Sîshksøq

Sîshksøq Sîshksøq
Type
Fusional
Alignment
Head direction
Initial
Tonal
No
Declensions
Yes
Conjugations
Yes
Genders
No
Nouns decline according to...
Case	Number
Definiteness	Gender
Verbs conjugate according to...
Voice	Mood
Person	Number
Tense	Aspect

General information

Sîshksøq is the official language/dialect of the Ice Empire or Sîshrike in the world of Bidunia. Sîshksøq is the dialect of the capital of the ice mountain on which the nobles reside, therefore it is also known as Nobility Speech (NS). The rest of the empire speaks a variety of dialects, collectively known as Common Speech (CS). The group of all dialects, CS and Sîshksøq, is known as "Klestath", meaning Northern Tongue. This is the language of the entire region. Any reference on this wiki to NS is a reference to Sîshksøq, to Klestath to all dialects. As it is the official dialect of the empire, most of the following will be in NS.

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Labio-dental	Dental	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Plosive	p			t			k
Fricative		f	th	s	sh		x	q	h
Approximant	w			r		j
Lateral fric.				lh
Lateral app.				l

• All consonants are voiceless, with the exception of the four approximants (w, r, j, l). 
• Yes, "r" is the approximant "ɹ". Only in certain CS dialects is it a trill. 
• In both Sîshksøq and CS, final "j" is realised the vowel [i].

 E.g. "Fesîj" (white) = [fɛsə͡i ] 

• A final "w" is pronounced differently in NS and CS, realised respectively as vowels [y] and [u].

E.g. "Slaw" (mud) = [slæy] / [slɔu]

Vowels

Nobility Speech:

	Front	Near-front	Central	Near-back	Back
Close	i, y
Near-close		î
Close-mid
Mid
Open-mid	e, ø
Near-open
Open	a

Dialectal Change:

• /a/ is realised in Sîshksøq as [æ], but in Common Speech as [ɑ].
• /ø/ is sometimes raised or lowered.

Plural Formation

Plurals are formed by forming a rising diphthong out of the first vowel of the root.

• a [æ] --> ai [æi]

• e [ɛ] --> ei [ɛi]

• î [ɪ] --> îi [ǝi]

• i [i] --> ii [iʔi], Common Speech realisation is [i:]

• ø [œ] --> øi [œi]

• y [y] --> yi [yi]

E.G. Qasht (power) > Qaisht (powers); Jifext (garden) > Jifeixt (gardens)

Alphabet

Linguistic Alphabet (stops, frics, appr, liq, vowels): 

P, T, K, F, TH, LH, S, SH, X, Q, H, W, L, J, R, I, Y, Î, E, Ø, A 

Official Alphabet (always used):

i, r, p, h, a, s, lh, q,ø, j, t, f, e, th, x, y, w, l, î, sh, k

Phonotactics

V = vowels (including diphthongs)

S = stops

F = fricatives

A = Approximants

(F)(SF)(A)V(A)(S)(F)(S)

Grammar

	Gender	Cases	Numbers	Tenses	Persons	Moods	Voices	Aspects
Verb	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Nouns	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Adjectives	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Numbers	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Participles	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Adverb	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Pronouns	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Adpositions	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Article	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Particle	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No

Verbs

Verbs have three persons (first, second, and third) and two numbers (singular and plural). There are five tenses (present, past, habitual, future, and conditional), three aspects (standard, perfective, and progressive), and two moods (Indicative and imperative). Infinitives always end in -el, such as køqel, meaning to do or make. Note: Common Speech does not use aspect. 

Indicative Mood

Standard Aspect

In Standard, the said activity may or may not have been completed and/or be still occurring.

• Present tense: This is just like English, describing an event or activity. I love nerdy things. Replace the -el with -øl, -il, -al, -øil, iil, -ail (1s, 2s, 3s, 1p, 2p, 3p respective inflections). e.g. køqøl 
• Past tense: This is just like English, describing a singular event that took place in the past. Han shot first. Replace the -el with -øs, -is, -as, etc. e.g. køqøs 
• Habitual tense: This tense is similar to the habitual aspect found in other languages and indicates an activity performed more than once in the past. I many times played football. Replace the -el with -øth, -ith, -ath, etc. e.g. køqøth
• Future tense: This is just like English, describing a planned event that will take place. I will eat my supper. Replace the -el with -øk, -ik, -ak, etc. e.g. køqøk
• Conditional tense: This is a hypothetical tense in which the speaker indicates what would, could, or should happen in the present or future. The sky could snow tomorrow. It would be nice if it did. Replace the -el with -ølh, -ilh, -alh, etc. e.g. køqølh

Perfective Aspect

In the Perfective aspect, the said activity has been completed and is not occurring in the present.

• Present Perfect: Just like English, this tense refers to an activity that has already been completed by the present time. Anakin Skywalker has gone to the Dark Side. Replace the -el with -ølt, -ilt, -alt, etc. e.g. køqølt
• Past Perfect: Just like English, this tense refers to an activity that has already been completed by an event or time in the past. Anakin Skywalker had been destined as the chosen one, before siding with Senator Palpatine. Replace the -el with -øst, -ist, -ast, etc. e.g. køqøst
• Habitual Perfect: This tense refers to activities performed multiple times in the past that are no longer being completed as of a past event or time. It is identical to the past perfect, but referring to multiple activities instead of just one. Harry Potter had several times survived the attacks of Lord Voldemort, before the latter rose to power in 1995. Replace the -el with -øtht, -itht, -atht, etc. e.g. køqøtht
• Future Perfect: Just like English, this tense refers to an activity that will be completed by an event or time in the future. Harry Potter will have destroyed all of the horcruxes, before killing Voldemort. Replace the -el with -økît, -ikît, -akît, etc. e.g. køqøkît
• Conditional Perfect: This tense is different than other perfect tenses. It refers to a hypothetical activity that would have, could have, or should have occurred in the past. Severus Snape could have been sorted into Gryffindor. He and Lily would have been together forever. Replace the -el with -ølht, -ilht, -alht, etc. e.g. køqølht

​Progressive Aspect

The Progressive aspect indicates that the verb or activity is being performed at the moment of the tense.

• Present Progressive: Just like English, this tense refers to an activity being performed immediately in the present. Hermione is taking notes, whilst Harry and Ron are daydreaming. Replace the -el with -ølî, -ilî, -alî, etc. e.g. køqølî
• Past Progressive: Just like English, this tense refers to an activity that was being performed in the past. Harry was opening his golden egg when Moaning Murtle appeared. Replace the -el with -øsî, -isî, -asî, etc. e.g. køqøsî
• Habitual Progressive: This tense implies that you had been performing an activity multiple times and still continued to do so. Harry was many times circling the quidditch pitch before he saw the snitch. Replace the -el with -øthî, -ithî, -athî, etc. e.g. køqøthî
• Future Progressive: Just like English, this tense refers to an event or activity that will be being performed in the future (not as common as in English. usually is replaced by simple future). The Weird Sisters will be playing at the Yule Ball when the students begin to dance. Replace the -el with -økî, -ikî, -akî, etc. e.g. køqøkî
• Conditional Progressive: This tense refers to an event or activity that would be, could be, or should be happening in the present or future. If Harry had researched how to breathe underwater, he could be sleeping and he wouldn't be stressing about the Second Task for tomorrow. Replace the -el with -ølhî, -ilhî, -alhî, etc. e.g. køqølhî

​Imperative Mood

The imperative form is very simple. Just replace the infinitive morpheme with the personal vowel.

• 1s: add "ø". This form is only rarely used when a speaker is either talking to themself or commanding themself to do something. Anakin: Be a strong jedi, Anakin! Sø tshetai qashtîqsai, Alakîl!
• 2s: add "i". This commands the recipient of the speaker to perform the specified verb. Go to the volcano! Kseji tafylkaras!
• 3s: add "a" This shows obligation, that the subject had better perform the verb. He better read a book. Lha sasta selip. This form also forms the optative mood to show may/let something be/happen. May he have a long and happy life. Lha hapsa rifsap hirpa sash lykixpa.
• 1p: add "øi". This indicates that we better all do the verb. Let's give a book to a good friend. Kepsøi frilster kytrest selip.
• 2p: add "ii". This shows obligation, that y'all better do the verb. Y'all better play in the mud. Spilii wøslawa.
• 3p: add "ai" This articulates that they better do the verb. They better have happy plants. Hapsai feixtap lyikixpaxt.

Participle Formation/Passivisation

Participles are verbs transformed to express that which has been verbed. They are always paired with an auxiliary verb. All participles are formed by replacing -el with -esh, or -øl with -øsh to the ending of the verb. He is gone. Lha sask ksejesh. The good book will have been read by me. Seli kytasi førsaksît hør sastesh.

The normal place for the passive form of the verb is at the end of the sentence, but it often directly follows the auxiliary or directly precedes the accusative noun when there is another verb in the sentence. I am allowed to write a letter tomorrow with a pencil. Hø søsk sîlhaltsi flathi pelsilik kaløtføsh jikørthap shkifel.

To indicate the person who performed the action, the preposition sky- is used. The dative is only used to indicate a beneficiary, for whom rather than by whom.

The -esh/-øsh ending is to indicate the passive voice. Can be used with sesk or førsesk. ***********************************************One is static and the other is dynamic. Figure it out bryce.

Gerund Formation

Gerunds are nouns that express the action of the verb (eg. losing) and may be formed by adding the noun suffix (as, ep, ir, i, yk, a/as) or the adjective to the verb. Running is good. Killing is always bad. Eating makes me happy. Lhelas sask kyt. Tøthelas sask shekst îwa. Ethelas køqal hør lykix.  

Noun Formation

If I want to express the thing (noun) that directly correlates to its verb, then replace the ending of the verb with "sa". E.g. I think a thought (think -> thought). Hø tsethøl tsethsa. You are eating food (eat -> food). Thi ethilî ethsa. She likes to play games (play -> games). Spiilsa thøfkail sar spilel.

Example Paradigm

Here is a paradigm of all possible conjugations for the verb lhel: to run [ɬɛl]

		1s	2s	3s	1p	2p	3p
Present	Standard Perfective Progressive	lhøl lhølt lhølî	lhil lhilt lhilî	lhal lhalt lhalî	lhøil lhøilt lhøilî	lhiil lhiilt lhiilî	lhail lhailt lhailî
Past	Standard Perfective Progressive	lhøs lhøst lhøsî	lhis lhist lhisî	lhas lhast lhasî	lhøis lhøist lhøisî	lhiis lhiist lhiisî	lhais lhaist lhaisî
Habitual	Standard Perfective Progressive	lhøth lhøtht lhøthî	lhith lhitht lhithî	lhath lhatht lhathî	lhøith lhøitht lhøithî	lhiith lhiitht lhiithî	lhaith lhaitht lhaithî
Future	Standard Perfective Progressive	lhøk lhøkît lhøkî	lhik lhikît lhikî	lhak lhakît lhakî	lhøik lhøikît lhøikî	lhiik lhiikît lhiikî	lhaik lhaikît lhaikî
Conditional	Standard Perfective Progressive	lhølh lhølht lhølhî	lhilh lhilht lhilhî	lhalh lhalht lhalhî	lhøilh lhøilht lhøilhî	lhiilh lhiilht lhiilhî	lhailh lhailht lhailhî
Imperative	-----------------	lhø	lhi	lha	lhøi	lhii	lhai

​Nouns

Sîshksøq has three noun genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. It also has six cases or declensions: nominative (-), accusative (-p), dative (-r), genetive (-i), instrumental (-k), and prepositional (-a, -as). These six are similar to Russian.

Nominative Case

The nominative case is for nouns that are the subject of the sentence. Nouns in this case are characterised by their lack of morphological distinction, compared to the other cases. This is their dictionary form. Snape was in love with Lily Evans.

Masculine

Nouns in the masculine nominative case always end in a fricative or stop that is immediately preceded by a vowel. Kasîs ksejas taksøiqas. The water goes to the mountains.

Feminine

Nouns in the feminine nominative case always end in a vowel. Seili saisk kyit. Books are good.

Neuter

Nouns in the neuter nominative case end in liquids, approximants, and any consonant that is not immediately preceded by a vowel (affricates and such). Shaixil saisk kraislak. Rooves are scary.

Accusative Case

The accusative case denotes nouns that are the direct object of the sentence, the thing being verbed. The morpheme "p" is always associated with the accusative case. Prince Zuko learned how to redirect lightning.

Masculine

The morpheme "ep" is added to a nominative masculine noun to make it accusative. Hø skwøl qelhep satsap. I see weird lightning.

Feminine

The morpheme "p" is added to a nominative feminine noun to make it accusative (this includes all pronouns). Høi hapsøis slep. We had snow. 

Neuter

Similar to the masculine, "ap" is added as the suffix. Hø tøthøs kertsap shørthpats withai høwi. I killed the beautiful heart of my mother.

Dative Case

The dative case desribes nouns that are the indirect object in the sentence, the receiver of the direct object of the verb. The morpheme "r" is always associated with the dative. Sirius Black gave Hagrid his flying motorbike.

Masculine

The suffix "ir" is added to signify the dative. Kepsis prøtir høwi kasîsep. You gave my brother some water.

Feminine

The morpheme "r" is added onto feminine nouns and pronouns. Sasti hør saqap! Read me a story!

Neuter

In the neuter case, the morpheme "er" is added to the noun. Kepsøis tsyrer shpiltsap. I gave the tower a spire.

Genetive Case

The genetive case denotes belonging or possession. It is formed by adding a final "i". My friend's house is bad. OR The house of my friend is bad. Hawisa frilsti høwi sask shekst.

Masculine

Add "i" to the end of the noun. Liixt pathixi shithaisk saitsa. The lights of the store seem weird.

Feminine

Add "i" to the noun, even if the noun already ends in "i". Railht rikei taisk sheikst. The country's rights are not bad.

Neuter

Add "i" to the noun. Pesjøl tili thøfkal hør. I like the leaf's petiole. (The petiole of the leaf pleases me).

Instrumental Case

The instrumental case requires a tool and often answers the question of how, or by means of. It becomes very regular in its meaning. It is formed by adding a form of "k" to the end of the noun. Ksejøs thasyk taawisas. I went home by foot. 

Masculine

Add "yk" to the end of the noun. Halhi ksejath ksøqyk tasîshrikes. Halhi would go to Sîshrike by means of the mountain.

Feminine

Just add a "k" to the end of a noun. Høi kepsøis thir Søthak selip. We gave you a book through the Lord. (The Lord gave you a book from us.)

Neuter

Add "ik" to the end of the noun. Lha tøthas fylkarik Sekwøsep. He killed Sekwøs by means of the volcano.

Prepositional Case

The prepositional case is more abstract than its siblings. As a circumfix, it has both a prefix and a suffix. The prefix consists of the preposition and is simply attached to the beginning of the word. If the word begins with an "h", then it is eliminated. In Sîshksøq, now that we've eliminated the "h", if there are two vowels next to each other, they are both pronounced in separate syllables with a glottal stop in between (E.g. to the house = taawisa = [tæʔ'æwisæ] / to the child = taølt = [tæʔ'œlt]). In Common Speech, after we've eliminated the "h", if there are two of the same vowel next to each other, then it is lengthened. If it is a different vowel, then they are diphthonged (southern dialects) or an "s" is placed in between (northern dialects). (taawisa = [tɑːwisɑ] / tasølta = [tɑs'oltɑ] OR [tɑ͡oltɑ])

For the suffix, an "a" or "as" is added to the end . Similar to German two-way prepositions, which suffix used depends on the motion. If the preposition indicates a motion to or there is a change of scene, then the "as" is added. If one is already there, then an "a" is added. e.g. You are going into the store = Ksejilî wøpathixas. She is going in the store (already in the store, but going around) = Ksejalî wøpathixa. This usage is demonstrated by the examples below.

However, some prepositions do not lend themselves easily to motion differentiation. These preps (*****list goes here) use the "s" on the end to distinguish intentionality. For example if I say I went to the movies with my friends, and I meant on purpose willingly with my friends, then I attach the "s": kitfriilstas. If it was not on purpose, then I would leave it off: kitfriilsta. This preposition "with" is often used arbitrarily with other noun cases to denote this intentionality. E.g. I cut with the red wire (to mean accidentally).

Masculine

The preposition is attached to the front and an "a" or "as" is placed finally. Shîwølî wøkasîsa. I am swimming in the water (not into the water).

Feminine

The preposition is attached and the final "a" is omitted, leaving the final vowel. The "s" is attached to the end if it is required. Tîireth spilaith hîltawisa. The people played many times behind the house. Kasîs ksøwas xyfailkîs. The water came out of the clouds.

Neuter

The preposition is attached to the front and the suffix attaches at the end. Lha tøthatht skepjap førtsyra hastelhi. He has many times killed animals in front of the tower of the castle.

Adjective Formation

To turn a noun into an adjective to mean like or to resemble, just add "îq" to masculine and neuter nouns, "q" to feminine nouns. E.g. friend-friendly/like a friend frilst-frilstîq, snow-snowlike sle-sleq, mud-mudlike slaw-slawîq.

To turn a noun into an adjective to mean made of/full of/has, just add "følh" to nouns that don't end in a fricative. Add "ølh" to those. E.g. Watery-Kasîsølh; Light filled-Lyxølh; God filled-Ksøtfølh; Full of children-Høltfølh; Full of trees-Krefølh

Reflexives

In Nobility Speech, reflexives are just declined personal pronouns. E.g. He killed himself = Lha tøthas lhap.

In Common Speech, however, reflexives have their own pronoun, replacing the vowel with an "e". E.g. Sa tøthas sep.

Pro-words / Table of Correlatives

	Interrogatives	Demontratives	Indefinites	Universal	Negative
		Proximal Medial Distal
Animate / Individual	Sker (Who)	Krer (This one) Fler (That one) Rer (That one over there)	Jer (Anyone)	Alh Tîrethalh Shter (Everyone)	Tekalh Tekshter (No one)
Inanimate/ Thing	Skath (What)	Krath (This one) Flath (That one) Rath (That one over there)	Jath (Something)	Shtath (Every thing)	Ekîxt (Nothing)
Reason	Skøwi (Why; For what reason)	Krøwi (For this reason) Fløwi (Therefore;  For that  reason) Røwi (For that reason over there)	Jøwi (Any reason)	Shtøwi (for all reasons)	Tekshtøwi (For no reason)
Time	Skit (When)	Jets (Now) Flit (Then) Rit (Then far in future)	Jit (Anytime)	Îwa (Always)	Tekîwa (Never)
Manner	Skyks (How)	Kryks (In this way) Flyks (In that way) Ryks (Only for a rare 3rd referent)	Jyks (in any manner)	Shtyks (Every way)	Tekshtyks (In no way)
Place	Skø (Where)	Heky (Here) Fløl (There) Îrtha (Over there; Visible) Lhal (Over there; Nonvisible)	Jø (Somewhere)	Shtø (Every where)	Tekshtø (Nowhere)
Possession	Skeri (Whose)	Kreri Krathi (This one's) Fleri Flathi (That one's) Reri Rathi (That one over there's)	Jeri (Someone's)	Alhi Shteri (Every one's)	Tekalhi Tekshteri (No one's)

• The demonstratives make a three-way distinction, just like japanese, old english, various romance languages, and more.
• There is not one word that corresponds to an amount like spanish "cuántos" or to a quality like esperanto "kia". Instead you would use respectively, "skyks sir", meaning how much and "skath karth", meaning what type.

---When using "skyks sir", the genetive can be used to indicate of what you mean. E.g. How many brothers do you have? Skyks sir prøiti hapsil thi? The genetive is not always required, though, for not all questions have the of what. E.g. How much is this tower? Skyks sir sask tsyr krathsar?

---When using "skath karth", the genetive is also used to indicate the of what type. E.g. What kind of human was that friend of yours? Skath karth tîrethi sats frilst rersalst thiwi? The genetive is also not required when context is sufficient. E.g. What type is that plant? Skath karth sask fext flathsaxt?

• Tîrethalh is distinct from tîireth ailhsath. The former suggests everyone within the context, whilst the latter suggests every human on earth.
• There are a few dialects in Sîshrike that tend towards regularity and use "shter" and "shteri" instead of the traditional "alh" and "alhi"
• BRYCE FIRST TWO COLUMNS MOVED OVER TO PL. DO I, U, AND Ns! ALSO YOU RETCONNED SKEWI TO SKØWI SO...

Adjectives

Masculine and neuter adjectives take on the case, number, and the tail of the noun they modify. Feminine adjectives also take no case marker in the prepositional case if the noun does not end in an "s" (see N noun, F adj). Being head initial, adjectives are placed after the noun. In Nobility Speech, the tail consists of all the last consonants after the last vowel of the word. Common Speech only uses the last letter of neuter nouns unless preceded by an "s". Feminine adjective tails are just the last vowel. The following section and examples are of Nobility speech. E.G. Shaxil=l, Kasîs=s, Frilst=lst, Fext=xt, or Keri=i. 

Numbers decline the same as nouns, but they come before instead of after the noun. 

Masculine Noun

Masculine Adjective:

Nom: The good water is good. Kasîs kytsas sask kyt. (kyt-sa-s good-NOM-TAIL)

Acc: I make good ice. Hø køqøl sîshep kytpesh. (kyt-pe-sh good-M.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: I want to read your new brother a story. Hø wøløl prøtir lithrit thiwi saqap sastel. (lith-ri-t new-M.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The foot of the short person is scary. Thas tîrethi støtith sask kraslak. (støt-i-th short-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: He is going to the store via the white mountain. Lha ksejalî ksøqyk fesîjkyq tapathixa. (fesîj-ky-q white-M.INS-TAIL)

Prep: She touched the fire that is near the hot metal. Sa kîfyrthas flirap, qy sask kerwøtalha hesalh. (hes-a-lh hot-PREP-TAIL)

Feminine Adjective:

Nom: The cold water made me happy. Kasîs kalstasas køqas hør lykix. (kalsta-sa-s cold-NOM-TAIL)

Acc: She has a few brothers. Sa hapsal prøitep sairkepet. (sairke-pe-t PL.some-M.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: We gave the weird store some money. Høi kepsøis pathixir satsarix lhitsap sarkepats. (satsa-ri-x weird-M.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The people of the cold castle live short lives. Tîireth hastelhi kalstailh rifal riifsap tyqpas. (kalsta-i-lh cold-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: You built a house by means of a few people. Thi pykjis tîirethyk sairkekyth hawisap. (sairke-ky-th PL.some-M.INS-TAIL)

Prep: They travelled to the flat lands. Qai ferthais taløthas tikisath. (tiki-sa-th flat-PREP-TAIL)

Neuter Adjective:

Nom: There is no dirt on the roof. Lhyk ekîxtsak hestal sîlshaxila. (ekîxt-sa-k none-N.NOM-TAIL)

Acc: I want to see eleven stars in the sky. Wøløl awpex peilhlyxep wøawera skwel. (aw-pe-x eleven-M.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: You guys gave my tall brother some money. Thii kepsiis prøtir hixîlrit høwi lhitsap sarkep. (hixîl-ri-t tall-M.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The attitude of the old person is happy. Weth tîrethi ølhtith sask lykix. (ølht-i-th old-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: All my family was killed by means of the close lightning. Fawîl alhsal høwi søts qalhyk kerkylh tøthesh. (ker-ky-lh close-M.INS-TAIL)

Prep: I must go past the many stores and I will see the beautiful stars in the sky. Hø tharsøl thekspaithixas fiiltssax ksejel sash hø skwøk peilhlyxep shørthpex wøawera. (fiilts-sa-x PL.many-PREP-TAIL)

Feminine Noun

Masculine Adjective:

Nom: The warm south has many plants. Syste watse hapsal feixtap filtspaxt. (wat-s-e warm-F.NOM-TAIL)

Acc: My sister found a heavy rock. Xwetsa høwi fîltas kerip swethpi. (sweth-p-i heavy-F.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: My friend gave his heart to a free empire. Frilst høwi kepsas riker frîthixre kertsap lhawi. (frîthix-r-e free-F.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The snow of a hot Sîshrike would not exist. Sle sîshrikei hesie tallh hestel. (hes-i-e hot-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: I will go to heaven by means of the good lord. Ksejøk søthak kytka taaweras. (kyt-k-a good-F.INS-TAIL)

Prep: My family wants to travel out of the scary south, through the dry west, and into the far north. Fawîl høwi wølal xysystes kraslakse, thekslhewistes thixse, sash wøklestes pelhse ferthel. (kraslak-s-e scary-PREP-TAIL, thix-s-e dry-PREP-TAIL, pelh-s-e far-PREP-TAIL)

Feminine Adjective:

Nom: Some animals are not good. Skeipja sairkesa taisk kyit. (sairke-s-a PL.some-F.NOM-TAIL)

Acc: I touched a sharp rock and bled. Kîfyrthøs kerip sheskepi sash wøthkøqøs. (sheske-p-i sharp-F.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: My family cooked warm food for a cold you. Fawîl høwi køshas thir kalstari ethsap watpa. (kalsta-r-i cold-F.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: You built the house of my weird animals. Thi pykjis hawisap skeipjai saitsaia høwi. (saitsa-i-a PL.weird-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: We travelled east by means of the flat snow. Høi ferthøis slek tikike tathirstes. (tiki-k-e flat-F.INS-TAIL)

Prep: The sky released around a dull thunder. Awer fathas hertharajas shtîflasa. (shtîfla-s-a dull-PREP-TAIL)

Neuter Adjective:

Nom: The cool (chilly) rock touched my skin. Keri kyrsi kîfyrthas krøtep høwi. (kyr-s-i cool-F.NOM-TAIL)

Acc: There is no close snow on the mountain. Task slep kerpe sîlksøqa hestel. (ker-p-e close-F.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: The children cooked food for their one mother. Høilt køshais irra withar qaiwi ethsap. (ir-r-a one-F.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: We don't like the water of the many clouds. Kasîs failkîi fiiltsiî task høir thøfkel. (fiilts-i-î PL.many-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: I journeyed to a far land by means of the long story. Hø ferthøs saqak hirka taløthas pelhsath. (hir-k-a far-F.INS-TAIL)

Prep: All people are free in ancient books. Tîireth ailhsath saisk frîithix wøseli ølhti. (ølht-i old-TAIL)

in the ancient ways of the ancient books. Wøweitha øilhtath seilii øilhtii.

in the ancient books of the ancient ways. Wøseili øilhti weithi øilhtith.

Neuter Noun

Masculine Adjective:

Nom: The same city became a fortress. Shallh kexsallh førthats kark. (kex-sa-llh same-NOM-TAIL)

Acc: I accepted new money from my father. Hø tertirøs fefethatas lhitsap lithpats. (lith-pa-ts new-N.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: I will give a book to my good friend. Hø kepsøk frilster kytrelst høwi selip. (kyt-re-lst kyt-N.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The scary plant's leaves have dark green stripes. Tiil fexti kraslakixt hapsail railhtap klyispalht. (kraslak-i-xt kraslak-GEN-TAIL; klyis-pa-lht PL.klyis-ACC-TAIL)

Ins: We built the house with heavy bricks. Høi pykjøis tsiistik sweithkist hawisap. (sweith-ki-st PL.heavy-N.INS-TAIL)

Prep: We used to go to the far waterfall, which is surrounded by trees. Høi ksejøith taksøqshaltsas pelhsalts, qy sask lytkrei. (pelh-sa-lts far-PREP-TAIL)

Feminine Adjective:

Nom: It is cold to me. Hestal hør kalsta. (kalsta cold) (It is unchanged because it is a predicative adjective)

Acc: The tower has a sharp spire. Tsyr hapsal shpiltsap sheskepalts. (sheske-pa-lts sharp-N.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: I gave the weird child some money. Hø kepsøs hølter satsarelt lhitsap sarkepats. (satsa-re-lt weird-N.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The mud of the flat roof is heavy. Slaw shaxili tikiil sask sweth. (tiki-i-l flat-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: I killed them (3s) by means of a dull thing. Hø tøthøs øpirik shtîflakir qap. (shtîfla-ki-r sharp-N.INS-TAIL)

Prep: She was running between some plants. Sa lhasî tsisfeixta sairkext. (sairke-xt PL.some-TAIL)

Neuter Adjective:

Nom: Don't look. Two generals are walking towards us! Ti skwel. Øtssal freiterel lhailî taøi! (øts-sa-l two-NOM-TAIL) (There is no "s" on "taøi" to show that the motion is unintentional. If the generals were walking over to us, specifically, then we would use an "s", but they just happen to be walking in our direction. The prefix "ta" always uses motion, so the absence or presence of the "s" shows intentionality.)

Acc: You said a bad word to your mother. Thi twis withar thiwi kørthap shekstparth. (shekst-pa-rth bad-N.ACC-TAIL)

Dat: He brought metal to the big city. Lha pritas shallher hirrellh wøtalhep. (hir-re-llh big-N.DAT-TAIL)

Gen: The sight of the cool earth pleases me. Skwesa erthi kyrirth thøfkal hør. (kyr-i-rth cool-GEN-TAIL)

Ins: You guys built the house by means of many bodies. Thii pykjiis køirfik fiiltskirf hawisap. (fiilts-ki-rf PL.many-N.INS-TAIL)

Prep: I am going with my twelve friends to a castle. Hø ksejølî îkssalst kitfriilstas tahastelhas. (îks-sa-lst twelve-PREP-TAIL) (The "s" is added onto "kitfriilstas" to show intention. There is no motion associated with the prefix "kit", so the absence or presence of the "s" shows intentionality.)

Comparative Form

The comparative form is relatively simple. The prefix "er", meaning very, is added. E.g. erkyt=better, erhes=hotter, or erkalsta=colder. They can decline just like regular adjectives.

Adjectives in their comparative form use the dative case to show "than". E.g. I am better than you. Hø søsk thir erkyt. They don't always have a "than" phrase. I gave the colder girl warm water. Hø kepsøs felkawer erkalstarew kasîsep watpes.

Egalitive Form

To denote the phrase "as blank as blank", create a compound adjective with the prefix "kex", meaning "same". Decline the adjective as normal and use the dative case for the object of the phrase. E.g. I am as hot as she. Hø søsk sar kexhes.

In a sentence that contains both accusative and dative, the dative will never refer to the egalitive. E.g. We brought you a just as short tree. Høi pritøis thir krep kexstøtpe. If we wanted to say, a tree just as short as you, we would use a relative clause. E.g. We brought you a tree, that is just as short as you. Høi pritøis thir krep, sy sask thir kexstøt

Superlative Form

There are two types of superlatives in Klestath. Both work for every adjective, but one is usually preferred over another. They both decline normally. The first type is the easiest, for it adds the prefix "sir", meaning a lot or many, to the adjective. E.g. You have the best house! Thi hapsil hawisap sirkytpas! The mountain is the farthest. Ksøq sask sirpelh.

Type II of the superlative is a form of the suffix "st". The six rules can be found below. E.g. You have the best house! Thi hapsil hawisap kystpas! The mountain is the farthest. Ksøq sask pelht.

Type II rules: If the adjective ends in...

1. a vowel, then add "st". E.g. cold = kalsta, coldest = kalstast
2. an approximant, then add "st". E.g. near = ker, nearest = kerst
3. a fricative, then add "t". E.g. happy = lykix, happiest = lykixt
4. a "t" preceded by a vowel, then add an "s" before the "t" and after the vowel. E.g. light = løt, lightest = løst
5. a stop (not "t") preceded by a vowel, then add "st". E.g. scary = kraslak, scariest = kraslakst
6. a stop not preceded by a vowel, then it remains unchanged. E.g. old = ølht, oldest = ølht

Adverbs

Adverbs formed from an adjective are left plain (eg. kyt = well)

Nouns cannot be used to form adverbs. Use a preposition instead.

Diminutives

Nouns

All nouns form the diminutive through some means of reduplication. There are some other suffixes that could be used, but reduplication is the most used and universal.

If a noun begins with a consonant (or a cluster), then that onset and the vowel get reduplicated.

E.g. Hølt > Høhølt; Witha > Wiwitha

Verbs

There is no reduplication for verbs, rather a vowel change or two. They change to their opposite (i⟷y, e⟷ø, î⟷a).

If a verb has only one vowel, then just the conjugation gets changed.

	Lhel (Run)	Lhøl (Walk)
1s	Lhøl	Lhel
2s	Lhil	Lhyl
3s	Lhal	Lhîl
1p	Lhøil	Lheil
2p	Lhiil	Lhyil
3p	Lhail	Lhîil

If a verb has two vowels, then the first vowel is changed along with the conjugation.

	Køqel (do)	Keqøl (try)
1s	Køqøl	Keqel
2s	Køqil	Keqyl
3s	Køqal	Keqîl
1p	Køqøil	Keqeil
2p	Køqiil	Keqyil
3p	Køqail	Keqîil

If a verb has three or more vowels, then only the penultimate vowel and the conjugation are changed. All others are left alone.

	Kaletfel (Can)	Kaløtføl (Be allowed)
1s	Kaletføl	Kaløtfel
2s	Kaletfil	Kaløtfyl
3s	Kaletfal	Kaløtfîl
1p	Kaletføil	Kaløtfeil
2p	Kaletfiil	Kaløtfyil
3p	Kaletfail	Kaløtfîil

Syntax

Sesk verbs are verbs like sesk:

Sesk > to be; Søsk tîreth kytsath > I am a good person

Tesk > to not be/to not; Tøsk tîreth sastasath. Tøsk sîshep hapsel > I am not a weird person. I have no ice

Shithesk > to seem; Sa shithask tîreth shekstsath > She seems like a bad person

Word Order

Standard word order is SVO. Nobility speech doesn't like verbs next to each other, and so will break this rule with modal verbs. In NS, modal verbs push the other verb to the end of the sentence.

E.g. Harry Potter must be the Chosen One with the power to defeat the Dark Lord.

Harry Potter must the Chosen One with the power to defeat the Dark Lord be. 

Cases also have a specific order in sentences, but it is only strictly adherred to in the most formal of occasions. The verb is followed in order by the dative, instrumental, prepositional, and accusative. The genetive follows that which it modifies, anywhere in the sentence. Even in common speech, the accusative most always tends to come last. The other cases may float around and swap a bit, but the accusative usually stays put.

E.g. I (nom) bought for the cat (dat) by means of bartering (inst) in a store (prep) the ball (acc) of yarn (gen).

Negation

There are no double negatives. In order to negate something, you must add the appropriate element. The most common way to do this is at the word level. You can take a verb, throw it at the end and add tesk in its place.

(1) I have food. Hapsøl ethsap.

(2) I don't have food. Tøsk ethsap hapsel.

When using quantity words such as all, most, some, or none, they follow logic. In the following example, we can see that there is only one way to say these thoughts, meaning that none of the following are equivalent.

(3) I have some food. Hapsøl ethsap sarkepa. (Meaning you only have some. Not all, not none)

(4) I have no food. Hapsøl ethsap ekîxtpa. (Meaning you only have none. Not all, not some)

(5) I don't have some food. Tøsk ethsap sarkepa hapsel. (Meaning you don't have some, but either all or none)

(6) I don't have no food. Tøsk ethsap ekîxtpa hapsel. (Meaning you don't have none, but either some or all)

Examples (6) and (5) are fairly rare and only used in contrasting clauses, e.g. "I didn't grab none/some, but rather the entire box of cookies!" Notice too, how sentences (2) and (4) appear to be equivalent. However, (4) seems to imply that you used to have food, but now you have none, and (2) implies that you don't and may/may not have had food in the past, almost like saying 'not anymore'. Food isn't a good example, but if you're talking about not reading the newspaper or not knowing a language, the distinction is made a bit more clear.

Relative Clauses

To begin and mark a relative clause, use a relative pronoun:

-syi(s)/-shyi(s) -qyi(s)/-kyi(s)

	Nom	Acc	Dat	Gen	Inst	Prep
1s	Hy	Hyp	Hyr	Hyi	Hyk	-hy(s)
1p	Hyi	Hyip	Hyir	Hyii	Hyik	-hyi(s)
2s	Thy	Thyp	Thyr	Thyi	Thyk	-thy(s)
2p	Thyi	Thyip	Thyir	Thyii	Thyik	-thii(s)
3s	Lhy/Xy Sy/Shy Qy/Ky	Lhyp/Xyp Syp/Shyp Qyp/Kyp	Lhyr/Xyr Syr/Shyr Qyr/Kyr	Lhyi/Xyi Syi/Shyi Qyi/Kyi	Lhyk/Xyk Syk/Shyk Qyk/Kyk	-lhy(s)/-xy(s)-sy(s)/-shy(s) -qy(s)/-ky(s)
3p	Lhyi/Xyi Syi/Shyi Qyi/Kyi	Lhyip/Xyip Syip/Shyip Qyip/Kyip	Lhyir/Xyir Syir/Shyir Qyir/Kyir	Lhyii/Xyii Syii/Shyii Qyii/Kyii	Lhyik/Xyik Syik/Shyik Qyik/Kyik	-lhyi(s)/-xyi(s) -syi(s)/-shyi(s) -qyi(s)/-kyi(s)

Rules and Exceptions

1. All relative clauses begin with their corresponding relative pronoun, except genitives (see e.g. 10).
2. The relative clause may directly follow the pronoun it describes (see e.g. 1). They may also come at other parts of the sentence, for the relative pronoun declines for the same person and number as the noun it represents.
3. The relative pronoun takes the case that is appropriate in the relative clause, not the case of the noun it represents like the person and number.
4. If the relative pronoun is nominative, use standard SVO order. If the the rp is not nominative, then the subject must come next, followed by standard word order: the verb, the dative, the instrumental, and finally the accusative. Genitive fluidly goes where it must.

Examples:

1. I, who went home, ate well. Hø, hy ksejøs taawisas, ethøs kyt.
2. We, to whom he gave a plant, were happy. Høi søisk lykix, hyir lha kepsas fextap.
3. He, whom I love, is new. Lha sask lith, lhyp hø karskøl.
4. They (the boys), who like to run, are running. Lhai lhail, lhyir lhelts thøfkal.
5. The book, that I gave you, is not good. Seli task kyt, qyp hø kepsøs thir.
6. The castles, that we saw, are very tall! Haistelh, qyip høi skwøis, saisk hixîl er!
7. She, who allowed the others to play, is short. Sa, sy kaletfas arathep spilel, sask støt.*******
8. They (the girls), who have brown hair, seem weird. Sai, syi hapail qailhap parlypalh, shithaisk sasta.
9. You, whom we found behind the tall tower, played there. Thi, thyp høi fîltøis hîlttsyra hixîla, spilis lhal.
10. You guys, whose book is right there, are cooking food. Thii, seli thyii sask îrtha, køshiil ethsap.

Stress

Stress naturally falls on the first syllable on every word/root except for vowel-final words. Their stress is on the penultimate syllable. páthix, kásîs, taksǿta

Numbering System

Sîshrike employs a dozenal or duodecimal system of counting, meaning that they count up to 12 before going into double digits. As they have six fingers on each hand, this is only natural. Numbers decline the same as adjectives, but curiously, they come before the noun rather than after.

• one = ir
• two = øts
• three = ak
• four = arf
• five = røl
• six = es
• seven = ip
• eight = eq
• nine = øsh
• ten = jalh
• eleven = aw
• twelve = îks

==Vocabulary==

No.	English	Sîshksøq
1	I	Hø
2	you (singular)	Thi
3	he	Lha/Xa
4	we	Høi
5	you (plural)	Thii
6	they	Lhai/Xai, Sai/Shai, Qai/Kai
7	this	—
8	that	—
9	here	—
10	there	Îrtha/Lhal
11	who	—
12	what	—
13	where	—
14	when	—
15	how	—
16	not	Tesk
17	all	Alh
18	many	Sir
19	some	—
20	few	—
21	other	Arath
22	one	Ir
23	two	Øts
24	three	Ak
25	four	Arf
26	five	Røl
27	big	Hixîl
28	long	—
29	wide	—
30	thick	—
31	heavy	—
32	small	Støt
33	short	Støt
34	narrow	—
35	thin	—
36	woman	—
37	man (adult male)	—
38	man (human being)	Tîreth
39	child	Hølt
40	wife	—
41	husband	—
42	mother	—
43	father	—
44	animal	Skepja
45	fish	—
46	bird	—
47	dog	—
48	louse	—
49	snake	—
50	worm	—
51	tree	—
52	forest	—
53	stick	—
54	fruit	—
55	seed	—
56	leaf	til
57	root	—
58	bark	—
59	flower	—
60	grass	—
61	rope	—
62	skin	Krøt
63	meat	—
64	blood	—
65	bone	—
66	fat	—
67	egg	—
68	horn	—
69	tail	Shalts
70	feather	—
71	hair	Qailha
72	head	—
73	ear	—
74	eye	Ake
75	nose	—
76	mouth	—
77	tooth	—
78	tongue	—
79	fingernail	—
80	foot	Thas
81	leg	—
82	knee	—
83	hand	—
84	wing	—
85	belly	—
86	guts	—
87	neck	—
88	back	—
89	breast	—
90	heart	—
91	liver	—
92	drink	—
93	eat	Ethel
94	bite	—
95	suck	—
96	spit	—
97	vomit	—
98	blow	—
99	breathe	—
100	laugh	—
101	see	Skwel
102	hear	—
103	know	—
104	think	Tsethel
105	smell	—
106	fear	—
107	sleep	—
108	live	Rifel
109	die	—
110	kill	Tøthel
111	fight	—
112	hunt	—
113	hit	—
114	cut	—
115	split	—
116	stab	—
117	scratch	—
118	dig	—
119	swim	Shîwel
120	fly	—
121	walk	Lhel
122	come	Ksøwel
123	lie	—
124	sit	—
125	stand	—
126	turn	—
127	fall	—
128	give	Kepsel
129	hold	—
130	squeeze	—
131	rub	—
132	wash	—
133	wipe	—
134	pull	—
135	push	—
136	throw	—
137	tie	—
138	sew	—
139	count	—
140	say	Twel
141	sing	—
142	play	Spilel
143	float	—
144	flow	—
145	freeze	—
146	swell	—
147	sun	—
148	moon	—
149	star	Pelhlyx
150	water	Kasîs
151	rain	—
152	river	—
153	lake	—
154	sea	—
155	salt	—
156	stone	Keri
157	sand	—
158	dust	—
159	earth	Erth
160	cloud	Falkî
161	fog	—
162	sky	—
163	wind	—
164	snow	Sle
165	ice	Sîsh
166	smoke	—
167	fire	Flir
168	ash	—
169	burn	—
170	road	—
171	mountain	Ksøq
172	red	Røs
173	green	Klys
174	yellow	Kalp
175	white	Fesîj
176	black	Shsats
177	night	—
178	day	—
179	year	—
180	warm	—
181	cold	—
182	full	—
183	new	Lith
184	old	—
185	good	Kyt
186	bad	Shekst
187	rotten	—
188	dirty	—
189	straight	—
190	round	—
191	sharp	—
192	dull	—
193	smooth	—
194	wet	Kasîsîq
195	dry	—
196	correct	—
197	near	Ker
198	far	Pelh
199	right	Rext
200	left	Liks
201	at	Sîl
202	in	Wø
203	with	Kit
204	and	Sash
205	if	—
206	because	—
207	name	—

Example text

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1.

Tîireth ailhsath saisk kitfyrthasa sash kitaiweqli frîithix sash keix fathesh. Hapsail tsathep sash tseithsap, sash sølail taairatha frilstîqhatelasyk hatel.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.