05-Suffix-System
05 - Suffix System
The living grammar engine.
Suffixes combine freely with roots. The community can coin new words without permission.
The Seven Suffixes
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -n | plural | tem → temn (communities) |
| -mu | shared / our | nari → nari-mu (shared trust) |
| -i | little / dear / tender | hana → hana-i (tenderness) |
| -ru | verb-maker (to do) | mana → mana-ru (to eat) |
| -ka | place of | tira → tira-ka (school) |
| -s'hi | person who does | tira → tiras'hi (teacher) |
| -ki | thing / object | kara → kara-ki (tool) |
Stacking Suffixes
Suffixes can combine. A word family from one root:
tira (teach)
- tiran (learning) → existing noun form, predates the system
- tira-ka (school) → place of teaching
- tiras'hi (teacher) → person who teaches
- tira-ru (to teach actively) → verb form
- tira-mu (our learning) → shared knowledge
- tira-pata (book) → teaching-paper (compound, not a suffix)
How to Coin a New Word
- Start with an existing root (see 06-Vocabulary/_Dictionary)
- Add a suffix that captures the meaning
- Pronounce it — does the stress feel right? (penultimate per part, see 02-Phonology)
- Use it before adding to the dictionary
- If it sticks, propose it for the master dictionary (the project owner is the current final verifier)
- Once added, tag with
#community-coinedif it came from real use
A Note on -s'hi
The "person who does" suffix uses the apostrophe-breath: pronounce it "suh-hi," not as a single /sh/ sound (which LEKA doesn't have). So:
- tira (teach) → tiras'hi (ti-ra-SUH-hi) — teacher
- kana (music) → kanas'hi (ka-na-SUH-hi) — musician
- kara (make) → karas'hi (ka-ra-SUH-hi) — maker, creator
See 02-Phonology for more on the breath mark.
Status: #finalized
Last updated: v0.6