Ŋetsu
(Ngetsu)
Ŋetsu is a language that has
been devised to be unclassifiable. It has some Indo-European characteristics,
as well as some non-Indo-European characteristics. It’s
phonology looks something like this:
Phonology
Consonants (Meřöħk):
labial lab-dnt dental alv alv-pal velar glottal
stop p t d k g
fricative ff vv f v th s z ř ŝ ħ ĝ h
affricate ts ĉ
approximant r l
nasal m n ñ ŋ
ff – This
sound is pronounced like an f, except
the lower lip does not touch the teeth, it touches the upper lip.
vv - This
sound is pronounced like a v, with
the same lip placement as ff.
ř - This
sound is as in
ŝ - This is
the English sh.
ħ - This is the kh sound
as in arabic. Also in the scottish
loch.
ĝ - This is the gh sound, a voiced
version of ħ. The voicing is always very pronounced.
ts - This is the singular sound of ts, as in cats.
ĉ - This is the English ch
sound.
r - This
is not the English r. This sound is
more like the Spanish r.
ñ - This
is the same as in Spanish. Also the ny sound in onion.
ŋ - This is the ng sound
in English. Note: This is the ng
sound in singer, not as in finger. Notice how the g sound is pronounced in finger
but not in singer. Unlike in English,
ŋ can be the initial sound of a word.
All other sounds are pronounced as
in English.
Ŋetsu has eleven vowels (ffëk):
ä – As
in acorn.
e – As
in expect.
i – As in fit.
o – As
in pot.
u – As
in mutt.
ë – As in eat.
ï – As
in ice.
ö – As
in ocean.
oo – As
in boot.
oi – As
in voice.
ow – As
in cow.
Stress
(Humoi)
Stress in Ŋetsu is always placed
on the second to last syllable.
Sentence
order
Ŋetsu sentence order
is the same as in English, SVO. (Subject Verb Object)
Phonological constraints
Syllables may be any
combination of letters, as long as there are no more than two vowels/consonants
next to each other. Some consonant clusters are forbidden:
mng mts mth mn mñ mh nŋ nh np
ng nĝ fff ffv ffvv ffts vvf vvv vvff vvts fm fn fñ ffff fv fvv fř vm
vn vñ vff vf vvv vř thd thh thts řñ řh řr řl sŋ
sz sh zŋ zs zh ŝř ŝŋ ŝh ĝh ĝħ ħĝ
tsŝ ĉth ĉf ĉff ĉvv ĉv ĉl ĉt ĉd rl
rh lh lr pm pn pñ ph tz ds dh kh gh th (t+h)
Numbers (Oiħik)
Numbers are adjectives, and
they are not inflected in any way.
zero dë
one ŝelökoo
two käŋ
three soö
four ffoifö
five ĉeĉ
six ee
seven zuö
eight nidiö
nine tsoots
To form higher numbers, a
prefix is added to the number with a hyphen.
twenty-four näf-kaŋ ffoifö
tens-two four
one hundred seven mos-ŝelökoo zuö
hundreds-one seven
five thousand and fifty six um-ĉeĉ näf-ĉeĉ
ee
thousands-five tens-five six
Ordinal numbers are given
the suffix –dok. If the number ends in a consonant, the suffix becomes the
second part of a compound word.
one ŝelökoodok
two käŋ
dok
three soödok
four ffoifödok
eighty-fifth näf-nidiö ĉeĉ dok
Verbs (Pooŋäk)
Ŋetsu verbs are
entirely regular. (They all conjugate the same way.) They inflect for tense and
there is a negative mood. There is also a distinction between the active and
passive voices. Finally, Ŋetsu verbs inflect for conditionality.
Infinitives may end in –p, -t or –k. A sample conjugation of the verb “to sing”
follows, with the proper endings boldfaced.
to sing ħäzöt
he sings dooħ
ħäzö
he sang dooħ
ħäzög
he will sing dooħ
ħäzöm
he has sung dooħ
ħäzöĝ
he had sung dooħ
ħäzöŋ
he will have
sung dooħ
ħäzöf
he is singing dooħ
ħäzön
he was singing dooħ
ħäzöŝ
he will be
singing dooħ
ħäzöĉ
he sings
(habitually) dooħ
ħäzöř
he has been
singing dooħ
ħäzövv
he had been
singing dooħ
ħäzöth
he will have
been singing dooħ
ħäzöts
he used to
sing dooħ
ħäzöħ
he used to be
singing dooħ
ħäzönuħ
he used to
sing (habitually) dooħ
ħäzöřuħ
Sing! Ħäzö!
he doesn’t sing dooħ
ħäzöoi
he didn’t sing dooħ
ħäzögoi
he won’t sing dooħ
ħäzömoi
he hasn’t sung dooħ
ħäzöĝoi
he hadn’t sung dooħ
ħäzöŋoi
he won’t have
sung dooħ
ħäzöfoi
he isn’t
singing dooħ
ħäzönoi
he wasn’t
singing dooħ
ħäzöŝoi
he won’t be
singing dooħ
ħäzöĉoi
he doesn’t
sing (habitually) dooħ
ħäzöřoi
he hasn’t been
singing dooħ
ħäzövvoi
he hadn’t been
singing dooħ
ħäzöthoi
he won’t have
been singing dooħ
ħäzötsoi
he didn’t used
to sing dooħ
ħäzöħoi
he didn’t used
to be singing dooħ
ħäzönuħoi
he didn’t used
to sing (habitually) dooħ
ħäzöřuħoi
Don’t sing! Ħäzöoi!
Let me sing Ħäzögäl
Let him sing Ħäzöfooz
Let’s sing Ħäzömäs
Let them sing Ħäzöden
Don’t let me sing Ħäzögäloi
Don’t let him
sing Ħäzöfoozoi
Don’t let us sing Ħäzömäsoi
Don’t let them
sing Ħäzödenoi
Conditionality (Fogäregö)
Conditionality deals with
sentances such as “I might go to the party.” A verb is made to be conditional
by adding the prefix Thö-.
I might build a house. Ŝö thögonpö mä
dëvërë.
We may cower in fear before the
iguana. Ŝäk thöprethoi mot rid nel mö käĉïts.
Requests and Invocations (Goomäk ĉë thlöŋodähïk)
Requests are questions
including the phrases “May I… may he… may we…” They
are formed by adding the word goff
to the end of the sentence. Invocations are sentances such as “May you live a long life.” These are
formed by adding the word goff to
the beginning of the sentence. The literal translation of goff to English is “may.”
May he fall down. Goff dooħ töŋï.
May I go to the bathroom? Ä ŝä zo mä řïkë, goff?
Notes: In Ŋetsu, there is a
separate verb for “to fall down”, töŋït.
Remember that questions in Ŋetsu follow a VSO word order.
Gerunds (Hipëtsook)
Gerunds are formed by
adding the proper suffix to the end of the verb, depending on which infinitive
the verb is. They function the same way as nouns do.
Stealing is bad. Fösidowrä ĉo mol.
Nogo enjoys shopping. Nögö-gï ffoonä dëspiffoirï.
Sewing is difficult. Fövïnorë ĉo ĉëvilow.
-p verb -rä
-t verb -rï
-k verb -rë
Participles
(Snäkulk)
Participles are formed by
adding the proper suffix to the end of the verb, depending on which infinitive
the verb is. They function as their own separate part of speech.
the ringing
phone mä
hïvälë niff
a muffled cry ë
fflöřï dërö
Answering the phone, the spy heard a
voice.
Ħäkölë mä niff, mö föstökoi negög ë ponel.
-p verb -lë
-t verb -lë
-k verb -řï
Passive voice (Gëŝotow
ŝtok)
The passive voice is formed by adding the suffix –ootï to the end of the
verb.
The planet was destroyed. Mä föffeg řöřägootï.
The spy was caught by
When verbs follow
verbs (Vvïĉets pooŋäk dowtë pooŋäk)
When verbs follow verbs, the second form is conjugated in the same way as
the first verb, along with the prefix ëtö-.
Joe likes to dance Föĉö-gï
zëni ëtöĝomä.
We are wishing to fly. Ŝäk ŝlönin ëtönetsöfön.
Nouns (Řowlïk)
Nouns in Ŋetsu are distinguished by gender, number and, to some
degree, case.
Gender (Thoop)
There are three genders, the animate, the deceased and the inanimate. They
are just as they sound. Animate nouns are living things; inanimate nouns are
unliving things. Deceased nouns are dead things. A noun can be more than one
gender, depending on its use in a sentence. For example:
The doctor has a healthy body. Mö
fögootë skö oim lintë höpë.
The dead body was on the table. Nï mähidivv föhöpë ĉog
në mä röp.
Nouns do not change for gender, however, their modifiers do.
|
Animate |
Inanimate |
Deceased |
|||
|
the boy |
mö ŝets |
the rock |
mä iĉ |
the ghost |
nï řokoo |
|
a boy |
oim ŝets |
a rock |
ë iĉ |
a ghost |
gup řokoo |
Note: To refer to a living person in the inanimate gender is a grave
insult, and to refer to them in the deceased gender is considered a death
threat.
Case (Ŝod)
Ŋetsu case functions somwehat differently than Indo-European case.
Nouns are marked if they are subject or direct object. Other than that, Ŋetsu
nouns are in the static case. Proper names and pronouns are not marked.
The girl awoke. Mö fötseŝ dëg.
The car is blue. Mä föklem ĉo ffël.
Nick ate fish. Nik-gï pënig dëmedök.
I gave the boy a fish. Ŝä
figëg mö ŝets gup dëmedö.
I am the king of the cows! Ŝä ĉo mö řögë lö mö ħöpuk! (no markings)
Now, he is jumping. Lentö, dooħ käntön. (no
markings)
Note: “King” is not marked because it is a predicate nominative, not a direct
object, as it follows a linking verb.
The subject is marked with fö- and the direct object is marked with dë-.
Subjects and direct objects of clauses are not marked, only those of the main
part of the sentence.
Number (Oiħi)
The difference between singular and plural is distinguished in Ŋetsu.
To form the plural of a noun, simply add the prefix –k.
corpse / corpses ĉoitö
/ ĉoitök
mouse / mice mëŋ
/ mëŋk
book / books ropïmä
/ ropïmäk
Posession (Lopigë)
As there is no posessive case in Ŋetsu, to show ownership
one must use prepositional phrases.
Jane’s book. Mä ropïmä lö Ĉän-gï.
The book of
Jane. Mä ropïmä lö Ĉän-gï.
Proper Names (Ŝpikë
ditsök)
Proper names are marked by the suffix –gï.
The hyphen is included in the word. To write a non-Ŋetsu name, first
modify the spelling to follow Ŋetsu phonology.
Michael Mïkul-gï
Susan Soosun-gï
Arthur Orthoor-gï
Mary Robinson Märë-gï Ropinsun-gï
Adjectives (Oŋoonäk)
In Ŋetsu, it is the adjectives with the gender endings, not the nouns.
Numbers do not have gender endings. Adjectives must agree with the noun they
modify in gender. Predicate adjectives do not have gender endings.
The orange
cat. Mö puffë ffoit.
The orange
rock. Mä
puffow iĉ
The orange
spirit. (Hey, why not?) Nï puffivv nooplö.
Only the adjective furthest from the noun is modified.
The big bad
wolf. Mö setë mol ŝoovv.
If the adjective ends in a vowel, the gender ending is ommitted.
A clumsy fool Oim
ĝödö hänölon.
Comparison (Fooŝëdäminŝ)
Adjectives are compared by adding the words more, most, less, least or as.
There is no inflection.
Happy Gël
More happy Dä
gël
Most happy Thä
gël
Less happy Noi
gël
Least happy Ze
gël
As happy Mäŝ
gël
More intelligent than Dä
gël mäŝ
Less intelligent than Thä
gël mäŝ
As intelligent as Mäŝ
gël mäŝ
Adverbs (Oŋoonäk)
Ŋetsu adverbs are not distinguished from adjectives. They function and
compare in the same way. However, as verbs do not have gender, adverbs
obviously have no gender endings.
The nimble cat jumped. Mö flänë fëffoit käntög.
The cat jumped nimblely. Mö fëffoit käntög
flän.
Pronouns (Ħolizowk)
There are four sets of personal pronouns in Ŋetsu. The informals are
the most common. They are used with friends, or those you know well. The
formals are used when speaking to those you don’t know
well, or those who have authority over you. The derogatives are extremely rude
to utter, and should only be used when screaming at someone in anger, or
cursing someone. (They are considered vulgarities, and should be used very
sparingly.) It is extremely offensive to be spoken to in the derogative form.
Even slave masters would not speak to their slaves in this form. The final set
is the Rogatives. They are the opposite of the Derogatives, and they are used
in prayer or when speaking to a loved one, especially a wife or husband.
|
Informals |
Formals |
||
|
I |
ŝä |
I |
ŝoi |
|
you |
its |
you |
ffiĉ |
|
he/she/it |
dooħ |
he/she/it |
dooth |
|
we |
ŝäk |
we |
ŝoik |
|
they |
dooħk |
they |
doothk |
|
Derogatives |
Rogatives |
||
|
I |
ëth |
I |
i |
|
you |
uĉħä |
you |
mooffög |
|
he/she/it |
petu |
he/she/it |
doŝ |
|
we |
ĝeħk |
we |
mëřö |
|
they |
möt |
they |
oits |
To form a reflexive pronoun, add the suffix –sep. Or
add –äsep if the pronoun ends in a consonant.
Myself Ŝäsep
Ourselves Ŝäkäsep
Table of
Correlatives (Mägin lö Moopiŋ)
Query This That Some No Every
Adjective Thöts Pïf Dïf Ŝig Ko Oomä
Person Meñä Pïf Dïf Ŝigä Koñä Oomeñä
Thing Meñä Pïf Dïf Ŝigä Koñä Oomeñä
Place Ħooff Nook Moog Ŝigooff Koff Oomäff
Time Vvïĉets Tspow Doi Ŝigets Kots Oomäts
Way Ukën Owtsook Ŝigën Oomën
Reason Moo Ŝimoo Komoo
Conjunctions (Mihiřok)
Conjunctions are used exactly as in English. Here they are:
and ĉë
or vïk
but snö
if owth
and/or vvä
or else vïken
so hä
Interjections (Mëfënäk)
Interjections are used exactly as in English. Here are some common
interjections:
Wow! Kä!
Ouch! Dë!
Darn! Pokö!
Ah-ha! Nä!
Hey! Peskï!
Don’t shoot! Priltigïoi!
Hello! Nevë!
Hi! Ŝö!
Welcome! Pigeŝkä!
Goodbye! Snood!
Help! Mowvoo!
Look out! Zoks!
No way! Nogä!
Stop! Ffle!
Go! Ä!
Prepositions (Kompowk)
Prepositional phrases are formed as in English. Here are some common
prepositions:
about nö above owt
across ffë after kip
against nig among prit
around ŝoo at ko
before nel behind tsö
beside zïtö between pëff
by řä down noi
during kuŋä except ħet
for sow from glip
in mot into sop
inside ŝmet near räd
of lö off oi
on në over oon
through soo to zo
toward snoit under goi
up keg with vik
Clauses (Ŝöřëk)
Clauses are formed two ways. The first way is by separating the clause with
hyphens and writing it as an independent sentence. The second way is as in English, with commas
and relative pronouns. The first way is usually used in formal writing, and the
second is normally used in speech and informal writing, such as fiction and
newspapers.
The books that Joe read are there.
The books-Joe read
them-are there.
Mä föřotïkäk-Föĉö-gï perëg dooħk-ĉo
moog.
The teacher whom you met died yesterday.
Mö fözigëp meñä its sempög näĉothïg doiŋoonow.
The big cows
who ate the grass are ugly.
The big cows-they ate
the grass-are ugly.
Mö setë föħöpuk-dooħk pënig mä dëzool-ĉo
ħoipë.
The car that I bought is a Lexus.
Mä föklem dïf ŝä řotëg ĉo ë
leksus.
The relative pronouns are:
which thöts
who(m) meñä
that dïf
when vvïĉets
where ħooff
why moo
Questions (Töñek)
Yes/no questions are formed by
adding “mïŝ” at the start of
the sentence.
Do you like
cows? Mïŝ zëni dëħöpuk?
They are not answered with “yes”
or “no.” The normal or negative form
of the verb is used.
Yes. Zëni.
No. Zënioi.
Regular questions follow a VSO (Verb, Subject, Object) sentence
pattern.
What is your
name? Ĉo meñä
mä ditsö up ffiĉ?
The Colors (Mä ĝoik)
The Ŋetsu colors are treated as adjectives, like in English.
Black këth
White nofit
Grey ħoŋ
Red/Orange puff
Yellow loitsö
Green ämuŝets
Light Green ömu
Blue ffël
Dark Blue ää
Light Blue len
Purple zootoi
Lavender pië
Pink döřö
