Enthos (En-tho-s)

The overall language of the insectoids known as the Enthos. Each species of Enthos has minor variations to this overall language, and many ideas and words are conveyed through pheromones and other minute changes that can be difficult or even impossible for other languages to translate.

Natively known as: oᵑǂ̤ǃʰu /ˈɞᵑǂ̤ǃʰɵ/

...and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind...
ǀo ᵑǀo ᵑǃoǀʰuǂʰ ᵑǀoǃʰo ǂʰoǂʰ uǀuǂ ǀo ᵑǃuǀ ǂʰoǂʰ ǂoᵑǃo ᵑǀ̤oǃ ᵑǀ̤o ǂoᶢǃ̤u
Pronunciation: /ǀɞ ᵑǀɞ ˈᵑǃɞǀʰɵǂʰ ˈᵑǀɞǃʰɞ ǂʰɞǂʰ ˈɵǀɵǂ ǀɞ ᵑǃɵǀ ǂʰɞǂʰ ˈǂɞᵑǃɞ ᵑǀ̤ɞǃ ᵑǀ̤ɞ ˈǂɞᶢǃ̤ɵ/
Enthos word order: and he stood holding his hat and turned his wet face to the wind

Spelling & Phonology

Consonant inventory: ǀ ǀʰ ǂ ǂʰ ǃ ǃʰ ᵑǀ ᵑǀ̤ ᵑǂ̤ ᵑǃ ᵑǃ̤ ᶢǀ̤ ᶢǃ̤

↓Manner/Place→	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal
Click	ǀ ǀʰ ᵑǀ ᵑǀ̤ ᶢǀ̤	ǃ ǃʰ ᵑǃ ᵑǃ̤ ᶢǃ̤	ǂ ǂʰ ᵑǂ̤

Vowel inventory: ɞ ɵ

	Central
High-mid	ɵ
Low-mid	ɞ

Syllable structure: Custom defined
Stress pattern: Initial — stress is on the first syllable
Spelling rules:

Pronunciation	Spelling
ɞ	o
ɵ	u

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Grammar

Main word order: Subject Verb Object (Prepositional phrase). “Mary opened the door with a key” turns into Mary opened the door with a key.
Adjective order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: prepositions

Nouns

Nouns form plural with separate plural word:

Plural

Particle before the noun: ᶢǃ̤ɞ - ᶢǃ̤o ǃʰuǂʰ /ᶢǃ̤ɞ ǃʰɵǂʰ/ dogs

Articles

	Definite	Indefinite
Singular	ᵑǀoǀʰ /ᵑǀɞǀʰ/ the	oᶢǀ̤ /ɞᶢǀ̤/ a
Plural	ǃoǂʰ /ǃɞǂʰ/ the	ᶢǃ̤oǃ /ᶢǃ̤ɞǃ/ some

Uses of definite article that differ from English:

• Used to talk about countable nouns in general: English’s ‘I like cats’ would translate to ‘I like the cats’
• Used for languages: ‘The English’
• Used with place names: ‘The London’

Pronouns

1st singular	ǃʰuǀʰ /ǃʰɵǀʰ/ I, me, mine
2nd singular	ᵑǂ̤o /ᵑǂ̤ɞ/ you, yours
3rd singular masc	ᵑǀo /ᵑǀɞ/ he, him, his
3rd singular fem	oǂ /ɞǂ/ she, her, hers
3rd singular neuter	ǃu /ǃɵ/ it, its
1st plural	ǀoǀ /ǀɞǀ/ we, us, ours
2nd plural	uᵑǃ /ɵᵑǃ/ you all, yours (pl)
3rd plural masc	ǃuǀ /ǃɵǀ/ they (masc), them (masc), theirs (masc)
3rd plural fem	ᵑǀoǀ /ᵑǀɞǀ/ they (fem), them (fem), theirs (fem)
3rd plural neuter	ᵑǀ̤o /ᵑǀ̤ɞ/ they (neut), them (neut), theirs (neut)

Possessive determiners

1st singular	ᶢǃ̤oᵑǃ /ᶢǃ̤ɞᵑǃ/ my
2nd singular	ᵑǃu /ᵑǃɵ/ your
3rd singular masc	ǂʰoǂʰ /ǂʰɞǂʰ/ his
3rd singular fem	ᶢǀ̤u /ᶢǀ̤ɵ/ her
3rd singular neuter	ᵑǀ̤u /ᵑǀ̤ɵ/ its
1st plural	ǀo /ǀɞ/ our
2nd plural	u /ɵ/ your (pl)
3rd plural masc	ᵑǃ̤u /ᵑǃ̤ɵ/ their (masc)
3rd plural fem	ǃʰoǀʰ /ǃʰɞǀʰ/ their (fem)
3rd plural neuter	ᵑǃ̤uǀʰ /ᵑǃ̤ɵǀʰ/ their (neut)

Verbs

Present	No affix ǂʰoǀ /ǂʰɞǀ/ learn
Past	If ends with vowel: Suffix -ᶢǀ̤ Else: Suffix -ɵᶢǀ̤ ǂʰoǀuᶢǀ̤ /ˈǂʰɞǀɵᶢǀ̤/ learned
Remote past	Suffix -ɞ ǂʰoǀo /ˈǂʰɞǀɞ/ learned (long ago)

Enthos uses a standalone particle word for future tense:

Future

Particle before the verb: ǀʰɵᵑǀ - ǀʰuᵑǀ ǂʰoǀ /ǀʰɵᵑǀ ǂʰɞǀ/ will learn

Progressive aspect

The ‘progressive’ aspect refers to actions that are happening at the time of speaking, such as I am learning.
Enthos uses an affix for progressive:

Progressive

Suffix -ɞ ǂʰoǀo /ˈǂʰɞǀɞ/ is learning

Habitual aspect

The ‘habitual’ aspect refers to actions that happen habitually, such as I learn (something new every day), as opposed to actions that happen once (I learned something).
Enthos uses an affix for habitual:

Habitual

If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǀʰ Else: Suffix -ɵǀʰ ǂʰoǀuǀʰ /ˈǂʰɞǀɵǀʰ/ learns

Perfect aspect

The perfect aspect in English is exemplified in ‘I have read this book’, which expresses an event that took place before the time spoken but which has an effect on or is in some way still relevant to the present.
Enthos uses an affix for the perfect aspect:

Perfect

Suffix -ɞǀʰ ǂʰoǀoǀʰ /ˈǂʰɞǀɞǀʰ/ have learned

Numbers

Enthos has a base-20 number system:
1 - ᵑǀ̤u
2 - ǀʰoᵑǀ̤
3 - ǃuᶢǃ̤
4 - ᶢǀ̤u
5 - ᵑǃ̤oǂʰ
6 - ǀʰoᵑǃ
7 - ǀʰo
8 - ᵑǃo
9 - ǂʰo
10 - ᵑǀ̤uǂ
11 - ᶢǀ̤oᵑǀoǀ
12 - ᵑǃuᵑǀoǂʰuᶢǃ̤
13 - ᵑǃoǀʰoᶢǃ̤
14 - ǃoǂoᵑǀ̤
15 - ǀʰuǀʰuǀ
16 - ǀʰoᵑǀuǀʰ
17 - uǂʰuǀʰ
18 - ǃoǂuǂʰu
19 - ǂuᵑǀoǂo
20 - ǀʰoǀoǂu
(Four) hundred - uᶢǃ̤
(Eight) thousand - ǃʰuǂ

Derivational morphology

Adjective → adverb = Suffix -ɵ
Adjective → noun (the quality of being [adj]) = Suffix -ɞ
Adjective → verb (to make something [adj]) = Suffix -ɞ
Noun → adjective (having the quality of [noun]) = Suffix -ɞ
Noun → adjective relating to noun (e.g. economy → economic) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǂʰ
Else: Suffix -ɵǂʰ
Noun to verb = Suffix -ɵǃ
Verb → adjective (result of doing [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǂ
Else: Suffix -ɵǂ
Tending to = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǂʰ
Else: Suffix -ɵǂʰ
Verb → noun (the act of [verb]) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ᶢǃ̤ɞ
Else: Suffix -ɵᶢǃ̤ɞ
Verb → noun that verb produces (e.g. know → knowledge) = Suffix -ɵ
One who [verb]s (e.g. paint → painter) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ᵑǀ̤
Else: Suffix -ɵᵑǀ̤
Place of (e.g. wine → winery) = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǃʰ
Else: Suffix -ɵǃʰ
Diminutive = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ǀʰ
Else: Suffix -ɞǀʰ
Augmentative = If ends with vowel: Suffix -ᵑǀɵ
Else: Suffix -ɞᵑǀɵ

Dictionary

3044 Words.