Postbases and Affixes: view article

Grammatical affixes:
1. ʃlom: turns the root into a noun, can be used for verbs or adjectives/adverbs
2. ʃkom: turns the root into a verb, can be used for nouns or adjectives/adverbs
3. zek: causative
4. axfnol: reciprocal affix – object and subject do the root to each other
5. ox: reverses the meaning of a case marker [see more under Nouns – case marking]
6. ʀo: agent and patient remain the same, direction of the verb changes

Lexical affixes
Lexical affixes are commonly used to build words in Orkish. They carry a lot of semantic meaning in one or two syllables. They can be combined with other nouns to be even more specific. They can go on nouns or verbs. They usually are added to the end, but in some situations, they may go at the beginning of a word. Which way is seemingly arbitrary, but they never go in the middle.

1. ãga: ugly, degenerate, falling apart, raggedy
2. eho: to transform into or become the root
3. g͡bǝ: producing the root, a byproduct of the root
4. ha̰l: time of/described by the root. Used in words like “sometimes” and “never”
5. hmo: doing the root again
6. ka̰: to decay, scatter, or fall apart; to melt
7. kse: something for the use/purpose of the root
8. kslv: “ish,” somewhat like the root
9. ktsv[ǝ]: a piece or part of the root
10. ktzo̰: beautiful, well-made, well-shaped, aesthetic;
11. kre: pleasant, enjoyable
12. la̰s: person/object described by the root
13. ɬsv: a living being [especially a human] of either sex; both sexes together, like Esperanto ge-
14. n|a: on purpose
15. ngzu: predicting the root
16. Nʞa: by mistake
17. nka: something fun which is typically done with others; something you do with other people
18. nɹəza: to have
19. pcã: making a sound like the root
20. pca: opposite of the root
21. qa: to use the root in a predictable way; qatscveʔ “to see, to use the eyes in a predictable way”
22. qa̰x: scattering/breaking apart
23. ɹa, oha: to lack the root, to never do the root
24. rã: made of the root
25. ra: to be full of the root, to do the root often
26. ʀlo: one who does the root
27. ʀro: one to whom the root is done
28. runk: to have lots of the root
29. ʃlə: something resulting from the root
30. srem: to think, to believe
31. tcak: to say, to communicate,
32. tscvõ: resembling the root in an artificial way
33. tscvo: resembling/dressed like the root
34. xaʙa: to be
35. xlʃ: go somewhere to do the verb
36. xnk: thing/object/substance to which verb is typically done
37. zrukã: to do the root with a serious, heavy consequence
38. ʔuq, ʔaq: place where the root is commonly found

Directional affixes
These can function like demonstratives
1. pcanaʔã: close by
2. naʔã: far away
3. to̰ta: out of sight
4. ablã: underneath
5. pcablã: on top of
6. malek: adjacent, touching, nearby
7. saqṵ: changing direction

Additionally, these can be modified to show:
1. ʃu: movement toward the root in the manner specified
2. ʃã: movement away from the root in the manner specified
3. ʃe: staying still [on/in/at] the root in the manner specified

These affixes can be used on words relating to time as well.

Case markers VERSUS Directional affixes: What’s the difference?

Case markers go on NOUNS to show a grammatical relationship:
bulvakcesɬa – [to] the fortress

The case marker additionally agrees with modifiers and pronouns.

Directional affixes go on anything and they literally just show direction:
X|pcomvenaʔãʔapla̰xesɬa – come [from far away] to the fortress

They do not agree with modifiers or pronouns.

But they can be used on anything:

kcanʞpcanaʔãʃe
That dog sitting over there. This kind of construction is used for pointing out something.

Incorporated nominals
In Orkish, just about any noun can be incorporated. But there are some nouns that only appear in an incorporated form. They do not stand alone:

Environmental
These affixes show what kind of obstacle the subject encountered while doing the root verb:
1. zol: forest
2. kzo̰l: volcano
3. kzol: mountain
4. nzo̰ɬ: snow, rain, precipitation
5. nzol: desert
6. zoɬ: storm
7. nzoɬ: lightning
8. nzo̰l: clearing, glade, valley
9. zo̰ɬ: river

I arrive at the fortress [by crossing/encountering a river]:
ʞ|pcomvezo̰ɬapla̰xefsa̰

To say something like “A storm is approaching,” you could say:
tcəfnogmuvezoɬ ʀṵhʔaqstanoʔo
“A storm blocks the horizon”

Body parts
Some body parts appear as actual nouns [especially internal organs or more specific body part names], but the most common ones only appear as incorporated nominals:
1. -tsǝv: face
2. -n|ɹl: back
3. -lɹʃ: teeth
4. -mʘaʔa: mouth
5. -qmʘnk: stomach
6. -tsku: knee
7. -tr̗ǝn: leg
8. -kʀǝn: arm
9. –tscveʔ: eye
10. -krǝn: hand

One common body part that is not an incorporated nominal is kco̰r “bone.”

Evidentials
These come directly before the verb root. They indicate how the speaker gained the information and how trustworthy it is:

1. -qam: custom. The root is known to happen on a regular, habitual basis [for example, the sun rising; someone going to work every day; etcetera]
2. -kãm: assumed/inferential [everyone is outside, my eyes hurt, and I have a sunburn – the sun must be up]
3. -qa̰m: direct knowledge [through the senses, visual or otherwise]
4. -kom: mystical [for example, a dream, psychic, tarot cards, etcetera – may or may not be trustworthy]
5. –qaʔam: rumor [source of dubious trustworthiness]
6. -qom: 2nd hand [the source is trustworthy]

Examples:
kãmmʙan|atskulsalrǝlza
I assume they shot him in the knee

kommʙan|atskulsalɹəlza
The tarot cards tell me they shot him in the knee

Evidentials are used when presenting something that is not self-evident; in such cases they are not used, as in this example:

G͡banlah xaвan kora̰x
The sun is a star.

Compare that to this one:
qa̰məg͡banlahãga̰
The sun is ugly [I can tell because I see it].

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