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A Grammar of Yaz

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Yaz language (the 953rd one produced by the Language Creator), outlining its sound system, word formation and syntactic structure, with the aim of presenting a coherent account of the language as an integrated whole. Attention has been paid to both regular patterns and minor irregularities, as these together define the internal balance of the language.

The grammar is accompanied by a bilingual dictionary and a collection of illustrative texts, offering material for further study and comparison. The examples have been selected to demonstrate typical constructions and to give a sense of the language in extended use. The description is intended as a reference work for linguists and language enthusiasts alike, and as a foundation for any future research, teaching or creative adaptation of Yaz.

Typological Profile

It has has no interesting typological features.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Yaz has 21 consonant phonemes, a size that falls within a broadly average range.

It has has no particularly unusual consonantal features.

The table below presents the full inventory of consonant phonemes in Yaz. The chart lists all places and manners of articulation attested in the language.

labialalveolarpostalveolarlateralpalatalvelarglottal
stopp b d t k ɡ
nasalm n ɲ
trill/tap/flapr
fricativef s z ʃ ʒ h
approximantʋ l j
affricatet͡ʃ

Vowels

Yaz has 8 vowel qualities, forming a relatively large inventory. The system distinguishes several vowel categories, as indicated in the chart, offering a wide range of vocalic contrasts.

It has a strongly reduced vowel system in unstressed syllables.

The table below presents the full inventory of vowel phonemes in Yaz. The system comprises the distinct vowel qualities listed in the chart.

frontcentralback
closei u
mide ə o
opena

Stress and Tones

Yaz has phonemic stress but no lexical tone. Stress consistently falls on the first vowel of the root, and no contrastive tonal distinctions are made.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony does not exist in this language.

Writing System

Introduction

Yaz is normally written using the Latin alphabet, whose familiarity makes it straightforward for most readers. For clarity and precision, phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are also provided throughout this grammar.

Orthography

Here are the various components of the orthography:

Simple letters

a /a/b /b/d /d/e /ə/
f /f/g /ɡ/h /h/i /i/
j /j/k /k/l /l/m /m/
n /n/o /o/p /p/r /r/
s /s/t /t/u /u/w /ʋ/
z /z/é /e/ñ /ɲ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

ai /ai/au /au/ch /t͡ʃ/
sh /ʃ/zh /ʒ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Yaz does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Yaz does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

Nominal phrases in Yaz can be exemplified by the following example:

Kif nauf bemoch kif rum fib des ñar shil far rejauñehek.

[ˈkif ˈnauf bəˈmot͡ʃ ˈkif ˈrum ˈfib dəs ˈɲar ˈʃil ˈfar rəˈjauɲəhək]

ˈkif
the ˈnauf
woman bəˈmot͡ʃ
COMIT ˈkif
the ˈrum
knife ˈfib
catch dəs
PAST ˈɲar
yon ˈʃil
three ˈfar
blind rəˈjauɲ
mouse -əh
plur -ək
ACC

“The woman with the knife caught those three blind mice.”

 (1)

In the following, we shall look at the various components in more details.

There are no clitics in the nominal phrase.

The Noun

The noun in Yaz consists of first, the root; second, an optional suffix expressing number, comprising -eh /-əh/ ‘plur’; and finally, third, an optional suffix expressing case, comprising -ek /-ək/ ‘ACC’, -esh /-əʃ/ ‘GEN’, -el /-əl/ ‘DAT’, -em /-əm/ ‘INS’, -en /-ən/ ‘VOC’, -es /-əs/ ‘ALL’, -ep /-əp/ ‘LOC’, -ef /-əf/ ‘ABL’ and -et /-ət/ ‘PART’.

The Adjective

The adjective in Yaz stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Numerals

The numeral in Yaz stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Determiners

The determiner in Yaz stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Yaz stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Yaz always includes the personal pronouns, even if they are not stressed. This is similar to English, where the only way to distinguish "he loves her" from "he loves her" and "he loves her" is the stress. So the following corresponds exactly to English in this regard:

Laif chéch laif.

[ˈlaif ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ ˈlaif]

ˈlaif
3.sing ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ
love ˈlaif
3.sing

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

 (2)

Proper Nouns

Kif Nedup gesas kif Fenéfek.

[ˈkif nəˈdup ɡəˈsas ˈkif fəˈnefək]

ˈkif
the nəˈdup
Nadup ɡəˈsas
hate ˈkif
the fəˈnef
Fanef -ək
ACC

“Nadup hates Fanef.”

 (3)

Possession

kif dalesh kif ketuf

[ˈkif ˈdaləʃ ˈkif kəˈtuf]

ˈkif
the ˈdal
boy -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the kəˈtuf
apple

“the boy’s apple”

 (4)
laif kif ketuf

[ˈlaif ˈkif kəˈtuf]

ˈlaif
3.sing ˈkif
the kəˈtuf
apple

“his (the boy’s) apple”

 (5)
hép kif ketuf

[ˈhep ˈkif kəˈtuf]

ˈhep
1excl.sing ˈkif
the kəˈtuf
apple

“my apple”

 (6)
Kif zhesaulesh kif taik meñit des nig kif wejaresh kif dének.

[ˈkif ʒəˈsauləʃ ˈkif ˈtaik məˈɲit dəs ˈniɡ ˈkif ʋəˈjarəʃ ˈkif ˈdenək]

ˈkif
the ʒəˈsaul
hunter -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ˈtaik
daughter məˈɲit
kiss dəs
PAST ˈniɡ
2.sing ˈkif
the ʋəˈjar
neighbour -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ˈden
son -ək
ACC

“The hunter’s daughter kissed your neighbour’s son.”

 (7)

Derivation

Yaz has no derivational processes.

chal zhedir

[ˈt͡ʃal ʒəˈdir]

ˈt͡ʃal
a ʒəˈdir
lamb

“a lamb”

 (8)

Note how none show up here:

Laif zor des zash des chal dé zhedirek chegich.

[ˈlaif ˈzor dəs ˈzaʃ dəs ˈt͡ʃal ˈde ʒəˈdirək t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ]

ˈlaif
3.sing ˈzor
want dəs
PAST ˈzaʃ
have dəs
PAST ˈt͡ʃal
a ˈde
little ʒəˈdir
lamb -ək
ACC t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ
COMP

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

 (9)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Yaz fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing negation, comprising der /dər/ ‘NEG’; second, a clitic expressing voice, comprising mem /məm/ ‘passive’; third, a clitic expressing mode, comprising fen /fən/ ‘imperative’, dek /dək/ ‘conditional’ and jer /jər/ ‘optative’; and finally, fourth, a clitic expressing ta, comprising des /dəs/ ‘PAST’.

The verb itself does not have any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Hép chéch nig.

[ˈhep ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ ˈniɡ]

ˈhep
1excl.sing ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ
love ˈniɡ
2.sing

“I love you.”

 (10)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

There is one type of clitic in the adpositional phrase, namely an enclitic (placed finally), expressing root.

fuf kif kéj

[ˈfuf ˈkif ˈkej]

ˈfuf
in_surface ˈkif
the ˈkej
table

“on the table”

 (11)
bizh kif bebiz

[ˈbiʒ ˈkif bəˈbiz]

ˈbiʒ
to_inside ˈkif
the bəˈbiz
box

“into the box”

 (12)
bemoch hép

[bəˈmot͡ʃ ˈhep]

bəˈmot͡ʃ
COMIT ˈhep
1excl.sing

“with me”

 (13)

Syntax

Basic Clause Structure

Constituent Order

Constituent order describes the typical arrangement of the subject (S), verb (V) and object (O) in simple declarative clauses. It is a fundamental parameter in grammatical description and forms one of the clearest ways of characterising the overall structure of a language’s clause system.

Yaz employs Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) as its basic word order. The subject is followed by the verb, with the object occurring in post-verbal position. This ordering is widely attested across the world’s languages.

The following examples illustrate the basic, unmarked, constituent order in Yaz.

Kif peshaj daub des kif zhesaulek.

[ˈkif pəˈʃaj ˈdaub dəs ˈkif ʒəˈsaulək]

ˈkif
the pəˈʃaj
jaguar ˈdaub
kill dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ʒəˈsaul
hunter -ək
ACC

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

 (14)
Kif shkejaup shaum des kif zhesaulesh kif taikesh kif wauzhek.

[ˈkif ʃkəˈjaup ˈʃaum dəs ˈkif ʒəˈsauləʃ ˈkif ˈtaikəʃ ˈkif ˈʋauʒək]

ˈkif
the ʃkəˈjaup
lion ˈʃaum
eat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ʒəˈsaul
hunter -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ˈtaik
daughter -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ˈʋauʒ
dog -ək
ACC

“The lion ate the hunter’s daughter’s dog.”

 (15)

The language has a fixed constituent order, and major phrases normally appear in a predictable position in the clause. Movement for discourse reasons is highly restricted: topics and foci are expressed not by rearranging elements, but through dedicated constructions such as clefts, focus clauses or topic–comment frames. Constituents remain continuous, and both the relative order of phrases and the internal structure of each phrase are stable. As a result, significant deviations from the basic word order are ungrammatical, and discourse structure is managed through these specialised constructions rather than through word-order variation.

Noun Phrases

Structure and Order

The internal structure of noun phrases in Yaz reveals typologically significant preferences in the ordering of nominal constituents. This includes the position of adjectives, numerals, and possessors relative to the noun, each of which can offer clues to the overall headedness of the language.

Possessive constructions are head-final: the possessor precedes the possessed noun. For example, Yaz expresses “the child’s toy” with the equivalent of “child toy”. This ordering is found in many SOV and postpositional languages and aligns with a broader tendency towards modifier-first structures.

nig kif dénesh kif kolesh kif lebér

[ˈniɡ ˈkif ˈdenəʃ ˈkif ˈkoləʃ ˈkif ləber]

ˈniɡ
2.sing ˈkif
the ˈden
son -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ˈkol
friend -əʃ
GEN ˈkif
the ləber
book

“your son’s friend’s book”

 (16)

Case Marking

Yaz uses nominative–accusative case marking. The subject of an intransitive verb and the subject of a transitive verb are treated alike and take the nominative case, while the object of a transitive verb is marked with the accusative case. This is the familiar pattern from many European languages: the grammar groups together the participants that function as subjects and marks the participant affected by a transitive action separately.

Kif ñaizh shaiw.

[ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ ˈʃaiʋ]

ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈʃaiʋ
sleep

“The cat is sleeping.”

 (17)
Kif ñaizh fach.

[ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ ˈfat͡ʃ]

ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈfat͡ʃ
run

“The cat is running.”

 (18)
Kif ñaizh techés kif rejauñek.

[ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ təˈt͡ʃes ˈkif rəˈjauɲək]

ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat təˈt͡ʃes
chase ˈkif
the rəˈjauɲ
mouse -ək
ACC

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

 (19)
Kif ñaizh fib des kif rejauñek.

[ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ ˈfib dəs ˈkif rəˈjauɲək]

ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈfib
catch dəs
PAST ˈkif
the rəˈjauɲ
mouse -ək
ACC

“The cat caught the mouse.”

 (20)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Kif zhesaul daub des kif peshajehek shpép kif pesauzehek shpép kif shkejaupehek.

[ˈkif ʒəˈsaul ˈdaub dəs ˈkif pəˈʃajəhək ˈʃpep ˈkif pəˈsauzəhək ˈʃpep ˈkif ʃkəˈjaupəhək]

ˈkif
the ʒəˈsaul
hunter ˈdaub
kill dəs
PAST ˈkif
the pəˈʃaj
jaguar -əh
plur -ək
ACC ˈʃpep
and ˈkif
the pəˈsauz
tiger -əh
plur -ək
ACC ˈʃpep
and ˈkif
the ʃkəˈjaup
lion -əh
plur -ək
ACC

“The hunter killed the jaguars, the tigers and the lions.”

 (21)

Modifiers and Determiners

The ordering of demonstratives, articles (if present), and other modifiers in Yaz provides further insight into the structure of the noun phrase. These elements frequently exhibit fixed positions and may reveal whether the language favours head-initial or head-final patterns.

Complex Sentences

Relative Clauses

Yaz forms relative clauses by placing the relative clause after the noun it modifies. The clause follows the internal word order of ordinary finite clauses. A dedicated relativising marker introduces the clause and identifies the relationship between the head noun and its role inside the relative clause.

To illustrate how relative clauses work, let us begin with a simple sentence:

Hép heshkil des kif ñaizhek.

[ˈhep həˈʃkil dəs ˈkif ˈɲaiʒək]

ˈhep
1excl.sing həˈʃkil
pat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat -ək
ACC

“I patted the cat.”

 (22)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Hép heshkil des kif ñaizh, wap fib des kif rejauñek.

[ˈhep həˈʃkil dəs ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ, ˈʋap ˈfib dəs ˈkif rəˈjauɲək]

ˈhep
1excl.sing həˈʃkil
pat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈfib
catch dəs
PAST ˈkif
the rəˈjauɲ
mouse -ək
ACC

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

 (23)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Hép heshkil des kif ñaizh, wap fib des kif rejauñ, wap shaum des kif ñechomek.

[ˈhep həˈʃkil dəs ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ, ˈʋap ˈfib dəs ˈkif rəˈjauɲ, ˈʋap ˈʃaum dəs ˈkif ɲəˈt͡ʃomək]

ˈhep
1excl.sing həˈʃkil
pat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈfib
catch dəs
PAST ˈkif
the rəˈjauɲ
mouse ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈʃaum
eat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ɲəˈt͡ʃom
cheese -ək
ACC

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese.”

 (24)

Finally, here is an example containing several layers of embedding:

Hép heshkil des kif ñaizh, wap fib des kif rejauñ, wap shaum des kif ñechom, wap zait des hép.

[ˈhep həˈʃkil dəs ˈkif ˈɲaiʒ, ˈʋap ˈfib dəs ˈkif rəˈjauɲ, ˈʋap ˈʃaum dəs ˈkif ɲəˈt͡ʃom, ˈʋap ˈzait dəs ˈhep]

ˈhep
1excl.sing həˈʃkil
pat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈɲaiʒ
cat ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈfib
catch dəs
PAST ˈkif
the rəˈjauɲ
mouse ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈʃaum
eat dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ɲəˈt͡ʃom
cheese ˈʋap
RELPRON ˈzait
buy dəs
PAST ˈhep
1excl.sing

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese that I bought.”

 (25)

Complementation Strategies

Yaz introduces complement clauses with a dedicated complementiser, similar to English that. The complementiser appears at the beginning of the embedded clause and signals that the clause functions as a syntactic argument. The embedded clause is fully finite and displays the same tense, aspect and agreement patterns as independent clauses.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

Kif dal rag des kif chishel chal ketufek chegich gewauñ des kif getérel.

[ˈkif ˈdal ˈraɡ dəs ˈkif ˈt͡ʃiʃəl ˈt͡ʃal kəˈtufək t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ ɡəˈʋauɲ dəs ˈkif ɡəterəl]

ˈkif
the ˈdal
boy ˈraɡ
give dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈt͡ʃiʃ
girl -əl
DAT ˈt͡ʃal
a kəˈtuf
apple -ək
ACC t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ
COMP ɡəˈʋauɲ
surprise dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ɡəter
teacher -əl
DAT

“It surprised the teacher that the boy had given the girl an apple.”

 (26)

Quotes

Yaz expresses quoted or reported speech without a dedicated quotative particle. Quotations appear as ordinary clauses, distinguished only by the surrounding syntactic context or by the use of verbs of speaking.

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

Kif dal ñow des kif chishel hép chéch nig chegich.

[ˈkif ˈdal ˈɲoʋ dəs ˈkif ˈt͡ʃiʃəl ˈhep ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ ˈniɡ t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ]

ˈkif
the ˈdal
boy ˈɲoʋ
tell dəs
PAST ˈkif
the ˈt͡ʃiʃ
girl -əl
DAT ˈhep
1excl.sing ˈt͡ʃet͡ʃ
love ˈniɡ
2.sing t͡ʃəˈɡit͡ʃ
COMP

“The boy told the girl that he loved her.”

 (27)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Yaz. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 17 July 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/0MMSF

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-0MMSF,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Yaz}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/0MMSF}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 17 July 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

A collection of illustrative texts and a bilingual dictionary (English–Yaz / Yaz–English) accompany this grammar. The complete work – comprising the grammar, dictionary and texts – may also be downloaded in ODT or DOCX format.

Readers are encouraged to share observations or corrections via the feedback form. The present page may be accessed directly at:

https://languagecreator.org/grammar/0MMSF

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