Irathient Grammar
As part of the design brief for the show *Defiance,* Irathient was intended to be maximally different from the Castithan language. In addition to the phonotactic constraints, the grammars were quite different, with Irathient having these typological features:
- Verb Object Subject word order
- Noun Adjective
- Noun Genitive
- Noun Relative
- Preposition Noun
- head-marking
In addition, a complete verbal sense, including all of person-marking, valency, tense, aspect, and mood, usually requires two parts, a kernel (an auxiliary) and shell (the lexical verb). For example:
z-ah-on
I-II-TR.PERF
e-kes-ə
ACT-notice-ACT
ha-rid-i
II-saboteur-I.SG
z-lo-e
I-singer-I.SG
'The singer noticed the saboteur.'
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.
The class suffix vowels are optional. If a noun ends in a consonant, the plural takes a suffixed -ə: undur rock > undurə. If the noun ends in a vowel other than a class suffix vowel, the copy consonant is suffixed, and then -ə is suffixed: zwinya daughter > zwinyazə.
Class I: Tvung Nǝzrathe (The Irathient Class)
| Nominal class prefix: z-/zu- | Agentive prefix: z- |
| Nominal class suffix (sg/pl): -e/-u | Patientive Prefix (dir/caus): ez-/uz- |
| Copy consonant: z | Intransitive prefix: z- |
| Agreement prefix: zu-/zw- | Adjectival modifier: ə- |
| 3sg Pronoun: iza | 3pl Pronoun: uze |
| 3sg Possessive suffix (sg/pl): -za/-zi | 3pl Possessive suffix (sg/pl): -ze/-zu |
| 3sg Possessive adjective (sg/pl): paza/pazi | 3pl Possessive adjective (sg/pl): paze/pazu |
This class is reserved for Irathients. Terms for family members, for example, will be in this class for Irathient members, with class II used for aliens (including humans): zwinya (Irathient) daughter vs. hwinya (alien) daughter. Agent nouns are also in this class, such as zingma traveler (shingma to travel).
Examples(sg/pl): zrathe/zrathu Irathient, zmaine/zmainu Irathient woman, zushone/zushonu Irathient man, skir/skirə Irathient boy (note voicing assimilation of z- to s-), zwinya/zwinyazə Irathient daughter.
Class II: Tvung Nǝhazuhe (The Alien Class)
| Nominal class prefix: h-/ha- | Agentive prefix: h- |
| Nominal class suffix (sg/pl): -i/-a | Patientive Prefix (dir/caus): ah-/ih- |
| Copy consonant: h | Intransitive prefix: h- |
| Agreement prefix: h-/ha- | Adjectival modifier: ə- |
| 3sg Pronoun: iha | 3pl Pronoun: uhe |
| 3sg Possessive suffix (sg/pl): -ha/-hi | 3pl Possessive suffix (sg/pl): -he/-hu |
| 3sg Possessive adjective (sg/pl): paha/pahi | 3pl Possessive adjective (sg/pl): pahe/pahu |
Class II is used for non-Irathient sentient beings. It can also be used for Irathients to indicate they are dangerous in some way, or in a pejorative sense.
Examples(sg/pl): harathi/haratha Earth-born Irathient, hamaini/hamaina alien woman, hashoni/hashona alien man, hakir/hakirə alien boy, hwinya/hwinyahə alien daughter.