Snvsdr dhv

EM FĒ DOY SNVSDR EFME PR̄

/ém ɸē dù snœ̀sdɤ̀ èɸmé pɤ̄/

snv̀sdr̀ dhè is a micro-lang designed to be good at building words. The grammar is derived from kót wàwa.

The vocabulary is derived from draft versions of a language called "teja", which itself is inspired by tuki tiki.

It has no strict division between word building vocabulary and sentence-building vocabulary.

snvsdr dhe/Test sentences

snvsdr dhe/Example texts

Phonemes

Consonants

p	t	c	k
b	d	ɟ ⟨c⟩	g ⟨k⟩
pʰ ⟨ph⟩	tʰ ⟨th⟩	cʰ ⟨ch⟩	kʰ ⟨kh⟩
bʰ ⟨bh⟩	dʰ ⟨dh⟩	ɟʰ ⟨ch⟩	gʰ ⟨kh⟩
m̥ ⟨m⟩	n̥ ⟨n⟩	ɲ̊ ⟨l⟩	ŋ̊ ⟨g⟩
m	n	ɲ ⟨l⟩	ŋ ⟨g⟩
ɸ ⟨f⟩	s	ç ⟨j⟩	x
β ⟨f⟩	z	ʝ ⟨j⟩	ɣ ⟨x⟩

Vowels

ø ⟨vy⟩	i ⟨ey⟩	ɯ ⟨ry⟩	o ⟨oy⟩		ʉ ⟨y⟩
œ ⟨v⟩	e	ɤ ⟨r⟩	ɔ ⟨o⟩		ə ⟨h⟩
ɶ ⟨va⟩	ɛ ⟨ea⟩	ʌ ⟨ra⟩	ɒ ⟨oa⟩		a

Tones

high	á	the consonant is always voiceless
mid	ā	no distinction on consonant voicing
low	à	the consonant is always voiced

In the standard Latin orthography, some of the consonants don't show whether they are voiced. In those cases, the voicing can be inferred from the tone.

Root words

word	sound (as a verb)	meaning (as a verb)	notes	origin	kw equiv	tuki tiki equiv
bv	/bœ̀/	x is the start/front of y		< tok open	òpe, zìm	open
be	/bè/	x is flat in the presence of y		< teja pe, infl. by tok lipu	lìp	kati
br	/bɤ̀/	x is good to y		< teja po < tok pona	bòn	pula
bo	/bɔ̀/	x is a container of/for y		< tok poki	pòki, jò	~lu<
dv	/dœ̀/	x moves because of y		< teja ta < tok tawa	nàsa, ìles, mùs	taka
de	/dè/		unassigned
dr	/dɤ̀/	x experiences y		< teja to < tok sona	bìli, zòn, ~(lùki, gùt)	tula
do	/dɔ̀/	x goes to y		< teja ta < tok tawa	dàu	taka
bhv	/bʰœ̀/	x is above y		< teja pa	zèu, bm̀a	tiku
bhe	/bʰè/	x is part of y	inalienable possession	a priori	ìns, bɔ̀k	puka
bhr	/bʰɤ̀/		unassigned
bho	/bʰɔ̀/		unassigned
dhv	/dʰœ̀/		unassigned
dhe	/dʰè/	x is solid to y			gìwe	kiku
dhr	/dʰɤ̀/		unassigned
dho	/dʰɔ̀/	~ x is the agent of something happening to it	reflexive pronoun	< kw zɒ̀	zɒ̀	-
mv	/mœ̀/		unassigned
me	/mè/	x is me now as I'm speaking, and y is you as you're listening		< teja me "me; this" < tok mi	mì lònní, ànis	mi, li
mr	/mɤ̀/	x uses y		< tok moku	bèke, ~mòk	ilu
mo	/mɔ̀/	x is where y is		< teja ma < tok ma	nòl, mà, mèt	lu<, kiku
nv	/nœ̀/	x emits/gives/causes y		< kw nàt (< tok tan) & tok pana	nàt, bàna	~tuki
ne	/nè/	x is small in the presence of y		negation of go "big"< teja a; infl. by tok lili	lìli	lili
nr	/nɤ̀/	x is few/one in the presence of y		negation of gv "many"< teja a	ɲæ̀k	a ala
no	/nɔ̀/	x has already happened or begun to happen		< kw dà < PIE -eh2tos, infl. by vi đã and zh-cmn 了	dà	~lu taka lapi
fv	/βœ̀/	x points to y		a priori	lùka dàu	lika, ~tuki
fe	/βè/	x does y		a priori, infl. by tok li	lì	li
fr	/βɤ̀/	x can't initiate actions or states of being that affect y from x's own will		negation of je "agent of action" < teja ja "living thing" < tuki tiki ka & tok jan	ɰʉ̀ŋ, ~(ʋʉ̀ŋ, ɣɛ̀ɻɔɰ, ɻʉ̀x, ʉ̀tɔx, dʉ̀ɰ)	ka ala
fo	/βɔ̀/		unassigned
z	/z/	x is an act of doing y (aux.)	it takes a verb as its object	a priori, infl. by vi sự " the act of doing ..."	~àn	~pali
:	/ː̄/	in the context of x, y happens	it lengthens the previous vowel or consonant, but with mid tone. written by repeating the previous letter		~la	~la
h	/ə/	x happens to y			ìjo, è, ~la	iku, ~la
y	/y/	(	it can merge with a vowel before it to form a close vowel		pi, ~àn
a	/a/	)	it can merge with a vowel before to form an open vowel		ip, na

Grammar

Unit words

Every two-letter root word, in the verb form given in the table, is a valid unit word.

Other unit words can be derived by changing the tone.

e.g. nv̀ /nœ̀/ (verb) "emit/cause/give" → nv́ /n̥œ́/ (noun) "giver", → nv̄ /nœ̄/ (connective) "causing".

The noun version of a word refers to something that does the verb version of it. And the verb version of a noun refers to the act of being the thing that the noun refers to.

Other unit words can be derived by reversing it. These are the passive forms.

e.g. nv̀ /nœ̀/ (emit/cause/give) → v̀n /œ̀n/ "be given"; v́n /œ́n/ "gift"; v̄n /œ̄n/ "as a result of"

More unit words can be derived by inverting the sounds. These are the negated forms.

p/b	c
t/d	k
ph/bh	ch
th/dh	kh
m	l
n	g
f	j
s/z	x

v	r
e	o

e.g. nv̀ /nœ̀/ → gr̀ /ŋɤ̀/ "not give, not cause"

From this, a single two-letter root word can take 12 different unit word forms.

Compound words

If you say a noun right after a verb or a noun, it becomes the object of that previous word.

The combination is considered to be a compound word.

e.g. nv̀ "give" + pó "box" → nv̀pó /nœ̀pɔ́/ "give a box".

pó "box"+ pŕ "good thing" → pópŕ /pɔ̀pɤ́/ "box of treats"

If you say another noun afterwards, it becomes the object of the noun you just added.

nv̀ + pó + pŕ → nv̀ + pópŕ → nv̀pópŕ /nœ̀pɔ́pɤ́/ "give a box of treats"

This is the only way compound words are formed, so in writing, the tone marks can be left off the suffixed nouns.

e.g. nv̀popr "give a box of treats"

Any unit word or compound word is also considered to be a unit phrase.

Conditional phrases

A unit phrase can be made subjunctive by lengthening the final sound of the last word in it and putting the lengthened form into mid tone.

br̀r̄ /bɤ̀ɤ̄/ "if it's good", "where/when it's good."

The next unit phrase is asserted to be true, if the subjunctive one is.

br̀r̄ nv̀ /bɤ̀ɤ̄ nœ̀/ "if good then give"

r̀bb̄ fè /ɤ̀bbə̄ βè/ "if benefitted then do"

jv́ mèē èm /çœ́ mèē èm/ "if not me, then you", "us (inclusive)"

It's possible to have more than one condition.

br̀r̄ r̀bb̄ nv̀ /bɤ̀ɤ̄ ɤ̀bbə̄ nœ̀/ "if it's good then, if it's benefitted, give"

The result is a conditional phrase.

Verbal modification

If you say a verb after a phrase, it modifies the meaning of that phrase.

The combination is considered to be a compound phrase. The meaning is this: The thing referred to be the first word does the action referred to by the added verb.

e.g. nv̀ "give" + br̀ "good" → nv̀ br̀ "give in a good way", "give politely"

pó "box" + br̀ "good" → pó br̀ "good box"

If you say another verb afterwards, it also modifies the first word of the phrase. Note this is different to adding a noun.

pó "box" + nv̀ "give" + br̀ "good" → pó nv̀ br̀ /pɔ́ nœ̀ bɤ̀/ "a box that gives and is good", "a good dispenser"

pó "box" + nv̀popr "give a box of treats" + br̀ "good" → pó nv̀popr br̀ /pɔ̀ nœ̀pɔ́pɤ́ bɤ̀/ "a box that gives boxes of treats and is good", "a good treat-box disepenser"

This is the only way compound phrases are formed, so in writing, the tone marks can be left off the added verbs.

e.g. pó nv br "good dispenser"

pó nvpopr br "good treat-box dispenser"

Phrases, like words, can be either verb or noun.

Making a statement

If you say a verb phrase on its own, you assert that it's true in some sense.

br̀. /bɤ̀/. "It's good.", "There is goodness."

By default, a statement takes on a general meaning, but the sense can be narrowed down based on the current context.

br̀. "You did it well.", "I am good to them.", "It's delicious."

nv̀popr br. "The treat-box is given well.", "The treat-box is made well.", "It does a job job dispensing those bags of good things."

nv̀poprr̄ br. "If treat-box is given, the giving is done well."

Mentioning something

If you say a noun phrase on its own, you simply mention it, without asserting that it's true or present.

pŕ. /pɤ́/. "The good thing."

nv́. /n̥œ́/. "One that gives.", "The cause."

Abstract nouns

You can also refer to the process of something happening with s.

snv̀. /snœ̀/. "The giving.", "The causation.", "Emanation."

s is the noun form of z. It's distinguished from it by being devoiced.

Embedding a phrase

You embed a phrase within another with y /ʉ/.

nv̀ y pó nv br. /nœ̀ ʉ̄ pɔ́ nœ̀ bɤ̀/". "It gives a good dispenser."

If the embedded phrase is a noun phrase, y may be combined with a vowel just before it. When doing so, the y becomes just a change to the sound of that earlier vowel, closing it a little bit.

nv̀y po nv br. /nø̀ pɔ́ nœ̀ bɤ̀/. "It gives a good dispenser."

An embedded phrase can be ended with a. This frees you up to modify the head word before it.

nv̀y po nv br a gv̀. /nø̀ pɔ́ nœ̀ bɤ̀ ā ŋœ̀/. "It often gives good dispensers."

If the following phrase is a noun phrase, it becomes an object of the head word in the embedded phrase. Also, the a may be combined with any vowel at the end of the embedded phrase. This opens that vowel a little bit.

nv̀y po nv bra popr. /nø̀ pɔ́ nœ̀ bʌ̀ pɔ́pɤ́/. "It gives a good treat-box dispenser."

Attributing an action

You can specify who is doing something by saying a noun phrase, followed by fē /ɸē/ and then the verb phrase.

mé fē nv̀. /mé ɸē nœ̀/. "I'm giving something.", "Right now, I give it.", "It's because of me right now."

Describing a sentence

A sentence can be described by adding a mid tone word to the start or the end of it.

At the start,

r̄p ém fē nv̀. /ɤ̄p ém ɸē nœ̀/. "It's good that you give it."

ém fē nv̀ pr̄. /ém ɸē nœ̀ pɤ̄/. "It would be good if you give it.", "Can you please give it?"

Connecting sentences

Putting a mid tone word M between two sentences P and Q creates a conditional statement, meaning where P is true, Q is true and P does M to Q.

ém fē nv̀ nv̄ mé fē òm bo. /ém ɸē nœ̀ nœ̄ m̥é ɸē ɔ̀m bɔ̀/. "If you give it, that will make me have it."