Wiirê

The Basics of the Wiirê Language

AUTHOR NOTE: Languages are under construction, so mistakes and changes will be made. But! This will give folks an idea of the langauge, some basic fundamentals.

Phonetics

* Consonants: t, k, q (hard k), g, p, b, m, n, s, sh, w, y, r, h—growly, no “tl” (unlike Histê).
* Vowels: a, e, i, o, u—long forms (aa, î, au) for emphasis, e.g., “tû” (kill).
* Stress: Last syllable, e.g., “tu-QAI” (swift flow), “tu-BÛ” (drum)
* Syllables: CV, CVC, CVV—e.g., “tu,” “sîtu,” “wairê.”

Word Order

* SOV (Subject-Object-Verb): “Nehek makwa tûgu.” (Nehek beast kill.) = “Nehek kills the beast.”
* Modifiers Before Nouns: “Noba makwa” (fierce beast)

Nouns

* Base Form: Stand alone— “makwa” (beast), “tu” (river).
* Possession: Suffixes— -ya (my), -ma (your), -sa (his/her)—“tani-ya” (my eye).
* Plural: Suffix -rê—“makwa-rê” (beasts), “tu-rê” (rivers).

Verbs

* Base: Present tense—“tûgu” (kill), “wai” (see/speak).
* Past: Prefix ka-—“ka-tûgu” (killed), “ka-wai” (saw/spoke).
* Future: Suffix -nî—“tûgu-nî” (will kill), “wai-nî” (will see/speak).
* Negation: Prefix sha-—“sha-tûgu” (not kill), “sha-wai” (not see).
* Imperative: Bare verb—“Tûgu!” (Kill!), polite with “ma”—“Tûgu ma!” (Please kill!).

Adjectives

* Placement: Before noun—“noba makwa” (fierce beast).
* Intensifier: Prefix ba-—“ba-noba makwa” (very fierce beast).

Pronouns

* Simple: “na” (I), “ma” (you), “sa” (he/she)—“Na makwa tûgu.” (I kill the beast.)
* Possessive: Use suffixes—“tu-ya” (my river), “makwa-ma” (your beast).

Questions

* Yes/No: End with “na”—“Nehek tu wai na?” (Does Nehek see the river?)
* What/Where: Prefix “ki-” to noun—“Ki-tu tûgu?” (What river kill?) = “Which river do you guard?”

Connectors

* And: “ra”—“Makwa ra tu tûgu.” (Beast and river kill.) = “Kill the beast and river.”
* But: “gu”—“Makwa tûgu gu sha-wai.” (Beast kill but not-see.) = “Kill the beast but don’t see.”
* Because: “sî”—Counting“Tuqai sha-tûgu sî qai.” (Swift-Flow not-kill because swift.) = “Tuqai spares because it’s swift.”

=Numbers (Base-20)

* Cardinals: 1-20—tî, kwa, sî, pau, tani, qai, wî, gau, lu, makwa (10), kîtû (20).
* Multiples: sîkîtû (40), paukîtû (60), tanikîtû (80), qaikîtû (100), kîtûkîtû (400).
* In-Betweens: kîtû-tî (21), sîkîtû-pau (44).
* Ordinals: Suffix -ra—tîra (1st), kwara (2nd), kîtûra (20th), sîkîtûra kwa (42nd).
* Usage: Before noun—“tani makwa” (5 beasts), “kîtûra tu” (20th river).

Wiirê Lexicon