Kandevi

Natively known as: Kavni/ˈkavʲnʲi/

  ...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind... svi fro nayi fskoṣ tve svirstve svi tsvi tve ɕɕer slei tve nrarstvo Pronunciation: /svi fro ˈnaji fskoʂ tvʲe ˈsvirstvʲe svi ʦvʲi tvʲe ɕːer ˈslei tvʲe ˈnrarstvo/ Kandevi word order: and he stood holding hat his and turned his face wet to the wind  

Spelling & Phonology

  Consonant inventory: /b bʲ d dʲ f fʲ g j k l lʲ m mʲ n nʲ p pʲ r rʲ s sʲ t tʲ v vʲ x z zʲ ɕː ʂ ʂː ʐ ʐː ʦ ʨ/

↓Manner/Place→	Bilabial	Labiodental	Alveolar	Retroflex	Alveolo-palatal	Palatal	Velar
Nasal	m mʲ		n nʲ
Stop	p pʲ b bʲ		t tʲ d dʲ				k g
Affricate			ʦ		ʨ
Fricative		f fʲ v vʲ	s sʲ z zʲ	ʂ ʂː ʐ ʐː	ɕː		x
Approximant						j
Trill			r rʲ
Lateral approximant			lʲ l

  Vowel inventory: /a e i o u/

	Front	Back
High	i	u
High-mid	e	o
Low	a

  Syllable structure: Custom defined Stress pattern: No fixed stress Word initial consonants: b, bl, blʲ, br, brʲ, bʲ, d, dlʲ, dn, dr, drʲ, dv, dvʲ, dʲ, f, fk, fklʲ, fp, fpr, fr, fsk, fsp, fst, fstrʲ, fsʲ, fsʲlʲ, ft, fx, fʲ, fʲpʲ, g, gdʲ, gl, glʲ, gr, grʲ, j, k, kl, klʲ, knʲ, kr, krʲ, kst, kt, kv, l, lʲ, m, mgn, ml, mn, mnʲ, mʲ, n, nr, nʲ, p, pl, plʲ, pr, prʲ, ptʲ, pʲ, r, rʲ, s, sj, sk, skr, skv, sl, sm, smʲ, sn, sp, spr, sprʲ, spʲ, sr, srʲ, st, str, strʲ, stv, sv, svʲ, sx, sxv, sʦ, sʲ, sʲlʲ, sʲnʲ, sʲtʲ, t, tk, tr, trʲ, tv, tvʲ, tʲ, v, vd, vdr, vl, vlʲ, vmʲ, vn, vnʲ, vr, vrʲ, vzd, vzglʲ, vzr, vzʲ, vʲ, x, xlʲ, xr, xv, z, zd, zdr, zl, zn, zrʲ, zv, zvʲ, zʲ, zʲdʲ, ɕː, ʂ, ʂk, ʂlʲ, ʂt, ʐ, ʐd, ʦ, ʦvʲ, ʨ, ʨlʲ Mid-word consonants: b, bj, bl, blʲ, bn, br, bʲ, d, dj, dl, dlʲ, dmʲ, dn, dr, dv, dvʲ, dʲ, dʲb, dʲnʲ, f, fk, fsk, fstrʲ, fsʲ, ft, ftr, fʂ, fʨ, fʲ, g, gd, gl, glʲ, gr, gz, gʐ, j, jg, jk, jm, jn, jsk, jstv, jstvʲ, jtʲ, jʂ, k, kl, klʲ, kn, kr, krʲ, kt, ktʲ, kv, kʦ, l, ld, lg, lk, ln, lnʲ, lp, lst, lt, lʐ, lʐn, lʨ, lʲ, lʲk, lʲn, lʲnʲ, lʲstv, lʲstvʲ, lʲt, lʲz, lʲzʲ, lʲʂ, lʲʦ, lʲʨ, m, mk, mlʲ, mn, mnʲ, mp, mʲ, mʲj, mʲpʲ, n, nd, nf, nglʲ, ngr, nk, nr, nsk, nspʲ, nstv, nstvʲ, ntr, nʐ, nʦ, nʲ, nʲdʲ, nʲg, nʲk, nʲsʲtʲ, nʲtʲ, nʲɕː, nʲʨ, p, pk, pl, plʲ, pn, pr, prʲ, pst, pstvʲ, px, pɕː, pʲ, r, rd, rdʲ, rg, rk, rl, rm, rmʲ, rn, rnʲ, rpʲ, rsk, rstv, rstvʲ, rsʲ, rt, rtk, rtrʲ, rtv, rtʲ, rv, rx, rxn, rxnʲ, rʂ, rʐ, rʐd, rʦ, rʨ, rʲ, rʲb, rʲj, rʲm, s, sk, sklʲ, skv, sl, sm, smʲ, sn, sp, spʲ, st, stk, str, strʲ, stv, stvʲ, sx, sʲ, sʲlʲ, sʲm, sʲnʲ, sʲtʲ, sʲtʲj, t, tk, tkr, tlʲ, tmʲ, tn, tp, tpr, tprʲ, tpʲ, tr, trʲ, tvʲ, tx, tʲ, tʲj, tʲnʲ, v, vd, vg, vlʲ, vn, vnʲ, vr, vrʲ, vʲ, vʲj, x, xk, xn, xnʲ, xr, xv, z, zb, zd, zg, zglʲ, zm, zmʲ, zn, zr, zrʲ, zv, zvr, zvʲ, zʲ, zʲb, zʲdʲ, zʲj, zʲlʲ, zʲnʲ, ɕː, ɕːn, ʂ, ʂk, ʂl, ʂn, ʂnʲ, ʂsk, ʂt, ʂː, ʐ, ʐb, ʐd, ʐdʲ, ʐn, ʐnʲ, ʐː, ʦ, ʦk, ʦs, ʦsʲ, ʦt, ʦtv, ʦtvʲ, ʨ, ʨk, ʨn, ʨnʲ, ʨt, ʨtʲ Word final consonants: blʲ, brʲ, f, fʲ, j, k, kst, kt, l, lk, lp, lʲ, lʲm, m, mʲ, n, nk, nkt, nt, ntr, nʲ, p, r, rk, rs, rt, rtʲ, rx, rʲ, s, sk, sl, st, str, sʲ, sʲlʲ, sʲnʲ, sʲtʲ, t, tr, tʲ, x, z, zm, zʲnʲ, ɕː, ʂ, ʂtʲ, ʦ, ʨ   Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
ʲ
ʦ	ts
ʨ	ch
j	y
ʐ	ẓ
x	kh
ʂ	ṣ
C₁ː	C₁C₁

 

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Grammar

  Main word order: Subject Verb Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary opened the door with a key. Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned after the noun. Adposition: prepositions  

Nouns

  Nouns have both a plural affix and dual affix for precisely two things.

	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	No affix pirs /pirs/ man	No affix spo /spʲo/ woman	No affix stvo /stvo/ dog
Plural	If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -oj pirsoy /pirˈsoj/ men	If ends with vowel: Suffix -x Else: Suffix -ix spokh /spʲox/ women	If ends with vowel: Suffix -rk Else: Suffix -ork stvork /stvork/ dogs
Dual	If ends with vowel: Suffix -sl Else: Suffix -osl pirsosl /pirˈsosl/	If ends with vowel: Suffix -r Else: Suffix -ir spor /spʲor/	If ends with vowel: Suffix -j Else: Suffix -aj stvoy /stvoj/

 

Articles

Definite	chlulm /ʨlʲulʲm/ the
Indefinite	u /u/ a, some

  Uses of definite article that differ from English:

• Used to talk about countable nouns in general: English’s ‘I like cats’ would translate to ‘I like the cats’
• Used for languages: ‘The English’
• Used with place names: ‘The London’

 

Pronouns

	Nominative	Accusative
1st singular	ko /ko/ I	tsvi /ʦvʲi/ me
2nd singular	ros /ros/ you (masc)	e /e/ you
3rd singular masc	fro /fro/ he	khvap /xvap/ him
3rd singular fem	ni /nʲi/ she	skvo /skvo/ her
3rd singular neut	khru /xru/ it	li /lʲi/ it
1st plural inclusive	sakt /sʲakt/ we (including you)	zvusl /zvʲusl/ us (including you)
1st plural exclusive	a /a/ we (excluding you)	dru /dru/ us (excluding you)
2nd plural	o /o/ you all	tvo /tvo/ you all
3rd plural masc	pli /pli/ they (masc)	dla /dlʲa/ them (masc)
3rd plural fem	tko /tko/ they (fem)	zdunkt /zʲdʲunkt/ them (fem)
3rd plural neut	i /i/ they (neut)	zdeṣt /zdeʂtʲ/ them (neut)

 

Possessive determiners

1st singular	trit /tritʲ/ my
2nd singular	rontr /rontr/ your
3rd singular masc	tve /tvʲe/ his
3rd singular fem	pilk /pilk/ her
3rd singular neut	o /o/ its
1st plural inclusive	fra /fra/ our (including you)
1st plural exclusive	fki /fki/ our (excluding you)
2nd plural	blo /blʲo/ your (pl)
3rd plural masc	i /i/ their (masc)
3rd plural fem	smi /smʲi/ their (fem)
3rd plural neut	brazm /brazm/ their (neut)

 

Verbs

Present	If ends with vowel: Suffix -s Else: Suffix -as tvoyas /ˈtvojas/ learn
Past	No affix tvoy /tvoj/ learned
Remote past	Suffix -i tvoyi /ˈtvoji/ learned (long ago)
Future	Suffix -imʲ tvoyim /ˈtvojimʲ/ will learn

  Progressive aspect   The ‘progressive’ aspect refers to actions that are happening at the time of speaking, such as I am learning.   Kandevi uses an affix for progressive:

Progressive

Suffix -i tvoyi /ˈtvoji/ is learning

  Habitual aspect   The ‘habitual’ aspect refers to actions that happen habitually, such as I learn (something new every day), as opposed to actions that happen once (I learned something).   Kandevi uses an affix for habitual:

Habitual

If ends with vowel: Suffix -ʂ Else: Suffix -eʂ tvoyeṣ /tvoˈjeʂ/ learns

  Perfect aspect   The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.   Kandevi uses an affix for the perfect aspect:

Perfect

Suffix -ortʲ tvoyort /ˈtvojortʲ/ have learned

 

Numbers

  Kandevi has a base-20 number system:   1 - sto 2 - asn 3 - sa 4 - sribo 5 - tve 6 - art 7 - ko 8 - e 9 - zdru 10 - pi 11 - sleprist 12 - lir 13 - nisk 14 - khvalta 15 - its 16 - fpuk 17 - nadviy 18 - skral 19 - kvakh 20 - luystve 21 - sto svi luystve “one and twenty” 400 - sledrat “fourhundred” 401 - sledrat svi sto “fourhundred and one” 800 - asn sledrat “two fourhundred” 8000 - santr “eightthousand”  

Derivational morphology

  Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -kt Else: Suffix -ikt Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -st Else: Suffix -est Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -a Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -rʲ Else: Suffix -erʲ Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -x Else: Suffix -ix Noun to verb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -l Else: Suffix -ul Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -brʲ Else: Suffix -ubrʲ Tending to = Suffix -i Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Suffix -i Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -ej One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -tʲ Else: Suffix -itʲ Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Suffix -o Diminutive = If ends with vowel: Suffix -s Else: Suffix -as Augmentative = Suffix -ar