A Grammar of Kig

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Kig language (the 1256th 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 Kig.

Typological Profile

It has a highly marked collection of glottal, uvular, pharyngeal or epiglottal contrasts, a total lack of nasal consonants, a full set of ejective articulations, proper polysynthesis and the highly uncommon basic word order OVS.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Kig has an extremely large consonant inventory, totalling 77 phonemes. Such a system is exceptional in scale.

It has a maximally developed dental–alveolar opposition, a highly marked collection of glottal, uvular, pharyngeal or epiglottal contrasts, a total lack of nasal consonants, an exceptionally large and contrastive set of fricatives and a maximally contrastive voicing system.

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

labialdentallab. dentalalveolarlab. alveolarpostalveolarlateralpalatalvelarlab. velaruvularlab. uvularpharyngealepiglottalglottal
stopp b d t dʷ tʷ k ɡ kʷ ɡʷ q ɢ qʷ ɢʷ ʡ ʔ
ejective stoptʷʼ kʷʼ qʷʼ
trill/tap/flapɾ ɾʷ ʜ
fricativef β ð θ ðʷ θʷ ɮ x ɣ xʷ ɣʷ ʁ χ ʁʷ χʷ ħ ʕ h ɦ
approximantɥ l j
affricatep͡f t͡ʃ k͡x k͡xʷ q͡χ q͡χʷ
implosiveɓ ɗ ɗʷ ɠ ɠʷ ʛ ʛʷ
clickᵏǀ ᵏǀʷ ᵏǃ ᵏǃʷ ᵏǁ
ejective clickᵏǀʼ ᵏǀʷʼ ᵏǃʼ ᵏǃʷʼ ᵏǁʼ

Vowels

Kig 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 highly marked system where syllables may lack audible vowels entirely, a maximally “square” vowel system balancing heights across backness and a full range of vowel qualities even in reduced syllables.

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

frontcentralback
closei ĩ ɨ ɨ̃ u ũ
close-mide ẽ ɘ ɘ̃ o õ
open-midɛ ɛ̃ ɜ ɜ̃ ɔ ɔ̃
opena ã

Stress and Tones

Kig 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#/, /ɨ/ becomes /ɨ#/, /e/ becomes /e#/, /o/ becomes /o#/, /ɘ/ becomes /ɘ#/, /ɛ/ becomes /ɛ#/, /ɔ/ becomes /ɔ#/, /ɜ/ becomes /ɜ#/, /a/ becomes /a#/.

Writing System

Introduction

Kig is normally written using the Devanagari abugida, the script employed for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and several other Indo-Aryan languages. This grammar also makes systematic use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to present an exact account of pronunciation.

Devanagari’s syllabic structure differs markedly from the IPA’s segmental approach, so the two notations complement one another: the script shows the organisation of syllables, while the IPA supplies detail on individual sounds.

Orthography

Here are the various components of the orthography:

Simple letters

अ /a, ɜ, ɜː/अँ /ã, ãː, ɜ̃, ɜ̃ː/आ /aː/इ /i/
इँ /ĩ, ĩː/ई /iː/उ /u/उँ /ũ, ũː/
ऊ /uː/ए /e, ɘ, ɘː, ᵊ/एँ /ẽ, ẽː, ɘ̃, ɘ̃ː/ऐ /ai, eː/
ऑ /ɔ, ɔː/ऑँ /ɔ̃, ɔ̃ː/ओ /o/ओँ /õ, õː/
औ /au, oː/क् /k/ख् /k͡x/ग़् /ɢ/
ग् /ɡ/च् /t͡ʃ/त् /t/थ् /θ/
द् /d/ध् /ð/प् /p/ब् /b/
भ् /ɓ/य् /j/र् /ɾ/ऱ् /r/
ल् /l/व् /v, w, β/ह़् /ħ, ʜ/ह् /h, ɦ/
ऽ /ʔ, ʕ, ʡ/क़ /kʼ/क़् /q/ख़् /χ/
ग़् /ɣ, ʁ/फ़् /f/ॲ /ɛ, ɛː/ॲँ /ɛ̃, ɛ̃ː/
ॶ /ɨ/ॶँ /ɨ̃, ɨ̃ː/ॷ /ɨː/ॾ् /ɗ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

क्ट् /ᵏǃ/क्ट्व् /ᵏǃʷ/क्ट्ऽ /ᵏǃʼ/
क्ट्ऽव् /ᵏǃʼʷ/क्त् /ᵏǀ/क्त्व् /ᵏǀʷ/
क्त्ऽ /ᵏǀʼ/क्त्ऽव् /ᵏǀʼʷ/क्ल् /ᵏǁ/
क्ल्ऽ /ᵏǁʼ/क्व् /kʷ/ख्व् /k͡xʷ, xʷ/
ग़्व् /ɢʷ/ग्व् /ɡʷ/ग्ऽ /ɠ/
ग्ऽव् /ɠʷ/ड्ऽ /ᶑ/त्व् /tʷ/
त्ऽ /tʼ/त्ऽव् /tʼʷ/थ्व् /θʷ/
द्व् /dʷ/ध्व् /ðʷ/प्फ् /p͡f/
प्ऽ /pʼ/य्व् /ɥ/र्व् /ɾʷ/
ऱ्व् /rʷ/ल्झ् /ɮ/क़व् /kʼʷ/
क़्व् /qʷ/क़्ऽ /qʼ/क़्ऽव् /qʼʷ/
क़्ख़् /q͡χ/क़्ख़्व् /q͡χʷ/ख़्व् /χʷ/
ग़्व् /ɣʷ, ʁʷ/ग़्ऽ /ʛ/ग़्ऽव् /ʛʷ/
ॾ्व् /ɗʷ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Kig does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Kig has the following genders:

Gender anim – for instance: क्टोग्ऽव् ‘mother’, क्ट्ऽउग़्व् ‘sea’, क्ट्ऽवॖँचँऽ ‘hunter’, क्त्ऽअँक् ‘leaf’, ख्वे ‘road’, ख्वेँरग़्ऽ ‘lamb’, ग़ॅँध्वॉँऽ ‘bark’, ग़्वँथ्वॖँद्व् ‘faeces’, गूग़् ‘fight’, ग्ऽवऽएँव् ‘mammal’, तेग़्वध् ‘farmer’, य्वॖऽ ‘foot’, ऽऐथ्वोँऱ्व् ‘anus’, क़अँग़्व् ‘cat’, क़वेँख्व् ‘year’, क़ॅक़्विँग़्व् ‘God’, क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ ‘mouse’, ख़ॖँख़् ‘manner’, ग़्ऽअख् ‘chair’, ॾेँय्व् ‘fire’.

Gender inanim – for instance: केर्व् ‘new’, क्लेॾ् ‘name’, ग्ऽएक़व् ‘wind’, त्वोव् ‘yellow’, त्ऽउग्व् ‘full’, त्ऽवेग़् ‘heavy’, थ्वोँग़्व् ‘ear’, पेऽ ‘colour’, येँव् ‘sound’, यग़थ्व् ‘flower’, लॉरैग़्व् ‘perfect’, ल्झॗग़् ‘city’, वँक़्ख़् ‘black’, ह़ेँहँय्व् ‘binoculars’, क़्ऽइँक़्ऽव् ‘moon’, क़्ऽवौक़व् ‘water’, ख़ेँथ्व् ‘hand’, फ़ॅँप्ऽॶऱ् ‘breast’, फ़ोप्ऽ ‘stone’, ॾॉँच् ‘old’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

ऱ्वोक़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ ग़्ऽवँ#क़्व् अँ#क़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् थूप्फ् तॅल् ध्वत् ग्विऽ ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् क़्ख़ॅल्झ् तॅक़ वॅँ#ːद्व् तॅल् धेग़ीऽ।

[rʷoqʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈʛʷã̃qʷ ˈxɜ̃̃kʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈθuːp͡f ˈtɛl ðʷɜt ˈɡʷiʔ ħɨw kʼɨːħ ˈq͡χɛːɮ ˈtɛkʼ ˈβɛ̃̃ːdʷ ˈtɛl ðeˈɣiːʕ]

rʷox-
plur
qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈʛʷãqʷ
three
ˈxɜ̃
yon
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈθuːp͡f
blind
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈl
inanim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈɡʷiʔ
catch
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ˈq͡χɛːɮ
woman
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ˈβɛ̃ːdʷ
knife
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈl
inanim
ðeˈɣiːʕ
COMIT

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

(1)

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

The nominal phrase clitics in Kig fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: a clitic expressing case, comprising क़ॷह़् /kʼɨːħ/ ‘ERG’, ग़्ऽवेग्ऽ /ʛʷᵊɠ/ ‘DAT’, क्त्ऽॶँत्व् /ᵏǀʼɨ#ːtʷ/ ‘INS’, ग्विग्ऽव् /ɡʷiɠʷ/ ‘VOC’, क़्ख़ुऽ /q͡χuʕ/ ‘ALL’, त्ऽएँख़् /tʼɘ#ːχ/ ‘LOC’, क्त्ऽवऽ /ᵏǀʼʷɜʕ/ ‘ABL’ and ॾफ़् /ɗaf/ ‘PART’ followed by a clitic expressing possessor, comprising ॾ्वीह़् /ɗʷiːʜ/ ‘1incl.sing’, थक़् /θɜq/ ‘1excl.sing’, ख़ॉँब् /χɔ#ːb/ ‘2.sing’, ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् /ʛoʛʷ/ ‘3.sing.anim’, लोँप्ऽ /lo#ːpʼ/ ‘3.sing.inanim’, क्ट्ऽअह़् /ᵏǃʼɜːʜ/ ‘1incl.plur’, य्वॅँप् /ɥɛ#p/ ‘1excl.plur’, ग़्ऽॶक़्ख़्व् /ʛɨq͡χʷ/ ‘2.plur’, ऽऑऱ्व् /ʕɔːrʷ/ ‘3.plur.anim’ and क़ुँथ् /qu#ːθ/ ‘3.plur.inanim’.

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 Kig.

The Noun

The noun in Kig consists of an optional prefix expressing number, comprising ऱ्वो- /rʷox-/ ‘plur’ followed by the root.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 39 prefixes, namely क्तॅँक्ल्- /ᵏǀɛ#ᵏǁ-/ ‘little’, वॉक़्ऽव्- /vɔqʼʷ-/ ‘big’, त्ऽऑँप्फ्- /tʼɔ#ːp͡f-/ ‘old’, क्त्ऽवैग़्व्- /ᵏǀʼʷeːɣʷ-/ ‘new’, ॾ्वेक़व्- /ɗʷekʼʷ-/ ‘good’, देप्- /dep-/ ‘bad’, ग्वेग्ऽव्- /ɡʷᵊɠʷ-/ ‘make’, वॖत्ऽव्- /wɨtʼʷ-/ ‘help’, क्तॖध्व्- /ᵏǀɨðʷ-/ ‘have’, धेँक्त्ऽव्- /ðe#ːᵏǀʼʷ-/ ‘use’, वी- /βiːx-/ ‘see’, रॅँग्ऽ- /ɾɛ#ɠ-/ ‘break’, ग़ेक्- /ʁɘk-/ ‘eat’, क्तग़्ऽ- /ᵏǀɜːʛ-/ ‘drink’, ख्वौख्- /k͡xʷoːk͡x-/ ‘wear’, प्फेक्त्- /p͡feᵏǀ-/ ‘own’, ॾ्वॉऽ- /ɗʷɔʡ-/ ‘contain’, त्वॅक्ट्- /tʷɛᵏǃ-/ ‘hold’, क्ट्ऽविँग्ऽ- /ᵏǃʼʷi#ːɠ-/ ‘lack’, धुँक्त्- /ðu#ːᵏǀ-/ ‘touch’, क़्ऽॲग़्ऽ- /qʼɛːʛ-/ ‘carry’, ग्वोँग्- /ɡʷo#ːɡ-/ ‘find’, ऽएक्त्ऽ- /ʡɘᵏǀʼ-/ ‘hunt’, ऽएभ्- /ʡeɓ-/ ‘guard’, हेक्व्- /hɘkʷ-/ ‘search’, ग्वॉँध्व्- /ɡʷɔ#ːðʷ-/ ‘learn’, ग़ुँब्- /ɢu#ːb-/ ‘teach’, क़्ऽएक्ट्- /qʼɘᵏǃ-/ ‘follow’, ग्ऽएँत्- /ɠe#ːt-/ ‘chase’, ऱेव्- /rᵊv-/ ‘build’, बाग्ऽव्- /baːɠʷ-/ ‘burn’, ह़ॅँॾ्- /ʜɛ#ːɗ-/ ‘hit’, ग़ँब्- /ɢa#b-/ ‘take’, प्फेफ़्- /p͡fᵊf-/ ‘cut’, थिँख्व्- /θi#ːk͡xʷ-/ ‘hear’, ग्ऽएब्- /ɠeb-/ ‘know’, ग्वेत्व्- /ɡʷetʷ-/ ‘love’, खॅँग़्व्- /k͡xɛ#ɢʷ-/ ‘protect’ and क्ट्ऽएक्त्ऽ- /ᵏǃʼɘːᵏǀʼ-/ ‘possess’

The Adjective

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

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Kig, the determiner has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing gender, comprising -क़ /-ˈkʼ/ ‘anim’ and -ल् /-ˈl/ ‘inanim’.

Pronouns

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

In Kig, both subject and object pronouns are dropped unless they are stressed. Here is an example where neither of the pronouns are stressed:

ग्वेत्वऽ।

[ɡʷeˈtʷɜːʕ]

ɡʷetʷ-
love
ˈᵏǁɜːʕ
girl

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

But here, the word corresponding to he is stressed:

ग्वेत्वऽ क़्ऽवोऽ।

[ɡʷeˈtʷɜːʕ ˈqʼʷoʕ]

ɡʷetʷ-
love
ˈᵏǁɜːʕ
girl
ˈqʼʷoʕ
3.sing.anim

He loves her.”

(3)

And here, it is the one translated as her that is stressed:

ग्वेत्वऽ।

[ɡʷeˈtʷɜːʕ]

ɡʷetʷ-
love
ˈᵏǁɜːʕ
girl

“He loves her.”

(4)

Proper Nouns

क़्ऽविँ#ːभँ#प्फ् तॅक़ ध्वत् ॶँ#ːक़्ख़्वॉँत्ऽव् क़ॷह़् थुक़्ख़्वग़् तॅक़।

[qʼʷĩ̃ːˈɓã̃p͡f ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt xɨ̃̃ːˈq͡χʷɔ̃tʼʷ kʼɨːħ θuˈq͡χʷɜɢ ˈtɛkʼ]

qʼʷĩːˈɓãp͡f
Qibapf
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
xɨ̃ːˈq͡χʷɔtʼʷ
hate
kʼɨːħ
ERG
θuˈq͡χʷɜɢ
Thuqakher
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“Thuqakher hates Qibapf.”

(5)

Possession

त्ऽऑध्वोत्व् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् त्वॖब् तॅक़

[tʼɔˈðʷotʷ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈtʷɨb ˈtɛkʼ]

tʼɔˈðʷotʷ
apple
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈtʷɨb
boy
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“the boy’s apple”

(6)
त्ऽऑध्वोत्व् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् क़्ऽवोऽ

[tʼɔˈðʷotʷ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈqʼʷoʕ]

tʼɔˈðʷotʷ
apple
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈqʼʷoʕ
3.sing.anim

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(7)
त्ऽऑध्वोत्व् तॅक़ थक़्

[tʼɔˈðʷotʷ ˈtɛkʼ θɜq]

tʼɔˈðʷotʷ
apple
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
θɜq
1excl.sing.POSS

“my apple”

(8)
ऽएँ#ːह़् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् क्टॅँ#ːफ़ँ#ऽ तॅक़ ख़ॉँब् ध्वत् क़्ऽवोग़ख़्व् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् क़वेक़्ऽ तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् क्ट्ऽवॖँ#ːचँ#ːऽ तॅक़।

[ˈʔɘ̃̃ːħ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ᵏǃɛ̃̃ːˈfɜ̃̃ʕ ˈtɛkʼ χɔ̃ːb ðʷɜt qʼʷoˈɢɜχʷ ħɨw kʼɨːħ ˈkʼʷɘːqʼ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃̃ːʕ ˈtɛkʼ]

ˈʔɘ̃ːħ
son
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ᵏǃɛ̃ːˈfɜ̃ʕ
neighbour
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
χɔ̃ːb
2.sing.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
qʼʷoˈɢɜχʷ
kiss
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ˈkʼʷɘːqʼ
daughter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃ːʕ
hunter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

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

(9)

Derivation

ख्वेँ#ːरँग़्ऽ ह़ॅक़

[k͡xʷɘ̃̃ːˈɾãʛ ˈʜɛkʼ]

k͡xʷɘ̃ːˈɾaʛ
lamb
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim

“a lamb”

(10)
क्तॅँ#ख्वेँ#ːरँग़्ऽ ह़ॅक़

[ᵏǀɛ̃̃k͡xʷɘ̃̃ːˈɾãʛ ˈʜɛkʼ]

ᵏǀɛ̃ᵏǁ-
little
k͡xʷɘ̃ːˈɾaʛ
lamb
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim

“a little lamb”

(11)
क्तॅँ#ख्वेँ#ːरँग़्ऽ ह़ॅक़ ध्वत् चेँ#ड्ऽ ह़ॖव्।

[ᵏǀɛ̃̃k͡xʷɘ̃̃ːˈɾãʛ ˈʜɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈt͡ʃɘ̃̃ᶑ ħɨw]

ᵏǀɛ̃ᵏǁ-
little
k͡xʷɘ̃ːˈɾaʛ
lamb
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈt͡ʃɘ̃ᶑ
have
ħɨw
PAST

“She had a little lamb.”

(12)
तेँचेँ#ड्ऽ ह़ॖव्।

[tẽˈt͡ʃɘ̃̃ᶑ ħɨw]

teɗʷ-
want
ˈt͡ʃɘ̃ᶑ
have
ħɨw
PAST

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(13)
चेँ#ड्ऽ ह़ॖव् क्तॅँ#ख्वेँ#ːरँग़्ऽ ह़ॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् वक्व् क्टॗफ़् ह़ॖव्।

[ˈt͡ʃɘ̃̃ᶑ ħɨw ᵏǀɛ̃̃k͡xʷɘ̃̃ːˈɾãʛ ˈʜɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt ˈwakʷ ˈᵏǃɨːf ħɨw]

ˈt͡ʃɘ̃ᶑ
have
ħɨw
PAST
ᵏǀɛ̃ᵏǁ-
little
k͡xʷɘ̃ːˈɾaʛ
lamb
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈwakʷ
want
ˈᵏǃɨːf
often
ħɨw
PAST

“She often wanted to have a little lamb.”

(14)
चेँ#ड्ऽ ह़ॖव् क्तॅँ#ख्वेँ#ːरँग़्ऽ ह़ॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् वक्व् क्टॗफ़् ह़ॖव् क़्ऽवोऽ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् ग़क़व् ह़ॖव् ग़ोँॾ्व् ध्वत् ग़्वॉँख् क्वोँ#ːऽ क्त्विग़्व्?

[ˈt͡ʃɘ̃̃ᶑ ħɨw ᵏǀɛ̃̃k͡xʷɘ̃̃ːˈɾãʛ ˈʜɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt ˈwakʷ ˈᵏǃɨːf ħɨw ˈqʼʷoʕ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt ˈʁakʼʷ ħɨw ʁõːɗʷ ðʷɜt ɣʷɔ̃k͡x ˈkʷõ̃ːʔ ᵏǀʷiʁʷ]

ˈt͡ʃɘ̃ᶑ
have
ħɨw
PAST
ᵏǀɛ̃ᵏǁ-
little
k͡xʷɘ̃ːˈɾaʛ
lamb
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈwakʷ
want
ˈᵏǃɨːf
often
ħɨw
PAST
ˈqʼʷoʕ
3.sing.anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈʁakʼʷ
think
ħɨw
PAST
ʁõːɗʷ
NEG
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ɣʷɔ̃k͡x
Q
ˈkʷõːʔ
be
ᵏǀʷiʁʷ
2.sing.SUBJ

“Are you not one of those who thought that she often wanted to have a little lamb?”

(15)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Kig fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing question, comprising ग़्वॉँख् /ɣʷɔ#k͡x/ ‘Q’; second, a clitic expressing indobj, comprising ग़ग़्व् /ɣɜʁʷ/ ‘1incl.sing’, हॖक् /ɦɨk/ ‘1excl.sing’, ह़ॉ /ħɔ/ ‘2.sing’, विक़ /wikʼ/ ‘3.sing.anim’, क़उब् /kʼub/ ‘3.sing.inanim’, ग्ऽवैत्ऽ /ɠʷeːtʼ/ ‘1incl.plur’, ग़्ऽवँॾ्व् /ʛʷa#ɗʷ/ ‘1excl.plur’, ख्वॉव् /xʷɔv/ ‘2.plur’, भोक् /ɓok/ ‘3.plur.anim’ and क़ॅल्झ् /qɛɮ/ ‘3.plur.inanim’; third, a clitic expressing obj, comprising त्ऽएक़्ख़् /tʼɘq͡χ/ ‘1incl.sing’, ख्वेत् /xʷɘːt/ ‘1excl.sing’, क़िक़्ख़्व् /qiq͡χʷ/ ‘2.sing’, ध्वत् /ðʷɜt/ ‘3.sing.anim’, ग़्विप्ऽ /ɣʷipʼ/ ‘3.sing.inanim’, यॅँब् /jɛ#b/ ‘1incl.plur’, क़्ऽउँत्व् /qʼu#tʷ/ ‘1excl.plur’, क़एख़्व् /kʼɘχʷ/ ‘2.plur’, थ्वेप्फ् /θʷᵊp͡f/ ‘3.plur.anim’ and हुक़व् /hukʼʷ/ ‘3.plur.inanim’; fourth, a clitic expressing negation, comprising ग़ोँॾ्व् /ʁo#ːɗʷ/ ‘NEG’; fifth, a clitic expressing voice, comprising धेप्फ् /ðᵊp͡f/ ‘passive’; sixth, a clitic expressing mode, comprising भॅग़् /ɓɛːʁ/ ‘imperative’, क्त्ऽअल्झ् /ᵏǀʼɜɮ/ ‘conditional’ and ग़ॉँल् /ʁɔ#ːl/ ‘optative’; seventh, a clitic expressing ta, comprising ह़ॖव् /ħɨw/ ‘PAST’; and finally, eighth, a clitic expressing subj, comprising त्ऽअँ /tʼɜ#x/ ‘1incl.sing’, ल्झिँव् /ɮi#ːv/ ‘1excl.sing’, क्त्विग़्व् /ᵏǀʷiʁʷ/ ‘2.sing’, ख़ॉत् /χɔt/ ‘3.sing.inanim’, थिँह् /θi#ːɦ/ ‘1incl.plur’, त्ऽएँक़्ख़् /tʼɘ#ːq͡χ/ ‘1excl.plur’, ग्ऽवख़् /ɠʷɜχ/ ‘2.plur’, क्ल्ऽइप्ऽ /ᵏǁʼipʼ/ ‘3.plur.anim’ and द्वॅफ़् /dʷɛf/ ‘3.plur.inanim’.

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

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: 19 prefixes, namely क़्ऽविँल्- /qʼʷi#ːl-/ ‘begin’, त्ऽवँऽ- /tʼʷa#ʕ-/ ‘stop’, ग़ड्ऽ- /ɣaᶑ-/ ‘continue’, ख्वॖक़्- /xʷɨq-/ ‘try’, ग़्वेँग़्व्- /ɢʷe#ːɢʷ-/ ‘start’, तेॾ्व्- /teɗʷ-/ ‘want’, क्ट्वुख़्व्- /ᵏǃʷuχʷ-/ ‘can’, त्ऽऑँप्ऽ- /tʼɔ#pʼ-/ ‘finish’, ख्वॅँग़्- /xʷɛ#ːɢ-/ ‘need’, क़वू- /kʼʷuːx-/ ‘decide’, देँल्- /de#ːl-/ ‘fail’, ख्विँद्- /k͡xʷi#d-/ ‘hope’, ग्ऽवैख्- /ɠʷeːk͡x-/ ‘must’, खॖक़्ख़्- /k͡xɨq͡χ-/ ‘pretend’, येख़्व्- /jeχʷ-/ ‘let’, य्वत्ऽव्- /ɥɜtʼʷ-/ ‘force’, ध्वाप्ऽ- /ðʷaːpʼ-/ ‘keep’, क़्ख़िल्झ्- /q͡χiɮ-/ ‘cause’ and ड्ऽएँच्- /ᶑe#ːt͡ʃ-/ ‘allow’

क़िक़्ख़्व् खिँ#प् ल्झिँव्।

[qiq͡χʷ ˈk͡xĩ̃p ɮĩːv]

qiq͡χʷ
2.sing.OBJ
ˈk͡xĩp
love
ɮĩːv
1excl.sing.SUBJ

“I love you.”

(16)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

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

त्ऽएँख़् ग़ीऽ त्वँ#ग़्ऽ तॅक़ ग्ऽवत्ऽ

[tʼɘ̃ːχ ˈɣiːʕ ˈtʷã̃ʛ ˈtɛkʼ ˈɠʷɜtʼ]

tʼɘ̃ːχ
LOC
ˈɣiːʕ
surface
ˈtʷãʛ
table
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ˈɠʷɜtʼ
in

“on the table”

(17)
ग़्ऽवेग्ऽ क़्वैच् ह़िदिक़्ख़् तॅक़ तेक़्

[ʛʷᵊɠ ˈqʷait͡ʃ ħiˈdiq͡χ ˈtɛkʼ ˈtɘq]

ʛʷᵊɠ
DAT
ˈqʷait͡ʃ
inside
ħiˈdiq͡χ
box
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ˈtɘq
to

“into the box”

(18)
त्ऽएँख़् लुग़्व् धेग़ीऽ

[tʼɘ̃ːχ ˈluʁʷ ðeˈɣiːʕ]

tʼɘ̃ːχ
LOC
ˈluʁʷ
1excl.sing
ðeˈɣiːʕ
COMIT

“with me”

(19)

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.

Kig has Object–Verb–Subject (OVS) as its basic constituent order. Clauses begin with the object, followed by the verb, with the subject in final position. This is a rare but attested configuration in the world’s languages.

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

क्ट्ऽवॖँ#ːचँ#ːऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् प्फेय् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् ग़्ऽवेँ#ग़ेँ#थ् तॅक़।

[ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃̃ːʕ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈp͡fej ħɨw kʼɨːħ ʛʷẽ̃ˈʁɘ̃̃θ ˈtɛkʼ]

ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃ːʕ
hunter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈp͡fej
kill
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ʛʷẽˈʁɘ̃θ
jaguar
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(20)
क्लॉँ#फ़् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् क़वेक़्ऽ तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् क्ट्ऽवॖँ#ːचँ#ːऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् ग़्वोव् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् हॖँड्ऽओँ#ːथ्व् तॅक़।

[ˈᵏǁɔ̃̃f ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈkʼʷɘːqʼ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃̃ːʕ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈʁʷov ħɨw kʼɨːħ hɨ̃ˈᶑõ̃ːθʷ ˈtɛkʼ]

ˈᵏǁɔ̃f
dog
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈkʼʷɘːqʼ
daughter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃ːʕ
hunter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈʁʷov
eat
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
hɨˈᶑõːθʷ
lion
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

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

(21)

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 Kig 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-initial: the possessed noun precedes the possessor. For instance, Kig expresses “the child’s toy” with the equivalent of “toy child”. This structure is typologically rarer and often co-occurs with verb-initial syntax or with grammatical marking on the noun.

प्फेय् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ग़्वॉच् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ऽएँ#ːह़् तॅक़ ख़ॉँब्

[ˈp͡fɘj ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈɢʷɔt͡ʃ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ˈʔɘ̃̃ːħ ˈtɛkʼ χɔ̃ːb]

ˈp͡fɘj
book
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈɢʷɔt͡ʃ
friend
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ˈʔɘ̃ːħ
son
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
χɔ̃ːb
2.sing.POSS

“your son’s friend’s book”

(22)

Case Marking

Kig uses ergative–absolutive case marking. The subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb are treated alike and take the absolutive case, while the subject of a transitive verb is marked with the ergative case. From the point of view of such a system, this is a perfectly natural way to organise the clause: the absolutive marks the participant most directly involved in the event or state, while the ergative marks the additional participant that causes or controls a transitive event.

ॾुँ#ːक़ क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़।

[ˈɗũ̃ːkʼ ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ]

ˈɗũːkʼ
sleep
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“The cat is sleeping.”

(23)
गॉँ#ːग़्व् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़।

[ˈɡɔ̃̃ːɢʷ ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ]

ˈɡɔ̃ːɢʷ
run
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“The cat is running.”

(24)
क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् हेप्ऽआध्व् क़ॷह़् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़।

[qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt hɘˈpʼaːðʷ kʼɨːħ ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ]

qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
hɘˈpʼaːðʷ
chase
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(25)
क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् ग्विऽ ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़।

[qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈɡʷiʔ ħɨw kʼɨːħ ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ]

qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈɡʷiʔ
catch
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(26)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

ऱ्वोँएँ#ग़ेँ#थ् तॅक़ प्फोड्ऽ ऱ्वोँउँ#ध्वँउँग़्ऽव् तॅक़ प्फोड्ऽ ऱ्वोँहॖँड्ऽओँ#ːथ्व् तॅक़ थ्वेप्फ् प्फेय् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् क्ट्ऽवॖँ#ːचँ#ːऽ तॅक़।

[rʷõxẽ̃ˈʁɘ̃̃θ ˈtɛkʼ ˈp͡foᶑ rʷõxũ̃ˈðʷãũʛʷ ˈtɛkʼ ˈp͡foᶑ rʷõhɨ̃ˈᶑõ̃ːθʷ ˈtɛkʼ θʷᵊp͡f ˈp͡fej ħɨw kʼɨːħ ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃̃ːʕ ˈtɛkʼ]

rʷox-
plur
ʛʷẽˈʁɘ̃θ
jaguar
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ˈp͡foᶑ
and
rʷox-
plur
ɦũˈðʷauʛʷ
tiger
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ˈp͡foᶑ
and
rʷox-
plur
hɨˈᶑõːθʷ
lion
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
θʷᵊp͡f
3.plur.anim.OBJ
ˈp͡fej
kill
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ᵏǃʼʷɨ̃ːˈt͡ʃɜ̃ːʕ
hunter
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

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

(27)

Modifiers and Determiners

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

Kig forms relative clauses by using a head-internal strategy. The head noun appears inside the clause itself, occupying its regular syntactic position. The entire clause functions as a modifier, and its external syntactic behaviour is identical to that of a noun-modifying phrase.

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

क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़ ध्वत् क़्ख़ोँ#ːफ़ँग़् ह़ॖव् ल्झिँव्।

[ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt q͡χõ̃ːˈfãɣ ħɨw ɮĩːv]

ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
q͡χõːˈfaɣ
pat
ħɨw
PAST
ɮĩːv
1excl.sing.SUBJ

“I patted the cat.”

(28)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् ग्विऽ ह़ॖव् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् क़्ख़ोँ#ːफ़ँग़् ह़ॖव् ल्झिँव्।

[qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈɡʷiʔ ħɨw ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt q͡χõ̃ːˈfãɣ ħɨw ɮĩːv]

qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈɡʷiʔ
catch
ħɨw
PAST
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
q͡χõːˈfaɣ
pat
ħɨw
PAST
ɮĩːv
1excl.sing.SUBJ

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(29)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

य्वोक़्वॉख् तॅक़ ध्वत् ग़्वोव् ह़ॖव् क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् ग्विऽ ह़ॖव् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ध्वत् क़्ख़ोँ#ːफ़ँग़् ह़ॖव् ल्झिँव्।

[ɥoˈqʷɔk͡x ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈʁʷov ħɨw qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt ˈɡʷiʔ ħɨw ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ ðʷɜt q͡χõ̃ːˈfãɣ ħɨw ɮĩːv]

ɥoˈqʷɔk͡x
cheese
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈʁʷov
eat
ħɨw
PAST
qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈɡʷiʔ
catch
ħɨw
PAST
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
q͡χõːˈfaɣ
pat
ħɨw
PAST
ɮĩːv
1excl.sing.SUBJ

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

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

य्वोक़्वॉख् तॅक़ ध्वत् प्ऽऊऽ ह़ॖव् लुग़्व् ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ख्वेत् ग़्वोव् ह़ॖव् क़्वाख़्वेप्ऽ तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ख्वेत् ग्विऽ ह़ॖव् क़अँ#ːग़्व् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ख्वेत् क़्ख़ोँ#ːफ़ँग़् ह़ॖव् ल्झिँव्।

[ɥoˈqʷɔk͡x ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt ˈpʼuːʕ ħɨw ˈluʁʷ ʛoʛʷ xʷɘːt ˈʁʷov ħɨw qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ xʷɘːt ˈɡʷiʔ ħɨw ˈkʼã̃ːɣʷ ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ xʷɘːt q͡χõ̃ːˈfãɣ ħɨw ɮĩːv]

ɥoˈqʷɔk͡x
cheese
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
ˈpʼuːʕ
buy
ħɨw
PAST
ˈluʁʷ
1excl.sing
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
xʷɘːt
1excl.sing.OBJ
ˈʁʷov
eat
ħɨw
PAST
qʷaːˈχʷɘpʼ
mouse
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
xʷɘːt
1excl.sing.OBJ
ˈɡʷiʔ
catch
ħɨw
PAST
ˈkʼãːɣʷ
cat
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
xʷɘːt
1excl.sing.OBJ
q͡χõːˈfaɣ
pat
ħɨw
PAST
ɮĩːv
1excl.sing.SUBJ

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

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Complementation Strategies

Kig forms complement clauses by nominalising the embedded verb. The nominalised form lacks finite verbal categories and behaves as a noun phrase. Subjects of nominalised clauses occur in the genitive case, and the nominalised verb establishes the semantic content of the complement.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

ग़्ऽवेग्ऽ य्वॉक़्ऽवौग्व् तॅक़ विक़ ह़ग़ूऱ्व् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् त्ऽऑध्वोत्व् ह़ॅक़ ग़्ऽवेग्ऽ क्लऽ तॅक़ ध्वत् विक़ क़्ख़ोऽ ह़ॖव् त्वॖब् तॅक़ ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव्।

[ʛʷᵊɠ ɥɔˈqʼʷauɡʷ ˈtɛkʼ wikʼ ʜaˈɣuːrʷ ħɨw kʼɨːħ tʼɔˈðʷotʷ ˈʜɛkʼ ʛʷᵊɠ ˈᵏǁɜːʕ ˈtɛkʼ ðʷɜt wikʼ ˈq͡χoʕ ħɨw ˈtʷɨb ˈtɛkʼ ʛoʛʷ]

ʛʷᵊɠ
DAT
ɥɔˈqʼʷauɡʷ
teacher
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
wikʼ
3.sing.anim.INDOBJ
ʜaˈɣuːrʷ
surprise
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
tʼɔˈðʷotʷ
apple
ˈʜɛ
a
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛʷᵊɠ
DAT
ˈᵏǁɜːʕ
girl
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ðʷɜt
3.sing.anim.OBJ
wikʼ
3.sing.anim.INDOBJ
ˈq͡χoʕ
give
ħɨw
PAST
ˈtʷɨb
boy
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS

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

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Quotes

Kig 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:

खौव् क़िक़्ख़्व् खिँ#प् लुग़्व् ग़्ऽओग़्ऽव् ग़्ऽवेग्ऽ क्लऽ तॅक़ ख्वेत् विक़ पँ#ːभ् ह़ॖव् क़ॷह़् त्वॖब् तॅक़।

[ˈk͡xauw qiq͡χʷ ˈk͡xĩ̃p ˈluʁʷ ʛoʛʷ ʛʷᵊɠ ˈᵏǁɜːʕ ˈtɛkʼ xʷɘːt wikʼ ˈpã̃ːɓ ħɨw kʼɨːħ ˈtʷɨb ˈtɛkʼ]

ˈk͡xauw
2.sing
qiq͡χʷ
2.sing.OBJ
ˈk͡xĩp
love
ˈluʁʷ
1excl.sing
ʛoʛʷ
3.sing.anim.POSS
ʛʷᵊɠ
DAT
ˈᵏǁɜːʕ
girl
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim
xʷɘːt
1excl.sing.OBJ
wikʼ
3.sing.anim.INDOBJ
ˈpãːɓ
tell
ħɨw
PAST
kʼɨːħ
ERG
ˈtʷɨb
boy
ˈtɛ
the
-ˈkʼ
anim

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

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How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Kig. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 20 August 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/2EPEQ

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-2EPEQ,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Kig}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/2EPEQ}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 20 August 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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