| Metsx Metsx marus | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Agglutinative | ||||||||||||
| Alignment | |||||||||||||
| Head direction | |||||||||||||
| Tonal | No | ||||||||||||
| Declensions | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Conjugations | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Genders | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Nouns decline according to... | |||||||||||||
| Case | Number | ||||||||||||
| Definiteness | Gender | ||||||||||||
| Verbs conjugate according to... | |||||||||||||
| Voice | Mood | ||||||||||||
| Person | Number | ||||||||||||
| Tense | Aspect | ||||||||||||
| Meta-information | |||||||||||||
| Progress | Expression error: Unexpected < operator.% | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Creator | MAT20102 | ||||||||||||
Metsx (Metsx marus /mɛtʃ ˈmarus/) is the language of the fictional country of Metsx. It is spoken by approximately 900,000,000 people.
Classification and Dialects[]
Metsx's lexis is based mostly on the ancient Metsx. It has two more descendants: Sapametsx and Latgalsk.
| Ancient Metsx | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metsx | Sapametsx | Latgalsk |
Metsx has two difefrent standards of pronuncation- the official one and the northern one, which is rarely used.
Metsx has been influenced mostly by Maori, Mandarin Chinese, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Albanian and other conlangs.
[]
Consonants[]
| Bilabial | Labio-dental | Dental | Post-alveolar | Alveolo-
palatal |
Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Plosive | p b
pʰ bʰ |
t d | ɟ | k g
kʰ | |||
| Fricative | f v | s z | ʃ | ɕ (ʑ) | (x) ɣ | ||
| Affricate | t͡s | t͡ʃ | t͡ɕ (d͡ʑ) | ||||
| Approximant | j | ||||||
| Trill | (ʙ) | r | |||||
| Lateral app. | l | ʎ |
-In certain positions, especially if it is in a stressed syllable and before /ɛ/, a consonant can get palatalized.
-/r/, /p/ and /s/ are sometimes voiceless.
Vowels[]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a |
-Vowels /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ can be nasalized.
-In stressed syllables /ɛ/ makes the consonant before it palatalized.
-The /i/ sound makes th consonant before it palatalized.
Writing System[]
| Letter | A a | Æ æ | B b | C c | D d | E e | Ë ë | Ê ê | F f | G g | H h | I i |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | a | ɔ̃ | b | t͡s | d | ɛ1,2 | jɔ | ɛ̃ | f | g | ɣ | i3 |
| Letter | J j | K k | L l | Ll ll | M m | N n | O o | P p | Q q | R r | S s | T t |
| Sound | j | k | l | ʎ | m | n | ɔ | p | t͡ɕ | r | s | t |
| Letter | U u | V v | X x | Y y | Z z | kh | gh | bh | px | sx | tsx | ijh |
| Sound | u | v5 | ɕ | j | z | kʰ | ɟ4 | bʰ | pʰ | ʃ | t͡ʃ | ɣ6 |
- /ɛ/ can alternate into /ɛ:/ in the inferential, renarrative or dubitative infix -te-.
- /ɛ/ can also change into /ɨ/ in an unstressed syllable at the beginning of a word that have 4 or more syllables.
- after /t͡s/ the /i/ sound is changed to /ɨ/.-The apostrophe is not counted as a letter, but it represents the palatalization of the syllable before it. e.g. -ibbe' /ibbʲɛ/ or the glottal stop.
- 'gh' can be also pronounced as /d͡ʑ/ in the northern speech.
- It can be optionally replaced with /ʙ/ in the northern speech.
- It can be optionally replaced with /x/.
| Letter | Ēē | Áá/Íí/Óó/Úú | Éé |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adnotation | it represents a stressed syllable | it represents a stressed syllable | |
| Sound | ɛː | /a/ /i/ /ɔ/ /u/ | jɛ; Cʲɛ |
| Example | tetetétēs | femmáior | hédrep |
(C stands for a consonant)
Stress[]
In Metsx stress is always located on the second syllable. Compare:
'femmai vs. fem'maior
Notice that the /ɛ/ sound in the stressed syllable causes the palatalization of the consonant before it. Compare:
/ˈmankɛ/ vs. /man'kʲɛtɛːs/
In words that have 4 or more syllables the \ɛ\ sound in the 1st syllable changes to /ɨ/. Compare
/pɛˈmannɛj/ vs. /pɨmannɛjˈt͡sɨɔr/
Grammar[]
Nouns[]
Metsx nouns are classified according to the grammatical gender (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and are used in a number (singular, dual or plural). According to their position in the sentence their form can change to one of 9 cases. The set of forms that a noun will take for each case and number is determined by the declension that it follows.
Diminutive: the -ci suffix
1st Gender- visible creatures with ability to speak
2nd Gender-invisible or fictional creatures; states of mind, the rest
3rd Gender-plants, animals
| Nominative | Ge's aqikides vërtës. | It's a tall skyscraper. |
|---|---|---|
| Genitive1 | Kues diides pe-manneis bref ma? | Do you love your friend's brother? |
| Vocative | Muqei'! Uvvo særs? | Mom! Where are you? |
| Dative | O kapeë tets familiobe. | I'd give everything to my family. |
| Locative | Særxëetp ækësxki’. | They were at home. |
| Instrumental | ’Kveqes o’kh. | Come with me. |
| Causal-final | Tets gen' sært dibbe. | Everything here is for you. |
| Adessive | Mankex oides martësokha’. | I ate at my fiance's. |
| Illative | Va kescep Berlinibbe'! | We're going to run to Berlin. |
- Genitive may be replaced with the construction using 'u'. E.g. muqeis bref = bref u muqe
|
SINGULAR |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nominative (what? who?) |
ø |
ø |
ø |
|
Genitive (whose?) |
-is |
-is |
-is |
|
Vocative (hey ... !) |
-i'! |
-ei'! |
-e'! |
|
Dative (to whom?/what?) |
-ibbe |
-ibbe |
-ibbe'1 |
|
Locative (where?) |
-ki |
-qi' |
-ki2 |
|
Instrumental (with who?/what?) |
-'um |
-'eg |
-'eg2 |
|
Causal-final (for who?/what?) |
-ibbe |
-ibbe |
-'ep2 |
|
Adessive (at what?) |
-a' |
-a' |
-a'2 |
|
Illative (into who?/what?) |
-ibbe' |
-ibbe' |
-ibbe' |
1.Here some consonants change: s-z, c-q, z-x, sx-tsx, tsx-c,b-p, g-k, gh-q
2.Here s alters to sx, x to z and q to tsx.
| SINGULAR | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|
| N. | ø | ø |
| G. | -is | -is |
| V. | -ei'! | -ai'! |
| D. | -ibbe | -ibbe |
| L. | -usqi' | -uzki |
| I. | -'ugh | -'ægh |
| C. | -'ep | -'ep |
| A. | -ae' | -ae' |
| Il. | -ibbe' | -ibbe' |
| SINGULAR | -i | -e | -o | -a | -u | -ë | -ê | -ci |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. | ø | ø | ø | ø | ø | ø | ø | ø |
| G. | -s | -is | -is | -is | -is | -is | -s' | -s' |
| V. | -'! | -i'! | -i'! | -i'! | -i'! | -i'! | -'! | -'! |
| D. | -bbe | -sibbe | -be | -bbe | -ibbe | -bbe | -be | -be |
| L. | -m' | -n' | -st' | -t' | -s' | -d' | -s' | -s' |
| I. | -'ga | -'gh | -'kh | -'gh | -'ga | -'g | -'g | -'g |
| C. | -bbe | -ibbe | -bbe | -bbe | -ibbe | -be | -be | -be |
| A. | -sx' | -s'1 | -sx'2 | -z' | -s' | -sx' | -s' | -sx' |
| Il. | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' | -ibbe' |
- 'e' changes to 'ë'
- 'o' changes to 'u'
|
DUAL |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
PLURAL |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
N. |
-da' |
-da' |
-da'1 |
N. |
-or |
-or |
-ur |
|
G. |
-dais |
-dais |
-dais1 |
G. |
-oris |
-oris |
-uris |
|
V. |
-da'e! |
-da'ei! |
-da'e!1 |
V. |
-or'a! |
-or'ei! |
-ur'e! |
|
D. |
-da'ib |
-da'ipx |
-da'ip'1 |
D. |
-orim' |
-orim' |
-urim' |
|
L. |
-da're |
-da's |
-da'ki1 |
L. |
-orki' |
-orqi' |
orki' |
|
I. |
-da'm |
-da'g |
-da'g1 |
I. |
-or'um |
-or'ug |
-ur'ug |
|
C. |
-da'ib |
-da'ipx |
-da'p1 |
C. |
-orim' |
-orin' |
-urip' |
|
A. |
-da'e |
-da'u |
-da'u1 |
A. |
-ori' |
-orë' |
-oru' |
|
Il. |
-da'ib' |
-da'ip' |
-da'ips1 |
Il. |
-orip' |
-oribs' |
-orips' |
Adjectives[]
Metsx adjectives can end either in -ides or in -is. It depends on their function in the statement. The comparatives and superlatives are declined according to the noun gender. The adjective gets the longer suffix if it describes a noun and the shorter suffix if it is placed after verbs like 'to be', 'to remain' or 'to become'.
| GENDER | POSITIVE | COMPARATIVE | SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ides/is | idesai/issai | idena/issana |
| 2nd | ides/is | idesx'/isx' | idesxo'/isxo' |
| 3rd | ides/is | idesxai'/isxai' | idesxan'/isxan' |
Geides linides hafayor særxëet æsveis (nei) opides adrides ærbeim'.
/ˈgʲɛi̯dɛs liˈnidɛs ɣaˈfajɔr sɔ̃r'ɕjɔjɛt ˈɔ̃svai̯s (nei̯) oˈpidɛs aˈdridɛs ˈɔ̃rbajmʲ /
This wild animal was popular in our big city.
Antonyms are created by adding either the suffix -bre or by putting the modal word 'mins' before the adjective. Compare:
æsveis vs. æsveisbre = mins æsveis
Adverbs[]
Metsx adverbs always end in -ida and describe the verb placed after it.
ESUREMEIDES > ESUREME- > ESUREMEIDA
Example:
Êstrallookh va esuremeida bilarne didap'.
/ɛ̃ˈstraʎɔʔɔkʰ va ɛsurɛˈmʲɛi̯da biˈlarnɛ ˈdidʲap/
The Australian will surely teach you (two).
| ADJECTIVE | ADV - POSITIVE | ADV - COMPARATIVE | ADV- SUPERLATIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| beis | bida | bidvar | betfar' |
| leis | lida | lidvar | letfar' |
| any other | -ida | -idvar | -idfar' |
Verbs and tenses[]
Verbs in Metsx are declined according to the person, number and tense. Metsx verbs end in -e, -æ or -ê.
- Present tense (Xim) - used to describe present or habitual actions.
- Past tense (Tsxæ) - used to describe single actions ended in the past.
- Past Continuous (Tsxæ bers) - used to emphasize the duration of an action in the past.
- Past Iterative (Tsxæ mis)- used to emphasize that an action was habitual.
- Plusquamperfectum (Tsxæ sxis)- used to describe actions that happened before another action in the past.
- Future tense 1 (Akh) and Future Tense 2 (Uz) - used to describe future actions
- Imperative (Mir)
- Conditional (Tvar)
- Dubitative (Dist)
- Formal form (Sxem) - nowadays extinct
|
pers. |
Xim |
Tsxæ |
Tsxæ b. |
Tsxæ m. |
Tsxæ s. |
Akh |
Uz |
Mir |
Tvar |
Sxem | |||
|
o |
- |
-x |
-xëe |
-xve |
bë |
-un |
së |
-um |
va |
- |
- |
ë |
-yo1 |
|
di |
-s |
-xs |
-xëes |
-xves |
bi |
si |
‘-s |
ës | |||||
|
oi |
-t |
-xt |
-xëet |
-xvet |
bi |
ejh |
‘-t |
ët | |||||
|
ane | |||||||||||||
|
odap’ |
-tap’ |
-taxp’ |
-xëetap’ |
-xvetap’ |
bidap’ |
sdap’ |
‘-dap’ |
ëtap’ | |||||
|
didap’ |
-tasp’ |
-taxsp’ |
-xëetasp’ |
-xvetasp’ |
bidasp’ |
sdasp’ |
‘-dasp’ |
ëtasp’ | |||||
|
oidap’ |
-tatp’ |
-taxtp’ |
-xëetatp’ |
-xvetatp’ |
bidatp’ |
sdatp’ |
‘-datp’ |
ëtatp’ | |||||
|
anedap’ | |||||||||||||
|
op |
-p |
-xp |
-xëep |
-xvep |
bep |
sep |
‘-p |
ëp | |||||
|
dip |
-sp |
-xsp |
-xëesp |
-xvesp |
besp |
sesp |
‘-sp |
ësp | |||||
|
oip |
-tp |
-xtp |
-xëetp |
-xvetp |
bejhtp |
sejhtp |
‘-tp |
ëtp | |||||
|
anep | |||||||||||||
Pronouns[]
Syntax[]
Lexis[]
'Ijhvaxes turidvar (ijhvaxur) bhu fæpes- lit. plant more (flowers) than you pick up
Example text[]
Pretaki, desxijho sêmëb, troenokh u lininiarei, dormexëet, sxaoides mælls kescexëet eta-ho-ota oi. Ge esxida appatext sêmëb - squtsxrext oides adrides rullo mællsibbe' ho sxæbext ilt- manket oi.
Once when a lion, the king of the jungle, was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down on him. This soon awakened the lion, who placed his huge paw on the mouse, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.