Round Robin Conlang

Grammar

1) Roots are CVC and verbal in meaning

2) Verbal 1st person is indicated by derivational suffix [-af] which triggers spirant lenition. Ex. bivaf - I ask, tiɣaf - I speak, tsʼuð˜af - I die.

3a) Dual verbal number is indicated by the particle [i.ɔ] at the end of the clause.

b) Plural verbal number is indicated by reduplicating the VC of the verbal root, copying any lenition. When [iɔ] cooccurs with this it has distributive rather than dual force. Eg. kʼéχéχaf - we (all) come (together), kʼéχéχaf iɔ - we (all) come one at a time.

4) Simple past is marked by the particle "ha" before the verb. Ex. ha bivaf iɔ - We two asked.

5) A prefix [í-] derives agents (also, it seems, some experiencers/undergoers from intransitiv roots). Note this being mark'd for high tone - default tone is not indicated. This also does not trigger spirantization. Eg. [ítig] "speaker", [ítsʼun] "mortal", [íkʼeb] "man"

6) The intensive of the verbal root is formed by suffixing -aq, which triggers gemination of the previous consonant. Eg. [bib] "to ask" [bibbaq] "to interrogate"; [tig] "to speak" [tiggaq] "to give a speech."

7) Verbal 2nd person is marked by the suffix -es, which changes the stem analogue to the 1st person. Frex: ha bives: you asked, vijes: you create (if I understood rule 1 correctly)

8) I thought I'd gently dip our toes in some larger structure, with conjunctions that go between phrases, for instance "vigi" meaning "because", that is that the first clause is implied, caused or motivated by the second: "tiggaχes vigi ha bivaf" -- You give a speech because I asked. "ha boivaf iɔ vigi kʼeves" -- We two tried because you're a man. "tsʼununnaχes iɔ vigi ha kʼéχéχes" -- You each die a terrible death because you all came.

Vocab

offset entries are derivations from the root above them

Roots

bib - ask

• bibbaq - to interrogate
• bimb - question

boib - try

• boimb - an attempt

betsʼ - be_a_grain (like sand)

• betsʼaq - be_a_powder (like flour)
• íbetsʼ - sand

kat - shoot

• kant - arrow

kʼéq - come

tig - speak

• tiggaq - to give a speech
• tiŋg - word

tsʼun - die

• tsʼunnaq - to die a terrible, torturous death

vet – see

• vent - sight

k'eb – be male

vij - create

• viñj - artefact

nuk - be female

Particles

ha - simple past

iɔ - two, dual; distributive

Conjunctions

vigi - because