View source for Laika

==== Sounds / Orthography ====
These are pronounced with standard IPA values, except for '''x''', pronounced ''ʃ''.

Consonants: ''' p t k kw w j h hw hl tx''' ''(tʃ)'' ''' s x''' ''(ʃ)'' ''' tj m n nj l ts '''

Vowels: ''' a i o u ei '''

Clusters: ''' sh sp stj sm  sl stx''' ''(stʃ)''  ''' snj sn '''



initials: ''' s s* p kw w h hw hl j x tj tx m n l '''

finals: ''' t s p k h n tx x a i u r ei '''

'' Vowels nasalized before final -h ''

'' Note that '''sh''' is pronounced as /s-h/, not as English '' "sh" /ʃ/'', which is spelled '''x''' in Lajika.


==== Grammar ====

Lajika is a VOS or VSO language, so the basis of any sentence is the Verb.  Incorporated into the verb are the Nominative Person, the Accusative Animate Person and / or the Objective Inanimate Person, as well as activity or passivity: 


{|
| '''(w)u- ''' 	|| 1p sing.	||	(w)usha- (w)uxei- (w)ua- (w)uei-
|-
| '''xu- '''	|| 1p plur.		|| xusha- xuxei- xuha- xuei-
|-
| ''' sha-''' 	|| 2p sing.		|| shau- shaxu- shaha- shaei-
|-
| '''xei-''' 	|| 2p plur.		|| xeiu- xeixu- xeia- xeihi-
|-
| '''a-'''   	|| 3p sing.		|| a(w)u- axu- asha- axei- aha- ahi-
|-
| '''ei-'''  	|| 3p plur.		|| eiu- eixu- eisha- eixi- eia- eihi-
|-
| '''-li-'''	|| 3p inanimate (objective) ||
|-
| '''o-'''  	|| passive ||
|-
|}


'''Pronoun Forms:'''

(w)utju xutju shatju xeitju atju eitju alatju  '' (4p sing.)''   eilatju ''(4p plur.)''  litju


===== Verbs =====
{|
| ''' hui- ''' || in/at/to
|-
| ''' kai- '''	|| from
|-
| ''' txima '''	|| home, house
|-
|}


''' lah '''	 to go

* (w)ulah xulah shalah xeilah alah eilah lilah

*(w)ulah huitxima
* alah kaitxima


''' stoh''' '' to give ''

* (w)ustoh xustoh shastoh xeistoh astoh eistoh
* oustoh oxustoh oshastoh oxeistoh oastoh oeistoh ''(passive)''


* ushastoh uxeistoh uastoh ueistoh ulistoh  '' (1p sing. gives to --> etc.) ''
* xushastoh xuxeistoh xuhastoh xueistoh xulistoh  ''(1p plur. gives to --> etc.) ''
* shaustoh shaxustoh shahastoh shaeistoh shalistoh ''(2p sing. gives to --> etc.) ''
* xeiustoh xeixustoh xeiastoh xeihistoh xeilistoh ''(2p plur. gives to --> etc.) ''
* austoh axustoh ashastoh axeistoh (a)hastoh (a)histoh alistoh ''(3p sing. gives to --> etc.) ''
* eiustoh eixustoh eishastoh eixeistoh (e)iastoh (e)ihistoh eilistoh ''(3p plur. gives to --> etc.) ''



''' ''-li-'' '''

The infix '''-li''' denotes an Inanimate in the Objective Case.  An Animate may be Nominative and Active or Passive, Accusative (direct object) or Dative (indirect object).  An Inanimate may never be Active, and can only be found in the Objective (indirect ''or'' direct object).  To reverse the valency when used with an Animate Agent, the ''passive'' form must be used:   

* ulistoh ''(I give IT)'' xulistoh shalistoh xeilistoh alistoh eilistoh
* olistoh owulistoh oxulistoh oshalistoh oxeilistoh oalistoh oeilistoh (It is given to...)



''' Noun Prefixes'''

{|
| '''a-'''	|| nom. sing.
|-
| ''' ei- ''' || nom. plur. 
|-
| '''ha-'''	|| acc. sing. (animate) 
|-
| '''hi-''' || acc. plur. (animate) 
|-
| '''txi-''' ||  dative animate 
|-
| '''hli-''' || obj. (acc/dat) inanimate 
|-
|}


''' hamu'''	food

* shaustoh hlihamu
* eiastoh huitxima hlihamu
* xuxeitjoistoh hlitxima


''' pixi  '''	happy, joyful

* (w)upixi xupixi shapixi xeipixi apixi eipixi

* ushapixi uxeipixi uapixi ueipixi
* xushapixi xuxeipixi xuhapixi xueipixi
* shaupixi shaxupixi  shahapixi shaeipixi
* xeiupixi xeixupixi xeiapixi xeihipixi
* aupixi axupixi ashapixi axeipixi (a)hapixi (a)hipixi
* eiupixi eixupixi eishapixi eixipixi (e)iapixi (e)ihipixi  

* olipixi owulipixi oxulipixi oshalipixi oxeilipixi oalipixi oeilipixi (It makes ... happy)



{|
| ''' - '''  		|| present, narrative, imperfect 
|-
| ''' -in '''   	|| habitual 
|-
| ''' -eis  ''' 	|| progressive 
|-
| ''' -pi   ''' 	|| non-continuative 
|-
| ''' -lu   ''' 	|| perfective 
|-
| ''' -lunja '''	|| distal 
|-
| ''' -pimu '''		|| distal non-continuative 
|-
| ''' -jei- '''  	|| long duration 
|-
| ''' -jeijei- '''	|| extremely long duration 
|-
| ''' -ki- '''		|| short duration 
|-
| ''' -kiki- '''	|| extremely short duration 
|-
| ''' -tjoi- ''' 	|| future 
|-
|}



''' Examples'''

{|
| ''' eiastohlu '''			||  They have given to her. 
|-
| '''eiastohlunja'''		|| They gave it to her a while ago. 
|-
| '''ahistoheis	'''		|| She is giving to them. 
|-
| '''ahijeistoheis'''		|| She is taking a long time to give to them. 
|-
| '''ahikistoheis'''		|| She is giving it to them very quickly. 
|-
| '''ushapixilu'''	|| 	I have made you happy. 
|-
| '''awupixin'''	|| 		He makes me happy. 
|-
| '''shaupixipi'''	||		You used to make me happy. 
|-
| '''shaupixipimu'''	|| 	You used to make me happy a long time ago. 
|-
| '''wushatjoipixi'''	|| 	I will make you happy. 
|-
| '''oeilikipixipimu'''		|| It (specifically) used to make them briefly happy, a long time ago. 
|-
| '''xulahpi'''		|| 		We used to go. 
|-
| '''atjoilah'''		||	She will go. 
|-
| '''eiatjoistoh'''		||	They will give to her. 
|-
| '''eiatjoistohlu	'''	|| They will have given to her. 
|-
| '''eiakitjoistohlu'''	||	They will have given to her quickly, or for a short time. 
|-
| '''oshastohpi'''		||	You used to be given to. 
|-
| '''oshalistohpi'''		|| It (specifically) used to be given to you. 
|-
| '''oshajeistohpi'''		|| Used to be given to you for a long time. 
|-
| '''oshajeistohpimu'''	||	A long time ago you were given to for quite a long time. 
|-
| '''upixeis'''		||		I am being happy. 
|-
| '''oupixilu	'''	||	I have been made happy. 
|-
| '''owulitjoipixi	'''	|| It (specifically) will make me happy. 
|-
| '''olikistohin'''		||	It is (habitually) given for a short time. 
|-
| '''olikikistohin	'''	|| It is (habitually) given for a very short time. 
|-
| '''oulijeijeipixin'''	||	It (habitually) makes me happy for a very long time. 
|-
|}