A Grammar of Ibime

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Ibime language (the 100th 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 Ibime.

Typological Profile

It has the highly uncommon basic word order OVS.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Ibime has 20 consonant phonemes, a size that falls within a broadly average range.

It has a complete absence of affricates and a modest set of implosive stops.

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

labialalveolarpostalveolarlateralpalatalvelarglottal
stopp b d t k ɡ
nasalm n ɲ ŋ
fricativef s ʃ h
approximantʋ ɾ j
implosiveɓ ɗ

Vowels

Ibime has 7 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 has a completely boring and uninteresting vowel system.

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

frontcentralback
closei u
mide o
opena

Stress and Tones

Ibime 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

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

Writing System

Introduction

Ibime 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/इ /i/उ /u/ए /e/
ऐ /ai/ओ /o/औ /au/क् /k/
ग् /ɡ/ङ् /ŋ/ञ् /ɲ/त् /t/
द् /d/न् /n/प् /p/ब् /b/
भ् /ɓ/म् /m/य् /j/र् /ɾ/
व् /ʋ/ष् /ʃ/स् /s/ह् /h/
फ़् /f/ॾ् /ɗ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Ibime does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Ibime has the following genders:

Gender fem – for instance: अविस ‘seed’, अहप ‘farmer’, अॾब ‘binoculars’, इबिमे ‘Ibime’, इमवि ‘night’, इरमि ‘dry’, इषेवि ‘short’, इसिर ‘day’, उञिदि ‘straight’, उतेर ‘little’, उबिर ‘other’, उबिफ़ि ‘umbrella’, एनेके ‘feather’, एयेपे ‘colourless’, ओपिसि ‘small’, औङिम ‘bone’, औरित ‘good’, औवेते ‘flower’, औसबि ‘tree’, औहेफ़ ‘child’.

Gender masc – for instance: अगरे ‘forest’, अपिभ ‘dust’, अरिगे ‘sea’, असञि ‘man’, अॾर ‘neck’, इदम ‘ash’, इबगि ‘tower’, इभरि ‘face’, इहिव ‘land’, इफ़ेभि ‘father’, उभषे ‘husband’, उमिक ‘bed’, एॾिङि ‘hunter’, ओगसि ‘rain’, ओनभि ‘God’, ओबिमि ‘faeces’, ओबॾे ‘speech’, ओयेसि ‘moon’, ओसिके ‘ear’, ओॾसि ‘chair’.

Gender neut – for instance: अकेमे ‘cat’, अदिपि ‘wing’, अमेक ‘wheat’, अयङे ‘hair’, अविब ‘leaf’, असषि ‘penis’, अॾेस ‘head’, इकञि ‘eye’, इगिदे ‘lion’, इररे ‘apple’, इरेवि ‘louse’, उमेय ‘tiger’, उविब ‘mouse’, उहिबि ‘snake’, एपय ‘book’, ओनिञे ‘back’, ओबरे ‘human being’, ओरङ ‘sound’, औगिॾ ‘worm’, औफ़पे ‘cheese’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

फ़ेकनॾि ङे पुभुवुब रुफ़ौ रिममेरबि फ़ेकेगदि वि फ़ेफ़ेॾफ़ि।

[fekanaɗi ŋe puɓuʋuba ɾufau ɾimameɾabi fekeɡadi ʋi fefeɗafi]

f-
sing
ek-
NOM
anaɗi
blind
ŋe
three
p-
plur
uɓ-
ACC
uʋuba
mouse
ɾ-
neut
uf-
ACC
au
yon
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɾabi
catch
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
eɡadi
woman
ʋi
COMIT
f-
sing
ef-
LOC
eɗafi
knife

“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 Ibime consists of first, an obligatory prefix expressing number, comprising फ़्- /f-/ ‘sing’ and प्- /p-/ ‘plur’; second, an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising एक्- /ek-/ ‘NOM’, इभ्- /iɓ-/ ‘ACC’, अव्- /aʋ-/ ‘DAT’, अह्- /ah-/ ‘INS’, इस्- /is-/ ‘VOC’, अप्- /ap-/ ‘ALL’, एफ़्- /ef-/ ‘LOC’, इर्- /iɾ-/ ‘ABL’ and अक्- /ak-/ ‘PART’; and finally, third, the root.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: two prefixes, namely इञ्- /iɲ-/ ‘little’ and एञ्- /eɲ-/ ‘big’

The Adjective

In Ibime, the adjective has the following structure: first, an obligatory prefix expressing number, comprising प्- /p-/ ‘sing’ and फ़्- /f-/ ‘plur’; second, an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising एन्- /en-/ ‘NOM’, इक्- /ik-/ ‘ACC’, अम्- /am-/ ‘DAT’, एग्- /eɡ-/ ‘INS’, एप्- /ep-/ ‘VOC’, एफ़्- /ef-/ ‘ALL’, एत्- /et-/ ‘LOC’, एय्- /ej-/ ‘ABL’ and एब्- /eb-/ ‘PART’; and finally, third, the root.

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Ibime, the determiner has the following structure: first, an obligatory prefix expressing gender, comprising ग्- /ɡ-/ ‘masc’, य्- /j-/ ‘fem’ and र्- /ɾ-/ ‘neut’; second, an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising अन्- /an-/ ‘NOM’, इफ़्- /if-/ ‘ACC’, अब्- /ab-/ ‘DAT’, एय्- /ej-/ ‘INS’, इय्- /ij-/ ‘VOC’, इर्- /iɾ-/ ‘ALL’, अफ़्- /af-/ ‘LOC’, अस्- /as-/ ‘ABL’ and इस्- /is-/ ‘PART’; and finally, third, the root.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Ibime has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing number, comprising य्- /j-/ ‘sing’ and स्- /s-/ ‘plur’ followed by the root.

फ़ुभुमोय रिममेबङि सुमो वो रिममपोमु फ़ेकॾञे सग।

[fuɓumoja ɾimamebaŋi sumo ʋo ɾimamapomu fekaɗaɲe saɡa]

f-
sing
uɓ-
ACC
umoja
tiger
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
baŋi
kill
s-
plur
umo
1excl.plur
ʋo
because
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
pomu
be
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
aɗaɲe
happy
s-
plur
aɡa
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:

यम रिममॾम यद।

[jama ɾimamaɗama jada]

j-
sing
ama
3.sing.fem
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
ɗama
love
j-
sing
ada
3.sing.masc

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(3)

But here, the word corresponding to he is stressed:

यम रिममॾम यद।

[jama ɾimamaɗama jada]

j-
sing
ama
3.sing.fem
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
ɗama
love
j-
sing
ada
3.sing.masc

He loves her.”

(4)

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

यम रिममॾम यद।

[jama ɾimamaɗama jada]

j-
sing
ama
3.sing.fem
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
ɗama
love
j-
sing
ada
3.sing.masc

“He loves her.”

(5)

Proper Nouns

फ़िभ्एञिॾि रिममसुम फ़ेक्ऐगम।

[fiɓeɲiɗi ɾimamasuma fekaiɡama]

f-
sing
iɓ-
ACC
eɲiɗi
Enyidi
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
suma
hate
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
aiɡama
Aigama

“Aigama hates Enyidi.”

(6)

Possession

फ़ोकुमोदु फ़ेकिररे

[fokumodu fekiɾaɾe]

f-
sing
ok-
NOM
umodu
boy
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iɾaɾe
apple

“the boy’s apple”

(7)
यद फ़ेकिररे

[jada fekiɾaɾe]

j-
sing
ada
3.sing.masc
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iɾaɾe
apple

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(8)
यिॾि फ़ेकिररे

[jiɗi fekiɾaɾe]

j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iɾaɾe
apple

“my apple”

(9)
युत फ़ेकिकिव फ़िभेबेबि रिममोयुत फ़ेकेॾिङि फ़ोकुमष।

[juta fekikiʋa fiɓebebi ɾimamojuta fekeɗiŋi fokumaʃa]

j-
sing
uta
2.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
ikiʋa
neighbour
f-
sing
iɓ-
ACC
ebebi
son
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
juta
kiss
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
eɗiŋi
hunter
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
umaʃa
daughter

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

(10)

Derivation

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

फ़ेकिङित

[fekiŋita]

f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iŋita
lamb

“a lamb”

(11)

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

फ़ेकिञिङित

[fekiɲiŋita]

f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iɲ-
little₁
iŋita
lamb
-
little₂

“a little 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 य्- /j-/ ‘Q’ and र्- /ɾ-/ ‘not.Q’; second, an obligatory prefix expressing negation, comprising अ- /a-/ ‘NEG’ and इ- /i-/ ‘POS’; third, an obligatory prefix expressing voice, comprising म्- /m-/ ‘active’ and प्- /p-/ ‘passive’; fourth, an optional prefix expressing mode, comprising अम्- /am-/ ‘indicative’, एन्- /en-/ ‘conditional’ and इत्- /it-/ ‘optative’; fifth, an obligatory prefix expressing ta, comprising अ- /a-/ ‘PRES’ and ए- /e-/ ‘PAST’; and finally, sixth, the root.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: two prefixes, namely दि- /di-/ ‘begin’ and पि- /pi-/ ‘stop’

युत रिममॾम यिॾि।

[juta ɾimamaɗama jiɗi]

j-
sing
uta
2.sing
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
a-
PRES
ɗama
love
j-
sing
iɗi
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.

म फ़ोफ़ुषभु

[ma fofuʃaɓu]

ma
in_surface
f-
sing
of-
LOC
uʃaɓu
table

“on the table”

(14)
ॾे फ़ोफ़ुसफ़ु

[ɗe fofusafu]

ɗe
to_inside
f-
sing
of-
LOC
usafu
box

“into the box”

(15)
वि यिॾि

[ʋi jiɗi]

ʋi
COMIT
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing

“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.

Ibime 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 Ibime.

फ़िभेॾिङि रिममेबङि फ़ोकुतक।

[fiɓeɗiŋi ɾimamebaŋi fokutaka]

f-
sing
iɓ-
ACC
eɗiŋi
hunter
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
baŋi
kill
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
utaka
jaguar

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(17)
फ़ेकेॾिङि फ़ोकुमष फ़ुभुफ़ोॾु रिममेबेबे फ़ेकिगिदे।

[fekeɗiŋi fokumaʃa fuɓufoɗu ɾimamebebe fekiɡide]

f-
sing
ek-
NOM
eɗiŋi
hunter
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
umaʃa
daughter
f-
sing
uɓ-
ACC
ufoɗu
dog
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
bebe
eat
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
iɡide
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 Ibime 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, Ibime 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.

युत फ़ेकेबेबि फ़ोकोमोभु फ़ेकेपय

[juta fekebebi fokomoɓu fekepaja]

j-
sing
uta
2.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
ebebi
son
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
omoɓu
friend
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
epaja
book

“your son’s friend’s book”

(19)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

पुभुतक ते पुभुमोय ते पिभिगिदे रिममेबङि फ़ेकेॾिङि।

[puɓutaka te puɓumoja te piɓiɡide ɾimamebaŋi fekeɗiŋi]

p-
plur
uɓ-
ACC
utaka
jaguar
te
and
p-
plur
uɓ-
ACC
umoja
tiger
te
and
p-
plur
iɓ-
ACC
iɡide
lion
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
baŋi
kill
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
eɗiŋi
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 Ibime 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

Ibime 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:

फ़िभकेमे रिममोञोॾ यिॾि।

[fiɓakeme ɾimamoɲoɗa jiɗi]

f-
sing
iɓ-
ACC
akeme
cat
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
ɲoɗa
pat
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing

“I patted the cat.”

(21)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

रिममोञोॾ यिॾि फ़ेककेमे, यौत रिममेरबि फ़ुभुवुब।

[ɾimamoɲoɗa jiɗi fekakeme, jauta ɾimameɾabi fuɓuʋuba]

ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
ɲoɗa
pat
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
akeme,
cat
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɾabi
catch
f-
sing
uɓ-
ACC
uʋuba
mouse

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(22)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

रिममोञोॾ यिॾि फ़ेककेमे, यौत रिममेरबि फ़ोकुवुब, यौत रिममेबेबे फ़ुभौफ़पो।

[ɾimamoɲoɗa jiɗi fekakeme, jauta ɾimameɾabi fokuʋuba, jauta ɾimamebebe fuɓaufapo]

ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
ɲoɗa
pat
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
akeme,
cat
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɾabi
catch
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
uʋuba,
mouse
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
bebe
eat
f-
sing
uɓ-
ACC
aufapo
cheese

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

(23)

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

रिममोञोॾ यिॾि फ़ेककेमे, यौत रिममेरबि फ़ोकुवुब, यौत रिममेबेबे फ़ोकौफ़पो, यौत रिममेञैते यिॾि।

[ɾimamoɲoɗa jiɗi fekakeme, jauta ɾimameɾabi fokuʋuba, jauta ɾimamebebe fokaufapo, jauta ɾimameɲaite jiɗi]

ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
ɲoɗa
pat
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing
f-
sing
ek-
NOM
akeme,
cat
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɾabi
catch
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
uʋuba,
mouse
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
bebe
eat
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
aufapo,
cheese
j-
sing
auta
RELPRON
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɲaite
buy
j-
sing
iɗi
1excl.sing

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

(24)

Complementation Strategies

Ibime 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:

फ़वैदेफ़े रिममोॾोस फ़िभिररे फ़वनिसि रिममेरभे फ़ोकुमोदु।

[faʋaidefe ɾimamoɗosa fiɓiɾaɾe faʋanisi ɾimameɾaɓe fokumodu]

f-
sing
aʋ-
DAT
aidefe
teacher
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
o-
PAST
ɗosa
surprise
f-
sing
iɓ-
ACC
iɾaɾe
apple
f-
sing
aʋ-
DAT
anisi
girl
ɾ-
not.Q
i-
POS
m-
active
am-
indicative
e-
PAST
ɾaɓe
give
f-
sing
ok-
NOM
umodu
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–Ibime / Ibime–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/326YX

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 Ibime. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 29 April 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/326YX

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-326YX,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Ibime}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/326YX}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 29 April 2026}
}

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