Tydotsuy location-related words

Locative predicates

There's no simple equivalent of English is in The book is on the table; rather, separate verbs are used depending on various factors.

Topical locations vs. topical objects

If the location is already a topic of conversation and the object in that location is being introduced, the verb altha "have" can be used. In this case, the location is the subject (it comes before the verb), but in the locative case, and the object in that location is the direct object of the verb. Otherwise, the object in the location is the subject, and one of the verbs from the following sections is used.

Postural and existential verbs

Postural verbs encode the object's orientation or relation to liquid or air, but don't specify the exact relation between the subject and the specified location. These verbs can also be used to state that the object exists. For most of these verbs, location is expressed using an ordinary subject and locative object, and existence is expressed with the subject hwih and the thing existing as the object (unmarked case). Existence of people and animals is not expressed using postural verbs (but location is), but rather using þjo'hoy, which works similarly.

• For things on a surface (each of these has a non-stative form that starts with n–):
  • eishthit "stand" is used for objects that are taller than they are wide (e.g., trees) and people and animals who are standing up
  • ifbwai "sit" is used for objects that are about as tall as they are wide, and for people and animals who are sitting down
  • iishbyu "lie" is used for objects that are shorter than they are wide, and for bodies of water other than rivers and streams
• no'jufo "hang" is used for objects that are hanging from something
• yshbash "float" is used for objects that are at the surface of a liquid, and for the existence of boats
• oshufmo "be submerged" is used for objects that are under the surface of a liquid, and for the existence of objects that are usually underwater (e.g., seaweed)
• lhoy "hover" is used for objects in the air
• pisla (location) and pih (existence) "flow" are used for rivers and streams; it takes a location before the verb

To say that an object is not at a certain location, the verb myumoyho is used instead of the negation of the postural verb.

Preposition-like verbs

These verbs are more specific about the relation between the subject and the location. They are not used as existentials. They can also modify clauses. Most of them are derived from verbs of motion.

• waatha: inside
• a'jaha: outside
• shdesha: below
• deiddaha: above
• ifnah: beside and parallel to

Location adverbials

Location adverbials express where an action happened. There are a few ways to form these:

• If it's been established that the subject was at the location, the location can be used at the beginning of the sentence in the locative case (like a time). When used this way, it's partially an indicator of time, meaning something like "when I was at ____".
• If the location is topical (either because it's the current topic of the conversation or because the sentence is about the location), altha is used, like with predicate locations, and its object is a clause.
• If the location is the focus of the sentence, the verbs esla (ordinary), myumoyho (negative), or one of the preposition-like verbs can be used with the clause as its subject.
• Also, the location can be made adjectival, possibly non-restrictive, on one of the arguments. This can be used for clarity if the subject and object are at different places.

Directions

Tydotsuy primarily uses cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) rather than relative directions (left, right). Body parts can use relative directions; see pairs. Three of the words for cardinal directions also have related meanings relating to astronomical events.

Aside from bu'juy, these don't take an article when used as directions. The object that one is comparing to can be used in the possessive case; e.g., ne=bwishmif=snet thatnish (the table=possessive east) means "the east of the table".

Thattwee and tho'osh literally mean "sun fall" and "sun sink", respectively. People who live on islands are more likely to use tho'osh (because they're not too far from a place where they can see the sun sink into the ocean), whereas people on the mainland are more likely to use thattwee (because Tydotsuy is on the east coast of the continent, so the sun doesn't set over the ocean).

Verbs of motion

Motion-related verbs primarily indicate the direction of motion, with adverbs indicating the manner.

Some basic verbs: onoy indicates motion towards a place (here or the specified place), myumoy indicates motion away, and ohwee indicates motion towards a place that doesn't reach it or motion without a specified destination.

Some direction verbs: waadee (into), a'jah (out of), shdesh (down), deidattah (up). All of these can indicate both going somewhere oneself and moving some other object.

Some manner adverbs: pappat (walking), pepepet (walking quickly), fut (running), lhoysos (flying), shushush (swimming on the surface of the water)