Home > Rhean Language > Suffixes
Suffixes
Timčiki
Contents:
Forming Nouns
Forming Verbs
Forming Adjectives
Forming Adverbs
Rhean Suffixes
Rheava Timčiki
The end of a Rhean word determines what part of speech it is. Every part of speech can be turned into another part of speech with some kind of suffix. These suffixes can even be stacked on one another, each change adding more meaning to the word. One such monster word is:
skijagozoǩnašečibzurzagarervomikigioš
Which breaks down as:
skij-ag-ozoǩnašeč-ibz-urz-agar-ervo-mik-ig-ioš
too-make-responsible-PASS-one-behave-occasion-like-BE-3SG.PAST
(PFX-PFX-ADJ-V-N-V-N-ADJ-V-SFX)
it was like those repeated occasions in which (he) behaves like one who
has been overly burdened with responsibility
The following are some of the many suffixes used in Rhean.
-ad
Usually added to adjectives or even prepositions/local nouns. This gives a sense
of "all that which is ..." or "the ... part".
lim 'near' -->
limad
'vicinity, the near area'
šöl 'blue' -->
šölad
'the blue part(s), the blue'
olga bešerad 'the white of the eye'
-arvo/-ervo
Usually suffixed to verb stems, this indicates a time when something is done. It
usually indicates a repeated or cyclical event, but a few of these words
are things that happen once. All -ak verbs
use -arvo and all -ek
verbs use -ervo.
deštak 'leave, depart' -->
deštarvo
'vacation'
tafak 'eat' -->
tafarvo 'feast, celebratory meal'
dumrek 'give birth' -->
dumrervo 'birth'
-ba
Added to nouns or adjectives, means "the state/condition of being" or
even "the period of being".
druž 'friend' -->
družba
'friendship'
ǩodo 'child' -->
ǩodoba
'childhood'
olec 'old, elderly' -->
olecba
'senior years, old age'
-čik
Similar to -nok/-nik in that it usually
creates a "doer" noun. There is disagreement over what the difference
is between the two: Some say that -čik
creates inanimate doers like machines while -nok/-nik
makes animate doers. The many exceptions to this include emirčik
'official, authority figure' and časnok
'clock'. Others say that -čik should
be suffixed to nouns, and -nok/-nik to
verbs. Exceptions to this include miliciarnok
'police officer' and zdečik 'heirloom
(from zdedek). It is true that -čik
is more likely to be suffixed to nouns, and that most -čik
words are inanimate; however, this suffix is less productive and so -čik
words can be learned as they are, ignoring the suffix. To coin a new word with -čik
suggests either an inanimate, or a pejorative sense when used for a person.
-dad (variant: -adad)
Creates a noun meaning "the group of" or "the set of".
inim 'human' -->
inimdad
'humanity, human race'
traf 'stair' -->
trafadad
'staircase'
tar 'four' -->
tardad
'quartet, foursome'
-nok/-nik
(variants: -(a)rnok/-(e)rnik)
Usually creates a "doer" noun, but there are exceptions. Can be
suffixed to verb stems or nouns. The rule for which form to use is that all -ak
verbs take -nok and all -ek
verbs take -nik. Whether or not the a/e
of the verb stem is left in or dropped is in free variation: palbnok
or palbanok from palbak
'to speak'. With nouns, however, this gets ugly. There is no rule to determine
whether -nok or -nik
is used: consider čanjarnik
'triangle' (from čan 'three' and jar
' side') versus tarjarnok 'rectangle'!
Also, frequently an r appears for no
apparent reason before the suffix.
güüjak 'serve, wait on' -->
güüjanok
'waiter'
aǩotek 'hunt' -->
aǩotnik
'hunter'
peš 'foot' -->
pešarnok
'pedestrian'
čerek 'blood' -->
čerkernik
'blood vessel, vein'
-osta
Suffixed to adjectives, this makes a noun of degree or amount.
noon 'large' -->
noonosta
'size'
tažol 'heavy' -->
tažlosta
'weight'
-rhot
Usually suffixed to verbs in the infinitive, this creates a method
or a way to do something.
zduak 'say' -->
zduakrhot
'pronunciation'
unteǧak 'drive' -->
unteǧakrhot
'how to drive'
-ukhaz
Shows a place, usually a place where something is done.
naprak 'learn' -->
naprukhaz
'school'
ftukek 'arrive' -->
ftukukhaz
'destination'
ravowak 'work' -->
ravowukhaz
'workplace'
warna 'war' -->
warnukhaz
'battleground'
dioǩ 'drink' -->
dioǩukhaz
'pub, tavern'
-urz
This suffix turns an adjective into a noun meaning "the ... one",
"a ... thing". Because adjectives can be treated as nouns simply by
taking a case ending, -urz is often
unnecessary. You'll see it most often after the relative clause suffix -na,
and after adjective-nouns in the nominative or unmarked accusative.
noon 'big' -->
noonurz 'the big one'
pragi 'wise' -->
pragiurz 'someone wise'
šiznimna '... that I know' -->
šiznimnurz 'one that I know'
Various verbal noun suffixes: -ud,
-ut, -o,
-0 -ad, -ed,
-uk
While the infinitive can be used as a noun to mean something like
"the act of ...", there is another set of verbal nouns which usually
refer to one instance of a verb. The -ek verbs can take the endings
-ud, -o,
and a small few of the erzakstva verbs
take -ed. The -ak
verbs can take -ut, -0 (zero ending), and
-ad. There are verbs of both classes that
can take -uk if the verb ends in -uak
or -uek. Unfortunately, which verb takes
which noun suffix is not predictable by any rule.
zritek -->
zritud 'crash'
dyefek 'act
(feign)' --> dyefud
'act (pretense)'
dorek --> doro
'dance'
pšoktek -->
pšokto 'step'
asmek 'permit' -->
asmed 'permission'
basmak '(to) smile' -->
basmut '(a) smile'
marbak 'pay' -->
marbut '(a) payment'
pentak '(to) kick' --> pent
'(a) kick'
haikak '(to)
scratch' --> haik
'(a) scratch'
raabak 'join, connect' -->
raabad '(a)
connection'
tremuak '(to) pause,
hesitate' --> tremuk
'(a) pause'
gazruek '(to) bet' -->
gazruk '(a) bet, wager'
A further complication is that all nouns formed by -ek --> -o belong to the -u class: doro, doroi, etc.
ag-ak/-ek
This 'suffix' is attached to adjectives, meaning "make" or "cause
to be". The -ak is used unless the
adjective ended in -i or -e,
in which case the ending is -ek. Some
examples:
melun 'slow' -->
agmelunak 'slow down, hinder'
koši 'few' -->
agkošek 'reduce, make fewer'
okien 'illegal' -->
agokienak 'prohibit, forbid'
Some nouns also take this suffix, making a verb that
means "to give ..."
svab 'freedom' -->
agsvabak 'release, acquit, set free'
konz 'end' -->
agkonzak 'put a stop to, terminate'
This form is also 'fossilised' in many words (not
necessarily verbs) where the prefix has been reduced to g-.
This is no longer a separate affix and cannot be removed:
gyelak 'freeze' <
hyel 'ice'
gvurud 'medicine' <
Old Rhean vur.z 'healed, sound'
gyokek 'obliterate' <
iyok 'void, nothingness'
-(a)garak
This can be added to nouns or adjectives. It means "act/behave (like)
..."
glüp 'stupid' -->
glüpagarat "you're acting
stupid"
derep 'pain' -->
derpagaraiš "(he) showed signs of
pain" (syncope in derep)
ikti 'adult' -->
iktigaryaǩ! "act like
adults!"
-igek
Adjectives can take this suffix to form verbs meaning "to be ..." This
was explained here.
-žak
This suffix, still not officially recognised by many authorities on the Rhean
language, is a reduction of the verb yurak
' to go'. It is attached to many adverbs of direction and motion prefixes to
form all kinds of motion verbs:
waižak 'ascend'
citažak 'descend'
treǩižak 'return'
ucošžak 'separate'
retrožak 'go
backwards'
ǩaužak 'go through'
etc.
Forming Adjectives
Garazinokin Sacer
-ava
Added to the names of places or cultures, it is like English "ish" or
"ese" or "(i)an".
Tolborava 'Tolborese'
Republikava 'Republikese'
Osikava 'Ossican'
Rheava 'Rhean'
-baš, -blok
These both mean something like "full of ..." with -blok
having a connotation of "packed full of" or "bursting
with".
pukabaš drašeya 'an attic full of rats'
šulabaš dambro 'a basement full of
water'
Eya doviiznik ǩurablok aše.
"That real estate agent was full of shit."
biz-eč
This consists of a prefix biz-
(from ORh bëz, which also gives us ModRh bez
'without') and the suffix -eč (see
below). It means "without ..." or "-less"
konz 'end' --> bizkonzeč
'endless'
bikz 'effect' --> bizbikzeč
'ineffective, pointless'
-eč,
-č
This forms adjectives from abstract nouns referring to qualities, meaning
something has that quality:
gler 'safety' -->
glereč 'safe'
irek 'anger' -->
irekeč 'angry'
sekelz 'difficulty, fuss' -->
sekelzeč 'difficult, troublesome'
The alternate form -č is
found after vowels:
mudin 'guilt' -->
mudnič 'guilty' (syncope in mudin)
jenka 'hunger' -->
jenkač 'hungry'
-(i)ksoi
Usually suffixed to nouns, this shows that something has the quality of that
noun, is made of that noun, or is powered by that noun. To see it also attached
to verb stems or other parts of speech is not uncommon. While both -ni
and -iksoi can be compared with English
"-ic" or "-al", this suffix shows an inherent
property while -ni (see below) shows an external
relationship.
lekutare 'electricity' -->
lekutariksoi 'electric'
auro 'gold -->
auroksoi 'golden'
kino 'element, simplest thing' -->
kinoksoi 'basic, simple'
ban- (masculine prefix) -->
baniksoi 'male'
viǧa 'enemy' -->
viǧaksoi 'hostile'
trizo 'anguish' -->
trizoksoi 'anguished; (disparaging)
overdramatic'
Words ending in a k just add -soi:
kubik 'cube' -->
kubiksoi 'cubic'
prakalk 'computer' -->
prakalksoi 'computerised'
A further reduction can be seen with mantiksa
'logic' -->
mantiksoi 'logical'.
-kar
Like English "-able" or "-ible" -- maybe too much. A
verb stem plus its "thematic" vowel (a
or e) takes this ending to mean
"which can have X done to it":
olamek 'drink' -->
olamekar 'drinkable, potable'
glenak 'bend' -->
glenakar 'bendable, flexible'
A few intransitive verbs take this suffix, but these are
exceptions:
ökruek 'happen' -->
ökruekar 'possible'
And a few verbs drop the thematic vowel:
tafak 'eat' -->
tafkar 'edible'
erilak 'get rid of' -->
erilkar 'despicable'
-kri
Suffixed to verbs just like -kar, this
means "with a tendency to do..." or "characterised by
doing..."
kudak 'give' -->
kudakri 'generous'
blovak 'stay' -->
blovakri 'stationary'
diženak 'move' -->
diženakri 'active'
Some nouns take this suffix, but this is rare:
vöst 'truth' -->
vöstakri 'honest'
-mik
Added to any noun, this means "like".
ǩodo 'child' -->
ǩodomik 'childlike'
Yadmik zbazud "a godlike
presence"
This is often found in adverb form, meaning "the way an
X would do"
Orǩomikie tafa. "He eats like a
pig."
-ni
This means "related to" or "involving". Like -(i)ksoi, it
can be translated as "-ic" or "-al" but it refers to a
noun's relation to some other thing and not an inherent property.
kiosta 'health' --> kiostani
'health-related, medical'
ǩörvad 'army' --> ǩörvadni
'military'
soiz 'nation, country' --> soizni
'national'
-vud
Means "looking like ..." or "resembling"
uytat 'statue' --> uytatmik
'statuesque'
čenovud otoǩ "a man who
looks like a woman"
Forming Adverbs
Nunhernokin Sacer
-ǩu
Attached to nouns, usually time words, this means "all through X"
yum "day" --> yumǩu
"all day"
žul "year" --> žulǩu
"for a year"
dvaduk "concert" --> dvadukǩu
"through the whole concert"
-yem
Suffixed to numbers, this means "... times" or "-fold"
adinyem, lakyem, storokyem, ülyadyem
"once, twice, a hundred times, a hundred million times"
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