Role compounds
When English would name a person or thing from an event (a teacher from teach, the one told, a building), Ageben builds that name from the event’s stem. Write a person or thing letter, then w, then a scope vowel, then a part consonant, then the stem, then an ordinary word ending. The part consonant is the role letter the participant had in the event's clause: z the doer, d what the event acts on or brings into being, and b the extra /b/ party (who is told, or the other party of a relation).
The scope vowel says how far the label reaches. u is this episode: one act is enough (someone who teaches). o is a practiced role, the kind English names as a job (a teacher). Every role word picks one, so calling someone a fighter after a single fight takes a separate, visible choice. The ending decides whether you mean anyone in that part or the one from a particular event: with -r, it is the participant of the latest matching event (the one teaching).
On this page
Role compounds: the doer (z)
English someone who teaches names a person from what they do, from the same idea as teach. Write a person or thing letter (/z/ /d/ /b/), then w, then the scope vowel u, then the part consonant z, then the event root, then an ordinary word ending. The result is one content word (a role compound) that you can use as a participant. The z is the doer's own role letter: the one who did it sat in /z/.
zwuzeduyol veruvol.z-episode-agent-teach | v-run
"Someone who teaches runs."
The last letter is the ordinary word ending: -l takes the stem’s everyday concrete sense, -m its abstract sense. zwuzeduyol is someone who teaches; zwuzuvuvul is someone who fights; zwuzuvuvum is someone who struggles. No teaching or fight needs to come up earlier in the conversation, and u says nothing about how often: one lesson is enough.
When the event is a dictionary word built from two roots, the role compound takes the whole word as its stem: zwuzanalayebel is someone who reads, from analayebel read.
A noun that specifies the event goes in the same stem, before the event and joined to it with mid-word x: zwuzodozexowurol is someone who walks dogs (the doer of dog-walking). The noun's part in the event is as open as in English (dog walker, coffee maker); for an exact part, use a hook or a second sentence. -r resumes the whole stem.
zwuzodozexowurol veruvol.z-episode-agent-dog-x-walk | v-run
"Someone who walks dogs runs."
A role compound has one part consonant, right after its scope vowel. It is never one piece of another compound.
One time or a practice (u / o)
English a teacher says more than someone who teaches: teaching is that person's practiced role, often a job. Write o in the scope slot instead of u. (cue: o ≈ medium (a life they inhabit))
zwozeduyol veruvol.z-role-agent-teach | v-run
"A teacher runs."
zwozuvuvul is a fighter, and zwozodozexowurol is a dog walker. With u, a role compound never makes that claim, so one fight gives zwuzuvuvul (someone who fought), not a fighter.
| Ageben | Scope | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
zwuzeduyol | u this episode | someone who teaches | u ≈ none (a speck of time) |
zwozeduyol | o practiced role | a teacher | o ≈ medium (a life they inhabit) |
This instance (-r)
English the one teaching points at the doer of an event already mentioned. Put -r on the role compound: once the conversation has a matching event (Azozon teaches), -r on the same stem means that doer, not just anyone who teaches.
zazozon veduyol.zwuzeduyor vezuvel.z-Azozon | v-teach z-←episode-agent-teach | v-sleep
"Azozon teaches. The one teaching sleeps."
To build the -r form, take the whole stem of the earlier verb. In vehohel (sit), the stem is ehohe, so the one sitting is zwuzehoher: subject z, then wu, the doer z, the stem ehohe, and -r.
zazozon vehohel. zwuzehoher vowurol.z-Azozon | v-sit . z-←episode-agent-sit | v-walk
"Azozon sits. The one who sat walks."
The scope vowel reads the same on -r: zwozeduyor is the one teaching, in their practiced role.
The undergoer (d)
English the one seen or the one fought names the person the event happens to. That person sat in /d/, so write d as the part consonant. With -l, it is anyone it happens to (someone seen); with -r, it is the undergoer of the latest matching event.
zazozon dogozel vayebel.zwudayeber veruvol.z-Azozon | d-cat | v-see z-←episode-patient-see | v-run
"Azozon sees a cat. The one seen runs."
What an event brings into being sits in /d/ too (Alazun builds a house), so d names it as well: dwudoguyol is something built. A verb's /d/ is either what it acts on (see) or what it makes (construct), and the verb says which.
zalazun voguyol. zazozon dwudoguyor vayebel.z-Alazun | v-construct . z-Azozon | d-←episode-patient-construct | v-see
"Alazun builds. Azozon sees what Alazun built."
The extra /b/ party (b)
English the one told names who gets the telling. In a sentence, that person is the recipient: a /b/ word with no relation word before it (extra nouns). To name them from the verb stem, write b as the part consonant.
zazozon vezuyol.zwubezuyor veruvol.z-Azozon | v-tell z-←episode-recipient-tell | v-run
"Azozon speaks. The one spoken to runs."
You can name that party with no prior telling: zwubezuyol is someone told something (the -l sense of speech), and zwobezuyol is a confidant, someone regularly told things.
Some stems name a relation (who is bound to whom), not an action. The other person of that relation is the /b/ word right after the relation word. The same b names that person from the relation stem (the other party of the bond).
zazozon gawem blalazun.zwubawer veruvol.z-Azozon | [g-bond | bl-Alazun] z-←episode-recipient-bond | v-run
"Azozon is bound to Alazun. The one Azozon is bound to runs."
Compare with: for someone (who the act is meant to benefit) is the extra-noun hook ol plus /b/, not the recipient.
| Ageben | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
…wuzROOT… | names the doer of an event | someone who teaches / the one teaching | z: the doer sat in /z/ |
…wudROOT… | names what the event acts on or makes | someone seen / the one seen (this seeing); something built | d: it sat in /d/ |
…wubROOT… | names the extra /b/ party | someone told / the one told | b: they sat in /b/ |
A role compound fills /z/, /d/, /b/, or /ɡ/. Under /y/ with -n or -r it calls someone (ywozebebun calls the doctor).
Its stem is an event or a state: zwuzonumul is someone who is angry. A special pronoun such as uwen (the speaker) names a person, not an event, so zwuzuwen is not a word. The same root on -l is an ordinary content word with a verb sense (perform), so it can be a stem: zwuzuwel is someone who performs.
With -l, -m, or -n, the word is any such participant: someone who does it, something it acts on or makes, someone told. -r looks back to the latest verb, event noun, or relation with that whole stem (including a stem already inside a role compound) and names this instance. The part consonant still picks which part you mean: doer, undergoer, or extra /b/ party.
Without the stem: role pointers
A role pointer is this same word with the event stem left out: w, the scope vowel, the part consonant, a pointer vowel, and an ending (-r the participant itself, -l a new one of its kind, -m its part in the event). Instead of naming the event, the pointer vowel picks it by position: e the latest one, a the other one, o this sentence’s own, u the one that left the part unsaid. zwuzehoher is the one who sat; zwuzer is whoever did the latest thing. After the pointer vowel and ending the word ends, while a compound's stem goes on (zwuzer against zwuzaruyol, someone who writes).
A pointer looks back to whoever last had that part, skipping events without one (role pointers).
The event itself
English a fight names the event itself, not anyone in it. Put the event root on a thing letter with no w and part: duvuvul is a fight. Use wuz, wud, or wub only when you mean who fights, who is fought, or the extra /b/ party.
zazozon duvuvul vayebel.z-Azozon | d-fight | v-see
"Azozon sees a fight."
Related form: a verb’s own -r resumes that event (vuvuvur that fighting). A role compound names the people.
Saying someone does it
To say someone is one who teaches, put the same role compound on /ɡ/, as in classification. With u, the word says only that they do it, with no claim about how often. With -r on /ɡ/, it says they are the doer of the matching event (is the one teaching).
zazozon gwuzeduyol.z-Azozon | g-episode-agent-teach
"Azozon is someone who teaches."
zazozon gwuzuvuvum.z-Azozon | g-episode-agent-struggle
"Azozon is someone who struggles."
To say someone is a teacher, put the practiced-role word on /ɡ/:
zazozon gwozeduyol.z-Azozon | g-role-agent-teach
"Azozon is a teacher."
After another noun, the same /ɡ/ word picks out which one you mean by that role.
zazozon dagayul gwuzuvuvul vayebel.z-Azozon | [d-guard | g-episode-agent-fight] | v-see
"Azozon sees a guard who fights."
Compare with: the plain root on /ɡ/ is the act in progress: dagayul guvuvul is a fighting guard, in the middle of a fight. English the guard who fought (that time) with extra participants or a place is two sentences, not this role word.
Practice
Short drills for Beginner. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a construction site
New words:
| English | Ageben | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| construct | voguyol | 👷 from construct |
| construction | ugohul | 🚧 |
| helmet | umobul | 🪖 |
| sleep | vezuvel | 💤 from sleep |
Review:
| English | Ageben |
|---|---|
| Azozon | azozon |
| Alazun | alazun |
| Ahelan | ahelan |
| guard | agayul |
| tell | vezuyol |
| punch | vabuvul |
| fight | vuvuvul |
| scream | veyamul |
| see | vayebel |
| run | veruvol |
English → Ageben
1. Someone who constructs runs.
Show answer
zwuzoguyol veruvol.
z-episode-agent-construct | v-run
2. Azozon speaks. The one spoken to sleeps.
Show answer
zazozon vezuyol. zwubezuyor vezuvel.
z-Azozon | v-tell . z-←episode-recipient-tell | v-sleep
3. Alazun punches Azozon. The one punched screams.
Show answer
zalazun dazozon vabuvul. zwudabuvur veyamul.
z-Alazun | d-Azozon | v-punch . z-←episode-patient-punch | v-scream
4. Ahelan sees a construction site.
Show answer
zahelan dugohul vayebel.
z-Ahelan | d-construction | v-see
5. Azozon is a builder. (constructing is Azozon's practiced role)
Show answer
zazozon gwozoguyol.
z-Azozon | g-role-agent-construct
6. Alazun sees a fight.
Show answer
zalazun duvuvul vayebel.
z-Alazun | d-fight | v-see
Ageben → English
1. zagayul dwudoguyol vayebel.
Show answer
z-guard | d-episode-patient-construct | v-see
The guard sees something built.
2. zahelan voguyol. zwuzoguyor dumobul vayebel.
Show answer
z-Ahelan | v-construct . z-←episode-agent-construct | d-helmet | v-see
Ahelan builds. The one building sees a helmet.
3. zazozon vuvuvul. zahelan dwuduvuvur vayebel.
Show answer
z-Azozon | v-fight . z-Ahelan | d-←episode-patient-fight | v-see
Azozon fights. Ahelan sees the one Azozon fights.
4. zalazun dagayul gwuzezuvel vayebel.
Show answer
z-Alazun | [d-guard | g-episode-agent-sleep] | v-see
Alazun sees a guard who sleeps.
5. zwudabuvul veyamul.
Show answer
z-episode-patient-punch | v-scream
Someone who gets punched screams.
6. zahelan dumobul voguyol. zalazun dwuder vayebel.
Show answer
z-Ahelan | d-helmet | v-construct . z-Alazun | d-←episode-patient.same | v-see
Ahelan makes a helmet. Alazun sees it.
Pick one
1. Ahelan sees someone who was told something. zahelan dwubezuyol vayebel. or zahelan dwudezuyol vayebel.
Show answer
zahelan dwubezuyol vayebel.
z-Ahelan | d-episode-recipient-speech | v-see
Part b names who is told; d would be what is told.
2. Ahelan sees someone punched. zahelan dwudabuvul vayebel. or zahelan dwuzabuvul vayebel.
Show answer
zahelan dwudabuvul vayebel.
z-Ahelan | d-episode-patient-punch | v-see
Part d names who the punching happens to; z is who punches.
Fix it
1. Azozon is someone who sleeps. zazozon gezuvel.
Show answer
zazozon gwuzezuvel.
z-Azozon | g-episode-agent-sleep
The plain root on /ɡ/ says Azozon is sleeping right now; the role compound says Azozon is one who sleeps.
See also
- Event resume vs participant: pronouns.md
- Mid-word
xfamilies: compounds.md