A Grammar of Z

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Z language (the 1079th 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 Z.

Typological Profile

It has a total lack of nasal consonants, four genders, a disproportionately large set of glottal and uvular consonants and postpositions.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Z has an extremely large consonant inventory, totalling 76 phonemes. Such a system is exceptional in scale.

It has a total lack of nasal consonants, an exceptionally dense sibilant inventory, a maximally contrastive voicing system, a highly developed aspirated consonant series and an extensively developed liquid system.

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

labialalveolarphar. alveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatallateralpalatalretroflexvelarlab. velaruvularlab. uvularpharyngealglottal
stopp b d t dˤ tˤ ɖ ʈ k ɡ kʷ ɡʷ q ɢ qʷ ɢʷ ʔ
aspirated stoptʰˤ ʈʰ kʰʷ
preaspirated stopht htˤ hk hkʷ
breathy stopdʱˤ ɖʱ ɡʱ ɡʱʷ
trill/tap/flapr̥ ɾ r̥ˤ ɾˤ ɺ ɽ
fricativef v s z sˤ zˤ ʃ ʒ ɕ ʑ ɬ ʂ ʐ x ɣ xʷ ɣʷ ʕ h
approximantw ɹ ɹˤ ʎ j ɻ ɰ ɰʷ
affricatet͡ʃ t͡ɕ
implosiveɓ ɗ ɗˤ

Vowels

Z has more than 14 vowel qualities. This constitutes an exceptionally rich vowel inventory, with numerous distinct categories represented in the chart.

It has a fully developed system of nasal vowels matching the oral height distinctions, phonologically distinctive back unrounded vowels and an unusually fine-grained height system distinguishing four levels.

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

frontcentralback unroundedback rounded
closei ĩ ɯ ɯ̃ u ũ
mide ẽ ɤ ɤ̃ o õ
open-midɛ ʌ ɔ
opena ã

Stress and Tones

Z 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

Z 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/ḍ /dˤ/
e /e/f /f/g /ɡ/h /h/
i /i/j /j/k /k/l /l/
o /ɔ/p /p/q /q/r /ɾ/
ṛ /ɾˤ/r̥ /r̥/r̥̣ /r̥ˤ/s /s/
ṣ /sˤ/t /t/ṭ /tˤ/u /u/
v /v/w /w/x /x/z /z/
ẓ /zˤ/å /ʌ/æ /ɛ/ó /o/
ğ /ɣ/ŕ /r/ṛ́ /rˤ/ŭ /ɰ/
ơ /ɤ/ư /ɯ/ɕ /ɕ/ɭ /ɭ/
ɹ /ɹ/ɹ̣ /ɹˤ/ɺ /ɺ/ɻ /ɻ/
ʑ /ʑ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

ai /ai/an /ã/au /au/
bb /ɓ/ch /t͡ʃ/dd /ɗ/
dḍ /ɗˤ/dh /dʱ/dḥ /dʱˤ/
en /ẽ/gh /ɡʱ/ghw /ɡʱʷ/
gw /ɡʷ/għ /ʕ/hk /hk/
hkw /hkʷ/hl /ɬ/ht /ht/
hṭ /htˤ/hʈ /hʈ/in /ĩ/
kh /kʰ/khw /xʷ/ll /ʎ/
ph /pʰ/qu /kʷ/quh /kʰʷ/
qw /qʷ/rd /ɖ/rdh /ɖʱ/
rr /ɽ/rs /ʂ/rt /ʈ/
rth /ʈʰ/rz /ʐ/sh /ʃ/
th /tʰ/tḥ /tʰˤ/ty /t͡ɕ/
un /ũ/zh /ʒ/ón /õ/
ğw /ɣʷ/ħg /ɢ/ħgw /ɢʷ/
ŭw /ɰʷ/ơn /ɤ̃/ưn /ɯ̃/
ɔi /ɔi/’ /ʔ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Z does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Z has the following genders:

Gender cl.1 – for instance: buk ‘book’, ghordh ‘wife’, hkijeɭ ‘mortar’, hkwiṛåğw ‘smoke’, hʈuğw ‘daughter’, llungħưr ‘umbrella’, rdaiɺ ‘colour’, rzåğw ‘north’, ṛirråw ‘plain’, shuṭinkh ‘net’, sighoɹ ‘urine’, tagóht ‘box’, tḥubbihʈ ‘rope’, tubbóq ‘binoculars’, ṭandḍ ‘girl’, vơŕi’ ‘money’, wiħgiħgw ‘faeces’, zubb ‘south’, ɭuʑeŕ ‘farmer’, ɺưz ‘surface’.

Gender cl.2 – for instance: bbanfokh ‘student’, dḥưrrónb ‘forest’, dótyukhw ‘fog’, ḍekanẓ ‘seed’, fóf ‘boy’, ghwæɻ ‘son’, gwerrandd ‘feather’, hkwauṭ ‘table’, hkwógh ‘day’, hṭekhw ‘land’, quax ‘fire’, quhơs ‘moon’, rtunẓaɹ ‘slime’, rtơnz ‘human being’, ṣauty ‘star’, tưnṛ́ ‘rain’, ṭoɭ ‘night’, vakit ‘market’, ẓintḥairs ‘ice’, ğưğwæw ‘hunter’.

Gender cl.3 – for instance: ddest ‘tree’, ḍɔigħ ‘bone’, feẓidḍ ‘court’, ghars ‘tooth’, hinr̥ ‘water’, hʈeħgeŭ ‘liver’, kiɺad ‘breast’, rdhidḍanq ‘belly’, rdóthinghw ‘penis’, rruḍ ‘blood’, rsuhṭenl ‘neighbour’, r̥aqw ‘head’, r̥uhtikhw ‘fat’, r̥̣agħɔidh ‘wing’, r̥̣eħg ‘leg’, tḥichauzh ‘bosom’, ğol ‘hand’, ŕơs ‘face’, ɭib ‘ear’, ɹ̣óddiɺ ‘fingernail’.

Gender cl.4 – for instance: dhaudḍ ‘name’, dḥaghwaŕ ‘brick’, għall ‘meat’, għơv ‘dog’, hkơgwægw ‘mammal’, phóghưnj ‘root’, qåf ‘fight’, rrinxæṛ ‘bottle’, rthơṛ́aħg ‘salt’, rtưzåty ‘ash’, rzahkw ‘fish’, rzơddaud ‘embrace’, sekuḍ ‘school’, ṭebærr ‘apple’, xuğiqw ‘medicine’, ɕaqauɹ ‘wheat’, ɹ̣inkhw ‘house’, ɺors ‘sound’, ɻuqw ‘animal’, ʑeŕ ‘cat’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Rzebaŕ ɭinr̥̣ ɹ̣ưɹ̣aŕ ɭinr̥̣ gưɺanɻ feghupaṣuɹ feghullógwuɹ ʑunṛars tơrs ğwanlógwaŕ quɔir̥̣.

[ˈʐebar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ ˈɹˤɯɹˤar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ ɡɯˈɺãɻ fegʱuˈpasˤuɹ fegʱuˈʎoɡʷuɹ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ˈtɤʂ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷɔir̥ˤ]

ˈʐeb
woman
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈɹˤɯɹˤ
knife
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ɡɯˈɺãɻ
COMIT
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈasˤ
catch
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈoɡʷ
blind
-uɹ
active
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ˈtɤʂ
three
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈɔi
yon
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“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 Z consists of the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -aŕ /-ar/ ‘NOM’, -ưgw /-ɯɡʷ/ ‘GEN’, -ish /-iʃ/ ‘DAT’, -eğ /-eɣ/ ‘INS’, -iṛ́ /-irˤ/ ‘VOC’, -anʑ /-a#ʑ/ ‘ALL’, -ưŕ /-ɯr/ ‘LOC’, -uŕ /-ur/ ‘ABL’ and -az /-az/ ‘PART’.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 11 prefixes, namely ddin- /ɗi#-/ ‘little’, ’u- /ʔu-/ ‘big’, ta- /ta-/ ‘old’, hṭu- /htˤu-/ ‘new’, rthó- /ʈʰo-/ ‘good’, khwa- /xʷa-/ ‘bad’, óẓó- /ozˤo-/ ‘have’, ehʈư- /ehʈɯ-/ ‘use’, óvơ- /ovɤ-/ ‘see’, unfưn- /u#fɯ#-/ ‘make’ and ơddư- /ɤɗɯ-/ ‘break’

The Adjective

In Z, the adjective has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising gh- /gʱ-/ ‘NOM’, rr- /ɽ-/ ‘GEN’, k- /k-/ ‘DAT’, p- /p-/ ‘INS’, ɺ- /ɺ-/ ‘VOC’, dḥ- /dʱˤ-/ ‘ALL’, quh- /kʰʷ-/ ‘LOC’, r̥- /r̥-/ ‘ABL’ and ṣ- /sˤ-/ ‘PART’ followed by the root.

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Z, the determiner has the following structure: first, an obligatory prefix expressing gender, comprising ɭ- /ɭ-/ ‘cl.1’, ẓ- /zˤ-/ ‘cl.2’, rt- /ʈ-/ ‘cl.3’ and qu- /kʷ-/ ‘cl.4’; second, the root; and finally, third, an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -r̥̣ /-r̥ˤ/ ‘NOM’, -l /-l/ ‘GEN’, -qu /-kʷ/ ‘DAT’, -p /-p/ ‘INS’, -r̥ /-r̥/ ‘VOC’, -ṣ /-sˤ/ ‘ALL’, -z /-z/ ‘LOC’, /-r/ ‘ABL’ and /-ɺ/ ‘PART’.

Pronouns

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

In Z, subject pronouns (but not object pronouns ones) are dropped unless they are stressed. Here is an example where neither of the pronouns are stressed:

Fóghullunruɹ ğwæty.

[fogʱuˈʎũɾuɹ ˈɣʷɛt͡ɕ]

f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈũɾ
love
-uɹ
active
ˈɣʷɛt͡ɕ
3.cl.1

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

But here, the word corresponding to he (i.e., the subject) is stressed:

Tḥæğ fóghullunruɹ ğwæty.

[ˈtʰˤɛɣ fogʱuˈʎũɾuɹ ˈɣʷɛt͡ɕ]

ˈtʰˤɛɣ
3.cl.2
f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈũɾ
love
-uɹ
active
ˈɣʷɛt͡ɕ
3.cl.1

He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

Rthutưḍaŕ ẓinr̥̣ fóghullóqótyuɹ Deɹơnṣaŕ ɭinr̥̣.

[ʈʰuˈtɯdˤar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ fogʱuʎoˈqot͡ɕuɹ deˈɹɤ̃sˤar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ]

ʈʰuˈtɯdˤ
Tutud
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈoqot͡ɕ
hate
-uɹ
active
deˈɹɤ̃sˤ
Des
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“Tutud hates Des.”

(4)

Possession

fófưgw ẓinl ṭebærraŕ quinr̥̣

[ˈfofɯɡʷ ˈzˤĩl tˤeˈbɛɽar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ˈfof
boy
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
tˤeˈbɛɽ
apple
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
tḥæğ ṭebærraŕ quinr̥̣

[ˈtʰˤɛɣ tˤeˈbɛɽar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ˈtʰˤɛɣ
3.cl.2
tˤeˈbɛɽ
apple
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
bity ṭebærraŕ quinr̥̣

[ˈbit͡ɕ tˤeˈbɛɽar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ˈbit͡ɕ
1excl
tˤeˈbɛɽ
apple
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“my apple”

(7)
Ğưğwæwưgw ẓinl hʈuğwaŕ ɭinr̥̣ feghupanʑurthuɹ rthój rsuhṭenlưgw rtinl ghwæɻaŕ ẓinr̥̣.

[ɣɯˈɣʷɛwɯɡʷ ˈzˤĩl ˈhʈuɣʷar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ fegʱupãˈʑuʈʰuɹ ˈʈʰoj ʂuˈhtˤẽlɯɡʷ ˈʈĩl ˈgʱʷɛɻar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ]

ɣɯˈɣʷɛw
hunter
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
ˈhʈuɣʷ
daughter
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈãʑuʈʰ
kiss
-uɹ
active
ˈʈʰoj
2
ʂuˈhtˤẽl
neighbour
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
ʈ-
cl.3
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
ˈgʱʷɛɻ
son
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(8)

Derivation

jưŕinjaŕ

[jɯˈrĩjar]

jɯˈrĩj
lamb
-ar
NOM

“a lamb”

(9)
ddinjưŕinjaŕ

[ɗĩjɯˈrĩjar]

ɗĩ-
little
jɯˈrĩj
lamb
-ar
NOM

“a little lamb”

(10)
Feghupóẓóddinjưŕinjuɹ.

[fegʱupozˤoɗĩjɯˈrĩjuɹ]

f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ozˤo-
have
ɗĩ-
little
jɯˈrĩj
lamb
-uɹ
active

“She had a little lamb.”

(11)

This doesn’t affect all adjectives and verbs. Compare, for instance the previous example with this one, where black and love do not undergo affixation:

Feghupunruɹ feghullizuɹ ʑunṛars jưŕinjaŕ.

[fegʱuˈpũɾuɹ fegʱuˈʎizuɹ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ jɯˈrĩjar]

f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈũɾ
love
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈiz
black
-uɹ
active
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
jɯˈrĩj
lamb
-ar
NOM

“She loved a black lamb.”

(12)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

There are no clitics in the verbal phrase.

In addition, the verb is structured like this: first, an obligatory prefix expressing question, comprising ğ- /ɣ-/ ‘Q’ and f- /f-/ ‘not.Q’; second, an obligatory prefix expressing subj, comprising i- /i-/ ‘1incl’, u- /u-/ ‘1excl’, ư- /ɯ-/ ‘2’, e- /e-/ ‘3.cl.1’, ó- /o-/ ‘3.cl.2’, ơ- /ɤ-/ ‘3.cl.3’ and a- /a-/ ‘3.cl.4’; third, an obligatory prefix expressing negation, comprising ch- /t͡ʃ-/ ‘NEG’ and gh- /gʱ-/ ‘POS’; fourth, an obligatory prefix expressing mode, comprising u- /u-/ ‘indicative’, ơ- /ɤ-/ ‘imperative’, un- /u#-/ ‘conditional’ and e- /e-/ ‘optative’; fifth, an obligatory prefix expressing ta, comprising ll- /ʎ-/ ‘PRES’ and p- /p-/ ‘PAST’; sixth, the root; and finally, seventh, an obligatory suffix expressing voice, comprising -uɹ /-uɹ/ ‘active’ and -uŕ /-ur/ ‘passive’.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: five prefixes, namely iṣ- /isˤ-/ ‘begin’, unr- /u#ɾ-/ ‘stop’, af- /af-/ ‘continue’, ưnħg- /ɯ#ɢ-/ ‘try’ and ós- /os-/ ‘start’

Fughullunruɹ rthój.

[fugʱuˈʎũɾuɹ ˈʈʰoj]

f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈũɾ
love
-uɹ
active
ˈʈʰoj
2

“I love you.”

(13)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

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

hkwauṭaŕ ẓinr̥̣ ɺưzaŕ qåll

[ˈhkʷautˤar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ ˈɺɯzar ˈqʌʎ]

ˈhkʷautˤ
table
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈɺɯz
surface
-ar
NOM
ˈqʌʎ
in

“on the table”

(14)
tagóhtaŕ ɭinr̥̣ ɺơnraŕ gukhw

[taˈɡohtar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ ˈɺɤ̃ɾar ˈɡuxʷ]

taˈɡoht
box
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈɺɤ̃ɾ
inside
-ar
NOM
ˈɡuxʷ
to

“into the box”

(15)
bity gưɺanɻ

[ˈbit͡ɕ ɡɯˈɺãɻ]

ˈbit͡ɕ
1excl
ɡɯˈɺãɻ
COMIT

“with me”

(16)

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.

Z 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 Z.

Għichobbaŕ quinr̥̣ faghupinkhwuɹ ğưğwæwaŕ ẓinr̥̣.

[ʕiˈt͡ʃɔɓar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuˈpĩxʷuɹ ɣɯˈɣʷɛwar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ]

ʕiˈt͡ʃɔɓ
jaguar
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩxʷ
kill
-uɹ
active
ɣɯˈɣʷɛw
hunter
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(17)
Ddadḍivaŕ quinr̥̣ faghupơhkuɹ ğưğwæwưgw ẓinl hʈuğwưgw ɭinl għơvaŕ quinr̥̣.

[ɗaˈɗˤivar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuˈpɤhkuɹ ɣɯˈɣʷɛwɯɡʷ ˈzˤĩl ˈhʈuɣʷɯɡʷ ˈɭĩl ˈʕɤvar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ɗaˈɗˤiv
lion
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈɤhk
eat
-uɹ
active
ɣɯˈɣʷɛw
hunter
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
ˈhʈuɣʷ
daughter
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
ˈʕɤv
dog
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(18)

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 Z 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, Z 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.

rthój ghwæɻưgw ẓinl ṭɔityưgw ɭinl bukaŕ ɭinr̥̣

[ˈʈʰoj ˈgʱʷɛɻɯɡʷ ˈzˤĩl ˈtˤɔit͡ɕɯɡʷ ˈɭĩl bukar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ]

ˈʈʰoj
2
ˈgʱʷɛɻ
son
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
ˈtˤɔit͡ɕ
friend
-ɯɡʷ
GEN
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-l
GEN
buk
book
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“your son’s friend’s book”

(19)

Case Marking

Z does not use case marking to distinguish the core participants of the clause. There is therefore no regular nominative, accusative, ergative, active or stative marking on subjects and objects. Instead, the roles of the participants are identified by other means, cf. the examples below.

ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣ faghulluğuɹ.

[ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuˈʎuɣuɹ]

ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈuɣ
sleep
-uɹ
active

“The cat is sleeping.”

(20)
ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣ faghullåbuɹ.

[ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuˈʎʌbuɹ]

ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈʌb
run
-uɹ
active

“The cat is running.”

(21)
ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣ faghullónrreɭuɹ ğwanlógwaŕ quinr̥̣.

[ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuʎõˈɽeɭuɹ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈõɽeɭ
chase
-uɹ
active
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(22)
ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣ faghupaṣuɹ ğwanlógwaŕ quinr̥̣.

[ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ fagʱuˈpasˤuɹ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈasˤ
catch
-uɹ
active
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(23)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Ğưğwæwaŕ ẓinr̥̣ fóghupinkhwuɹ għichobbaŕ quinr̥̣ tal rsóvưqwaŕ quinr̥̣ tal ddadḍivaŕ quinr̥̣.

[ɣɯˈɣʷɛwar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ fogʱuˈpĩxʷuɹ ʕiˈt͡ʃɔɓar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ˈtal ʂoˈvɯqʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ˈtal ɗaˈɗˤivar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

ɣɯˈɣʷɛw
hunter
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩxʷ
kill
-uɹ
active
ʕiˈt͡ʃɔɓ
jaguar
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈtal
and
ʂoˈvɯqʷ
tiger
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈtal
and
ɗaˈɗˤiv
lion
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(24)

Modifiers and Determiners

The ordering of demonstratives, articles (if present), and other modifiers in Z 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

Z forms relative clauses by placing them before the noun they modify. The modifier takes the form of a finite clause that precedes the head noun without any relative pronoun. The clause shows ordinary clausal structure, with the role of the head noun recoverable from the syntactic position inside the clause.

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

Fughupinɭuhṭuɹ ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣.

[fugʱupĩˈɭuhtˤuɹ ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩɭuhtˤ
pat
-uɹ
active
ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“I patted the cat.”

(25)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Fughupinɭuhṭuɹ feghupaṣuɹ ğwanlógwaŕ quinr̥̣ ʑunṛars ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣.

[fugʱupĩˈɭuhtˤuɹ fegʱuˈpasˤuɹ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩɭuhtˤ
pat
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈasˤ
catch
-uɹ
active
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(26)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Fughupinɭuhṭuɹ feghupaṣuɹ feghupơhkuɹ xóɹư’aŕ quinr̥̣ ʑunṛars ğwanlógwaŕ quinr̥̣ ʑunṛars ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣.

[fugʱupĩˈɭuhtˤuɹ fegʱuˈpasˤuɹ fegʱuˈpɤhkuɹ xoˈɹɯʔar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩɭuhtˤ
pat
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈasˤ
catch
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈɤhk
eat
-uɹ
active
xoˈɹɯʔ
cheese
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(27)

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

Fughupinɭuhṭuɹ feghupaṣuɹ feghupơhkuɹ bity fughupóṣuɹ ʑunṛars xóɹư’aŕ quinr̥̣ ʑunṛars ğwanlógwaŕ quinr̥̣ ʑunṛars ʑeŕaŕ quinr̥̣.

[fugʱupĩˈɭuhtˤuɹ fegʱuˈpasˤuɹ fegʱuˈpɤhkuɹ ˈbit͡ɕ fugʱuˈposˤuɹ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ xoˈɹɯʔar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ɣʷãˈloɡʷar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ ʑũˈɾˤaʂ ˈʑerar ˈkʷĩr̥ˤ]

f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈĩɭuhtˤ
pat
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈasˤ
catch
-uɹ
active
f-
not.Q
e-
3.cl.1.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈɤhk
eat
-uɹ
active
ˈbit͡ɕ
1excl
f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈosˤ
buy
-uɹ
active
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
xoˈɹɯʔ
cheese
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ɣʷãˈloɡʷ
mouse
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
ˈʑer
cat
-ar
NOM
kʷ-
cl.4
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(28)

Complementation Strategies

Z 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:

Fófaŕ ẓinr̥̣ fóghupibuɹ ṭandḍaŕ ɭinr̥̣ ṭebærraŕ ʑunṛars faghupihkwinhkwuɹ ḍichelaŕ ẓinr̥̣.

[ˈfofar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ fogʱuˈpibuɹ ˈtˤãɗˤar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ tˤeˈbɛɽar ʑũˈɾˤaʂ fagʱupiˈhkʷĩhkʷuɹ dˤit͡ʃelar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ]

ˈfof
boy
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈib
give
-uɹ
active
ˈtˤãɗˤ
girl
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
tˤeˈbɛɽ
apple
-ar
NOM
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP
f-
not.Q
a-
3.cl.4.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈihkʷĩhkʷ
surprise
-uɹ
active
dˤit͡ʃel
teacher
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM

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

(29)

Quotes

Z 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:

Fófaŕ ẓinr̥̣ fóghupuwuɹ ṭandḍaŕ ɭinr̥̣ bity fughullunruɹ rthój ʑunṛars.

[ˈfofar ˈzˤĩr̥ˤ fogʱuˈpuwuɹ ˈtˤãɗˤar ˈɭĩr̥ˤ ˈbit͡ɕ fugʱuˈʎũɾuɹ ˈʈʰoj ʑũˈɾˤaʂ]

ˈfof
boy
-ar
NOM
zˤ-
cl.2
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
f-
not.Q
o-
3.cl.2.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
p-
PAST
ˈuw
tell
-uɹ
active
ˈtˤãɗˤ
girl
-ar
NOM
ɭ-
cl.1
ˈĩ
the
-r̥ˤ
NOM
ˈbit͡ɕ
1excl
f-
not.Q
u-
1excl.SUBJ
gʱ-
POS
u-
indicative
ʎ-
PRES
ˈũɾ
love
-uɹ
active
ˈʈʰoj
2
ʑũˈɾˤaʂ
COMP

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

(30)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Z. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 8 August 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/1D0XB

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-1D0XB,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Z}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/1D0XB}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 8 August 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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