Yisian Grammar
Sentence Structure
Basic Yisian sentences follow the same pattern as English — subject,verb,object.
Examples:
The bird is singing a song.
Tau'hite ila'hailat's ila'haila.
More complex sentences are formed by the addition of indirect objects and modifiers. As a general rule, indirect objects are added as prepositional phrases to the end of the sentence. Modifiers always follow the word or words they modify. When two or more modifers refer to the same word, their order does not matter.
Examples:
It would also be correct to say "Cat brown our" or "Cat our brown," implying the verb "to be" (yis).
In Yisian, unlike English, there is no such thing as an understood "you." Every imperative sentence must be addressed. Also, when speaking to someone, imperatives are always in the future tense. When writing, imperatives should be in the same tense as the rest of the text.
While the literal translations may seem a little impolite to most English-speaking peoples, that is the only correct way to state imperatives in Yisian. It is not considered impolite in the slightest.
A declarative or imperative can be turned into an interrogative simply by raising the tone as it is spoken. (In the case of an imperative, the tense should be changed to the same as the rest of the conversation or text.)
In Yisian interrogatives, the subject and/or object is treated as a variable and the syntax is adjusted accordingly. There is one word for "what," "which," and "who" (nite). There is one word for "where" and "when" (nitoi).
Nouns
The suffix that designates ownership is "-u." In a word that ends in "u," the final letter is dropped and replaced with "oi" to indicate ownership.
When something that belongs to oneself is the subject of the sentence, the pronoun "O'" (I) is attached as a prefix and the suffix "-u" is added. When something that belongs to oneself is the object of a sentence, the thing posessed is simply modified with the pronoun "wo'u" (my/mine). When speaking of something that belongs to someone else, such as "your" (ni'u), "his" (nik'u), "her" (nika'u) or "their" (naka'u), the word is treated exactly like a modifier and placed after its possession.
Examples:
All plurals are formed by the addition of a final"-de." There are no exceptions; however, in some cases emphasis may have to be shifted.
Example:
Possessive plurals are formed by adding a "-u" to the plural.
Prepositional phrases attached to the end of a sentence almost always indicate indirect objects. Prepositional phrases within a sentence function the same as their English counterparts.
Verbs
Different verb tenses are formed by the addition of suffixes.
Examples:
Note: In deciding which form of the verb to use, i.e. "dakt" or "daket," "daki" or "daketi," the main consideration is to ease of pronounciation and maintaince of rhythm. Futhermore, when the present tense of the verb ends in a "t," it is considered incorrect to simply add a "t." When the present tense of the verb ends in a vowel, the future tense is formed by adding an "i" to the past tense; and, in general, the past is not formed by adding "et." In most other cases, either form is correct.
Examples:
Words of comparison are used just like modifiers.
English has many instances in which the same word is used in widely different usages.
Hand me that.
Black holes are stars that have collapsed.
In the second instance, "which" would have been a more correct usage, and that should be the word used in translation.
When translating a sentence, it is extremely important to use, exact, clear usage. Just because "shire" is translated "that," it does not encompass all the grammatical usages of "that."