there is compounding or many derivational affixes.)
Nouns
Two numbers (singular and plural). Plural is usually formed with reduplication. Sometimes singulative is formed with -e.
neer 'a man'
neener 'men'
viech 'sheep'
vieche 'a sheep'
Nouns have three cases.
Direct -Ø
Essive -s
Partitive -z
Edit: Maybe it should still have a genitive (the same case could code animate direct and indirect objects too). If the stem ends in a sonorant consonant, it could lengthen the consonant. If the word end in an obstruent, the ending is zero.
I utilize the functions of Partitive from an old project of mine. Partitive of nouns thus relaces what are adjectives in European languages.
Verbs
-Two aspects (perfective and imperfective).
• Primarily perfective verbs have no synthetic imperfective form. Imperfective semantics can be expressed with adverbs, like 'many times'.
• Primarily imperfective verbs form a perfective pair. (The imperfective form often has a long vowel while the perfective one has a short one. Sometimes the perfective form is formed with a prefix.)
Verbs agree the number of their subject. Verbs with plural subjects have reduplication like verbs.
moor 'is eating'
moomor 'are eating'
Edit: The negation marker <tsy> appears in the same slot as the plural reduplication.
Mootsyr 'doesn't eat'
Mootsyr 'doesn't eat'
Locatives
Locatives are the third word class. Their meaning is primarily adverbial. Tňes 'at the school'. Nouns can be derived from them with -e, tňese 'school'.
Syntax
- probably SVO
- the genitive construction is still problematic.