Lesson 4:
Nouns

The Inflections of Nouns

Number

Nouns may be identified by the vowels y, r, wy, or wr. If y is present, then the noun is singular. If r is present, then the noun is plural.

Qmymqq n'lay pshay. Qmrmqq n'lay pshay.

I have a daughter. I have daughters.

Gender

Nouns reflect the gender of what/who they represent via the first nasal: none for neuter, m for female, n for male, and n' for inclusive that is if the noun could be either male or female or if it represents both males and females. Generally nouns can be neuter or they can be inclusive but not either one.

Rm n'lay pshay. Qmrmqq n'lay pshay. Qnrmqq n'lay pshay. Qn'rmqq n'lay pshay.

I have some things. I have daughters. I have sons. I have sons and daughters.

Proper Nouns

If w is present, then the noun is a proper noun, that is, it's a name of something.

Qtyqp qly n'lay qtay. Qtwyqp Qly n'lay qtay.

I know a familiar language. I know Qtwyqp Qly.

Names must be horribly mangled in order to fit into Qtwyqp Qly. Here's how to Qtwyqp-Qly-ize a name:
(1) To determine the first CC in the name: If the first letter in the real name is a, e, h, i, j (when sounding as an English h or y), l, n, m, o, r, u, w, or y, then there is no first CC. Otherwise the first CC of the name is an approximation of the initial sound of the real name.
(2) To determine the final CC: The first letter that is not a, e, h, i, j (when sounding as an English h or y), l, n, m, o, r, u, w, or y after the first vowel begins the sounds that should be approximated for the last CC. If there is no such letter in the real name, then there is no final CC.
(3) To determine the initial N: m for girls, n for boys, and n' if the name could be either masculine or feminine. If the name is of a place or a thing, then there is no initial N.
(4) The VVV is always wy.

Nwyk, Mwyg, Tshnwys, Dzhmwyph, Nwyz, Kn'wy, Wyt, Swyk

Marcus, Megan, Charles, Jennifer, Jose, Chris, Atlanta, Sacromento

Case and Affirmation

Nouns are inflected to match the case. The may be nominative nouns (the subjects of verbs), or they may be objective nouns (the objects of verbs). Even proper nouns must be inflected.

Each noun can be affirmative or negative. Nouns are almost always affirmative, but the negative is there as a possibility. In order to get the same effect in English as making a noun negative has in Qtwyqp Qly, one would have to place "it was not a" before the English noun and "which" after it.

Case and affirmation are both identified via the nasal which follows the vowels: none for nominative and affirmative, m for objective and affirmative, n for nominative and negative, and n' for objective and negative.

N'laym gzmydd qpyoyphp. Gzmymdd n'lay qpyayphp. N'laym gzmyndd qpyoyphp. Gzmyn'dd n'lay qpyayphp.

A woman kissed me. I kissed a woman. It was not a woman who kissed me. It was not a woman whom I kissed.