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, ts'uð˜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. k'éχéχaf - we (all) come (together), k'éχéχaf 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", [ík'eb] "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 k'eves" -- We two tried because you're a man. "ts'ununnaχes iɔ vigi ha k'éχéχes" -- You each die a terrible death because you all came.

Vocab

Roots

bib

ask (+aq = to interrogate)

boib

try

kʼéq

come

tig

speak (+aq = to give a speech)

tsʼun

die (+aq = to die a terrible, torturous death)

vet

see

k'eb

be male

vij

create

nuk

be female

Particles

ha

simple past

iɔ

two, dual; distributive

Conjunctions

vigi

because