View source for Hariiji

== Nouns ==

=== True nouns ===

True nouns comprise a small group of monosyllables and disyllables. True nouns are single morphemes in and of themselves, which distinguishes them from nominalised sentences, verbal nouns and deverbal nouns. True nouns make up the most common vocabulary of the language:

: ''Hé'' – house
: ''Jeha'' – sister

=== Nominalised sentences ===

There is a large class of nouns which are derived from partial or full sentences:

: ''Hariij'' - ''Hari ij'' – it commands – dragon
: ''Yéhariij'' - ''Yé hari ij'' – a dragon speaks – Hariiji
: ''Sémiij'' - ''Sémi ij'' – it smokes – smoking bar
: ''Néhuj'' - ''néhi uj'' – we walk – journey

This mechanism is still highly productive and continues to produce new nouns, although the derivation is not always completely transparent in meaning (yééj, ‘it speaks’, is ‘sentient being’).

=== Deverbal nouns ===

There is also a large class of deverbal nouns derived from verbs by lengthening of the final vowel, which typically represent instruments:

: ''Netúú'' – boat (''netú'' – to sail)
: ''Sémii'' – smoking pipe (''semi'' – to smoke)

=== Verbal nouns ===
	
Verbs may also be transformed into nouns by zero-derivation:

: ''Netú'' – a boat trip (an instance of sailing)
: ''Sémi'' – smoke (an instance of smoking)

Nouns may modify each other. Compounds are head-initial:

: ''Hé néhuj'' – house journey – inn

=== Morphology ===

Noun morphology is simple. Nouns do not decline for case or number. All nouns may undergo partial or full reduplication, which implies totality or large numbers:

: ''Hé-hé'' – all the houses
: ''Néhuj-néhuj'' – all the journeys
: ''Sémi-sémi'' – all the smoke

Typically those longer than two syllables are only partially reduplicated (the last two syllables):

: ''Hé néhuj-néhuj'' – all the inns

== Pronouns ==

The true pronouns are comparatively rarely used in spoken Hariiji. They are acceptable only in the most informal situations. Elsewhere, noun forms like ''tála'' (servant) are used instead.

<table>
<tr><th>English</th><th>Hariiji</th></tr>
<tr><td>1ps</td><td>''Uz''</td></tr>
<tr><td>2ps</td><td>''Ar''</td></tr>
<tr><td>3ps</td><td>''Ij''</td></tr>
<tr><td>1pp</td><td>''Ur''</td></tr>
<tr><td>2pp</td><td>''Az''</td></tr>
<tr><td>3pp</td><td>''Iri''</td></tr>
</table>

=== Allocutive particles ===

The allocutive particles are a set of sentence-final particles that mark the listener's social status. When a group comprising members of different social statuses is being addressed, Hariiji defaults to the form appropriate to the most prestigious member of the group.

<table>
<tr><th>Particle</th><th>Level of formality</th></tr>
<tr><td>''ca''</td><td>Inferior</td></tr>
<tr><td>''cáá''</td><td>Friend</td></tr>
<tr><td>''ut''</td><td>Formal</td></tr>
<tr><td>''cú''</td><td>Respectful</td></tr>
<tr><td>''sa''</td><td>Worshipful</td></tr>
</table>

The particles are not compulsory in the lowest registers of speech but elsewhere are typically required. Even when neither the subject nor the object of a sentence is the listener, the allocutive will be present:

: ''Ni cúma áá ij ni hé sa'' - He came out of the house, o worshipful one

The inferior pronouns are used to address social inferiors generally. Social equals may also be addressed with these forms in banter in some extremely informal situations, but generally use of this pronoun is highly offensive. ''Ca'' is also used by parents to address their children. Use of ''cáá'' is usually restricted to close friends. ''Ut'' is the typical particle used when addressing others of similar social standing, whilst ''cú'' is used for those of clearly higher social standing. ''Sa'' is the most respectful and is used to address high nobility, higher members of the priesthood and royalty. Slaves typically address their masters with ''sa''.

== Adjectives ==

All ‘content’ adjectives follow the noun and may be used without morphological change as stative verbs:

: ''Hé bala'' – red house
: ''Bala hé'' – the house is red

Numbers follow content adjectives. Demonstratives follow numbers.

: ''Hé bala súú'' – two red houses
: ''Hé bala súú is'' – these two red houses