Old Veyata - Morphology

Morphological profile

• Old Veyata is visibly younger than Ur-Veyatic, but even more formal than Veyrathi.
• Roots remain clearly visible; Functional marking is distributed among suffixes, clitics and free particles.
• Compared to the daughter languages, Old Veyata is the actual hinge level: old forms are still there, new simplifications are already taking effect.

Personal pronouns

Like Ur-Veyata, Old Veyata maintains a double system of longer and shorter forms. The shorter forms are normal in current speech; the longer forms carry height, distance, ritual or contrast.

Reflexive

• ser = yourself
• Example: Nor seyra ser. = The Enor sees himself.

Pronominal plural

• Animate or group plurals are often formed with -iri.
• Shortened forms are already beginning to circulate in ongoing speech.

Examples:

• nu -> nun / nuiri
• nel -> neliri
• nor -> noriri
• tha -> thairi
• is -> isiri
• se -> sen

Note:

• This is precisely where the strong drift sets in later: Veyrathi standardizes shorter series, Veytharisch builds up new oblique and possessive series.

Nominal morphology

Relations

Old Veyata no longer has a full case series, but has three stable relations:

Examples:

• thalor = Advice
• thalori = the council/concerning the council
• thalor=ren = of the Council

Number

Examples:

• seror -> seroriri
• drun -> drunna
• naar -> naarna
• enar -> enariri

Determiner

• ara marks even more than just definition; it signals a divided horizon.
• ora is significantly more deictic than the later Veyrathian or.

Possession

• Possession usually appears as a genitive/possessive clitic before the noun:
• nu=ren drun
• se=ren thalor
• nor=ren kevara
• =ren marks not only ownership, but also origin, jurisdiction and affiliation.

Adjectives

• Basic position: after the noun
• ara thalor zeya
• ena kevara zorin
• Prefix is solemn, contrastive or poetic
• draz ara thalor
• zeya ora veyratha
• In oblique noun phrases, the adjective can be marked with -i:
• ara thalori zeyai

degree particles

Examples:

• ara nor isa draz
• ara nor lena draz

Verbs

Basic shape

• The lexicon standard normally ends with -a.
• This form is at the same time the simple present form of reality.

Examples:

• veyra = speak
• seyra = see
• tala = go
• nava = give
• wera = write

Tense and aspect| Category | Education | Example | Meaning |

|---|---|---|---| | present tense | Basic shape | Nu veyra. | I speak. | | past | -na | Nu veyrana. | I spoke. | | Future/Intentional | Verb + ra | Nu veyra ra. | I will speak. | | History | sai + verb | Nu sai veyra. | I'm talking. | | Resultative | hana + mostly past tense | Nu hana veyrana. | I have spoken. | | Irrealis | kei + verb | Nu kei veyra. | I would speak. |

Negation

• Basic negator: no
• Neutral pattern: Subjekt + no + (sai/hana/kei) + Verb + (ra)

Examples:

• Nu no veyra.
• Nu no sai veyra.
• Nu no veyrana.

Imperative

• Singular and direct address: naked verb form
• Veyra!
• Tala!
• Prohibitive: no + imperative
• No veyra!
• No tala!

Non-verbal predication

• In the unmarked present, Old Veyata, like later Veyrathi, can remain copulaless:
• ara thalor zeya
• nu=ren drun torim
• For marked tense, negation or unreal contexts, fera serves as a supporting verb:
• ara toren no fera torim
• ara thalor ferana zeya
• ara toren kei fera torim

Word formation

Productive endings

Prefixes

• ba- targeted
• eth- withdrawing
• vae- forming
• kir- separating
• ret- backwards
• il-
• uth-
• syn- together

Examples:

• rettala
• synzora
• vaekova

Grammatical particles