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How to ask in Agalan: under question (jol / soft jom), yes/no vs fill-ask, fill-all, and polar stance particles (jael / juel / …).
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Beginner
Question (jol / jom)
Put jol at the left edge to ask. Soft jom is the same job, gentler. One marker covers yes/no and who / what / when? / what happened?. The body shape tells which kind of ask it is.
`jol zazawan vawalal.`
gloss: `j-question` · `z-grace@` · `v-walk`
*Does Azawan walk?* (yes/no: no join **-r**)`jol zar vawalal.`
gloss: `j-question` · `z-who` · `v-walk`
*Who walks?* (fill-ask)| Body shape | Ask type |
|---|---|
| No join -r | Yes/no |
| One or more join -r | Fill-ask (name the unspecified member(s)) |
Unspecified who / what / where / when? / what happened? use unspecified-member -r in the queried slot (zar, var, xar, …).
Under question, join -r always means fill-ask. For emptiness yes/no, use bare emptiness forms (zal / xal → Nothing? / Nothing happened?) or an ordinary indefinite (-l / -m).
Fill-ask essentials
Under jol / jom, prefixed -r on a / o / e / u asks to name the unspecified member. The vowel is the same series job as elsewhere: a add, o one, e order, u undo.
| Vowel | Under question (standalone) | Examples | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Who/what? / What (did they) do? / What happened? | zar · var · xar | a add: name a member |
| o | What (anything)? / Anything? | zor · vor · xor | o one: name any one |
| e | What’s the priority? | zer · ver · xer | e order: name the rank |
| u | What else? / Who else? | zur · vur · xur | u undo: name what remains |
When? uses bare har (and kin) in Intermediate (When?).
Content-word resume -r points back at a named thing; fill-ask is only join -r (zar / var / xar / …). See pronouns.
Fill-all
Every join -r under question is a fill-ask blank. The answer is expected to fill all of them. Spoken order of those -r fences is the expected fill order.
| Question shape | Ask |
|---|---|
zar … dar | Who … what? |
zar … har | Who … when? |
var … zar | Do what … who? |
One blank + real something elsewhere: use an ordinary indefinite (-l / -m) for the known thing, and join -r only for the blank (zar + dabelel → Who ate an apple?; zar + dar → Who ate what?).
Polar stance (workhorses)
Closed /j/ particles are polar stance. Shape is j + stacked join vowel + -l / -m. They mark a turn: left-edge or a bare utterance. These forms take -l or -m.
Implied speech act: polar -l implies jal; -m implies jam. Prefer jael … over jael jal … when a body follows.
| Form | Job | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| jael / soft jaem | confirmational yes / true | ae = match |
| juel / soft juem | default no / false | ue = flip |
| jaol / soft jaom | sure / I'll take that (offer uptake) | ao = option |
Each stack means exactly what its parts combine to say: first vowel picks accept (a) vs undo (u); second picks judged order (e) vs offered option (o).
`jael.`
*Yes.* / *True.* / *Got it.*`zazawan vawalal. jael.`
gloss: `z-grace@` · `v-walk` · `j-yes`
*Azawan walks. Yes.* (confirm tag = **second bare turn** after `.`)These three jobs are distinct:
| System | Forms | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Speech act | jal / jul | statement vs don’t… |
| Polar stance | jael / juel / jaol | true vs false vs I’ll take that |
| Denial inside the clause | zul / vul / xul | not X / no as a join |
A fill answer need not keep -r. Bare content, single-item -l / -m / -n, or a longer list is fine (fill-ask answers).
Translation practice
Short drills on this Beginner band. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Roots used here: azawa grace (name Azawan) · ululo courage (name Ululon) · uhubu beauty (name Uhubun) · odogo dog · agada cat · awala walk · elebe sleep · uzunu sing · eje see · uwuru write · urunu run
English → Agalan
1. Does Azawan walk?
Show answer
jol zazawan vawalal.
2. Who walks?
Show answer
jol zar vawalal.
3. Does Ululon sleep? (gentle / wondering)
Show answer
jom zululon velebel.
4. Who sees what?
Show answer
jol zar vejel dar.
5. Who sees a dog? (one blank; the dog is real, not a second blank)
Show answer
jol zar vejel dodogol.
6. Azawan walks. Yes. (confirm as a second turn)
Show answer
zazawan vawalal. jael.
7. No. / False. (polar, not “don’t”)
Show answer
juel.
8. Don’t walk.
Show answer
jul vawalal.
Agalan → English
1. jol zuhubun vuzunul.
Show answer
Does Uhubun sing?
2. jom zar vuwurul.
Show answer
Who writes? (soft ask)
3. jol zululon godogol.
Show answer
Is Ululon a dog?
4. jaol.
Show answer
Sure. / I’ll take that.
5. jol zal vawalal.
Show answer
Does nobody walk? / Nothing walks?
6. jul vurunul.
Show answer
Don’t run.
7. jol zur velebel.
Show answer
Who else sleeps?
8. zuhubun vawalal. jael.
Show answer
Uhubun walks. Yes.
Intermediate
Recall the vowel series: a add / o one / e order / u undo. In polar stances the first vowel picks the family (a accepts, u undoes) and the second refines it: e judges true/false order, o takes up an option.
Polar stance: fuller inventory
| Stack | Job | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
ae (jael / jaem) | match / receipt / true | a accept + e judged in order → true |
ao (jaol / jaom) | option uptake / sure | a accept + o take the offered one |
ue (juel / juem) | flip / mismatch / false | u undo + e judged out of order → false |
uo (juol / juom) | reject-this option (not that) | u undo + o put that one back |
ua (jual / juam) | reject whole frame (Hell No!) | u undo all the way down |
The -l ending holds the stance exactly; -m is the soft twin of each row:
| Ask flavor | Exact (-l) | Soft (-m) |
|---|---|---|
| Is it so? / confirm the claim | jael, deny with juel | jaem, deny with juem |
| Want this? / offer | jaol, reject-this with juol, hard refuse with jual | jaom, reject-this with juom, hard refuse with juam |
Shapes:
- Bare turn:
jael./juel. - Stance + body:
jael zazawan vawalal.(yes, Azawan walks) - Confirm tag: second bare turn after
.(left-edge rules) - Monologue self-turn:
juelbefore correction;jaolbefore next step;jaelafter locking a point
Continuation under the same speech act after a polar+body beat uses /x/. Use another polar particle only when you take a new stance turn.
Ordinary answers use juel / juol. Use jual / juam for a hard refusal of the whole frame. Deny inside the clause with xul / vul / zul.
Confirming a negative
jael / juel answer whether the claim under question matches reality, including when that claim is already negated. After a negative ask, jael confirms the denial; juel rejects it (the positive holds).
| Ask | Answer | Means |
|---|---|---|
jol … vul vurunul (Didn’t run?) | jael | true, they didn’t |
| same | juel | false: they did run |
When clarity matters, restate: jael vul vurunul vs juel vurunul. Offer particles (jaol / juol, …) answer take this?
Fill-ask arity
Same length rule as single-item / standalone:
| Length | …ar | …or | …er | …ur |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Who/what? | Anything? | What’s the priority? | What else? |
| 1 | What/which (unknown) X? | Any X? | Which X is first? | What else (besides X)? |
| 2+ | Which of these? | Any of these? | Whichever ranks highest? | What else? / Other than these? |
Unbound who / what / where = bare phrase -r in the queried slot. Unbound what did they do? / what happened? = bare var / xar. Unbound when? = bare har.
When?
Under /h/ / /w/, occasion readings are these forms (restrictors):
| Form | Statement (bare) | Under question (bare) |
|---|---|---|
har / war | sometime | When? / In what case? |
hor / wor | anytime | Anytime? |
hur / wur | sometime else | When else? |
Yes/no with single-item / standalone
Under question, single-item and standalone join endings ask for confirmation or offer.
- Single-item -l / -n: confirm the singleton (Just X?, Has to be X?).
- Single-item -m: offer that singleton (How about X?, Want X?).
- Single-item …ul / …um / …un: confirm / offer denial (Not X?).
- Standalone -l: colloquial emptiness check (Nothing?, Do nothing?).
- Standalone -m: open emptiness / soft emptiness (Got nothing?). Fill-ask uses …ar / …or / …er / …ur.
- Standalone / single-item / multi …ar / …or / …er / …ur: fill-ask.
Worked rank / set inventories are Advanced (single-item and standalone inventory).
Fill-ask answers
A fill may be a bare content word, single-item -l / -m / -n, or a longer list. Fill-all answers follow spoken -r order (fill-all).
Translation practice
Short drills on this Intermediate band. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Roots used here: azawa grace (name Azawan) · ululo courage (name Ululon) · uhubu beauty (name Uhubun) · odogo dog · awala walk · urunu run · elebe sleep
English → Agalan
1. Didn’t Azawan run? Then confirm: true, Azawan didn’t.
Show answer
jol zazawan vul vurunul.jael.
2. Didn’t Ululon sleep? Then reject that: false: Ululon did sleep.
Show answer
jol zululon vul velebel.juel.
3. When does Uhubun walk?
Show answer
jol zuhubun vawalal har.
4. Which dog? (one unknown)
Show answer
jol dodogol zar.
5. Which of Azawan and Ululon?
Show answer
jol zazawan zululon zar.
6. Just Azawan? (confirm the singleton)
Show answer
jol zazawan zal.
7. How about Uhubun? (offer)
Show answer
jol zuhubun zam.
8. Not that. (reject this option, not a truth-flip)
Show answer
juol.
Agalan → English
1. jol hor.
Show answer
Anytime?
2. jael vul vurunul.
Show answer
True: (they) didn’t run.
3. juel vurunul.
Show answer
False: (they) did run.
4. jol var.
Show answer
What did they do?
5. jol hur.
Show answer
When else?
6. jual.
Show answer
No. (hard refuse of the whole frame)
7. jol zazawan zul.
Show answer
Not Azawan?
8. zazawan.
Show answer
Azawan. (a fill-ask answer: no leftover -r)
Advanced
Single-item and standalone inventory
Length 2+ (no -r): -l = pick from this closed menu; -m = pick or name something else (for o, also or none); u = none of the listed; ua / uo = complement of the listed; ue = reverse-rank among the listed. With -r: fill-ask arity. Under /h/ / /w/, occasions use restrictors (the set above).
Join-word -n here is stock/usual (not proper-name -n).
Rank: single-item (under question)
| Form | Under question | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| …em | Is X the top priority? / Prefer X? (offer) | e order + soft m: offering the top slot |
| …el | Is X the only priority? | e order + exact l: exactly top |
| …oem | Try X first? (offer) | o one + e order + soft: start with this one? |
| …oel | Only try X? | o one + e order + exact: only this first step |
| …uem | X last? (offer) | u undo the order + soft: put it last? |
| …uel | X last only? | u undo the order + exact: last and nothing else |
| …en | X first, as usual? | e order + stock n: usual first place |
| …er | Which X is first? (fill-ask) | e order + fill r: name the rank |
Rank: standalone (under question)
| Form | Under question | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| …el | No favorite? | e order + exact: is the top slot empty? |
| …em | Easy-going? / Whichever? | e order + soft: no pick from the top? |
| …ael | Tie? | a add equally + exact: added at the same rank |
| …aem | Probably a tie? | a add equally + soft |
| …aen | Draw? (stock) | a add equally + stock n: the usual draw |
| …oem | Not sure where to start? | o one + soft: no single starting pick yet |
| …oel | Do nothing? / Skip it? | o one + exact: zero steps chosen |
| …uem | Don't mind? / No objection? | u undo ascending + soft: no veto? |
| …uel | No least-favorite? / No one last? | u undo ascending + exact: is the bottom slot empty? |
| …en | No favorite? (stock) | e order + stock n: usual empty top |
| …er | What’s the priority? (fill-ask) | e order + fill r: name the priority |
Set: single-item (under question)
| Form | Under question | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| …al | Just X? / Only X? | a add exactly one item, exact l |
| …am | How about X? / Want X? (offer) | a add + soft: offering to add X |
| …ol | Has to be X? | o one + exact: that single one, no other |
| …om | How about X? / X, or skip? (offer; empty-allowed) | o one + soft: this one or none |
| …ual | Everything but X? | u undo + exact: remove exactly X |
| …uam | Everything but X (at least)? (offer) | u undo + soft: remove at least X |
| …uol | Anything but X? | u undo + one: any single replacement except X |
| …uom | Anything but X? (offer) | same, offered softly |
| …aol | Is X enough? | a add + o one + exact: adding X alone suffices |
| …aom | Would X do? (offer) | same shape, offered |
| …ar | What/which (unknown) X? (fill-ask) | a add + fill r: name what to add |
| …or | Any X? (fill-ask) | o one + fill: name any one |
| …ul | Not X? | u undo + exact |
| …um | Not X (at least)? (offer) | u undo + soft |
| …un | Not X, as usual? | u undo + stock n |
| …ur | What else (besides X)? (fill-ask) | u undo + fill: name what remains |
Set: standalone (under question)
| Form | Under question | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| …al | Nothing? / Nobody? | a set + exact: nothing added |
| …am | Got nothing? | a set + soft |
| …an | Null? / Void? | a set + stock n: the standing null |
| …ol | No options? | o one + exact: not even one |
| …om | No pick? / Skip OK? | o one + soft: skipping allowed |
| …ual | Everything? / Everyone? | u undo exclusions + exact: nothing left out |
| …uam | Everything you can think of? | u undo exclusions + soft |
| …uol | Anything? | u undo + one: even one counts |
| …uom | Anything? | same, offered |
| …aol | All set? | a add enough + exact: needs met |
| …aom | Nothing you need? | same, offered |
| …ul | No? | u undo + exact |
| …um | Soft no? | u undo + soft |
| …un | No? (stock) | u undo + stock n |
| …ar | Who/what? (fill-ask) | a set + fill: name a member |
| …or | Anything? (fill-ask) | o one + fill: name any one |
| …ur | What else? (fill-ask) | u undo + fill: name what besides |
Translation practice
Short drills on this Advanced band. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Roots used here: azawa grace (name Azawan) · ululo courage (name Ululon) · uhubu beauty (name Uhubun) · awala walk · urunu run
English → Agalan
1. Is Azawan the only priority?
Show answer
jol zazawan zel.
2. Prefer Ululon? / Ululon first? (rank offer)
Show answer
jol zululon zem.
3. Has to be Ululon?
Show answer
jol zululon zol.
4. Tie? (standalone rank)
Show answer
jol zael.
5. Don’t run. (prohibition, not polar no)
Show answer
jul vurunul.
Agalan → English
1. jael. vs jaol.
Show answer
yes / true (match). sure / I’ll take that (uptake).
2. juel. vs juol.
Show answer
no / false (truth flip). not that (reject this option).
3. jol zazawan zululon zual.
Show answer
Everything but Azawan and Ululon?
4. jol zoel.
Show answer
Do nothing? / Skip it?
5. jum vawalal.
Show answer
Don’t walk. (soft prohibition)
See also
- core.md: turn vs continue; speech act
- coordination.md: join fences; statement readings of -r / single-item / standalone
- pronouns.md: content resume -r (fill-ask is join -r)