Zemakar

Zemakar, the ancient and melodic language of the Zemanii, serves as both a cultural lifeline and a reflection of their profound connection to nature and the divine. Second only to Almyir in its historical endurance, Zemakar remains a unifying voice across the diverse and scattered Zemanii tribes. Rooted in their reverence for Zemia, the earth goddess, and Umboros, the titan of the underworld, the language embodies themes of balance, adaptation, and resilience.
Phonetically, Zemakar is rich in fluid consonants and open vowels, creating a harmonious soundscape that feels grounded yet mystical. The language employs a variety of suffixes and prefixes to convey nuanced meanings, from spiritual connections to environmental adaptations. Its grammar and structure emphasize relationships, fluidity, and the inherent duality of existence, reflecting the Zemanii’s tribal and communal values.
With dialects subtly influenced by geography and environment, Zemakar showcases the adaptability of its speakers while retaining a shared linguistic core. This shared understanding fosters unity among the Zemanii, even across vast distances. Its vocabulary is deeply tied to their surroundings, with descriptive compound words and affixes that capture the essence of their world. From honoring their ancestors to expressing the sacredness of the earth, Zemakar remains a testament to the enduring spirit of the Zemanii people.

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Grammar

Main word order: Subject Verb Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: postpositions ?

Verb affixes

Past	Suffix -ath
Present	No affix
Future	Suffix -esh

Noun affixes

Masculine	Suffix -o thruo boy
Feminine	Suffix -a thrua girl
Neuter	Suffix -an thruan dog

Noun affixes

Plural

Suffix -ath raiath raˈiath dogs

Articles

	Singular
Definite	te the
Indefinite	wa a

Pronouns

	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	Neutral descriptive
Singular	(i/me) Thi	(you) Ni	(he/she/they) Shi	(it/that) Loa
Plural	(we/us) Thir	(you all) Nir	(they all) Shir	(those/these) Loar

Proximity

	Near (This/these)	Far (That/Those)
Singular	na	no
Plural	nath	noth

Possession

	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	Neutral
Singular	mi (my)	ni (your)	shi (their)	loa (its)
Plural	mir (our)	nir (your)	shir (their)	loer (its)

Quantity

	Few	Many	All	None
Singular	waith	de	gel	shaith
Plural	waithath	daith	geleth	shaithath

Numbers

Zemakar has a base-20 number system:
1 - tln
2 - ghizh
3 - wig
4 - nging
5 - dhkn
6 - zhig
7 - d
8 - gtn
9 - te
10 - mp
11 - t
12 - mn
13 - pthng
14 - klm
15 - m
16 - rr
17 - kegh
18 - shml
19 - ban
20 - p
400 - w
8000 - gl

Derivational morphology

Adjective → adverb = Prefix Va-
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Suffix -rin
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -va
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Suffix -an
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = Suffix -kar
Opposite of = Prefix Lo-
Noun to verb = Suffix -ra
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = Suffix -ath
Tending to = Suffix -in
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = Suffix -sha
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -vael
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = Suffix -ir
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = Suffix -ar
Diminutive = Suffix -lin
Augmentative = Prefix Sha-

Consonants

Spelling	Pronunciation	Notes
b	"b" as in bat	No special rules.
d	"d" as in dog	No special rules.
dh	"th" as in this	Represents the voiced dental fricative (ð).
g	"g" as in go	Hard g sound, never soft as in giraffe.
gh	"gh" as in ugh	A voiced velar fricative, similar to loch.
k	"k" as in kite	No special rules.
l	"l" as in love	No special rules.
m	"m" as in man	No special rules.
n	"n" as in net	Default, unless nasalized or environment-modified.
ng	"ng" as in song	Used when ŋ occurs independently.
p	"p" as in pat	No special rules.
r	Trilled or rolled "r"	No approximant (ɹ)—clear trill or tap.
sh	"sh" as in shoe	Default unless modified by environment.
t	"t" as in top	Voiceless alveolar stop.
v	"v" as in victory	No special rules.
w	"w" as in water	No special rules.
kh	"kh" as in loch	Voiceless velar fricative (x).
zh	"zh" as in measure	Voiced postalveolar fricative (ʒ).
'	Glottal stop as in uh-oh	Occurs abruptly, often mid-word.
th	"th" as in think	Voiceless dental fricative (θ).

Vowels

Spelling	Pronunciation	Notes
a	"ah" as in father	Default vowel, low and open.
an	Nasalized "ah"	Occurs when ã is nasalized.
e	"eh" as in bed	No special rules.
i	"ee" as in see	No special rules.
o	"oh" as in go	No special rules.
on	Nasalized "oh"	Occurs when õ is nasalized.
u	"oo" as in moon	No special rules.

Environment-Specific Changes

Rule	Result	Example
a > o / m	Changes "a" to "o" before m.	am → om.
a > an / #	Changes "a" to "an" at the start of words.	ak → ank.
ã > õ / _#	Nasalized ã changes to õ at word ends.	kã → kõ.
ŋ > n / V	ŋ becomes "n" when preceding vowels.	ŋi → ni.
ʃ > zh / V#	ʃ becomes "zh" at word ends after vowels.	ash → azh.
x > kh / _{a,o}	x changes to "kh" before a or o.	xan → khan.
##a > e	a becomes "e" across word boundaries.	a at → e et.
t > dh / ##_t	t becomes "dh" when preceded by a word-final boundary.	et to → ed tho.

Phonology

Zemakar’s phonology is characterized by its smooth, melodic quality, blending soft consonants and open vowels to create a fluid, harmonious sound. Nasalized vowels and occasional gutturals add depth, reflecting the language’s connection to the elements. While common sounds like /l/, /r/, and /m/ are used for rhythm, rarer sounds like /ʔ/ and /x/ are reserved for emphasis or spiritual contexts. The language avoids harsh clusters, maintaining a natural and grounded flow.

Morphology

Zemakar’s morphology is rich with affixes that add nuance to its words, reflecting its speakers’ adaptability and cultural values. Prefixes and suffixes convey tense, plurality, gender, and spiritual connections, allowing for layered meanings. Derived forms are common, turning nouns into verbs or adjectives, and vice versa. Compound words often describe natural phenomena or sacred concepts, highlighting the Zemanii’s deep ties to their environment and traditions.

Syntax

The syntax of Zemakar follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure, emphasizing clarity and directness. Modifiers like adjectives typically follow the noun, while adverbs precede the verb for rhythmic flow. Possessive phrases place the possessed noun before the possessor, reflecting a sense of relational hierarchy. Questions are marked by tonal shifts or particles, and stress patterns in words reinforce meaning, with emphasis naturally falling on penultimate syllables.

Phonetics

Zemakar’s phonetic structure reflects its harmonious and grounded nature, balancing fluidity and strength. It incorporates a range of consonants, vowels, and special phonemes, creating a language that feels both earthy and mystical. Consonants Zemakar employs a variety of consonant sounds, favoring soft and flowing phonemes with occasional guttural and emphatic elements:

• Common: /p b t d k g m n l r v/ — These sounds form the backbone of the language, providing rhythm and balance.
• Nasal: /ŋ/ — Adds resonance, often used in ceremonial or descriptive terms.
• Fricatives: /ʃ ʒ θ ð x ɣ/ — Create a sense of mysticism and are often found in spiritual or sacred contexts.
• Glottal Stops: /ʔ/ — Rare and used for emphasis or to mark spiritual words.

Vowels Zemakar’s vowels are open and melodic, ensuring smooth transitions between sounds:

• Simple Vowels: /a e i o u/ — These provide the core melodic quality of the language.
• Nasalized Vowels: /ã õ/ — Used to express tonal or ceremonial elements, adding depth to pronunciation.
• Diphthongs: /ai au/ — Found in descriptive or poetic words, creating a dynamic quality.

Phonotactics

• Syllable Structure: Typically (C)V(C), with rare instances of CC clusters for emphasis.
• Stress: Penultimate syllable stress is the default, though tonal shifts may emphasize spiritual or significant words.

Sound Evolution Zemakar reflects its adaptability through subtle phonetic shifts:

• /v/ often shifts to /w/ at the beginning of a word.
• Nasalized vowels /ã/ and /õ/ are sometimes simplified in informal speech.

Zemakar’s phonetics capture the balance of elegance and primal strength, mirroring the Zemanii’s connection to their world.

Tenses

Zemakar verbs are marked by affixes that indicate tense, allowing for clear distinctions between past, present, future, and ongoing actions. The past tense uses the suffix -ath (e.g., vael-ath - "moved"), while the future tense uses -esh (e.g., vael-esh - "will move"). The present tense is unmarked, reflecting a natural flow, and continuous actions are indicated with the suffix -in (e.g., vael-in - "moving").

Sentence Structure

The default sentence structure in Zemakar is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), ensuring clarity and straightforward communication. Modifiers, such as adjectives and adverbs, are strategically placed to maintain the language's natural rhythm. Possessive relationships are expressed with the possessed noun preceding the possessor, often marked by the suffix -ir to indicate belonging (e.g., thron-ir thru - "heart of the earth"). Questions are formed using tonal shifts or interrogative particles placed at the end of the sentence.

Adjective Order

In Zemakar, adjectives typically follow the noun they modify, emphasizing the primary focus of the statement before adding descriptive detail. For example, thru sha means "sacred earth." This post-nominal placement reflects the Zemanii’s respect for the object itself before its attributes.

Structural Markers

Zemakar uses affixes and particles to indicate structural relationships within sentences. Key markers include:

• Possessive Marker: -ir (e.g., khal-ir - "of the stone").
• Plural Marker: -ath (e.g., thru-ath - "many earths").
• Gender Markers: -o for masculine, -a for feminine, and -an for neuter (e.g., vael-an - "neutral wind").
• Interrogative Particles: ka for yes/no questions (e.g., Ir vael ka? - "Does it move?").

These markers create a structured yet fluid linguistic system, reflective of the Zemanii’s balance between order and adaptability.

Dictionary

2377 Words.

Spoken by

• Ghant’vekar
• K'vekar
• Thron’dath
• Thrunakari
• Xar'vek
• Zhu’khondar

Common Phrases

Thi we ngãp thu rãb.

Every effect has a cause.