Nouns/Adjectives/Adverbs/Verbs
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Basic words in Old Shikathi
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 5 Jun 2020, 15:15.
[comments] zkdnounsadjectivesadverbsverbsoverviewcasesdeclensions
[top]Nouns
Cases & Classes
Unlike modern
Shikathi, Old Shikathi retains a full case system and a vestige of an animacy / inanimacy system left over from Proto Shikathi. Noun cases are marked either at the beginning of a noun (if animate) or at the end of the noun (if inanimate). The list of cases and their affixes can be seen below.| Case | Animate prefixes | Inanimate suffixes |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | f- / f'- / fe- | -f / -'f / -fi |
| Accusative | sh- / sh'- / she- | -sh / -'sh / -shi |
| Dative | gh- / gh'- / ghe- | -gh / -'gh / -ghi |
| Genitive | d- / d'- / de- | -aad / -adi / -thi |
| Locative | t- / t'- / te- | -t'l / -tli / -li |
| Temporal | t- / t'- / te- | -t'l / -tli / -li |
| Instrumental | n- / n'- / ne- | -iin / -ni |
| Causative | r- / r'- / re- | -rumi |
| Semblative | b- / b'- / be- | -bi / -bechi |
| Vocative | null affix | ----- |
Some nouns are solely animate or inanimate. Most nouns that represent “living” things are animate and non-living things are inanimate. It's important to note that what’s considered “living” does not always correspond with Terran (or even Modern Shikathi) definitions of “life”.
avvril (later: avril) means carnivore or canine. It is an animate word and there is no inanimate version of it. By contrast ghok means rock, which is solely inanimate and has no animate version.
I see the dog.
f'khruum shavvril tiraazh.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-canine eye
I see the rock.
f'khruum ghok'sh tiraazh.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I rock-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things eye
While some nouns are either animate or inanimate, most can be both. Their meaning will change depending on it’s animacy. For example the word uora can mean fire/flame (if animate) or heat/warmth if inanimate
There is a fire in the hut.
fuora faniit’l.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-fire hut-LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things
There is heat in the hut.
uoraafi faniit’l.
heat-NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things hut-LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things
Some more examples:
zh’haar / zhehar = blood (if animate) or water/liquid (if inanimate)
There is life in the water.
fezhuoraagh zhehaart’l.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-life water-LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things
In blood, there is life.
tezh’haar fezhuoraagh.
LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-blood NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-essence
There is blood in the water.
fezh’haar zhehaart’l.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-blood water-LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things
Nouns with a null affix
Sometimes a noun will be used without any case or animacy marker. When this happens, it’s either a noun in the vocative case, or it’s not a noun but rather a verb. This all depends on context and placement within the sentence.
If the word is toward the beginning of a sentence, it’s probably a noun in the vocative case. And if it falls in the middle or towards the end, it’s most likely a verb. Additionally, if a noun is followed by a verbalizer, that noun becomes a verb as part of a verb phrase.
And so zhuoraagh can mean any of the following depending on context and whether or not there is a null affix: spirit, soul, existence, to exist, to be, to be alive, to live.
O “great” spirit watch (over) me!
zhuoraagh, sh’khruum tiraazh lahtoren!
spirit.VOCVocative (case)
'O [addressee]'.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I eye VBZVerbaliser
converts N, ADJ etc into verb.TRTransitive (valency)
has two arguments-IMPImperative (mood)
command
I exist. / I am alive. / I live. / I am.
f’khruum zhuoraagh.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I exist
My soul/spirit is with you.
fezhuoraagh d’khruum t’khraal.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-soul GENGenitive (case)
possessive.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I LOCLocative (case)
'in, on, at' etc.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you)
My existence/life is because of Zh’Kaar (i.e. I owe my existence to Zh’Kaar)
zhuoraagh’f d’khruum Rezh’kaar.
existence-NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things GENGenitive (case)
possessive.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I CAUCausal (case)
'because (of)'.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-zh’kaar
[top]Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectivizers
Adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. They must agree in case but they do not have to agree in number or animacy.
Adjectives are formed by attaching adjectivizers to the end of nouns. An adjectivizer takes the form of the genitive inanimate ending -aad followed by the appropriate inanimate case ending. Many times, the final consonant (or consonant cluster in the romanized script) is removed before adding the adjectivizer.
| Case | zhuoraagh (n.) = existence / life / spirit |
|---|---|
| Nominative | zhuoraadfi (alive/extant) |
| Accusative | zhuoraadshi |
| Dative | zhuoraadghi |
| Genitive | zhuoraadthi |
| Locative | zhuoraadli |
| Temporal | zhuoraadli |
| Instrumental | zhuoraadni |
| Causative | zhuoraadrumi |
| Semblative | zhuoraadbechi |
| Vocative | zhuoraad'th (O you who are alive...) |
Some examples:
The man who is alive eats. / The living man eats.
f'laender zhuoraadfi p'luur.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee existence-ADJZAdjectiviser (syntax)
turns word into adjective.NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument food
I see the man who is alive. / I see the living man.
f'khruum sh'laender zhuoraadshi tiraazh.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee existence-ADJZAdjectiviser (syntax)
turns word into adjective.ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient eye
Adverbializers
Adverbs generally follow the verbs or verbalizers they modify. To form an adverb, attach the adverbializer -aadthi to the end of a noun. It can be translated as "in a __ way" or "in a __ manner".
A common Old Shikathi Expression:
He lives his life in a manner of existence. (i.e. He's merely existing, not living)
f'laender golos zhuoraadthi.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee life existence-ADVZAdverbialiser (syntax)
turns word into adverb
some other examples:
You speak in an educated way.
f'khraal azhah zh'taadthi.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-2SSecond person singular (person)
addressee (you) word school-ADVZAdverbialiser (syntax)
turns word into adverb
I want to speak well.
f'khruum azhah akhaam groshahimaadthi thon'n.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I word VBZVerbaliser
converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency)
has one argument.INFInfinitive (TAM)
non-tensed verb goodness-ADVZAdverbialiser (syntax)
turns word into adverb desire
[top]Verbs
This is just a brief intro into verbs in Old Shikathi. A more detailed article is soon to follow.
Nouns as verbs
In Old Shikathi, verbalizers were not relied upon as heavily as they are in Modern Shikathi. Most uninflected nouns could be verbs depending on their placement within the sentence (usually at the end). In this way, Old Shikathi relied more on context.
golos (n.) = day-to-day life
golos (v.) = to live a life
and so:
My life is good.
golos'f d'khruum groshahiim.
life-NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things GENGenitive (case)
possessive.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I goodness
I'm living my life well. (or) I'm living the good life.
f'khruum golos groshahimaadthi.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I life goodness.ADVZAdverbialiser (syntax)
turns word into adverb
Some idiomatic noun phrases also behave as verbs. For example the phrase khelakhuu dirai literally means "within the hand" but in context means "to have/hold/possess/own". Another example would be piraanes dirai (within the head), which idiomatically means "to know (information)", "to believe", or "to ponder or think about".
I have a good life.
f'khruum goloshi groshahimaadshi khelakhuu dirai.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I life-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things goodness.ADJZAdjectiviser (syntax)
turns word into adjective.ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient hand within
I think about my good life.
f'khruum goloshi groshahimaadshi piranes dirai.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I life-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things goodness-ADJZAdjectiviser (syntax)
turns word into adjective.ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient head within
I believe that my life is good. (I believe my life to be good)
f'khruum goloshi groshahiim akhaam piranes dirai.
NOMNominative (case)
TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living thingsTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I life-ACCAccusative (case)
TRANS direct object; patient.INInanimate (gender/class)
for non-living things goodness VBZVerbaliser
converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency)
has one argument.INFInfinitive (TAM)
non-tensed verb head within
Nouns with verbalizers
If a noun is followed by a verbalizer, both words represent a single verb.
golos (n.) = day-to-day life
golos akhaam (v.) = to live a life
golos lahtor (v.) = to live life as a (profession).
Even though Old Shikathi didn’t use verbalizers as much as Modern Shikathi, verbalizers did have their place as infinitives, gerunds / gerundives; or used in the irrealis and imperative moods. Less commonly, they were used to signify aspect. The verbalizers were as follows:
| Infinitive & Gerund | Gerundive | Irrealis | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive / Stative | akhaam | akhaadthi | aakhamen | akharen |
| Transitive | lahtor | lahtoraadthi | laahtoren | lahtoren |
| Passive Voice | aekirosh | aekirozh'thi | aekirozhen | aekiroren |
| Middle voice / Medio-Passive | akiina | akinaadthi | aakinen | akinaren |
Here are some examples of how the verbalizers were used in Old Shikathi.
Note: Unlike Modern Shikathi, using a gerund as the subject or object in Old Shikathi requires an inanimate declension attached to the verbalizer
| English Sentence | Old Shikathi | |
|---|---|---|
| I want to live my life. | f'khruum golos akhaam thon'n. | NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I life VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency) has one argument.INFInfinitive (TAM) non-tensed verb desire |
| I see that you are living your life. | f'khruum sh'khraal golos akhaam tiraazh. | NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I ACCAccusative (case) TRANS direct object; patient.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-2SSecond person singular (person) addressee (you) life VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency) has one argument.GERGerund verbal noun |
| Living one's life is good. | golos akhaamfi groshahiim. | life VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.GERGerund verbal noun-NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class) for non-living thingsTR argument.INInanimate (gender/class) for non-living things goodness |
| I like living my life. | shibhafaal'f gh'khruum golos akhaamrumi | pleasure-NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INInanimate (gender/class) for non-living thingsTR argument.INInanimate (gender/class) for non-living things DATDative (case) indirect object; recipient, beneficiary, location.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I life VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency) has one argument-CAUCausal (case) 'because (of)'.INInanimate (gender/class) for non-living things |
| I, having already eaten, will study. | f'khruum p'luur akinaadthi shel zh'taa. | NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I food VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.MIDMiddle voice (valency) subject is both agent and patient-ADJZAdjectiviser (syntax) turns word into adjective FUTFuture (tense) action occurring after the moment of speech study |
| I learn while I eat / I learn while eating | f'khruum zh'taa p'luur akinaadthi. | NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I study food VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.MIDMiddle voice (valency) subject is both agent and patient-ADVZAdverbialiser (syntax) turns word into adverb |
| I eat (in order) to live/survive. | f'khruum zhuoraagh aakhamen p'luur. | NOMNominative (case) TRANS subject, INTR argument.ANAnimate (gender/class) alive, moving-1SFirst person singular (person) speaker, signer, etc.; I existence VBZVerbaliser converts N, ADJ etc into verb.INTRIntransitive (valency) has one argument-IRRIrrealis mood food |
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