Morphology of Inflected Integers

Many integers are inflected and several groups are subject to compounding. Inflected Integer categories include the following; Cyclicals, Egoic Field Referents, Locators, Numerals, Pronominals, and Space Relators.

Cyclical Morphology

Cyclicals are recurring events. Here are included years, phases of the moon, estrus, seasons, mornings, etc. Below are listed the integer cyclicals. Cyclicals may also be formed from Incohates (+cyclical derivational morpheme) or by compounding an Incohate and a Cyclical. The model for Cyclicals is ROOT- number (definite/indefinite)-tense-aspect. Number marking uses the same inflections as nominals. However, Cyclicals are counted by Ordinals rather than Cardinal numerals. As with nominals, where a number is specified, number marking is not required. Cyclicals must be preceded by an Article.

A complete list of Integer Cyclicals


Tense Inflections

There are two cyclical derivative morphemes. When compounded with an incohate, they are always the last morpheme in the root.

Some examples;

Egoic Field Referents

Egoic Field Referents (EFR) are used with verbs and statives of motion or projection through spatial dimension. EFRs refer to motion both in general direction and in manner. EFRs are inflected for Motion Indication. The model for EFR morphology is ROOT-Motion Indicator. Multiple Motion Indicators may be used but this is rare. EFRs immediately follow the verb or stative that they modify.
There are five EFR:

There are eleven motion indicators with these self evident meanings;

Locator Morphology

A Locator may be thought of as a particularly long lasting 'event' that is fixed in geographical place. Often such events look permanent when viewed from the human point of view, for example, mountains, oceans, etc. Locators are not capable of action in and of themselves. Locators use the model ROOT-visibility-aspect. Locators are used with the same set of articles as nominals. Most locators are formed from with either the locator deriving morphemes or with landscape/geography incohates but there are a handful of Integer locators as well. A few morphemes have dual roles as Integer/Incohates, including certain space relators, the so called Named Relations and the incohates for air/sky lhi, star, t�, and sun tt�l. Potential locators that represent political units are used as nominals in some contexts, e.g. when speaking of a nation's actions as opposed to its landscape/geography. Below is a full list of Locator Integer Morphemes but also see the section on Space Relators for those dual role morphemes.
Visibility must be marked the first time a locator is used in a discourse, but is optional thereafter. The 4 types of visibility are as follows;

Numeral Morphology

Nova uses a true base 20 number system. Numerals have a relatively simple inflectional pattern which borders on being a derivational system. Traditionally, the morphemes involved have been considered Inflections and are so treated here. Nova uses the following basic number terms;
Complex numbers are formed according to a place value system going from greater to smaller units, left to right. Thus ones are on the right, twenties before that, four-hundreds before that and so forth. See these examples.
Simple (i.e. monomorphemic) numbers are usually incorporated into their nominals at the first reference (see the discussion of number marking on nominals for further caveats.) They are placed after the root but just before inflection, i.e., if there is another incorporated adjectival morpheme, it precedes the number. Polymorphemic numbers are usually not incorporated but rather, follow immediately after the nominal.

Numeral Inflection
The adverbial numeral marker is -thu. When used adverbially, numbers are placed after the verbs they modify and are never incorporated.



Cardinal numerals, marked by -bda, are only so indicated for special emphasis, e.g., in exasperation answering a question of "How many X?" for the umpteenth time. Unlike most 0-morphemes, they are not indicated in religious or legal contexts.

The Ordinal numeral marker is -gu. Ordinal numbers follow the nominals they modify. When used as tensors, they precede the initial verb of the clause.
  • na-gu first
  • mno-gu second
  • b�-gu fifth

    The collective numeral marker is -tto. Collectives normally function like adjectives and follow the nominals that they modify just as would any other polymorphemic numeral. A few have become nominals in their own right, e.g. mno.tto, 'pair or couple, especially husband and wife.'

    The fractional marker, -rhu is attached to the unit number, thus;

    Vigesimals are the base twenty equivalent to decimals. Vigesimals are formed with the fractional number marker rhu which is attached to the last whole number unit on the right.

    Pronominals

    Nova has 5 pronominal morphemes, one of which, se, rarely occurs independently. The others indicate the 4 persons recognized in Nova. Nova pronominals freely combine to generate new pronominal themes but never repeat the same form twice, i.e. *wowo, is ungrammatical. They inflect for number and there are semantic differences involved with number inflection, i.e. differences in inclusion and how much information the speaker wishes or is able to give. Additionally, gender can be indicated by adding ma or ba immediately after the pronominal morpheme. Gender is not normally marked, it used only for clarity. In the examples of complex pronominals that follow the simple set, gender is only clearly marked in the last 4 examples. It is permissable to read he as she or it and vice versa in the other examples. Nova pronominals use nominal cases and numbers. The uses of se are many and complex and are more fully discussed on the Syntax Page.
    Some complex pronominals

    Pronominals do not ordinarily inflect for aspect but they can, especially when referring to something or someone who does not exist at the present time. This is very rare with the first and second persons.


    Space relator morphology

    Space relators roughly correspond to English prepositions of space and distance. They are closely bound to the object or place that they modify. In that sense they are approximately the locator equivalent to nominal articles. This close binding is replicated with nominals. Space relators are the only things that can come between a nominal and its article.
    Space relators are inflected for distance and movement allowing a great deal of precision in their meaning. They use the model ROOT-distance relation-motion relation. Space relators may be compounded as well.

    Space relator roots
    The following is a complete inventory of Nova space relators;
    Six of these (marked by *) are classified as 'named relations' and carry a dual status as locators.

    Distance Relations are used to clarify proximity to an object.

    Motion relations indicate the direction of or lack of motion.
    Some examples;

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    © 2001 Brad Coon

    Revised August 29, 2001

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