Irathient Grammar
Vowel Quadrangle
An important organizing feature of Irathient grammar is the vowel quadrangle:
| i | u | ||
| ə | |||
| e | a |
Several grammatical patterns are organized around alternating pairs of vowels, i ~ a and e ~ u. For example, the plural of nouns is formed by switching the final vowel with its opposite on the quadrangle:
- harathi alien, haratha aliens
- ugyure necklace, ugyuru necklaces
- tishuma human, tishumi humans
If a noun ends in a consonant, then the center of the quadrangle, ə, is used:
- nugyith tower, nugyithə towers
- undur rock, undurə rocks
The present, zaha, and imperfect, zahi, of the auxiliary verbs have this vowel exchange, as do the active, etu, and passive, utu, of non-auxiliary verbs.
The quadrangle is inspired by the conlang Afrihili.
Noun Classes
The other central feature of Irathient grammar is the 18 noun classes. All nouns, except multisyllabic words in the very large classes XVII and XVIII, take class prefixes. Verbs and adjectives take class marking for agreement.
| Noun Class | Noun | Modifier | Agent | Patient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class I (Irathi) | z(u)- -(e) | zw-/zu- | z- | -{e/u}z |
| Class II (Non-Irathi Sentient) | h(a)- -(i) | h(a)- | h- | -{a/i}h |
| Class III (Harmless Beasts) | t(i)- -(a) | t(i)- | t- | -{a/i}t |
| Class IV (Dangerous Beasts) | k(a)- -(i) | k(a)- | k- | -{a/i}k |
| Class V (Harmless Plants) | d(i)- -(a) | d(i)- | d- | -{a/i}d |
| Class VI (Dangerous Plants) | g(e)- -(u) | g(e)- | g- | -{e/u}g |
| Class VII (Harmless Instruments) | u(t)- -(e) | tw-/tu- | tw- | -{e/u}t |
| Class VIII (Dangerous Instruments) | e(k)- -(u) | k(e)- | k- | -{e/u}k |
| Class IX (Harmless Substances) | r(i)- -(a) | r(i)- | r- | -{a/i}r |
| Class X (Dangerous Substances) | s(a)- -(i) | s(a)- | s- | -{a/i}s |
| Class XI (Places, Passive Objects) | nu(n)- -(e) | n(u)- | n- | -{e/u}n |
| Class XII (Abstractions, Actions) | th(e)- -(u) | th(e)- | th- | -{e/u}th |
| Class XIII (Groups) | i(n)- -(a) | ny-/ni- | n- | -{a/i}n |
| Class XIV (Infinitives) | sh(e)- -(u) | sh(e)- | sh- | -{e/u}sh |
| Class XV (Diminutive Sentients) | t(i)- -(a) | h(a)- | h- | -{a/i}h |
| Class XVI (Diminutive Non-sentients) | t(i)- -(e) | n(u)- | n- | -{e/u}n |
| Class XVII (Augmentative Sentients) | gya(n)/Ø- -(a) | h(a)- | h- | -{a/i}h |
| Class XVIII (Augmentative Non-sentients) | gya(n)/Ø- -(e) | n(u)- | n- | -{e/u}n |
Notice that XV and XVII share the same modifier, agent, and patient affixes as II, and that XVI and XVIII share the same modifier, agent, and patient affixes of XI.
The XVII and XVIII prefix gya(n)- is only attached to monosyllabic roots.