Lesson 1 - The simplest sentence forms.  Some useful words.



*hix'pym goq.
Look, a morning-glory!

"dejv-ram hoq.
Hey, Dave! 

kq goq, tq hoq.  
Hello.  (Literally, "Here I am." or "Behold me, O you.")

These sentences have no verb, just a noun and one or two of the
simpler role markers.  {goq} points attention to the word or phrase
that precedes it.  {hoq} is used following the pronoun {tq} (you) or a
person's name, when one starts to talk to them.  The suffix {-ram}
marks a personal name (there are other suffixes for family names,
place names, etc.)

When you say something about yourself you don't have to explicitly
mention yourself or use the pronoun {kq} (I, me).  Just a verb
or comment phrase is fine.

vax-onx-zox.
(I'm) eating.

gjax-tla-van henx.
(I am) not a linguist.

?diq-cox-fwa-van zoqn.
Am (I) annoying (to you)?

The most common verb endings are {zox} and {van}.  {zox} shows an
action or process; {van} shows a state.  An adjective root plus {-van}
is often used where English would use an is-phrase.  {zoqn} following
the verb turns a statement into a question.

fiqm-box nxiqn-i.
I'm healthy.

fiqm-cox-box nxiqn-i.
I'm sick.

The ending {box} makes an adjective from a root word describing a
quality; such as {fiqm}, bodily health.  {cox} is one of several
suffixes used to make opposite words.  {nxiqn-i} is a word that marks
the comment on a topic.   

"Topic-comment" is one of the two main kinds of sentences in gzb.
Here are some examples where the topic isn't implicitly {kq} "me" .

kyn-viq miq-i haxn-box nxiqn-i.
Father is old (time-proven).

sqiqm-cxa miq-i peq'lax-box nxiqn-i.
The computer is old (obsolete, outdated).

{miq-i} follows the topic that the comment (shown by {nxiqn-i}) talks
about.

There are several words meaning "old" in gzb.  {haxn} signifies
that something or someone has been around long enough to be proven
good or improved or otherwise is highly esteemed because of its age.
{peq'lax} means that something has been around long enough to wear out, or
that a more useful replacement has become easily available.  It's most
often used of electronics & reference books.
A neutral term is {baxm-cox}, un-new.  It's used only when you don't
have an opinion about the quality of something old.

You may have noticed that {goq}, {hoq}, {miq-i} and  {nxiqn-i}
all come after another  word or phrase.  This is the rule in gzb; all
words that show grammatical relations come after their main subject or
object.  Technically these are "postpositions" as opposed to the
"prepositions" that English and related languages use.  Similarly,
within a single phrase adjectives will always follow nouns and adverbs
follow verbs.

Finally, a sentence with more complex structure but undeniable
usefulness.

?tyn-noq-van vax-rqnx-kox miq-i.
Where is a restroom?

{tyn-van} means "be located at"; {noq} makes it into a question-word
"where is...?".  (If you're in a hurry, you can leave off the final
{miq-i}.)


Vocabulary:

kq		I
tq		you, y'all

sqiqm-cxa    computer (sqiqm "calculation" + cxa "tool")
gjax	     language
gjax-tla     linguist
sqiqm-tla    programmer
gjax-zox     to talk, speak

vax	     digestive system
vax-onx-zox  to eat or drink
vax-rqnx-zox to excrete
vax-onx-kox  dining room, restaurant, cafe', etc.
vax-rqnx-kox restroom, toilet

fiqm	     health
haxn	     good oldness
peq'lax	     obsoleteness
baxm	     newness
fixm-box     healthy
haxn-box     old and good
peq'lax-box  obsolete
baxm-box     new
baxm-cox-box old (neutral)
diq	     pleasure
diq-fwa	     pleasant
diq-cox-fwa  unpleasant, annoying

haxn-van     is old and good
baxm-van     is new
fiqm-van     is healthy 

nxiqn	     a description or comment
miq	     a theme of discussion

henx	     no, not
noq	     (turns a word into a question-form like "who? where?" etc)
zoqn	     (turns a statement into a question.  Comes right after the verb.)
goq	     behold! look!
hoq	     O!  (Placed after the pronoun {tq} or a person's name 
	     when addressing them.)

miq-i	     Shows the topic part of a sentence.	    
nxiqn-i	     Shows the comment part of a sentence.