A Grammar of Sqa

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Sqa language (the 1925th 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 Sqa.

Typological Profile

It has a complete absence of bilabial or labiodental consonants, a highly marked collection of glottal, uvular, pharyngeal or epiglottal contrasts, a total lack of nasal consonants, proper polysynthesis and a small but genuine set of click consonants.

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Sqa has an extremely large consonant inventory, totalling 78 phonemes. Such a system is exceptional in scale.

It has a complete absence of bilabial or labiodental consonants, 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 Sqa. The chart lists all places and manners of articulation attested in the language.

dentallab. dentalphar. dentalalveolarlab. alveolarphar. alveolarpostalveolaralveolo-palatalpalatalretroflexvelarlab. velarphar. velaruvularlab. uvularphar. uvularpharyngealepiglottalglottal
stopd t dʷ tʷ dˤ tˤ ɖ ʈ k ɡ kʷ ɡʷ kˤ ɡˤ q ɢ qʷ ɢʷ qˤ ɢˤ ʡ ʔ
aspirated stoptʰ tʰʷ tʰˤ ʈʰ kʰ kʰʷ kʰˤ
trill/tap/flapɽ ʜ
fricativeð θ ðʷ θʷ ðˤ θˤ s z sʷ zʷ sˤ zˤ ʃ ʒ ɕ ʑ ʂ ʐ x ɣ xʷ ɣʷ xˤ ɣˤ ʁ χ ʁʷ χʷ ʁˤ χˤ ħ ʕ h ɦ
approximantj
implosiveɗ ɗʷ ɗˤ ᶑ ʄ
clickᵏǀ ᵏǀʰ ᵏǀʷ ᵏǀʰʷ ᵏǀˤ ᵏǀʰˤ

Vowels

Sqa 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 vertical vowel system in which backness distinctions are largely absent, a regular pattern of underlying ghost nuclei that often delete, a modest but genuine inventory of nasal vowels, a maximally “square” vowel system balancing heights across backness and a full range of vowel qualities even in reduced syllables.

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

central
closeɨ
midə ə̃
opena

Stress and Tones

Sqa has phonemic stress and 2 lexical tones. Each lexical item carries a tonal specification associated with the first vowel of the root, which determines the overall tonal contour of the word.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

Vowel harmony does not exist in this language.

Writing System

Introduction

Sqa 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/c /ᵏǀ/c̣ /ᵏǀˤ/d /d/
ḍ /dˤ/e /ə/g /ɡ/g̣ /ɡˤ/
h /h/j /j/k /k/ḳ /kˤ/
q /q/q̣ /qˤ/s /s/ṣ /sˤ/
t /t/ṭ /tˤ/x /x/x̣ /xˤ/
y /ɨ/z /z/ẓ /zˤ/ð /ð/
ð̣ /ðˤ/þ /θ/þ̣ /θˤ/ğ /ɣ/
ğ̣ /ɣˤ/ħ /ħ/ɕ /ɕ/ɦ /ɦ/
ʁ /ʁ/ʁ̣ /ʁˤ/ʑ /ʑ/ʡ /ʡ/
χ /χ/χ̣ /χˤ/ẽ /ə̃/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

ai /ai/au /au/ch /ᵏǀʰ/
chw /ᵏǀʰʷ/cḥ /ᵏǀʰˤ/cw /ᵏǀʷ/
dd /ɗ/ddw /ɗʷ/dḍ /ɗˤ/
dw /dʷ/gw /ɡʷ/għ /ʕ/
jj /ʄ/kh /kʰ/khw /xʷ/
kḥ /kʰˤ/qu /kʷ/quh /kʰʷ/
qw /qʷ/rd /ɖ/rdd /ᶑ/
rr /ɽ/rs /ʂ/rt /ʈ/
rth /ʈʰ/rz /ʐ/sh /ʃ/
sw /sʷ/th /tʰ/thw /tʰʷ/
tḥ /tʰˤ/tw /tʷ/zh /ʒ/
zw /zʷ/ðw /ðʷ/þw /θʷ/
ğw /ɣʷ/ħg /ɢ/ħgw /ɢʷ/
ħg̣ /ɢˤ/ħħ /ʜ/ɔi /ɔi/
ʁw /ʁʷ/χw /χʷ/’ /ʔ/

Diacritics

◌̄ /꜒/◌̠ /꜖/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Sqa does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Sqa does not have genders or noun classes.

The Nominal Phrase

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

Ðwā ṣtau̠ ʁ̣shṭẽ̄ ðwā zwgwȳ ʑʡ swʡ kḥȳ ʡẽ de̠ ztḥyɕkḥaþe̠ zwħgwɔī, zwɔī ʑdwy̠.

[ðʷa꜒ sˤtau꜖ ʁˤᵊʃtˤə̃꜒ ðʷa꜒ zʷɡʷɨ꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ kʰˤɨ꜒ ʡə̃ də꜖ ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤaθə꜖ zʷɢʷɔi꜒, zʷɔi꜒ ʑdʷɨ꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
sˤtau꜖
woman
ʁˤᵊʃtˤə̃꜒
COMIT
ðʷa꜒
the
zʷɡʷɨ꜒
knife
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
kʰˤɨ꜒
catch
ʡə̃
PAST
də꜖
yon
ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤ-
plur
ɡaθə꜖
mouse
zʷɢʷɔi꜒
three
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑdʷɨ꜖
blind

“The woman with the knife caught those three blind mice.”

(1)

In the following, we shall look at the various components in more details.

The nominal phrase clitics in Sqa fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: a clitic expressing possessor, comprising rth /ʈʰᵊ/ ‘1incl.sing’, qe /qə/ ‘1excl.sing’, þ /θᵊ/ ‘2.sing’, zh /ʒᵊ/ ‘3.sing’, ħgy /ɢɨ/ ‘1incl.plur’, ta /ta/ ‘1excl.plur’, rzque /ʐkʷə/ ‘2.plur’ and zhkḥa /ʒkʰˤa/ ‘3.plur’ followed by a clitic expressing case, comprising ʑʡ /ʑʡᵊ/ ‘ERG’, cḥa /ᵏǀʰˤa/ ‘DAT’, rddy /ᶑɨ/ ‘INS’, dda /ɗa/ ‘VOC’, zhḍa /ʒdˤa/ ‘ALL’, shtḥ /ʃtʰˤᵊ/ ‘LOC’, ðwy /ðʷɨ/ ‘ABL’ and srthy /sʈʰɨ/ ‘PART’.

The morphology of the elements of the nominal phrase, i.e., nouns, numerals and pronouns, is described below, as is the way that possession is expressed in Sqa.

The Noun

The noun in Sqa consists of an optional prefix expressing number, comprising ztḥyɕkḥ- /ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤ-/ ‘plur’ followed by the root.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 39 suffixes, namely -ẓ /-zˤᵊ/ ‘little’, -’e /-ʔə/ ‘big’, -dd /-ɗᵊ/ ‘old’, -xẽ /-xə#/ ‘new’, -da /-da/ ‘good’, -khe /-kʰə/ ‘bad’, -ṣḳ /-sˤkˤᵊ/ ‘make’, -h /-hᵊ/ ‘help’, -s’a /-sʔa/ ‘have’, -quy /-kʷɨ/ ‘use’, -zw’y /-zʷʔɨ/ ‘see’, -ṣq̣e /-sˤqˤə/ ‘break’, -ẓe /-zˤə/ ‘eat’, -ʁa /-ʁa/ ‘drink’, -zhħg̣a /-ʒɢˤa/ ‘wear’, -ħg̣e /-ɢˤə/ ‘own’, -ḍy /-dˤɨ/ ‘contain’, -ẓrthy /-zˤʈʰɨ/ ‘hold’, -que /-kʷə/ ‘lack’, -ẓka /-zˤka/ ‘touch’, -rzqwẽ /-ʐqʷə#/ ‘carry’, -ẓħge /-zˤɢə/ ‘find’, -swqwy /-sʷqʷɨ/ ‘hunt’, -ʡa /-ʡa/ ‘guard’, -ɦ /-ɦᵊ/ ‘search’, -dwe /-dʷə/ ‘learn’, -ddwe /-ɗʷə/ ‘teach’, -rzthw /-ʐtʰʷᵊ/ ‘follow’, -swa /-sʷa/ ‘chase’, -dwy /-dʷɨ/ ‘build’, -zwga /-zʷɡa/ ‘burn’, -ṣa /-sˤa/ ‘hit’, -għa /-ʕa/ ‘take’, -swʡẽ /-sʷʡə#/ ‘cut’, -shthwa /-ʃtʰʷa/ ‘hear’, -zħg̣ẽ /-zɢˤə#/ ‘know’, -ṣrtha /-sˤʈʰa/ ‘love’, -rstha /-ʂtʰa/ ‘protect’ and -zha /-ʒa/ ‘possess’

The Adjective

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

Numerals

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

Determiners

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

Pronouns

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

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

Swʡ rstḥaṣrtha.

[sʷʡᵊ ʂtʰˤasˤʈʰa]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʂtʰˤa꜒
girl
-sˤʈʰa
love

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

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

Sa̠ swʡ rstḥaṣrtha.

[sa꜖ sʷʡᵊ ʂtʰˤasˤʈʰa]

sa꜖
3.sing
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʂtʰˤa꜒
girl
-sˤʈʰa
love

“He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

Ðwā Rryʑtwā ʑʡ swʡ sẽ ḍaddwɔi̠ ðwā Ḳyðwau̠.

[ðʷa꜒ ɽɨʑtʷa꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ dˤaɗʷɔi꜖ ðʷa꜒ kˤɨðʷau꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
ɽɨʑtʷa꜒
Rizahta
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
dˤaɗʷɔi꜖
hate
ðʷa꜒
the
kˤɨðʷau꜖
Kithau

“Rizahta hates Kithau.”

(4)

Possession

zh ðwā ḍazwthwy̠ ðwā she̠

[ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ʃə꜖]

ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖
apple
ðʷa꜒
the
ʃə꜖
boy

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
zh ðwā ḍazwthwy̠ sa̠

[ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖ sa꜖]

ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖
apple
sa꜖
3.sing

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
qe ðwā ḍazwthwy̠

[qə ðʷa꜒ dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖]

qə
1excl.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖
apple

“my apple”

(7)
Zh ðwā shquy̠ ðwā rzẓgwẽ̄ ʑʡ swʡ sẽ swskaī ʡẽ zh ðwā ṣa̠ þ ðwā chẓque̠.

[ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ ʃkʷɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ sʷᵊskai꜒ ʡə̃ ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ sˤa꜖ θᵊ ðʷa꜒ ᵏǀʰᵊzˤkʷə꜖]

ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
ʃkʷɨ꜖
daughter
ðʷa꜒
the
ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒
hunter
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
sʷᵊskai꜒
kiss
ʡə̃
PAST
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
sˤa꜖
son
θᵊ
2.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
ᵏǀʰᵊzˤkʷə꜖
neighbour

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

(8)

Derivation

rryʁā

[ɽɨʁa꜒]

ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb

“a lamb”

(9)
rryʁaẓ

[ɽɨʁazˤᵊ]

ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb
-zˤᵊ
little

“a little lamb”

(10)
Swʡ rryʁaẓs’a ʡẽ.

[sʷʡᵊ ɽɨʁazˤsʔa ʡə̃]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb
-zˤᵊ
little
-sʔa
have
ʡə̃
PAST

“She had a little lamb.”

(11)
Swʡ rryʁaẓs’azwg̣e ʡẽ.

[sʷʡᵊ ɽɨʁazˤsʔazʷɡˤə ʡə̃]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb
-zˤᵊ
little
-sʔa
have
-zʷɡˤə
want
ʡə̃
PAST

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(12)
Swʡ sẽ ʡe̠ quy̠ ʡẽ swʡ ʑtha̠ ʡẽ zh rryʁaẓ.

[sʷʡᵊ sə̃ ʡə꜖ kʷɨ꜖ ʡə̃ sʷʡᵊ ʑtʰa꜖ ʡə̃ ʒᵊ ɽɨʁazˤᵊ]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
ʡə꜖
want
kʷɨ꜖
often
ʡə̃
PAST
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʑtʰa꜖
have
ʡə̃
PAST
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb
-zˤᵊ
little

“She often wanted to have a little lamb.”

(13)
Swʡ shtw ska̠ swʡ ẓaū ʡẽ swʡ ʡe̠ quy̠ ʡẽ swʡ ʑtha̠ ʡẽ zh rryʁaẓ zh sa̠?

[sʷʡᵊ ʃtʷᵊ ska꜖ sʷʡᵊ zˤau꜒ ʡə̃ sʷʡᵊ ʡə꜖ kʷɨ꜖ ʡə̃ sʷʡᵊ ʑtʰa꜖ ʡə̃ ʒᵊ ɽɨʁazˤᵊ ʒᵊ sa꜖]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʃtʷᵊ
3.sing.2.sing.NEG
ska꜖
be
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
zˤau꜒
think
ʡə̃
PAST
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʡə꜖
want
kʷɨ꜖
often
ʡə̃
PAST
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʑtʰa꜖
have
ʡə̃
PAST
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ɽɨʁa꜒
lamb
-zˤᵊ
little
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
sa꜖
3.sing

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

(14)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

The verbal phrase clitics in Sqa fall into two categories, proclitics and enclitics: first, a clitic expressing obj.subj.negation, comprising cw /ᵏǀʷᵊ/ ‘none.1incl.sing.NEG’, skh /skʰᵊ/ ‘none.1incl.sing.POS’, srt /sʈᵊ/ ‘none.1excl.sing.NEG’, xe /xə/ ‘none.1excl.sing.POS’, þwa /θʷa/ ‘none.2.sing.NEG’, shthwy /ʃtʰʷɨ/ ‘none.2.sing.POS’, ğa /ɣa/ ‘none.3.sing.NEG’, ja /ja/ ‘none.3.sing.POS’, shrthẽ /ʃʈʰə#/ ‘none.1incl.plur.NEG’, gwy /ɡʷɨ/ ‘none.1incl.plur.POS’, zwrdy /zʷɖɨ/ ‘none.1excl.plur.NEG’, qẽ /qə#/ ‘none.1excl.plur.POS’, ddwe /ɗʷə/ ‘none.2.plur.NEG’, c̣a /ᵏǀˤa/ ‘none.2.plur.POS’, swqy /sʷqɨ/ ‘none.3.plur.NEG’, rda /ɖa/ ‘none.3.plur.POS’, ṣthwe /sˤtʰʷə/ ‘1incl.sing.1incl.sing.NEG’, dḍa /ɗˤa/ ‘1incl.sing.1incl.sing.POS’, rzdy /ʐdɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.1excl.sing.NEG’, zhtha /ʒtʰa/ ‘1incl.sing.1excl.sing.POS’, ky /kɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.2.sing.NEG’, khwa /xʷa/ ‘1incl.sing.2.sing.POS’, shq̣y /ʃqˤɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.3.sing.NEG’, zkḥa /zkʰˤa/ ‘1incl.sing.3.sing.POS’, ẓq̣a /zˤqˤa/ ‘1incl.sing.1incl.plur.NEG’, rzgwy /ʐɡʷɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.1incl.plur.POS’, rsty /ʂtɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.1excl.plur.NEG’, twa /tʷa/ ‘1incl.sing.1excl.plur.POS’, ṣe /sˤə/ ‘1incl.sing.2.plur.NEG’, rsqa /ʂqa/ ‘1incl.sing.2.plur.POS’, ṣḳa /sˤkˤa/ ‘1incl.sing.3.plur.NEG’, squy /skʷɨ/ ‘1incl.sing.3.plur.POS’, zkhy /zkʰɨ/ ‘1excl.sing.1incl.sing.NEG’, ħga /ɢa/ ‘1excl.sing.1incl.sing.POS’, ð /ðᵊ/ ‘1excl.sing.1excl.sing.NEG’, rdy /ɖɨ/ ‘1excl.sing.1excl.sing.POS’, kḥa /kʰˤa/ ‘1excl.sing.2.sing.NEG’, khe /kʰə/ ‘1excl.sing.2.sing.POS’, swqua /sʷkʷa/ ‘1excl.sing.3.sing.NEG’, ṣq /sˤqᵊ/ ‘1excl.sing.3.sing.POS’, zwḳ /zʷkˤᵊ/ ‘1excl.sing.1incl.plur.NEG’, ẓa /zˤa/ ‘1excl.sing.1incl.plur.POS’, zrtha /zʈʰa/ ‘1excl.sing.1excl.plur.NEG’, ɕrth /ɕʈʰᵊ/ ‘1excl.sing.1excl.plur.POS’, swtwy /sʷtʷɨ/ ‘1excl.sing.2.plur.NEG’, rstwa /ʂtʷa/ ‘1excl.sing.2.plur.POS’, dwa /dʷa/ ‘1excl.sing.3.plur.NEG’, ʁ̣y /ʁˤɨ/ ‘1excl.sing.3.plur.POS’, x̣ /xˤᵊ/ ‘2.sing.1incl.sing.NEG’, quy /kʷɨ/ ‘2.sing.1incl.sing.POS’, ʑga /ʑɡa/ ‘2.sing.1excl.sing.NEG’, rdd /ᶑᵊ/ ‘2.sing.1excl.sing.POS’, þ̣e /θˤə/ ‘2.sing.2.sing.NEG’, rd /ɖᵊ/ ‘2.sing.2.sing.POS’, zwqw /zʷqʷᵊ/ ‘2.sing.3.sing.NEG’, ʑa /ʑa/ ‘2.sing.3.sing.POS’, ʡa /ʡa/ ‘2.sing.1incl.plur.NEG’, ztw /ztʷᵊ/ ‘2.sing.1incl.plur.POS’, ʑqu /ʑkʷᵊ/ ‘2.sing.1excl.plur.NEG’, zhḍy /ʒdˤɨ/ ‘2.sing.1excl.plur.POS’, ḍe /dˤə/ ‘2.sing.2.plur.NEG’, ğwe /ɣʷə/ ‘2.sing.2.plur.POS’, tḥe /tʰˤə/ ‘2.sing.3.plur.NEG’, rtha /ʈʰa/ ‘2.sing.3.plur.POS’, ğ̣y /ɣˤɨ/ ‘3.sing.1incl.sing.NEG’, jja /ʄa/ ‘3.sing.1incl.sing.POS’, rzkhy /ʐkʰɨ/ ‘3.sing.1excl.sing.NEG’, q̣ẽ /qˤə#/ ‘3.sing.1excl.sing.POS’, shtw /ʃtʷᵊ/ ‘3.sing.2.sing.NEG’, rzka /ʐka/ ‘3.sing.2.sing.POS’, zd /zdᵊ/ ‘3.sing.3.sing.NEG’, sẽ /sə#/ ‘3.sing.3.sing.POS’, da /da/ ‘3.sing.1incl.plur.NEG’, ḍy /dˤɨ/ ‘3.sing.1incl.plur.POS’, gwa /ɡʷa/ ‘3.sing.1excl.plur.NEG’, swḳe /sʷkˤə/ ‘3.sing.1excl.plur.POS’, sṭ /stˤᵊ/ ‘3.sing.2.plur.NEG’, kḥ /kʰˤᵊ/ ‘3.sing.2.plur.POS’, swthwa /sʷtʰʷa/ ‘3.sing.3.plur.NEG’, sthwẽ /stʰʷə#/ ‘3.sing.3.plur.POS’, ṣ /sˤᵊ/ ‘1incl.plur.1incl.sing.NEG’, għa /ʕa/ ‘1incl.plur.1incl.sing.POS’, zdy /zdɨ/ ‘1incl.plur.1excl.sing.NEG’, kha /kʰa/ ‘1incl.plur.1excl.sing.POS’, ğ̣ /ɣˤᵊ/ ‘1incl.plur.2.sing.NEG’, sq̣a /sqˤa/ ‘1incl.plur.2.sing.POS’, shta /ʃta/ ‘1incl.plur.3.sing.NEG’, c̣ẽ /ᵏǀˤə#/ ‘1incl.plur.3.sing.POS’, ʑta /ʑta/ ‘1incl.plur.1incl.plur.NEG’, swq̣a /sʷqˤa/ ‘1incl.plur.1incl.plur.POS’, thẽ /tʰə#/ ‘1incl.plur.1excl.plur.NEG’, ẓħga /zˤɢa/ ‘1incl.plur.1excl.plur.POS’, zha /ʒa/ ‘1incl.plur.2.plur.NEG’, zhdẽ /ʒdə#/ ‘1incl.plur.2.plur.POS’, dy /dɨ/ ‘1incl.plur.3.plur.NEG’, d /dᵊ/ ‘1incl.plur.3.plur.POS’, ʡe /ʡə/ ‘1excl.plur.1incl.sing.NEG’, ğ̣a /ɣˤa/ ‘1excl.plur.1incl.sing.POS’, χ̣ /χˤᵊ/ ‘1excl.plur.1excl.sing.NEG’, swe /sʷə/ ‘1excl.plur.1excl.sing.POS’, zhʡe /ʒʡə/ ‘1excl.plur.2.sing.NEG’, zhq̣y /ʒqˤɨ/ ‘1excl.plur.2.sing.POS’, ʁ̣ /ʁˤᵊ/ ‘1excl.plur.3.sing.NEG’, rzd /ʐdᵊ/ ‘1excl.plur.3.sing.POS’, rsque /ʂkʷə/ ‘1excl.plur.1incl.plur.NEG’, ð̣ /ðˤᵊ/ ‘1excl.plur.1incl.plur.POS’, għe /ʕə/ ‘1excl.plur.1excl.plur.NEG’, sha /ʃa/ ‘1excl.plur.1excl.plur.POS’, shqwy /ʃqʷɨ/ ‘1excl.plur.2.plur.NEG’, ddwa /ɗʷa/ ‘1excl.plur.2.plur.POS’, ʑħgwe /ʑɢʷə/ ‘1excl.plur.3.plur.NEG’, zħg̣e /zɢˤə/ ‘1excl.plur.3.plur.POS’, je /jə/ ‘2.plur.1incl.sing.NEG’, ʑrt /ʑʈᵊ/ ‘2.plur.1incl.sing.POS’, ʁwa /ʁʷa/ ‘2.plur.1excl.sing.NEG’, ṣthwa /sˤtʰʷa/ ‘2.plur.1excl.sing.POS’, ch /ᵏǀʰᵊ/ ‘2.plur.2.sing.NEG’, dḍẽ /ɗˤə#/ ‘2.plur.2.sing.POS’, swth /sʷtʰᵊ/ ‘2.plur.3.sing.NEG’, khwy /xʷɨ/ ‘2.plur.3.sing.POS’, zw /zʷᵊ/ ‘2.plur.1incl.plur.NEG’, quh /kʰʷᵊ/ ‘2.plur.1incl.plur.POS’, ẓ’ /zˤʔᵊ/ ‘2.plur.1excl.plur.NEG’, dwe /dʷə/ ‘2.plur.1excl.plur.POS’, ’ /ʔᵊ/ ‘2.plur.2.plur.NEG’, ðy /ðɨ/ ‘2.plur.2.plur.POS’, rzḳa /ʐkˤa/ ‘2.plur.3.plur.NEG’, zhy /ʒɨ/ ‘2.plur.3.plur.POS’, rdda /ᶑa/ ‘3.plur.1incl.sing.NEG’, za /za/ ‘3.plur.1incl.sing.POS’, rse /ʂə/ ‘3.plur.1excl.sing.NEG’, ħgwẽ /ɢʷə#/ ‘3.plur.1excl.sing.POS’, zwħg̣a /zʷɢˤa/ ‘3.plur.2.sing.NEG’, cwa /ᵏǀʷa/ ‘3.plur.2.sing.POS’, ɕḳa /ɕkˤa/ ‘3.plur.3.sing.NEG’, xa /xa/ ‘3.plur.3.sing.POS’, χe /χə/ ‘3.plur.1incl.plur.NEG’, shḳy /ʃkˤɨ/ ‘3.plur.1incl.plur.POS’, cwe /ᵏǀʷə/ ‘3.plur.1excl.plur.NEG’, ð̣y /ðˤɨ/ ‘3.plur.1excl.plur.POS’, zhdw /ʒdʷᵊ/ ‘3.plur.2.plur.NEG’, qwy /qʷɨ/ ‘3.plur.2.plur.POS’, rsth /ʂtʰᵊ/ ‘3.plur.3.plur.NEG’ and cha /ᵏǀʰa/ ‘3.plur.3.plur.POS’; second, a clitic expressing voice.mode, comprising swʡ /sʷʡᵊ/ ‘active.indicative’, cḥ /ᵏǀʰˤᵊ/ ‘active.imperative’, rste /ʂtə/ ‘active.conditional’, zwte /zʷtə/ ‘active.optative’, zqwy /zqʷɨ/ ‘passive.indicative’, zwkhe /zʷkʰə/ ‘passive.imperative’, ṭa /tˤa/ ‘passive.conditional’ and rsqy /ʂqɨ/ ‘passive.optative’; and finally, third, a clitic expressing ta, comprising ʡẽ /ʡə#/ ‘PAST’.

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

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: 19 suffixes, namely -ɦy /-ɦɨ/ ‘begin’, -the /-tʰə/ ‘stop’, -stḥa /-stʰˤa/ ‘continue’, -rsẽ /-ʂə#/ ‘try’, -khw /-xʷᵊ/ ‘start’, -zwg̣e /-zʷɡˤə/ ‘want’, -þwy /-θʷɨ/ ‘can’, -twe /-tʷə/ ‘finish’, -ħa /-ħa/ ‘need’, -χwa /-χʷa/ ‘decide’, -s’y /-sʔɨ/ ‘fail’, -dḍ /-ɗˤᵊ/ ‘hope’, -g /-ɡᵊ/ ‘must’, -rzḍ /-ʐdˤᵊ/ ‘pretend’, -ʁ̣ /-ʁˤᵊ/ ‘let’, -rsrtha /-ʂʈʰa/ ‘force’, -rzkḥ /-ʐkʰˤᵊ/ ‘keep’, -swtha /-sʷtʰa/ ‘cause’ and -zgwe /-zɡʷə/ ‘allow’

Swʡ rdd ṭā xȳ.

[sʷʡᵊ ᶑᵊ tˤa꜒ xɨ꜒]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ᶑᵊ
2.sing.1excl.sing.POS
tˤa꜒
love
xɨ꜒
2.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.

zhdā ðwā sthwy̠

[ʒda꜒ ðʷa꜒ stʰʷɨ꜖]

ʒda꜒
in_surface
ðʷa꜒
the
stʰʷɨ꜖
table

“on the table”

(16)
hy̠ ðwā ʑqurzge̠

[hɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ʑkʷᵊʐɡə꜖]

hɨ꜖
to_inside
ðʷa꜒
the
ʑkʷᵊʐɡə꜖
box

“into the box”

(17)
ʁ̣shṭẽ̄ χ̣ɔī

[ʁˤᵊʃtˤə̃꜒ χˤɔi꜒]

ʁˤᵊʃtˤə̃꜒
COMIT
χˤɔi꜒
1excl.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.

Sqa 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 Sqa.

Ðwā s’azḍɔī ʑʡ swʡ sẽ ðȳ ʡẽ ðwā rzẓgwẽ̄.

[ðʷa꜒ sʔazdˤɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ ðɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒]

ðʷa꜒
the
sʔazdˤɔi꜒
jaguar
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
ðɨ꜒
kill
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒
hunter

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(19)
Ðwā cḥeʑa̠ ʑʡ swʡ sẽ ṣẽ̠ ʡẽ zh ðwā zhdwā zh ðwā shquy̠ ðwā rzẓgwẽ̄.

[ðʷa꜒ ᵏǀʰˤəʑa꜖ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ sˤə̃꜖ ʡə̃ ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ ʒdʷa꜒ ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ ʃkʷɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒]

ðʷa꜒
the
ᵏǀʰˤəʑa꜖
lion
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
sˤə̃꜖
eat
ʡə̃
PAST
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
ʒdʷa꜒
dog
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
ʃkʷɨ꜖
daughter
ðʷa꜒
the
ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒
hunter

“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 Sqa 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, Sqa 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.

zh ðwā jyʁe zh ðwā khȳ þ ðwā ṣa̠

[ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ jɨʁə ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ kʰɨ꜒ θᵊ ðʷa꜒ sˤa꜖]

ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
jɨʁə
book
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
kʰɨ꜒
friend
θᵊ
2.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
sˤa꜖
son

“your son’s friend’s book”

(21)

Case Marking

Sqa uses ergative–absolutive case marking. The subject of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb are treated alike and take the absolutive case, while the subject of a transitive verb is marked with the ergative case. From the point of view of such a system, this is a perfectly natural way to organise the clause: the absolutive marks the participant most directly involved in the event or state, while the ergative marks the additional participant that causes or controls a transitive event.

Ðwā sau̠ swʡ swrthɔi̠.

[ðʷa꜒ sau꜖ sʷʡᵊ sʷʈʰɔi꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sʷʈʰɔi꜖
sleep

“The cat is sleeping.”

(22)
Ðwā sau̠ sḳy̠.

[ðʷa꜒ sau꜖ skˤɨ꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
skˤɨ꜖
run

“The cat is running.”

(23)
Ðwā sau̠ ʑʡ sẽ xatwa̠ ðwā gaþe̠.

[ðʷa꜒ sau꜖ ʑʡᵊ sə̃ xatʷa꜖ ðʷa꜒ ɡaθə꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
xatʷa꜖
chase
ðʷa꜒
the
ɡaθə꜖
mouse

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(24)
Ðwā sau̠ ʑʡ swʡ sẽ kḥȳ ʡẽ ðwā gaþe̠.

[ðʷa꜒ sau꜖ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ kʰˤɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ɡaθə꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
kʰˤɨ꜒
catch
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ɡaθə꜖
mouse

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(25)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Ðwā rzẓgwẽ̄ ʑʡ swʡ xa ðȳ ʡẽ ðwā ztḥys’azḍɔī sqwy̠ ðwā ztḥyɕkḥyṭɔī sqwy̠ ðwā ztḥyɕkḥeʑa̠.

[ðʷa꜒ ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ xa ðɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ztʰˤɨsʔazdˤɔi꜒ sqʷɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤɨtˤɔi꜒ sqʷɨ꜖ ðʷa꜒ ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤəʑa꜖]

ðʷa꜒
the
ʐᵊzˤɡʷə̃꜒
hunter
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
xa
3.plur.3.sing.POS
ðɨ꜒
kill
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤ-
plur
sʔazdˤɔi꜒
jaguar
sqʷɨ꜖
and
ðʷa꜒
the
ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤ-
plur
ʔɨtˤɔi꜒
tiger
sqʷɨ꜖
and
ðʷa꜒
the
ztʰˤɨɕkʰˤ-
plur
ᵏǀʰˤəʑa꜖
lion

“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 Sqa 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

Sqa 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:

Swʡ q̣ẽ rthyddwā ʡẽ ðwā sau̠.

[sʷʡᵊ qˤə̃ ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ sau꜖]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
qˤə̃
3.sing.1excl.sing.POS
ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒
pat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat

“I patted the cat.”

(27)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Swʡ rthyddwā ʡẽ ðwā sau̠, zwɔī ʑʡ swʡ sẽ kḥȳ ʡẽ ðwā gaþe̠.

[sʷʡᵊ ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ sau꜖, zʷɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ kʰˤɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ɡaθə꜖]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒
pat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
kʰˤɨ꜒
catch
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ɡaθə꜖
mouse

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(28)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Swʡ rthyddwā ʡẽ ðwā sau̠, zwɔī ʑʡ swʡ kḥȳ ʡẽ ðwā gaþe̠, zwɔī ʑʡ swʡ sẽ ṣẽ̠ ʡẽ ðwā rsqwedwɔī.

[sʷʡᵊ ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ sau꜖, zʷɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ kʰˤɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ɡaθə꜖, zʷɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sə̃ sˤə̃꜖ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ʂqʷədʷɔi꜒]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒
pat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
kʰˤɨ꜒
catch
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ɡaθə꜖
mouse
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sə̃
3.sing.3.sing.POS
sˤə̃꜖
eat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ʂqʷədʷɔi꜒
cheese

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

(29)

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

Swʡ rthyddwā ʡẽ ðwā sau̠, zwɔī ʑʡ swʡ kḥȳ ʡẽ ðwā gaþe̠, zwɔī ʑʡ swʡ ṣẽ̠ ʡẽ ðwā rsqwedwɔī, zwɔī swʡ q̣ẽ ʑtē ʡẽ χ̣ɔī ʑʡ.

[sʷʡᵊ ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ sau꜖, zʷɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ kʰˤɨ꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ɡaθə꜖, zʷɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sˤə̃꜖ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ʂqʷədʷɔi꜒, zʷɔi꜒ sʷʡᵊ qˤə̃ ʑtə꜒ ʡə̃ χˤɔi꜒ ʑʡᵊ]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʈʰɨɗʷa꜒
pat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
sau꜖
cat
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
kʰˤɨ꜒
catch
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ɡaθə꜖
mouse
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sˤə̃꜖
eat
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ʂqʷədʷɔi꜒
cheese
zʷɔi꜒
RELPRON
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
qˤə̃
3.sing.1excl.sing.POS
ʑtə꜒
buy
ʡə̃
PAST
χˤɔi꜒
1excl.sing
ʑʡᵊ
ERG

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

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Complementation Strategies

Sqa 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:

Swʡ ga̠ ʡẽ ðwā rstḥā cḥa ḍazwthwy̠ zh ðwā she̠ ʑʡ swʡ ʑḍaṣa̠ ʡẽ ðwā þwese cḥa.

[sʷʡᵊ ɡa꜖ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ʂtʰˤa꜒ ᵏǀʰˤa dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖ ʒᵊ ðʷa꜒ ʃə꜖ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ ʑdˤasˤa꜖ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ θʷəsə ᵏǀʰˤa]

sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ɡa꜖
give
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ʂtʰˤa꜒
girl
ᵏǀʰˤa
DAT
dˤazʷtʰʷɨ꜖
apple
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
ðʷa꜒
the
ʃə꜖
boy
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
ʑdˤasˤa꜖
surprise
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
θʷəsə
teacher
ᵏǀʰˤa
DAT

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

(31)

Quotes

Sqa 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:

Ðwā she̠ ʑʡ swʡ ṣq rsthwā ʡẽ ðwā rstḥā cḥa swʡ ṭā xȳ zh χ̣ɔī.

[ðʷa꜒ ʃə꜖ ʑʡᵊ sʷʡᵊ sˤqᵊ ʂtʰʷa꜒ ʡə̃ ðʷa꜒ ʂtʰˤa꜒ ᵏǀʰˤa sʷʡᵊ tˤa꜒ xɨ꜒ ʒᵊ χˤɔi꜒]

ðʷa꜒
the
ʃə꜖
boy
ʑʡᵊ
ERG
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
sˤqᵊ
1excl.sing.3.sing.POS
ʂtʰʷa꜒
tell
ʡə̃
PAST
ðʷa꜒
the
ʂtʰˤa꜒
girl
ᵏǀʰˤa
DAT
sʷʡᵊ
active.indicative
tˤa꜒
love
xɨ꜒
2.sing
ʒᵊ
3.sing.POSS
χˤɔi꜒
1excl.sing

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

(32)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Sqa. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 29 October 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/6DGAP

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-6DGAP,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Sqa}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/6DGAP}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 29 October 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

A collection of illustrative texts and a bilingual dictionary (English–Sqa / Sqa–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/6DGAP

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