conlang.phundrak.com/docs/zikãti.org

#+title: Zikãti
#+setupfile: headers

* Zikãti
Zikãti ({{{phon(d̻͡zikãti)}}}) is an agglutinative language I am currently
working on as an experiment. It doesn’t have any worldbuilding around
it yet, and it may never have any. I’m mostly experimenting with
vocabulary generation with a language relying heavily on affixes
modifying the meaning of a root word.

** Phonology
*** Consonants
Zikãti has a moderately small consonant inventory with seventeen
phonemes. Three of these phonemes are prenasalized plosives, and its
alveolar consonants are laminal.
- b ::  {{{phon(b)}}}
- d ::  {{{phon(d̻)}}}
- g ::  {{{phon(ŋ)}}}
- h ::  {{{phon(h)}}}
- k ::  {{{phon(k)}}}
- l ::  {{{phon(ʟ)}}}
- m ::  {{{phon(m)}}}
- mb ::  {{{phon(ᵐb)}}}
- n ::  {{{phon(n̻)}}}
- nd ::  {{{phon(ⁿd̻)}}}
- nz ::  {{{phon(ⁿd̻͡z)}}}
- p ::  {{{phon(p)}}}
- q ::  {{{phon(kʷ)}}}
- r ::  {{{phon(r̻)}}}
- s ::  {{{phon(s̻)}}}
- t ::  {{{phon(t̻)}}}
- z ::  {{{phon(d̻͡z)}}}

|                              | bilabial | lamino-alveolar | velar | labial-velar | glottal |
|------------------------------+----------+-----------------+-------+--------------+---------|
| nasal                        | m        | n               | g     |              |         |
| nasalized plosive            | mb       | nd              |       |              |         |
| nasalized sibilant affricate |          | nz              |       |              |         |
| plosive                      | p b      | t d             | k     | q            |         |
| affricate                    |          | z               |       |              |         |
| fricative                    |          | s               |       |              | h       |
| trill                        |          | r               |       |              |         |
| lateral approximant          |          |                 | l     |              |         |

*** Vowels
Zikãti has a total of six vowels, which makes it relatively average in
terms of size. Three of these vowels are nazalised:
- a :: {{{phon(a)}}}
- ã :: {{{phon(ã)}}}
- ẽ :: {{{phon(ɛ̃)}}}
- i :: {{{phon(i)}}}
- õ :: {{{phon(ɔ̃)}}}
- u :: {{{phon(u)}}}

#+name: vow-dot-gen
#+header: :var vowels=vowels-featural-list
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :wrap "src dot :file ./zikati/vowel-feature-tree.png :eval no-export :mkdirp t :results none"
(conlanging-graphviz-feature-tree vowels :label "vowels")
#+end_src

#+RESULTS[186d29b605ead5cf2fc03c537509869aa1e7cfd3]: vow-dot-gen
#+begin_src dot :file ./zikati/vowel-feature-tree.png :eval no-export :mkdirp t :results none
graph{graph[dpi=300,bgcolor="transparent"];node[shape=plaintext];"vowels-0ju8102v5o9f"[label="vowels"];"+round-0ju8102v5o9y"[label="+round"];"vowels-0ju8102v5o9f"--"+round-0ju8102v5o9y";"+nasal-0ju8102v5ob0"[label="+nasal"];"+round-0ju8102v5o9y"--"+nasal-0ju8102v5ob0";"/ɔ̃/-0ju8102v5obs"[label="/ɔ̃/"];"+nasal-0ju8102v5ob0"--"/ɔ̃/-0ju8102v5obs";"-nasal-0ju8102v5oba"[label="-nasal"];"+round-0ju8102v5o9y"--"-nasal-0ju8102v5oba";"/u/-0ju8102v5ocj"[label="/u/"];"-nasal-0ju8102v5oba"--"/u/-0ju8102v5ocj";"-round-0ju8102v5oa7"[label="-round"];"vowels-0ju8102v5o9f"--"-round-0ju8102v5oa7";"+low-0ju8102v5odd"[label="+low"];"-round-0ju8102v5oa7"--"+low-0ju8102v5odd";"+nasal-0ju8102v5oe3"[label="+nasal"];"+low-0ju8102v5odd"--"+nasal-0ju8102v5oe3";"/ã/-0ju8102v5oet"[label="/ã/"];"+nasal-0ju8102v5oe3"--"/ã/-0ju8102v5oet";"-nasal-0ju8102v5oec"[label="-nasal"];"+low-0ju8102v5odd"--"-nasal-0ju8102v5oec";"/a/-0ju8102v5ofj"[label="/a/"];"-nasal-0ju8102v5oec"--"/a/-0ju8102v5ofj";"-low-0ju8102v5odm"[label="-low"];"-round-0ju8102v5oa7"--"-low-0ju8102v5odm";"+nasal-0ju8102v5oga"[label="+nasal"];"-low-0ju8102v5odm"--"+nasal-0ju8102v5oga";"/ɛ̃/-0ju8102v5ogz"[label="/ɛ̃/"];"+nasal-0ju8102v5oga"--"/ɛ̃/-0ju8102v5ogz";"-nasal-0ju8102v5ogi"[label="-nasal"];"-low-0ju8102v5odm"--"-nasal-0ju8102v5ogi";"/i/-0ju8102v5oho"[label="/i/"];"-nasal-0ju8102v5ogi"--"/i/-0ju8102v5oho";}
#+end_src

#+html: <ImgFigure src="/img/zikati/vowel-feature-tree.png" alt="Zikãti Vowel Featural Tree">Zikãti Vowels Featural Tree</ImgFigure>

**** Private Data                                                  :noexport:
#+name: vowels-featural-list
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
'("round"
  ("nasal" "/ɔ̃/" "/u/")
  ("low"
   ("nasal" "/ã/" "/a/")
   ("nasal" "/ɛ̃/" "/i/")))
#+end_src

*** Syllable and word structure
| Group     | Consonants                           |
|-----------+--------------------------------------|
| C         | m n g mb nd nz p b t d z k q s h r l |
| C_{2}        | g p b t d z k q r h                  |
| V         | i u ẽ õ a ã                          |
| V[-nasal] | i u a                                |
| V[+nasal] | ã ẽ õ                                |

Prefixes follow the (C_{2})V[-nasal] phonetic structure, with C_{2} being
optional. Suffixes follow the CV[+nasal](C_{2}) structure with C_{2} being
optional.

Roots are a bit more complex, with a C(V[+nasal](C_{2})C)V[-nasal](C_{2})
structure.

The only consonants that can follow the vowels /õ/ and /ẽ/ are non-nasal
plosive consonants. These two vowels cannot follow the consonants /m/,
/n/, or /g/. If such an occurence is created be it while constructing a
word or when they co-occur between words, a dummy {{{phon(u)}}} is added.

A word may contain one or more core roots which affixes cannot
separate but which can aggregate around this word core. A word can
consist of its bare core only, or the core surrounded by affixes. The
amount of prefixes and suffixes that can be possibly added is
independent from the amount of compounds forming the core of a word.

An example is *sahlud* (/life/), which is a compound of *sah* (/spirit, mind/)
and *lud* (/breath, life/).

** Grammar
*** Word structure
**** Affixes
Most words in Zikãti is an agglutination of affixes around one or more
roots or words. Roots are relatively rare to find by themselves since
most of them are bound morphenes and not words by themselves, such as
/kãti/ which expresses the idea of a mountain but doesn’t really mean
anything on its own, speakers of Zikãti cannot use it by itself.

For the meaning of some abbreviations in the list of prefixes and
suffixes, see [[file:zikãti.md#abbreviations][Abbreviations]].

***** Prefixes
- hi- :: INSTV
- hu- :: TOOL
- i- :: COL
- ka- :: POSSIB
- pi- :: DIM
- qa- :: AUG
- qi- :: ADJ
- qu- :: PROG
- ra- :: LOC
- ru- :: NEG
- ti- :: CAUS
- zi- :: PERS

When the negative prefix is associated with a verb, it acts as a
negative towards the verb itself.

The prefix *qi-* produces adjectives most of the time, but its name as
an adjectivizer is a bit misleading as it can occasionaly produce
adverbs, e.g. *qigi* /before/ from *gi* /from/ (see [[file:./zikãti#gi-from][gi]]).

***** Suffixes
- -dãt :: PART
- -gãs :: AGAT
- -hãr :: NECESS
- -hẽ :: INTR
- -kõt :: PARTN
- -nzẽz :: AVER
- -rã :: TR
- -sõr :: NOMIN
- -zãr :: PASS
- -qã :: SUBJ, attaches to verbs only, see [[file:zikãti#subclauses][subclauses]]

*** Word order
Zikãti is a postpositional language following the SOV word order in
main clauses, meaning the verb comes last whereas the subject comes
first and the object slots itself between the subject and the verb.
However, due to the language’s agglutinative nature, the speaker can
omit them in the sentence if the verb’s agreement is enough in context
to determine what is being talked about.

#+html: ::: tip Example
sahhẽqulur
- sah-hẽ-qu-lur
- spirit.mind-INTR-PROG-2sg.NOM.PST
You were thinking
#+html: :::

#+html: ::: tip Example
zimbi mbisõr mbirãilih
- zi-mbi mbi-sõr mbi-rã-i-lih
- PERS-meat.food meat.food-NOMIN meat.food-TR-3s.NOM.NPST-3s.ACC.NPST
The cook prepares a meal
#+html: :::

Other elements that are not the subject or the object, such as a
dative or an oblique element, get slotted between the subject and the
object.

#+html: ::: tip Example
zimbi pimbi ziirailik timbirãhilih
- zi-mbi pi-mbi zi-i-ra-i-lik ti-mbi-rã-hi-lih
- PERS-meat.food DIM-COL-LOC-COL-person.human
  CAUS-meat.food-TR-3s.NOM.PST-3s.ACC.PST
A cook fed a villager a snack
#+html: :::

**** Noun phrase order
In noun phrases, adjectives, relatives clauses, numerals, possessives,
and genitives preceed the noun while determiners follow it. By order
of element closest to the noun, they rank as follows:
- determiner
- adjective
- numeral
- genitive
- relative

The genitive also holds the possessive of the name. In Zikãti, a noun
cannot hold both a genitive and a possessive at the same time.

*** Determiners
**** Possessive determiners
Possessive determiners are anaphoric clitics suffixed to a noun or the
head of a noun phrase. They take the same form as the non-past
accusative anaphoric clitics found in verbal agreement as shown in
[[file:./zikãti#verbs][verbs]].

#+html: ::: tip Example
pimbiqa / snack-1s / my snack

humbiup / knife-3p / their knife
#+html: :::

These clitics take the place of the genitive element of nouns phrases
as shown in [[file:./zikãti#noun-phrase-order][noun phrase order]].

*** Verbs
Verbs in Zikãti agree with their subject and object in person and
number, with anaphoric clitics, but these clitics also indicate the
tense of the verb. Zikãti has two tenses: past and non-past which
expresses present and future as well as near-past when its events
still carry over to the present.

Anaphoric clitics are suffixed to the verb with the subject first
followed by the object’s clitic.

|     | non-past nominative | non-past accusative | past nominative | past accusative |
|-----+---------------------+---------------------+-----------------+-----------------|
| 1s  | qa                  | tut                 | raq             | qut             |
| 2s  | lu                  | pia                 | lur             | a               |
| 3s  | i                   | lih                 | hi              | lih             |
| 4s  | bu                  | qur                 | bu              | qur             |
| 1px | gai                 | ar                  | gai             | tar             |
| 1pi | zu                  | iq                  | qir             | zur             |
| 2p  | lai                 | iaz                 | uit             | iaz             |
| 3p  | pi                  | up                  | au              | up              |

#+html: ::: tip Example
- kãtikõthẽqa :: I hike
- kãtikõthẽbu :: it hikes
- kãtikõthẽgai :: we (but not the interlocutor) hike
#+html: :::

If the verb has an oblique argument, it will require an accusative
anaphoric clitic and use a second one to agree with this third
argument. If no object is available, a dummy accusative clitic *lih* or
*qur* is used as a placeholder. The choice is made depending on whether
the dummy object can be an animate or inanimate object respectively.

**** Subclauses
When using a subclause, the verb must be used in the subjunctive. This
simply means speakers must add the *-qã* suffix at the end of the verb
but before its anaphoric clitics, and the subclause itself must end
with the nominalizer *-sõr*. The subclauses agrees with other verbs with
the fourth singular person.

#+html: ::: tip Example
gi qusahsõr  mbihẽhãrqãsõr sahrãraqqur
- from PROG-spirit.mind-NOMIN meat.food-INTR-NECESS-SUBJ-1s.NPST.NOM-NOMIN mind.spirit-TR-1s.PST.NOM-4s.PST.ACC
- gi qu-sah-sõr  mbi-hẽ-hãr-qã-qa-sõr sah-rã-raq-qur
I remembered I have to cook
#+html: :::

** Abbreviations
- ACC :: accusative
- ADJ :: adjective
- adj. :: adjective
- adv. :: adverb
- AGAT :: agative (prone to smth, liking)
- AUG :: augmentative
- AVER :: avertive, badness
- CAUS :: causative
- COL :: collective, collection
- con. :: concept
- DIM :: diminutive
- INSTV :: instantiative
- INTR :: intransitive verb
- LOC :: locative
- n. :: noun
- NECESS :: necessitive
- NEG :: negative
- NOM :: nominative
- NOMIN :: nominalisation, nominalizer
- NPST :: non-past
- OBL :: oblique
- PART :: participle
- PARTN :: partisan
- PASS :: passive verb
- PERS :: person
- POSSIB :: possibility, capacity, ability
- PROG :: progressive, process
- PST :: past
- SUBJ :: subjunctive, irrealis
- TOOL :: thing, tool
- TR :: transitive verb

** Vocabulary
Words in this vocabulary list are grouped based on their primary root
which are themselves sorted in alphabetic order. But other than that,
there is no particular order by which words are sorted, other than
when I came up with them.

Other than the root itself, their meaning is pretty open to
interpretation. The meaning I give here is my own vision, but other
translations could also work.

*** banzi - hand
- banzi (n.) :: hand

*** banzida - nail (hand)
See [[file:./zikãti#banzi-hand][banzi]] and [[file:./zikãti#da-bone][da]].

- banzida (n.) :: nail (of a hand)

*** da - bone
- da (n.) :: bone

*** disur - body
- disur (n.) :: body

*** disurda - skeleton
See [[file:./zikãti#disur-body][disur]] and [[file:./zikãti#da-bone][da]].

- disurda (n.) :: skeleton

*** disurtaq - core entity
See [[file:./zikãti#taq-core-kernel][taq]] and [[file:./zikãti#disur-body][disur]].

- disurtaq (n., con.) :: core entity or body, main entity or body

*** gi - from
- gi (adv.) :: from
- gisõr (n.) :: origin
- higi (n.) :: past
- qihigi (adj.) :: past
- qigi (adv.) :: before
- igi (n.) :: past of something, of someone, collection of all that
  happened to an entity
- pigi (adv.) :: weak “from”, with uncertainty
#+html: ::: tip Example
pigi qusahsõr sahrãiqur
- DIM-from memory remember-3s.NPST.NOM-4s.NPST.ACC
- pi-gi qusahsõr sahrã-i-qur
He thinks about it, maybe remembers it
#+html: :::

*** hiti - fire, light
- hiti (n.) :: fire, light

*** hitimbi - hearth, coocked food
See [[file:zikãti#hiti-fire-light][hiti]] and [[file:zikãti#mbi-meat-food][mbi]].

- hitimbi (n.) :: hearth, coocked food

*** hitimiz - tea
See [[file:zikãti#hiti-fire-light][hiti]] and [[file:zikãti#miz-water-stream][miz]].

- hitimiz (n.) :: tea

*** keti - mountain
- kãti (n., con.) :: mountain
- kãtisõr :: a mountain
- pikãti (n.) :: a hill
- qakãti (n.) :: summit

*** lik - person, human
- lik (n., con.) :: person, human
- ailik (n.) :: house
- iailik (n.) :: village
- ilik (n.) :: family, group of people
- ziiailik (n.) :: villager
- ziilik (n.) :: family member, member of a group

*** lud - breath, life
- lud (n., con.) :: breath, life

*** ludmiz - blood
See [[file:zikãti#lud-breath-life][lud]] and [[file:zikãti#miz-water-stream][miz]].

- ludmiz (n.) :: blood

*** mbi - meat, food
- mbi (n.) :: meat, food
- mbisõr (n.) :: a meal
- mbihẽ (INTR) :: to cook, to prepare food
  #+html: ::: tip Example
  qumbihẽqa
  - qu-mbi-hẽ-qa
  - PROG-meat.food-INTR-1s
  I’m preparing food / I’m cooking
  #+html: :::
- mbirã (TR) :: to cook (something)
  #+html: ::: tip Example
  zimbi mbisõr qumbirãiqur
  - zi-mbi mbi-sõr qu-mbi-rã-i-qur
  - PERS-meat.food meat.food-NOMIN PROG-meat.food-TR-3s.NOM-4s.ACC
  The cook is cooking the meal
  #+html: :::
- mbirãzãr (TR) :: to be cooked by
  #+html: ::: tip Example
  mbisõr zimbi qumbirãzãrbulih
  - mbi-sõr zi-mbi qu-mbi-rã-zãr-bu-lih
  - meat.food-NOMIN PERS-meat.food PROG-meat.food-TR-PASS-4s.NOM-3s.ACC
  The meal is being cooked by the cook
  #+html: :::
- qimbi (adj.) :: edible
- mbidãt (adj.) :: cooked
- zimbi (n.) :: a cook, chef
- rambi (n.) :: a kitchen
- zirambi (n.) :: a chef
- humbi (n.) :: a knife
- humbihẽ (INTR) :: to stick a knife in something
- humbirã (TR) :: to cut
- zihumbi (n.) :: a butcher
- zihumbihẽ (INTR) :: to prepare meat
- zihumbirã (TR) :: to butcher
- humbirãsõr (n.) :: a cut
- timbirã (TR) :: to feed someone
  This verb can take up to three arguments
  - The agent, the thing or being doing the feeding
  - The patient, the thing or being being fed something
  - The oblique, the thing or being used as food
  #+html: ::: tip Example
  timbirãraqqurlih
  - ti-mbi-rã-raq-qur-lih
  - CAUS-meat.food-TR-1s.PST.NOM-1pl.PST.ACC-4s.PST.OBL
  You were feeding it to us
  #+html: :::
- timbihẽ (INTR) :: to feed oneself
- qambi (n.) :: a meal, feast
- pimbi (n.) :: a snack

*** miz - water, stream
- miz (n., con.) :: water, stream

*** sah - spirit, mind
- sah (n., con.) :: spirit, mind
- sahsõr (n.) :: being with a mind
- sahsõrnzẽz (n.) :: being without a mind
- sahzãr (PASS) :: to be though of, to be remembered
- sahhẽ (INTR) :: to dream, to have one’s mind escape, to mentally wander
- sahrã (TR) :: to think about, to remember, to be aware of

  To explicitly say “to remember”, seakers can say “to think about
  something from memory”.
- tisah (CAUS) :: to remind someone

  The subject is the agent, the object is the patient, and the objique
  is the thing brought to the patient’s mind by the agent
- qisah (adj) :: mindful, attentive
- qisahsõr (n.) :: mindfulness, attention
- sahdãt (adj) :: though of, known, present in the mind
- sahdãtrã (TR) :: to know
- zisah (n.) :: philosopher, guru, scientist
- rasah (n.) :: temple, school
- husah (n.) :: deep though, important dialog, important speech (made
  to make people think deeply)
- qusah (n.) :: thinking back, research
- qusahsõr (n.) :: memory, knowledge
- hisah (n.) :: idea, thought
- rusah (n.) :: memory loss, memory lapse
  #+html: ::: tip Example
  timbiaulihrãqãsõr rusahqalihrã
  - ti-mbi-au-lih-rã-qã-sõr ru-sah-qu-lih-rã
  - CAUS-meat.food-3pl.PST.NOM-3s.PST.ACC-TR-SUBJ-NOMIN NEG-spirit.mind-1s.NPST.NOM-3s.NPST.ACC-TR
  - the fact that they were fed it / I do not think it
  I do not think they were fed it
  #+html: :::
- pisah (n.) :: light, small, shallow idea or though
- qusah (n.) :: concept
- kasah (n.) :: ability to think
- kasahdãt sahsõr :: sentient being (on a higher level than just
 *sahsõr*, beings with a mind)
- sahŋãs (n.) :: philosopher, intellectual
- asah (n.) :: inner, in our own mind, in our own being
- sahkõt (n.) :: opinion
- isah (n.) :: agreement
- isahkõt (n.) :: belief
- sahnzẽz (n.) :: mental illness or mental handicap

The Zikãti people categorize things, both living and inanimate, into
three categories:
- sahsõrnzẽz :: things without a mind, which regroup objects but also
  a lot of living things that are not animals. Some exceptions do
  exist, such as some trees (generaly notably old trees) and water are
  ranked in the following category
- sahsõr :: things with a mind but not able to think. This regroups
  most animals, but also sometimes humans when the speaker wants to
  dehumanize them
- kasahdãt sahsõr :: beings able to think, regrouping mostly humans,
  but also higher or spiritual beings, such as ghosts, gods, or highly
  sacred objects or plants (the latter are generally trees that are
  extremely important in religious settings).

While they might not consider plants to have a mind, the Zikãti people
believes all things are a conduit for the energy of the world, with
some elements being able to move, flourish, and perish while some
other things have the gift of being inanimate. These are simply
considered as properties given by this universal energy flowing
through all things and all beings.

Animate things are considered to be alive, and therefore have a mind
and emotions, even possibly a will. However, they are not able of
thought and are therefore limited in terms of intelligence and they
cannot be reasoned with.

Beings with a mind capable of thought are beings able to have complex
thoughts and actions, such as humans.

*** sahlud - life
See [[file:./zikãti#sah-spirit-mind][sah]] and [[file:zikãti.md#lud-breath-life-concept][lud]].

*** taq - core, kernel
- taq (n., con.) :: core, kernel

*** taqdisur - heart
See [[file:./zikãti#taq-core-kernel][taq]] and [[file:./zikãti#disur-body][disur]].

- taqdisur (n.) :: heart