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| * ''' ' ''' - /ʔ/ the [[Wikipedia:Glottal_stop|glottal stop]] separates non-diphthonged vowels. | | * ''' ' ''' - /ʔ/ the [[Wikipedia:Glottal_stop|glottal stop]] separates non-diphthonged vowels. |
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| = Sentences = | | = Word Order = |
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| Most sentences in '''Amal''' contain a verb phrase, typically denoting the occurrence of an action. A verb phrase consists of a verb plus any modifiers such as adverbs or prepositional phrases.
| | Amal has a strict word order. The general word order is SVO: |
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| Most sentences also contain at least one noun phrase, typically denoting a person or thing. A noun phrase consists of a noun plus any modifiers such as determiners, adjectives, and case endings.
| | *'''Ivan haca''' |
| | :<tt>Ivan run-3SG</tt> |
| | :''Ivan runs.'' |
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| The two most important noun phrases are the '''''subject''''' and the '''''object'''''. Their exact meaning depends on the choice of verb, but loosely speaking, the subject is the person or thing that carries out the action, and the object is the person or thing that is directly affected by the action.
| | *'''Marya duya Ivan''' |
| | | :<tt>Maria hear-3SG Ivan</tt> |
| == simple ==
| | :''Maria hears John.'' |
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| * '''al neska hab-a al gaku-n''' | |
| : the girl like.3SG the music.ACC | |
| : ''The girl likes the music.''
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| = Nouns =
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| A noun is typically introduced by determiners, and may be followed by adjectives and prepositional phrases, producing a noun phrase. Typical nouns denote physical objects such as people, places, and things, but nouns can also denote more abstract concepts that are grammatically similar.
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| == plurals ==
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| Adding '''-t''' to a noun makes it plural. If the singular noun ends in a consonant, '''-at''' is added instead. If the last consonant of the noun is an alveolar stop (i.e. /t/ or /d/), '''-m''' and '''-em''' are used respectively. The plural ending does not affect the word's stress:
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| * '''neko > nekot''' – cat, cats
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| * '''muj > mujat''' – man, men
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| * '''ajat > ajatem''' – fox, foxes
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| Adjectives modifying a noun do not change when the noun is plural. But when an adjective is used as a noun, it can be pluralized:
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| * '''al tamat, al vedam, ma al kabit''' – the good, the bad, and the ugly
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| == countable and uncountable nouns ==
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| == gender ==
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| Nouns are neuter or masculine. In order to distinguish the feminine, the suffix '''-(i)la''' is added.
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| * '''aspa''' – a male horse, a stallion
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| * '''aspala''' – a female horse, a mare
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| But there are a few words for family relations that mark females with -a and males with -o:
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| * '''oma, oba''' – grandmother, grandfather
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| * '''neska, ulad''' – daughter, son
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| * '''[[Amal/lexicon#c|cuma]], muj''' – wife, husband
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| == noun phrases ==
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| == case ==
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| = Determiners =
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| == predeterminers ==
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| == articles ==
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| * '''Amal''' has one article – the definite article '''al'''. "Definite" here means that the noun's referent is "already defined", as opposed to being something new.
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| *
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| == demonstratives ==
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| == interrogatives ==
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| == selection determiners ==
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| == possessives ==
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| == quantifiers ==
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| == similarity determiners ==
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| == order of determiners ==
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| = Pronouns =
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| A pronoun is a word that replaces a longer noun phrase.
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| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:500px;"
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| ! || Nominative || Accusative || Possessive || Reflexive
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| | {{sc|1sg}}
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| || || '''na''' || '''nai''' ||
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| |-
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| | {{sc|2sg}}
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| || || '''te''' || '''tai''' ||
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| |-
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| | {{sc|3sg}}
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| || || '''il(a/u)''' || '''ili/ilai/ilua''' ||
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| |-
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| | {{sc|1pl}}
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| || || '''nuk''' || '''nuka''' ||
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| |-
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| | {{sc|2pl}}
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| || || '''tum''' || '''tuma''' ||
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| |-
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| | {{sc|3pl}}
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| || || '''hum''' || '''huma''' ||
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| |-
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| |}
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| = Adjectives =
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| == position ==
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| == comparison ==
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| == adjectives as nouns ==
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| = Adverbs =
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| == position ==
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| == comparison ==
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| == primary adverbs ==
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| == quantifier adverbs ==
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| == interrogative and relative adverbs ==
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| = Verbs = | | = Verbs = |
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| Stories often describe events that take place in the past (or an imagined past), or whose location in time is of no concern to the reader. In such cases, the '''-ar-/-r(a)-''' may be omitted. | | Stories often describe events that take place in the past (or an imagined past), or whose location in time is of no concern to the reader. In such cases, the '''-ar-/-r(a)-''' may be omitted. |
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| == imperative ==
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| == negation ==
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| == participles ==
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| == transitivity ==
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| == verbs without subjects ==
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| == verbs as nouns ==
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| = Prepositions =
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| = Conjunctions =
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| == coordinating conjunctions ==
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| == subordinating conjunctions ==
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| == pronoun subordination ==
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| == adverb subordination ==
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| == special subordination ==
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| = Questions =
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| == yes/no questions ==
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| == alternative questions ==
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| == other questions ==
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| == reported questions ==
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| = Clauses =
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| == relative clauses ==
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| == adverbial clauses ==
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| == noun clauses ==
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| == coordinated clauses ==
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| [[Category:Conlangs]] | | [[Category:Conlangs]] |
- See also:
Introduction
Amal is meant to be a personal conlang and despite appearances and structure is not intended as an IAL.
Vocabulary and grammatical features are inspired by or taken directly from:
Phonology
23 of the 26 Latin letters are used, leaving q, w and x unused. All letters are pronounced like their IPA equivalents with a few exceptions.
- c - /ʃ/, /t͡ʃ/ or /t͡s/ without confusion
- e - /e/ or /ɛ/ without confusion
- j - /ʒ/
- u - /w/ when followed by another vowel
- y - /j/
- ' - /ʔ/ the glottal stop separates non-diphthonged vowels.
Word Order
Amal has a strict word order. The general word order is SVO:
- Ivan run-3SG
- Ivan runs.
- Maria hear-3SG Ivan
- Maria hears John.
Verbs
tense
The future tense is marked with -ay-/-y(a)-. Past tenses, including perfect and pluperfect, are marked with -ar-/-r(a)-. The present tense is unmarked:
- Ganan. – I sing / I am singing.
- Ganyat. – You will sing / You are about to sing.
- Ganara. – He sang / She was singing / It has sung.
Stories often describe events that take place in the past (or an imagined past), or whose location in time is of no concern to the reader. In such cases, the -ar-/-r(a)- may be omitted.
