Nga

Nga
Pronunciation	[ŋɑ]
Created by	Suqi
Date	2026
Language family	Kamokynga[controversial] Nga

Nga [ŋɑ] is an artistic personal language of Suqi that is heavily based around the compounding of monosyllabic root words to make new lexical items.

Phonology

Syllable Structure

Nga follows a (C)V(V) syllable structure for root words, (C)V(V)(G) for compounded roots, and (C)(C)V(V)(C)(C) structure for affixes. /G/ stands for gemination of the following consonant, which if followed by a vowel becomes [ʔ] instead.

Vowel Harmony

Nga has regressive fronting harmony. Harmony spreads across entire words. Front vowels include /y e ø yi̯ ei̯ øi̯ øy̯ ʉe̯/ and back vowels include /ʉ ɜ o ui̯ ɜi̯ oi̯ ou̯ ʉɜ̯/. There are two neutral vowels: /ɑ ai̯/, and three vowels that are transparent in medial and final syllables, but trigger harmony when in an initial syllable: /i/ (triggers front harmony) and /ɔ ɔi̯/ (trigger back harmony). /ɜ uɜ̯/ must be preceded by a harmonically back vowel.

Allophony

/ʉ/ becomes [u] if there are other harmonic back vowels in the word (excluding /ʉ ui̯/) unless immediately followed by /i/.

[ʉ] ranges between central [ʉ] and near-back [ü].

Geminated voiced plosives become instead prenasalized voiced plosives.

Grammar

Syntax

The basic word order is VSO.

Sentence particles are placed sentence-finally by default, but sentence-initially if said in surprise or exclamation.

Morphology

Tense

Tense markers are marked on the verb, but if there is no verb they are marked on the subject instead. In that event, the subject suffixes are placed after the subject marker.

Past Tense: -ltu (or -ltü) [-ltʉ~ltu (-lty)]

Present Tense: -khai [-khai̯]

Future Tense: -myi [-mji]

Irrealis: Ø

• Past Irrealis: oltu- [oltʉ~oltu-]
• Present Irrealis: okhai- [okhai̯-]
• Future Irrealis: omyi- [omji-]

Subject Markers

There are different types of subject markers for different relationships the subject has to the verb or object.

Motile subject: -msu (or -msü) [-msʉ~msu (-msy)]

Present subject: -ćto/ćtö [-t͡ɕto, -t͡ɕtø]

Identity subject: -ńwai [-ɲwai̯]

Potential subject: -hći [-ht͡ɕi]

Sentence Particles

Interrogative: wa [wɑ]

Additive: qe [qe]

Contrastic, emphatic: m'ai [mʔai̯]

Translations

Vultu tsumsu.
[βʉltʉ t͡sʉmsʉ]
Vu	-ltu	tsu	-msu
down	-pst	lightning	-motsbj
“Lightning struck.”

-

Oućtokhai.
[ou̯t͡ɕtokhai̯]
Ou	-ćto	-khai
person	-psnsbj	-prs
“There is a person.”

-

Oumsumyi.
[ou̯msumji]
Ou	-msu	-myi
person	-motsbj	-fut
“A person will go.”

Lexicon

Root Words

	IPA	English	Meaning
ku	[kʉ]	alone	-
lai	[lai̯]	art	-
pô	[pɔ]	big	-
mi	[mi]	blank	-
nge	[ŋe]	clean	-
ńi	[ɲi]	come	-
kei	[kei̯]	cube	A square- or cube-based shape, design, or geometry.
		square
vu	[βʉ]	down	-
maa	[mɑː]	go	-
qa	[qɑ]	hit	-
mo	[mo]	hold	-
će	[t͡ɕe]	ice	-
qui	[qui̯]	ink	-
go	[ɡo]	land	-
yü	[jy]	light	-
tsu	[t͡sʉ]	lightning	-
tü	[ty]	music	-
ka	[kɑ]	nonliving	Also used for corpses or food.
ou	[ou̯]	person	-
na	[nɑ]	plant	-
ôi	[ɔi̯]	sea	-
tsi	[t͡si]	sick	Also used for dead plants.
mui	[mui̯]	sleep	-
i	[i]	small	-
fü	[ɸy]	snow	-
nga	[ŋɑ]	speak	-
ńbue	[ɲʘwʉɜ̯]	style	Also refers to modification or variation.
ti	[ti]	tall	-
mu	[mʉ]	together	-
xo	[xo]	wood	-

Compound Words

Compound words are formed with a specific structure to produce a meaning. The first root in a compound connects its meaning to the compound's meaning most literally, and the last root in a compound connects its meaning to the compound's meaning most abstractly.

The meaning of a compound word is not produced systematically, it has a significant degree of arbitrarity. Therefore, if two roots on their own form a compound with one meaning, those same roots in the same order become part of another compound word, they will not incorporate the meaning of their own compound, they will contribute to a new meaning with the other root(s). However, compound words can be compounded to other roots if the boundary between the two has a /G/ interfix. This interfix is the only place /G/ occurs in the language.

Double-Compound Words

Nga				English
Word	Roots		IPA	Word	Roots		Meaning
	1	2			1	2
ćeńbue	će	ńbue	[t͡ɕeɲʘwʉe̯]	snowflake	ice	style	-
ćevü	će	vu	[t͡ɕeβy]	ice melting	ice	down	-
füvü	fü	vu	[ɸyβy]	snow melting	snow	down	-
goôi	go	ôi	[ɡoɔi̯]	ecosystem	sea	land	-
kamui	ka	mui	[kɑmui̯]	inactive	nonliving	sleep	-
kui	ku	i	[kʉi]	density	alone	small	-
kulai	ku	lai	[kʉlai̯]	art supply	alone	art	-
kumi	ku	mi	[kʉmi]	empty	alone	blank	Also used for “having nothing” as a verb, or “being nothing” as an identity adjective. Does not often refer to objective emptiness.
kungë	ku	nge	[kuŋɜ]	pure	alone	clean	Also used to express origin, the concept of English's metaphorical “core”, and removal of excess information/detail.
kuńi	ku	ńi	[kʉɲi]	intake	alone	come	Also refers to accepting and receiving.
kupô	ku	pô	[kupɔ]	volume	alone	big	-
kuôi	ku	ôi	[kuɔi̯]	island	alone	sea	-
kuyu	ku	yü	[kʉjʉ]	light	alone	light	A group of photons following the same trajectory
laina	lai	na	[lai̯nɑ]	art of quality	art	plant	Refers more specifically to art the artist put a lot of effort into rather than an aesthetic result.
laina	lai	na	[lai̯nɑ]	novel	art	plant	-
lainge	lai	nge	[lai̯ŋe]	cartoon	art	clean	Refers more to the cartoon style than animation itself. Also refers to line art or unrendered art.
miće	mi	će	[mit͡ɕe]	glass	blank	ice	-
mixö	mi	xo	[mixø]	paper	blank	wood	-
minge	mi	nge	[miŋe]	new	blank	clean	-
momaa	mo	maa	[momɑː]	take	hold	go	Instead means “bring” if the one doing the action is the speaker.
mońi	mo	ńi	[moɲi]	bring	hold	come	Instead means “take” if the one doing the action is the speaker.
muika	mui	ka	[mui̯kɑ]	dead	sleep	nonliving	Not used for dead plants.
muou	mu	ou	[muou̯]	community	together	person	-
nati	na	ti	[nɑti]	tree	plant	tall	-
ńbueće	ńbue	će	[ɲʘwʉɜ̯t͡ɕɜ]	ice variant	style	ice	-
ńbueou	ńbue	ou	[ɲʘwʉɜ̯ou̯]	personality	style	person	Also refers to archetype.
ńiôi	ńi	ôi	[ɲiɔi̯]	flood	come	sea	-
ngańbue	nga	ńbue	[ŋɑɲʘwʉɜ̯]	dialect	speak	style	Also refers to idiolect.
ngekü	nge	ku	[ŋeky]	clean	clean	alone	A removal of dirt from one item or one place on an object.
oumu	ou	mu	[ou̯mu]	crowd	person	together	-
ôimaa	ôi	maa	[ɔi̯mɑː]	current	sea	go	A current in a body of water.
ôińi	ôi	ńi	[ɔi̯ɲi]	wave	sea	come	A moving disturbance in a body of water.
ôiti	ôi	ti	[ɔi̯ti]	tsunami	sea	tall	-
pôi	pô	i	[pɔi]	grow	big	small	-
pômu	pô	mu	[pɔmu]	all	big	together	-
qavu	qa	vu	[qɑβʉ]	slam	hit	down	-
quivu	qui	vu	[qui̯βʉ]	downstroke	ink	down	A stroke downward with a writing utensil along a writing medium.
quixo	qui	xo	[qui̯xo]	page	ink	wood	A page with writing or image(s).
tina	ti	na	[tinɑ]	tree trunk	tall	plant	-
tsui	tsu	i	[t͡sʉi]	electric	lightning	small	-
vućë	vu	će	[βut͡ɕɜ]	hail	down	ice	Also means sleet.
vufu	vu	fü	[βʉɸʉ]	snowing	down	snow	Snow that is falling from the sky.
vuqa	vu	qa	[βʉqɑ]	tumble	down	hit	A fall that results in a relevant impact.
vuqui	vu	qui	[βʉqui̯]	ink drop	down	ink	-
yümaa	yü	maa	[jymɑː]	EM radiation	light	go	-
yüńi	yü	ńi	[jyɲi]	color	light	come	Also refers to visible light.

Triple-Compound Words

Nga					English
Word	Roots			IPA	Word	Roots			Meaning
	1	2	3			1	2	3
füvvüqa	fü	vu-qa		[ɸyββyqɑ]	snow cave-in	snow	tumble		Snow that is caving in.
kuttsui	ku	tsu-i		[kʉtt͡sʉi]	electron	alone	electric		-
kuyyui	ku	yü-i		[kʉjjʉi]	photon	alone	glint		-
mottsui	mo	tsu-i		[mott͡sʉi]	mobile device	hold	electric		-
mungoôi	mu	go-ôi		[muŋɡoɔi̯]	world	together	ecosystem		-
mupôou	mu	pô	ou	[mupɔou̯]	state	together	big	person	A self-governing political entity.
muouggo	mu-ou		go	[muou̯ŋɡo]	territory	community		land	An area of land associated with a particular group of people.
natiggo	na-ti		go	[nɑtiŋɡo]	forest	tree		land	-
ngattsui	nga	tsu-i		[ŋɑtt͡sʉi]	phone	speak	electric		Also means phone call.
ôińi'i	ôi-ńi		i	[ɔi̯ɲiʔi]	small wave	wave		small	A moving disturbance in a small volume of liquid.
pômu'ou	pô-mu		ou	[pɔmuʔou̯]	population	all		person	-
tsuikku	tsu-i		ku	[t͡sʉikkʉ]	volt	electric		small	-
vuqaffu	vu-qa		fü	[βʉqɑɸɸʉ]	avalanche	tumble		snow	-
yüiôi	yü	i	ôi	[jyiɔi̯]	photon field	light	small	sea	-

Quadruple-Compound Words

Nga						English
Word	Roots				IPA	Word	Roots				Meaning
	1	2	3	4			1	2	3	4
natiggo'i	na-ti-go			i	[nɑtiŋɡoʔi]	grove	forest			small	-
mummupôou	mu	mu-pô-ou			[mummupɔou̯]	union	together	state			A union of states.
mungoôikkëi	mu-go-ôi			kei	[muŋɡoɔi̯kkɜi̯]	Minecraft	world			cube	-