Seebee

Seebee Seebee
Pronounced:	[seːˈbeː]
Species:	Human
Spoken:	Ḍaihodoo
Genealogy:	Choogoan Seeḅee
Typology
Morphosyntactic alignment:	Nominative-accusative
Basic word order:	SVO
Credits
Creator:	Qwynegold
Created:	2008

Phonology and Romanization

In the following charts phonemes are represented inside //. Romanization is intermixed into these charts, and is represented within <>.

Consonants

Seeḅee has 20 short and 11 long consonant phonemes.

Consonants

		Bilabial	Labiodental	Alveolar	Post-alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	Short	/m/ <m>	/n/ <n>
Plosive	Short	/p/ /b/ <p> <b>		/t/ /d/ <t> <d>		/ɟ/ <j>	/k/ /ɡ/ <k> <g>	/ʔ/ <∅, ·>
	Long	/pː/ <pp>		/tː/ <tt>		/cː/ <tj>	/kː/ <kk>
Affricate	Short			/t͡s/ /d͡z/ <ts> <dz>
	Long			/t͡ːs/ /t͡sː/ <tts> <tss>
Fricative	Short		/f/ /v/ <f> <v>	/s/ /z/ <s> <z>	/ʃ/ <sh>	/ç/ <hy, h>
	Long		/fː/ <ff>	/sː/ <ss>	/ʃː/ <ssh>	/çː/ <hhy>	/xː/ <hh>
Approximant	Short			/l/ <l>		/j/ <y>		/h/ <h>

• /n/ has the allophones [m] before bilabials (written <m>), [ŋ] before velars (written <n>) and [n] elsewhere.
• /ɟ/ lacks an unvoiced, short counterpart, but there is a long /cː/.
• /ʔ/ only occurs as an epenthetic consonant between vowels, and its phonemic status is unclear. It is unwritten after <ax> or when next to a doubled vowel, except when three or four of the same vowel would otherwise occur, in which case it is written <·>.
• Seeḅee makes a distinction between /t͡ːs/, that is, an affricate where the occlusion phase is lengthened, and /t͡sː/ where the fricated release is lengthened.
• Similar to /ʔ/, /v/ and /j/ mostly occur as epenthetic consonants, but in some cases they have other origins as well.
• /ç/ is romanized <h> in coda position (where it only occurs after front and central vowels) and <hy> in onset.
• /h/ has the allophones [x], which only occurs in coda position after back vowels, and [h] which occurs elsewhere. Both allophones are romanized <h>.
• As can be determined from the above, short [ç] and [x] are not contrastive. But long /çː/ and /xː/ are.

Vowels

Seeḅee has five vowels, which come in short and long pairs. The vowel quality is the same in each pair, except for the open vowel where the short phoneme is central and the long phoneme is back and pharyngealized.

Vowels

		Front	Central	Back
Close	Short	/i/		/u/
	Long	/iː/ <ii>		/uː/ <uu>
Mid	Short	/e/ <e>		/o/ <o>
	Long	/eː/ <ee>		/oː/ <oo>
Open	Short		/a/ <a>
	Long			/ɑːˁ/ <ax>

Verbal Morphology

There are 32 verb classes in Seebee. Firstly, the verbs are divided into three different classes, denoted by the Roman numerals I, II and III. Secondly each of these three classes are divided into 9-10 subclasses, denoted B, M, N (only in class I), G, S, Z, L, 0 (zero), 1, 2 and 3. Finally, there is also one class of irregular verbs (abbreviated Irr). So, for example ḥyilu (cut) is in class I-L, haḷa· (work) is in class II-2 and suḷu (do) is in class Irr.
Some characteristics of these classes are that verbs in class I are 1-2 syllables long, verbs in class II are 2 syllables, and verbs in class III are 2-3 syllables. Class I verbs may be stressed on different syllables, and the monosyllabic verbs may be either stressed or stressless. Class II verbs have two different stems, where one stem is used in familiar register and the other is used in polite register. Class II familiar stems may be stressed on different syllables, while conjugations with the polite stem always have final stress. Class III verbs have final stress.
The characteristics of the subclasses are that the ones denoted by a letter have a thematic consonant (as indicated by the letter) that occur in many different suffixes. Subclass 0 has nothing where the thematic consonant would appear. Subclasses 1 and 2 have a thematic consonant that varies according to the conjugation: For class 1 it's · or d and for class 2 it's ·, g or j. Class 3 has the thematic consonant l in some conjugations, while in other conjugations the morphology differs quite a bit from the other subclasses and there is no thematic consonant.

Conjugation

Verbs are typically conjugated to include polarity-tense-register, or register-mood/modality, or just the conjunctive form. There are two polarities: Positive (something does happen) and negative (something does not happen). There are two tenses: Past and present (or non-past to be more precise, because the same tense is used for both present and future events). There are two inflected registers: Familiar and polite. The familiar register is used when speaking with family or close friends, and the polite register is used in most other situations. There is one mood: imperative, and one modality: hortative. The imperative mood is used when issuing commands, but also for making requests. The hortative modality is used for suggestions of the "let's..." type. The conjunctive form is used for linking together two verb phrase, in serial verb constructions, and also for forming deverbal nouns.
Some verbs in class I have stress on any syllable in the stem, and some do not have stress on the stem. This is lexically determined. Those verbs that don't have stress on the stem receive stress on the suffix that is added to the stem. However, most conjugation forms require the stress to be moved to the suffix, and only a few forms allows the stress to remain on the stem. Class II and III verbs all have stressless stems, always putting the stress on the suffix.

Positive Present Conjugation

The table below shows the positive present familiar conjugation. This form is the lemma form of the verb; the form under which words are listed in the lexicon. This form is also used as an infinitive. This conjugation allows stress to be retained on the stem of those class I verbs that have stem stress.

Positive-present-familiar

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-bu	Stress location lexically determined
I-M	stem-mu		fu- → fuṃu step(s) on
I-N	stem-nu		shi- → shiṇu die(s)
I-G	stem-gu		ka- → kaġu smell(s)
I-S	stem-s		ke- → ʻkes erase(s)
I-Z	stem-zu
I-L	stem-lu		f̣u- → f̣ulu rain(s)
I-0	stem-u		haḷa- → haḷau pay(s)
I-1	stem-·		ṃa- → ṃa· wait(s)
I-2	stem-·		ka- → ʻka· chisel(s)
I-3	stem-lu		ḍe- → ḍelu appear(s)
II	Same rules as for class I, using the familiar stem		aḷa- → aḷau wash(es)
III	Same as class I	Stress moved to final syllable	asa- (III-3) → asaḷu forget(s)

In class I the above forms are the basis of the positive present polite conjugation. The suffix -zes (with a few variations for different subclasses) is simply added to the familiar conjugation to make it polite. Stress stays on the same syllable as in the familiar version of this conjugation. However, if a polysyllabic verb would become stressless, stress is added to the final syllable. (See the example at I-2 below.) Monosyllabic verbs can stay unstressed. Class II verbs use their polite stem with the addition of a stressed -ẓes. Class III verbs just add a stressed -ẓes to their stem.

Positive-present-polite

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-buzes	Stress location lexically determined
I-M	stem-muzes		fu- → fuṃuzes step(s) on
I-N	stem-nuzes		shi- → shiṇuzes die(s)
I-G	stem-guzes		ka- → kaġuzes smell(s)
I-S	stem-sdes		ke- → kesḍes erase(s)
I-Z	stem-zuzes
I-L	stem-luzes		f̣u- → f̣uluzes rain(s)
I-0	stem-uzes		haḷa- → haḷauzes pay(s)
I-1	stem-ddes		ṃa- → ṃaddes wait(s)
I-2			ka- → kadḍes chisel(s)
I-3	stem-luzes		ḍe- → ḍeluzes appear(s)
II	pol.stem-ẓes	Stress moved to the final syllable	ala- (II-L, polite) → alaẓes walk(s)
III	stem-ẓes		asa- (III-3) → asaẓes forget(s)

Positive Past Familiar Conjugation

In this conjugation the stress is moved to the suffix, regardless of verb class. In class II, if the verb begins with a single vowel, that vowel is removed. For example aḷau becomes latṭa. This deletion does not affect diphthongs.

Positive-past-familiar

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-ḍa	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M			fu- → fuḍa stepped on
I-N			shi- → shiḍa died
I-G	stem-iḍa		ka- → kaiḍa smelled
I-S	stem-shṭa		ke- → keshṭa erased
I-Z
I-L	stem-tṭa		f̣u- → futṭa rained
I-0			haḷa- → halatṭa paid
I-1			ṃa- → matṭa waited
I-2	stem-iḍa		ka- → kaiḍa chiseled
I-3	stem-ḍa		ḍe- → deḍa appeared
II-B	fam.stem-ḍa (initial monophthong removed)		ḷa- → laḍa chose
II-M
II-G	fam.stem-iḍa (initial monophthong removed)		ṣo- → soiḍa hurried
II-S	fam.stem-shṭa (initial monophthong removed)		haṇa- → hanashṭa spoke
II-Z			hu- → hushṭa unfastened
II-L	fam.stem-tṭa (initial monophthong removed)
II-0			aḷa- → latṭa washed
II-1
II-2	fam.stem-iḍa (initial monophthong removed)		aḷu- → luiḍa walked
II-3	fam.stem-ḍa (initial monophthong removed)		ḅoe- → boeḍa remembered
III	Same rules as for class I		asa- (III-3) → asaḍa forgot

Positive Past Polite Conjugation

The lemma (positive present familiar conjugation) serve as the basis for class I positive past polite conjugations. If the verb stem has stress, then the lemma is simply followed by the particle deshṭa. If the stem is unstressed, then the lemma is followed by the suffix -zeshṭa (with a few variations depending on subclass). Classes II and III use their (polite) stem followed by the suffix -zeshṭa.

Positive-past-polite

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stressed stem-bu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa
	unstressed stem-buzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable
I-M	stressed stem-mu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa
	unstressed stem-muzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	fu- → fumuzeshṭa stepped on
I-N	stem-nuzeshṭa		shi- → shinuzeshṭa died
I-G	stressed stem-gu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa
	unstressed stem-guzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	ka- → kaguzeshṭa smelled
I-S	stressed stem-s deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa
	unstressed stem-sdeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	ke- → kesdeshṭa
I-Z	stressed stem-zu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa
	unstressed stem-zuzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable
I-L	stressed stem-lu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa	f̣u- → f̣ulu deshṭa rained
	unstressed stem-luzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	hyi- → hyiluzeshṭa dressed
I-0	stressed stem-u deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa	haḷa- → haḷau deshṭa paid
	unstressed stem-uzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	i- → iuzeshṭa said
I-1	stressed stem-d deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa	ṃa- → ṃad deshṭa waited
	unstressed stem-ddeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable
I-2	stressed stem-d deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa	ḳa- → ḳad deshṭa wrote
	unstressed stem-ddeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable	ka- → kaddeshṭa chiseled
I-3	stressed stem-lu deshṭa	Stress kept in original location of stem as well as in deshṭa	ḍe- → ḍelu deshṭa appeared
	unstressed stem-luzeshṭa	Stress moved to final syllable
II	pol.stem-zeshṭa		ala- (polite) → alazeshṭa walked
III	stem-zeshṭa		asa- → asazeshṭa forgot

Negative Present Familiar Conjugation

In this conjugation the stress is moved to the suffix, except for in classes I-3 and II-3 when the verb stem has stress. In those cases the stress is kept in the stem. Class II verbs get an initial monopthong removed, the same as in positive-past-familiar conjugation.

Negative-present-familiar

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-ḅax	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M	stem-ṃax		fu- → fuṃax don't/doesn't step on
I-N	stem-ṇax		shi- → shiṇax don't/doesn't die
I-G	stem-ġax		ka- → kaġax don't/doesn't smell
I-S	stem-ṣax		ke- → keṣax don't/doesn't erase
I-Z	stem-ẓax
I-L	stem-ḷax		f̣u- → fuḷax doesn't rain
I-0	stem ending in -a → aạx [aʔɑːˤ]		haḷa- → halaạx don't/doesn't pay
	stem ending in -e →
	stem ending in -i → iỵax		i- → iỵax don't/doesn't say
	stem ending in -o →
	stem ending in -u → uuṿax		su- → suuṿax don't/doesn't suck
I-1	stem-ḍax		ṃa- → maḍax don't wait/doesn't wait
I-2	stem-ġax		ka- → kaġax don't/doesn't chisel
I-3	stem-nai	Stress kept in original location (or added to the suffix if the verb is stressless)	ḍe- → ḍenai don't/doesn't appear
II-B	fam.stem-ḅax (initial monophthong removed)	Stress moved to the final syllable	ḷa- → laḅax don't/doesn't choose
II-M	fam.stem-ṃax (initial monophthong removed)
II-G	fam.stem-ġax (initial monophthong removed)		ṣo- → soġax don't/doesn't hurry
II-S	fam.stem-ṣax (initial monophthong removed)		haṇa- → hanaṣax don't/doesn't speak
II-Z	fam.stem-ẓax (initial monophthong removed)		hu- → huẓax don't/doesn't unfasten
II-L	fam.stem-ḷax (initial monophthong removed)		a- → ḷax doesn't end
II-0	fam.stem-ax (initial monophthong removed)		aḷa- → laạx [laˈʔɑːˤ] don't/doesn't wash
II-1	fam.stem-ḍax (initial monophthong removed)
II-2	fam.stem-ġax (initial monophthong removed)		aḷu- → luġax don't/doesn't walk
II-3	fam.stem-nai (initial monophthong removed)	Stress kept in original location (or added to the suffix if the verb is stressless)	ḅoe- → ḅoenai don't/doesn't remember
III	Same rules as for class I	Stress moved to final syllable (including III-3)	asa- (III-3) → asaṇai

To form the negative past familiar conjugation, the particle datṭa is simply added after one of the above verb forms.

Negative Polite Conjugation

The negative present polite conjugation is formed with the suffix -ṣee, which takes stress. In class I a syllable is added between the stem and the suffix, the form of which depends on the subclass. In class I-3 everything except the verb's initial consonant is deleted before -aṣee is added. In classes II and III the suffix is added directly to the (polite) stem.

Negative-present-polite

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-baṣee	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M	stem-maṣee		fu- → fumaṣee don't/doesn't step on
I-N	stem-naṣee		shi- → shinaṣee don't/doesn't die
I-G	stem-gaṣee		ka- → kagaṣee don't/doesn't smell
I-S	stem-shaṣee		ke- → keshaṣee don't/doesn't erase
I-Z
I-L	stem-laṣee		f̣u- → fulaṣee doesn't rain
I-0	stem-aṣee (the vowel at the end of the stem is deleted)
I-1	stem-jaṣee		ṃa- → majaṣee don't/doesn't wait
I-2	stem-gaṣee		ka- → kagaṣee don't/doesn't chisel
I-3	initial consonant-aṣee		ḍe- → daṣee don't/doesn't appear
II	pol.stem-ṣee		ala- (polite stem) → alaṣee walk(s)
III	stem-ṣee		asa- → asaṣee forget(s)

The above forms serve as the basis for the negative past polite form. The particle deshṭa is simply added after a verb in negative present polite form, for example: asaṣee → asaṣee deshṭa forgot.

Familiar Hortative Conjugation

In this conjugation stress is moved to the suffix. Class II verbs get an initial monopthong removed, the same as in positive-past-familiar conjugation.

Familiar-hortative

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-ḅue	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M	stem-ṃue		fu- → fuṃue let's step on smth
I-N	stem-ṇue		shi- → shiṇue let's die
I-G	stem-ġue		ka- → kaġue let's smell
I-S	stem-ṣue		ke- → keṣue let's erase
I-Z	stem-ẓue
I-L	stem-ḷue		ḥyi- → hyiḷue let's cut
I-0	stem ending in -a → axụe [ɑːˤʔue]		haḷa- → halaxụe let's pay
	stem ending in -e → eeụe
	stem ending in -i → iiỵue		i- → iiỵue let's say
	stem ending in -o →
	stem ending in -u → -uuṿue		su- → suuṿue let's suck
I-1	stem-ḍue		ṃa- → maḍue let's wait
I-2	stem-ġue		ka- → kaġue let's chisel
I-3	stem-ỵue		ḍe- → deỵue let's appear
II-B	fam.stem-ḅue (initial monophthong removed)		ḷa- → laḅue let's choose
II-M	fam.stem-ṃue (initial monophthong removed)
II-G	fam.stem-ġue (initial monophthong removed)		ṣo- → soġue let's hurry
II-S	fam.stem-ṣue (initial monophthong removed)		haṇa- → hanaṣue let's speak
II-Z	fam.stem-ẓue (initial monophthong removed)		hu- → huẓue let's fasten
II-L	fam.stem-ḷue (initial monophthong removed)		a- → ḷue let's end
II-0	stem ending in -a → axụe [ɑːˤʔue] (initial monophthong removed)		aḷa- → laxụe let's wash
	stem ending in -e → eeụe (initial monophthong removed)
	stem ending in -i → iiỵue (initial monophthong removed)
	stem ending in -o → (initial monophthong removed)
	stem ending in -u → -uuṿue (initial monophthong removed)
II-1	fam.stem-ḍue (initial monophthong removed)
II-2	fam.stem-ġue (initial monophthong removed)		aḷu- → luġue let's walk
II-3	fam.stem-ỵue (initial monophthong removed)		ḅoe- → boeỵue let's remember
III	Same rules as for class I (for class III-0, see how the final stem vowel is lengthened and en epenthetic consonant added in I-0)		asa- (III-3) → asaỵue let's forget

Polite Hortative Conjugation

The polite hortative conjugation is basically the same as the negative present polite conjugation, but with -ṣhue instead of -ṣee. In class I a syllable is added after the verb stem, and after that the suffix -ṣhue, which takes stress, is added. In I-3 everything but the initial consonant is deleted from the verb stem. Classes II and III add the suffix directly to the (polite) stem.

Polite-hortative

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-baṣhue	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M	stem-maṣhue		fu- → fumaṣhue let's step on smth
I-N	stem-naṣhue		shi- → shinaṣhue let's die
I-G	stem-gaṣhue		ka- → kagaṣhue let's smell
I-S	stem-shaṣhue		ke- → keshaṣhue let's erase
I-Z
I-L	stem-laṣhue		ḥyi- → hyilaṣhue let's pay
I-0	stem-aṣhue (the vowel at the end of the stem is deleted)		su- → saṣhue let's suck
I-1	stem-jaṣhue		ṃa- → majaṣhue let's wait
I-2	stem-gaṣhue		ka- → kagaṣhue let's chisel
I-3	initial consonant-aṣhue		ḍe- → daṣhue let's appear
II	pol.stem-ṣhue		ala- (polite stem) → alaṣhue let's walk
III	stem-ṣhue		asa- → asaṣhue let's forget

Imperative Conjugation

The imperative conjugation is expressed with a suffix consisting of the thematic consonant followed by -e (though in subclass 3 the suffix -ḷo is used). Stress is moved to the final syllable.

Familiar-imperative

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-ḅe	Stress moved to the final syllable
I-M	stem-ṃe		fu- → fuṃe step on smth!
I-N	stem-ṇe		shi- → shiṇe die!
I-G	stem-ġe		ka- → kaġe smell!"
I-S	stem-ṣe		ke- → keṣe erase!
I-Z	stem-ẓe
I-L	stem-ḷe		ḥyi- → hyiḷe cut!
I-0	stem-e		haḷa- → haḷae pay!
I-1	stem-ḍe		ṃa- → maḍe wait!
I-2	stem-ġe		ka- → kaġe chisel!
I-3	stem-ḷo		ḍe- → deḷo appear!
II	Same rules as for class I, using the familiar stem		aḷu- (II-2) → aluġe walk!
III	Same rules as for class I		asa- (III-3) → asaḷo forget!

The above is the basis for the polite imperative form. The particle kaṣai is simply added after the familiar imperative to make it polite. However, in class II the polite stem needs to be used instead of the familiar stem.

Conjunctive Conjugation

This form is basically the same as the positive present familiar conjugation, but with -i as the final vowel instead of -u. The suffix for some subclasses lacks a vowel though, and these forms are identical to the positive present familiar conjugation. The conjunctive conjugation is not divided into familiar and polite forms.

Conjunctive

	Form	Stress shifts	Examples
I-B	stem-bi	Stress moved to the final syllable, but verbs without stem stress that end up being monosyllables remain unstressed
I-M	stem-mi		fu- → fuṃi stepping on
I-N	stem-ṇi		shi- → shiṇi dying
I-G	stem-ji		ka- → kaȷ̈i smelling
I-S	stem-sh		ke- → ʻkesh erasing
I-Z
I-L	stem-li		f̣u- → fuḷi raining
I-0	stem-i		haḷa- → haḷai paying
I-1	stem-·		ṃa- → ṃa· waiting
I-2			ka- → ʻka· chiseling
I-3	stem-∅		ḍe- → ḍe appearing
II	Same rules as for class I, using the familiar stem	Stress moved to final syllable	aḷa- → aḷai washing
III	Same as class I		asa- (III-3) → aṣa forgetting

Familiar Conjugation

This conjugation form is used for the familiar-negative and familiar-hortative. A word in this form must take a suffix (either -ax/-nai for familiar-negative or -ue for familiar-hortative) to be grammatical. One could say that in this conjugation, the familiar politeness level is expressed in the stem change itself.

Familiar Conjugation

	I-B, I-G, I-L, I-M, I-N				I-S	I-Z	I-1	I-2	I-3	I-a-4	I-b-4
Rule	u → Ø				s → ṣ		· → ġ	· → ḍ	u → Ø[1] (NEG), Vu → Vː[1] (HORT)	lu → Ø
Lemma	yoḅu				sas		ʻi·	u·	ʻkau	neḷu	ṃilu
FAM	yoḅ-				saṣ-		iġ-	uḍ-	ka- (NEG), kax- (HORT)	ne-	ṃi- (NEG), mi- (HORT)
Class	II-B, II-G, II-L, II-M				II-S	II-Z	II-1	II-2	II-3	II-a-4	II-b-4
Rule	u → Ø[2]				s → ṣ[2]	z → ẓ	· → ġ[2]	· → ḍ[2]	u → Ø[1][2] (NEG), Vu → Vː[1][2] (HORT)	lu → Ø[2]
Lemma	ỵogu				haṇas	huẓu	aḷu·		aḷau	kuḷu	ḥyilu
FAM	yoġ-				hanaṣ-	huẓ-	luġ-		la- (NEG), lax- (HORT)	ku-	ḥyi- (NEG), hyi- (HORT)
	III-B	III-G	III-L	III-M	III-S	III-Z	III-1	III-2	III-3	III-4
Rule	stem 2 + ḅ	​stem 2 + ġ	stem 2 + ḷ	stem 2 + ṃ ​	stem 2 + ṣ		stem 2 + ġ	stem 2 + ḍ	stem 2[1] (NEG), stem 2 + ː[1] (HORT)	lu → Ø (NEG), lu → ỵ (HORT)
Lemma			kadaḷu		goạs		haḷa·		koṇau	shaḅelu
POL			kadaḷ-		go·aṣ-		halaġ-	​	kona- (NEG), konax- (HORT)	shaḅe- (NEG), shabe- (HORT)

1. ↑^{1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5}An epenthetic consonant is often required between the stem and the suffix. What the consonant is depends on the last vowel of stem as follows:

   i, ii → [j], written <y>

   u, uu → [v], written <v>

   a, ax, e → [ʔ], unwritten or written <·> depending on the word

   In some cases <·> is used for marking hiatus

2. ↑^{2.0, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7}If the word begins with a lone vowel, i.e. the first syllable consists of only a monophthong, then this monophthong is deleted.

In this table, classes that funtion similarly have been grouped together. The rule shows what part of the stem's end turn into what. An upper case V stands for any vowel and Ø for nothing. Examples follow with first words in their lemma form and then in the familiar conjugation form. A worded explanation follows:

• In classes B, G, L, M, N the final -u is removed before the suffix is added. Stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In classes S and Z, no change happens at the stem end. But stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II, an initial lone vowel is deleted from the stem.
• In class 1, the final -· is replaced by -ġ. Stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In class 2, the final -· is replaced by -ḍ. Stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In class 3, different changes take place depending on whether it is the negative or hortative suffix that is added. The negative suffix -ax simply causes the final -u to be dropped from the stem. The hortative suffix -ue causes the final -u to be dropped and the vowel before that becoming long. (Note that the long form of a is ax.) Both suffixes may require the insertion of an epenthetic consonant between the stem and the suffix, and in both cases stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In classes I-a-4 and II-a-4, the final -lu is deleted. Class 4 verbs take -nai instead of -ax as the negative suffix. Stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). If the verb is of class II-a-4, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In classes I-b-4 and II-b-4, the final -lu is deleted. Class 4 verbs take -nai instead of -ax as the negative suffix. If the hortative suffix is used, stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). But if the negative suffix is used, stress is kept in its original location. If the verb is of class II-b-4, an initial lone vowel is also deleted from the stem.
• In class III-4, the final -lu is deleted if the negative suffix is used, or replaced by -ỵ if the hortative suffix is used. (In another analysis one could say that the -ỵ is part of the suffix rather than this stem.) Class 4 verbs take -nai instead of -ax as the negative suffix. Stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix).

Polite Conjugation

This conjugation pattern is used for the polite-negative and polite-hortative (marked by the suffixes -ṣee and -ṣhue respectively), and cannot be used without a suffix. One could say that the polite politeness level is expressed in the stem change itself. The stress of all verbs is moved to the final syllable (the suffix) in this conjugation form.

Polite Conjugation

	I-B, I-G, I-L, I-M, I-N	I-S	I-Z	I-1	I-2	I-3	I-4
Rule	u → a	s → sha		· → ga	· → ja	Vu → a	Vlu → a
Lemma	yoḅu	sas		ʻi·	u·	ʻkau	ṃilu
POL	yoba-	sasha-		iga-	uja-	ka-	ma-
	II
Rule	stem 1 → stem 2
Lemma	ỵogu
POL	oya-
	III
Rule	stem 1 → stem 2
Lemma	haḷa·
POL	​ hada-

In this table, classes that funtion similarly have been grouped together. The rule shows what part of the stem's end turn into what. An upper case V stands for any vowel. Examples follow with first words in their lemma form and then in the polite conjugation form. A worded explanation follows:

• For verbs in classes I-B, I-G, I-L, I-M and I-N the final -u is replaced by -a before the suffix is added.
• In class I-S the final -s is replaced by -sha.
• In class I-1 the final -· is replaced by -ga.
• In class I-2 the final · is replaced by -ja.
• In class I-3 the final diphthong is replaced by -a.
• In class I-4 only the initial consonant of the word remains, and to this -a is added.
• In class II and III, the second stem is used and the suffix is simply added without any other modifications.

Past-Conjunctive Conjugation

This conjugation pattern is used for the past and conjunctive forms (marked by the suffixes -a and -e respectively). A stem with this conjugation may not be used without either suffix.

Past-Conjunctive Conjugation

	I-a-B[1]	I-b-B	I-a-G[1]	I-b-G	I-a-L[1]	I-b-L	I-a-M[1]	I-b-M	I-N[1]	I-a-S[1]	I-b-S	I-Z	I-a-1[1]	I-b-1	I-a-2[1]	I-b-2	I-a-3[1]	I-b-3	I-a-4[1]	I-b-4
Rule	ḅu → ḍ	bu → ːd	ġu → iḍ	gu → id	ḷu → tṭ	lu → tt	ṃu → ḍ	mu → ːd	ṇu → ḍ	s → shṭ	s → sht		· → iḍ	· → id	· → tṭ	· → tt	u → tṭ	u → tt	ḷu → ḍ	lu → d
Lemma	yoḅu		kaġu	ṇugu	uḷu	f̣ulu	fuṃu	ỵomu	shiṇu	ʻos	ṣas		ʻka·	ḳa·		ụ·	ʻkau	ḳau	neḷu	ṃilu
PST/CONJ	yoḍ-		kaiḍ-	ṇuid-	utṭ-	f̣utt-	fuḍ-	ỵood-	shiḍ-	oshṭ-	ṣasht-		kaiḍ-	ḳaid-		ụtt-	katṭ-	ḳatt-	neḍ-	ṃid-
	II-a-B	II-b-B	II-a-G	II-b-G	II-a-L	II-b-L	II-a-M	II-b-M		II-a-S	II-b-S	II-Z	II-a-1	II-b-1	II-a-2	II-b-2	II-a-3	II-b-3	II-a-4	II-b-4
Rule	ḅu → ḍ[2]	bu → ːd[2]	ġu → iḍ[2]	gu → id[2]	ḷu → tṭ[2]	lu → tt[2]	ṃu → ḍ[2]	mu → ːd[2]		s → shṭ[2]	s → sht[2]	ẓu → shṭ[2]	· → iḍ[2]	· → id[2]	· → tṭ[2]	· → tt[2]	u → tṭ[2]	u → tt[2]	ḷu → ḍ[2]	lu → d[2]
Lemma	soḅu	ḷabu	maġu	ỵogu	shkaḷu	ṇolu	shuṃu	ḷamu			haṇas	huẓu		aḷu·			aḷau	oṃue	tiḷu	ḥyilu
PST/CONJ	soḍ-	ḷaxd-	maiḍ-	ỵoid-	shkatṭ-	ṇott-	shuḍ-	ḷaxd-			haṇasht-	hushṭ-		ḷuid-			latṭa	ṃott-	tiḍ-	ḥyid-
	III-a-B	III-b-B	III-a-G	III-b-G	III-a-L	III-b-L	III-a-M	III-b-M		III-a-S	III-b-S	III-Z	III-a-1	III-b-1	III-a-2	III-b-2	III-a-3	III-b-3	III-a-4	III-b-4
Rule		bu → ːd	ġu → iḍ[2]	gu → id[2]	ḷu → tṭ[2]	lu → tt[2]	ṃu → ḍ[2]	mu → ːd[2]		s → shṭ[2]	s → sht[2]	ẓu → shṭ[2]	· → iḍ[2]	· → id[2]	· → tṭ[2]	· → tt[2]	u → tṭ[2]	u → tt[2]	ḷu → ḍ[2]	lu → d[2]
Lemma					kadaḷu														aseḷu	kaḷelu
PST/CONJ			​		kadatṭ-														aseḍ-	kaḷed-

1. ↑^{1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10}Monosyllabic verbs in this group are stressless, although such verbs only exist as irregular forms.
2. ↑^{2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19}If the word begins with a lone vowel, i.e. the first syllable consists of only a monophthong, then this monophthong is deleted.

The rule shows what part of the stem's end turn into what. Examples follow with first words in their lemma form and then in the polite conjugation form. A worded explanation follows (with stress change explanations at the end):

• In classes a-B, a-M, a-N the final -ḅu, -ṃu or -ṇu is replaced by -ḍ.
• In class b-B and b-M the final -bu or -mu is replaced by -d, and the vowel before this -d is lengthened. (Note that the long form of a is ax.)
• In class G and 1 the final -gu or -· is replaced by -id.
• In class L and 2 the final -lu or -· is replaced by -tt.
• In class S and Z, the final -s or -zu is replaced by -sht.
• In class 3 the final vowel is replaced by -tt. If the verb ends with -ue, the -ue is replaced by -ott.
• In class 4 the final -lu is replaced by -d.
• If a class II verb begins with a lone vowel, this vowel is deleted.
• In class I-a the stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). But if the verb is monosyllabic, it will be stressless. Verb forms that are monosyllabic in this conjugation are all irregular though.
• In classes I-b, II-b, III-b-4 the stress is on the initial syllable.
• In class II-a and III-a the stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix). (Monosyllabic forms do not exist.)
• In class III-b (except for III-b-4) the stress is on the penultimate syllable.

Imperative Conjugation

This conjugation is used only for expressing the familiar imperative, and thus is only used with one suffix: -e (or -o in case of class 4 verbs). Since there is only one suffix, and the conjugated stem cannot be used alone, the fully conjugated familiar imperative is shown in the following table.

Imperative Conjugation

	I-B, I-G, I-L, I-M, I-N, I-Z	I-S	I-1	I-2	I-3	I-4
Rule	u → e	s → se	· → ge	· → de	u → e	u → o
Lemma	yoḅu	ṣas	ʻi·	u·	ʻkau	ṃilu
IMP.FAM	yoḅe	ṣase	iġe	uḍe	ḳae	ṃilo
	II-B, II-G, II-L, II-M, II-Z	II-S	II-1	II-2	II-3	II-4
Rule	u → e	s → se	· → ge[1]	· → de[1]	u → e	u → o
Lemma	ỵogu		aḷu·		aḷau	kuḷu
IMP.FAM	ỵoge		ḷuge		aḷae	kuḷo
	III-B, III-G, III-L, III-M, III-Z	III-S	III-1	III-2	III-3	III-4
Rule	u → e	s → se	· → ge	· → de	u → e	u → o
Lemma	kadaḷu		haḷa·		koṇau	shaḅelu
IMP.FAM	kadaḷe		halaġe		koṇae	shaḅelo

1. ↑^{1.0, 1.1}If the word begins with a lone vowel, i.e. the first syllable consists of only a monophthong, then this monophthong is deleted.

In this table, classes that funtion similarly have been grouped together. The rule shows what part of the stem's end turn into what. Examples follow with first words in their lemma form and then in the polite conjugation form. A worded explanation follows (with stress change explanations at the end):

• In classes B, G, L, M, N, Z, 3, the final -u is replaced by -e.
• In class S, -e is added to the end of the verb.
• In class 1, the final -· is replaced by -ge.
• In class 2, the final -· is replaced by -de.
• In class 4, the final -u is replaced by -o.
• In class a, the stress is moved to the final syllable (to the suffix).
• In class I-b and II-b, the stress is on the initial syllable.
• In class III-b the stress is kept on its original position.

Periphrastic Conjugation

The periphrastic conjugation is used when a verb is compounded with another verb. The first verb, which can be any verb in the language, is conjugated into the periphrastic form. The choice for the second verb is limited. This verb adds an aspectual meaning to the first verb. Further conjugations are carried by the second verb. A verb in the periphrastic form can also be used alone, in which case it stands for an infinitive. In this conjugation, stress is moved to the final syllable. But monosyllabic verbs are stressless.

Periphrastic Conjugation

	I-B, I-L, I-M, I-N, I-3	I-G	I-S	I-Z	I-1, I-2	I-4
Rule	u → i	gu → ji	s → sh		-	lu → ∅
Lemma	yoḅu	ṇugu	ṣas		ʻi·	ṃilu
PPH	yoḅi	nuȷ̈i	ʻsash		ʻi·	ʻmi
	II-B, II-L, II-M, II-N, II-3	II-G	II-S	II-Z	II-1, II-2	II-4
Rule	u → i	gu → ji	s → sh	stem 2-ush[1]	-	lu → ∅
Lemma	aḷau	ỵogu		huẓu	aḷu·	ḥyilu
PPH	aḷai	yoȷ̈i		haẓush	aḷu·	ʻhyi
	III-B, III-L, III-M, III-N, III-3	III-G	III-S	III-Z	III-1, III-2	III-4
Rule	u → i	gu → ji	s → sh		-	lu → ∅
Lemma	kadaḷu
PPH	kadaḷi

1. ↑^1.0The final vowel in the second stem is replaced by -ush.

In this table, classes that funtion similarly have been grouped together. The rule shows what part of the stem's end turn into what. ∅ stands for nothing, and - for no change. Examples follow with first words in their lemma form and then in the periphrastic conjugation form. A worded explanation follows:

• In classes B, L, M, N, 3, the final -u is replaced by -i.
• In class G, the final -gu is replaced by -ji.
• In class S, the final -s is replaced by -sh.
• In class Z, the verbs second stem is used, with -ush replacing the last vowel of the stem.
• In class 1 and 2, the periphrastic form is the same as the lemma.
• In class 4, the final -lu is deleted, making it identical to the familiar conjugation form.

Tense, polarity and politeness

Seebee has two tenses: past and non-past. Polarity is either positive or negative. Positive polarity is used in affirmative statements or questions, and negative polarity is used for negation.

There are several levels of politeness which are different registers that are used depending on the status of the person one is talking to or about. The lowest level is the familiar speech. This register is used when talking with member's of one's own family. This includes parents and siblings, as well as members of the extended family that are the same age or younger than oneself. It is also used when talking to close friends that are younger or the same age as oneself, to pets, to servants and other people below one's social status. When familiar speech is used towards someone outside of these groups, it can convey either intimacy or rudeness, depending on the relation between the two people.

The polite speech is the "default" politeness level used when speaking to strangers or other people towards whom familiar speech would be inappropriate.

Seebee lacks complete conjugation paradigms for all combinations of tense, polarity and politeness. To overcome this, various forms of the copula is used together with available conjugations, as the following table shows.

Combinations of tense, polarity and politeness

	FAM	POL
PST-POS	ḷutta	aḷud deshṭa
PST-NEG	luġax datṭa	alaṣee deshṭa
NPST-POS	aḷu·	aḷud ʻdes
NPST-NEG	luġax	alaṣee

To summarize, the above combinations consist of the following morphemes:

• FAM.POS.PST: The past-conjunctive stem and the suffix -a (FAM.PST). The positive polarity is zero-marked.
• FAM-NEG-PST: The familiar stem (FAM), the negative suffix -ax or -nai (NEG), and datṭa (FAM.PST).
• FAM-POS-NPST: The lemma form. Both the familiar politeness (FAM), positive polarity (POS) and non-past tense (NPST) are zero-marked.
• FAM-NEG-NPST: The familiar stem (FAM) and the negative suffix -ax or -nai (NEG). The non-past tense (NPST) is zero-marked.
• POL-POS-PST: The lemma form and deshṭa (POL.PST). The positive polarity is zero-marked.
• POL-NEG-PST: The polite stem (POL), the negative suffix -ṣee (NEG), and deshṭa (POL.PST).
• POL-POS-NPST: The lemma form and ʻdes (POL.NPST).
• POL-NEG-NPST: The polite stem (POL) and the negative suffix -ṣee (NEG). The non-past tense is zero-marked.

Hortatives and Imperatives

The polite hortative can be directed either toward oneself, indicating an offer to do something, or it can be an encouragement for the addressee to do something with the speaker, as in English let's-constructions.

Combinations of hortative/imperative and politeness

	FAM	POL
HORT		alaṣhue

Conjunctive

The most basic type of conjunctive is a verb with the past-conjunctive stem and the suffix -e. This verbform is used for connecting two verbs. One use of it is to express that someone does two things. The first verb is in the conjunctive form, and the second verb follows it, taking tense and politeness conjugations. Note that the subject of both verbs need to be same. See also Expressing Several Actions for another way of coordinating verbs.

Another use is for compounding verbs. Some verb compounds are lexical in nature, and in some cases the second verb has a more grammatical meaning, as in ḥyitte ṃilu (to try to cut, literally "cut and see").

Verbs using the past-conjunctive stem do not carry tense or politeness, but the conjunctive can be combined with some clitics and particles, as explained under the following headings.

Even if (CONJ-mo)

A verb with the conjunctive suffix and the clitic -mo expresses the idea of "even if" or "no matter how".

After an Event (CONJ kaḷa)

To express that something happened/happens after another event, the first event is expressed with a verb in the conjunctive form followed by kaḷa, and then a phrase describing the second event. The subject does not need to be the same in both verb phrases.

Desiderative Mood

The desiderative mood is expressed by adding -noṃu to the verb's periphrastic form. Noṃu is a class a-M verb, and can be further conjugated to indicate e.g. tense.

Specifying the Time of Events Relative to Other Events

To specify when something happened, the word to· is used between two verb phrases. If the subject in the second phrase is the same as in the first phrase, it is dropped. When translating a construction like this into English, the word when or while would be used in the beginning of the first phrase.
The word to· has two allomorphs: A stressed ṭo· after class a verbs, and an unstressed ʻto· after class b verbs. The verbs in the two phrases receive the same tense. Usually the familiar poliness level is used, because the politeness is defined by the verb in the second phrase. But in a more formal situation, a polite form can be used before to·, especially when the second phrase is in honorific form.

Another way to specify time is with the word toḷo, which is also placed between two verb phrases. The verb before toḷo can have the conjunctive form followed by -lu toḷo, in which case a time right at which something happened is specified, or the verb can have non-past tense in which case it specifies when something is about to happen, or it can have past tense, in which case it specifies an event which something happened right after. Just as with to·, the verb usually has familiar politeness, but polite forms can be used as well. (In the case of CONJ-lu toḷo, the polite form would be CONJ-mas toḷu.)

See also After an Event (CONJ kaḷa).

Seem to

To express what seems to happen, the word midai is placed after a verb in any tense and polarity, familiar form. Midai has the two allomorphs ṃidai, after class a verbs, and miḍai, after class b verbs. The construction can be made polite by adding ʻdes after midai, while in the familiar politeness level midai can end the sentence as is.

Expressing Several Actions

When expressing several actions in one sentence, the structure V₁-mo ... V_n-mo suḷu. Any number of verbs can be used, all receiving the clitic -mo. The last verb is also followed by the verb suḷu, which can take any conjugation. Note that this structure is not necessarily an exhaustive list, but it may just be a few examples of actions. This structure can also be used with just one verb, in which case it serves as an example.

Particles

If (ṃosh)

The particle ṃosh is used at the beginning of conditional clauses. The structure used is ṃosh VP₁ to VP₂. VP₁ contains the condition. When polite speech is used, the verb in this phrase may be in either familiar or polite form. Otherwise the verb has the same politeness level as the verb in VP₂. VP₂ expresses the consequence of the condition.