Agalan Grammar

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Commentary and evidentiality ​

First-person I think, how you know a world-claim, and as if framing — closed /h/ mood roots.

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Beginner ​

COMMENT ​

Mark first-person mental commentary (the mind storying or labeling experience) with one closed mood root.

Shape: floating /h/ odoho 💭 thought → commentary. Prefer floating /h/ (optional /w/ only when COMMENT frames a preceding /ɡ/). -l / -m / -r = hold (how tightly you take the balloon).

A thought balloon floats a take over the scene. Bare contact is watching without narration. Ordinary content stays available (zodohol a thought; vodohol to think as a deliberate event).

`zazawan hodohom vawalal.`

gloss: `z-grace@` · `h-COMMENT-soft` · `v-walk`

*I think Azawan walks.* — commentary held lightly (default)
`jom zululon hodohom velebel.`

gloss: `j-soft-ask` · `z-courage@` · `h-COMMENT-soft` · `v-sleep`

*I wonder whether Ululon sleeps.* — soft commentary plus a soft ask

Use COMMENT when the clause is doing first-person cognitive commentary. Not the same job as: vodohol to think as a deliberate event. COMMENT frames the clause.

Same published root, special /h/ reading: hodohom is commentary; zodohol is a thought.

Hold endings (COMMENT) ​

On odoho, -l / -m / -r mark how you hold the commentary. -n is ordinary proper.

EndingFormHoldReadingMnemonic
-mhodohomsoft (default)commentary noticed, held lightlyballoon loosely in hand
-lhodoholfusedcommentary taken as the scene (it is so because I think)balloon fills the sky
-rhodohorreturnsame commentary and a cue to step back toward bare contactlet the balloon go

When unsure, prefer hodohom.

`zuhubun hodohol vuzunul.`

gloss: `z-beauty@` · `h-COMMENT-fused` · `v-sing`

*Uhubun sings — and that take is the scene.*
`zululon hodohor vawalal.`

gloss: `z-courage@` · `h-COMMENT-return` · `v-walk`

*I think Ululon walks — and step back from that take.*

Translation practice ​

Short drills on this Beginner band. Try each item before opening Show answer.

Roots used here: azawa / ululo / uhubu · odogo · awala · elebe · uzunu · urunu · eje · odoho

English → Agalan ​

1. I think Azawan walks. (light commentary)

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zazawan hodohom vawalal.

2. I think Ululon sleeps.

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zululon hodohom velebel.

3. Uhubun sings — and that take is the scene. (fused hold)

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zuhubun hodohol vuzunul.

4. I think Azawan runs. (light commentary)

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zazawan hodohom vurunul.

5. I think Ululon walks — and step back from that take.

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zululon hodohor vawalal.

6. Azawan thinks. (deliberate event, not a commentary frame)

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zazawan vodohol.

7. I think Azawan sees a dog.

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zazawan hodohom vejel dodogol.

8. Does Uhubun sleep? (yes/no; light commentary over the ask)

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jol zuhubun hodohom velebel.

Agalan → English ​

1. zazawan hodohom vawalal.

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I think Azawan walks.

2. zululon hodohol velebel.

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Ululon sleeps — and that commentary is taken as the scene.

3. zuhubun hodohom vuzunul.

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I think Uhubun sings.

4. zazawan hodohor vurunul.

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I think Azawan runs — and step back from that take.

5. zululon vodohol.

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Ululon thinks. (an event of thinking, not COMMENT)

6. jol zazawan hodohom vawalal.

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Does Azawan walk? (asked with light commentary)

7. zazawan hodohom vejel dodogol.

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I think Azawan sees a dog.

8. zuhubun hodohom vuzunul.

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I think Uhubun sings.

Intermediate ​

Evidentiality ​

Mark how you know a world-claim (what happened, what caused what, what someone else thinks, what will happen) with a closed /h/ mood root. Prefer floating /h/ (optional /w/ when the mood frames only a preceding /ɡ/).

Each root is a channel the claim came through: memory catch, playback, trail of cases, detective work, listening, gut, tale.

`zazawan huvuvum vawalal.`

gloss: `z-grace@` · `h-WITNESSED` · `v-walk`

*Azawan walks — from memory / witnessed.*

For I think, use: COMMENT (odoho). This inventory is how you know a world-claim.

MoodFormJobMnemonic
WITNESSEDhuvuvumfirsthand / reconstructive: you (think you) caught it yourself🎣 fishing → memory (may pull a boot)
RECORDEDheregomdocumented / captured: playback of what was preserved⏺️ record
PATTERNhabawamfrom regularity / similar cases left behind🐾 paw-prints → trail
INFERREDhunevemreasoned from clues🕵️ investigate
TOLDheraramsomeone said so (hearsay)👂 ear → listening
FELTheheremgut / body knowing❤️ heart → gut-felt
STORYhorolomnarrative / lore / anecdotal framing📜 scroll → tale

Pick one evidential root for how you know.

`zululon heregom velebel.`

gloss: `z-courage@` · `h-RECORDED` · `v-sleep`

*Ululon sleeps — on record.*
`zululon heraram vuwurul.`

gloss: `z-courage@` · `h-TOLD` · `v-write`

*Ululon writes — so they say.*

WITNESSED (uvuvu) and RECORDED (erego) are the past-memory channels: I remember / according to… / on record are those same roots on past claims. Casting into opaque water can land a fish or a boot (🥾 abodo boot stays free for the punchline).

Ordinary content stays available: zuvuvul a memory; veregol to record; duvuvuxruzol that memory that won't blank; zerarar that ear; zorolol a scroll.

Felt (ehere) is a channel of knowing. Not the same job as: a feeling like fear or hope uses emotion compose (value + ACT + LOCUS).

Told under /h/ is hearsay. Hearing a door is ordinary /v/.

Memory / record (past framing) ​

FramingFormMnemonic
Reconstructive / recalled pasthuvuvumfishing retrieval
Documented / captured pastheregomplayback archive

Notional (as-if framing) ​

Mark a clause as as-if / mind-only / off the real ledger (pretensive scene framing) with one closed mood root.

Shape: floating /h/ adade 🎭 theater → pretense. Prefer floating /h/ (optional /w/ when the mood frames only a preceding /ɡ/). Ending = hold (same map as COMMENT).

A stage mask frames the scene as play; the real tally stays offstage. Ordinary content stays available (zadadel a theater; vadadem to pretend).

`zazawan hadadem vawalal.`

gloss: `z-grace@` · `h-NOTIONAL-soft` · `v-walk`

*As if Azawan walks.* — notional framing held lightly (default)
`zuhubun hadadel vuzunul.`

gloss: `z-beauty@` · `h-NOTIONAL-fused` · `v-sing`

*As if Uhubun sings.* — immersed in the imagined scene

Use NOTIONAL when the clause is framed as pretensive, for-the-sake-of-argument, or mind-only.

For I think / I imagine, use: COMMENT.

Related form: imaginary amount uses free number as verb / adverb / interjection / discourse in numbers.md.

Hold endings (NOTIONAL) ​

On adade, -l / -m / -r mark how you hold the as-if frame (same map as COMMENT hold). -n is ordinary proper.

EndingFormHoldReadingMnemonic
-mhadademsoft (default)as-if noticed, held lightlymask at arm's length
-lhadadelfusedimmersed in the imagined scenemask on
-rhadaderreturnsame as-if and a cue to step back toward bare contactmask off

When unsure, prefer hadadem.

`zululon hadader vuwurul.`

gloss: `z-courage@` · `h-NOTIONAL-return` · `v-write`

*As if Ululon writes — and step back toward contact.*

COMMENT, universality, and as-if ​

English bundlePrefer
think / assume / suppose / imagine … (attitude)COMMENT (hodohom)
wonder …COMMENT plus a soft question (jom)
as if / pretend that / imagine that: (scene framing)NOTIONAL (hadadem)
believe … / how you know a world-claimevidentiality (huvuvum, heraram, …)
AgalanReading
zazawan wolozoxur hogegal hanedelAzawan is anxious (unmet competence; flood; room awash)
zazawan hadadem vodobol.as if Azawan takes the trophy — soft notional frame
… hodohol …commentary taken as the scene (fused)
… hodohor …commentary named and stepped back from
… hadader …notional frame and step back toward contact

Translation practice ​

Short drills on this Intermediate band. Try each item before opening Show answer.

Roots used here: azawa / ululo / uhubu · odogo · awala · elebe · uzunu · urunu · uwuru · odoho · uvuvu · erego · abawa · uneve · erara · ehere · orolo · adade

English → Agalan ​

1. I think Azawan walks. (attitude — not how you know a world-claim)

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zazawan hodohom vawalal.

2. Azawan walks — from memory / witnessed.

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zazawan huvuvum vawalal.

3. Ululon sleeps — on record.

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zululon heregom velebel.

4. Uhubun runs — from the pattern of cases.

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zuhubun habawam vurunul.

5. Azawan sings — inferred from clues.

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zazawan hunevem vuzunul.

6. Ululon writes — so they say. (hearsay)

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zululon heraram vuwurul.

7. As if Azawan walks. (soft pretensive frame)

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zazawan hadadem vawalal.

8. I wonder whether Uhubun sleeps. (commentary + soft ask)

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jom zuhubun hodohom velebel.

Agalan → English ​

1. zazawan heherem vawalal.

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Azawan walks — felt / gut-known.

2. zululon horolom velebel.

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Ululon sleeps — per the tale.

3. zuhubun hadadel vuzunul.

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As if Uhubun sings — immersed in the imagined scene.

4. zazawan hadadem vurunul.

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As if Azawan runs — soft pretensive frame.

5. zululon hadader vuwurul.

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As if Ululon writes — and step back toward contact.

6. zazawan heregom vejel dodogol.

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Azawan sees a dog — on record.

7. zululon huvuvum velebel.

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Ululon sleeps — from memory / witnessed.

8. jom zazawan hodohom vawalal.

Show answer

I wonder whether Azawan walks.

See also ​