Feelings and permission

English anxious, thank you, hopefully, and may / must / they agreed mix a feeling, a thanks, a hope, and who has a say over an act. Ageben keeps those apart: a feeling names the sake at stake, where it sits or points, and how it moves; thanks and sorry are a met or unmet sake said as a whole sentence; a speaker attitude such as hopefully is how you feel about the claim; a say word names who allows, forbids, requires, or agrees. The sake lattice (which payoff, whether it is met, and whose) is in sakes.

On this page

• Emotion compose
• Feeling with no object
• Hopefully and other attitudes
• Say words: permission, requirement, consent
• Someone over the act (v)
• Someone in the act: consent (z / d / b)
• How far the say reaches (scope)
• Practice
• See also

Emotion compose

English emotion words (anxious, resentful, proud) often do judgment or explanation work: one label packs in what is at stake and why it feels that way. In Ageben you name the pieces instead, on one word: the sake stance on the situation, a locus (where the feeling sits or what it points at), and a motion ending (how the feeling moves). The sake word keeps its stance vowel and its ending letter, then adds the locus (the vowels of a hook) and the motion ending. You can then say what you make of a situation without leaning on a single emotion word.

Put that word where any sake word goes: on /ɡ/ after a belonging, on /w/ immediately before stimulus goyom when the noun is not yours, or on /th/ by itself when the feeling has no object. For the bare noun emotion, with no judgment to explain, use the compound zabelohalal (the water of the heart).

zezuyol wuwathuraer goyom.

z-speech | [w-competence-unmet-passing-CIRCUM-SURGING | g-stimulus]

"I'm anxious about the dialogue." (my competence is at stake for now, the feeling hangs over the room, and it comes in waves)

Build it from the plain sake word: wuwathur (competence, unmet, passing) + ae (over: CIRCUM) + -r (SURGING) = wuwathuraer. The sake word's own ending (-r here) now sits mid-word and keeps its meaning.

The locus uses the hook vowels you already know. A placement locus says where the feeling sits:

Locus	Hook	Use	English
a	in	INTERNAL	mine, held inside
ae	over	CIRCUM	the atmosphere of the situation
ue	through	UNPLACED	I can't place where it comes from (no single source)

A direction locus says what the charge points at:

Locus	Hook	Use	English	Example
e	at	AIMED	the charge lands on a target (annoyed at, grateful to, pressing for)	wawethumel
oe	toward	SEEKING	turning to someone for comfort or safety	wawethumoem
uo	against	RESISTING	pushing back (objecting to, fighting)	wawethumuor
o	for	ON-BEHALF	felt for someone's sake (upset for)	wawethumom
u	from	AWAY	moving off (avoiding, fleeing, disengaging, hiding)	wawethumum
ua	out of	COLLAPSE	out of fight: giving up (defeated by)	wawethumual
ao	using	FAWN	using yourself to placate (appeasing)	wawethumaom

A direction names the dominant pull when feelings mix; use two feeling words for two pulls. AIMED lands on a party or a goal; RESISTING opposes an outcome or a demand. ON-BEHALF is your own feeling about someone else's stake; FAWN is placating someone for your own safety.

Name the landmark with a bl- word right after the feeling (after goyom when the feeling is on /w/): the target of a direction, or the situation for CIRCUM. INTERNAL and UNPLACED take no /b/: they have no landmark. A direction with no /b/ points at the stimulus noun when there is one, otherwise at someone unnamed.

A feeling word with a direction tail already uses its /b/ for the landmark, so it cannot also name whose stake.

zonal wawethumel goyom blalazun.

z-memo | [[w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-STILL | g-stimulus] | bl-Alazun]

"I resent Alazun over the memo, holding it in."

The motion ending says how the feeling moves, on the settled-to-passing scale: -l is the most settled, -m is the ordinary case, and -r the most passing, lasting only right now. (cue: a feeling is water: still, a current, or a wave)

Motion ending	Use	English	Cue
-l	STILL	not moving: held, frozen, numb	-l ≈ lasting: still water
-m	FLOWING	moving steadily, at a pace you can ride	-m ≈ the ordinary case: a current
-r	SURGING	moving in waves or spikes: rising, falling, swinging	-r ≈ right now: a wave

Motion is how the feeling moves, not how strong it is. Strong but steady anger is flowing, and so is calm contentment. Fury held in check and a numb flatness are both still. Surging and still are information, not verdicts: surging can be a cue to ground; still can be a cue to rest, or to re-engage gently. Freezing is STILL: AWAY with -l is frozen, wanting out.

Say how strong the feeling is with a degree word on /w/ right before the feeling word. Before a /ɡ/ feeling it grades that adjective as usual. Before a /w/ feeling, it grades the feeling, not the stimulus. With no degree word, strength is unstated.

zobewom wohalal guwathamar.

z-draft | [w-ocean | g-competence-met-any-term-INTERNAL-SURGING]

"I'm overwhelmingly proud of my draft."

zonal wamezem wawethumem goyom blalazun.

z-memo | [[w-small | w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-FLOWING | g-stimulus] | bl-Alazun]

"I feel a mild, steady irritation at Alazun over the memo."

The locus plus the motion ending is the emotion tail. It goes on met tha, motive tho, and unmet thu words. Prescription the is advice, not a feeling, so it takes no tail. A word with no tail (wuwathur) is an ordinary sake word.

Ageben	English
zezuyol wuwathuraer goyom	anxious about the dialogue (competence at stake, temporary; hangs over the room; surging)
zozowum wawethumual goyom	given up over the division (unmet relatedness; out of fight; still)
zobewom guwathamar	proud of the draft (met competence; held inside; surging)
zonal wawethumom goyom blazozon	upset for Azozon about the memo (unmet relatedness; on Azozon's behalf; flowing)
zezuyol wamezem wuwathuruem goyom	a little uneasy about the dialogue, and I can't say why (competence at stake, temporary; slightly; unplaced; flowing)
zezuyol wuwathumuor guzezam	the dialogue is frustratingly slow (unmet competence on the slowness; pushing against it; surging)

Raw feeling (contacting a sensation without judgment) may go unlabeled. To name a feeling without explaining it, its lexicon root works as an ordinary property word: zuwen gonumul (I am angry). Use the full compose when an emotion word would have done judgment work.

Compare with: could be uses MAY (thomam). Because of is a causal claim with the because pole. The stimulus says what the feeling is about; a direction /b/ says what it is aimed at; the because pole says what caused it.

Feeling with no object

On the clause, a feeling word is about the clause's event, so English moved that … or glad that … puts the feeling on the clause it names:

zalazun vowurol thawethamar.

z-Alazun | v-walk | th-relatedness-met-any-term-INTERNAL-SURGING

"I'm moved that Alazun walks."

With no event at all, a feeling word on /th/ is a whole sentence about you: how you feel right now, with nothing as its object.

thuwathuruer.

th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING

"I'm anxious."

A lone feeling can still name what caused it. The cause is not the object: the feeling is not about the rain.

thuwathuruer thahum blerulal.

th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING | [th-because | bl-rain]

"I'm anxious, and the rain caused it."

Compare with: a lone noun before the feeling is an existence clause, so the noun's being there is the stimulus: zalazun thuwathuruer. is anxious that Alazun is here, not Alazun is anxious.

Hopefully and other attitudes

English hopefully, luckily, and worryingly say how you, the speaker, feel about the whole claim. In Ageben, put the content root for that feeling on /th/ with -m. It is always the speaker's attitude, never the subject's. For the subject's manner (Azozon walks hopefully), use /h/ (huwuyom).

Ageben	Use	English	Same root as
thuwuyom	you want it, and it is still open	hopefully	uwuyol crossed-fingers
tholezem	it went well by chance	luckily	olezel ladybug
thewemum	it concerns you	worryingly	ewemul worried

zazozon thuwuyom vowurol.

z-Azozon | th-hope | v-walk

"Hopefully Azozon is walking."

Hope is not a way of knowing, so it cannot hold up a forecast by itself. To say hopefully … will, add a real evidence channel as well. Hope says how you feel about the claim; the channel says what backs it.

Say words: permission, requirement, consent

English may, must, may not, and they agreed each say that someone has a say over an act. Ageben puts that in one say word on /h/. A grant, a ban, a demand, or a yes is said openly, so a say word needs no channel; like an intention adverb, it covers the whole clause. Write h, w, a scope vowel, whose say it is, the answer, and an ending.

zazozon vowurol hwuvam.

z-Azozon | v-walk | h-episode-event-ALLOW-said

"Azozon may walk; I'm allowing it."

Piece	Says	In hwuvam
w	a closed word with no root, as on a tag	w
scope vowel	how far the say reaches: u this stretch of doing (more below)	u
whose say	v someone over the act and outside it; z the doer; d the one it's done to; b the recipient	v
answer	a yes, allow (as in yaol); u no, forbid (as in yuol); o require, ask for (o ≈ rank); e their call (e ≈ choice)	a
ending	-l a rule, or a binding agreement (≈ law); -m a person said so (≈ mouth); -r nobody said: tolerated, assumed, or customary (≈ read the room)	-m

If you do not know how it stands, use -m.

Someone over the act (v)

v is the say of someone outside the act: a rule, a person with the standing to decide, or custom. On -m that person is the speaker, unless a bl- word right after names someone else.

zazozon vowurol hwuvam blalazun.

z-Azozon | v-walk | [h-episode-event-ALLOW-said | bl-Alazun]

"Alazun lets Azozon walk."

zahelan vehohel hwuval.

z-Ahelan | v-sit | h-episode-event-ALLOW-rule

"The rules allow Ahelan to sit."

zalazun vezuvel hwuvor.

z-Alazun | v-sleep | h-episode-event-REQUIRE-tacit

"Alazun is supposed to sleep."

Answer	-l the rules	-m a person	-r nobody said
a	hwuval the rules allow	hwuvam you may / I'm letting you	hwuvar no one's stopping it
u	hwuvul the rules forbid	hwuvum you may not	hwuvur people won't like it
o	hwuvol the rules require	hwuvom you have to	hwuvor it's customary / is supposed to
e	hwuvel the rules leave it optional	hwuvem it's up to you	hwuver nobody cares either way

When the speaker is in the clause, the speaker's own say is their part, not v, so a bare v on -m has no reading there. So I have to walk says who requires it: the rules (zuwen vowurol hwuvol.), a person (zuwen vowurol hwuvom blalazun.), custom (zuwen vowurol hwuvor.), or you yourself (zuwen vowurol hwuzom. I'm making myself walk). Telling an outside demand from one you put on yourself is the point of the split.

To ask for permission, put the clause under ask: yem zuwen vehohel hwuvam. (May I sit?). The question asks the listener, so the speaker may be in it. Grant it with yael. (go ahead).

Compare with: prescription the says the act ought to serve a named sake, a reason you can check; a say word says only who allows or demands it. A command yol is the speaker telling the listener now; hwuvom reports a demand, which may be someone else's.

Someone in the act: consent (z / d / b)

Consent is the say of someone in the act: their body, their things, their time. Write the role letter that person has in the clause: d the one it's done to, b the recipient, z the doer. They are already in the clause, so the say word needs no bl- word.

zazozon vezuyol bahelan hwubam.

z-Azozon | v-tell | b-Ahelan | h-episode-recipient-ALLOW-said

"Azozon tells Ahelan, and Ahelan said yes to it."

zazozon dalazun vayebel hwudam.

z-Azozon | d-Alazun | v-see | h-episode-patient-ALLOW-said

"Azozon looks at Alazun, and Alazun agreed."

zazozon vezuyol bahelan balazun bal hwubar.

z-Azozon | v-tell | [b-Ahelan | b-Alazun | b-and] | h-episode-recipient-ALLOW-tacit

"Azozon tells Ahelan and Alazun, assuming they are OK with it."

zalazun vezuvel hwuzam.

z-Alazun | v-sleep | h-episode-agent-ALLOW-said

"Alazun lets themself sleep."

The ending says how binding the yes is. -l is a binding agreement: they signed on in advance, and withdrawing has terms. -m is a yes they can take back at any time. -r is a yes nobody said, taken as given; it is allowed, but choosing it makes I assumed part of the sentence instead of hiding it inside they were fine with it.

Answer	z the doer	d the one it's done to	b the recipient
a	hwuzam lets themself	hwudam they agreed	hwubam the recipient agreed
u	hwuzum won't let themself	hwudum they refused	hwubum the recipient refused
o	hwuzom makes themself	hwudom at their request	hwubom at the recipient's request
e	hwuzem their own choice	hwudem it's their call	hwubem the recipient's call

Answer	-l binding	-r assumed
a	hwudal they signed on, hwuzal a vow	hwudar they're probably OK with it
o	hwudol they're owed it, hwuzol a rule they set themself	hwudor they'd want it, hwuzor feels they have to
e	hwudel their call, by agreement	hwuzer presumably their own choice

• hwuzor is the unspoken should: I feel I have to when nobody asked. Beside hwuvom blalazun (someone asked), hwuvol (the rules), and hwuzom (pushing yourself), it shows where the pressure comes from.
• hwuzol is a personal rule (I don't drink on weekdays). Naming a rigid rule as self-set makes it something to examine.
• hwudor (they'd want to know) is a common excuse for acting on someone's behalf; -r marks it as an assumption, as hwudar does for consent.
• e hands the choice to that party: neither allowed, forbidden, nor required, but up to them. hwuzem (chose it freely) differs from hwuzam (let themself), which suggests a reluctance overcome. No answer yet needs no vowel: ask it (yem zazozon dalazun vayebel hwudam.).

zalazun vezuvel hwuzem.

z-Alazun | v-sleep | h-episode-agent-CHOICE-said

"Alazun sleeps, by their own choice."

Promise: a vow (hwuzal) commits you to an act, and said to someone it is a promise to them. zuwen vowurol hwuzal., said to someone, is I promise (you) to walk. A self-set rule (hwuzol) is a policy you hold toward yourself, not a promise. The weaker endings stay weaker on purpose: hwuzam is I'll do it (you can still back out), and hwuzar cannot pass for a promise.

To check in, ask: yem zuwen vezuyol bawan hwubam. (Are you still OK with me telling you?).

A say word takes no -x: a group's say comes from a group in the clause.

How far the say reaches (scope)

The scope vowel is label scope, the same vowels as after th on a label:

• u: this act. hwudam is a yes to this act, which is why consent is asked for each time.
• o: standing. hwodam is standing consent (they're generally fine with this), hwovam standing permission (you may, any time), hwovom a standing duty, and hwozom a discipline. Standing is not binding: hwodam can still be taken back, and only -l binds.
• e: toward one party, named in a bl- word. zuwen vowurol hwezal blahelan. is a vow toward Ahelan: I promise Ahelan I'll walk. On v, the bl- word is still who has the say, and e limits it to their own part: hwuvam blalazun is Alazun lets Azozon walk, and hwevam blalazun is fine as far as Alazun is concerned; others may still object. Bare hwevam is fine by me, without speaking for anyone else.
• a: a type across scenes. hwadam is they're the type who's fine with it, and hwavom their kind has to. These are the inferences consent and fairness warn against; the form makes them visible instead of hiding them.
• Pairs compose as on any label: hwuovam is you may, but not in my official role.

zuwen vowurol hwezal blahelan.

z-speaker | v-walk | [h-pair-agent-ALLOW-rule | bl-Ahelan]

"I promise Ahelan I'll walk."

Only v and pair scope e take a bl- word.

English against the rules and against their will put contrary to uom right before the say word. That word then names what the event goes against, and it no longer applies to the claim.

zazozon vowurol uom hwuvul.

z-Azozon | v-walk | [contrary-to | h-episode-event-FORBID-rule]

"Azozon walks against the rules."

zazozon vezuyol balazun uom hwubum.

z-Azozon | v-tell | b-Alazun | [contrary-to | h-episode-recipient-FORBID-said]

"Azozon tells Alazun, against Alazun's will." (Alazun said no)

A yes only lifts a restriction, so no say word with answer a follows uom: not permission (hwuvam), and not consent (hwudam, hwuzal). Their call (o) sets nothing to go against either. A yes that was taken back is a no, so use the refusal: zazozon vezuyol bahelan uom hwubum. To say you broke a promise, give the promise its own sentence after hezem blarl: zuwen vezuvel hezem blarl zuwen vowurol hwuzal.

Practice

Short drills for Intermediate. Try each item before opening Show answer.

Setting: a support group

New words:

English	Ageben	Cue
hug	vahuyal	🫂 from hug

Review:

English	Ageben
Azozon	azozon
Alazun	alazun
Ahelan	ahelan
speaker	uwen
competence	uwal
relatedness	awel
stimulus	goyom
sit	vehohel
sleep	vezuvel
tell	vezuyol

English → Ageben

1. Ahelan lets Azozon hug.

Show answer

zazozon vahuyal hwuvam blahelan.

z-Azozon | v-hug | [h-episode-event-ALLOW-said | bl-Ahelan]

2. Azozon tells Ahelan, and Ahelan agreed.

Show answer

zazozon vezuyol bahelan hwubam.

z-Azozon | v-tell | b-Ahelan | h-episode-recipient-ALLOW-said

3. I feel waves of resentment at the hug.

Show answer

zahuyal wawethumer goyom.

z-hug | [w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-SURGING | g-stimulus]

4. Azozon hugs, and no one's stopping it.

Show answer

zazozon vahuyal hwuvar.

z-Azozon | v-hug | h-episode-event-ALLOW-tacit

Ageben → English

1. thuwathuruer.

Show answer

th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING

I'm anxious.

2. zahelan vezuvel hwuvor.

Show answer

z-Ahelan | v-sleep | h-episode-event-REQUIRE-tacit

Ahelan is supposed to sleep.

3. zalazun vahuyal hwuval.

Show answer

z-Alazun | v-hug | h-episode-event-ALLOW-rule

The rules allow Alazun to hug.

4. zazozon vahuyal uom hwuvul.

Show answer

z-Azozon | v-hug | [contrary-to | h-episode-event-FORBID-rule]

Azozon hugs against the rules.

5. zahuyal wawethumel goyom blalazun.

Show answer

z-hug | [[w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-STILL | g-stimulus] | bl-Alazun]

I resent Alazun over the hug, holding it in.

Pick one

1. The rules allow Ahelan to sit. zahelan vehohel hwuval. or zahelan vehohel hwuvam.

Show answer

zahelan vehohel hwuval.

z-Ahelan | v-sit | h-episode-event-ALLOW-rule

-l is permission from a rule; -m is a person granting it.

Fix it

1. I'm making myself hug. zuwen vahuyal hwavem.

Show answer

zuwen vahuyal hwuzom.

z-speaker | v-hug | h-episode-agent-REQUIRE-said

When the speaker is in the clause, a bare v on -m has no reading; hwuzom is a demand you put on yourself.

See also

• Sakes: sakes.md
• Intention adverbs: clause.md
• Polar go ahead: questions.md