Natively known as: SYLWO /ˈsuːlwo/
...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
ER SYYS WAAR GAMAR LYLO HENS SYE ER HOAR HENTAR NONS HENS SUE OIYA AYPS
Pronunciation: /er ˈsuus ˈwaar ˈgaːmar ˈlulo hens ˈsue er ˈhoar ˈhentar nons hens ˈsue ˈoːiˌua ˈaups/
SULWO word order: and he stood holding hat his and turned his face wet the wind to
Spelling & Phonology
Consonant inventory: /b d f g h k kʷ l m n p r s t w/
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal |
|---|
| Nasal |
m |
|
n |
|
|
| Stop |
p b |
|
t d |
k kʷ g |
|
| Fricative |
|
f |
s |
|
h |
| Trill |
|
|
r |
|
|
| Lateral approximant |
|
|
l |
|
|
Co-articulated phonemes
| ↓Manner/Place→ | Labio-velar |
|---|
| Approximant |
w |
Vowel inventory: /a ae au aː e ei eu eː i io iu iː o oe oː u ui uː/
Diphthongs: ae, au, ei, eu, io, iu, oe, ui
| Front | Back |
|---|
| High |
i iː |
u uː |
| High-mid |
e eː |
o oː |
| Low |
a aː |
|
Syllable structure: Custom defined
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Word initial consonants: b, br, d, f, fl, fr, g, gl, gr, h, k, kl, kr, kʷ, l, m, n, p, pl, pr, r, s, sk, sp, st, t, tr, w
Mid-word consonants: b, bl, br, bs, bt, d, dd, dkʷ, dm, dw, f, ff, g, gg, gm, gn, gr, h, k, kk, kkʷ, kr, ks, ksk, ksp, kspl, kssp, kst, kstr, kt, kʷ, l, lg, lk, ll, ln, lp, ls, lt, ltr, lw, m, mb, mkʷ, mm, mn, mp, mpl, mpr, mw, n, nd, nf, nfl, nfr, ng, ngr, nk, nkl, nkr, nkʷ, nl, nn, ns, nskr, nsp, nst, nstr, nt, ntr, nw, p, pl, pp, ppl, ppr, pr, ps, pt, r, rb, rd, rf, rg, rk, rkʷ, rm, rn, rp, rr, rs, rsp, rt, rw, s, sd, sk, skʷ, sm, sp, ss, st, stkʷ, str, t, tkʷ, tr, ts, tt, ttr, w
Word final consonants: b, d, k, ks, l, m, n, nk, ns, nt, ps, r, rs, s, st, t
Phonological changes (in order of application):
| Pronunciation | Proper SYLWO | Common ζȲΛFΩ[1]/CЮ̄ЛFO[2] |
|---|
| a |
A |
Α |
| aː |
A |
Ā[3] |
| b |
B |
β or Б |
| d |
D |
Δ or Д |
| e |
E |
Ε or Э |
| eː |
E |
Ē or Э̄ [3] |
| f |
F |
Ф |
| ɡ |
G |
Γ or Ґ |
| h |
H |
Ͱ or Һ |
| i |
I |
Η or И |
| iː |
I |
Ή or Ӣ [3] |
| k |
K |
Κ or К |
| kʷ |
Q |
Ϙ or Ҁ |
| kh |
KH |
X or КҺ |
| ks |
KS |
Ξ or КС |
| l |
L |
Λ or Л |
| m |
M |
Μ or М |
| n |
N |
Ν or Н |
| o (sometimes ɔ) |
O |
Ω or О |
| oː |
O |
Ώ or Ō [3] |
| p |
P |
Φ or П |
|
|
|
| ps |
PS |
Ψ or ПС |
| r |
R |
Р |
| s |
S |
Σ or С |
| sh |
SH |
ΣͰ or Ш |
| t |
T |
Θ |
| u |
Y |
Υ or Ю |
| uː |
Y |
Ȳ or Ю̄ [3] |
| w |
W |
В or Ў |
[1] Used mostly by northern commoners
[2] Used mostly by southern commoners
[3] The use of a macron to denote a long vowel originated as an aid for noble children. The ability to know how long a vowel should be without aid is considered a sign of wealth.
Grammar
Main word order: Subject-Verb-Object-Oblique. "Mary opened the door with a key" turns into
Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned after the noun.
Adposition: postpositions
Nouns
Nouns have six cases:
- Nominative is the doer of a verb: dog bites man.
- Genitive is the possessor of something: dog’s tail hits man.
- Dative is the recipient of something: man gives ball to dog.
- Accusative is the done-to of a verb: man bites dog.
- Ablative is used when the noun demonstrates separation or movement from a source: you walked with the dog
- Vocative is used when the noun is in direct address: Dog come here.
| Nominative | Genitive | Dative | Accusative | Ablative | Vocative |
|---|
| Masculine singular |
Suffix -us |
Suffix -iː |
Suffix -oː |
Suffix -um |
Suffix -oː |
Suffix -iː |
| Feminine singular |
Suffix -a |
Suffix -ae |
Suffix -ae |
Suffix -am |
Suffix -aː |
Suffix -ea |
| Divine singular |
Suffix -um |
Suffix -oː |
Suffix -iː |
Suffix -um |
Suffix -oː |
Suffix -um |
| Masculine plural |
Suffix -iː |
Suffix -oːrum |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -oːs |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -iː |
| Feminine plural |
Suffix -ae |
Suffix -aːrum |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -aːs |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -ae |
| Divine plural |
Suffix -a |
Suffix -oːrum |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -ea |
Suffix -iːs |
Suffix -a |
Pronouns
| Nominative | Genitive | Dative | Accusative | Ablative | Vocative |
|---|
| 1st person masculine singular |
MEYS /ˈmeus/
I |
MEI /ˈmei:/
my |
MEO /ˈmeo:/
to me |
MEYM /ˈmeum/
me |
MEO /ˈmeo:/
with me |
MI /'mi:/
me |
| 1st person feminine singular |
MEA /ˈmea/
I |
MEAE /ˈmeae/
my |
MEAE /ˈmeae/
to me |
MEAM /ˈmeam/
me |
MEA /ˈmea:/
with me |
MEA /ˈmea/
me |
| 1st person divine singular |
MEYM /ˈmeum/
I |
MEI /ˈmei:/
my |
MEO /ˈmeo:/
to me |
MEYM /ˈmeum/
me |
MEO /ˈmeo:/
with me |
MEYM /ˈmeum/
me |
| 1st person masculine plural |
MEI /ˈmei:/
we |
MEORYM /ˈmeorum/
our |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
to me |
MEOS /ˈmeo:s/
us |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
with us |
MEI /ˈmei:/
us |
| 1st person feminine plural |
MEAE /ˈmeae/
we |
MEARYM /ˈmearum/
our |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
to me |
MEAS /ˈmea:s/
us |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
with us |
MEAE /ˈmeae/
us |
| 1st person divine plural |
MEA /ˈmea/
we |
MEORYM /ˈmeorum/
our |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
to me |
MEA /ˈmea/
us |
MEIS /ˈmei:s/
with us |
MEA /ˈmea/
us |
| 2nd person masculine singular |
TYYS /ˈtu,us/
you |
TYI /ˈtu,iː/
your |
TUO /ˈtu,oː/
to you |
TYYM /ˈtuum/
you |
TYO /ˈtuo:/
with you |
TYE /ˈtue/
you |
| 2nd person feminine singular |
TYA /ˈtu,a/
you |
TYAE /ˈtu,ae/
your |
TYAE /ˈtu,ae/
to you |
TYAM /ˈtuam/
you |
TYA /ˈtua:/
with you |
TYA /ˈtua/
you |
| 2nd person divine singular |
TYYM /ˈtu,um/
you |
TYI /ˈtu,iː/
your |
TYO /ˈtu.oː/
to you |
TYYM /ˈtuum/
you |
TYO /ˈtuo:/
with you |
TYYM /ˈtuum/
you |
| 2nd person masculine plural |
TYI /ˈtu,iː/
you |
TYORYM /tuˈoː,rum/
yours |
TYIS /ˈtu,iːs/
to you |
TYOS /ˈtu,oːs/
you |
TYIS /ˈtui:s/
with you |
TYI /ˈtui:/
you |
| 2nd person feminine plural |
TYAE /ˈtu,ae/
you |
TYARYM /tuˈaː,rum/
yours |
TYIS /ˈtu,iːs/
to you |
TYAS /ˈtua:s/
you |
TYIS /ˈtui:s/
with you |
TYAE /ˈtuae/
you |
| 2nd person divine plural |
TYA /ˈtu,a/
you |
TYORYM /tuˈoː,rum/
yours |
TYIS /ˈtu,iːs/
to you |
TYA /ˈtua/
you |
TYIS /ˈtui:s/
with you |
TYA /ˈtua/
you |
| 3rd person masculine singular |
SYYS /ˈsuus/
he, it |
SYI /ˈsui:/
his, its |
SYO /ˈsuo:/
to him |
SYO /ˈsuo:/
him, it |
SYYM /ˈsuum/
with him, it |
SYE /ˈsue/
him, it |
| 3rd person feminine singular |
SYA /ˈsua/
she, it |
SYAE /ˈsuae/
her, its |
SYAE /ˈsuae/
to her |
SYA /ˈsua:/
her, it |
SYAM /ˈsuam/
with her, it |
SYA /ˈsua/
her, it |
| 3rd person divine singular |
SYYM /ˈsuum/
they |
SYI /ˈsui:/
their |
SYO /ˈsuo:/
to them |
SYO /ˈsuo:/
them |
SYYM /ˈsuum/
with them |
SYYM /ˈsuum/
them |
| 3rd person masculine plural |
SYI /ˈsui:/
they |
SYORYM /suˈoː,rum/
their |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
to them |
SYOS /ˈsuo:s/
them |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
with them |
SYI /ˈsui:/
them |
| 3rd person feminine plural |
SYAE /ˈsuae/
they |
SYARYM /suˈaː,rum/
their |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
to them |
SYAS /ˈsua:s/
them |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
with them |
SYAE /ˈsuae/
them |
| 3rd person divine plural |
SYA /ˈsua/
they |
SYORYM /suˈoː,rum/
their |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
to them |
SYA /ˈsua/
them |
SYIS /ˈsuis:/
with them |
SYA /ˈsua/
them |
Verb conjugations
Verbs are conjugated by removing the last two letters of the of the verb to get the verb root, then adding the correct suffix.
| Present | Future | Imperfect | Perfect | Future perfect | Pluperfect |
|---|
| 1st person singular |
Suffix -m
M/m/ |
Suffix -an
AN /an/ |
Suffix -bam
BAM /bam/ |
Suffix -iː
I /iː/ |
Suffix -eroː
ERO /ˈeroː/ |
Suffix -eram
ERAM /ˈeram/ |
| 1st person plural |
Suffix -mus
MYS /mus/ |
Suffix -eːmus
EMYS /ˈeːmus/ |
Suffix -baːmus
BAMYS /ˈbaːmus/ |
Suffix -imus
IMYS /ˈimus/ |
Suffix -eriːmus
ERIMYS/ˈeriːmus/ |
Suffix -eraːmus
ERAMYS /ˈeraːmus/ |
| 2nd person singular |
Suffix -s
S /s/ |
Suffix -es
ES /es/ |
Suffix -baːs
BAS /baːs/ |
Suffix -istis
ISTIS /ˈistis/ |
Suffix -eris
EPIS /ˈeris/ |
Suffix -eraːs
ERAS /ˈeraːs/ |
| 2nd person plural |
Suffix -tis TIS /tis/ |
Suffix -eːtis
ETIS /ˈeːtis/ |
Suffix -baːtis
BATIS /ˈbaːtis/ |
Suffix -istiː
ISTI /ˈistiː/ |
Suffix -eriːtis
ERITIS /ˈeriːtis/ |
Suffix -eraːtis
ERATIS /ˈeraːtis/ |
| 3rd person singular |
Suffix -t
T/t/ |
Suffix -et
ET /et/ |
Suffix -bat
BAT /bat/ |
Suffix -it
IT /it/ |
Suffix -erit
ERIT /ˈerit/ |
Suffix -erat
ERAT /ˈerat/ |
| 3rd person plural |
Suffix -nt
NT /nt/ |
Suffix -ent
ENT /ent/ |
Suffix -bant
BANT /bant/ |
Suffix -eːrunt
ERYNT /ˈeːrunt/ |
Suffix -erint
ERINT /ˈerint/ |
Suffix -erant
ERANT /ˈerant/ |
Numbers
SYLWO has a base-10 number system:
1 - KOT
2 - EK
3 - STI
4 - SKEY
5 - WO
6 - WAM
7 - QASSINS
8 - YK
9 - EY
10 - FRO
11 - FRO ER KOT “ten and one”
100 - KOT KRON “one hundred”
101 - KOT KRON KOT “one hundred one”
200 - EK KRON
1000 - KOT RIK “one thousand”
Derivational morphology
Adjective → adverb = If ends with vowel: Suffix -lli
Else: Suffix -illi
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Suffix -ui
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -ant
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -rbiː
Else: Suffix -arbiː
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -r
Else: Suffix -or
Noun → verb (to create [noun]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -brui
Else: Suffix -oːbrui
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -a
Verb → adjective (likely to do [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -lgeː
Else: Suffix -algeː
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -mpli
Else: Suffix -umpli
Verb → noun that verb physically produces (e.g. build → building) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -d
Else: Suffix -aed
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -iːm
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Suffix -enk
Diminutive = If ends with vowel: Suffix -gmoe
Else: Suffix -augmoe
Augmentative = Suffix -od
