Morphology

Nouns

Class

Nouns each belong to one of three classes, named quite simply 1, 2, and 3. The class of a noun affects what endings it takes for number and case. Occasionally there will be a pair of nouns that are homophonous, but of different classes and meanings.

Number

Nouns inflect for three different numbers. Singular is the unmarked form. Plural drops the final vowel and takes an ending: -i for class 1, -a for class 2. General nouns are those which indicate the thing in general, or all instances of that thing. They are marked with the appropriate plural form and the prefix o-. Class 3 nouns use the general inflection to mean plural.

tolto - wheel
tolti - wheels
otolti - all wheels, wheels in general

kairzo - hand
kairza - hands
okairza - all hands, hands in general

tazeki - hammer
otazeki - hammers

Case

There are 9 cases in Siluila: nominative, accusative, reflexive, genitive, locative, instrumental, comitative, ablative, and allative. Which form a noun uses is dependant on the class it belongs to.

nominative - The noun that is doing the action.

accusative - The noun that is acted upon.

reflexive - A noun that acts upon itself.

genitive - Of the noun.

locative - At, near, or on the noun. Used with prepositions of location.

instrumental - By means of the noun, using the noun.

comitative - With the noun.

ablative - Away from, from, out of, off of the noun.

allative - To, towards, into, onto the noun.

  class 1 class 2 class 3
nom - - -
acc -a - -a
ref -o, mutate -o, mutate -o
gen -no -no, diphthong -no, diphthong
loc ti- ti- ti-
ins - -i -i
com no- no- i-
abl -a, mutate - -a
all -ora -ora -ora

tarna, tarna, sarno, tarno, titarna, tarna, notarna, sarna, tarnora

uaro, uaro, uaro, uarno, tiuaro, nouaro, uaro, uarora

luna, luna, luno, luano, tiluna, luni, iluna, luna, lunora

 

Verbs

Verbs may take up to five affixes, the most complex form being: object-mood-root-voice-tense-subject. If there are any suffixes, remember to remove the final vowel of the root.

Object

If the object prefix is followed by a vowel, use the first form. If it is followed by a consonant, use the second.

1st singular en- / ena-
2nd singular ir- / ira-
3rd singular tea-
1st plural nun- / nuna-
2nd plural lea-
3rd plural ter- / tera-

Mood

Verbs in the indicative or imperative mood take no special inflection. The optative mood, for expressing wishes or hopes, takes i-. The abilitative mood, meaning "to be able to X", takes cour- before a vowel or r, couri- before any other consonant.

Voice

Passive verbs take -la.

Tense

past -ro
present - (use -a with 1st singular)
future -ru (use -ro with 1st singular)

Subject

1st singular -
2nd singular -na
3rd singular -i
1st plural -o
2nd plural -ni
3rd plural -di

gera - to catch
gero - we catch
teagero - we catch it
teageruo - we will catch it
teagerelaruo - we will be caught by it
teaigerelaruo - may it be that we will be caught by it

 

Adjectives & Adverbs

A prefix may be added to an adjective/adverb to make it more intense, zi-.

do - big
zido - bigger

Pronouns

Pronouns have defined forms for four of the cases. For the rest, use the nominative form, transformed as a regular class-3 noun.

  1st 2nd 3rd 1st pl 2nd pl 3rd pl indefinite
nom eni iri ti no li tiro tu
acc ena ira tea nuna lea tera tura
ref eno iro seo duno leo sero suro
gen eino iarno teino nuano leino teirno tuarno

ei - one of a group
i - what, which
ki - who
kuo - when
lai - where
oro - this

 

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© 2003 J. J. Fatula, III, all rights reserved.