Marcas Brian MacStiofin Mhait Domhnaill

24 September 2015

Pwr: An Essential Grammar and

Dictionary
Pwr: Dd Riof fiddy-nonrac'ha

PWR

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Introduction
0.1

The Sumric languages

Chapter 1 - Pronunciation
1.1

Consonants

1.2

Vowels

1.3

Stress

Chapter 2 - Nouns
2.1

Suffix hierarchy

2.2

Nouns and cases

2.3

Noun Formation

2.4

Reflexive suffix

2.5

Noun Enforcement

Chapter 3 - Pronouns and demonstratives

3.1

Pronouns and cases

3.2

Demonstratives

3.3

Definite Articles

Chapter 4 - Adjectives and adverbs

4.1

Adverbialisation

4.2

Adjective formation

4.3

Comparative and Superlative constructions

4.4

Agreement

Chapter 5 - Verbs
5.1

PWR

Suffix hierarchy

5.2

Infinitives

5.3

Present tense

5.4

Simple past tenses

5.5

Future tenses

5.6

Subjunctive mood

5.7

Negation

5.8

Imperative

5.9

Interrogative copula

5.10

Passive voice

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5.11 Causitive verbs

Chapter 6 -Similies
6.1 Similes
Chapter 7- Mastering Pwr
7.1

Text examples

7.2

Further reading

Pwr - English Dictionary

English-Pwr Dictionary
Pwr phrasebook
Sound Changes from Maifri > Pwr

PWR

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Introduction
The Sumric Languages: a short history
In 1300AM (the 13th century by our standards) the modern day of this world on the
snowy mountainous continent called Malomanan (meaning land of deer). there are 10
Sumric languages which belong to 6 branches
in the Moicha branch is Moicha and Foriab
in the Lelic branch is Lelic
in the Lemre branch is Lemre
in the A-Sumric branch is Shfre and Somi
in the M-Sumric branch is Pwr and Terch
in the Nmmezse branch is mde an Iriaid (created by /u/Tarheelscouse)

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All of these languages descend from a common ancestor, Old Sumr. Back in the good old days when that was
spoken in Malomanan the Sumric peoples were one people with one tongue. They lived by hunting wild deer
and followed the herds along their migrations giving them a nomadic lifestyle. As such Old Sumr is abound
with words deriving from the roots sum (travel) and loman (deer). The constant moving around meant no regional
varieties could develop. But that changed when a giant wolf spirit called ru (evil wolf) came and gorged on
the deer population, it ate so much that there was hardly any left for the Sumn (the name of the people) to hunt,
causing a famine. But all was saved when another spirit called M Ric'ha (buzzard of language) came and fought
a ru. After 12 epic battles the evil wolf was defeated. But the deer population took a long time to recover, in
fact it never did recover to its previous numbers. This caused many Sumn to leave the nomadic life and settle in
small villages. The first to do this settled on a nearby island called Mulelwe lamnan and lived by fishing, they
were known as the Lamn (settled people). Over time the speech grew apart from those on the mainland
becoming Lemre (settled language) but the Antagan Empire invaded that island and imposed their own
language in the natives causing the extinction of Lemre, the Island was renamed by the empire to Lem Pars
(Lem Island in the Tns tongue.) Lemre has since been "revived" due to nationalist sentiment against the
Antagan Empire which outlawed the language. it was recorded by Antagan scholars before its death, the record
they created founded the base of Lemre's revival many generations later During this time the mainland language
also changed into Middle Sumri

picture: a 5th century text written in Tns by Antagan scribe describing Lemre verb conjugations

A century or so later more Sumn left the nomad life and settled on the Southeastern coast. They developed a
very basic form of agriculture (as much as the harsh land would allow) but also fished the seas and hunted in the
nearby forests, over time these settlements grew into small towns and began trading when the Antagan Empire
discovered them, causing the settlements to grow further, attracting even more trading from other nations. The
language of these people became Moicha.

Sometime after that more of the Sumn abandoned the nomad life and settled on a small group of islands to the
south west, over time the speech grew apart from Middle Sumri and became Malelweri (island language) but as
the population on the islands grew they people expanded their settlements around the South West coast. By this
time the languages changed once more to become Maifri. Some of these people continued further up the
western coast into a more mountainous and forested area, their language became Pwr. Those who remained on
the South West coast and islands now speak Terch, a sister language to Pwr.

During the seventh battle between ru and M Ra, which took place in the centre of the continent by the
eastern mountain range, M Ra being the language spirit screeched a booming call in the divine tongue to the
skies to herald an epic rain storm. The heavy rain caused the surrounding land to become a quagmire of wet
and quick mud which trapped ru and allowed M Ra to attack from the air (for it had the form of a
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buzzard, hence it name M which means buzzard) though through trickery the wolf spirit escaped, leaving a
great depression in the ground where it had been stuck which quickly filled with water to become a great lake.
The battle itself and the now marshy land had trapped a band of Sumn and separated them from the rest of
nomads. These people learned to take advantage of the marshy habitat by living off the new life the marshy
wetlands would bring. They became the Lericnat , a quaint and isolated people and in time their speech
became Lelic.

Now back to the remaining nomads, now speaking Late Middle Sumri. The deer populations still not back to
their past numbers was putting more pressure on the remaining nomads. So yet again a great number of them
left the nomad life, they left Malomanan altogether. They set out on boats and headed south, praying that the
winds would blow them somewhere plentiful. And those prayers were answered. They came upon a tropical
archipelago bustling with natural resources. The islands were already inhabited by natives who spoke an isolating
tongue called Gl Ng, they called the islands Trez Gal meaning 'three warriors' referring to the 3 main islands.
But no conflict happened. None. Everyone was welcomed with open arms and it wasn't long before the two
people interbred in race and language, the Sumric tongue was the dominant language but it took on the voiced
sounds of Gl Ng and became Zvri, after more time and more mingling with natives the language simplified
greatly, dropping all cases and much of the tenses and became Shfre. In the Shfre language 'Trez Gl' became
Trgal. There the people became great seafarers and sailors known around the world for their nautical prowess.
Back home to Malomanan, the very few nomads left now speak Somi, which in itself changes greatly in terms of
sounds but simplified by dropping all cases, though this process started way back in Late Middle Sumri.
A language map of Malomanan, you will notice
that Somi has no fixed boundary and is spoken
throughout the island due to to its nomadic nature.
Shfre isnt spoken here and so isnt on the map.

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Chapter 1 - Pronunciation
1.1 Consonants
Letter

IPA value

Example

bat

c'h

Scottish loch

dad

dd

that

fast

get

l (or /l / when before /w/)

let

mat

not

brick

sat

bat

wind

When a word ends in <> // and takes a suffix which begins with <>. Both are assimilated into one <>
// is deleted when beforeaithr consonant e.g dd + -na = na

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Lenition
Consonants in Pwr can be lenited in several conditions, these specific conditions will be mentioned later.. Here is
a table which shows how the consonants lenite.
Original consonant

Lenited consonant

v /v/

dd //

gh //

v /v/

f /f/

h /h/

h /h/

1.2 Vowels
Letter

IPA value

Example

apple

sky

day

pin

flee

thought

bone

toy

ou

plow

pull

i (only when in the Definite article)

or // elsewhere

flee

if a word ends in w and takes a suffix beginning with w then an interruptive c'h is placed between them

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Vowel mutation
Just like how a the final consonant in a word can become lenited in certain conditions, the final vowel can get
mutated. This happens mostly in participles and participles . In the mutation back vowels get fronted and
rounded while front vowels just get rounded. Here is a table to show how how each vowel mutates
Original vowel

Mutated vowel

//

no mutation

y //

//

/y/

y //

u //

no mutation

/y/

1.3 Stress
Stress in Pwr is fixed on the penultimate syllable which has a falling tone and the second syllable has a rising
tone. This is fixed in every word so it is unmarked in the orthography .g

fora plains /fra/

ddinw soon /n/
pa

cold /p/

lirwminna wise /l rmna/

Although when a monosyllabic word follows a definite article the article takes the falling tone and the noun takes
the rising tone e.g
y fi 'the friends' / f /

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Chapter 2 -Nouns
Thanks to the noun cases in Pwr, word order relative freedom by having an interchangeable order of SOV or
OSV. The subject and object can be absolutely anywhere in a sentence as the case endings show each word's role
in a sentence, so long as the verb goes at the end.

2.1 Suffix Hierarchy

Being a highly inflecting language, nouns very often do take on several suffixes so there is a specific order in
which these suffixes attach to the noun which is as follows. The brackets denote a suffix may or may not be
included, depending on context.

noun + (simile affix) + (case) + (reflexive)

ru > ru= wolf
ru +a> rua= into wolf
ru +a + g> ruag = into wolf's self

2.2 Noun case

Pwr has 15 noun cases which inflect for gender and number. the 15 cases are:

Nominative: marks the subject

Inessive: inside something

Accusative: marks the direct object

Genitive: marks possession
Dative: marks the indirect object
Superessive: on the surface
Subessive: under something
Illative: movement into something
Perlative: movement through or along
Allative: movement to or towards something
Apudessive: beside something
Delative: movement from the surface, from
Supressive: above something
Paressive: beside something
Prolative: through something, by way of

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In the development from Maifri to Pwr a large change happened in the noun case system, namely where
previously singular nouns became plural and singularitives were used to form singular forms of each noun. As
such the plural is the default state of a noun with the singular being marked with vowel mutation + case ending.
A table showing all the noun case endings according to Number. If the noun ends in a vowel and the suffix
begins with a vowel place <c'h> /x/ between the two. (Unless that vowel is /y/ or /i/ or /a/ in some instances):
vm=vowel mutation
c'hwa= forests
dd =stars/suns
Case

Pl

Sg

Pl

Sg

Nominative

--

vm

c'hwa, dd

c'hw, ydd

Accustive

-w

vm + -w

c'hwaw, eddw

c'hww, yddw

Genitive

-a

vm+ -a

c'hwac'hw, dda

c'hwc'ha, ydda

Dative

vm + -

c'hwa, dd

c'hw, ydd

Superessive

-ro

vm + -ro

c'hwaro, ro

c'hwro, yro

Subessive

-na

vm + -na

c'hwana, na

c'hwna, yna

Illative

-a

vm + -a

c'hwaa, a

c'hwa, ya

Perlative

vm + -

c'hwa, dd

c'hw, ydd

*Allative

-dda

vm + -dda

c'hwadda, dda

c'hwdda, ydda

Delative

-ddwf

vm + ddwf

c'hwaddwf, ddwf

c'hwddwf, yddwf

Suppressive

-a

vm + -a

c'hwac'ha, dda

c'hwc'ha, ydda

Paressive

-n

vm + -n

c'hwan, ddn

c'hwn, yddn

Prolative

-na

vm + -na

c'hwana, ddna

c'hwna, yddna

Inessive

vm + -

c'hwa, dd

c'hw, ydd

*the allative case ending -dda /a/comes from the Maifri allative case ending -cha /ta/, the /t/ was dropped
intervocalically which resulted in -a coming into contact with word final vowels so // was inserted to separate
them. A similar thing happened to dd 'stars' which is from Maifri asi 'sun', the a became and the intervocalic/s/
was dropped so dd was inserted to part the vowels and i resulting in ddi. A later sound change dropped word
final i in many words (though it was hardly a thorough change as some words still retain word final i)

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2.3 Noun Formation

A verb can be turned into a noun by mutating the final vowel. The resulting noun can then be declined like any
other noun. In Maifri, the mother language of Pwr, the vowel mutation complemented the gerund suffix -i. But
Pwr dropped that suffix and instead used the vowel mutation alone to form gerunds.

mwlm to hunt > mlm hunting

mlmw lor I like hunting

sifw to be hungry > sif hunger

sifw lormw I dont like hunger

rin to speak > rn speaking

rnw lor I like speaking

An adjective can be turned into a noun by adding the suffixes -na (if the noun is human) and -a (if the noun is
not human). This causes vowel mutation on the last vowel in the adjective and if a consonant comes directly
before the suffix it gets lenited. These suffixes derive from the agent suffixes below.

lwo heavy > lwuna heavy ones, fat person (human) > lwuc'ha heavy things (nonhuman)
sai brown > sana brown ones (human), > sac'ha brown things (nonhuman
no different > nuna different, unique ones (human), > nuc'ha different things

Agent nouns come in two forms which are human and nonhuman. If the agent is human then the agent suffix na is attached to the verb (from na 'person) or if the agent is not human then the agent suffix -a is used

mwlm to hunt > mwlmna hunter (human) or mwlma hunter (non human)

Pwr has five diminutive suffixes which correspond to man, woman, child, human and nonhuman. Diminutives in
Pwr are used to give a sense of littleness or intimacy (more so the female and child diminutives) or are used to
derive nouns from associated concepts (more so the male and nonhuman diminutives)

The male diminutive to derive from an associated concept is -w mwlmw male hunter
The human diminutive for a sense a intimacy or familiarity is -na rna strong one (mostly used for men but
can be applied to women or children, most often used to noun adjectives)

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 The female diminutive is -i mwlmi woman hunter

The child diminutive is -ga (or -a if the root ends in a vowel) mwlmga child hunter
The nonhuman diminutive is - mwlm hunting creature/tool

An adjective can be made into a noun by placing the suffixes na or a onto the adjective
if the noun is human then it takes the suffix na (sg. n)
if the noun is not human then it takes the suffix a (if the ends in a vowel then an interruptive
c'h is placed between the adjective and the suffix) (sg. )
e.g
ora yellow > orana yellow humans, orac'ha yellow things
pa cold > pana cold humans, pac'ha cold things, the cold

2.4 Reflexive Suffix

In Pwr the reflexive suffix is -g (when noun ends in vowel) or -id (when noun ends in consonant) which roughly
translates as 'self' or 'own' when attached to a noun in the genitive case. -g can be placed onto any noun to
emphasise it e.g
y rug c'hw the wolf's own death

2.5

Noun Enforcement

Pwr has a way of enforcing the quality or meaning of a noun. Much like how an intensifier works on adjective,
but for nouns. This is done by placing dd before the noun. In English this can roughly translate as 'very much a
X'
E.g
iu hero
dadd imwnw iu dadd is a hero
dadd imwnw dd iu dadd is undoubtedly/very much a hero

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Chapter 3 - Pronouns and demonstratives

3.1 Pronouns
Case

1st.sg

2nd.sg

3rd.sg

1st.pl.inc

1st.pl.exc

2nd.pl

3rd.pl

Nominati
ve

da

lifw

mri

mfi

dari

lifi

Accustive

mw

dw

lifw

mrw

mfwm

darw

lifwf

Genitive

da

lif

mra

mfn

dara

lifna

Dative

lif

mra

mfn

dara

liff

Superessi
ve

mroa

daroa

lifwroa

mroi

mmroi

daroi

limroi

Subessive

mna

dana

lifwna

mrwni

mfwni

darwni

lifwni

Illative

mfa

dfa

lifwfa

mri

mfi

dari

lifi

Perlative

lifw

mrs

mms

dars

lims

Allative

ma

lifwa

mrai

mf

darai

lifi

Delative

mwfa

dawm

lifwf

mrwfi

mfwfi

darwfi

lifwfi

Superessi
ve

mpa

dapa

lifwpa

mrw

mfwpi

darwpi

lifwpi

Paressive

mna

dana

lifwna

mrsni

mfini

darsni

lifini

Prolative

mfina

dafina

lifwna

mrini

mfini

darini

lifini

Inessive

lifwa

mrw

mfa

darw

lifw

The reflexive forms of each pronoun can be formed by adding the reflexive suffix which also places emphasis on
the pronoun even when in the nominative case e.g

mg yw odw ddwa, mw da I ate the bread, not you.

mwgw sifa I hit myself
yw od limwg ddwa the bread ate itself
Pwr has no word for 'to have' although technically there is isdaf but that is archaic and long fallen from speech.
So in Pwr instead of saying I have X you say X under me is. The subject of such a sentence goes in the subessive
case
e.g
I have a dog ruc'hw mna imwnw
They have the forest yw c'hwac'hw lifwni imwnw
The dog has the forest ye runa yw c'hwac'hw imwnw

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3.2 Demonstratives
Demonstrative pronouns in Pwr dont agree with noun case or number and are distinguished instead by
animacy. Though sound changes made some of the adjective, inanimate animate demonstratives look and sound
exactly the same.
e.g
si ma si odac'hw ddw that buzzard is eating that bread
si oda si magw ddw that bread is eating that buzzard
notice how when the nouns inflect for case, the demonstrative pronouns dont inflect at all.

Interroga
tive

This

That

Some

None

Every

Each

Adjective

pa (which)

si (this)

so (that

l (some)

mw (no)

fi (every)

po (each)

Animate

pi (who)

si (this)

si (that)

lna
(someone)

mwna (no
one)

fna
(everyone)

pona (each
person)*

si (this)

si (that)

lwa
(something)

mwa
(nothing)

fa
pwa (each
(everythung thing)
)

Inanimate pa (what)

Location

po (where)

sw (here)

sw (there)

lfw
mwo
(somewhere (nowhere)
)

fo
(everwhere)

poppo (each
place)

Time

pi (when)

dd (now)

ddw (then)

lna
(sometime)

mw (never)

fi
(everytime)

poddina
(each time)

Way/
reason

pw
(how,why)

sw
(because,
this way)

sow (that
way)

lo
(somehow)

mw (noway)

fw
(everyway)

popw (each
way)

*while translated as each person, pona refers to any animate object

examples:
pi m odw ddwa? who ate my bread?
pa m odw ddw? what ate my bread?
y v m odw ddwa po? where did the buzzard eat my bread? (literally: buzzard ate my bread where?). Here
where goes at the end due to a rule in Pwr that says Locative Phrases (or words dentoning where an action
happened) go at the end of the sentence.
y v m odw ddwa pi? when did the buzzard eat my bread? (literally: buzzard ate my bread when?). Here
when goes at the end due to a rule in Pwr that says Time Phrases (or words dentoning when an action
happened) go at the end of the sentence.
pw y v m odw ddwa? why/how did the buzzard eat my bread? (Literally: how/why buzzard ate my bread)
Pwr doesnt distinguish between how or why.

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si m si odw ddwa. this buzzard ate this bread

si m si odw rpna sw ddwa. that buzzard ate that bread under the tree there. (literally: that buzzard ate that
bread tree-under there). When a sentence has both a locative phrase and a time phrase, the time phrase goes to
the very end of the sentence following the locative phrase)
si m si odw ddwa pw ondac'hi pari that buzzard ate that bread 4 days ago. pw ondac'hi pari is a time phrase and
so is placed at the end of the sentence.

si ma si odw ddwg simwc'hwg sw those buzzards ate that bread because they were hungry (literally: that buzzards
ate that bread they hungered because). again the pronoun sw goes at the end of the sentence. Also notice how
even though the subject ma is plural the demonstrative pronoun doesnt change.

The demonstrative pronouns can be used at relative pronouns also. Although none of the interrogative pronouns
can be used as relative pronouns as they are in English e.g The man who walks, the mountain where he lived,
when he walked. instead Pwr uses the pronouns in the That column to fill this role
e.g
y n si fw the man who walks (man that walks)
y m sw lafwa the mountain where he lived (he-lived mountain there). As said earlier words or phrases that denote
where the verb happened go at the end of the sentence, though words or phrases that denote when it happened
always go at the end after locative phrases.
ddw lafwa when he walked (he-walked then). Again. the time phrase (here it is the verb) is at the end.

3.3

Definite Articles

The Pwr definite articles derive from the Malelweri demonstrative i which became i and then i in Maifri which
then took on the case of the noun to produce the following forms. Pwr doesn't distinguish between singular or
plural articles due to a sound change which caused the singular and plural forms to look and sound exactly the
same. Pwr has no indefinite articles.
Case

Definate article

Nominative

Accustive

yw

Genitive

ya

Dative

Rest of the cases

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The Definite article causes the initial consonant of the noun to be lenited e.g
ma buzzards > y va the buzzards
pi friends > y fi the friends
s stories > y h the stories

Chapter 4 - Adjectives and adverbs

4.1 Adverbialisation
The process of creating adverbs is relatively simple as n can be added to any adjective to make it an adverb
which always follows the subject. In Pwr the adverbs don't agree with the subject as they did in Maifri
Example:
y v biron yw odw ddwa buzzard quickly ate the bread
y va biron yw odw ddwg the buzzards quickly ate the bread
y larn lan pirwa the soldier fought well
y larna lan pirwg the soldiers fought well
There are a few irregular fixed adverbs which do not bear the adverbial suffix such as rpia 'mightily', dia
'immediately' though these are few and far between.

4.2

Adjective formation

To turn a verb into an adjective the participle adjective suffix -lo (sg. -lu) is attached to the verb and mutates the
last vowel in the verb and lenites a consonant if it comes directly before the suffix, this corresponds with the
English participle adjective -ing. Which can in turn be made to agree with the number and case of the noun it
modifies.
mwlm to hunt > mlvlo hunting
mlvlu m hunting buzzard
o mlvlo ma two hunting buzzards
o mlvlow maw lor I like two hunting buzzards
mlvlu rwmlir hunting leader
o mlvlo rwmlira two hunting leaders
o mlvlow rwmliraw lor I like two hunting leaders

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To turn a verb into a past participle adjective the suffix - (sg. -) is attached to the verb which mutates the final
vowel and any consonant that comes directly before the suffix, this corresponds the the English participle -ed.
Which can in turn be made to agree with the case of the noun it modifies.
mwlm to hunt > mlv hunted
mlv ma hunted buzzard
o mlv ma two hunted buzzards
o mlvw maw lor I like two hunted buzzards
To turn a noun into an adjective the suffix *-dda (sg. -dd) is attached to the noun, this corresponds with the
English suffix -ly/-y/-ish. Which can in turn be made to agree with the number and case of the noun it
modifies. Though adjectives formed this way are placed after the noun
nwfa fools> nwfadda foolish
m nwfadd foolish buzzard
o ma nwfadda two foolish buzzards
o maw nwfaddaw lor I like two foolish buzzards
*dda comes from Maifri -isa which was cognate to the comitative case endings (which were dropped in Pwr). It literally

translated as with and so was placed after the noun. Even though Pwr lost the comitative case it retains this word order as a
fossilised feature

4.3 Comparative and Superlative constructions

A comparative sentence structure is as follows:
subject + to be + adjective + object (paressive case)
Where in English one would simply add the suffix -er to an adjective or place more before the adjective, Pwr
uses the sentence structure above to form a comparative sentence e.g
Ddoc'ha ru ir Daroc'ha runa imwnw
[john.gen dog.sg big daro.gen dog.par.sg is.3rd]
Johns dog big Daros dog beside is
(Johns dog is bigger than Daros dog)

When using the comparative in a subordinate clause (dog that is bigger) then the following sentence structure is
used
(subject) (verb) subject/object + demonstrative +to be + adjective + object (paressive case)

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e.g.
ruw si ir Daroc'ha runa imwnw dda
[ dog.acc.sg dem big daro.gen dog.par.sg be.3rd want.1st.sg]
dog that big Daros dog beside is I want
(I want a dog that is bigger than Daros dog)

A superlative sentence is formed in much the same way as the comparative.

subject + to be + adjective + all (paressive case)
Where in English one would simply add the suffix -est to an adjective or place most before the adjective, Pwr
uses the sentence structure above to form a superlative sentence e.g.
Ddoc'ha ru ir nwna imwnw
[john.gen dog.sg big all.par is.3rd]
Johns dog big all beside is
(Johns dog is biggest)
When using the superlative in a subordinate clause (dog that is biggest) then the following sentence structure is
used
(subject) (verb) subject/object + demonstrative +to be + adjective + all (paressive case)
e.g.
ruw si ir nwna inwnw dda
[dog.acc.sg dem big all.par be.3rd want.1st.sg ]
dog that big all beside is I want
(I want a dog that is biggest/I want the biggest dog)
Example
ruw si ir nwsna imwnw da odw ddwa swla si onda
I saw the biggest dog today eat your bread
[ dog.acc dem big all.par be.3rd your bread.acc eat.3rd.pst see.1st.pst today]

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4.4 Agreement
Adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in both number and case. This is done by adding the exact
same inflections that the noun takes e.g
Mo 'fast
SG
Nominative: y mu vwru the fast fox
Accusative: yw muw vwruw the fast fox
Genitive: ya muc'ha vwruc'ha of the fast fox
Dative: y mu vwru to the fast fox
PL
Nominative: y mo vwro the fast foxes
Accusative: yw mow vwrow the fast foxes
Genitive: ya moc'ha vwroc'ha of the fast foxes
Dative: y mo vwro to the fast foxes

Chapter 5 - Verbs
5.1 Suffix Hierarchy
Being a highly inflecting language, a verbs very often do take on several suffixes so there is a specific order in
which these suffixes attach to the verb which is as follows, the brackets denote a suffix which isnt essential and
can be left out, though they often are included depending on context.
verb + tense + (subjunctive) + (negation) + (imperative)
swm + arw > swmarw = you will travel
swm + arw + o > swmwrwo = you might travel
swm + arw + o + mw +> swmarwomw = you might not travel
swm + me + i> swmmwi = dont travel

PWR

!20

5.2

Infinitives

Pwr verbs lost the infinitive ending -i so a new way to form the infinitive of a verb is with the prefix i' (when the
verb begins in a consonant) and n' (when the verb begins in a vowel). These prefixes both come from the Old
Pwr verb imwni 'to be' (in Modern Pwr imwn) which was placed before verbs to form the infinitive. Over time
however it became shorten to i' (from imwni) and n' (from imwni)
e.g
to rejoice n'n
to smell n'i
to smile i'lafi
to hunt i'mwlm
to walk n'w
to tempt n'orc'h
to blow i'fwm
to build i'ddof

5.3 Present tense

Due to the specific nature of the verb endings the pronouns can be dropped entirely when they are the subject.
Person

Suffix

Example

Meaning

1st.sg

swm

I travel

2nd.sg

-a

swma

You travel

3rd.sg

-w

swmw

He/she/it travels

1st.pl.inc

-w

swmw

We travel*

1st.sg.exc

-a

swma

We travel

2nd.pl

-ag

swmag

You travel

3rd.pl

-wg

swmwg

They travel

*only context distinguishes between the 3rd.sg and 1st.pl.inc persons

PWR

!21

5.4 Simple past tenses

Person

Near past

Far past

1st.sg

-a

-pa

2nd.sg

-ara

-arpa

3rd.sg

-wa

-wpw

1st.pl.inc

-wlsa

-wlpir

1st.pl.exc

-ale

-alpa

2nd.pl

-ia

-ipa

3rd.pl

-insa

inpa

Person

Near future

Far future

1st.sg

-dde

2nd.sg

-arw

-ari

3rd.sg

-wrw

-wi

1st.pl.inc

-wlw

-wli

1st.pl.exc

-alnw

-al

2nd.pl

-inw

3rd.pl

-inw

-idde

5.5 Future tenses

5.6 Subjunctive mood

The subjunctive mood is relatively simple to form in Pwr. it is formed by adding the suffix -o which is placed
after all other inflections.

swmo I may be travelling

swmao I may have travelled
swmo I may travel/I would/might travel
y v da odw ddwrwo the buzzard may/would/might eat your bread

PWR

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5.7

Negation

Negation in Pwr is achieved by placing the suffix -mw onto a verb

y v da odw ddwamw the buzzard didnt eat your bread

5.9

Imperative

The imperative suffix -i turns a verb into a demand. When a verb is imperative it can only take on the suffixes -i
and -mw meaning that it cant inflect for person or tense so in imperative phrases the subject is implied (though
the subject can only ever be singular you or plural you so the ambiguity is small to begin with) , with locative and
time phrases being optional and taking their respective second last and last places of the sentence.

da da odw ddi! eat your bread! da da odw ddmwi! dont eat your bread!

da odw da ddi y v limw ddwrwo ddinw! eat your bread before the buzzard eats it! (your bread you eat the
buzzard may eat it before)

5.10 Interrogative copula

interrogative sentences can be formed by using interrogative forms of the verb 'to be', the interrogative copula in
Pwr originated from the grandmother language Malelweri where the subjunctive suffix po became a copula
which was then treated as a verb which can conjugate for person and tense using the conjugations mentioned
earlier and placed at the beginning of a sentence. Sound changes have since distorted the regular interrogative
copulas

Present tense interrogative copula

Meaning

ga

am I?

ga

are you?

ow

is he/she/it?

ow

are we? (inclusive)

ga

are we? (exclusive)

are you?

are they?

PWR

!23

past tense interrogative copula

Meaning

was/did I?

gara

were/did you?

owa

was/did he/she/it?

owa

were/did we? (inclusive)

gai

were/did we? (exclusive)

were/did you.pl?

ina

were/did they?

Future tense interrogative copula

meaning

ow

will I?

garw

will you?

owrw

will he/she/it?

ow

will we? (inclusive)

gainw

will we? (exclusive)

nw

will you.pl?

inw

will they?

5.11

Passive voice

The passive voice in Pwr is formed in several ways according to tense. The suffixes come in two forms which are
singular and plural which agree with the number of the subject.
Present passive:
The suffix -lo (sg. -lu. from Old Sumr present participle -lon) is attached to the verb which then has verb
conjugation endings placed after that, the suffix -lo causes final vowel mutation and lenites a consonant which is
directly before the suffix. The object is placed in the prolative case
E.g
Active voice: yw firw y v c'harw the buzzard is killing the duck
Passive voice: y fir y vna c'hrluw the duck is being killed by a buzzard

PWR

!24

Past passive:
The suffix -gh (sg. -gh. from Old Sumr past participle -c) is attached to the verb which then has verb
conjugation endings placed after that, the suffix causes no mutation or lenition. The object is placed in the
prolative case.
E.g.
Active voice: yw firw y v c'harwa the buzzard killed the duck
Passive voice: y fir y vna c'harghwa the duck was killed by the buzzard

Future passive:

The suffix -lo (sg. -lu) is attached to the verb with verb conjugation endings placed after that. the suffix -lo causes
final vowel mutation and lenites a consonant which is directly before the suffix. The object is placed in the
prolative case
E.g.
Active voice: yw firw y v c'harwrw the buzzard will kill the duck
Passive voice: y fir y vna c'harluwrw the duck will be killed by the buzzard

Interrogative passive
The interrogative forms of each passive tense is formed by placing the interrogative copula at the beginning of
the sentence, which in turn causes the verb to drop verb conjugations as the interrogative copula carries that
information e.g

Past affirmative Passive voice: y fir y vna c'harghwa the duck was killed by the buzzard
Past interrogative passive voice: owa y fir y vna charagh? Was the duck killed by the buzzard?

Present affirmative passive voice: y fir y vna c'hrluw the duck is being killed by a buzzard
Present interrogative passive voice: ow y fir y vna c'hrlu? is the duck being killed by the buzzard?

Future affirmative passive voice: y fir y vna c'harluwrw the duck will be killed by the buzzard
Future interrogative passive voice: owrw y fir y vna c'harlu? will the duck be killed by the buzzard?

Conditional Passive

To form the conditional for any of these tenses place the suffix -o at the end of the verb after any other suffix
(except the negative). E.g

y fir y vna c'harluwrwo the duck may be killed by the buzzard

PWR

!25

Imperative passive:

the imperative in the passive voice is formed with the suffix -li
E.g
y fir y vna c'harluwrwli may the duck be killed by the buzzard

5.11 Causitive verbs

A verb can be made causitive or volitional by adding the suffix -lir. This suffix means that the verb was done
voluntarily by the subject. Context distinguished between whether the verb is causitive or volitional
E.g
i's 'to forget' > i'slir 'to forget on purpose, to erase a memory'
n'dd 'to eat' > n'lir 'to force feed, to est when not hungry'
Usually the suffix is volitional when the object is the agent (marked inthis instance with the reflexive suffix). And
is causitive when the agent is not the subject
E.g
lira mwg I ate (when I wasn't hungry) -Volitional

lira dw I force fed you -Causitive

Chapter 6 -Similes
6.1 Similes
Where in English a simile is formed by using 'like' or 'as' e.g you are noble like a hero or you are as noble as a
hero. Pwr handles this by adding the suffix -dda (sg. -dd, or -a/- if the noun already ends in 'dd') onto the
descriptor (or the thing being compared to, here it is 'hero'). This suffix derived from the Maifri comitative case
ending -sa which was used to mark similies. Pwr dropped the comitative case but in this instance it survived as a
simile forming suffix.
e.g

mu iudd imwna
you are noble like a hero

this literally translates as 'you are noble with hero'

A few more examples:

PWR

!26

y ddwc'h dw y ddu-nonsdd imwnw

The crow is as black as the night sky

ydd piric'ha
you fight like an antlerless male deer
(antlerless male deers are held to be 'weak' or 'less worthy' in Sumric culture)

y ms bran y ydd mswa

the fire burned as bright as the sun
(The fire brightly burned like the sun)

When a phrase is used as a simile like the spear is as high as a crow in the sky the noun being compared to (here
it is 'crow') takes the Simile suffix just like before e.g

y vwlmr imwnw ira dwc'hdd y nons

the spear is as high as a crow in the sky
(the spear is high like crow in the sky)

Chapter 7- Mastering Pwr

7.1

Text examples

The following texts is an ancient Sumric legend called about how a great and famous healing tree came to be.

Oshwc'ha Rp
Ddo lofni-non sla pari, y hn lamwac'ha a pac'ha, Oshw po sa n lamwac'ha, lifw lif lafw y ira iraf
Mfona nonswmwa pofmidda. Lifw Nonif Nonswansac'ha isdafwa, to Oshwc'ha nonsvlo lamwa s Mfona
dofw. Oshw Nonif Lafwpivadda swmwa a lifw ddsrwdwa. Y nonswansa Nonif Lafwpivaro swmdwa dw
nwa. Ra Nonifdda swmwa a lifw ddsrwdwa. Y nonswansa Ra Nonifro swmdwa dw nwa. Nonif
Lefshadda swmwa dw mw lifw nunsna rw ddinw. Oshw brw a nw slw...y nisn lamlomnic'ha a mc'ha
swlwa, si. si omwdda mwlifidda swmwa to nonisdafwa y vw s lamwa. Lif s fi a s swla brrlw Oshwc'ha
naf nonifrwa. Oshw sis nonimwbri ddwa, briorc'ha rapwtpw isdafwa. Lif isdw nonifrwa a si
nonimwbri lifw rwa. si y hn lamwa rinwa "m mwc'hw parlona a lifwf dsrwda, nla nonswanswna, i dw
nonimwbric'h, garw yw nonsm lamlomnic'ha na?" Sonia Oshw rinwa "si, m lamlomni, to onda s
dwvddina nonisdafw, to lafiro s c'hwa nonisdafw, to lamlomni s lamwa nonisdafw, lamlomnic'ha nonsm
naomw, m nafw lifw nonw". Asi rinwsa "a m nafw lifw nonw" Sonia si Oshwc'ha idsw sifwa a y
rapwtpww wa y vwdda. Y Omwdda mwlifidda si swmwa a sa lifw lamlomw isdafwa. Oshw lif bri swmwa.
Sa pa lif naf a sa pa lif fi, rw fwmwa, lwow nonswansaw a sorw paw. Mfona isdafwamw do ryw ddinw
po pari. Y rapwtp biron pinea a i sfirir, ddo isda a ni i noni isda rp y rapwtp lafwa imwnwa pi.
Irswmriddina, y rp sa y yr Oshwc'ha Rp. Y risda pw lomswc'hw dd pi.

PWR

!27

Oshw's Tree
One autumn long ago the god of winter and cold, Oshw, also known as Old Man Winter, was moving from his
home in the high mountains of Malomanan to the lowlands. He took with him his kingdom of Snow, for Oshws
coming heralds winter for Malomanan. Oshw travelled to Nonif Lafwpifa (territory of forest dwellings) and
declared it his. He was happy when the snow fell on the land of forest dwellings. Next he travelled to Ra Nonif
(long territory) and declared it his own. He was happy when the snow fell on the long territory. Next he travelled
to Nonif Lefsha (territory of deers birthing) but before he declared with his voice of howling wind, Oshw saw a
bright and beautiful sight..he saw the goddess of summer and warmth, si. Herself travelling to the southern
islands as summer gives way to winter. Her brown hair and brown eyes put a warmth in Oshws heart, such that
Oshw wanted to make si his wife. He took a seed of the brolaracwt tree and put forward his hand and asked
si to marry him. si said to the winter god You take my lands and make them your own, burying green grass under white
snow, if I marry you will you stop the retreat of summer? to which Oshw said si, ma lamlomnye (my summer one), day
must give way to night, life must give way to death and so summer must give way to winter, it breaks my heart but I cant stop the
retreat of summer. it breaks my heart too, lamwna (winter one). And with that she slapped Oshws hand and sent the
seed flying away and down to the ground. si travelled to the southern islands taking summer with her. Oshw
saw his love go away with sorrow in his heart and rage in his blood. He blew a screaming wind, heavy snow and
a fierce cold. Malomanan has not had such a cold winter before or since. The snow buried the seed and under
the snow it lay until spring came and the wind and snow stopped. And the seed grew so fast that within a few
minutes a 25 foot tall tree stood where a seed once was. Thousands of years later the tree still stands, bearing the
name Oshwa Rp (Oshws tree). When eaten the leaves are said to help cool down a fever.

Riora Shfinydwf ddodda

Darw if, b mwfy,
Y swm mbc'hinpa, Mw mra b binc'ha sonip ddin lirlafinpa. Mri noddan mw l nonimw c'hwlwo.
Orac'hw si pinw bran nwna isdafpa, s m swm nonswmpa. Yw vwc'hw lanonisdna, yw irw nochw
lafiroc'hw ye onda swlinpa. Ir no imwnwg mw ir iro. Ir nonpa ddina m fiy nonisdagh ir ddina ye lamwa
m ifgh. M swma byc'hw byc'hw ye nana ya byc'hw riorw sw. Dilc'hw ya Hwfiaic'ha swlinpa, y ddoby
swmna si yai lofc'hw Mfnac'ha mwlminpa mw y O ru y vc'hw ddna nonwpw yw lofc'hw mra
fifirnaddwf piarlonwpw. Dic'hw lamwc'hw Mfnac'ha ddofinpa l nonimwc'hwpwmw. Mw si dd. M
mwnac'hi sac'ha swfinic'ha, ye ngagianddanamw awnamw. Y a fna si, si dd, mc'hw Lifwnic'ha
piarlonwg. Mri mwc'hi mra sac'hw mwfwc'hw mra lwnc'hi'
Shfinyddyf

A Letter from Shfin to ddo

hello, dear brother.
The years have glided, but our bonds of family have held fast against the time. We have grown separately, but we
can join together once more. I have had a vision, growing clearer by the day, ever since I left on my journey. I
saw the mountains at dawn, the ocean at sunset, and the different lives of many throughout the day. They are all
so different, yet so close: so few times was I turned away, so often was I welcomed, as a stranger, into the home.
Throughout my journeys I saw a common vein run among the people of the land. A similar face here, a similar
enscription there. I saw a shadow of the Sumn, the First Nomads, watched over the deer of Malomanan, until
the Evil Wolf ru scoured the land with his maw and took the deer from our ancestors, scattering them, so
that they formed small communties around Malomanan, never again united. Until now. My vision is of a New
Sumn, united against the Antagan menace, the vile oppressors who are, at this moment, occupying Lemne
territory - we must make haste and defend our brothers of old!

from Shfin

PWR

!28

Pwr - English Dictionary

All the nouns given below are listed in by default
plural exept for nouns which are inherently singular

A
-a nonhuman agent suffix

c'hwpa n arses
c'hwmdd v decide

b adj related; n relationships

c'hwmlir v to force a decision upon someone

bipn n relatives; family

c'hwndi n east

bir v prefer

c'hwndi ydd n mornings; dawns

biro adj fast

c'hwodda adj sickly

bra adj bright

c'hwr v sin

brar v shine

cyw n mines; etymology: from the Somi cso 'hole,

pit'. This word is an oddiy for Pwr as it is the only
word to have /k/

brrr n glory
brarl n brightness
bri v love
-bw ordinal number suffix

D
da jobs, tasks; v to work
dd v want
-dda/-dd -ly/like

c'hw n married men

dd adv now

c'hw v to see what was once unseen

ddina n time

c'hw v forgive

ddin adv sometime soon

c'hwa forests

ddinanw adv very soon

c'ha n death

ddinw adv soon

c'hwalir v to die

ddio adj special

c'hwar v kill

ddir v to begin

c'hwi n sins

ddirpw n antlers

PWR

!29

ddsrwd v claim

dwc'ha n crows

ddof v build

dwfddina n nights

ddofwf v to begin (from Maifri dobsm 'first

travel')

dw-nonsa n night sky

ddomdira n bricks
ddopafir n milk
ddopamsa n fire drinks
ddw n moons
d adj thick
dm adj crazy
d adj little
di adj sad
dia adv immediately
dil n shadow of former glory (from di 'sad' + l
'something')
dilwnic'h n shields (from the Terch telnech 'shield'
though literally meaning 'hard protector')

E
n/interj attention
- multiple number suffix
antlerless male deer
conj and
other
dd n suns; stars
dd v eat
dd adv against
dda n Ozhabel the dragon
dda n mouths
ddi v to fish

dn n boys

ddpa n fevers

dnif n little sections of land, fields

f v remove

diram n walls

fmw v miss

dir n wood

fna n oppressors

dirnswma n wagons

fo n boobs; breasts

dirm n stones

swm n years

dirp n bones

lfw n morning

dirwb v admit

lanonisda n evening; sunset

d v to drink something that isnt water

lir v to force feed; to eat when not hungry

do conj for, as

mb v glide

do such

m v fly

dof v to imply, to address, to herald

m v run

dof n north

msa n fires

dofa adj difficult to carry

ms v burn

dofag v tired; exhausted

n v to be happy, to rejoice

dofmw adj forbidenn

na adj beautiful

dw then

nar n songs

dw adj black

PWR

!30

narin v to sing
ngagian n Antagan
nso adj white
pa adj cold
r n names
rba n cloaks; jackets
r v to open

both the horn and the word for it to the Pwrina

people.
fora n plains (habitat)
fwm v blow

G
gloc'hi interj sorry!

ro n birds (wen roosted or on the ground)

rwmloni v to be named

v smell

w v agree

-i female diminutive suffix

inanimate object diminutive

f every
fa everything
f always
fo everywhere
fna everyone
far v see at night
fi n blood
fi n air
fiddy-nonrac'ha n dictionaries
fifi v fold
ffirna n ancestors
finlafiro n mammals
finsora n wool
fior v flow
fior adj red
fira n ducks
fo n traditional Sumric dish
fomol n horns (musical; instrument) etymology: from
Somi fomomol (Pwr render the two identical syllables
as one 'om') itself borrowed from the Middle
Nmmezse fmhfyml. The large musical horn is
native to the Nmmezsic people but was copied by
the nomadic Somoi who adapted it into their own
culture. When they traveled to Pwrlw they introduced

PWR

yes
i conj if
dd v want to be happy
dda adj easy to do
ipa n games
if n grown up children
if adj afterlife
if v to greet
imwn v to be
imwnlir v to create (more abstract than 'to make'.
As in to create songs, poems, stories, paintings,
drawings etc)
imwnwdd than
ir adj last
ir adj big, much, very
ira adj high
iraf n hills
irfi n seas
irafi n highlands
irafiri n Gidhlig
irbia adv final
irnla n villages
irn n fathers

!31

irswmriddina n eons, great passing of time, long

wait, long amount of time
isda n hands
isdaf v have (archaic)
isdaf v take with permission
isdaflir v to own
isdwf n centres, middle
ist v carry
istwfilir v to catch

larna n soldiers
larswmi n war marchs
l n something
l some
lddina sometime
lmw somwhere
lna someone
lpw somehow
li adj blue
li v hope

L
la adj good
la n arm
la adj still
l n mothers
ladd n honour
lafiro n life
laf v do dwell
lafi n shelters
laf v smile
laflir v to cheer someone up, to make someone
smile

li n marshy meadows
l adv again
ld v argue
lifs n births
lifsl v to give birth
lifi n water
lifsc'hamw n birthplaces
lifiswm v sail
Lifwni n Lemne
lili v wrap
lina adj easy do learn
lir v do

lafirolir v to live

lirnars n art

lam n homes

lirlaf v make it remn

laminrma n hill dweller species

lirl v succeed

lamlifi n lakes

lilir v to inspire

lamlomni n summer
lam n towns

lirlu untill (noun after goes in genitive e.g lirlu y

rpa pinwrw 'until, the tree grow' or literally 'event of
the tree will it grow')

lamwa n winter

liro n colours

lar v battle

lirminimwlm n questions

lara n weapons

lirona n/adj peachy skin colour

laramwlmra n hunting weapons

lir v look

laria adj warlike

lirwm v know

PWR

!32

lirwmina adj wise

m n top

lirwm adj secret

mrm n heads

lo n piles

m only

lo n paths

m v hang

lo participle adjective suffix

m adj fast

lof n deer

mo adj great of character; noble

lofnanonr n consonants

m adj warm

lofninon autumn

mog adj confident (from mo 'noble' + 'and' + -g

'self')

lofnfa n boats
lom n hunted deer
lomsw v cool down
lomwlmi n predetermined choices
lomwa n stags
lon v to drink water
lonaf v get
lori n rivers
lor n streams
-lorna -phile
loft v help
-lw -ness
lwo adj heavy

M
m n lands
mc'h n worlds
ma adj angry
ma n buzzards
mon n rain
mnonr n vowels
mfwf n coasts
mnons n horizons
mirl n west
mirl adj normal

momw adj slow

-mw unmw no
mw adj gray
mw conj but
mw n places
mw never
mwa nothing
mw n mountains
mw no way
mwfw n brothers
mwl n male descendants, male surname prefix
mwlifro n hunter dogs
mwlifi n islands
mwlimlira n chiefs
mwlrlu n unbecomings
mwlm v hunt
mwlm lirwmina v learn
mwlmra n spears
mwlmr v to hunt birds
mwlmdi adj late
mwlmw adj lazy
mwlmwna n hunters
mwlorna -phobe
mwn v made

PWR

!33

mwna no one

nonimw v to unite

mwn v think

nonimwbri v marry

mwnc'h n thoughts

nonimwlo adj united

-mwno less

nonisdaf v to disown

mwnswm v climb

nonpa adj few

mwo nowhere

nonra n words

mwro n foxes

nonr n letters

nonsa n sky

na n people

nonswansa n snow

-na human agent suffix

nonswdda n blizzards

n v stop

nonswanswn v to bury with snow

n v to end

nonswm v to leave

npa adj weird

nons n voices

n-sfirw v to wake

nond v to finish

niof n large paths going through a village

nondpa onda n yesterday

ni adj short

nw all

ni n women

nw n men

Ni Female patrynomic prefix

nw- male patrynomic suffix

n adj green

nwfa n fools

nlaf n grass

nwfdda adj foolish

nim adj alone

nwm n sons

nim n daughters

nwm n light

nimp n married women

nwnifi n children

nir n fauns

nwrmwlif n hunting grounds

nirlifs n spring

nons n breath

no n fractions

no adj different

o subjunctive suffix

noddn adv separately

o adj many

nona n tribes

o n does

noni v to divide

a adj bad

nonif n regions

c'ha n evil hares (fictional creature)

nonifr v to put

w n menaces

PWR

!34

oda n bread

pia adj bare; naked

dd v to understand

par v force

n v to give something that belongs to you to

someone else

parlon v to take forcefully

nafa v to hear
om south

onda n days
ontw tomorrow
ora adj yellow
or v to pause momentarily before resuming
orc'h n temptations
orc'h v tempt
ori v to give something that doesnt belong to you
w v walk

P
-pa child diminutive
-pa past gerund suffix (finished, carved,written)-???
pa that
pa which
pona Scotland
parif since
pf v to buy
pfon v to graze
pi n valleys
pi who
pi n fights
pi n friends
pi when
p adj tight
pa n rage
pa try
-pa suff suffix whch gives a verb a sense of duty to
the agent

PWR

par n obedience; v to obey

pin v grow
pinlia Hauglen
pir v to fight
po or
po beer
po n health
po where
pof adj low
pofmi lowlands
pofmiri Scots language
poia adj healthy
pw why
pyf l n fines; fees
pyfl v to fine; to give a fee

R
ra adj long (distance, length); broad
rafa adj sharp
raf n animal horns
rap n trees
rapwtpa n trees seed
r adj strong
r adj funny
ra n birds in flight
ri v bird to fly; y r ric'hw 'the bird flies'
rpia adv mighty
r adj powerful screaming wind
r v to ask
ri n languages, speech

!35

ri adj difficult

s for (Benefactive)

rini v speak

sfir n nature

risda n leves

sla adj long (in reference to time)

riora n writings; letters

sh n knives

rior v writing

shc'h n swords

ro n dogs

si v to fix; repair; mend

ron v own a dog

si this

rona n dog owners

si that thing

ronim n stud dogs

si that

roninim n castrated dogs

si ddina adv now

ronpi n companion dogs

si onda today

rw n bitch dogs

s adj holy

rw n sweethearts (only used for women)

sif v hit

rwlm n bitch dogs in heat

sfira v dream; sleep; sfira mwlmdin v sleep v

to sleep in (conjugation goes on sfira)

rwm n puppies
rwm v walk without a destination
rwmlir v to lead
rwmlira n leaders
rwp v to murder

S
sa adj new, young, fresh
sa prep with
sa adj free
s adj brown
s v forget
sa adj old
s n stories
saddirn n grandfathers
saddirn n judges
sayirnw isdflu n rights
saf n still young children of a person
slir v to forget on purpose, to erase a memory

safiro n sacred deer

sna n gods
sipw this way
so cloth
sonc'h v give up
sor v owe
sor adj pnful
sonia therefore
soranonif n flags
sof n winds
s v find
sow that way
sw there
sw n air
-sw (approximate) ish
sw v go
swddi n face
swf v to travel
swla n day vision

PWR

!36

swlilir v to witness

able wna

swlilrna n witnesses

address v dof

swlipa v to patrol

admit v dirwb

swlipana n patrollers; guards, watchmen

afterlife n if

swlipac'hw n patrol

again adv l

swm v to trsvel

against adv dd

swmdd v fall

agent suffix (human) -na

swmlir v to trip someone up

ago parif

swm v come

agree v w

swma n feet

air n sw

swm n travels

all nw

swmbiroddn v hurry

alone adj nimw

swmf v come inside

always f

swmm v climb down

ancestors n ffirna

swmmlof n flights

and conj

swmlir v guide

angry adj ma

swmlira n travel guides

antler ddirpw

Swfini collective name for the Sumric people

swmwb v bring

W
wna able
wy v to be whisked away /uj/

English~Pwr
A
PWR

!37

blood n fi
antlerless male deer

blow v fwm

animal horns n raf

blue adj li

Antagan n ngagian

boats n lofnfa

argue v ld

bones n dirp

arms n la

boobs n fo

arses n c'hwpa

born v lifsl

art n lirinars

boy n dn

as conj to

bread n oda

ask v r

breaths n nons

attention interj ; n

breed v mwn

autumn n lofninon

bricks n ddomdira

bright adj bra

bad adj a

bring v swmwbi

bare adj pia

broad adj ra

baseline in Rsora script n mnons

brothers n mwfw

battles v lar

brown adj s

be v imwn

build v ddof

bear v ist

burn v ms

beautiful adj na

bury with snow v nonswanswn

beer n po

but conj mw

begin v ddir; ddofwf

buy v pf

birds (when roosted) n ro. (when in flight) n ra

buzzards n ma

births n lifs

brightness n brarl

big adj ir

villages n irnla

carry v ist

bind v nonim

castrated dogs n roninim

birthplaces n lifsc'hamw

catch v istwfilir

bitch dogs n rw

centres n isdwf

bitch dogs in heat n rwlm

cheer someone up n laflir

black adj dw

chiefs n mwlimlira

blizzards n nonswdda

children n nwnifi

PWR

!38

child diminutive -pa

dictionaries n fiddy-nonrac'ha

claim v ddsrwd

die v c'hwalir

climb v mwnswm

different adj no

climb down v swmm

difficult adj ri

cloaks n rba

difficult to carry adj dofa

cloths n so

disown v nonisdaf

coasts n mfwf

divide v non

coats n rba

do v lir

cold adj pa

does (female deer) n o

colours n liro

dogs n ro

come v swm

dog owners n rona

come inside v swmf

the dragon Ozhabel n dda

companion dogs n ronpi

dream v sfira

confident adj mog

drink v loni; to drink something that isnt water; v

d

conserve v lirlaf
consonants n lofna nonr

ducks n fira

cool down v lomsw

duty suff -pa (when attached to a verb gives a sense

of duty to the agent)

countries n nonif

dwell v lafi

crazy adj dm

create v imwnlir (more abstract than 'to make'. As in

to create songs, poems, stories, paintings, drawings
etc) in
crow n dwc'ha

east c'hwndi
easy :to learn adj lina; to do adj
eat v dd
end v n

dark adj dw

eon n irswmriddina

daughters n nifa

erase a memory v slir

dawns n c'hwndi ydd

evenings n lanonisda

days n onda

every f

day vision n swla

everyone fna

death(s) n c'hwa

everything fa

decide v c'hwlmdd

everywhere fo

deer n lof

evil hare (fictional creature) n c'ha

descend v swmm

exhausted adj dofag

PWR

!39

eyes n swla

for (Benefactive) s

forbidenn adj dofmw

faces n swddi

force a decision upon someone v c'hwmlir

fall v swmmd

forests n c'hwa

fast adj biro; mo

forest shelters n lamwf

fathers n irn

forget v s

fauns n nir

forget on purpose v slir

fees n pyfl

forgive v c'hws

female diminutive suffix -i

feet n swma

female patrynomic prefix Ni

foxes n mwro

fevers n pa

fractions n no

few nonpa

free adj sa

fights n pi

friends n pi

fight v pir

funny adj r

final adv irbia

force v pari

find v s

fine v pyfl

Gidhlig n irafiri

fines n pyf l

games n ipa

finish v nond

get v lonaf

fires n msa

giv; something that belongs to you v n; something

that doesnt belong to you v or

fire drinks n ddopamsa

first adj ddobw
fish v ddi
fix v si
flags n soranonif
flights n swmmlof
flow v fior
fly v m; a bird to fly v ri
fold v fifi
follow v lirwmi
fools n nwfa
foolish adj nwfdda

PWR

give up v sonc'h
glide v mb
glory n brrr (shining name)
go v sw
gods n sna
good adj la
grandfathers n saddirn
grass n nlaf
gray adj mw
graze v pfon
great of character adj mo
green adj n

!40

greet v if
grow v pin
grown up children n if
guide v swmlir

H
hair n fi
heads n mrm
healths n po
healthy adj poia
hearts n nafa
heavy adj lwo
hands n isda
hang v m

as one 'om') itself borrowed from the Middle

Nmmezse fmhfyml. The large musical horn is
native to the Nmmezsic people but was copied by
the nomadic Somoi who adapted it into their own
culture. When they traveled to Pwrlw they introduced
both the horn and the word for it to the Pwrina
people.
how pw
hunt v mwlm
hunt birds v mwlmr
hunted deer n lom
hunter n mwlmna
hunter dogs n mwlifro
hunting groups n nwrmwlif
hunting weapons n laramwlmra
hurry v swmbiroddn

happy v n

hard adj di

if conj i

have v isdaf (archaic)

immediate adv dia

have sex v mwn

imply v dof

help v lof

inanimate diminutive

herald v dof

inspire v lilir

hey! interj

-ish (approximate)-sw

high adj ira

-ish (denotes origin e.g Scottish) -na

highlands n irafi

islands n mwlifi

hills n iraf
histories n samisa

hit v sif

jackets n rba

hold v l

jobs n da

holy adj s

judges n sayirnw

homes n lam

honour n ladd
hope v li
horizons n mnons
horns n fomol (musical; instrument) etymology: from
Somi fomomol (Pwr render the two identical syllables

PWR

kill v c'hwar
knives n sh
know v lirwm

!41

mammals n finlafiro

lands n m

many adj/adv o

languages n ri

married men n c'hwa

last adj ir

married women n nimp

late adj mwlmdi

marry v nonimwbri

lazy adj mwlmw

marshy meadows n li

large paths going through a village n niof

mate v mwn

lead v rwmlir

mean v dof

leader n rwmlira

menaces n w

leaves n risda

mend v si

learn v mwlm lirwminna

mightily adv rpia

leave v nonswm

milk n ddopafir

Lemne n Lifwni

mines n cyw; etymology: from the Somi cso 'hole,

pit'. This word is an oddiy for Pwr as it is the only
word to have /k/

-less -mwno
letters (graphemes) n nonr
letters (written messages) n riora
lives n lafiro
lights n nwm
like v lor
little adj d
little sections of land dnif
live v lafirolir
lakes n lamlifi
long (distance, lenght) adj ra 2) time; adj sla

men n nw

miss v pmw
moons n ddw
mornings n c'hwndi ydd; lfw
mothers n l
mountains n mw
mouths n dda
much ir
multiple number suffix -
murder v rwp

look v lir

love v bri

naked adj pia

low adj pof

names n r

lowland pofmi

to be named v rwmlon

-ly/like -dda/dd

nature n sfir

-ness -lw

make v ddof

never mw
new adj sa

make it remain v lirlaf

PWR

!42

nights n dwfddina

peach skin colour adj lirona

night sky n dw-nonsa

people n na

night vision n fira

-phile -lorna

no mw

-phobe mwlorna

nonhuman agent suffix -a

piles n lo

no one mwna

places n mw

normal adj mirlw

plains (habitat) n fora

north dof

powerful winds adj r

nothing mwa

prefer v bir

now adv dd, si ddina

predetermined choices n lomwlmi

no way mw

protect v lwn

nowhere mwo

puppies n rwm

put v nonifri

obedience n par

obey v par

question n lirminimwlm

odd adj npa

old adj sa

only mo

rage n pa

open n r

rain n mon

oppressors n fna

red adj fior

or conj po

regions n nonif

ordinal number suffix -bw

related adj b

other

relationships n b

owe v sor

relatives n bipn (can also mean 'family' when

plural)

own v isdaflir
own a dog v ron

remove v f
rejoice v n
repair v si

painful adj sor

rights (as in a right to own or do something) n

sayirnw isdflu (inflection goes on 'sayirnw')

participle adjective suffix lo

rivers n lori

paths n lo

run v m

patrol n swlipac'hw; v swlipa

pause momentarily before resuming v or

PWR

!43

sacred deer n safiro

somewhere lmw

sacred rituals n lirwso

sad adj di

sons n nwm; male patrynimic prefix nw Nwn

'son of In'. Th prefix caues vowel mutation on the
first vowel of the name.

sail v lifiswm

songs v nar

Scotland pona

soon adv very soon ddinanw; soon ddinw; sometime

ddin

Scots language pofmiri

seas n irfi
secret adj lirwm
see; at night v fari; at day v swlin; what was once
unseen v c'hw

sorry interj gloc'hi

south omw
speak v rin
special adj ddio

separately adj noddn

speech n ri

shadow of former glory n dil

spring n nirlifs

sharp adj rafa

spears n mwlmra

shields n dilwnic'h (from the Terch telnech 'shield'

though literally meaning 'hard protector')

stags n lomwa

shelters n lafi
shine v brar
short adj ni
sickly adj c'hwoia
sin(s) v c'hwri; n c'hw
since parif
sing v narin
sky n nonsa
sleep v sfira; to sleep in v sfira mwlmdin
(conjugation goes on sfira)

still adj la
still young children of a person n saf
stop v n
stories n s
streams n lor
stones n dirm
strong adj r
stud dogs n ronim
subjunctive suffix -o
succeed v lirlf

slow adj momw

such do

smell v

summer lamlomni

smile v laf; to make someone smile v laflir

sunsets n lanonsida

snow n nonswansa

sweethearts n rw (only used for women)

soldiers n larna

swords n shc'h

some l
somehow lpw

someone lna

take; forcefully v parlon; with permission v isdaf

something v l

tasks n da

sometime lddina

tempt v orc'hi

PWR

!44

temptations n orc'h

unbecomings n mwlrlu

territories n nonif

understand v dd

than imwnwdd

unite v nonimw

that (thing) si

united adj nonimwlo

that si

untill lirlu (noun after goes in genitive e.g lirlu y

rpa pinwrw 'until, the tree grow' or literally 'event of
the tree will it grow')

that so
that way sow
then dw

there swn, sw

valleys n pi

therefore sonia

very ir

think v mwn

villages n irnla

thick adj d

voices n nons

this si

vowels n ma nonr

this way sipw

thoughts n mwnc'h
tie v nonimw
tight adj p
time n ddina
tired adj dofag
today si onda
tomorrow ontw
top n m
towns n lam
travel(s) n swm; v swmi
travel guides n swmlira
trees n rap
trees see n rapwtpa
tribes n nona
trip someone up v swmlir
try v pa

U
un- -mw

wagons n dirnswma
wake up v n-sfirw
walk v w; without a destination v rwm
walls n diram
want v dd
want to be happy v dd
wars n la
warlike adj laria
war marches n larswmi
warm adj m
watch v swlipac'hw
water n lifi
weapons n lara
weird adj npa
west mirl
wet meadows n li
what pa
when pi
where po

PWR

!45

which pa

wool n finsora

to be whisked away v

words n nonra

white adj nso

work v da

who pi

worlds mc'h

why pw

wrap v lili

winds n sof

write v rior

winter lamwa

writings n riora

wise adj lirwminna

with prep sa

years n swm

witness v swlilir

yellow adj ora

witnesses n swlilrna

yes

wolves n ro

yesterday nondpa onda

women n ni
wood n dir

Pwr phrasebook
This section will tell you more about the everyday speech and phrases in Pwr. I will list the phrase in English
followed by the phrase in Pwr, followed by a word for word translation of the Pwr in brackets

Greetings
Hello dw if (I greet you). Or when addressing two or more people darw if

How are you? pa ga lif rin? (What are you to it saying?) or to two or more people pa lif rin?

-I am great! narin! (I am singing!)

-I am very good! n! (I rejoice!)

-I am good/ alright lan rin (I say well)

PWR

!46

-I am not so good rinmw (I am not saying)

-and you? dw?

What's your name? pa da rn dw rwpw? (What your father you named?)

My name is... ...m yr imwnw (...my name is)

Where are you from?

formal: po da lifsc'hamw imwnw? (Where your birthplace is?)

informal: ga pa mddwf (are you which place-from?)

I'm from ... ...-ddwf imwn (place-from I am. The location is put in the delative case and undergoes final vowel
mutation and uses the suffix -ddwf)

-I'm from Pfunlumw (fictional Pwrdda village) Pfunlumddwf imwn

Pleased to meet you

mra f la imwnw (our meeting good is)

Good morning/afternoon l nons (blue sky)

Good evening/night (a general greeting for after sunset) m msa (warm fires)

Goodnight (said before going to bed) dw if ontw (you tomorrow I will greet) or to two or more people darw if
ontw

Bye! dw narini (sing!) or to two or more people darw narini

Good luck la daroa (good you-on)

Toast used when drinking s mri nw! (For us and all)

I don't understand ddmw (I don't understand)

Please speak more slowly dw momwn lifwna rini (you slowly beside it speak)

PWR

!47

Please say that again

pa rinara? (What you said?)

Do you speak Pwr? ga Prna rin? (Do you by means of Pwr speak?)

Yes, a little , nu (yes, a part)

How do you say... pw owo...rin? (how would I...say?)

-in Pwr? Prna? (By means of Pwr?)

How do you say 'yes' in Pwr? pw owo 'yes' rin Prna?

Sorry gloc'h! (Calm! Said when the action was accidental)

-dw mw c'hwsc'hi (forgive me, said when the action was done on purpose). Or to two or more people darw
mw c'hwsc'hi

Thank you: formal; dafina n (I rejoice because of you)

informal: mwc'h

Response to thank you/you are welcome: formal and informal: la (good)

I love you dw bric'h

Help! lofdi!

Stop! nc'hi!

Dialogue
1=speaker 1
2=speaker 2

PWR

1: dw if

!48

2: dw if

1: lan rin, po da lifsc'hamw imwnw?

1: pa ga lif rin?

2: Fruddwf imwn (Fru is a Pwrina village)

2: lan rin, dw?

1: Pfunlumddwf imwn, pa da rn dw rwpw?

2: Mro m yr imwnw
1: mra f la imwnw Mro, Wgofswo m yr imwnw

Sound Changes from Maifri > Pwr

tg/_
kp/_
ugw/#- (with a medial stage of /gu/)
bf/V_V
g /V_V
g/u_
u/w_
mf/V_V
ao/_
uu/_
uu/_
h/_ (except when a lenited consonant)
gx/_
vf/_
ae/_
ae/#_
s/V_V
d/_V
t/_V
j/_V
/_

PWR

!49