Ilaksh: A Philosophical Design for a Hypothetical Language

	Home	4 Case Morphology	9 Syntax
	Introduction	5 Verb Morphology	10 Lexico-Semantics
	1 Phonology	6 More Verb Morphology	11 The Writing System
	2 Morpho-Phonology	7 Suffixes	12 The Number System
	3 Basic Morphology	8 Adjuncts	The Lexicon

Chapter 7: Suffixes

All Ilaksh formatives are capable of taking various consonant-based suffixes. Like suffixes in other languages, these are used to modify the stem in a variety of ways and to derive new concepts. The morpho-phonological structure of suffixes (how they are formed from consonants and vowels) has already been briefly discussed in Section 2.7. This chapter will describe the actual function of the particular suffixes themselves.

There are 154 different consonantal suffix categories, each of which divides into the nine degrees previously discussed in Section 2.7.2 giving a total of 1314 distinct suffixes. As described in that section, each degree of a suffix has a distinct meaning, often representing a point along a continuum in terms of how much or how little the underlying semantic sense of the suffix category is being manifested by the particular formative.

It is important to remember that, since all morpho-semantic stems are both nominal and verbal in meaning, all suffixes to a stem have both a nominal and a verbal meaning. Therefore, the choice whether to translate the suffixes below into their nominal or verbal meaning is entirely dependent on the morpho-syntactical structure of the word within the context of its use in a phrase or sentence as a whole.

We have seen in Section 2.7 that consonantal suffixes fall into three suffix-types, each having nine degrees. It is the combination of suffix-type and degree which determines the vowel infix which accompanies each consonantal suffix. For example, the suffix -nt of Type 1 takes the following forms for its nine degrees: -int, -ent, -änt, -önt, (a)nt, -ünt, -ïnt, -ont, -unt. Compare this to the same suffix -nt of Type 2, whose nine forms are: -ënt, -iont, -ient, -uent, -iant, -uënt, -iënt, -oant, -uant; and the suffix -nt of Type 3, whose nine forms are: -iunt, -eint, -aunt, -eunt, -aint, -ount, -ëint, -oint, -uint. These vowel infixes for suffixes are shown in Table 22 below (this table already appeared in Chapter 2 as Table 9; it is repeated here for convenience).

Table 22: Vocalic Infixes for Consonantal Suffixes by Suffix Type

NOTE: For convenience’ sake, when referring to a particular suffix of specific type and degree, we will use the notation in the paragraph above, followed by a slash and a number indicating the degree. Thus, the suffix -nt of Type 1 and 4th degree will be written -V1nt/4, while the suffix -r of Type 3 and 8th degree would be written -V3r/8, and so forth.

The meaning and usage of each suffix by type is particular to each individual suffix. For example, some suffixes of Type 1 have a completely different meaning than their Type 2 or Type 3 counterparts, while other suffixes can be used as both Type 1 or Type 2 with the suffix having the same meaning but conveying a different effect on the overall connotation of the word to which they are suffixed. Still other suffixes retain their meaning across all three suffix types but again convey a different overall connotation on the words to which they are suffixed.

For example, the Type 1 suffix -eŧ, i.e., -V1ŧ/2, means ‘hardly any (of)…’ as in the word kàleŧ ‘hardly any persons,’ while its Type 2 counterpart -ioŧ, i.e., -V2ŧ/2, has the completely different meaning of ‘somewhat like/sort of like…’ as in kalìoŧ‘sort of like some persons.’ Compare this, however, to the Type 1 suffix -up, i.e., -V1p/9, and its Type 2 counterpart -uip , i.e., -V2p/9, which both mean ‘exactly similar to…/identical…,’ the difference in usage being that the Type 1 suffix conveys merely a circumstantial or incidental similarity, while the Type 2 suffix implies that the similarity is an integral aspect of the word. In English, such a distinction would most likely be conveyed by using a different word. For example, note the difference when we add these two suffixes to the Ilaksh word kàl ‘person’: kàlup means ‘identical-looking person,’ whereas kàluip means ‘twin.’ In this way, we can say that the suffix -Vp with Type 1 vocalic infixes conveys a circumstantial application of its meaning to a stem, while with Type 2 vocalic infixes, it conveys a derivational application of its meaning (i.e., wholly new concepts or words are derived from the stem).

Ilaksh allows for a formative to take multiple Vx-C suffixes. The rules for ordering these suffixes and the special instance of one suffix modifying another are explained below.

7.21 Ordering of Suffixes and Suffixes Modifying Other Suffixes

When adding two or more suffixes to a stem, the suffixes generally can be added to the stem in any order desired, with the exception of suffixes which modify an adjacent suffix. The latter type of suffix is described as follows.

In addition to the patterns of suffix usage described in Section 7.1 above, there is another class of suffixes which not only can be used to distinguish a circumstantial versus derivational aspect like -Vp above, but can also be used to modify an adjacent suffix rather than the stem. This is somewhat analogous to the way that adverbs can be used to modify descriptive adjectives in English. For example, in the phrase suddenly blue sky, it is the blueness that is sudden, not the sky. In Ilaksh, certain suffixes can be used to modify another suffix (usually the one following, unless there are only two suffixes on the stem, in which case the suffix order is irrelevant); this is done by using Type 3 vocalic infixes. For example, the suffix -Vd/5, which means ‘enough / sufficient(ly),’ can be used both circumstantially (using Type 1 infixes) and derivationally (using Type 2 infixes) to modify a stem, or can be used to modify only the adjacent suffix (using Type 3 infixes). Such suffixes must immediately precede the suffix they are modifying, unless they are in word-final position, in which case they modify the immediately preceding suffix. This is illustrated below:

kàlad: ‘a sufficient person’ (i.e., one able to perform the task at hand)
kàliad: ‘a recruit’ (i.e., one able to meet performance or entry requirements)
kalàidüx: ‘a sufficiently large person’ (where suffix -V1x/6 = ‘large’)

All in all, there are five different patterns in which the meanings/functions of suffixes are distributed. There are those like -ej and -êj above where the Type 1 meaning/function is completely different than that of Type 2. We will label these classes of suffixes V1C suffixes and V2C suffixes respectively, as they represent two totally independent suffixes.

Additionally there are those like -up and -uip which are essentially a single suffix with one meaning/function that alternates between Type 1 and Type 2 infixes to distinguish a circumstantial versus a derivational aspect in the stem to which they are suffixed. We will label such suffixes V0C suffixes.

Then there are suffixes like -(a)d/-iad/-aid shown above which alternate the circumstantial/derivational distinction using Type 1 versus Type 2 infixes, but then go a step further by using Type 3 vocalic infixes to indicate modification of an adjacent suffix; we will label these V3C suffixes.

Lastly there is a class of suffixes labeled VSC suffixes; this class of suffix operates like a V1C suffix (i.e., an independent suffix which modifies the stem circumstantially, but not derivationally) but then also uses Type 2 infixes to apply the same meaning to the adjacent suffix, similarly to the use of Type 3 infixes for V3C suffixes.

These five classes of suffixes are summarized below:

The 154 suffix categories are given in the sections which follow. Each suffix indicates which of the five classes of suffixes it belongs (V1C, V2C, V0C, VSC, or V3C), the consonant-form associated with it, its overall function, its three-letter label used in morphological analysis, and the meaning or translation of each of its nine degrees. For most degrees, a nominal and verbal meaning is given.

7.4.1 Demonstrative Suffixes

These suffixes correspond to various determiners and modifying adjectives in English having to do with denoting or identifying a noun within a larger context or discourse.

7.4.2 Deictic Suffixes

Deictic suffixes refer to the grammatical process of deixis, the act of pointing to or pointing out. The suffixes correspond to the different variants of the concepts of ‘here’ and ‘there.’ In Ilaksh, distinctions are made in these suffixes as to whether a referent is near the speaker, near the listener, distant from both, whether it is observable or accessible, and in some case, whether it is alienable or inalienable (i.e., whether the entity can be separated from the associated person).

7.4.3 Sequential Suffixes

7.4.4 Coordinative Suffixes

7.4.5 Temporal Suffixes

7.4.6 Quantifying Suffixes

This suffix is used with all vector-like or gradient concepts. When used with the COMPLETIVE version, degrees 1 and 9 imply attainment of a change in state, e.g., sleepiness → sleep.

7.4.7 Modulative Suffixes

These suffixes operate in conjunction with Phase (see Sec. 5.3) to describe contexts involving recoil, spring motion, oscillative, cyclic, reflective or vibrative motion, using the following degrees:

Used with the following degrees, the above five suffixes operate to expand Phase into showing increases or decreases (or wavering) of intensity of an action during its duration.

7.4.8 Qualifying Suffixes

This suffix, for example, would be used to distinguish the names of the various ranks within a military or paramilitary organization such as private, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, etc. all the way up to general and supreme commander.

7.4.9 Modifying Suffixes