A Grammar of Genyi

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Genyi language (the 1st 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 Genyi.

Typological Profile

It has the highly uncommon basic word order OVS, a rich system of noun classes, a small but genuine set of click consonants and postpositions.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Genyi has 19 consonant phonemes, a size that falls within a broadly average range.

It has a conspicuous absence of approximants and a small but genuine set of click consonants.

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

labialdentalalveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatalpalatalvelarglottal
stopp b d t k ɡ
nasalm n ɲ ŋ
fricativef s ʃ h
affricatet͡ʃ t͡ɕ
clickᵏǀ
click, nasalᵑǀ

Vowels

Genyi 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 maximally “square” vowel system balancing heights across backness.

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

frontback
closei u
mide o
openæ ɑ

Stress and Tones

Genyi has neither phonemic stress nor lexical tone. Prosodic prominence and pitch variation are determined by pragmatic and discourse factors rather than by lexical contrasts.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony does not exist in this language.

Writing System

Introduction

Genyi 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/b /b/c /ᵏǀ/d /d/
e /e/f /f/g /ɡ/h /h/
i /i/k /k/m /m/n /n/
o /o/p /p/s /s/t /t/
u /u/ä /æ/ñ /ɲ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

aa /ɑː/ai /ai/au /au/
ch /t͡ʃ/ee /eː/ii /iː/
nc /ᵑǀ/ng /ŋ/oo /oː/
sh /ʃ/ty /t͡ɕ/uu /uː/
ää /æː/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Genyi does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Genyi has the following noun classes:

Class cl.1 – for instance: bäki ‘rain’, chauma ‘cloud’, doga ‘sea’, fiisu ‘moon’, gidä ‘sky’, huni ‘farmer’, häkä ‘water’, maapu ‘name’, mooda ‘river’, ngeñi ‘friend’, pefi ‘snow’, pesä ‘stone’, piitya ‘stick’, poti ‘star’, shami ‘city’, tyaityu ‘fog’, tyädä ‘fire’, ñaña ‘neighbour’, ñengä ‘wind’.

Class cl.2 – for instance: bingu ‘mammal’, bubi ‘daughter’, ceni ‘son’, fofu ‘man’, gechä ‘child’, gugu ‘human being’, gupa ‘woman’, guuti ‘mother’, hauka ‘hunter’, hetä ‘wild boar’, hifi ‘boy’, kona ‘cat’, mäpu ‘lion’, pauku ‘mouse’, piimu ‘jaguar’, toña ‘snake’, tufi ‘worm’, tyasha ‘bird’, tyosa ‘louse’, ñetu ‘tiger’.

Class cl.3 – for instance: baimi ‘fat’, cini ‘salt’, fongu ‘smoke’, gainä ‘blood’, hiityi ‘ice’, kimi ‘faeces’, kopi ‘slime’, ncudi ‘dust’, shiñi ‘money’, tyicha ‘sand’, tyimi ‘ash’.

Class cl.4 – for instance: cenga ‘net’, chisha ‘bed’, cidä ‘rope’, faukä ‘road’, fiña ‘box’, munu ‘bottle’, näñi ‘binoculars’, paityi ‘umbrella’, sagi ‘book’, sautyi ‘knife’, shaiba ‘house’, sheefi ‘brick’, sochi ‘chair’, suuñi ‘tower’, tubä ‘machine’, tusa ‘table’, tyaibi ‘mortar’.

Class cl.5 – for instance: buusu ‘fruit’, cugi ‘west’, dishi ‘south’, fangi ‘north’, fasha ‘meat’, kungä ‘inside’, maini ‘east’, pita ‘seed’, poda ‘egg’, ticha ‘top’.

Class cl.6 – for instance: baatyi ‘breath’, bapu ‘manner’, cishi ‘day’, guunga ‘year’, kesi ‘night’, mañi ‘idea’, muña ‘time’, nadi ‘dialect’, ngaihu ‘sound’, paugi ‘fight’, sahu ‘speech’, sichä ‘language’, tuni ‘embrace’, tutya ‘colour’.

Class cl.7 – for instance: baishu ‘hand’, baiñi ‘bosom’, ciiñi ‘fingernail’, dängi ‘liver’, fääshi ‘plain’, gaingi ‘heart’, maangä ‘leg’, ngätyi ‘knee’, niifi ‘surface’, shengi ‘wing’, sifi ‘mouth’, soti ‘tail’, suhi ‘foot’, säsa ‘skin’, taikä ‘face’, tiñi ‘guts’, toma ‘horn’, toni ‘penis’, tyiisä ‘tooth’, ñaina ‘neck’.

Class cl.8 – for instance: bisä ‘anus’, chaibu ‘cheese’, ciichu ‘urine’, duudä ‘apple’, fauhi ‘breast’, geñi ‘Genyi’, gichi ‘root’, kaubä ‘sun’, kääsu ‘flower’, mepi ‘tree’, ncemi ‘bark’, nciiga ‘hair’, nudä ‘wheat’.

Class cl.9 – for instance: chafä ‘forest’, dachi ‘earth’, daunu ‘ear’, duufi ‘tongue’, kigi ‘mountain’, ngidä ‘lake’, paifu ‘nose’, saigi ‘eye’, tyaunga ‘land’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Hofudä dä napauku ngebi caanga na dä nagupa nasautyi Puu.

[hofudæ dæ nɑpauku ŋebi ᵏǀɑːŋɑ nɑ dæ nɑɡupɑ nɑsaut͡ɕi puː]

ho
yon
-f
NOM
-udæ
cl.2

three
nɑ-
def
pauku
mouse
ŋebi
blind
ᵏǀɑːŋɑ
catch

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
ɡupɑ
woman
nɑ-
def
saut͡ɕi
knife
puː
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.

There are no clitics in the nominal phrase.

The Noun

The noun in Genyi consists of an optional prefix expressing def, comprising na- /nɑ-/ ‘def’ followed by the root.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: two suffixes, namely -ni /-ni/ ‘little’ and -hi /-hi/ ‘big’

The Adjective

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

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Genyi, the determiner has the following structure: first, the root; second, an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -f /-f/ ‘NOM’, -ch /-t͡ʃ/ ‘DAT’, -k /-k/ ‘INS’, -n /-n/ ‘VOC’, -b /-b/ ‘ALL’, -s /-s/ ‘LOC’, -g /-ɡ/ ‘ABL’ and -sh /-ʃ/ ‘PART’; and finally, third, an obligatory suffix expressing gender, comprising -ibä /-ibæ/ ‘cl.1’, -udä /-udæ/ ‘cl.2’, -amä /-ɑmæ/ ‘cl.3’, -anä /-ɑnæ/ ‘cl.4’, -uda /-udɑ/ ‘cl.5’, -utä /-utæ/ ‘cl.6’, -unu /-unu/ ‘cl.7’, -ätya /-æt͡ɕɑ/ ‘cl.8’ and -ushu /-uʃu/ ‘cl.9’.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Genyi has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing number, comprising b- /b-/ ‘sing’ and g- /ɡ-/ ‘plur’ followed by the root.

Nañetu daityä tya guugä foo chäñu nungä na ni gefä.

[nɑɲetu dait͡ɕæ t͡ɕɑ ɡuːɡæ foː t͡ʃæɲu nuŋæ nɑ ni ɡefæ]

nɑ-
def
ɲetu
tiger
dait͡ɕæ
kill
t͡ɕɑ
1excl.plur.SUBJ
ɡ-
plur
uːɡæ
1excl.plur
foː
because
t͡ʃæɲu
be
nuŋæ
happy

indicative
ni
1incl.plur.SUBJ
ɡ-
plur
efæ
1incl.plur

“Because the two of us [not including the listener] killed the tiger, we [including the listener] are all now happy.”

(2)

Here is an example where neither of the pronouns are stressed:

Boñä ñachi na dä boñä.

[boɲæ ɲɑt͡ʃi nɑ dæ boɲæ]

b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2
ɲɑt͡ʃi
love

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(3)

But here, the word corresponding to he is stressed:

Boñä ñachi na dä boñä.

[boɲæ ɲɑt͡ʃi nɑ dæ boɲæ]

b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2
ɲɑt͡ʃi
love

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2

He loves her.”

(4)

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

Boñä ñachi na dä boñä.

[boɲæ ɲɑt͡ʃi nɑ dæ boɲæ]

b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2
ɲɑt͡ʃi
love

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2

“He loves her.”

(5)

Proper Nouns

NaNcoba mesi na dä naHaañä.

[nɑᵑǀobɑ mesi nɑ dæ nɑhɑːɲæ]

nɑ-
def
ᵑǀobɑ
Koba
mesi
hate

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
hɑːɲæ
Hanya

“Hanya hates Koba.”

(6)

Possession

nahifi naduudä

[nɑhifi nɑduːdæ]

nɑ-
def
hifi
boy
nɑ-
def
duːdæ
apple

“the boy’s apple”

(7)
boñä naduudä

[boɲæ nɑduːdæ]

b-
sing
oɲæ
3.sing.cl.2
nɑ-
def
duːdæ
apple

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(8)
baini naduudä

[baini nɑduːdæ]

b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing
nɑ-
def
duːdæ
apple

“my apple”

(9)
Bahu nañaña naceni kimu na dä nahauka nabubi.

[bɑhu nɑɲɑɲɑ nɑᵏǀeni kimu nɑ dæ nɑhaukɑ nɑbubi]

b-
sing
ɑhu
2.sing
nɑ-
def
ɲɑɲɑ
neighbour
nɑ-
def
ᵏǀeni
son
kimu
kiss

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
haukɑ
hunter
nɑ-
def
bubi
daughter

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

(10)

Derivation

Genyi has a few derivational processes. To illustrate this, let us start with a simple noun phrase:

baufudä naada

[baufudæ nɑːdɑ]

bau
a
-f
NOM
-udæ
cl.2
nɑːdɑ
lamb

“a lamb”

(11)

In the following, the word for little becomes an affix attached to lamb:

baufudä naadani

[baufudæ nɑːdɑni]

bau
a
-f
NOM
-udæ
cl.2
nɑːdɑ
lamb
-ni
little

“a little lamb”

(12)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Genyi fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing voice, comprising tyi /t͡ɕi/ ‘passive’; second, a clitic expressing ta, comprising gi /ɡi/ ‘PAST’; third, a clitic expressing mode, comprising na /nɑ/ ‘indicative’, ña /ɲɑ/ ‘conditional’ and chu /t͡ʃu/ ‘optative’; fourth, a clitic expressing negation, comprising nu /nu/ ‘NEG’; fifth, a clitic expressing subj, comprising bi /bi/ ‘1incl.sing’, /næ/ ‘1excl.sing’, ngi /ŋi/ ‘2.sing’, /dæ/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, su /su/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, fi /fi/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, /fæ/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, /pæ/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, mi /mi/ ‘3.sing.cl.7’, /mæ/ ‘3.sing.cl.8’, tyä /t͡ɕæ/ ‘3.sing.cl.9’, ni /ni/ ‘1incl.plur’, tya /t͡ɕɑ/ ‘1excl.plur’, chu /t͡ʃu/ ‘2.plur’, /hæ/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, /sæ/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, ñi /ɲi/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, nga /ŋɑ/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, hi /hi/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’, ki /ki/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’, /kæ/ ‘3.plur.cl.7’, na /nɑ/ ‘3.plur.cl.8’ and sa /sɑ/ ‘3.plur.cl.9’; and finally, sixth, a clitic expressing question, comprising pa /pɑ/ ‘Q’.

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

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: two suffixes, namely -kä /-kæ/ ‘begin’ and -di /-di/ ‘stop’

Bahu ñachi na nä baini.

[bɑhu ɲɑt͡ʃi nɑ næ baini]

b-
sing
ɑhu
2.sing
ɲɑt͡ʃi
love

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing

“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.

natusa naniifi hi

[nɑtusɑ nɑniːfi hi]

nɑ-
def
tusɑ
table
nɑ-
def
niːfi
surface
hi
in

“on the table”

(14)
nafiña nakungä pee

[nɑfiɲɑ nɑkuŋæ peː]

nɑ-
def
fiɲɑ
box
nɑ-
def
kuŋæ
inside
peː
to

“into the box”

(15)
baini Puu

[baini puː]

b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing
puː
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.

Genyi 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 Genyi.

Nahauka daityä na dä napiimu.

[nɑhaukɑ dait͡ɕæ nɑ dæ nɑpiːmu]

nɑ-
def
haukɑ
hunter
dait͡ɕæ
kill

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
piːmu
jaguar

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(17)
Nahauka nabubi nasaadi ngangi na dä namäpu.

[nɑhaukɑ nɑbubi nɑsɑːdi ŋɑŋi nɑ dæ nɑmæpu]

nɑ-
def
haukɑ
hunter
nɑ-
def
bubi
daughter
nɑ-
def
sɑːdi
dog
ŋɑŋi
eat

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
mæpu
lion

“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 Genyi 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, Genyi 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.

bahu naceni nangeñi nasagi

[bɑhu nɑᵏǀeni nɑŋeɲi nɑsɑɡi]

b-
sing
ɑhu
2.sing
nɑ-
def
ᵏǀeni
son
nɑ-
def
ŋeɲi
friend
nɑ-
def
sɑɡi
book

“your son’s friend’s book”

(19)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Napiimu kä nañetu kä namäpu daityä na dä nahauka.

[nɑpiːmu kæ nɑɲetu kæ nɑmæpu dait͡ɕæ nɑ dæ nɑhaukɑ]

nɑ-
def
piːmu
jaguar

and
nɑ-
def
ɲetu
tiger

and
nɑ-
def
mæpu
lion
dait͡ɕæ
kill

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
haukɑ
hunter

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

(20)

Modifiers and Determiners

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

Genyi 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:

Nakona ngetä na nä baini.

[nɑkonɑ ŋetæ nɑ næ baini]

nɑ-
def
konɑ
cat
ŋetæ
pat

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing

“I patted the cat.”

(21)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Ngetä na nä baini nakona, buunga caanga na dä napauku.

[ŋetæ nɑ næ baini nɑkonɑ, buːŋɑ ᵏǀɑːŋɑ nɑ dæ nɑpauku]

ŋetæ
pat

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing
nɑ-
def
konɑ,
cat
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
ᵏǀɑːŋɑ
catch

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
pauku
mouse

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(22)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Ngetä na nä baini nakona, buunga caanga na dä napauku, buunga ngangi na dä nachaibu.

[ŋetæ nɑ næ baini nɑkonɑ, buːŋɑ ᵏǀɑːŋɑ nɑ dæ nɑpauku, buːŋɑ ŋɑŋi nɑ dæ nɑt͡ʃaibu]

ŋetæ
pat

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing
nɑ-
def
konɑ,
cat
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
ᵏǀɑːŋɑ
catch

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
pauku,
mouse
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
ŋɑŋi
eat

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
t͡ʃaibu
cheese

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

(23)

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

Ngetä na nä baini nakona, buunga caanga na dä napauku, buunga ngangi na dä nachaibu, buunga noofa na nä baini.

[ŋetæ nɑ næ baini nɑkonɑ, buːŋɑ ᵏǀɑːŋɑ nɑ dæ nɑpauku, buːŋɑ ŋɑŋi nɑ dæ nɑt͡ʃaibu, buːŋɑ noːfɑ nɑ næ baini]

ŋetæ
pat

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing
nɑ-
def
konɑ,
cat
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
ᵏǀɑːŋɑ
catch

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
pauku,
mouse
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
ŋɑŋi
eat

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
t͡ʃaibu,
cheese
b-
sing
uːŋɑ
RELPRON
noːfɑ
buy

indicative

1excl.sing.SUBJ
b-
sing
aini
1excl.sing

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

(24)

Complementation Strategies

Genyi 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:

Nahaha matä pä baufätya duudä nanusi fati na dä nahifi.

[nɑhɑhɑ mɑtæ pæ baufæt͡ɕɑ duːdæ nɑnusi fɑti nɑ dæ nɑhifi]

nɑ-
def
hɑhɑ
teacher
mɑtæ
surprise

3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
bau
a
-f
NOM
-æt͡ɕɑ
cl.8
duːdæ
apple
nɑ-
def
nusi
girl
fɑti
give

indicative

3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
nɑ-
def
hifi
boy

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

(25)

Quotes

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

Miscellaneous

Supplementary Materials

A collection of illustrative texts and a bilingual dictionary (English–Genyi / Genyi–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/2G8SN

Behind the scenes, the Language Creator stores the generated language in a JSON-based format known as ELD. The corresponding ELD file may be downloaded, edited as required, and reuploaded in order to regenerate the grammar, dictionary and texts.

How to cite this grammar:

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Genyi. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 12 April 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/2G8SN

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-2G8SN,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Genyi}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/2G8SN}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 12 April 2026}
}

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