Labial Lab-Dent Dental Aveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
stops p b d t c ç k g
Fricatives v th dh s s' z' x h
Nasals m n ng
Approxamants w wr
Laterals r l
wr is an approxamant, like the American r. It is different from r, which is a tap, like Spanish r (or even a trill in some dialects, like Spanish rr).
ng is the sound in English sing, although it can be at the begining of a word: ngasion.
In some dialects, l is always a clear /l/, like in Spanish,and never a dark /L\/. In other dialects l becomes /L\/ at the end of a syllable, similar to English.
s'and z' are the palatal fricatives/C/ and /j\/. s' is the same as German ich, and z' is the voiced equivalent. z' commonly becomes the retroflex fricative /z'/, and in late Saimiar, s' also tends to become retroflex /s'/.
front back
high i,y,î(/i y I/) u (/u/)
mid e,ê(/E e/) ø(/@/) o (/o/)
low a(/a/)
a ranges from [a] to [A] and sometimes even [{], depending on dialect and posistion in the word.
y is always a rounded /i/. It is never the English y, /j/.
The sounds /u/ and /i/ are sometimes the semivowels [w] and [j]. /i/ becomes [j] always after /m/, sometimes after /n/ or /N/, and before /u/ /o/ or /y/.
ø is the schwa sound in English butter or fun. Unlike in English, Saimiar unstressed vowels are never reduced to the schwa, and ø itself can be stressed, although this is fairly rare.
There are three catagories of Saimiar verbs, defined by the final vowel: -ê, -o, and -i. In addition, there are two other consonental declensions: -c and -m. In Proto-Xeseco:ni the vowel declensions were bare verb stems, while various verbalizing suffixes ended in -c or -m. This distinction has largely vanished in classical Saimiar.
The bare stem of the verb is called the Aorist, and gives no temporal information. In addition, there are three primary verbal tenses, the past, present, and future.
Aorist Past Present Future docuo docuov docuoth docuor lis'ê lis'êv lis'eth lis'ira sfowaxi sfowaxif sfowaxis sfowaxira bremec bremecav bremeceth bremecor xiam xiamov xiamoth xiamor
The tenses can be combined
Pronomial affixes are commonly attached to the verbs to replace seperate ergative and absolutative pronouns. One form is used for all object pronouns, and comes from the Proto-Xeseco:ni Accusative case; the other is used for all subject pronouns, and comes from the P-X Nominative.
All subject affixes go at the end of the verb, and all object prefixes go at the begining of the verb.
| Ergative Pronoun | -C Subject Suffix | -o Subject Suffix | -ê Subject Suffix | Object Prefix |
| eb | -eb | -ob | -êb | odh(ø)- |
| tau | -ot | ot | -êt | at(ø)- |
| ca | -ac | -oc | -ec | ce- |
| vime | -im | -om | -ên | bie- |
| vise | -is | -os | -ês | vie- |
| lesu | -esu | -os | -ês | we- |
Saimiar has a large variety of verbal affixes. Many of these modify the word in a similar way that a helping verb does in English, or in ways similar to affixes like un- or re-. These affixes are optional, so there is a choice of what information to convey.
The remote can be used with either the past or future tense. The past remote can be used to describe actions that took place in the past while talking about the past. After they killed the dog, we ate its carcass, [Insert sentence here]. The past remote can also be used to describe actions that took place a very long time ago, or in the mythological past.
The future remote refers to things that will happen in the far or mythological future, and in some cases things that may happen: At the end of time, Iaskøpethom will reign from the throne of light over all Alçaina- [insert sentance here]
Noun morphology is one of the most fusional things in Saimiar. There are nine different noun declensions, based on the sounds that the noun ends in, and six cases:
| Declension | Eragtive | Absolutative | Prepositional | Locative | Instrumental | Genative |
| I -a,ø,e | xopa, | xopem | xopos | xopas' | xopati | xopai |
| II, -i, -C[i] -e(v. rare) | dheci | dhecido | dhecios | dhecix | dhecys | dheciz' |
| III, -C | eb | eba | ebos | ebet | ebus | ebai |
| IV-e (from -a:), -ê | fyneraske | fyneraskad | fyneraskos | fyneraskax | fyneraskas | fyneraskai |
| V, -o, -ê | sfano | sfanom | sfanos | sfanoxa | sfanosu | sfanoi |
| VI, -u, -C[u] -C[o] | becu | becod | becos | becuv | becuet | becoi |
| VII, -y, -î | xaipasy | xaipasym | xaipasîs | xaipasyv | xaipasîs | xaipasai |
Saimiar pronouns are all regular. That is, they are declined like any normal noun.
| I | You | He/She/It | We | You(pl) | They |
| eb | tau | ca | vime | vise | lesu |
In Saimiar, there are two types of prepositions: locative and nonlocative. Locative prepositions describe where something is, and usually are used with the locative case. Nonloactive prepositions do not describe where something is, and are used primarily with the prepositional case.
Some locative prepositions can be used with either the locative or prepositional case. Because the locative implies static location, the locative case is used with a preposition to indicate where an event happens: [insert sentance]; I walked above the house (the walking occured at a location which is above the house). A locative preposition used with the prepositional implies movement: [insert sentance]; I walked to the top of the house.
This is a chart of Saimiar locative prepositions:
Note: I made this graphic before I changed the orthography of /@/ from á to ø. Until I remake it, treat the accented a's as ø
The agentive ending -(l)e is used to express "one who (verb)s". Pido- smell, sniff; pidole- sniffer. In a small number of -c verbs the c becomes k: îz'ampic, îz'ampikle
-(ø)li gives the meaning "The action of [verb]". It is often used where "to [verb]" would be used in English.
Rypacøli vêz'ango pivaxar, To love is fundamentally good, (lit. Love-NOM good-COP fundamental-ADV)
The Saimiar words for "if" and "then" are ant and su, respectively.
In a statement that simply declares what will happen if something is done, the then clause normally proceeds the if clause:
[insert sentance here] I will sing if Reska leaves.
Coliqually, the word ant is left out, much like "then" is often left out in English:
[insert sentance here] If you pay him, he'll pay the clerk.
When comparing nouns, the first noun being compared takes the Ergative, the manner of comparison is made into a copula with the standard -(a)ngo suffix, and the second noun being compared takes the prepositional. If the first noun is more of the quality than the second, the preposition is'yg is used. If it is less of the quality, the preposition suvyg is used.
Alçaina is older than people, Alçaina gisango is'yg kiez'anos
Asfêrø was less beautiful than Tievlaixê, Asfêrø prenes'angov suvyg Tievlaixos.
mixes-horse
karadhîsp-cemetary
nîmegom-ally
fësauthî-nation
s'ixengko-solitude
tobuná-stranger
dhowrán-spirit
Verbs
vipunio-sing
xiam-exist
deibam-pass
sabo-look for
kanac-hide
bremec-open
suim-lie
áwrakto-rejoice
lodhingo-dispair
çidhac-to say goodbye to
sephiro- to eat human flesh
prendo- send
docuo-kill
pido-smell, sniff
Place Names
Niamiuçion
People
Erêmialø/Erêmiasø
Copula -(a)ngo
Declension II nouns are marked with a II, dec. VI nouns marked with VI, dec III nouns unmarked
ez'an- person
have, own- cem
want- necem (cem+ ne- "want to" verbal affix)
wait- epio
think- sxugam
kill- docuo
master- nez'îc (the noun master is derived, not tother way round)
fethø- hair
nece- coliq. "Doesn't matter" "It's OK"
sfei- coliq. "OK"
nambion-
daçudhe-lullaby
awra- here
s'uwra- there
pisfek-widow
xustywri- spouse
Iskylîng- magic-user
Isky-magic
ambel- bus
Xio'ambel Isky- Too much magic bus
comero- to starve
nudhewrei-pretty
z'ongko- to fuck
gispec- to breathe
vipunio- to sing
velîcesko- to transform
paiskan- instrument
rupat II- love
rypac (irreg. derivation) to love
pendes'ø-beautiful
soralin-star
uturi-eye
yntupø- ugly
ilom- give
toima- big, (in the sense of volume)
yngaset- crazy
meçirui- remedy, medicine
dhuaiko- rest (for the purpose of healing) "sleep off"
xopa- soup
dheci- barrel
fyneraske- legislative body
sfano- toy
becu- friend
xaipasy- machine
ecoin- city
gando- "time"
tukum VI- delta (Elesu)
okom-to teach
paxti- six
sydo- stay, remain
athît- hall
tam- to go
beisei- tree
az'oxta- heaven
oigo- touch
nixaibaso- to menstruate
aibaso- to bleed
sugethî- thirty(plus__)
suke II- three
ngostø- then
çepø-penis
xal- off of, out of
fuseløxathi- foreskin
vusawrem- cut away, take off, remove (with a sharp object)
Kuanis-God
lekem-Speak
molunî, VII- woman
uthano- give birth
ixese-child
is'igo- clean
çir- until
xosti- day
byto- seven
ngalac- pass (time), spend (time)
gitî- like, in the manner of
iusta-eight
ite- "one", Indef pronoun
miarê- spirit, divine entity
Affixes:
-(ø)kef "as a whole"; molunøkef- mankind
-(ø)da "-tion" the act of VERB
-ubes "-ness", the quality of being VERB (-fobes in -o verbs: ngo, ngofobes)
ym(ø)- "into" verb preposition marker
kl(a)- "out of" verb prep marker
Noun only:
-wra "male"
-nî "female"
tum(ø)-"much", "a lot" affix
is'(ø)- "little", "not a lot", affix
gas'io: therefore
thai- insufficient, not enough
xio- too much,