Unary Suffixes
Unary suffixes are a type of affix that can appear after many types of syllables, such as: nouns, noun suffixes, verb prefixes, verbs, verb suffixes,
prepositions, numbers and other unary suffixes. They may even be embedded within compound words.
The only parts of speech a unary suffixes can't modify are noun prefixes (because anything following a noun prefix becomes a noun), and preposition prefixes.
A unary suffix indicates the quality or degree of the word that immediately precedes it.
The only parts of speech a unary suffixes can't modify are noun prefixes (because anything following a noun prefix becomes a noun), and preposition prefixes.
A unary suffix indicates the quality or degree of the word that immediately precedes it.
List of Unary Suffixes
Primal has twelve unary suffixes:
The remainder of the lesson describes the normal use of these suffixes.
| Unary Suffix | Pronounced | Meaning | Description |
| kE | (kel) | beyond | Something that surpasses the concept entirely. |
| Jy | (jee) | maximal | Absolute perfection or purity of the concept. Totally. |
| Xy | (zhee) | extreme | An incredible example. Excellent. Extremely. |
| ty | (tsee) | great | A good example. Above-average. Very. |
| ma | (ma) | moderate | A moderate or average example. Somewhat. |
| Hy | (khhee) | poor | A poor example of the concept. Below-average. |
| sy | (see) | slight | A terrible example of the concept. Barely. |
| Xr | (zhur) | lacking | The concept is entirely lacking. Exactly 0%. None. |
| Hr | (khhur) | not | Something other than the concept. Not. |
| WU | (wul) | sort-of | Something similar to the concept, but not exact. Quasi. |
| Jw | (jooh) | anti | The polar opposite of the concept. Anti. |
| ky | (kee) | cute | Endearment modifier. Adorable, cute version. |
The remainder of the lesson describes the normal use of these suffixes.
Describing Nouns and Verbs
The quality or degree of a noun or verb is described by a unary suffix. Because unary suffixes modify many kinds of words, they often act like simple
adjectives or adverbs describing degree, such as English "very", "barely" or "not". Here is an example with each suffix, using some common nouns and verbs:
The unary suffix kE (kel, "beyond") is not commonly used, outside of exaggeration.
The next seven unary suffixes, Jy (jee, "maximal"), Xy (zhee, "extreme"), ty (tsee, "great"), ma (ma, "moderate"), Hy (khhee, "poor"), sy (see, "slight"), and Xr (zhur, "lacking") define a strict scale of order. This order does not indicate the "social quality" of items, as with English "a bad day". The unary suffixes describe how accurate a word is, not wheter it is good or bad. For example, the phrase faQsy (fadth-see, "slight cat") does not mean "a terrible cat". It means, "a slightly feline thing". The only situation where unary suffixes imply "good" or "bad" is when they modify words that have those intrinsic meanings, such as the noun dVt (dzeerts, "quality").
The unary suffix Xr (zhur, "lacking") and Hr (khhur, "not") are both similar to English concepts of "no", "none" and "not". The difference between these suffixes is that Xr (zhur, "lacking") means "exactly zero/none", while Hr (khhur, "not") means "something else". For example:
The unary suffix Jw (jooh, "anti") means "the opposite". Because most words in Primal already have a compliment, it is less commonly used.
Finally, the unary suffix ky (kee, "cute") is a modifier that makes words playfully diminutive, similar to English "friend" becoming "buddy", "mom" becoming "mommy", and "please" becoming "pretty please".
| Compound word | Pronounced | Literal Meaning | Intended Meaning |
| vUkE | (vul-kel) | number beyond | innumerable |
| xAJy | (shal-jee) | water maximal | pure water |
| jGfXy | (chohlf-zhee) | newness extreme | brand new |
| kFnty | (kayn-tsee) | know-about great | know well |
| mrma | (mur-ma) | pleasure moderate | somewhat pleasant |
| dVtHy | (dzeerts-khhee) | quality poor | low quality |
| xrsy | (shur-see) | see slight | barely see |
| mBpXr | (moip-zhur) | home lacking | no home |
| vyHr | (vee-khhur) | think not | not think about |
| kCkWU | (kauwk-wul) | plant-(noun) sort-of | plant-like thing |
| kamJw | (kam-jooh) | help anti | hinder, impede |
| faQky | (fadth-kee) | cat cute | kitty |
The unary suffix kE (kel, "beyond") is not commonly used, outside of exaggeration.
The next seven unary suffixes, Jy (jee, "maximal"), Xy (zhee, "extreme"), ty (tsee, "great"), ma (ma, "moderate"), Hy (khhee, "poor"), sy (see, "slight"), and Xr (zhur, "lacking") define a strict scale of order. This order does not indicate the "social quality" of items, as with English "a bad day". The unary suffixes describe how accurate a word is, not wheter it is good or bad. For example, the phrase faQsy (fadth-see, "slight cat") does not mean "a terrible cat". It means, "a slightly feline thing". The only situation where unary suffixes imply "good" or "bad" is when they modify words that have those intrinsic meanings, such as the noun dVt (dzeerts, "quality").
The unary suffix Xr (zhur, "lacking") and Hr (khhur, "not") are both similar to English concepts of "no", "none" and "not". The difference between these suffixes is that Xr (zhur, "lacking") means "exactly zero/none", while Hr (khhur, "not") means "something else". For example:
- no animal at all: kaNXr (kang-zhur, "animal lacking")
- something which is not an animal: kanHr (kang-khhur, "animal not")
The unary suffix Jw (jooh, "anti") means "the opposite". Because most words in Primal already have a compliment, it is less commonly used.
Finally, the unary suffix ky (kee, "cute") is a modifier that makes words playfully diminutive, similar to English "friend" becoming "buddy", "mom" becoming "mommy", and "please" becoming "pretty please".
Describing Other Words
Unary suffixes can modify verb suffixes. The unary suffix modifies the syllable it directly follows, but the verb suffix always modifies the verb.
For example, consider the following four verbs:
Unary suffixes can't modify noun prefixes, because anything following a noun prefix becomes a noun.
Unary suffixes can modify verb prefixes, to exaggerate tense. For example:
- want to help: kamdy (kam-dzee, "help desire")
- want to not-help: kamXrdy (kam-zhur-dzee, "help lacking desire")
- don't want to help: kamdyXr (kam-dzee-zhur, "help desire lacking")
- don't want to not-help: kamXrdyXr (kam-zhur-dzee-zhur, "help lacking desire lacking")
Unary suffixes can't modify noun prefixes, because anything following a noun prefix becomes a noun.
Unary suffixes can modify verb prefixes, to exaggerate tense. For example:
- will take: fumSz (f'marz, "future take")
- will take right away: fusymSs (f'see-marz, "future slight take")
- will take eventually: futymSs (f'tsee-marz, "future great take")
- happened a very long time ago: puXyly (p'zhee-lee, "past extreme do")
- not the purest water: xAJyHr (shal-jee-khhur, "water maximal not")