Euta language

[Omzinesý]

There is a reflexive suffix that is added to the subject (in some complex constructions to the object or whatever is its antecedent). It is -hV with the high tone, V being the last vowel of the stem.

Héihé 'I VERB myself'
Ráwuhú 'the people VERB themselves'

It can be inflected in all cases.
Héihéi 'I VERB to myself'
Héihéú 'I VERB from myself'
Héihéé 'I VERB at myself'

ndo 'to speak' with a dative reflexive means 'to think', i.e. 'to speak to oneself'

Héihéí nǫǫ 'I'm thing.'

[Omzinesý]

There are three subclasses of nouns, generic noun, specific nouns, and uncountable nouns. They behave syntactically differently.

Genric nouns are a closed class, though specific nouns can sometimes be used like generic nouns, and the distinction between them is not as strict how verbs are a closed class. Generic nouns can be used as heads of noun phrases. Éuta does not have European-style third person pronouns, so generic nouns also work anaphorically. Specific nouns cannot form a noun phrase on their own. They must always be accompanied by a generic noun. Specific nouns are an open word class. The most typical noun phrase in Éuta is thus a generic noun followed by a generic noun. Generic nouns are thus a kind of classifiers of specific nouns. The specific noun also agrees the case of the specific noun.

Uncountable nouns do not need a generic noun to modify them. Semantically, they express either abstraction, action or mass. They can be heads of noun phrases on their own. They are rarely modified by specific nouns. Uncountable nouns often correspond to adjectives of European languages and modify other noun phrases. Then they appear in Ablative case. The construction thus resembles 'a man of honor' in English. Unlike that of the other nouns, the Locative form of Uncountable nouns works as an adverb of manner.

Morphologically, all nouns are similar. They have four cases: Nominative, Locative, Ablative, and Dative. Number is coded only sporadically. Nouns are always longer than one syllabble.

---

My current problem is how how such a system of nouns works with light verb constructions. Usually the nouns appearing as objects of light verbs are uncountable (i.e. abstract nouns) and thus do not need a generic noun as a classifier. There are, however, light verb constructions like 'to give a kiss' where it would be nice to have 'a kiss' as a countable noun. So, the construction should be something like 'to give a [touch kiss(ing)]'. Though, why couldn't some light verb constructions have classificatory generic nouns.

[Omzinesý]

Word classes

Verbs
- Monosyllabic CV
- A closed class
- Ablaut (vowel quality, length, nasalization, tone) marks five epistemic categories and three adverbial moods
Epistemic
• Egophoric
• Uncertain
• Sensory
• Fact
• Reportative
Adverbial
• Simultaneous (when, while)
• Posterior (and then)

I think there should also be an imperative/optative/jussive form.

I think it's one of the "subjective" forms and has a nasal.

[Omzinesý]

There are three subclasses of nouns, generic noun, specific nouns, and uncountable nouns. They behave syntactically differently.

Genric nouns are a closed class, though specific nouns can sometimes be used like generic nouns, and the distinction between them is not as strict how verbs are a closed class. Generic nouns can be used as heads of noun phrases. Éuta does not have European-style third person pronouns, so generic nouns also work anaphorically. Specific nouns cannot form a noun phrase on their own. They must always be accompanied by a generic noun. Specific nouns are an open word class. The most typical noun phrase in Éuta is thus a generic noun followed by a generic noun. Generic nouns are thus a kind of classifiers of specific nouns. The specific noun also agrees the case of the specific noun.

Uncountable nouns do not need a generic noun to modify them. Semantically, they express either abstraction, action or mass. They can be heads of noun phrases on their own. They are rarely modified by specific nouns. Uncountable nouns often correspond to adjectives of European languages and modify other noun phrases. Then they appear in Ablative case. The construction thus resembles 'a man of honor' in English. Unlike that of the other nouns, the Locative form of Uncountable nouns works as an adverb of manner.

Morphologically, all nouns are similar. They have four cases: Nominative, Locative, Ablative, and Dative. Number is coded only sporadically. Nouns are always longer than one syllabble.

---

My current problem is how how such a system of nouns works with light verb constructions. Usually the nouns appearing as objects of light verbs are uncountable (i.e. abstract nouns) and thus do not need a generic noun as a classifier. There are, however, light verb constructions like 'to give a kiss' where it would be nice to have 'a kiss' as a countable noun. So, the construction should be something like 'to give a [touch kiss(ing)]'. Though, why couldn't some light verb constructions have classificatory generic nouns.

Probably there is no need for such a strict distinction between the clauses. More abstract/mass nouns just appear more often without a generic noun than concrete ones.

[Omzinesý]

Once again attempting Cat story

Ká mbuwa nǫjį
be.SENS animal cat
'There was a cat.'

Mbuwa ká hítéú ra sípųų
Mbuwa ká híjí-u ra sípų-u
animal be.SENS small-LOC and white
'She was small and white.'

Wo rųųmbáá, kąą tųų héémalau. 1. 2.
Wo rųųmbáá, kąą tųų héémala-u
lie.SENS sleep.ABL, be.EGO very hunger-LOC
'When she woke up she was very hungry!'

So she went looking for some food.
She looked behind the tree and found an acorn.
But cats don't eat acorns!
She looked under the rock and found a bug.
But cats don't eat bugs!
She looked in the house and saw something very interesting on the table.
It was a fish! And she loved to eat fish!
So she jumped on to the table and grabbed the fish.
Uh oh! A person saw her take the fish.
The little cat jump out the window and hid in the field.
She happily ate the fish.
But now she was very sleepy.

1. Many static verbs that usually appear with Locative, become cessatives with Ablative and inchoatives with Dative.
2. hee means 'to eat'. -mala derives nouns 'desire to V'.

[Omzinesý]

For a while, I have been thinking about Éuta motion verbs.

Ujd proposed that they could make a distinction between fast and slow. Possibly the fast-verb could also mean 'abruptly' in some contexts.

I'm also interested in adding Russian style manner coding, say:
'go in the water' (swim, float)
'go in the air' (fly)
'go by a vehicle' (drive, fly, travel)
'go by foot in the field area' (walk),
'go by foot in the jungle'

The distinction between the last two is culturally interesting because Éuta is spoken on an island whose coast is fields and the center is jungle.
The flying verb could also be used for all movement in a three dimensional space (diving and climbing in the mountains).
This would give 5 x 2 verbs. It is a bit many because the whole language should have around 30 verbs.


Deixis (go, come) can be coded by pronouns like 'here' and 'there'.
The motion verbs could also be ambitransitive. They mean both transitive and intransitive 'move'.
For changing possession, there should be other verbs like 'give' and 'receive'.

[Omzinesý]

First ideas for verbs

The 10 motion verbs

'to stay' (negation to motion verbs)

2 emotion verbs (like, dislike)

'to be'
'no to be'

do (practice, maintain)
make (create, produce) also 'to start'
not to do

give, get (I'm not sure if they are one or two verbs)

stop, destroy

to think about

to say (could this also be the same as 'to give')


Possible stems Awkwards generated

Spoiler:

mbo
ya
nde
mbe
he
se
ta
to
we
_e
đa
_a
ʔo
ko
đe
mba
pa
ʔa
ndo
te
so
yo
nga
đo
ka
_o
ye
ʔe
ho
nge
po
pe
ke
wa
wo
nda
sa

[Khemehekis]

Twinga is my newest project. It seems that my langs last around a week.

A while back, I asked you if you were a filmstabber.

Now I'm wondering if you are in fact a spawner.

[Omzinesý]

Twinga is my newest project. It seems that my langs last around a week.

A while back, I asked you if you were a filmstabber.

Now I'm wondering if you are in fact a spawner.

Very possibly
I think am waiting for a language that is interesting enough to deserve a lexicon. Usually my new projects are born out of one idea that I want to test and that doesn't fit into any existing project.

[eldin raigmore]

Now I'm wondering if you are in fact a spawner.

Who is (or was) Mira (the person you thanked for giving you the “spawner” idea)?

[Khemehekis]

Now I'm wondering if you are in fact a spawner.

Who is (or was) Mira (the person you thanked for giving you the “spawner” idea)?

She used to go by OTheB. Changed her screenname because the initials O and B matched her deadname.

[Omzinesý]

Euta verbs are still in their infancy.

They have the four cases.
Number is not coded productively.

Most nouns consist of a generic noun followed by a specific noun.

But there are many unresolved questions
- how is possession expressed
- Can a specific noun be derived from a generic noun and can the same generic noun be its classifier? (house dairy-house)
- Is compounding allowed or should there just be very productive derivation?

Edit: I think generic noun - specific noun phrases should be understood as compounds. The head root does not have to be a hyperonym of the modifier root. So 'house' can well be the head and 'dairy' the modifier. Both roots though have case inflection.

Edit: Nominal modifiers of nouns that are not part of the generic-specific phrase could have a marked case (Locative, Dative, Ablative) but with a high tone on the case maker. Is this two much info on one segment.
-i 'Dative, í 'genitive modifier'
-u 'locative', -ú 'locative modifier'
-: 'ablative' -´: 'partitive modifier'

[Omzinesý]

Dictionary

Generic nouns
kuu 'person'
rúno 'place'
. rúno káha 'forest' (tree place)
sepu 'stick'
soohó 'a dish' (what kind of food)
towo 'house, building'
- towo hépini 'bar'
woope 'head'

Specific nouns
hépini 'evening'
repí 'male'

Abstract nouns
háámi 'distribution'
. háámií xayai 'destiny' (distribution of mana)
heú'éu 'tone'
kópeda 'love' (romantic)
pa'ííta 'order', 'succession'
. pa'ííta heú'éuwá 'melody' (succession of tone(s))
pajį́yą 'song'
reepa 'possibility'
. reepau 'possibly, maybe'
xaya 'mana', 'light'

Pronouns
Xe 'I'
po 'you'

Verbs
he 'go fast, in 3-dimensional space'
ndá 'change'
se 'to go (by foot, at inhabited areas)'
'o 'cause', 'happen'
wi +DAT 'to like', +ACC 'to eat', +ACC 'to feel (something positive)', +NO.OBJECT 'to be happy'

Particles
mąrᶖkáu 'eternally', 'always from this on'
pupo-i 'down'
yono 'but'

[Omzinesý]

I think I will get rid of the Yidiny system of compound nouns. I just don't know how to use it and I seem to be loosing my interest in the whole lang.

[Omzinesý]

lo 'to have'

It is often used as generic modal auxiliary.

He lo, sęke sęę.
SG1 have.EGO need go.EGO
'I need to go.'

He lo, pada sęę.
SH1 have.EGO ability go.EGO
'I can go.'

Surprisingly often the modal noun can be dropped, and the context tells the modality.

He lo, sęę.
SG1 have.EGO go.EGO
'I should/can/must to go.'

[Omzinesý]

'There is' clauses are formed with lo 'to have'.

Mǫú seka-tųųje lo pi tųųje.
why pot-honey have no honey
'Why there is no honey in the honey pot.'
literally: 'Why the honey pot has no honey.'

[Omzinesý]

Translations:

'Why is there no honey in the clay pot?' 12.1.2024

Spoiler:

viewtopic.php?p=327007#p327007

Mǫú seka-tųųje lo pi tųųje.
why pot-honey have no honey

'I love you.' 12.1.2024

Spoiler:

viewtopic.php?p=327011#p327011
Héi wi kópeda poi.
sg1 feel love you.DAT

'The horse does not eat cucumber salad' 12.1.2024

Spoiler:

viewtopic.php?p=327013#p327013

One can say (1), which rather means 'Horse does not like to eat ...' or (2), which means that 'Horse cannot ...'.

(1)
<Pudo-maho đu salara-púhu-jųngu.>
Pudo-ma-ho đu salara-púhu-kųngu
animal-NMLZ_TR-move dislike.DIRECT pipe-greenness
'The horse does not eat cucumber salad'

(2)
<Pudo-maho lo pi heesa wįį salara-púhu-jųngu.>
Pudo-ma-ho lo pi heesa wįį salara-púhu-kųngu
animal-NMLZ_TR-move have.DIRECT no capability enjoy.EGO pipe-greenness
'Horse cannot eat cucumber salad.'

[Omzinesý]

Words used:

Nouns:
heesa 'capability' 'ability'
kópeda 'love (romantic)'
kųngu 'green(ness)'
púhu 'pipe'
púhu-jųngu 'cucumber' (green pipe)
puro 'animal' (mammal, dogs, horses ...)
tųųje 'honey'
salara 'salad'
seka 'pot'

Verbs:
đu 'dislike'
lo 'to have' 'to be there' general modal verb
wi 'like'

Particles:
ho 'move'
pi 'no' (used after a noun: 'to be no N', 'to have no N')
wi 'to like', 'to be happy', 'to feel (positive)'

Pronouns
héi 'sg1'
po 'sg2'