A Grammar of Khakh

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Khakh language (the 144th 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 Khakh.

Typological Profile

It has has no interesting typological features.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Khakh has an extremely large consonant inventory, totalling 51 phonemes. Such a system is exceptional in scale.

It has an extensive and fully contrastive palatal series, a maximally contrastive voicing system, a notable dental–alveolar contrast across several manners, a system with marginal but genuine retroflex contrasts and a complete absence of laryngeal consonants.

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

vel. labialpal. labialvel. alveolarpal. alveolarpostalveolarvel. postalveolarpal. postalveolarvel. lateralpal. lateralpalatalvel. retroflexpal. retroflexvelarvel. velarpal. velar
stoppˠ bˠ pʲ bʲ dˠ tˠ dʲ tʲ ɖˠ ʈˠ ɖʲ ʈʲ kˠ ɡˠ kʲ ɡʲ
nasal
trill/tap/flapɽˠ ɽʲ
fricativesˠ zˠ sʲ zʲ ʃˠ ʒˠ ʃʲ ʒʲ ʂˠ ʐˠ ʂʲ ʐʲ
approximantʋˠ ʋʲ j ɰ
affricatet͡sˠ t͡sʲ d͡ʒ t͡ʃ

Vowels

Khakh has two vowel qualities. Such a system allows contrast only between the two categories shown in the chart, with any additional distinctions supplied through length, tone or other phonological features if present elsewhere in the language.

It has a vertical vowel system in which backness distinctions are largely absent, a strongly reduced vowel system in unstressed syllables, phonologically distinctive back unrounded vowels, a partially contrastive system of vowel length and a triangular vowel system with few low vowels.

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

central
midə
opena

Stress and Tones

Khakh has 2 lexical tones, but stress is not contrastive. Each syllable bears a lexically specified tone, and prominence is not independently marked by stress.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony does not exist in this language.

Writing System

Introduction

Khakh is normally written using the Cyrillic alphabet, a script with a long and varied history across Eastern Europe and northern Asia. In this grammar, phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are also used to give an unambiguous representation of sound.

The conventions adopted here follow standard Cyrillic practice for the language where that exists; where they do not, the IPA transcription should be taken as authoritative.

Orthography

Here are the various components of the orthography:

Simple letters

ɰ /ɰ/а /ˠa/б /b/в /ʋ/
г /ɡ/д /d/д̇ /ɖ/ж /ʒ/
з /z/з̇ /ʐ/к /k/л /l/
м /m/н /n/п /p/р /r/
р̇ /ɽ/с /s/с̇ /ʂ/т /t/
т̇ /ʈ/ф /f/х /x/ц /t͡s/
ч /t͡ʃ/ш /ʃ/ъ /ˠ/ь /ʲ/
я /ʲa/ј /j/џ /d͡ʒ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

aː /aː/əː /əː/ʲə /ʲə/
ˠə /ˠə/

Diacritics

◌̄ /꜒/◌̠ /꜖/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Khakh does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Khakh does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

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

С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ р̇аː̠кˠə̄чə̠ Нʲəː̄ с̇ˠəː̠дˠə̠ ря̄хʲə̄чə̠ шˠəː̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ маː̄нʲə̠ с̇ˠə̠ жя̄лʲə̠лˠə̄ рˠə̠вˠə̄чə̠.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ɽˠaː꜖kˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ nʲəː꜒ ʂˠəː꜖dˠə꜖ rʲa꜒xʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ ʃˠəː꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ mˠaː꜒nʲə꜖ ʂˠə꜖ ʒʲa꜒lʲə꜖lˠə꜒ rˠə꜖ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ɽˠaː꜖kˠ
woman
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
nʲəː꜒
COMIT
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-dˠə꜖
LOC
rʲa꜒xʲ
knife
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
ʃˠəː꜖
catch
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
mˠaː꜒
yon
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʂˠə꜖
three
ʒʲa꜒lʲ
blind
-ə꜖lˠə꜒
ACC
rˠə꜖ʋˠ
mouse
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.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.

There are no clitics in the nominal phrase.

The Noun

The noun in Khakh consists of the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing possessor, comprising -ə̠кʲə̄ /-ə꜖kʲə꜒/ ‘1incl’, -ə̄нˠə̄ /-ə꜒nˠə꜒/ ‘1excl’, -ə̠лˠə̄ /-ə꜖lˠə꜒/ ‘2’, -ə̠рˠə̄ /-ə꜖rˠə꜒/ ‘3’ and -ə̄чə̠ /-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖/ ‘no.owner’.

The Adjective

In Khakh, the adjective has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -ə̄цˠə̄ /-ə꜒t͡sˠə꜒/ ‘NOM’, -ə̄сˠə̠ /-ə꜒sˠə꜖/ ‘ERG’, -ə̠лˠə̄ /-ə꜖lˠə꜒/ ‘ACC’, -ə̠с̇ˠə̄ /-ə꜖ʂˠə꜒/ ‘DAT’, -ə̄мʲə̠ /-ə꜒mʲə꜖/ ‘INS’, -ə̄кˠə̠ /-ə꜒kˠə꜖/ ‘VOC’, -ə̠џə̠ /-ə꜖d͡ʒə꜖/ ‘ALL’, -ə̠цʲə̠ /-ə꜖t͡sʲə꜖/ ‘LOC’, -ə̠мʲə̄ /-ə꜖mʲə꜒/ ‘ABL’ and -ə̠хʲə̄ /-ə꜖xʲə꜒/ ‘PART’.

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Khakh, the determiner has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -нˠə̄ /-nˠə꜒/ ‘NOM’, -з̇ˠə̠ /-ʐˠə꜖/ ‘ERG’, -нʲə̠ /-nʲə꜖/ ‘ACC’, -кˠə̄ /-kˠə꜒/ ‘DAT’, -цʲə̄ /-t͡sʲə꜒/ ‘INS’, -шʲə̄ /-ʃʲə꜒/ ‘VOC’, -пˠə̠ /-pˠə꜖/ ‘ALL’, -дˠə̠ /-dˠə꜖/ ‘LOC’, -бˠə̄ /-bˠə꜒/ ‘ABL’ and -сˠə̄ /-sˠə꜒/ ‘PART’.

Pronouns

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

Ля̄ дˠə̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ з̇ˠə̄рʲə̄чə̠ са̄ тˠəː̠ сяː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄с̇ʲə̠фʲə̄ с̇а̄хʲə̄цˠə̄.

[lʲa꜒ dˠə꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʐˠə꜒rʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ sˠa꜒ tˠəː꜖ sʲaː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒ʂʲə꜖fʲə꜒ ʂˠa꜒xʲə꜒t͡sˠə꜒]

lʲa꜒
1excl
dˠə꜖
kill
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʐˠə꜒rʲ
tiger
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
sˠa꜒
because
tˠəː꜖
1incl
sʲaː꜒
be
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒ʂʲ
1incl.SUBJ
-ə꜖fʲ
none.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠa꜒xʲ
happy
-ə꜒t͡sˠə꜒
NOM

“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:

Џəː̄ з̇аː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ ʐˠaː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʐˠaː꜒
love
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(3)

But here, the word corresponding to he is stressed:

Џəː̄ з̇аː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ ʐˠaː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʐˠaː꜒
love
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3

He loves her.”

(4)

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

Џəː̄ з̇аː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ ʐˠaː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʐˠaː꜒
love
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3

“He loves her.”

(5)

Proper Nouns

С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ Т̇а̠хʲə̄чə̠ пʲəː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ Вяː̠јə̄чə̠.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʈˠa꜖xʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ pʲəː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʋʲaː꜖jə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʈˠa꜖xʲ
Takh
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
pʲəː꜒
hate
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʋʲaː꜖j
Vay
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“Takh hates Vay.”

(6)

Possession

с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ гя̠лʲə̄чə̠ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ фˠə̄вˠə̠рˠə̄

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ɡʲa꜖lʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ fˠə꜒ʋˠə꜖rˠə꜒]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ɡʲa꜖lʲ
boy
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
fˠə꜒ʋˠ
apple
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS

“the boy’s apple”

(7)
џəː̄ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ фˠə̄вˠə̠рˠə̄

[d͡ʒəː꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ fˠə꜒ʋˠə꜖rˠə꜒]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
fˠə꜒ʋˠ
apple
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(8)
с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ фˠə̄вˠə̄нˠə̄

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ fˠə꜒ʋˠə꜒nˠə꜒]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
fˠə꜒ʋˠ
apple
-ə꜒nˠə꜒
1excl.POSS

“my apple”

(9)
С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ з̇я̠р̇ʲə̄чə̠ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ т̇а̄р̇ʲə̠рˠə̄ фʲə̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ пяː̠д̇ˠə̠лˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ вяː̄лˠə̠рˠə̄.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʐʲa꜖ɽʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʈˠa꜒ɽʲə꜖rˠə꜒ fʲə꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ pʲaː꜖ɖˠə꜖lˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʋʲaː꜒lˠə꜖rˠə꜒]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʐʲa꜖ɽʲ
hunter
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʈˠa꜒ɽʲ
daughter
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS
fʲə꜖
kiss
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
pʲaː꜖ɖˠ
neighbour
-ə꜖lˠə꜒
2.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʋʲaː꜒lˠ
son
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS

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

(10)

Derivation

Khakh has no derivational processes.

шаː̠кʲə̄чə̠

[ʃˠaː꜖kʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʃˠaː꜖kʲ
lamb
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“a lamb”

(11)

Note how none show up here:

Џəː̄ цаː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ мя̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ паː̠хʲə̠лˠə̄ шаː̠кʲə̄чə̠.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ t͡sˠaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ mʲa꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ pˠaː꜖xʲə꜖lˠə꜒ ʃˠaː꜖kʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
t͡sˠaː꜒
want
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
mʲa꜒
have
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
pˠaː꜖xʲ
little
-ə꜖lˠə꜒
ACC
ʃˠaː꜖kʲ
lamb
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“She wanted to have 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, the root; second, an obligatory suffix expressing ta, comprising -нь /-nʲ/ ‘PRES’ and -кь /-kʲ/ ‘PAST’; third, an obligatory suffix expressing mode, comprising -ə̄ј /-ə꜒j/ ‘indicative’, -ə̄ч /-ə꜒t͡ʃ/ ‘imperative’, -ə̄ль /-ə꜒lʲ/ ‘conditional’ and -ə̄кь /-ə꜒kʲ/ ‘optative’; fourth, an obligatory suffix expressing voice, comprising -ə̠ /-ə꜖/ ‘active’ and -ə̄ /-ə꜒/ ‘passive’; fifth, an obligatory suffix expressing negation, comprising -къ /-kˠ/ ‘NEG’ and -въ /-ʋˠ/ ‘POS’; sixth, an obligatory suffix expressing subj, comprising -ə̄с̇ь /-ə꜒ʂʲ/ ‘1incl’, -ə̄лъ /-ə꜒lˠ/ ‘1excl’, -ə̄ј /-ə꜒j/ ‘2’ and -ə̠сь /-ə꜖sʲ/ ‘3’; seventh, an obligatory suffix expressing obj, comprising -ə̠фь /-ə꜖fʲ/ ‘none’, -ə̄шь /-ə꜒ʃʲ/ ‘1incl’, -ə̄с̇ъ /-ə꜒ʂˠ/ ‘1excl’, -ə̠пъ /-ə꜖pˠ/ ‘2’ and -ə̠къ /-ə꜖kˠ/ ‘3’; and finally, eighth, an obligatory suffix expressing question, comprising -ə̠ /-ə꜖/ ‘Q’ and -ə̄ /-ə꜒/ ‘not.Q’.

Ля̄ з̇аː̄нʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠пˠə̄ за̄.

[lʲa꜒ ʐˠaː꜒nʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖pˠə꜒ zˠa꜒]

lʲa꜒
1excl
ʐˠaː꜒
love
-nʲ
PRES
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖pˠ
2.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
zˠa꜒
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.

нʲə̄ с̇ˠəː̠дˠə̠ лʲə̠хˠə̄чə̠

[nʲə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖dˠə꜖ lʲə꜖xˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

nʲə꜒
in_surface
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-dˠə꜖
LOC
lʲə꜖xˠ
table
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“on the table”

(14)
с̇я̄ с̇ˠəː̠дˠə̠ д̇ˠə̄лʲə̄чə̠

[ʂʲa꜒ ʂˠəː꜖dˠə꜖ ɖˠə꜒lʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂʲa꜒
to_inside
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-dˠə꜖
LOC
ɖˠə꜒lʲ
box
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“into the box”

(15)
Нʲəː̄ ля̄

[nʲəː꜒ lʲa꜒]

nʲəː꜒
COMIT
lʲa꜒
1excl

“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.

Khakh 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 Khakh.

С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ ня̠кʲə̄чə̠ дˠə̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ з̇я̠р̇ʲə̄чə̠.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ nʲa꜖kʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ dˠə꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʐʲa꜖ɽʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
nʲa꜖kʲ
jaguar
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
dˠə꜖
kill
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʐʲa꜖ɽʲ
hunter
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(17)
С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ дʲə̄вˠə̄чə̠ рʲəː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ з̇я̠р̇ʲə̄чə̠ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ т̇а̄р̇ʲə̠рˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ вʲə̠сˠə̠рˠə̄.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ dʲə꜒ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ rʲəː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʐʲa꜖ɽʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʈˠa꜒ɽʲə꜖rˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʋʲə꜖sˠə꜖rˠə꜒]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
dʲə꜒ʋˠ
lion
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
rʲəː꜒
eat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʐʲa꜖ɽʲ
hunter
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʈˠa꜒ɽʲ
daughter
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʋʲə꜖sˠ
dog
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS

“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 Khakh 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, Khakh 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.

с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ вяː̄лˠə̠лˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ тˠə̠вʲə̠рˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ мʲə̠мˠə̠рˠə̄

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʋʲaː꜒lˠə꜖lˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ tˠə꜖ʋʲə꜖rˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ mʲə꜖mˠə꜖rˠə꜒]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʋʲaː꜒lˠ
son
-ə꜖lˠə꜒
2.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
tˠə꜖ʋʲ
friend
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
mʲə꜖mˠ
book
-ə꜖rˠə꜒
3.POSS

“your son’s friend’s book”

(19)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ з̇я̠р̇ʲə̄чə̠ дˠə̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сь ???[3:veрб/oбј/3.плuр]ə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ ня̠кʲə̄чə̠ сяː̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ з̇ˠə̄рʲə̄чə̠ сяː̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ дʲə̄вˠə̄чə̠.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ʐʲa꜖ɽʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ dˠə꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲ ???[3:verb/obj/3.plur]ə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ nʲa꜖kʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ sʲaː꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ ʐˠə꜒rʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ sʲaː꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ dʲə꜒ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ʐʲa꜖ɽʲ
hunter
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
dˠə꜖
kill
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
???[3:verb/obj/3.plur]
3.plur.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
nʲa꜖kʲ
jaguar
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
sʲaː꜒
and
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
ʐˠə꜒rʲ
tiger
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
sʲaː꜒
and
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
dʲə꜒ʋˠ
lion
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“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 Khakh 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

Khakh uses the correlative strategy to form relative clauses. The relative clause is introduced by a dedicated relativiser and appears as an independent clause. The main clause contains a demonstrative that corresponds to the relativiser and identifies the element being modified. The relative clause precedes the main clause when used on its own, and follows the head noun when it functions as a modifier. The internal structure of both clauses is fully finite.

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

Ля̄ лаː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ дя̄кʲə̄чə̠.

[lʲa꜒ lˠaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ dʲa꜒kʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

lʲa꜒
1excl
lˠaː꜒
pat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
dʲa꜒kʲ
cat
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“I patted the cat.”

(21)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Џəː̄ шˠəː̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ рˠə̠вˠə̄чə̠ ля̄ лаː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ ʃˠəː꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ rˠə꜖ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ lʲa꜒ lˠaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʃˠəː꜖
catch
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
rˠə꜖ʋˠ
mouse
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
lʲa꜒
1excl
lˠaː꜒
pat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(22)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Џəː̄ рʲəː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠нʲə̠ џəː̠вˠə̄чə̠ џəː̄ шˠəː̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠ ля̄ лаː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠.

[d͡ʒəː꜒ rʲəː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖nʲə꜖ d͡ʒəː꜖ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ d͡ʒəː꜒ ʃˠəː꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖ lʲa꜒ lˠaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖]

d͡ʒəː꜒
3
rʲəː꜒
eat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nʲə꜖
ACC
d͡ʒəː꜖ʋˠ
cheese
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʃˠəː꜖
catch
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then
lʲa꜒
1excl
lˠaː꜒
pat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then

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

(23)

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

Ля̄ жяː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ џəː̄ рʲəː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠ џəː̄ шˠəː̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠ ля̄ лаː̄кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̄лˠə̠кˠə̄ џəː̄ фʲə̠.

[lʲa꜒ ʒʲaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ rʲəː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖ d͡ʒəː꜒ ʃˠəː꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖ lʲa꜒ lˠaː꜒kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜒lˠə꜖kˠə꜒ d͡ʒəː꜒ fʲə꜖]

lʲa꜒
1excl
ʒʲaː꜒
buy
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
rʲəː꜒
eat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
ʃˠəː꜖
catch
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then
lʲa꜒
1excl
lˠaː꜒
pat
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜒lˠ
1excl.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
d͡ʒəː꜒
3
fʲə꜖
then

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

(24)

Complementation Strategies

Khakh 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:

С̇ˠəː̠нˠə̄ гя̠лʲə̄чə̠ ця̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠кˠə̄ с̇ˠəː̠кˠə̄ ря̠пˠə̄чə̠ фˠə̄вˠə̄чə̠ сˠəː̠кʲə̄јə̠вˠə̠сʲə̠фʲə̄ с̇ˠəː̠кˠə̄ вяː̠рˠə̄чə̠.

[ʂˠəː꜖nˠə꜒ ɡʲa꜖lʲə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ t͡sʲa꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖kˠə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖kˠə꜒ rʲa꜖pˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ fˠə꜒ʋˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖ sˠəː꜖kʲə꜒jə꜖ʋˠə꜖sʲə꜖fʲə꜒ ʂˠəː꜖kˠə꜒ ʋʲaː꜖rˠə꜒t͡ʃə꜖]

ʂˠəː꜖
the
-nˠə꜒
NOM
ɡʲa꜖lʲ
boy
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
t͡sʲa꜖
give
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖kˠ
3.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-kˠə꜒
DAT
rʲa꜖pˠ
girl
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
fˠə꜒ʋˠ
apple
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS
sˠəː꜖
surprise
-kʲ
PAST
-ə꜒j
indicative
-ə꜖
active
-ʋˠ
POS
-ə꜖sʲ
3.SUBJ
-ə꜖fʲ
none.OBJ
-ə꜒
not.Q
ʂˠəː꜖
the
-kˠə꜒
DAT
ʋʲaː꜖rˠ
teacher
-ə꜒t͡ʃə꜖
no.owner.POSS

“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–Khakh / Khakh–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/3B2D1

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 Khakh. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 18 May 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/3B2D1

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-3B2D1,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Khakh}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/3B2D1}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.90, on 18 May 2026}
}

Execution time: 0.06 seconds.