A Grammar of Choizh

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Choizh language (the 650th 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 Choizh.

Typological Profile

It has proper polysynthesis and not just singular and plural, but also dual,.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Choizh has a moderately large consonant inventory, with 30 phonemes.

It has a maximally contrastive voicing system, a substantial inventory of palatal or palatalised consonants, a notably rich set of sibilant contrasts, a rich and varied affricate inventory and a notably rich liquid inventory.

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

labialalveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatallateralpalatalvelarglottal
stopb d t c ɟ k ɡ
nasalm n ɲ ŋ
trill/tap/flapɾ
fricativef s z ʃ ʒ x ɣ h
approximantʋ l j
affricated͡z t͡s d͡ʒ t͡ʃ t͡ɕ

Vowels

Choizh 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 strongly reduced vowel system in unstressed syllables and a partially contrastive system of vowel length.

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

frontcentralback
closei u
mide ə o
opena

Stress and Tones

Choizh 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

Choizh 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 /ʋ/г /h/
д /d/е /e/ж /ʒ/з /z/
и /i/к /k/л /l/м /m/
н /n/о /o/р /r/с /s/
т /t/у /u/ф /f/х /x/
ц /t͡s/ч /t͡ʃ/ш /ʃ/ѓ /ɟ/
ѕ /d͡z/ј /j/њ /ɲ/ћ /t͡ɕ/
ќ /c/џ /d͡ʒ/ґ /ɡ/ғ /ɣ/
ӈ /ŋ/ә /ə/ԅ /ɾ/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

аа /aː/ай /ai/аў /au/
ее /eː/ии /iː/ой /ɔi/
оо /oː/уу /uː/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Choizh distinguishes singular, dual and plural.

Gender

Choizh does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Жећ ѕумәж ләӈаӈ жећ цаўћәж файн циѓ бус жиибәд зәќухәћ.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈd͡zuməʒ ləˈŋaŋ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈt͡saut͡ɕəʒ ˈfain ˈt͡siɟ ˈbus ˈʒiːbəd zəˈcuxət͡ɕ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈd͡zum
woman
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ləˈŋaŋ
COMIT
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈt͡saux
knife
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈfai
catch
-ˈn
PAST
ˈt͡siɟ
yon
ˈbus
three
ˈʒiːb
blind
-həd
NOM
zəˈcux
mouse
-ɣət͡ɕ
plur

“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 Choizh consists of the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing number, comprising -ћәж /-t͡ɕəʒ/ ‘sing’, -зәф /-zəf/ ‘dual’ and -ғәћ /-ɣət͡ɕ/ ‘plur’.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 39 suffixes, namely -џәӈ /-d͡ʒəŋ/ ‘little’, -ѕәб /-d͡zəb/ ‘big’, -бәм /-bəm/ ‘old’, -јәг /-jəh/ ‘new’, -скәж /-skəʒ/ ‘good’, -бәѓ /-bəɟ/ ‘bad’, -ѕәґә /-d͡zəɡə/ ‘make’, -бәґә /-bəɡə/ ‘help’, -фәќә /-fəcə/ ‘have’, -бәмә /-bəmə/ ‘use’, -мәдә /-mədə/ ‘see’, -њәфә /-ɲəfə/ ‘break’, -жәќә /-ʒəcə/ ‘eat’, -ләцә /-lət͡sə/ ‘drink’, -кәћә /-kət͡ɕə/ ‘wear’, -ґәсә /-ɡəsə/ ‘own’, -хәќә /-xəcə/ ‘contain’, -ґәшкә /-ɡəʃkə/ ‘hold’, -њәхә /-ɲəxə/ ‘lack’, -сәцә /-sət͡sə/ ‘touch’, -ғәјә /-ɣəjə/ ‘carry’, -жәвә /-ʒəʋə/ ‘find’, -шќәќә /-ʃcəcə/ ‘hunt’, -ѕәӈә /-d͡zəŋə/ ‘guard’, -кәвә /-kəʋə/ ‘search’, -ғәскә /-ɣəskə/ ‘learn’, -мәџә /-məd͡ʒə/ ‘teach’, -зәѓә /-zəɟə/ ‘follow’, -фәбә /-fəbə/ ‘chase’, -сәғә /-səɣə/ ‘build’, -жәжә /-ʒəʒə/ ‘burn’, -цәшә /-t͡səʃə/ ‘hit’, -рәмә /-rəmə/ ‘take’, -цәњә /-t͡səɲə/ ‘cut’, -ғәрә /-ɣərə/ ‘hear’, -жәхә /-ʒəxə/ ‘know’, -мәшә /-məʃə/ ‘love’, -шкәњә /-ʃkəɲə/ ‘protect’ and -дәзә /-dəzə/ ‘possess’

The Adjective

In Choizh, the adjective has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing case, comprising -гәд /-həd/ ‘NOM’, -жәӈ /-ʒəŋ/ ‘GEN’, -њәц /-ɲət͡s/ ‘DAT’, -ѕәт /-d͡zət/ ‘INS’, -сќәѓ /-scəɟ/ ‘VOC’, -ѕәғ /-d͡zəɣ/ ‘ALL’, -мән /-mən/ ‘LOC’, -њәѓ /-ɲəɟ/ ‘ABL’ and -зәј /-zəj/ ‘PART’.

Numerals

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

Determiners

The determiner in Choizh stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Choizh has the following structure: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing number, comprising /-ˈt͡s/ ‘sing’, /-ˈd͡z/ ‘dual’ and /-ˈd/ ‘plur’.

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

Џайјәшәќ.

[ˈd͡ʒaijəˈʃəc]

ˈd͡ʒaij
girl
-məʃə
love
-ˈc
PRES

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

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

Јоц џайјәшәќ.

[ˈjot͡s ˈd͡ʒaijəˈʃəc]

ˈjo
3.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈd͡ʒaij
girl
-məʃə
love
-ˈc
PRES

He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

Жећ Гәшкићәж ґәфаќ жећ Хәѓооћәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈʃkit͡ɕəʒ ɡəˈfac ˈʒet͡ɕ xəˈɟoːt͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈʃkiɲ
Hasahkiny
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ɡəˈfa
hate
-ˈc
PRES
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
xəˈɟoːɡ
Khajog
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“Hasahkiny hates Khajog.”

(4)

Possession

жећ денәж жећ гәѓићәж

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈdenəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈɟit͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈden
boy
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈɟiɡ
apple
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
јоц жећ гәѓићәж

[ˈjot͡s ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈɟit͡ɕəʒ]

ˈjo
3.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈɟiɡ
apple
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
ќииц жећ гәѓићәж

[ˈciːt͡s ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈɟit͡ɕəʒ]

ˈciː
1excl.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈɟiɡ
apple
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“my apple”

(7)
Жећ бәќећәж жећ сећәж жәшойн саац жећ вәвећәж жећ стеећәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ bəˈcet͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈset͡ɕəʒ ʒəˈʃɔin ˈsaːt͡s ˈʒet͡ɕ ʋəˈʋet͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈsteːt͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
bəˈceɣ
hunter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈseɣ
daughter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ʒəˈʃɔi
kiss
-ˈn
PAST
ˈsaː
2.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ʋəˈʋeʋ
neighbour
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈsteːɲ
son
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

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

(8)

Derivation

ԅәшайдәж

[ɾəˈʃaidəʒ]

ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“a lamb”

(9)
ԅәшайдәћәж

[ɾəˈʃaidət͡ɕəʒ]

ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-d͡ʒəŋ
little
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“a little lamb”

(10)
Ԅәшайдәфәќән.

[ɾəˈʃaidəfəˈcən]

ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-d͡ʒəŋ
little
-fəcə
have
-ˈn
PAST

“She had a little lamb.”

(11)
Ԅәшайдәфәќәвәќән.

[ɾəˈʃaidəfəcəʋəˈcən]

ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-d͡ʒəŋ
little
-fəcə
have
-ʋəcə
want
-ˈn
PAST

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(12)
Њаан кууд ԅәшайдәћәж кан.

[ˈɲaːn ˈkuːd ɾəˈʃaidət͡ɕəʒ ˈkan]

ˈɲaː
want
-ˈn
PAST
ˈkuːd
often
ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-d͡ʒəŋ
little
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈka
have
-ˈn
PAST

“She often wanted to have a little lamb.”

(13)
Жайќ кәб јәџ тоон јоц њаан кууд ԅәшайдәћәж кан?

[ˈʒaic kəb jəd͡ʒ ˈtoːn ˈjot͡s ˈɲaːn ˈkuːd ɾəˈʃaidət͡ɕəʒ ˈkan]

ˈʒai
be
-ˈc
PRES
kəb
NEG
jəd͡ʒ
2.sing.SUBJ
ˈtoː
think
-ˈn
PAST
ˈjo
3.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈɲaː
want
-ˈn
PAST
ˈkuːd
often
ɾəˈʃaid
lamb
-d͡ʒəŋ
little
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈka
have
-ˈn
PAST

“Are you not one of those who thought that she often wanted to have a little lamb?”

(14)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

All verbal phrase clitics in Choizh are enclitics (placed finally), and there are four types: first, a clitic expressing mode, comprising њәњ /ɲəɲ/ ‘imperative’, кәс /kəs/ ‘conditional’ and ләғ /ləɣ/ ‘optative’; second, a clitic expressing voice, comprising цәх /t͡səx/ ‘passive’; third, a clitic expressing negation, comprising кәб /kəb/ ‘NEG’; and finally, fourth, a clitic expressing subj, comprising ћәв /t͡ɕəʋ/ ‘1incl.sing’, тәм /təm/ ‘1excl.sing’, јәџ /jəd͡ʒ/ ‘2.sing’, цәл /t͡səl/ ‘1incl.dual’, шәѕ /ʃəd͡z/ ‘1excl.dual’, сәм /səm/ ‘2.dual’, дәл /dəl/ ‘3.dual’, шәч /ʃət͡ʃ/ ‘1incl.plur’, ќәѕ /cəd͡z/ ‘1excl.plur’, ғәд /ɣəd/ ‘2.plur’ and ќәк /cək/ ‘3.plur’.

In addition, the verb is structured like this: the root followed by an obligatory suffix expressing ta, comprising /-ˈc/ ‘PRES’ and /-ˈn/ ‘PAST’.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: 19 suffixes, namely -ләѓә /-ləɟə/ ‘begin’, -нәшә /-nəʃə/ ‘stop’, -сәшә /-səʃə/ ‘continue’, -њәзә /-ɲəzə/ ‘try’, -ғәѓә /-ɣəɟə/ ‘start’, -вәќә /-ʋəcə/ ‘want’, -ѕәсә /-d͡zəsə/ ‘can’, -јәбә /-jəbə/ ‘finish’, -ӈәрә /-ŋərə/ ‘need’, -шәвә /-ʃəʋə/ ‘decide’, -ѕәбә /-d͡zəbə/ ‘fail’, -фәѓә /-fəɟə/ ‘hope’, -ќәкә /-cəkə/ ‘must’, -фәзә /-fəzə/ ‘pretend’, -јәғә /-jəɣə/ ‘let’, -жәрә /-ʒərə/ ‘force’, -дәѕә /-dəd͡zə/ ‘keep’, -рәґә /-rəɡə/ ‘cause’ and -зәӈә /-zəŋə/ ‘allow’

Њаўќ тәм саац.

[ˈɲauc təm ˈsaːt͡s]

ˈɲau
love
-ˈc
PRES
təm
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈsaː
2.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing

“I love you.”

(15)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

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

њааґ жећ шиѕәж зиќәж

[ˈɲaːɡ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈʃid͡zəʒ ˈzicəʒ]

ˈɲaːɡ
in
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈʃid͡z
table
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈzic
surface
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“on the table”

(16)
нуц жећ шәлабәж ґиџәж

[ˈnut͡s ˈʒet͡ɕ ʃəˈlabəʒ ˈɡid͡ʒəʒ]

ˈnut͡s
to
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ʃəˈlab
box
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈɡid͡ʒ
inside
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“into the box”

(17)
ләӈаӈ ќииц

[ləˈŋaŋ ˈciːt͡s]

ləˈŋaŋ
COMIT
ˈciː
1excl.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing

“with me”

(18)

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.

Choizh 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 Choizh.

Жећ дәнооћәж јаан жећ бәќећәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ dəˈnoːt͡ɕəʒ ˈjaːn ˈʒet͡ɕ bəˈcet͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
dəˈnoːɟ
jaguar
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈjaː
kill
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
bəˈceɣ
hunter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(19)
Жећ ғәћасәж кон жећ бәќећәж жећ сећәж жећ тайләж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ɣəˈt͡ɕasəʒ ˈkon ˈʒet͡ɕ bəˈcet͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈset͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈtailəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ɣəˈt͡ɕas
lion
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈko
eat
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
bəˈceɣ
hunter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈseɣ
daughter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈtail
dog
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

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

(20)

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 Choizh 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, Choizh 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.

саац жећ стеећәж жећ ќоймәж жећ шәгоогәж

[ˈsaːt͡s ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈsteːt͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈcɔiməʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ʃəhoːhəʒ]

ˈsaː
2.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈsteːɲ
son
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈcɔim
friend
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ʃəhoːh
book
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“your son’s friend’s book”

(21)

Case Marking

Choizh does not use case marking to distinguish the core participants of the clause. There is therefore no regular nominative, accusative, ergative, active or stative marking on subjects and objects. Instead, the roles of the participants are identified by other means, cf. the examples below.

Жећ мићәж лееќ.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ ˈleːc]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈleː
sleep
-ˈc
PRES

“The cat is sleeping.”

(22)
Жећ мићәж ѕууќ.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ ˈd͡zuːc]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈd͡zuː
run
-ˈc
PRES

“The cat is running.”

(23)
Жећ мићәж дәғаќ жећ зәќућәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ dəˈɣac ˈʒet͡ɕ zəˈcut͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
dəˈɣa
chase
-ˈc
PRES
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
zəˈcux
mouse
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(24)
Жећ мићәж файн жећ зәќућәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ ˈfain ˈʒet͡ɕ zəˈcut͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈfai
catch
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
zəˈcux
mouse
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(25)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Жећ бәќећәж јаан жећ дәнооѓәћ ґаш жећ шәшайғәћ ґаш жећ ғәћасәћ.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ bəˈcet͡ɕəʒ ˈjaːn ˈʒet͡ɕ dəˈnoːɟət͡ɕ ˈɡaʃ ˈʒet͡ɕ ʃəˈʃaiɣət͡ɕ ˈɡaʃ ˈʒet͡ɕ ɣəˈt͡ɕasət͡ɕ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
bəˈceɣ
hunter
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈjaː
kill
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
dəˈnoːɟ
jaguar
-ɣət͡ɕ
plur
ˈɡaʃ
and
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ʃəˈʃaiɲ
tiger
-ɣət͡ɕ
plur
ˈɡaʃ
and
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ɣəˈt͡ɕas
lion
-ɣət͡ɕ
plur

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

(26)

Modifiers and Determiners

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

Choizh 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:

Кәлон тәм жећ мићәж.

[kəˈlon təm ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ]

kəˈlo
pat
-ˈn
PAST
təm
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“I patted the cat.”

(27)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Кәлон тәм файн жећ зәќућәж жећ мићәж.

[kəˈlon təm ˈfain ˈʒet͡ɕ zəˈcut͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ]

kəˈlo
pat
-ˈn
PAST
təm
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈfai
catch
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
zəˈcux
mouse
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(28)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Кәлон тәм файн кон жећ гәбебәж жећ зәќућәж жећ мићәж.

[kəˈlon təm ˈfain ˈkon ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈbebəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ zəˈcut͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ]

kəˈlo
pat
-ˈn
PAST
təm
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈfai
catch
-ˈn
PAST
ˈko
eat
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈbeb
cheese
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
zəˈcux
mouse
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

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

(29)

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

Кәлон тәм файн кон ќииц јойн жећ гәбебәж жећ зәќућәж жећ мићәж.

[kəˈlon təm ˈfain ˈkon ˈciːt͡s ˈjɔin ˈʒet͡ɕ həˈbebəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ zəˈcut͡ɕəʒ ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈmit͡ɕəʒ]

kəˈlo
pat
-ˈn
PAST
təm
1excl.sing.SUBJ
ˈfai
catch
-ˈn
PAST
ˈko
eat
-ˈn
PAST
ˈciː
1excl.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈjɔi
buy
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
həˈbeb
cheese
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
zəˈcux
mouse
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈmiʒ
cat
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

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

(30)

Complementation Strategies

Choizh forms complement clauses by nominalising the embedded verb. The nominalised form lacks finite verbal categories and behaves as a noun phrase. Subjects of nominalised clauses occur in the genitive case, and the nominalised verb establishes the semantic content of the complement.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

Жећ денәж гойн жећ џайјәж гәѓићәж ләбан жећ сәшааћәж.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈdenəʒ ˈhɔin ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈd͡ʒaijəʒ həˈɟit͡ɕəʒ ləˈban ˈʒet͡ɕ səʃaːt͡ɕəʒ]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈden
boy
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈhɔi
give
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈd͡ʒaij
girl
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
həˈɟiɡ
apple
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ləˈba
surprise
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
səʃaːŋ
teacher
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing

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

(31)

Quotes

Choizh 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:

Жећ денәж зен жећ џайјәж ќииц њаўќ саац.

[ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈdenəʒ ˈzen ˈʒet͡ɕ ˈd͡ʒaijəʒ ˈciːt͡s ˈɲauc ˈsaːt͡s]

ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈden
boy
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈze
tell
-ˈn
PAST
ˈʒet͡ɕ
the
ˈd͡ʒaij
girl
-t͡ɕəʒ
sing
ˈciː
1excl.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing
ˈɲau
love
-ˈc
PRES
ˈsaː
2.sing
-ˈt͡s
sing

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

(32)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Choizh. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 11 July 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/6B0ND

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-6B0ND,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Choizh}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/6B0ND}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 11 July 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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