A Grammar of Eshuh

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Eshuh language (the 1793rd 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 Eshuh.

Typological Profile

It has a rich system of noun classes.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Eshuh has 25 consonant phonemes, a size that falls within a broadly average range.

It has a system with marginal but genuine retroflex contrasts.

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

labialalveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatallateralpalatalretroflexvelarglottal
stopp b d t ɖ ʈ k ɡ
nasalm n ɲ ɳ ŋ
trill/tap/flapɽ
fricativef s ʃ ʂ h
approximantw l j
affricatet͡ʃ t͡ɕ

Vowels

Eshuh has 9 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 and a fully three-way front–central–back distinction.

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

frontcentralback
closei ɨ u
close-mide o
midə
opena

Stress and Tones

Eshuh 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

Eshuh 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

а /a/б /b/в /w/г /h/
д /d/д̇ /ɖ/е /e/и /i/
к /k/л /l/м /m/н /n/
н̇ /ɳ/о /o/п /p/р̇ /ɽ/
с /s/с̇ /ʂ/т /t/т̇ /ʈ/
у /u/ф /f/ч /t͡ʃ/ш /ʃ/
ы /ɨ/ј /j/њ /ɲ/ћ /t͡ɕ/
ґ /ɡ/ӈ /ŋ/ә /ə/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

ай /ai/аў /au/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Eshuh does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Eshuh has the following noun classes:

Class cl.1 – for instance: авоњәґ ‘cheese’, айд ‘colour’, ас̇он̇ем ‘court’, ашоњән ‘school’, ањәфуф ‘salt’, ед ‘house’, екаґав ‘library’, ен̇ ‘moon’, ес ‘day’, ет̇әс̇ан ‘restaurant’, ипинут̇ ‘market’, ит̇ињып ‘plain’, очаґәј ‘smoke’, ошемин ‘bank’, ошобус̇ ‘tower’, уњысув ‘medicine’, ыјумәґ ‘student’, әд̇ән̇иф ‘ice’, әлис̇ин ‘religion’, әшып ‘egg’.

Class cl.2 – for instance: айс ‘head’, айш ‘bone’, ан ‘time’, ан̇ ‘sky’, ањ ‘leg’, аћид̇ит̇ ‘breast’, аўт̇аґуп ‘bosom’, аўј ‘sound’, аўњ ‘ear’, ес̇аґыс ‘stick’, ечесәд ‘belly’, иг ‘tongue’, ид ‘back’, ид̇иӈыћ ‘wing’, ин ‘nose’, опаћењ ‘neck’, оґод̇ум ‘liver’, ун̇ишун ‘anus’, ын̇апуј ‘vagina’, әт̇ ‘heart’.

Class cl.3 – for instance: айс̇атид ‘snake’, ам ‘dog’, ајамид̇ ‘wild boar’, ебудәш ‘jaguar’, ин̇ ‘city’, ин̇удон ‘worm’, инугыд̇ ‘mammal’, ис̇ыфәд ‘louse’, иј ‘cat’, ићат̇әш ‘mouse’, иӈ ‘sun’, ыт̇ ‘money’, ыч ‘earth’, әлыјад̇ ‘tiger’, әр̇игош ‘mountain’, әф ‘fish’, әч ‘stone’, әшытеф ‘lion’, әћ ‘animal’, әґ ‘bird’.

Class cl.4 – for instance: айг ‘human being’, ањуњ ‘idea’, аћ ‘people’, аўл ‘son’, аўчијол ‘lake’, аўшәкаћ ‘hunter’, ев ‘father’, ем ‘woman’, еч ‘language’, ид̇ ‘north’, ил ‘man’, иґ ‘daughter’, ов ‘east’, од̇ ‘mother’, оґићыд̇ ‘farmer’, убидул ‘teacher’, утәпич ‘river’, уґ ‘boy’, әд̇ ‘south’, әс ‘wife’.

Class cl.5 – for instance: ан̇абиӈ ‘bottle’, ар̇емеш ‘ash’, ат̇ышыд ‘embrace’, афимаћ ‘machine’, аш ‘inside’, ес̇уг ‘Eshuh’, ир̇ ‘name’, ит ‘road’, иф ‘surface’, ич ‘book’, ор̇икоґ ‘mortar’, осањ ‘knife’, уд̇ ‘fire’, ум ‘chair’, усилыӈ ‘umbrella’, уњајеш ‘rope’, ућ ‘bed’, әбыт̇ич ‘dust’, әнур̇әс ‘net’, әс̇атыд ‘box’.

Class cl.6 – for instance: ад̇ ‘fruit’, айн̇әфач ‘flower’, ашаваб ‘root’, аўванам ‘snow’, аўд̇ыд ‘manner’, аўр̇ыпыф ‘wheat’, им ‘land’, ис ‘star’, ит̇ ‘wind’, ифыћос ‘bark’, ог ‘leaf’, оломаћ ‘cloud’, омин̇әћ ‘apple’, ус̇әћәв ‘dialect’, уњед̇ењ ‘forest’, ык ‘tree’, ыл ‘rain’, ыш ‘night’, әд̇окоґ ‘seed’, ән̇ыкән̇ ‘grass’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Демус̇ пив фас̇е досањус̇ кив нипић фил госад̇ дићат̇әшиӈ тайб.

[demuʂ piw faʂe dosaɲuʂ kiw nipit͡ɕ fil hosaɖ dit͡ɕaʈəʃiŋ taib]

d-
no.owner.POSS
em
woman
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
faʂe
COMIT
d-
no.owner.POSS
osaɲ
knife
-uʂ
sing
k-
cl.5
iw
the
nip
catch
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
fil
three
h-
STA
osaɖ
blind
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-iŋ
plur
t-
cl.3
aib
yon

“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 Eshuh consists of first, an obligatory prefix expressing possessor, comprising б- /b-/ ‘1incl.sing’, ӈ- /ŋ-/ ‘1excl.sing’, п- /p-/ ‘2.sing’, д̇- /ɖ-/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, м- /m-/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, в- /w-/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, л- /l-/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, р̇- /ɽ-/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, ґ- /ɡ-/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, ч- /t͡ʃ-/ ‘1incl.plur’, с̇- /ʂ-/ ‘1excl.plur’, с- /s-/ ‘2.plur’, њ- /ɲ-/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, н- /n-/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, г- /h-/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, ш- /ʃ-/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, ћ- /t͡ɕ-/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’, к- /k-/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’ and д- /d-/ ‘no.owner’; second, the root; and finally, third, an obligatory suffix expressing number, comprising -ус̇ /-uʂ/ ‘sing’ and -иӈ /-iŋ/ ‘plur’.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: two suffixes, namely -әш /-əʃ/ ‘little’ and -ин /-in/ ‘big’

The Adjective

In Eshuh, the adjective has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising г- /h-/ ‘STA’, в- /w-/ ‘ACT’, п- /p-/ ‘GEN’, ћ- /t͡ɕ-/ ‘DAT’, к- /k-/ ‘INS’, т- /t-/ ‘VOC’, ӈ- /ŋ-/ ‘ALL’, ј- /j-/ ‘LOC’, с- /s-/ ‘ABL’ and њ- /ɲ-/ ‘PART’ followed by the root.

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Eshuh, the determiner has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing gender, comprising ј- /j-/ ‘cl.1’, г- /h-/ ‘cl.2’, т- /t-/ ‘cl.3’, п- /p-/ ‘cl.4’, к- /k-/ ‘cl.5’ and л- /l-/ ‘cl.6’ followed by the root.

Pronouns

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

In Eshuh, subject pronouns (but not object pronouns ones) are dropped unless they are stressed. Here is an example where neither of the pronouns are stressed:

Ћаўґәћ њањ.

[t͡ɕauɡət͡ɕ ɲaɲ]

t͡ɕauɡ
love
-ə
PRES
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
ɲaɲ
3.sing.cl.4

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

But here, the word corresponding to he (i.e., the subject) is stressed:

Њањ ћаўґәћ њањ.

[ɲaɲ t͡ɕauɡət͡ɕ ɲaɲ]

ɲaɲ
3.sing.cl.4
t͡ɕauɡ
love
-ə
PRES
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
ɲaɲ
3.sing.cl.4

“He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

ДАйґаједус̇ пив медаўњәћ дОфамаћус̇ пив.

[daiɡajeduʂ piw medauɲət͡ɕ dofamat͡ɕuʂ piw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
aiɡajed
Aigayed
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
medauɲ
hate
-ə
PRES
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
ofamat͡ɕ
Ofamach
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the

“Aigayed hates Ofamach.”

(4)

Possession

дуґус̇ пив ломин̇әћус̇ лив

[duɡuʂ piw lomiɳət͡ɕuʂ liw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
uɡ
boy
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
omiɳət͡ɕ
apple
-uʂ
sing
l-
cl.6
iw
the

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
њањ ломин̇әћус̇ лив

[ɲaɲ lomiɳət͡ɕuʂ liw]

ɲaɲ
3.sing.cl.4
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
omiɳət͡ɕ
apple
-uʂ
sing
l-
cl.6
iw
the

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
ӈомин̇әћус̇ лив

[ŋomiɳət͡ɕuʂ liw]

ŋ-
1excl.sing.POSS
omiɳət͡ɕ
apple
-uʂ
sing
l-
cl.6
iw
the

“my apple”

(7)
Даўшәкаћус̇ пив лиґус̇ пив ћишујић понәс̇исус̇ пив лаўлус̇ пив.

[dauʃəkat͡ɕuʂ piw liɡuʂ piw t͡ɕiʃujit͡ɕ ponəʂisuʂ piw lauluʂ piw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
auʃəkat͡ɕ
hunter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
iɡ
daughter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
t͡ɕiʃuj
kiss
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
p-
2.sing.POSS
onəʂis
neighbour
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
aul
son
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the

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

(8)

Derivation

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

дайбәшән̇ус̇

[daibəʃəɳuʂ]

d-
no.owner.POSS
aibəʃəɳ
lamb
-uʂ
sing

“a lamb”

(9)

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

дайбәшән̇әшус̇

[daibəʃəɳəʃuʂ]

d-
no.owner.POSS
aibəʃəɳ
lamb
-əʃ
little
-uʂ
sing

“a little lamb”

(10)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

All verbal phrase clitics in Eshuh are enclitics (placed finally), and there are two types: a clitic expressing mode, comprising т̇ој /ʈoj/ ‘imperative’, тиј /tij/ ‘conditional’ and с̇аш /ʂaʃ/ ‘optative’ followed by a clitic expressing voice, comprising бос̇ /boʂ/ ‘passive’.

In addition, the verb is structured like this: first, the root; second, an obligatory suffix expressing ta, comprising -ә /-ə/ ‘PRES’ and -и /-i/ ‘PAST’; third, an optional suffix expressing negation, comprising -си /-si/ ‘NEG’; and finally, fourth, an obligatory suffix expressing subj, comprising -н̇ /-ɳ/ ‘1incl.sing’, -д /-d/ ‘1excl.sing’, -к /-k/ ‘2.sing’, -п /-p/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, -р̇ /-ɽ/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, -л /-l/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, -ћ /-t͡ɕ/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, -ф /-f/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, -б /-b/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, -м /-m/ ‘1incl.plur’, -ӈ /-ŋ/ ‘1excl.plur’, -ј /-j/ ‘2.plur’, -ч /-t͡ʃ/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, -н /-n/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, -д̇ /-ɖ/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, -в /-w/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, -с /-s/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’ and -т /-t/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: two suffixes, namely -ис /-is/ ‘begin’ and -аґ /-aɡ/ ‘stop’

Ћаўґәд саћ.

[t͡ɕauɡəd sat͡ɕ]

t͡ɕauɡ
love
-ə
PRES
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sat͡ɕ
2.sing

“I love you.”

(11)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

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

вам даўгес̇ус̇ кив дифус̇

[wam dauheʂuʂ kiw difuʂ]

wam
in
d-
no.owner.POSS
auheʂ
table
-uʂ
sing
k-
cl.5
iw
the
d-
no.owner.POSS
if
surface
-uʂ
sing

“on the table”

(12)
њет дәс̇атыдус̇ кив дашус̇

[ɲet dəʂatɨduʂ kiw daʃuʂ]

ɲet
to
d-
no.owner.POSS
əʂatɨd
box
-uʂ
sing
k-
cl.5
iw
the
d-
no.owner.POSS
aʃ
inside
-uʂ
sing

“into the box”

(13)
фас̇е чек

[faʂe t͡ʃek]

faʂe
COMIT
t͡ʃek
1excl.sing

“with me”

(14)

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.

Eshuh 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 Eshuh.

Дебудәшус̇ тив муд̇ил даўшәкаћус̇ пив.

[debudəʃuʂ tiw muɖil dauʃəkat͡ɕuʂ piw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
ebudəʃ
jaguar
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
muɖ
kill
-i
PAST
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
auʃəkat͡ɕ
hunter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(15)
Дәшытефус̇ тив т̇ињил даўшәкаћус̇ пив лиґус̇ пив ламус̇ тив.

[dəʃɨtefuʂ tiw ʈiɲil dauʃəkat͡ɕuʂ piw liɡuʂ piw lamuʂ tiw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
əʃɨtef
lion
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
ʈiɲ
eat
-i
PAST
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
auʃəkat͡ɕ
hunter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
iɡ
daughter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
am
dog
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

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

(16)

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 Eshuh 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, Eshuh 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.

паўлус̇ пив луњус̇ пив личус̇ кив

[pauluʂ piw luɲuʂ piw lit͡ʃuʂ kiw]

p-
2.sing.POSS
aul
son
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
uɲ
friend
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
l-
3.sing.cl.4.POSS
it͡ʃ
book
-uʂ
sing
k-
cl.5
iw
the

“your son’s friend’s book”

(17)

Case Marking

Eshuh 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.

Дијус̇ тив косәл.

[dijuʂ tiw kosəl]

d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
kos
sleep
-ə
PRES
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ

“The cat is sleeping.”

(18)
Дијус̇ тив бет̇әл.

[dijuʂ tiw beʈəl]

d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
beʈ
run
-ə
PRES
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ

“The cat is running.”

(19)
Дијус̇ тив р̇уфућәл дићат̇әшус̇ тив.

[dijuʂ tiw ɽufut͡ɕəl dit͡ɕaʈəʃuʂ tiw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
ɽufut͡ɕ
chase
-ə
PRES
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(20)
Дијус̇ тив нипил дићат̇әшус̇ тив.

[dijuʂ tiw nipil dit͡ɕaʈəʃuʂ tiw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
nip
catch
-i
PAST
-l
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(21)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Даўшәкаћус̇ пив муд̇ић дебудәшиӈ тив гуш дәлыјад̇иӈ тив гуш дәшытефиӈ тив.

[dauʃəkat͡ɕuʂ piw muɖit͡ɕ debudəʃiŋ tiw huʃ dəlɨjaɖiŋ tiw huʃ dəʃɨtefiŋ tiw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
auʃəkat͡ɕ
hunter
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
muɖ
kill
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
ebudəʃ
jaguar
-iŋ
plur
t-
cl.3
iw
the
huʃ
and
d-
no.owner.POSS
əlɨjaɖ
tiger
-iŋ
plur
t-
cl.3
iw
the
huʃ
and
d-
no.owner.POSS
əʃɨtef
lion
-iŋ
plur
t-
cl.3
iw
the

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

(22)

Modifiers and Determiners

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

Eshuh 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:

Д̇ањаўјид дијус̇ тив.

[ɖaɲaujid dijuʂ tiw]

ɖaɲauj
pat
-i
PAST
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

“I patted the cat.”

(23)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Д̇ањаўјид нипип дићат̇әшус̇ тив њан̇ай дијус̇ тив.

[ɖaɲaujid nipip dit͡ɕaʈəʃuʂ tiw ɲaɳai dijuʂ tiw]

ɖaɲauj
pat
-i
PAST
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
nip
catch
-i
PAST
-p
3.sing.cl.1.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(24)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Д̇ањаўјид нипип т̇ињип давоњәґус̇ јив њан̇ай дићат̇әшус̇ тив њан̇ай дијус̇ тив.

[ɖaɲaujid nipip ʈiɲip dawoɲəɡuʂ jiw ɲaɳai dit͡ɕaʈəʃuʂ tiw ɲaɳai dijuʂ tiw]

ɖaɲauj
pat
-i
PAST
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
nip
catch
-i
PAST
-p
3.sing.cl.1.SUBJ
ʈiɲ
eat
-i
PAST
-p
3.sing.cl.1.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
awoɲəɡ
cheese
-uʂ
sing
j-
cl.1
iw
the
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

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

(25)

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

Д̇ањаўјид нипип т̇ињип чек ћенид њан̇ай давоњәґус̇ јив њан̇ай дићат̇әшус̇ тив њан̇ай дијус̇ тив.

[ɖaɲaujid nipip ʈiɲip t͡ʃek t͡ɕenid ɲaɳai dawoɲəɡuʂ jiw ɲaɳai dit͡ɕaʈəʃuʂ tiw ɲaɳai dijuʂ tiw]

ɖaɲauj
pat
-i
PAST
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
nip
catch
-i
PAST
-p
3.sing.cl.1.SUBJ
ʈiɲ
eat
-i
PAST
-p
3.sing.cl.1.SUBJ
t͡ʃek
1excl.sing
t͡ɕen
buy
-i
PAST
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
awoɲəɡ
cheese
-uʂ
sing
j-
cl.1
iw
the
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
it͡ɕaʈəʃ
mouse
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the
ɲaɳai
COMP
d-
no.owner.POSS
ij
cat
-uʂ
sing
t-
cl.3
iw
the

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

(26)

Complementation Strategies

Eshuh introduces complement clauses with a dedicated complementiser, similar to English that. The complementiser appears at the beginning of the embedded clause and signals that the clause functions as a syntactic argument. The embedded clause is fully finite and displays the same tense, aspect and agreement patterns as independent clauses.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

Дуґус̇ пив ноӈић донус̇ пив домин̇әћус̇ њан̇ай ґусес̇ић дубидулус̇ пив.

[duɡuʂ piw noŋit͡ɕ donuʂ piw domiɳət͡ɕuʂ ɲaɳai ɡuseʂit͡ɕ dubiduluʂ piw]

d-
no.owner.POSS
uɡ
boy
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
noŋ
give
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
on
girl
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
d-
no.owner.POSS
omiɳət͡ɕ
apple
-uʂ
sing
ɲaɳai
COMP
ɡuseʂ
surprise
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
ubidul
teacher
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the

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

(27)

Quotes

Eshuh expresses quoted or reported speech without a dedicated quotative particle. Quotations appear as ordinary clauses, distinguished only by the surrounding syntactic context or by the use of verbs of speaking.

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

Дуґус̇ пив шәгић донус̇ пив чек ћаўґәд саћ њан̇ай.

[duɡuʂ piw ʃəhit͡ɕ donuʂ piw t͡ʃek t͡ɕauɡəd sat͡ɕ ɲaɳai]

d-
no.owner.POSS
uɡ
boy
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
ʃəh
tell
-i
PAST
-t͡ɕ
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
d-
no.owner.POSS
on
girl
-uʂ
sing
p-
cl.4
iw
the
t͡ʃek
1excl.sing
t͡ɕauɡ
love
-ə
PRES
-d
1excl.sing.SUBJ
sat͡ɕ
2.sing
ɲaɳai
COMP

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

(28)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Eshuh. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 7 October 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/5LW2B

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-5LW2B,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Eshuh}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/5LW2B}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 7 October 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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