A Grammar of Akh

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Akh language (the 1906th 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 Akh.

Typological Profile

It has a highly marked collection of glottal, uvular, pharyngeal or epiglottal contrasts, a total lack of nasal consonants, not just singular and plural, but also dual, as well as a rich system of noun classes and an unusually extensive implosive inventory.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Akh has an extremely large consonant inventory, totalling 50 phonemes. Such a system is exceptional in scale.

It has a richly developed retroflex subsystem, 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 an exceptionally dense sibilant inventory.

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

labialalveolarlab. alveolarpostalveolarlateralretroflexvelarlab. velaruvularlab. uvularpharyngealepiglottalglottal
stopp t tʷ ʈ k kʷ q qʷ ʡ ʔ
aspirated stoppʰ tʰ tʰʷ ʈʰ kʰ kʰʷ
preaspirated stopht htʷ hʈ hk hkʷ
trill/tap/flapr̥ ɾ r̥ʷ ɾʷ ɽ ʜ
fricativef s sʷ ʃ ɬ ʂ x xʷ χ χʷ ħ h
implosiveɓ ɗ ɗʷ ʄ ɠ ɠʷ ʛ ʛʷ

Vowels

Akh 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 fully contrastive long–short vowel distinction across the system, a vertical vowel system in which backness distinctions are largely absent, a strongly reduced vowel system in unstressed syllables, a highly marked system where syllables may lack audible vowels entirely and a maximally “square” vowel system balancing heights across backness.

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

central
closeɨ
close-midɘ
midə
open-midɜ
opena

Stress and Tones

Akh 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

Vowel harmony does not exist in this language.

Writing System

Introduction

Akh 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 /a/b /p/d /t/e /ə/
f /f/g /k/h /h/k /kʰ/
p /pʰ/q /q, ʔ/r /ɾ/r̥ /r̥/
s /s/t /tʰ/y /ɨ/è /ɜ/
ë /ɘ/ħ /ħ/ŕ /r/ʛ /ʛ/
ʡ /ʡ/χ /χ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

aa /aː/ai /ai/au /au/
bb /ɓ/dd /ɗ/ddw /ɗʷ/
dw /tʷ/ee /əː/gg /ɠ/
ggw /ɠʷ/hk /hk/hkw /hkʷ/
hl /ɬ/ht /ht/htw /htʷ/
hʈ /hʈ/jj /ʄ/kh /x/
khw /xʷ/qu /kʷ/quh /kʰʷ/
qw /qʷ/rr /ɽ/rs /ʂ/
rt /ʈ, ʈʰ/rw /ɾʷ/r̥w /r̥ʷ/
sh /ʃ/sw /sʷ/tw /tʰʷ/
yy /ɨː/èè /ɜː/ëë /ɘː/
ħħ /ʜ/ŕw /rʷ/ʛw /ʛʷ/
χw /χʷ/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Akh distinguishes singular, dual and plural.

Gender

Akh has the following noun classes:

Class cl.1 – for instance: aaddweeqeeq ‘breath’, aaqwħħb ‘cheese’, aatħħejj ‘wheat’, agg ‘language’, aiʡŕw ‘speech’, ajjeqweehl ‘grass’, arer̥χw ‘apple’, arsχw ‘idea’, aswħrs ‘rope’, auf ‘colour’, aʡebeq ‘library’, yykhw ‘fight’, èsbeehkeeχ ‘embrace’, èèsh ‘sun’, èʛw ‘name’, ëkhwhtr̥w ‘student’, ëquherteeb ‘bark’, ëreeg ‘manner’, ëëkh ‘city’, ëʛkhʛw ‘dialect’.

Class cl.2 – for instance: aabeerssh ‘restaurant’, aajj ‘people’, aqefχw ‘root’, ar̥w ‘child’, asdwpggw ‘flower’, audw ‘meat’, ggw ‘wife’, yrs ‘leaf’, ysqeχeŕ ‘neighbour’, yħeqeesw ‘feather’, èèŕw ‘daughter’, èχ ‘mother’, ëd ‘woman’, ëqu ‘friend’, ërthkwedd ‘wing’, ës ‘little’, ësqeeswsh ‘horn’, ëëf ‘fruit’, ëëfeersees ‘teacher’, ëħħ ‘girl’.

Class cl.3 – for instance: aasweʛeggw ‘forest’, aaħ ‘stone’, aaʛeeħħequ ‘stick’, aigg ‘rain’, aihkweeŕweχw ‘slime’, air̥ ‘earth’, aisbddesw ‘salt’, arweddwebb ‘ash’, aukhesges ‘mountain’, aukhesgrs ‘plain’, fehkeʡ ‘sand’, èbeχehl ‘river’, èquher̥sw ‘snow’, èχw ‘hair’, ëquhpeʛw ‘fat’, ëëjj ‘star’, ëëŕweeŕeeq ‘money’, ëχ ‘year’, ʡ ‘fire’, χw ‘land’.

Class cl.4 – for instance: aab ‘some’, aaʛeħħert ‘mortar’, ag ‘surface’, aikhw ‘north’, aiqu ‘south’, aiqw ‘short’, aiħħhtweeq ‘cloud’, aq ‘new’, areeʡ ‘thin’, aug ‘small’, aχ ‘bad’, ydd ‘top’, yddweqw ‘round’, ygg ‘far’, yrtehkwes ‘thick’, yyr̥w ‘long’, èddw ‘old’, èʡ ‘good’, ëddw ‘inside’, ër̥ ‘white’.

Class cl.5 – for instance: aasekhwedd ‘belly’, aaŕ ‘blood’, aheʛwegg ‘tail’, aibeħħjj ‘box’, akhχwegg ‘binoculars’, aqeesrtef ‘bottle’, aqu ‘ear’, as ‘head’, aukh ‘back’, auħħerss ‘penis’, aʛeeddeeχw ‘liver’, aχw ‘tree’, sw ‘tooth’, ykh ‘heart’, yq ‘nose’, yyrtħħsh ‘knee’, èrs ‘foot’, èrsesdeʛ ‘net’, ëggw ‘skin’, ŕ ‘mouth’.

Class cl.6 – for instance: aadd ‘father’, ajj ‘son’, aquhquhrr ‘tiger’, auhkehtkh ‘machine’, auqu ‘bed’, ausbeqwsh ‘lamb’, auʡ ‘man’, aʡesheeddw ‘hunter’, ggwesrtedd ‘mouse’, yyʛwesʡʛ ‘louse’, yyχ ‘husband’, yχ ‘animal’, èg ‘fish’, èhʈekhq ‘medicine’, èèggw ‘dog’, ëf ‘time’, ëëhteʛw ‘table’, ëëχeeʛweħ ‘court’, ëħħeekkhw ‘worm’, ëʛbbeeʛw ‘snake’.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Dwg qwas quhddw thl r̥ëd haig feehlaiʡ ddaggweŕw qwaig qauqu sggwesrtedd qwèèχ gsw sëhtweq aig.

[tʷᵊk ˈqʷas kʰʷᵊɗʷ tʰᵊɬ ˈr̥ɘt ˈhaik fəːˈɬaiʡ ˈɗaɠʷərʷ ˈqʷaik ˈqaukʷ ˈsᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷɜːχ kᵊsʷ ˈsɘhtʷəʔˈ aik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈqʷas
catch
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
tʰᵊɬ
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈɘt
woman
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
fəːˈɬaiʡ
COMIT
ɗ-
LOC
ˈaɠʷərʷ
knife
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ˈqaukʷ
three
s-
NOM
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈɜːχ
yon
kᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.1.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɘhtʷəʔ
blind
ˈaik
the

“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 is one type of clitic in the nominal phrase, namely an enclitic (placed finally), expressing possessor. a clitic expressing possessor, comprising kddw /kʰᵊɗʷ/ ‘1incl.sing’, ʛequ /ʛəkʷ/ ‘1excl.sing’, r̥ed /r̥ət/ ‘2.sing’, gsw /kᵊsʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, ggddw /ɠᵊɗʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, rχw /ɾᵊχʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, quddw /kʷᵊɗʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, beb /pəp/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, ksw /kʰᵊsʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, ŕweʡ /rʷəʡ/ ‘1incl.dual’, ghl /kᵊɬ/ ‘1excl.dual’, qʛ /qᵊʛ/ ‘2.dual’, r̥weʛw /r̥ʷəʛʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.1’, peeχ /pʰəːχ/ ‘3.dual.cl.2’, ser̥ /sər̥/ ‘3.dual.cl.3’, ddr̥w /ɗᵊr̥ʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.4’, hkχ /hkᵊχ/ ‘3.dual.cl.5’, hkwedw /hkʷətʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.6’, swef /sʷəf/ ‘1incl.plur’, teeggw /tʰəːɠʷ/ ‘1excl.plur’, ŕwed /rʷət/ ‘2.plur’, heg /hək/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, htg /htᵊk/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, sweʛw /sʷəʛʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, jjq /ʄᵊʔ/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, rtsw /ʈʰᵊsʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’ and ʛwχw /ʛʷᵊχʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’.

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 Akh.

The Noun

The noun in Akh consists of an obligatory prefix expressing case, comprising s- /s-/ ‘NOM’, r̥- /r̥-/ ‘ERG’, k- /kʰ-/ ‘ACC’, rr- /ɽ-/ ‘DAT’, h- /h-/ ‘INS’, ddw- /ɗʷ-/ ‘VOC’, q- /q-/ ‘ALL’, dd- /ɗ-/ ‘LOC’, ʛw- /ʛʷ-/ ‘ABL’ and p- /pʰ-/ ‘PART’ followed by the root.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: six suffixes, namely -hʈ /-hʈᵊ/ ‘little’, -de /-tə/ ‘big’, -r /-ɾᵊ/ ‘old’, -ggwe /-ɠʷə/ ‘new’, -ħħ /-ʜᵊ/ ‘good’ and -bb /-ɓᵊ/ ‘bad’, and five circumfixes, namely d-χw /t-χʷᵊ/ ‘have’, χw-χw /χʷ-χʷᵊ/ ‘use’, sw-qw /sʷ-qʷᵊ/ ‘see’, k-ʛw /kʰ-ʛʷᵊ/ ‘make’ and ʡ-hte /ʡ-htə/ ‘break’

The Adjective

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

Numerals

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

Determiners

In Akh, the determiner has the following structure: an obligatory prefix expressing gender, comprising d- /t-/ ‘cl.1’, h- /h-/ ‘cl.2’, k- /kʰ-/ ‘cl.3’, sw- /sʷ-/ ‘cl.4’, quh- /kʰʷ-/ ‘cl.5’ and qw- /qʷ-/ ‘cl.6’ followed by the root.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Akh has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing number, comprising -r̥w /-r̥ʷ/ ‘sing’, -ŕw /-rʷ/ ‘dual’ and -qu /-kʷ/ ‘plur’.

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

Qekhw khwy ddʡ pyr̥w.

[ʔəxʷ ˈxʷɨ ɗᵊʡ ˈpʰɨr̥ʷ]

ʔəxʷ
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
ˈxʷɨ
love
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
ˈpʰɨ
3.sing.cl.2
-r̥ʷ
sing

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

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

Qekhw khwy ddʡ dwaar̥w pyr̥w.

[ʔəxʷ ˈxʷɨ ɗᵊʡ ˈtʷaːr̥ʷ ˈpʰɨr̥ʷ]

ʔəxʷ
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
ˈxʷɨ
love
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
ˈtʷaː
3.sing.cl.6
-r̥ʷ
sing
ˈpʰɨ
3.sing.cl.2
-r̥ʷ
sing

“He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

Qekhw khwraiŕ ddʡ sËqhlŕ qwaig kÈèʡeerrg haig.

[ʔəxʷ xʷᵊˈɾair ɗᵊʡ ˈsɘʔᵊɬᵊr ˈqʷaik ˈkʰɜːʡəːɽᵊk ˈhaik]

ʔəxʷ
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
xʷᵊˈɾair
hate
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈɘʔᵊɬᵊr
Halr
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
kʰ-
ACC
ˈɜːʡəːɽᵊk
Erhark
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the

“Halr hates Erhark.”

(4)

Possession

sarer̥χw daig ksw sëχw qwaig

[ˈsaɾər̥ᵊχʷ ˈtaik kʰᵊsʷ ˈsɘχʷ ˈqʷaik]

s-
NOM
ˈaɾər̥ᵊχʷ
apple
t-
cl.1
ˈaik
the
kʰᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.6.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɘχʷ
boy
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
sarer̥χw daig ksw dwaar̥w

[ˈsaɾər̥ᵊχʷ ˈtaik kʰᵊsʷ ˈtʷaːr̥ʷ]

s-
NOM
ˈaɾər̥ᵊχʷ
apple
t-
cl.1
ˈaik
the
kʰᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.6.POSS
ˈtʷaː
3.sing.cl.6
-r̥ʷ
sing

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
sarer̥χw daig ʛequ

[ˈsaɾər̥ᵊχʷ ˈtaik ʛəkʷ]

s-
NOM
ˈaɾər̥ᵊχʷ
apple
t-
cl.1
ˈaik
the
ʛəkʷ
1excl.sing.POSS

“my apple”

(7)
Dwg htehtyydw quhddw thl r̥èèŕw haig ksw saʡesheeddw qwaig sajj qwaig ggddw sysqeχeŕ haig r̥ed.

[tʷᵊk htəˈhtɨːtʷ kʰʷᵊɗʷ tʰᵊɬ ˈr̥ɜːrʷ ˈhaik kʰᵊsʷ ˈsaʡəʃəːɗʷ ˈqʷaik ˈsaʄ ˈqʷaik ɠᵊɗʷ ˈsɨsʔəχər ˈhaik r̥ət]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
htəˈhtɨːtʷ
kiss
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
tʰᵊɬ
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈɜːrʷ
daughter
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
kʰᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.6.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈaʡəʃəːɗʷ
hunter
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈaʄ
son
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ɠᵊɗʷ
3.sing.cl.2.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɨsʔəχər
neighbour
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
r̥ət
2.sing.POSS

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

(8)

Derivation

sausbeqwsh

[ˈsauspəqʷᵊʃ]

s-
NOM
ˈauspəqʷᵊʃ
lamb

“a lamb”

(9)
sausbeqwshhʈ

[ˈsauspəqʷᵊʃhʈᵊ]

s-
NOM
ˈauspəqʷᵊʃ
lamb
-hʈᵊ
little

“a little lamb”

(10)
Dausbeqwshhʈχw quhddw thl.

[ˈtauspəqʷᵊʃhʈᵊχʷᵊ kʰʷᵊɗʷ tʰᵊɬ]

t-
have₁
ˈauspəqʷᵊʃ
lamb
-hʈᵊ
little
-χʷᵊ
have₂
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
tʰᵊɬ
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ

“She had a little lamb.”

(11)

This doesn’t affect all adjectives and verbs. Compare, for instance the previous example with this one, where black and love do not undergo affixation:

Dwg khwy quhddw thl sausbeqwsh gsw sëëqu aig.

[tʷᵊk ˈxʷɨ kʰʷᵊɗʷ tʰᵊɬ ˈsauspəqʷᵊʃ kᵊsʷ ˈsɘːkʷˈ aik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈxʷɨ
love
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
tʰᵊɬ
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈauspəqʷᵊʃ
lamb
kᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.1.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɘːkʷ
black
ˈaik
the

“She loved a black lamb.”

(12)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Akh fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing obj, comprising ʛwers /ʛʷəʂ/ ‘1incl.sing’, twq /tʰʷᵊʔ/ ‘1excl.sing’, ʛweŕ /ʛʷər/ ‘2.sing’, heħ /həħ/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, qekhw /ʔəxʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, ħqw /ħᵊqʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, jjesw /ʄəsʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, ʛddw /ʛᵊɗʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, dwg /tʷᵊk/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, hldd /ɬᵊɗ/ ‘1incl.dual’, ddweq /ɗʷəq/ ‘1excl.dual’, hlejj /ɬəʄ/ ‘2.dual’, feeʛ /fəːʛ/ ‘3.dual.cl.1’, rteebb /ʈəːɓ/ ‘3.dual.cl.2’, hʈhl /hʈᵊɬ/ ‘3.dual.cl.3’, dekhw /təxʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.4’, deʡ /təʡ/ ‘3.dual.cl.5’, bbddw /ɓᵊɗʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.6’, quer̥ /kʷər̥/ ‘1incl.plur’, swb /sʷᵊp/ ‘1excl.plur’, fq /fᵊq/ ‘2.plur’, ħħŕ /ʜᵊr/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, ʛwequ /ʛʷəkʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, gb /kᵊp/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, jjeqw /ʄəqʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, hledw /ɬətʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’ and ggqu /ɠᵊkʷ/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’; second, a clitic expressing negation, comprising ʛeʛ /ʛəʛ/ ‘NEG’; third, a clitic expressing voice, comprising ggwequ /ɠʷəkʷ/ ‘passive’; fourth, a clitic expressing ta, comprising quhddw /kʰʷᵊɗʷ/ ‘PAST’; fifth, a clitic expressing mode, comprising ggekh /ɠəx/ ‘imperative’, hʈeebb /hʈəːɓ/ ‘conditional’ and χwesh /χʷəʃ/ ‘optative’; sixth, a clitic expressing subj, comprising ddħħ /ɗᵊʜ/ ‘1incl.sing’, qwχ /qʷᵊχ/ ‘1excl.sing’, ħeʡ /ħəʡ/ ‘2.sing’, thl /tʰᵊɬ/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, htweʡ /htʷəʡ/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, quhedw /kʰʷətʷ/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, quχ /kʷᵊχ/ ‘3.sing.cl.5’, ddʡ /ɗᵊʡ/ ‘3.sing.cl.6’, ddweebb /ɗʷəːɓ/ ‘1incl.dual’, rseegg /ʂəːɠ/ ‘1excl.dual’, r̥eb /r̥əp/ ‘2.dual’, hleedd /ɬəːɗ/ ‘3.dual.cl.1’, rtedw /ʈətʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.2’, hkeggw /hkəɠʷ/ ‘3.dual.cl.3’, r̥edd /r̥əɗ/ ‘3.dual.cl.4’, qʛ /ʔᵊʛ/ ‘3.dual.cl.5’, quhg /kʰʷᵊk/ ‘3.dual.cl.6’, gbb /kᵊɓ/ ‘1incl.plur’, ʛeeg /ʛəːk/ ‘1excl.plur’, quhr̥ /kʰʷᵊr̥/ ‘2.plur’, heb /həp/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, ħeħ /ħəħ/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, rseq /ʂəq/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’, rtdd /ʈʰᵊɗ/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’, r̥ʡ /r̥ᵊʡ/ ‘3.plur.cl.5’ and beedd /pəːɗ/ ‘3.plur.cl.6’; and finally, seventh, a clitic expressing question, comprising rrgg /ɽᵊɠ/ ‘Q’.

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

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: five suffixes, namely -khw /-xʷᵊ/ ‘begin’, -se /-sə/ ‘stop’, -sw /-sʷᵊ/ ‘continue’, -ħħe /-ʜə/ ‘try’ and -rw /-ɾʷᵊ/ ‘start’

ʛweŕ khwy qwχ pèèr̥w.

[ʛʷər ˈxʷɨ qʷᵊχ ˈpʰɜːr̥ʷ]

ʛʷər
2.sing.OBJ
ˈxʷɨ
love
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈpʰɜː
2.sing
-r̥ʷ
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.

ggwaub sag sëëhteʛw qwaig

[ˈɠʷaup ˈsak ˈsɘːhtəʛʷ ˈqʷaik]

ˈɠʷaup
in
s-
NOM
ˈak
surface
s-
NOM
ˈɘːhtəʛʷ
table
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“on the table”

(14)
dwauʡ sëddw saibeħħjj quhaig

[ˈtʷauʡ ˈsɘɗʷ ˈsaipəʜᵊʄ ˈkʰʷaik]

ˈtʷauʡ
to
s-
NOM
ˈɘɗʷ
inside
s-
NOM
ˈaipəʜᵊʄ
box
kʰʷ-
cl.5
ˈaik
the

“into the box”

(15)
feehlaiʡ bëër̥w

[fəːˈɬaiʡ ˈpɘːr̥ʷ]

fəːˈɬaiʡ
COMIT
ˈpɘː
1excl.sing
-r̥ʷ
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.

The basic constituent order of Akh is Verb–Subject–Object (VSO). Clauses begin with the verb, followed by the subject, with the object in final position. This pattern is attested among various verb-initial languages.

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

Dwg qwaʛw quhddw ddʡ r̥yggwtsw qwaig saʡesheeddw qwaig.

[tʷᵊk ˈqʷaʛʷ kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥ɨɠʷᵊtʰᵊsʷ ˈqʷaik ˈsaʡəʃəːɗʷ ˈqʷaik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈqʷaʛʷ
kill
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈɨɠʷᵊtʰᵊsʷ
jaguar
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈaʡəʃəːɗʷ
hunter
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(17)
Dwg χwaad quhddw ddʡ r̥autesgŕ qwaig sèèggw qwaig ggddw sèèŕw haig ksw saʡesheeddw qwaig.

[tʷᵊk ˈχʷaːt kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥autʰəskᵊr ˈqʷaik ˈsɜːɠʷ ˈqʷaik ɠᵊɗʷ ˈsɜːrʷ ˈhaik kʰᵊsʷ ˈsaʡəʃəːɗʷ ˈqʷaik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈχʷaːt
eat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈautʰəskᵊr
lion
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈɜːɠʷ
dog
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ɠᵊɗʷ
3.sing.cl.2.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɜːrʷ
daughter
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
kʰᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.6.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈaʡəʃəːɗʷ
hunter
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“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 Akh 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, Akh 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.

sëëbbeeg quhaig ggddw sëqu haig ksw sajj qwaig r̥ed

[sɘːɓəːk ˈkʰʷaik ɠᵊɗʷ ˈsɘkʷ ˈhaik kʰᵊsʷ ˈsaʄ ˈqʷaik r̥ət]

s-
NOM
ɘːɓəːk
book
kʰʷ-
cl.5
ˈaik
the
ɠᵊɗʷ
3.sing.cl.2.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈɘkʷ
friend
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
kʰᵊsʷ
3.sing.cl.6.POSS
s-
NOM
ˈaʄ
son
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
r̥ət
2.sing.POSS

“your son’s friend’s book”

(19)

Case Marking

Akh uses split case marking. In the present tense, the grammar follows a nominative–accusative pattern, where intransitive and transitive subjects are treated alike and objects are marked with the accusative. In the past tense, however, it follows an ergative–absolutive pattern, here called ergative–nominative, where intransitive subjects and transitive objects are treated alike and transitive subjects are marked with the ergative. This makes sense because present-tense clauses often describe events as ongoing, habitual or controlled by an active participant, so the grammar treats the subject as the central argument. Past-tense clauses, by contrast, often present an event as completed, making the affected participant especially salient. The ergative marking then singles out the transitive agent as the additional participant responsible for bringing about that result.

R̥ërs ddʡ saaʛ qwaig.

[ˈr̥ɘʂ ɗᵊʡ ˈsaːʛ ˈqʷaik]

ˈr̥ɘʂ
sleep
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“The cat is sleeping.”

(20)
Khyq ddʡ saaʛ qwaig.

[ˈxɨʔ ɗᵊʡ ˈsaːʛ ˈqʷaik]

ˈxɨʔ
run
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“The cat is running.”

(21)
Dwg jjfaash ddʡ saaʛ qwaig kggwesrtedd qwaig.

[tʷᵊk ʄᵊˈfaːʃ ɗᵊʡ ˈsaːʛ ˈqʷaik ˈkʰᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷaik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ʄᵊˈfaːʃ
chase
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
kʰ-
ACC
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(22)
Dwg qwas quhddw ddʡ r̥aaʛ qwaig sggwesrtedd qwaig.

[tʷᵊk ˈqʷas kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥aːʛ ˈqʷaik ˈsᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷaik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈqʷas
catch
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(23)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Ggqu qwaʛw quhddw ddʡ r̥aʡesheeddw qwaig syggwtsw qwaig rtyyr̥ saquhquhrr qwaig rtyyr̥ sautesgŕ qwaig.

[ɠᵊkʷ ˈqʷaʛʷ kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥aʡəʃəːɗʷ ˈqʷaik ˈsɨɠʷᵊtʰᵊsʷ ˈqʷaik ˈʈɨːr̥ ˈsakʰʷᵊkʰʷᵊɽ ˈqʷaik ˈʈɨːr̥ ˈsautʰəskᵊr ˈqʷaik]

ɠᵊkʷ
3.plur.cl.6.OBJ
ˈqʷaʛʷ
kill
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈaʡəʃəːɗʷ
hunter
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈɨɠʷᵊtʰᵊsʷ
jaguar
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ˈʈɨːr̥
and
s-
NOM
ˈakʰʷᵊkʰʷᵊɽ
tiger
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ˈʈɨːr̥
and
s-
NOM
ˈautʰəskᵊr
lion
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

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

(24)

Modifiers and Determiners

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

Akh 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:

Dwg keebbëëjj quhddw qwχ saaʛ qwaig.

[tʷᵊk kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ kʰʷᵊɗʷ qʷᵊχ ˈsaːʛ ˈqʷaik]

tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ
pat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
s-
NOM
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the

“I patted the cat.”

(25)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Heħ keebbëëjj quhddw qwχ dwg qwas quhddw ddʡ r̥aaʛ qwaig sggwesrtedd qwaig deeswydw.

[həħ kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ kʰʷᵊɗʷ qʷᵊχ tʷᵊk ˈqʷas kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥aːʛ ˈqʷaik ˈsᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷaik təːˈsʷɨtʷ]

həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ
pat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
tʷᵊk
3.sing.cl.6.OBJ
ˈqʷas
catch
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(26)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Heħ keebbëëjj quhddw qwχ heħ qwas quhddw ddʡ r̥aaʛ qwaig heħ χwaad quhddw ddʡ r̥ggwesrtedd qwaig saaqwħħb daig deeswydw deeswydw.

[həħ kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ kʰʷᵊɗʷ qʷᵊχ həħ ˈqʷas kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥aːʛ ˈqʷaik həħ ˈχʷaːt kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥ᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷaik ˈsaːqʷᵊʜᵊp ˈtaik təːˈsʷɨtʷ təːˈsʷɨtʷ]

həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ
pat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ˈqʷas
catch
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ˈχʷaːt
eat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈaːqʷᵊʜᵊp
cheese
t-
cl.1
ˈaik
the
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP

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

(27)

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

Heħ keebbëëjj quhddw qwχ heħ qwas quhddw ddʡ r̥aaʛ qwaig twq χwaad quhddw ddʡ r̥ggwesrtedd qwaig heħ quèkhw quhddw qwχ bëër̥w saaqwħħb daig deeswydw deeswydw deeswydw.

[həħ kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ kʰʷᵊɗʷ qʷᵊχ həħ ˈqʷas kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥aːʛ ˈqʷaik tʰʷᵊʔ ˈχʷaːt kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥ᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ ˈqʷaik həħ ˈkʷɜxʷ kʰʷᵊɗʷ qʷᵊχ ˈpɘːr̥ʷ ˈsaːqʷᵊʜᵊp ˈtaik təːˈsʷɨtʷ təːˈsʷɨtʷ təːˈsʷɨtʷ]

həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kʰəːˈɓɘːʄ
pat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ˈqʷas
catch
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈaːʛ
cat
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
tʰʷᵊʔ
1excl.sing.OBJ
ˈχʷaːt
eat
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈᵊɠʷəsʈəɗ
mouse
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ˈkʷɜxʷ
buy
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈpɘː
1excl.sing
-r̥ʷ
sing
s-
NOM
ˈaːqʷᵊʜᵊp
cheese
t-
cl.1
ˈaik
the
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP

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

(28)

Complementation Strategies

Akh 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:

Bbeddwaaŕ quhddw heħ htwyrr quhddw ddʡ r̥ëχw qwaig sarer̥χw rrëħħ haig deeswydw rrëëfeersees haig.

[ɓəˈɗʷaːr kʰʷᵊɗʷ həħ ˈhtʷɨɽ kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥ɘχʷ ˈqʷaik ˈsaɾər̥ᵊχʷ ˈɽɘʜ ˈhaik təːˈsʷɨtʷ ɽɘːfəːʂəːs ˈhaik]

ɓəˈɗʷaːr
surprise
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
həħ
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ˈhtʷɨɽ
give
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈɘχʷ
boy
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
s-
NOM
ˈaɾər̥ᵊχʷ
apple
ɽ-
DAT
ˈɘʜ
girl
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP
ɽ-
DAT
ɘːfəːʂəːs
teacher
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the

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

(29)

Quotes

Akh 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:

Twq taiqw quhddw ddʡ r̥ëχw qwaig ʛweŕ khwy qwχ bëër̥w pèèr̥w deeswydw rrëħħ haig.

[tʰʷᵊʔ ˈtʰaiqʷ kʰʷᵊɗʷ ɗᵊʡ ˈr̥ɘχʷ ˈqʷaik ʛʷər ˈxʷɨ qʷᵊχ ˈpɘːr̥ʷ ˈpʰɜːr̥ʷ təːˈsʷɨtʷ ˈɽɘʜ ˈhaik]

tʰʷᵊʔ
1excl.sing.OBJ
ˈtʰaiqʷ
tell
kʰʷᵊɗʷ
PAST
ɗᵊʡ
3.sing.cl.6.SUBJ
r̥-
ERG
ˈɘχʷ
boy
qʷ-
cl.6
ˈaik
the
ʛʷər
2.sing.OBJ
ˈxʷɨ
love
qʷᵊχ
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈpɘː
1excl.sing
-r̥ʷ
sing
ˈpʰɜː
2.sing
-r̥ʷ
sing
təːˈsʷɨtʷ
COMP
ɽ-
DAT
ˈɘʜ
girl
h-
cl.2
ˈaik
the

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

(30)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Akh. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 22 October 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/69N5C

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-69N5C,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Akh}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/69N5C}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 22 October 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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