---
# System prepended metadata

title: Shivi

---

# Shivi

Shivi is a constructed language. It is meant to help me internalize my linguistic knowledge.

## Phonology

To notate the phonology of Shivi am using the [IPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet).

Shivi's vowels are:
|          | Front | Center | Back  |
| -------- |:-----:|:------:|:-----:|
| **High** | i, iː |        | u, uː |
| **Mid**  | e, eː |        | o, oː |
| **Low**  |       | a, aː  |       |

Shivi's consonants are:
|               | Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar |
| ------------- |:------:|:------:|:--------:|:-------:|:-----:|
| **Plosive**   |   b    |        |    d     |         |   k   |
| **Nasal**     |   m    |        |    n     |    ɲ    |       |
| **Fricative** |        |   v    |   z, ʃ   |         |   h   |
| **Liquid**    |        |        |    ɾ     |    j    |       |

## Romanization

Most of Shivi is romanized same as the IPA symbols. There are a few exceptions since writing some of these letters is hard using the QWERTY keyboard layout. Because of this /ʃ/ is written as "sh", /ɾ/ is written as "r" and, /ɲ/ is written as "ny". As you can see in the vowel chart Shivi also features long vowels. These are simply written by doubling the letter. So /aː/ would be written as "aa".

## Phonotactics

Shivi's syllable structure is constonant, vowel with an optional coda consonant. Stress falls on the last syllable. Unless second to last syllable contains a long vowel. In which case the stress falls on the syllable with the long vowel instead. A word can only have one syllable with a long vowel in it.

## Grammar

The word order of Shivi is subject, object, verb. Adjectives come before, adpositions come after the noun that they modify. The possessee comes before the possessor. So instead of "Adam's dog." The order of the words would rearrange to become "Dog adam's.". Shivi has no way of marking words as plural. Instead the word "jara" is used as an adjective to mark someting as plural. If nothing suggests otherwise then present tense is being used. The future tense is marked by using "raba" as an auxiliary verb after the main verb. There is no past tense in Shivi.

## Lexicon

|  Shivi  |  English  |
|:-------:|:---------:|
|   nya   |    me     |
|   da    |    you    |
|   ri    | he/she/it |
|  hora   |  person   |
|   shi   |  to see   |
|   vi    | language  |
|  shiva  |   light   |
|  nari   |  animal   |
|   bo    |    big    |
|  jara   |   many    |
|  raba   |   hope    |
|   ra    |    yes    |
|   ku    |    sky    |
|   buu   |   water   |
|  kubuu  |   cloud   |
|   ma    |    no     |
|  mashi  |   hide    |
|  ruru   |  to put   |
|   ru    |  inside   |
|   du    |   place   |
|  haru   |   black   |
|  beru   |   white   |
|  rini   |   blood   |
| shivaku |  morning  |
|  dapu   |   sing    |
|  dapi   |   song    |
|  kibu   |   heart   |
|  rinu   |   only    |
|   rin   |    one    |
|  rinru  |   hand    |
|  rinri  |    six    |
|  duru   |   grab    |
|   vu    |    and    |
|  korvi  |   pain    |
|  korvu  |   raven   |