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 above y		< teja pa	zèu, bm̀a	tiku
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/		unassigned
bhe	/bʰè/		unassigned
bhr	/bʰɤ̀/		unassigned
bho	/bʰɔ̀/		unassigned
dhv	/dʰœ̀/		unassigned
dhe	/dʰè/	x is solid to y			gìwe	kiku
dhr	/dʰɤ̀/		unassigned
dho	/dʰɔ̀/		unassigned
mv	/mœ̀/	x is the same as y in some way		< kw màs < tok sama	zàm	tama
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 ge "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
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.

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."

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.

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."