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.
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 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.
Verbal modification
If you say a verb after a verb or a noun, it modifies the meaning of that first word.
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.
Conditional phrases
A phrase can be made conditional 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."
br̀r̄ nv̀ /bɤ̀ɤ̄ nœ̀/ "if good then give"
r̀bpə̄ fè /ɤ̀bpə̄ βè/ "if benefitted then do"
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 bò. /ém ɸē nœ̀ nœ̄ m̥é ɸē ɔ̀m bɔ̀/. "If you give it, that will make me have it."