Ossamic

Ossamic
Օսըշահմմը, Ōsəšahmmə
Pronunciation	[o.sə.ˈʃaːm.mə]
Created by	Melinoë
Date	June 9th, 2026
Native to	Armenia: Lori, Tavush Georgia: Kvemo Kartli Azerbaijan: Gazakh, Aghstafa, Tovuz
Ethnicity	Ossamics
Native speakers	755 thousand (2022)
Language family	Indo-European Para-Germanic Chlesamnic High Polovic languages Ossamic
Early forms	Proto-Chlesamnic Old Thadic Ossamic
Writing systems	Armenian Latin
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Armenia Georgia
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sish

Ossamic (/ˈəʊ̯.sɑ.mɪk/; Autonym: Օսըշահմմը or Ōsəšahmmə, all /o.sə.ˈʃaːm.mə/) is a Chlesamnic language of the High Polovic branch spoken at the intersection of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, though it is entirely unintelligible with Caucasian Polovic.

Etymology

The English name is from Byzantine /ossamiˈkos/, from /ossaˈmia/, which is from Old Ossamic Օսըշահմմը, which is a compound of օսըմ ("lip") + -(ը)շահմ (abstract noun affix)+ -մը ("our").

Phonology

Consonants

		labial	alveolar	palatal	velar
nasal		m ⟨մ, m⟩	n ⟨ն, n⟩
stop	unvoiced	p ⟨պ, p⟩	t ⟨տ, t⟩		k ⟨ի, k⟩
	aspirated	pʰ ⟨փ, pʻ⟩	tʰ ⟨թ, tʻ⟩		kʰ ⟨ք, kʻ⟩
	voiced	b ⟨բ, b⟩	d ⟨դ, d⟩		g ⟨գ, g⟩
fricative	unvoiced	f ⟨ֆ, f⟩	s ⟨ս, s⟩	ʃ ⟨շ, š⟩	x ⟨խ, x⟩
	voiced	v ⟨վ, v⟩	z ⟨զ, z⟩	ʒ ⟨ժ, ž⟩	ɣ ⟨ղ, ġ⟩
affricate	unvoiced		t͡s ⟨ծ, c⟩	t͡ʃ ⟨ճ, č⟩
	aspirated		t͡sʰ ⟨ց, cʻ⟩	t͡ʃʰ ⟨չ, čʻ⟩
	voiced		d͡z ⟨ձ, j⟩	d͡ʒ ⟨ջ, ǰ⟩
approximant			l ⟨լ, l⟩	j ⟨յ, y⟩
trill			r ⟨ռ, ṙ⟩
tap			ɾ ⟨ր, r⟩

Vowels

	front				central		back
	unround		round
	short	long	short	long	short	long	short	long
High	i ⟨ի, i⟩	iː ⟨իհ, ih⟩	y ⟨իւ, iw⟩	yː ⟨իւհ, iwh⟩			u ⟨ու, u⟩	uː ⟨ուհ, uh⟩
Mid-high	e ⟨է, ē⟩	eː ⟨էհ, ēh⟩	ø ⟨էւ, ēw⟩	øː ⟨էւհ, ēwh⟩	ə ⟨ը, ə⟩	əː ⟨ըհ, əh⟩	o ⟨օ, ō⟩	oː ⟨օհ, ōh⟩
Mid-low	ɛ ⟨ե, e⟩	ɛː ⟨եհ, eh⟩	œ ⟨եւ, ew⟩	œː ⟨եւհ, ewh⟩			ɔ ⟨ո, o⟩	ɔː ⟨ոհ, oh⟩
Low							ɑ ⟨ա, a⟩	ɑː ⟨ահ, ah⟩

Morphology

Ossamic makes a clear distinction between roots and stems, with roots being the shortest common piece of any term between all its forms, whereas stems are the shortest forms of a word used directly in inflection, to make this distinction clearer, an example is խըռնենըմ, with the root խըռն֊, and the stem խըռնե֊, the root is general and is used as the basis of all forms, whereas the stem is specific to the verbal forms and derivatives therefrom.

Nouns

Ossamic nouns decline on several categories, those being case, number, and possessor. Some nouns can take marking for animacy, using ըմ֊ to mark the inanimate.

Components

Possession

Nouns decline for possessor, with the possessor being marked through a clitic pronoun that declines according to an irregular ə-type pattern.

Possessive markers

	singular	plural
1st	֊մը	֊միւ
2nd	֊զը	֊զիւ
3rd	֊սը	֊սիւ

ə/iw-type

	singular	plural
nominative	֊ը	֊իւ
accusative	֊ըմ	֊ընիւմ
allative	֊ըհռ	֊ընիւհռ
genitive	֊ուտ	֊ընիւտ
ablative	֊իճ	֊ընայճ
dative	֊ըհ	֊ընիւհ
instrumental	֊ու	֊ընիւ
comitative	֊ոմ	֊ընեւմ

Endings

There are two main patterns, the ə-type and the i-type.

Ə-type

ə-type endings

	singular	plural
nominative	֊ը	֊ընե
accusative	֊ըմ	֊ընեմ
allative	֊ըհռ	֊ընեհռ
genitive	֊ուտ	֊ընիւտ
ablative	֊իճ	֊ընայճ
dative	֊ըհ	֊ընեհ
instrumental	֊ու	֊ընիւ
comitative	֊ոմ	֊ընեւմ

ə-type

	վիլֆը		յիգը		խիւնզը
	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	վիլֆը	վիլֆընե	յիգը	յիգընե	խիւնզը	խիւնզընե
accusative	վիլֆըմ	վիլֆընեմ	յիգըմ	յիգընեմ	խիւնզըմ	խիւնզընեմ
allative	վիլֆըհռ	վիլֆընեհռ	յիգըհռ	յիգընեհռ	խիւնզըհռ	խիւնզընեհռ
genitive	վիլֆուտ	վիլֆընիւտ	յիգուտ	յիգընիւտ	խիւնզուտ	խիւնզընիւտ
ablative	վիլֆիճ	վիլֆընայճ	յիգիճ	յիգընայճ	խիւնզիճ	խիւնզընայճ
dative	վիլֆըհ	վիլֆընեհ	յիգըհ	յիգընեհ	խիւնզըհ	խիւնզընեհ
instrumental	վիլֆու	վիլֆընիւ	յիգու	յիգընիւ	խիւնզու	խիւնզընիւ
comitative	վիլֆոմ	վիլֆընեւմ	յիգոմ	յիգընեւմ	խիւնզոմ	խիւնզընեւմ

I-type

i-type endings

	singular	plural
nominative	֊ի	֊այնի
accusative	֊իմ	֊այնիմ
allative	֊իհռ	֊այնիհռ
genitive	֊իտ	֊այնիտ
ablative	֊իճ	֊այնիճ
dative	֊եհ	֊այնեհ
instrumental	֊ի	֊այնի
comitative	֊եմ	֊այնեմ

i-type

	ըվի		սինի		մըռի
	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	ըվի	ըվայնի	սինի	սինայնի	մըռի	մըռայնի
accusative	ըվիմ	ըվայնիմ	սինիմ	սինայնիմ	մըռիմ	մըռայնիմ
allative	ըվիհռ	ըվայնիհռ	սինիհռ	սինայնիհռ	մըռիհռ	մըռայնիհռ
genitive	ըվիտ	ըվայնիտ	սինիտ	սինայնիտ	մըռիտ	մըռայնիտ
ablative	ըվիճ	ըվայնիճ	սինիճ	սինայնիճ	մըռիճ	մըռայնիճ
dative	ըվեհ	ըվայնեհ	սինեհ	սինայնեհ	մըռեհ	մըռայնեհ
instrumental	ըվի	ըվայնի	սինի	սինայնի	մըռի	մըռայնի
comitative	ըվեմ	ըվայնեմ	սինեմ	սինայնեմ	մըռեմ	մըռայնեմ

Adjectives

Adjectives must agree fully for case and number, and must match the stem type.

positive

Positive	ə-type		i-type
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	֊ե	֊եհնե	֊այ	֊այհնայ
accusative	֊եմ	֊եհնեմ	֊այմ	֊այհնայմ
allative	֊եհռ	֊եհնեհռ	֊այհռ	֊այհնայհռ
genitive	֊եսուտ	֊եհնեսուտ	֊եշիտ	֊այհնեշիտ
ablative	֊եշէճ	֊եհնեշէճ	֊եշիճ	֊այհնեշիճ
dative	֊եսոհ	֊եհնեսոհ	֊եշոհ	֊այհնեսոհ
instrumental	֊եսու	֊եհնեսու	֊եշի	֊այհնեշի
comitative	֊եսոմ	֊եհնեսոմ	֊եշոմ	֊այհնեսոմ

comparative

Positive	ə-type		i-type
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	֊եշե	֊եշեհնե	֊եշայ	֊եշայհնայ
accusative	֊եշեմ	֊եշեհնեմ	֊եշայմ	֊եշայհնայմ
allative	֊եշեհռ	֊եշեհնեհռ	֊եշայհռ	֊եշայհնայհռ
genitive	֊եշեսուտ	֊եշեհնեսուտ	֊եշեշիտ	֊եշայհնեշիտ
ablative	֊եշեշէճ	֊եշեհնեշէճ	֊եշեշիճ	֊եշայհնեշիճ
dative	֊եշեսոհ	֊եշեհնեսոհ	֊եշեշոհ	֊եշայհնեշոհ
instrumental	֊եշեսու	֊եշեհնեսու	֊եշեշի	֊եշայհնեշի
comitative	֊եշեսոմ	֊եշեհնեսոմ	֊եշեշոմ	֊եշայհնեշոմ

superlative

Positive	ə-type		i-type
	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	֊եծե	֊եծեհնե	֊եծայ	֊եծայհնայ
accusative	֊եծեմ	֊եծեհնեմ	֊եծայմ	֊եծայհնայմ
allative	֊եծեհռ	֊եծեհնեհռ	֊եծայհռ	֊եծայհնայհռ
genitive	֊եծեսուտ	֊եծեհնեսուտ	֊եծեշիտ	֊եծայհնեշիտ
ablative	֊եծեշէճ	֊եծեհնեշէճ	֊եծեշիճ	֊եծայհնեշիճ
dative	֊եծեսոհ	֊եծեհնեսոհ	֊եծեշոհ	֊եծայհնեշոհ
instrumental	֊եծեսու	֊եծեհնեսու	֊եծեշի	֊եծայհնեշի
comitative	֊եծեսոմ	֊եծեհնեսոմ	֊եծեշոմ	֊եծայհնեշոմ

Verbs

Verbs have evolved to a predominantly agglutinative state, and have simplified greatly from what Old Thadic is thought to have had.

Aspect

Aspects are determined by the specific verbal affix used to form the stem of the verb. Ossamic has three main aspects, these being perfective, imperfective, and causative. These endings will be given in the infinitive forms.

perfective	֊ինըմ
imperfective	֊ըժինըմ
causative	֊ըհնըմ

The imperfective and causative can be paired together, though rarely, to form the imperfective causative, marked by ֊(ը)ժըհնըմ

The perfective aspect has two main patterns, the ay-type and the i-type.

Tense

Ossamic has four main tenses, being present, near past, general/far past, and future, though occasionally an imperfect does show up. Classical Ossamic also carries a perfect marker, though this has largely been dropped in favor of auxiliary verbs.

	plain	perfect
present	֊∅֊	֊∅(զ)ը֊
near past	֊զի֊	֊զի(զ)ը֊
(far) past	֊զու֊	֊զու(զ)ը֊
future	֊ճի֊	֊ճի(զ)ը֊

The imperfect is marked through the suffix ֊մի֊ (), with the perfect being ֊մի(զ)ը֊ ().

The distinction between the near past and the past is typically one of distance, with the plain past acting more as a far past, though occasionally it acts as a general past and thus for the near past too.

The similarity between the far past and the perfect marker is due to the etymology of both, having come from a common *-δουο (*-δʷo), but the perfect affix evolved irregularly.

Voices

Ossamic has two voices, though the intransitive formations are also treated as a voice grammatically. The two true voices are the active and the passive. The active voice goes unmarked, being the default, while both the passive and intransitive are explicitly marked with ֊ըռ and ֊նե֊ respectively. The intransitive forms solely exist in ambitransitive verbs, while the passive can exist in any verb that can be transitive. This can be seen using three different verbs:

• խըռնայնըմ ("to hurt", ambitransitive):
  • active: խըռնե
  • passive: խըռնեռ
  • intransitive: խըռնենե
• վէլնըմ ("to want", transitive):
  • active: վէլե
  • passive: վէլեռ
• [Term?] ("", intransitive):
  • active: [Term?]

Mood

Ossamic has two moods, the indicative and subjunctive, though an imperative once existed.

indicative	֊∅֊
subjunctive	֊մ
imperative†	֊սիւ

Person markers

Ossamic marks subject person through a series of clitics that are identical to the clitics used for noun possession, though these are unrelated and are only identical due to inter-influence.

Subject markers

	singular	plural
1st	֊մը	֊միւ
2nd	֊զը	֊զիւ
3rd	֊սը	֊սիւ

Object markers

	singular	plural
1st	ըմ֊	իւմ֊
2nd	ըզ֊	իւզ֊
3rd	ըս֊	իւս֊