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 ei

The only dipthong is ei - all other vowels are each pronounced independently, e.g. eiastoh; shaupixin; ueitjoistoheis huialatxima.

Vowels are nasalized before final -h

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

Grammar

Laika 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)
(-la-)	Obviate (4p)
o-	passive

Pronoun Forms:

(w)uju xuju shaju xeiju aju eiju alaju (4p sing.) eilaju (4p plur.) litju

Verbs

hui-	in/at/to
kai-	from
txima	(N.) home, house	( possessives: utxima xutxima shatxima xeitxima atxima eitxima alatxima eilatxima )

lah (V.) to go

• (w)ulah xulah shalah xeilah alah eilah (alalah eilalah) lilah

• (w)ulah huitxima or (w)uhuitxima
• alah kaitxima or akaitxima

stoh (V.) to give

• (w)ustoh xustoh shastoh xeistoh astoh eistoh (alastoh eilastoh)
• 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 (alalistoh eilalistoh)
• olistoh owulistoh oxulistoh oshalistoh oxeilistoh oalistoh oeilistoh (oalalistoh oeilalistoh) (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 (N.) food

• shaustoh hlihamu
• eiastoh huitxima hlihamu
• xuxeitjoistoh hlitxima

pixi (V.) happy, joyful

• (w)upixi xupixi shapixi xeipixi apixi eipixi (alapixi eilapixi)

• 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 (oalalipixi oeilalipixi) (It makes ... happy)

Verb Affixes:

-	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.

Numbers

Laika numbers, like their friends' and neighbors', the draga, are in base six, and are probably borrowed:

1	jafei	7	jafei-hwaei	13	jafei-hwa-janjei
2	janjei	8	janjei-hwaei	18	hwa-tjuei
3	tjuei	9	tjuei-hwaei	24	hwa-waei
4	waei	10	waei-hwaei	30	hwa-mawei
5	mawei	11	mawei-hwaei	36	hwa-hwa-jafei
6	hwaei	12	hwa-janjei	216	hwulu

• txima jafei one house
• txima janjei two houses
• utxima tjuei my three homes