A Grammar of Klag

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Klag language (the 1207th 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 Klag.

Typological Profile

It has a full set of ejective articulations, the VSO basic order, common globally but unusual in many families and postpositions.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Klag has an astonishing 130 consonant phonemes, exceeding any consonant system known to the author. The inventory is remarkably extensive.

It has an exceptionally large and contrastive set of fricatives, an exceptionally dense sibilant inventory, a highly developed aspirated consonant series, an extensively developed liquid system and a full set of ejective articulations.

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

labialdentallab. dentalphar. dentalalveolarlab. alveolarphar. alveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatallateralpalatalretroflexvelarlab. velaruvularlab. uvularglottal
stopp b d t dʷ tʷ dˤ tˤ ɖ ʈ k ɡ kʷ ɡʷ q ʔ
aspirated stoptʰʷ tʰˤ ʈʰ kʰʷ
preaspirated stophp ht htʷ htˤ hk hkʷ
ejective stoptʷʼ tˤʼ ʈʼ kʷʼ qʷʼ
nasalm m̥ n n̥ nʷ n̥ʷ nˤ n̥ˤ ɲ ɳ ɳ̥ ŋ ŋ̥ ŋʷ ŋ̥ʷ
trill/tap/flapr̥ ɾ r̥ʷ ɾʷ r̥ˤ ɾˤ ɽ
fricativeɸ θ θʷ θˤ s ʃ ɕ ʑ ɬ ʂ x h
affricatet͡s t͡sʷ t͡sˤ t͡ʃ t͡ɕ
implosiveɓ ɗ ɗʷ ɗˤ ʄ ɠ ɠʷ
clickᵏǀ ᵏǀʰ ᵏǀʷ ᵏǀʰʷ ᵏǀˤ ᵏǀʰˤ ᵏǃ ᵏǃʰ ᵏǃʷ ᵏǃʰʷ ᵏǃˤ ᵏǃʰˤ ᵏǁ ᵏǁʰ
ejective clickᵏǀʼ ᵏǀʷʼ ᵏǀˤʼ ᵏǃʼ ᵏǃʷʼ ᵏǃˤʼ ᵏǁʼ
click, nasalᵑǀ ᵑǀʷ ᵑǀˤ ᵑǃ ᵑǃʷ ᵑǃˤ ᵑǁ
ejective click, nasalᵑǀʼ ᵑǀʷʼ ᵑǀˤʼ ᵑǃʼ ᵑǃʷʼ ᵑǃˤʼ ᵑǁʼ

Vowels

Klag 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, a fully contrastive long–short vowel distinction across the system, a regular pattern of underlying ghost nuclei that often delete, a maximally “square” vowel system balancing heights across backness and an unusually fine-grained height system distinguishing four levels.

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

frontback
closei ĩ u ũ
mide ẽ o õ
open-midɛ ɛ̃ ɔ ɔ̃
openæ æ̃ ɑ ɑ̃

Stress and Tones

Klag 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

The language employs vowel harmony. To be specific, the following vowels change to match the first vowel of the root: /i/ becomes /i#/, /u/ becomes /u#/, /e/ becomes /e#/, /o/ becomes /o#/, /ɛ/ becomes /ɛ#/, /ɔ/ becomes /ɔ#/, /æ/ becomes /æ#/, /ɑ/ becomes /ɑ#/.

Writing System

Introduction

Klag 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 /ɑ/a’ /ɑ̰/b /b/c /ᵏǀ/
c̣ /ᵏǀˤ/d /d/ḍ /dˤ/e /e/
e’ /ḛ/f /f/g /ɡ/h /h/
i /i/i’ /ḭ/k /k/m /m/
n /n/ṇ /nˤ/o /ɔ/o’ /ɔ̰/
p /p/q /q/r /ɾ/ṛ /ɾˤ/
r̥ /r̥/r̥̣ /r̥ˤ/s /s/ṣ /sˤ/
t /t/ṭ /tˤ/u /u/u’ /ṵ/
x /ᵏǁ/z /θ/ẓ /θˤ/ä /æ/
ä’ /æ̰/æ /ɛ/æ’ /ɛ̰/ñ /ɲ/
ó /o/ó’ /o̰/ŋ̥ /ŋ̥/ŕ /r/
ṛ́ /rˤ/ɕ /ɕ/ɳ̥ /ɳ̥/ɸ /ɸ/
ʑ /ʑ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

aa /ɑː/an /ɑ̃/anan /ɑ̃ː/
an’ /ɑ̰̃/bb /ɓ/bp /pʼ/
ch /ᵏǀʰ/chw /ᵏǀʰʷ/cḥ /ᵏǀʰˤ/
cw /ᵏǀʷ/dd /ɗ/ddw /ɗʷ/
dḍ /ɗˤ/dt /tʼ/dtw /tʼʷ/
dṭ /tʼˤ/dw /dʷ/ee /eː/
en /ẽ/enen /ẽː/en’ /ḛ̃/
gg /ɠ/ggw /ɠʷ/gk /kʼ/
gq /qʼ/gqu /kʼʷ/gqw /qʼʷ/
gw /ɡʷ/hk /hk/hkw /hkʷ/
hl /ɬ/hm /m̥/hp /hp/
ht /ht/htw /htʷ/hṭ /htˤ/
hʈ /hʈ/ii /iː/in /ĩ/
inin /ĩː/in’ /ḭ̃/jj /ʄ/
kh /kʰ/khw /xʷ/nc /ᵑǀ/
ncw /ᵑǀʷ/nc̣ /ᵑǀˤ/ng /ŋ/
ngw /ŋʷ/nh /n̥/nhw /n̥ʷ/
nḥ /n̥ˤ/nq /ᵑǃ/nqw /ᵑǃʷ/
nq̣ /ᵑǃˤ/nw /nʷ/nx /ᵑǁ/
on /ɔ̃/onon /ɔ̃ː/on’ /ɔ̰̃/
oo /ɔː/ph /pʰ/qh /ᵏǃʰ/
qhw /ᵏǃʰʷ/qḥ /ᵏǃʰˤ/qu /kʷ/
quh /kʰʷ/qw /qʷ/rd /ɖ/
rdd /ᶑ/rn /ɳ/rr /ɽ/
rs /ʂ/rt /ʈ/rth /ʈʰ/
rw /ɾʷ/r̥w /r̥ʷ/sh /ʃ/
sw /sʷ/th /tʰ/thw /tʰʷ/
tḥ /tʰˤ/tw /tʷ/tx /t͡ʃ/
ty /t͡ɕ/tz /t͡s/tzw /t͡sʷ/
tẓ /t͡sˤ/un /ũ/unun /ũː/
un’ /ṵ̃/uu /uː/xh /ᵏǁʰ/
xx /x/zw /θʷ/än /æ̃/
änän /æ̃ː/än’ /æ̰̃/ää /æː/
æn /ɛ̃/ænæn /ɛ̃ː/æn’ /ɛ̰̃/
ææ /ɛː/ón /õ/ónón /õː/
ón’ /õ̰/óó /oː/ŋ̥w /ŋ̥ʷ/
ŕw /rʷ/ʈʼ /ʈʼ/ᵏǀʼ /ᵏǀʼ/
ᵏǀʼw /ᵏǀʼʷ/ᵏǀʼ̣ /ᵏǀʼˤ/ᵏǁʼ /ᵏǁʼ/
ᵏǃ /ᵏǃ/ᵏǃw /ᵏǃʷ/ᵏǃʼ /ᵏǃʼ/
ᵏǃʼw /ᵏǃʼʷ/ᵏǃʼ̣ /ᵏǃʼˤ/ᵏǃ̣ /ᵏǃˤ/
ᵑǀʼ /ᵑǀʼ/ᵑǀʼw /ᵑǀʼʷ/ᵑǀʼ̣ /ᵑǀʼˤ/
ᵑǁʼ /ᵑǁʼ/ᵑǃʼ /ᵑǃʼ/ᵑǃʼw /ᵑǃʼʷ/
ᵑǃʼ̣ /ᵑǃʼˤ/’ /ʔ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Klag does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Klag does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

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

ɕä’swtw swṭuuṣrt rshṭæn#ːdḍ qin#̰dw rshṭæn#ːdḍ gkun ᵏǀʼuɕhṭiɕgq sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ thóshṭ ᵏǃótzw shtweers khä’nḥiṛ́ qḥent.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤuːsˤʈ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈqḭ̃̃dʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈkʼun ᵏǀʼuˈɕhtˤiɕqʼ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈtʰoʃtˤ ˈᵏǃot͡sʷ ˈshtʷeːʂ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈuːsˤʈ
catch
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈqḭ̃dʷ
woman
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈkʼun
knife
ᵏǀʼuˈɕhtˤiɕqʼ
COMIT
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈtʰoʃtˤ
blind
ˈᵏǃot͡sʷ
yon
ˈshtʷeːʂ
three
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

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

(1)

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

All nominal phrase clitics in Klag are enclitics (placed finally), and there are two types: a clitic expressing possessor, comprising r̥tẓ /r̥ᵊt͡sˤ/ ‘1incl’, htihl /htiɬ/ ‘1excl’, ṣgkeʑgqu /sˤkʼeʑkʼʷ/ ‘2’ and qḥent /ᵏǃʰˤe#t/ ‘3’ followed by a clitic expressing case, comprising sdtweʈʼ /stʼʷeʈʼ/ ‘ACT’, shhʈiqw /ʃhʈiqʷ/ ‘GEN’, qhwe’sʈʼ /ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ/ ‘DAT’, ggóɕ /ɠoɕ/ ‘INS’, jjääṭ /ʄæːtˤ/ ‘VOC’, rthäätw /ʈʰæːtʷ/ ‘ALL’, ᵑǀʼ̣ä’ŕw /ᵑǀʼˤæ̰rʷ/ ‘LOC’, nq̣äggw /ᵑǃˤæɠʷ/ ‘ABL’ and tyub /t͡ɕub/ ‘PART’.

The morphology of the elements of the nominal phrase, i.e., nouns, adjectives, numerals and pronouns, is described below, as is the way that possession is expressed in Klag.

The Noun

The noun in Klag stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

The Adjective

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

Numerals

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

Determiners

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

Pronouns

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

Klag 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:

Swṭæægk qon#ṛ́ sdtweʈʼ qon#ṛ́.

[ˈsʷtˤɛːkʼ ˈqɔ̃̃rˤ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈqɔ̃̃rˤ]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɛːkʼ
love
ˈqɔ̃rˤ
3
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈqɔ̃rˤ
3

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

Proper Nouns

Swṭaṣgkät rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕthi’ósw sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ Tytzwon#ːʑdṭ.

[ˈsʷtˤɑsˤkʼæt ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ɕtʰiˈʔosʷ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ t͡ɕᵊˈt͡sʷɔ̃̃ːʑtʼˤ]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɑsˤkʼæt
hate
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ɕtʰiˈʔosʷ
Sahtios
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
t͡ɕᵊˈt͡sʷɔ̃ːʑtʼˤ
Cahtsozaht

“Sahtios hates Cahtsozaht.”

(3)

Possession

rshṭæn#ːdḍ ḍiṣqw rshṭæn#ːdḍ ʑḍershṭätx qḥent

[ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈdˤisˤqʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈdˤisˤqʷ
boy
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ
apple
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

“the boy’s apple”

(4)
qon#ṛ́ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ʑḍershṭätx qḥent

[ˈqɔ̃̃rˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ˈqɔ̃rˤ
3
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ
apple
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(5)
rshṭæn#ːdḍ ʑḍershṭätx htihl

[ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ htiɬ]

ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ
apple
htiɬ
1excl.POSS

“my apple”

(6)
ɕä’swtw swṭän#qängqu rshṭæn#ːdḍ xónshkhun#ːṣqw rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕhkwiirt qḥent sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ sdtabpó’ɕqw ṣgkeʑgqu rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕʈʼóór̥̣ qḥent.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤæ̃̃qæ̃kʼʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǁõˈʃkʰũ̃ːsˤqʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈɕhkʷiːʈ ᵏǃʰˤẽt stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ stʼɑˈpʼo̰ɕqʷ sˤkʼeʑkʼʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈɕʈʼoːr̥ˤ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈæ̃qækʼʷ
kiss
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǁoˈʃkʰũːsˤqʷ
hunter
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈɕhkʷiːʈ
daughter
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
stʼɑˈpʼo̰ɕqʷ
neighbour
sˤkʼeʑkʼʷ
2.POSS
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈɕʈʼoːr̥ˤ
son
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

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

(7)

Derivation

Klag has no derivational processes.

rshkwan#ːn ʑdṣʈʼun#sh

[ˈʂhkʷɑ̃̃ːn ʑdᵊˈsˤʈʼũ̃ʃ]

ˈʂhkʷɑ̃ːn
a
ʑdᵊˈsˤʈʼũʃ
lamb

“a lamb”

(8)

Note how none show up here:

ɕä’swtw swṭin#ʑq qon#ṛ́ ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭæɕrt rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕṭodd rshkwan#ːn ʑdṣʈʼun#sh qḥent.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤĩ̃ʑq ˈqɔ̃̃rˤ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤɛɕʈ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈɕtˤɔɗ ˈʂhkʷɑ̃̃ːn ʑdᵊˈsˤʈʼũ̃ʃ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈĩʑq
want
ˈqɔ̃rˤ
3
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɛɕʈ
have
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈɕtˤɔɗ
little
ˈʂhkʷɑ̃ːn
a
ʑdᵊˈsˤʈʼũʃ
lamb
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(9)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Klag fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing comp, comprising ɕquhóóswk /ɕkʰʷoːsʷk/ ‘COMP’; second, a clitic expressing negation, comprising dṭuh /tʼˤuh/ ‘NEG’; third, a clitic expressing ta, comprising ɕä’swtw /ɕæ̰sʷtʷ/ ‘PAST’; fourth, a clitic expressing mode, comprising shthuur̥ /ʃtʰuːr̥/ ‘imperative’, sw’óng /sʷʔoŋ/ ‘conditional’ and nwi’gk /nʷḭkʼ/ ‘optative’; and finally, fifth, a clitic expressing voice, comprising nhwóʑt /n̥ʷoʑt/ ‘passive’.

In addition, the verb is structured like this: an obligatory prefix expressing question, comprising squh- /skʰʷ-/ ‘Q’ and swṭ- /sʷtˤ-/ ‘not.Q’ followed by the root.

Swṭæægk zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ xhob.

[ˈsʷtˤɛːkʼ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ˈᵏǁʰɔb]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɛːkʼ
love
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈᵏǁʰɔb
2

“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.

rshṭæn#ːdḍ r̥ääʑqw ṣthwän#ṛ́ ᵑǀʼ̣ä’ŕw hläṛ

[ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈr̥æːʑqʷ ˈsˤtʰʷæ̃̃rˤ ᵑǀʼˤæ̰rʷ ˈɬæɾˤ]

ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈr̥æːʑqʷ
table
ˈsˤtʰʷæ̃rˤ
surface
ᵑǀʼˤæ̰rʷ
LOC
ˈɬæɾˤ
in

“on the table”

(11)
rshṭæn#ːdḍ ṭin#ːɕkinʑdtw htwi qhwe’sʈʼ non#nw

[ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ tˤĩ̃ːˈɕkĩʑtʼʷ ˈhtʷi ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ ˈnɔ̃̃nʷ]

ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
tˤĩːˈɕkiʑtʼʷ
box
ˈhtʷi
inside
ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ
DAT
ˈnɔ̃nʷ
to

“into the box”

(12)
zwon#ːxx ᵑǀʼ̣ä’ŕw ᵏǀʼuɕhṭiɕgq

[ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx ᵑǀʼˤæ̰rʷ ᵏǀʼuˈɕhtˤiɕqʼ]

ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
ᵑǀʼˤæ̰rʷ
LOC
ᵏǀʼuˈɕhtˤiɕqʼ
COMIT

“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.

The basic constituent order of Klag is Verb–Subject–Object (VSO). Clauses begin with the verb, followed by the subject, with the object in final position. This pattern is attested among various verb-initial languages.

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

ɕä’swtw swṭun#sh rshṭæn#ːdḍ chen#hlanshdṭ sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ xónshkhun#ːṣqw.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤũ̃ʃ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǀʰẽ̃ˈɬɑ̃ʃtʼˤ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǁõˈʃkʰũ̃ːsˤqʷ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈũʃ
kill
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǀʰẽˈɬɑʃtʼˤ
jaguar
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǁoˈʃkʰũːsˤqʷ
hunter

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(14)
ɕä’swtw swṭääp rshṭæn#ːdḍ xxe’hʈaatzw sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ xónshkhun#ːṣqw rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕhkwiirt qḥent rshṭæn#ːdḍ hkwæ’ṇ qḥent.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤæːp ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ xḛˈhʈɑːt͡sʷ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǁõˈʃkʰũ̃ːsˤqʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈɕhkʷiːʈ ᵏǃʰˤẽt ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈhkʷɛ̰nˤ ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈæːp
eat
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
xḛˈhʈɑːt͡sʷ
lion
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǁoˈʃkʰũːsˤqʷ
hunter
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈɕhkʷiːʈ
daughter
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈhkʷɛ̰nˤ
dog
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

“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 Klag 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, Klag 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.

rshṭæn#ːdḍ ɕʈʼóór̥̣ ṣgkeʑgqu rshṭæn#ːdḍ rthä’dtw qḥent rshṭæn#ːdḍ siibææŕ qḥent

[ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈɕʈʼoːr̥ˤ sˤkʼeʑkʼʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈʈʰæ̰tʼʷ ᵏǃʰˤẽt ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ siːbɛːr ᵏǃʰˤẽt]

ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈɕʈʼoːr̥ˤ
son
sˤkʼeʑkʼʷ
2.POSS
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈʈʰæ̰tʼʷ
friend
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
siːbɛːr
book
ᵏǃʰˤẽt
3.POSS

“your son’s friend’s book”

(16)

Case Marking

Klag uses active case marking. Intransitive subjects are divided according to how they participate in the event. More agent-like subjects, such as the subject of ‘run’ or ‘shout’, pattern with transitive subjects and take the active or agentive case. Less agent-like subjects, such as the subject of ‘sleep’ or ‘be ill’, pattern with transitive objects and take the patientive or absolutive case. This system makes sense where the grammar treats control, volition or affectedness as more important than the simple distinction between subject and object.

Swṭiikhw rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt.

[ˈsʷtˤiːxʷ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈiːxʷ
sleep
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat

“The cat is sleeping.”

(17)
Swṭiiŕ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt sdtweʈʼ.

[ˈsʷtˤiːr ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ stʼʷeʈʼ]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈiːr
run
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT

“The cat is running.”

(18)
Swṭon#ːŕänɕq rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ khä’nḥiṛ́.

[ˈsʷtˤɔ̃̃ːræ̃ɕq ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ]

sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɔ̃ːræɕq
chase
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(19)
ɕä’swtw swṭuuṣrt rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ khä’nḥiṛ́.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤuːsˤʈ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈuːsˤʈ
catch
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(20)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

ɕä’swtw swṭun#sh rshṭæn#ːdḍ xónshkhun#ːṣqw sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ chen#hlanshdṭ ɕṭooṇ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ḍuuhṭitx ɕṭooṇ rshṭæn#ːdḍ xxe’hʈaatzw.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤũ̃ʃ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǁõˈʃkʰũ̃ːsˤqʷ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ᵏǀʰẽ̃ˈɬɑ̃ʃtʼˤ ˈɕtˤɔːnˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ dˤuːˈhtˤit͡ʃ ˈɕtˤɔːnˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ xḛˈhʈɑːt͡sʷ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈũʃ
kill
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǁoˈʃkʰũːsˤqʷ
hunter
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ᵏǀʰẽˈɬɑʃtʼˤ
jaguar
ˈɕtˤɔːnˤ
and
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
dˤuːˈhtˤit͡ʃ
tiger
ˈɕtˤɔːnˤ
and
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
xḛˈhʈɑːt͡sʷ
lion

“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 Klag 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

Klag 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:

ɕä’swtw swṭorshteŕw zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤɔʂhterʷ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɔʂhterʷ
pat
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat

“I patted the cat.”

(22)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

ɕä’swtw swṭorshteŕw zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭuuṣrt rshṭæn#ːdḍ khä’nḥiṛ́ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤɔʂhterʷ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤuːsˤʈ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɔʂhterʷ
pat
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈuːsˤʈ
catch
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(23)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

ɕä’swtw swṭorshteŕw zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭuuṣrt ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭääp rshṭæn#ːdḍ ngehlærsdṭ rshṭæn#ːdḍ khä’nḥiṛ́ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤɔʂhterʷ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤuːsˤʈ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤæːp ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ŋeˈɬɛʂtʼˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɔʂhterʷ
pat
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈuːsˤʈ
catch
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈæːp
eat
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ŋeˈɬɛʂtʼˤ
cheese
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat

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

(24)

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

ɕä’swtw swṭorshteŕw zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭuuṣrt ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭääp ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭän#p zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ngehlærsdṭ rshṭæn#ːdḍ khä’nḥiṛ́ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ᵏǁʼan#ːdt.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤɔʂhterʷ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤuːsˤʈ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤæːp ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤæ̃̃p ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ŋeˈɬɛʂtʼˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃̃ːtʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɔʂhterʷ
pat
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈuːsˤʈ
catch
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈæːp
eat
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈæ̃p
buy
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ŋeˈɬɛʂtʼˤ
cheese
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
kʰæ̰ˈn̥ˤirˤ
mouse
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈᵏǁʼɑ̃ːtʼ
cat

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

(25)

Complementation Strategies

Klag marks complement clauses with subordinating verbal morphology. The embedded verb is fully finite and carries a subordinating suffix that identifies the clause as a complement. No structural changes occur within the clause apart from this verbal marking.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

ɕä’swtw swṭanrddun#qu ɕä’swtw ɕquhóóswk swṭur̥̣ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ḍiṣqw sdtweʈʼ rshkwan#ːn ʑḍershṭätx rshṭæn#ːdḍ ṣäq qhwe’sʈʼ sdtweʈʼ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ggiitææŕ qhwe’sʈʼ.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤɑ̃ᶑũ̃kʷ ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤur̥ˤ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈdˤisˤqʷ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhkʷɑ̃̃ːn ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈsˤæq ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ stʼʷeʈʼ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ɠiːtɛːr ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɑᶑũkʷ
surprise
ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈur̥ˤ
give
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈdˤisˤqʷ
boy
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhkʷɑ̃ːn
a
ʑdˤeˈʂhtˤæt͡ʃ
apple
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈsˤæq
girl
ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ
DAT
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ɠiːtɛːr
teacher
ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ
DAT

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

(26)

Quotes

Klag employs a quotative particle to mark direct and indirect speech. The quotative follows the reported phrase and identifies the preceding expression as quoted or reported. The same construction is also used to express reported thoughts.

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

ɕä’swtw swṭur̥ rshṭæn#ːdḍ ḍiṣqw sdtweʈʼ ɕquhóóswk swṭæægk zwon#ːxx sdtweʈʼ xhob rshṭæn#ːdḍ ṣäq qhwe’sʈʼ.

[ɕæ̰sʷtʷ ˈsʷtˤur̥ ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈdˤisˤqʷ stʼʷeʈʼ ɕkʰʷoːsʷk ˈsʷtˤɛːkʼ ˈθʷɔ̃̃ːx stʼʷeʈʼ ˈᵏǁʰɔb ˈʂhtˤɛ̃̃ːɗˤ ˈsˤæq ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ]

ɕæ̰sʷtʷ
PAST
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈur̥
tell
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈdˤisˤqʷ
boy
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ɕkʰʷoːsʷk
COMP
sʷtˤ-
not.Q
ˈɛːkʼ
love
ˈθʷɔ̃ːx
1excl
stʼʷeʈʼ
ACT
ˈᵏǁʰɔb
2
ˈʂhtˤɛ̃ːɗˤ
the
ˈsˤæq
girl
ᵏǃʰʷḛsʈʼ
DAT

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

(27)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Klag. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 16 August 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/24TS1

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-24TS1,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Klag}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/24TS1}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 16 August 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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https://languagecreator.org/grammar/24TS1

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