Ligurian (Greek Λίγυες, Latin Ligurēs; natively Ligos) is an Indo-European language spoken in the city of Ligos, on the site of present-day Istanbul. Noun ligā (f.) = “tongue, binding speech.” In a parallel dimension, Ligurian never went extinct. Despite being conquered by Greeks several times during their wars with the Persians and Medes, the Ancient Ligurians still rule the Kingdom of the Strait (Rezā Dorās, Heart Speech Reazō-yō Nuorō̃).
Ligos is an Indo-European language that underwent partial satemization. It exists in a state of diglossia. Official communication occurs in Sauleis Bazdā (Solar Speech), the classical literary form. The spoken language is Mazdō-yō Heardō̃ (Heart Speech) when contrasted with Solar Speech, but is commonly called simply Liɣu (Ligurian). Between them lies Vulgar Ligurian, the late spoken register of Solar Speech that gave rise to Heart Speech, paralleling the relationship between Classical Latin, Vulgar Latin, and the Romance languages. Three stages: Solar Speech (Sauleis Bazdā) → Vulgar Ligurian → Heart Speech (Mazdō-yō Heardō̃, commonly Liɣu).
Ligos is an extremely conservative language dedicated to linguistic purity. The Ligurians are the most culturally conservative Indo-European nation in the world. When the Ligurians overthrew the Greeks and founded a native kingdom in the early 11th century, they removed all medieval religions from the state and revived Orphic Neoplatonism from Byzantine sources and surviving folk traditions. Official statements interpret this extreme conservatism as an attempt to revive ancient pluralism against medieval dogmatism. Adherents of other religions don’t quite see it that way.
Notes on the Solar Speech
I · Phonology
Consonants: p t k · b d g · s z · m n · r l · w y
Vowels: a e i o u · ā ē ī ō ū
Diphthongs: ai ei oi au eu ou
Onsets: C · stop+liquid · s+stop · s+stop+liquid · z+stop · sw · sn · stop+s
The voiced sibilant z marks the Indo-European layer (from *ǵ, *ǵʰ, and intervocalic *s). Its absence can indicate the pre-IE substrate, which uses prenasalized stops (mb, nd, ng), geminates (ss, ll, nn, tt), and Mediterranean suffixes (-inthos, -anthos, -assos).
s-voicing: *s→z / V_V (productive in verb paradigms; frozen in nouns)
*wes-eti→wezeti
8
Semivowel hardening: *w→b / V[s,z]_
9
Late syncope: *uel→ul
*sauel→saul
Satemization is the dominant reflex but not absolute. A number of words, especially numerals, ritual vocabulary, and body-part terms, preserve the original velar stops (*ḱ→k, *ǵ→g, *ǵʰ→g). These centum survivals are characteristic of the Balkan IE area and parallel the mixed reflexes attested in historical Thracian onomastics. Examples: genton “flesh” (centum *ǵ→g) beside satem zen- “beget”; dekam “ten” and kamtón “hundred” (centum *ḱ→k) beside satem s in serdā “heart.” The depalatalization before nasals (2a) may reflect an early centum tendency in certain phonological environments.
Laryngeal note: *oh₂ merges with *eh₂ → ā (a-coloring dominates), while *oh₃ → ō as expected. This asymmetry reflects the strong a-coloring power of *h₂ in the Balkan IE environment, paralleling similar developments in Thracian and Phrygian.
Per pāwar ta zelān, per zbelān ta Naktān, geneti martos anmartos.
Through fire and wine, through lightning and Night, the mortal becomes immortal.
Esmi az dázās ta Naktās zeltās pūris.
I am a child of Earth and golden Night.
Genése en pāwarōi wisā oinon.
In fire all things became one.
Sā ligā esti pāwar dīwās, zelās zebrā yewā.
This tongue is the fire of heaven, wine’s sacred rite.
Zelāi Umnos (Hymn to Wine)
Ek brugō rudō zelān wisān pōi,
From the red fruit, drink all the wine,
sā esti esār Sabáziō, genton dēsōn,
this is the blood of Sabazios, flesh of the gods,
yos en Naktāi sersāi dēsos genése ta derése.
who in black Night was born as a god and was torn apart.
Zelā anā ōs martōn zewtā,
Wine, poured upon the mouth of mortals,
anmarton pōtón en martāi serdāi aydeti,
kindles an immortal drink in the mortal heart,
ta psūkān ek dázās anā asteróns lēti.
and releases the soul from earth up to the stars.
Vulgar Ligurian
Phase I: Stress → penultimate. The sole phonological innovation of the spoken register. Creates conditions for Heart Speech vowel breaking.
Feature
Solar Speech
Vulgar Ligurian
Stress
mobile (lexical)
fixed penultimate
Cases
7
5 (instrumental merges with locative)
Genders
3
2 (neuter → masculine)
Verb system
thematic / athematic
athematics regularizing to thematic
Word order
VSO
SOV emerging as prose default
Relative *yos
clause-introducer
postpositive linker (→ ezafe)
The relative pronoun yos/yā/yon begins postpositive use as a linker: pāwar-yos dīwās “fire which-is of-heaven” → “the fire of heaven.” This is the precursor of the Heart Speech ezafe, paralleling Old Persian hya-/tya- → modern Persian ezafe -e.
Notes on the Heart Speech
A descendant of the Solar Speech (Sauleis Bazdā). Predominantly voiced, with voiceless stops and /s/ preserved from cluster reductions.
Breaking details (VI): Breaking is blocked after voiced fricatives (v, ɣ) to avoid awkward clusters. In trisyllabic words, breaking targets the first non-initial nucleus first; if blocked, it falls back to the penultimate. In words of four or more syllables, the penultimate is tried first, with fallback to the antepenultimate. The nucleus detector treats sequences of i + non-high vowel (a, e, o, ā, ō, ē) as separate nuclei.
Final -i lengthening (VIII): Word-final -i lengthens to -ī after dental, nasal, and fricative consonants (t, d, ð, z, n, m), preserving the distinction between noun -i (i-stem DIR) and verb -ī (2sg, infinitive).
Late cluster repair (X): Initial ztr- voices to zdr- alongside zb- → zv-, maintaining the Heart Speech preference for voiced onsets.
Consonants: b d g · p t k · v ð ɣ · z s (only in st/sp/sk) · h (initial) · m n · r l · y
Voiceless stops occur: word-initially (from #sC reduction), after liquids, after nasal vowels, and in voiceless clusters (st, sk, kt, pt). /s/ only before voiceless stops. /h/ word-initially (from #s-).
Vowels: a e i o u · ā ō ī ū · ã ẽ ĩ õ ũ ō̃ ī̃ ū̃ (nasal). Diphthongs: ao ea uo (from breaking); ai au oi ou ev (inherited).
Stress: penultimate, invariable. Stressed short a/e/o break to ao/ea/uo in open syllables and before liquid+C (not word-initially).
3 · Nouns
Two genders (masculine, feminine). Former neuters → masculine. Five cases:
Note: Heart Speech mī is both the 1sg oblique pronoun (from Solar me) and the prohibitive particle (from Solar mē, via Phase III ē→ī). The prohibitive always precedes a jussive verb form. 1sg DIR aoz is irregular (breaking in monosyllable; cf. Solar az).
5 · Adjectives
Agree in gender: masculine –u, feminine –ō. Linked to head by Ezafe (§6). Past passive participle in –ðu (f. –ðō) functions as adjective.
M / F
Meaning
Source
nuvu / nuvō
deep
dubos
zvōðu / zvōðō
sweet
swādos
Hymnic register: Sacred epithets take feminine -ō regardless of head gender: Zealtō Bōvaryo Ãmaortō “To the Golden Undying Fire.”
6 · The Ezafe (Construct State)
Suffixed linker on the HEAD noun, agreeing with the head’s gender: -yo (m), -yō (f), -yũ (pl). Links to adjectives and possessors. Possessors take oblique. Origin: Solar relative pronoun *yos/yā/yon → Vulgar postpositive linker → Heart Speech agreement suffix (cf. Old Persian hya- → Persian -e).
Geminate simplification (XI): Phase XI voicing of s→z may create geminate zz (from original ss), which simplifies to z. E.g. copula 2sg Solar essi → ezī. Phase VIII final -i lengthening applies after dental, nasal, and fricative consonants (t, d, ð, z, n, m).
Verb Stems
Present
Past
Meaning
← Solar
ayð-
ayðī-
kindle
ayd-
blīð-
blīðī-
fill
plē-
dream-
dreamī-
tremble
trem-
ez-
ezī- / īz
be (copula)
es-
geam-
geamī-
come
gem-
gean-
geanī-
become
gen-
haon-
haonī-
sing
san-
hẽt-
hẽtī-
be (3pl copula)
es- (3pl senti)
hẽtea-
hẽteaī-
send
sent-
hlūð-
hlūðī-
hear
slū-
mear-
mearī-
carry
ber-
mōð-
mōðī-
speak
bā-
naol-
naolī-
protect
dal-
nearze-
nearzeī-
gaze
ders-
nūð-
nūðī-
give
dō-
reaz-
reazī-
direct, plan
rez-
tōð-
tōðī-
stand
stā-
veart-
veartī-
turn
wert-
veaz-
veazī-
wear
wes-
vear-
vearī-
open
wer-
veið-
veiðī-
see
weid-
zeav-
zeavī-
pour
zew-
beav-
beavī-
purify
pew-
bleaɣ-
bleaɣī-
weave
plek-
bleav-
bleavī-
flow
plew-
būð-
būðī-
drink
pō-
dōz-
dōzī-
be silent
tās-
eð-
eðī-
eat
ed-
ev-
evī-
offer
ep-
ezear-
ezearī-
rouse
ezer-
geal-
gealī-
strike
kel-
geav-
geavī-
seize
geb-
glōv-
glōvī-
close
klāw-
heaɣ-
heaɣī-
follow
sek-
heal-
healī-
conceal
sel-
hōɣ-
hōɣī-
seek
sāg-
līð-
līðī-
release
lē-
maor-
maorī-
die
mar-
mean-
meanī-
remember
men-
mẽd-
mẽdī-
bind
bend-
near-
nearī-
tear
der-
pearz-
pearzī-
scatter
sperz-
teiɣ-
teiɣī-
walk
steig-
8 · Split Ergativity
Tense-based split: the verb always agrees with whichever argument is in Direct case.
Agent
Patient
Verb agrees with
Present transitive
DIR
OBL
Agent
Past transitive
OBL
DIR
Patient
Intransitive (both)
S = DIR
S
Aoz zealō̃ zeavã.
“I pour wine.” (present: aoz DIR, zealō̃ OBL, verb 1sg)
Mī zealō zeavīeð.
“Wine was poured by me.” (past: mī OBL, zealō DIR, verb 3sg agrees with wine)
Līðō̃ aoz ne meanīã.
“Forgetting did not hold me.” (past: līðō̃ OBL agent, aoz DIR patient, verb 1sg)
9 · Syntax & Particles
Word order: SOV (prose); V-initial or free (hymnic). Postpositions:ẽ “in” (+LOC), eɣ “from” (+OBL), ber “through” (+OBL). Coordination:da “and”; asyndeton in hymnic register. Relative clauses: complementizer ðī. Questions: fronted interrogative; particle ðō for yes/no. Conditional:yãō “if/when” + present (realis) or past (irrealis). Copula drop: permitted in equative sentences (hymnic register).
Form
Meaning
Notes
da
and
coordinator
ne
not
+indicative
mī
don’t
prohibitive +jussive
ẽ
in, within
+LOC
eɣ
from
+OBL
ber
through
+OBL
anō
upon
+OBL
ðī
that
complementizer
ðō
(question)
yes/no particle
yãō
when, if
conditional
iðī
thus
nū̃
now
eiðū
behold!
evū
(ecstatic cry)
ō
O!
vocative interjection
Irregular particles:yãō “when/if” (← Solar yana): nasalization and contraction (regular: *yaona). neðū “down” (← nedō): prefix ne- blocks Phase VI breaking (regular: *neaðū). anō “up” (← anō): frozen before Phase III ō→ū (regular: *anū). dvū “two” (← dwō): archaic dw- resists Phase II (regular: *nvū).
10 · Sample Sentences
Hao nīzu-yo nuomõ bōvarū ẽ estī.
“The god’s house is in the fire.” (nīzu-yo nuomõ = god-EZ.M house.OBL)
Dū gao ezmī ðō?
“Who are you?” (fronted interrogative + yes/no particle)
Yãō bōvar ayðeð, heardō geanīeð.
“When fire kindles, the heart is born.” (conditional + past intransitive)
11 · Register
Feature
Prose
Hymnic
Word order
SOV
V-initial / free
Adjective gender
Agrees with head
Feminine -ō for sacred epithets
Vocative
DIR + ō
Archaic parent-language endings
Coordination
da “and”
Asyndeton
Copula
Required
May be dropped
Ezafe
Required
May be dropped in epithets and invocations
12 · Hymn to the Golden Undying Fire
I · Proem
Ō bōvar! Ō bōvar heanu da zevru! O fire! O ancient, sacred fire!
Ō brōmu ayðu, orpō̃ eɣ zealũð! O first blaze, gleaming from darkness!
Naktō̃ eɣ geanðu, nīvō̃ eɣ ayðu Born from Night, kindled from heaven
heardō̃ veartō̃ da aivõ reazu! lord of the heart’s wheel and eternity!
II · Theogony
Bōvarū ẽ vizō oinu geanīeð. In fire, all things became one.
Hao bōvar-yo nīvō̃ īz; hao oinu, hao brōmu. He was the fire of heaven; he, the one, the first.
Hũ nīzõz-yũ Naktō̃ hao nearīeð. The gods of Night tore him.
Hũ ostõ-yo hõ azō̃ ber pearzīeð. They scattered his bones through ash.
Hũ ezōr-yo hõ naozō̃ ber zeavīeð. They poured his blood through earth.
III · Anthropogony
Hũ naozō̃ da zvealō̃ eɣ ayðīeð bōvar. From earth and lightning, fire was kindled.
Hũ azō̃ da ostõ eɣ geanīeð heardō. From ash and bone, the heart was born.
Maortō heardō ãmaortō̃ bōvar ẽ. A mortal heart with immortal fire within.
IV · Declaration
Aoz būri-yo naozō̃ da Naktō-yō zealtō̃ ezmī. I am a child of Earth and golden Night.
Aoz maortu ezmī ezōr-yo mī nīvō̃ eɣ estī. I am mortal but my blood is from heaven.
Aoz bōvar-yo heardō̃ znūðu ezmī. I am a knower of the heart’s fire.
Aoz avō-yō aðimeanō̃ eɣ būðīã. I drink from the water of memory.
Līðō̃ aoz ne meanīã. Forgetting did not hold me.
V · Prayer
Bōvar ber da zealō̃ ber, zvealō̃ ber da Naktō̃ ber, maortu ãmaortu geaneð! Through fire and wine, through lightning and Night, the mortal becomes immortal!
Hūɣō-yō mũ ber zealō̃ zeavea! Pour wine through our souls!
Mẽdō̃z-yũ mũ nearea! Tear our chains!
Mũ veartō̃ eɣ lī! Release us from the wheel!
Vocabulary
Nouns
Solar
Heart
Meaning
Type
aiwon
aivõ
eternity
M‹N›
algos
algu
pain, grief
M
apā
avō
water
F
armonā
armuonō
harmony
F
asā
azō
ash
F
atimenā
aðimeanō
anamnesis
F
ausā
auzō
dawn
F
awēā
avīō
wind, breath
F
aydolā
ayðuolō
torch
F
aydos
ayðu
blaze
M
bazdā
mazdō
word, speech
F
bendā
mẽdō
chain
F
berzā
mearzō
mountain, height
F
bewdā
mevdō
awakening
F
brugos
mruɣu
fruit
M
bīwā
mīvō
life
F
danzwā
nãzvō
tongue
F
dekam
neaɣã
ten (centum *ḱ→k)
—
dersā
nearzō
gaze
F
dorā
nuorō
gate
F
dázā
naozō
earth
F
dómos
nuomu
house
M
dēsos
nīzu
god
M
dīwā
nīvō
heaven
F
esbos
ezbu
horse
M
esār
ezōr
blood
M‹N›
gebā
geavō
seizure
F
genton
gẽtõ
flesh, body (centum *ǵ→g)
M‹N›
genuā
gẽvō
knee (centum *ǵ→g)
F
hūlā
hūlō
matter
F
kamtón
gãtõ
hundred (centum *ḱ→k)
M‹N›
kósmā
gozmō
cosmos
F
lewdā
levdō
the people, freedom
F
lezā
leazō
law
F
ligā
liɣō
tongue, speech
F
lētā
līðō
release, forgetting
F
menā
meanō
thought
F
moisā
moizō
ecstasy
F
mēlon
mīlõ
limb, joint
M‹N›
mētron
mīðrõ
measure
M‹N›
Naktā
Naktō
Night
F
nóos
nou
mind
M
orpā
orpō
darkness
F
ostón
ostõ
bone
M‹N›
pewtis
bevdī
purification
F.i
psūkā
hūɣō
soul
F
pāwar
bōvar
fire
M‹N›
pōtón
būðõ
drink, potion
M‹N›
pūris
būri
child
i
ramā
raomō
calm, peace
F
rezon
reazõ
principle
M‹N›
rezós
reazu
ruler, lord
M
rezā
reazō
governance
F
sanā
haonō
song
F
sarsā
haorzō
head, summit
F
selā
healō
concealment, veil
F
serdā
heardō
heart
F
sewā
heavō
void
F
smeā
zmeō
smile, laughter
F
snēā
znīō
thread, web
F
stelā
tealō
balance
F
strewā
treavō
stream
F
sunos
hunu
dog, hound
M
swepós
zveavu
sleep
M
Sáulis
Hauli
the Sun
i
sālā
hōlō
beauty
F
teksā
deazō
craft, art
F
tāsā
dōzō
sacred silence
F
umnos
ũnu
hymn (Greek ὕμνος)
M
weidā
veiðō
image, vision
F
wertā
veartō
revolution, wheel
F
werzā
vearzō
work, labor
F
westis
vestī
garment
i
wērā
vīrō
truth
F
wōkā
vūɣō
voice, utterance
F
yewā
yeavō
rite, sacred law
F
yugon
yuɣõ
yoke
M‹N›
zbelā
zvealō
lightning
F
zelā
zealō
wine, gleam
F
zerā
zearō
glow
F
zewtron
zevdrõ
vessel
M‹N›
zāwā
zōvō
joy
F
ōson
ūzõ
mouth
M‹N›
Agent Nouns
Solar
Heart
Meaning
pewtā
bevdō
purifier
werztā
vearzdō
worker
znōtā
znūðō
knower
tekstā
destō
craftsman
zelozewōn
zelozeavū̃
wine-pourer, hierophant
naktosanōn
naktohaonū̃
night-singer
Compounds
Heart Speech compounds are formed from already-derived Heart stems (post-change compounding). Each element undergoes the full sound change pipeline independently; the first element is stripped of its case ending and joined to the head by the linking vowel -o-.
Most fascists don’t believe in their ideas as such. What fascists call “truths” are not facts:
Sometimes they are lying as a flex. They are saying obviously false things that denigrate the people they perceive as enemies. The intended effect is: “We are so strong, we can say and do whatever we want. We are not beholden to your woke facts.”
Fascists are constructivists like contemporary social theory (Heidegger is the unifying link). They think civilized people say certain things. They are trying to will a civilized society into existence by saying those things.
Stressed short a→ao, e→ea, o→uo / open syllable or liquid+C [not word-initial]. For trisyllabic words, breaking targets the root vowel; for 4+ syllables, penultimate with retraction.
Suffixed linker on the HEAD noun, agreeing with the head’s gender: -yo (m), -yō (f), -yũ (pl). Links to adjectives and possessors. Possessors take oblique.
Rule: Oblique and construct cannot co-occur on the same noun. When both are needed, Ezafe takes precedence; oblique falls on the final element of the chain.
avō-yō aðimeanō̃ (water-EZ.F memory.OBL)
7 · Verbs
Two stems: present (imperfective) and past (present stem + -ī-, perfective). One agreement paradigm for both:
Mī zealō zeavīeð. “Wine was poured by me.” (past: mī OBL, zealō DIR, verb 3sg agrees with wine)
Līðō̃ aoz ne meanīã. “Forgetting did not hold me.” (past: līðō̃ OBL agent, aoz DIR patient, verb 1sg)
9 · Syntax
Word order: SOV (prose); V-initial or free (hymnic). Postpositions:ẽ “in” (+LOC), eɣ “from” (+OBL), ber “through” (+OBL). Coordination:da “and”; asyndeton in hymnic register. Relative clauses: complementizer ðī. Questions: fronted interrogative; particle ðō for yes/no. Conditional:yãō “if/when” + present (realis) or past (irrealis). Copula drop: permitted in equative sentences (hymnic register).
10 · Register
Feature
Prose
Hymnic
Word order
SOV
V-initial / free
Adjective gender
Agrees with head
Feminine -ō for sacred epithets
Vocative
DIR + ō
Archaic parent-language endings
Coordination
da “and”
Asyndeton
Copula
Required
May be dropped
Ezafe
Required
May be dropped in epithets and invocations
11 · Hymn to the Golden Undying Fire
I · Proem
Ō bōvar! Ō bōvar heanu da zevru! O fire! O ancient, sacred fire!
Ō brōmu ayðu, orpō̃ eɣ zealũð! O first blaze, gleaming from darkness!
Naktō̃ eɣ geanðu, nīvō̃ eɣ ayðu Born from Night, kindled from heaven
heardō̃ veartō̃ da aivõ reazu! lord of the heart’s wheel and eternity!
II · Theogony
Bōvarū ẽ vizō oinu geanīeð. In fire, all things became one.
Hao bōvar-yo nīvō̃ īz; hao oinu, hao brōmu. He was the fire of heaven; he, the one, the first.
Hũ nīzū-yũ Naktō̃ hao nearīeð. The gods of Night tore him.
Hũ ostõ-yo hõ azō̃ ber zvearīeð. They scattered his bones through ash.
Hũ ezōr-yo hõ naozō̃ ber zeavīeð. They poured his blood through earth.
III · Anthropogony
Hũ naozō̃ da zvealō̃ eɣ ayðīeð bōvar. From earth and lightning, fire was kindled.
Hũ azō̃ da ostõ eɣ geanīeð heardō. From ash and bone, the heart was born.
Maortu heardō ãmaortō̃ bōvar ẽ. A mortal heart with immortal fire within.
IV · Declaration
Aoz būri-yo naozō̃ da Naktō-yō zealtō̃ ezmī. I am a child of Earth and golden Night.
Aoz maortu ezmī ezōr-yo mī nīvō̃ eɣ estī. I am mortal but my blood is from heaven.
Aoz bōvar-yo heardō̃ znūðu ezmī. I am a knower of the heart’s fire.
Aoz avō-yō aðimeanō̃ eɣ būīã. I drink from the water of memory.
Līðō̃ aoz ne meanīã. Forgetting did not hold me.
V · Prayer
Bōvar ber da zealō̃ ber, zvealō̃ ber da Naktō̃ ber, maortu ãmaortu geaneð! Through fire and wine, through lightning and Night, the mortal becomes immortal!
Hūɣō-yō mũ ber zealō̃ zeavea! Pour wine through our souls!
I don’t believe in the naive account of intelligence, a material structure that allows you to magically find answers to questions.
Accurate answers are arrived at through correspondence with the facts. In reality as I understand it, this means:
You have to conduct a search to discover facts.
You have to compress the facts you found into a smaller representation for storage. This sometimes has an accidental benefit of ditching needlessly complex theories (Occam’s Razor). You also have to decompress them to generate predictions.
You need physical energy to conduct searches, compress and decompress the results. Energy is a scarce resource. If you don’t have the resources to do all this, it’s not possible for you to take over the world by being smart. (That’s also a silly idea for other reasons like needing physical strength to put your plans into motion.)
Even after doing all that, the context in which a physical system operates remains underspecified in several ways:
a) The number of combinations possible in physical space are currently much larger than what our knowledge systems can predict. (This is an understatement.) It’s always possible a competitor will construct a larger system.
b) At the limits of representation, it remains possible to construct contradictions through self-reference.
c) Ignoring self-reference, it’s unclear whether a mathematical formalism exists that generalizes knowledge representation across all contexts. Neural networks use a piecewise linear representation. Other possibilities exist.
The voiced sibilant z marks the Indo-European layer (from *ǵ, *ǵʰ, and intervocalic *s). Its absence marks the pre-IE substrate, which uses prenasalized stops (mb, nd, ng), geminates (ss, ll, nn, tt), and Mediterranean suffixes (-inthos, -anthos, -assos).
Agent nouns in -tā: follow the ā-stem paradigm (nom -tā · gen -tās · dat -tāi · acc -tān).
III · Adjectives
Thematic: -os (m) / -ā (f) / -on (n). Decline like o-stems (m/n) and ā-stems (f). Agree with head noun in gender, number, case.
M / F / N
Meaning
M / F / N
Meaning
zeltós / zeltā / zeltón
golden
zebrós / zebrā / zebrón
sacred
germós / germā / germón
warm
sersós / sersā / sersón
black
rudós / rudā / rudón
red
darsós / darsā / darsón
bold
pewtós / pewtā / pewtón
purified
senós / senā / senón
ancient
martós / martā / martón
mortal
wisós / wisā / wisón
all, every
anmartós / anmartā / anmartón
immortal
prāmós / prāmā / prāmón
first
semós / semā / semón
equal, the same
oinos / oinā / oinon
one, alone
seltós / seltā / seltón
concealed
ne-bazdetós / -ā / -ón
ineffable
ne-weidetós / -ā / -ón
un-seeable
ne-zebrós / -ā / -ón
unholy
Predicate rule: with a single subject, the predicate adjective agrees in gender. Across mixed-gender subjects, the neuter singular serves as default.
Negation prefixes:an- before adjectives (anmartos “immortal”). ne- before participles and verbal adjectives (ne-bazdetos “ineffable,” ne-zebrós “unholy”).
Participles: present active -onts (m) / -ontī (f) / -on (n), the masculine form is semi-invariable across genders in hymnic register. Past passive -tos / -tā / -ton.
Form
Meaning
zelonts / zelontī
gleaming
samonts
toiling
znōnts
knowing
wisā vs. wisān:wisān (fem.acc.sg) modifies a specific feminine noun. wisā (neut.pl) stands alone as “all things.”
IV · Pronouns
Personal
1sg
2sg
1pl
2pl
Nom
az
tū
mes
yūs
Gen
mene
tewe
ansōn
yūsōn
Dat
menei
tebei
anmos
yūmos
Acc
me
te
ans
yūs
Demonstrative: sas / sā / san (this)
Case
M.sg
F.sg
N.sg
M.pl
F.pl
N.pl
Nom
sas
sā
san
soi
sās
sā
Gen
sō
sās
sō
sōn
sān
sōn
Dat
sōi
sāi
sōi
somos
sāmos
somos
Acc
san
sān
san
sons
sāns
sā
onas / onā / onan (that) follows the same pattern on the stem on-.
Relative: yos / yā / yon (who, which)
Case
M.sg
F.sg
N.sg
M.pl
F.pl
N.pl
Nom
yos
yā
yon
yoi
yās
yā
Gen
yō
yās
yō
yōn
yān
yōn
Dat
yōi
yāi
yōi
yomos
yāmos
yomos
Acc
yon
yān
yon
yons
yāns
yā
The relative takes the case its own clause requires, not the case of its antecedent.
Interrogative:kas (who?) · kasān (what?)
V · Verbs
Thematic present
Sg
Pl
1
-ō
-ome
2
-esi
-ete
3
-eti
-onti
e.g. zew-ō, zew-esi, zew-eti / zew-ome, zew-ete, zew-onti
Substrate integration: pre-IE words enter as ā-stems (final -a → -ā) and decline regularly. Their phonology (geminates, prenasals, no z) remains intact.
VII · Syntax
Word order: verb-initial by default in all clause types.
Aydeti pāwar dīwās en wisāi serdāi.
The fire of heaven burns in every heart.
Prepositions:en + dat./loc. (in) · ek + gen. (from) · per + acc. (through) · ana + acc. (upon) · anti + acc. (in exchange for).
Negation:ne + indicative verb. mē + jussive for prohibition.
Relative clauses:yos/yā/yon introduces; takes own clause’s case.
Indefinite-conditional:yos… sas (whoever… let that one).
Collective nouns:lewdā (the people) is fem.sg., takes sg. verbs; the assembly responds in 1pl.
One absurd complaint I keep coming across is that a political proposal based on analytical principles is contrary to art. Precisely the opposite is true.
Note: This post is not an attack on art. It’s an argument that dry principles are better at defending art than art itself:
Principles are more inclusive than aesthetics.
Although some artists perceive them as being cold and sterile, the advantage of principles is that they are minimalistic. As a result, they are, by nature, compatible with a large number of variations. In contrast to this, aesthetic frameworks often aim for a more expansive vision. It is normal for one aesthetic framework to clash with most others.
A government ruled by principles can say: Tolerate all subcultures except the ones that go against a given list of criteria.
Compared to this, it would be normal for most aesthetic frameworks to be opposed to all subcultures except the ones that fit its vision. It is possible to invent an aesthetic that gets around this, but principles don’t have this problem to begin with.
Therefore, if a system of government is committed to implementing one particular aesthetic, such a system would, by default, clash with a much larger number of people than one based on principles.
Aesthetic government is necessarily despotic.
Aesthetic frameworks aren’t fully justified by reasoning. They usually have some rational basis, but there is a plethora of unjustified elements accompanying it. This is as it should be. Aesthetics is intended to bring emotional satisfaction. Trying to justify the entirety of aesthetics by reasoning defeats the purpose.
However, if you try to use aesthetics in government, you will run into a problem: since there is no reasoning justifying aesthetics, it is arbitrary by nature. When power is justified by aesthetics, such a government is necessarily involved in an arbitrary exercise of power. Forcing people to do things for no reason fits the definition of despotism.
Governments with aesthetic appeal are more technocratic than ones based on dry principles.
To make an aesthetic government work, you have to hire trained experts to judge whether your vision is being correctly implemented. A much lower level of expertise is sufficient for a system grounded in principles. You don’t have to be trained in a style of art. All you need is to spot a verbal contradiction, and everyone else will see it too. This is not usually the case when judging a style of art.
This is why, counterintuitive as it may seem, a government based on dry principles is a more popular government than one which attracts the masses by aesthetic means.
For the above reasons, a politics based on aesthetics is more prone to totalitarianism than one based on principles. Unless an artist is sure that a political movement trying to implement one specific aesthetic is compatible with their particular aesthetic, they should consider supporting a movement to implement reasonable principles instead.
