Appearance
Sakes (/ɡ/ / /th/ / /w/)
English good for me and costs me say what something does for a person. Agazan names that payoff as a sake: something good for a person, a psychological payoff you can name (autonomy, competence, understanding, purpose, relatedness, beneficence, pleasure, physical, or an unspecified sake). It means for your sake (what is good for you), not for argument's sake. A sake word also carries your stance, how the thing stands toward that sake: it serves the sake or detracts from it. An unmet sake is a cost to name, not a lack in you.
On this page
Beginner
Put the sake word on /ɡ/ after a noun you keep, to say how that belonging stands toward the sake. Put it on /th/ to say how the whole event stands toward it. When the noun is not yours, personal possession shows how to point at it instead.
Sake inventory
Nine published roots are the sakes you can name, and no other root takes the sake form. Pick one row. With mid-word th and a stance vowel after it (below), that root means the sake in the English column, not the everyday object in Same root as.
| Agazan | Use | English | Same root as | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ahu | autonomy sake | autonomy (choice, agency, self-direction) | ahul ballot | 🗳️: voting is choosing for yourself |
ulo | competence sake | competence (efficacy, skill, getting things to work) | ulol toolbox | 🧰: the kit that gets things working |
ado | understanding sake | understanding (making sense, learning, discovery) | adol lightbulb | 💡: the light goes on when it makes sense |
ame | purpose sake | purpose (meaning, direction, an aim that matters) | amel compass | 🧭: a heading worth following |
ana | relatedness sake | relatedness (connection, belonging, care) | anal knot | 🪢: ties people together |
ebe | beneficence sake | beneficence (making someone better off) | ebel present | 🎁: a gift leaves someone better off |
ozo | pleasure sake | pleasure (enjoyment, comfort, aesthetic payoff) | ozol strawberry | 🍓: sweetness you enjoy |
oyu | physical sake | physical (health, exercise, food, sleep, shelter, safety from harm) | oyul lungs | 🫁: breathing easy means the body is well |
ega | a sake without picking among the eight | unspecified sake | egal egg | 🥚: not yet a specific kind |
Compare with: zahul is a ballot, and gahul is ballot-like. With mid-word tha / thu, ahu is the autonomy sake.
Compare with: when / always / never on /h/ is a restrictor. This page names a sake.
Which sake?
Each sake answers a different question about what pays off. Ask the question, then pick the row.
| Sake | What pays off |
|---|---|
| autonomy | I chose it. |
| competence | It worked; I can do this. |
| understanding | It makes sense; I learned something. |
| purpose | It matters. |
| relatedness | We're connected. |
| beneficence | Someone is better off because of me. |
| pleasure | It feels good. |
| physical | My body is cared for and safe. |
Compare with: competence is how well it goes; purpose is whether it is worth doing. A failed try at something that matters still serves purpose, and it detracts from competence. Mastering a pointless puzzle serves competence, not purpose.
Compare with: competence is whether it works; understanding is whether it makes sense. You can fix a machine you do not understand, and understand stars you can never change. A task that is too easy can meet competence and still leave understanding unmet: that is the boredom of nothing new to learn.
Compare with: something new for its own sake (new sights, variety) is pleasure. Understanding pays off when the new thing fits: an hour of headlines can serve pleasure and leave understanding unmet.
Compare with: relatedness lives in the bond, and it runs both ways. Beneficence lives in the effect: your act left someone better off, with or without a bond. An anonymous donation serves beneficence and leaves relatedness alone; an easy evening with friends serves relatedness with no one helped. Being helped is not your beneficence: it serves whichever sake of yours the help met.
Compare with: purpose needs an aim that matters to you; beneficence needs someone who is actually better off. Writing a novel serves purpose with no one helped; fixing a stranger's tire serves beneficence with little purpose. When an act does both, name both.
Compare with: autonomy is I chose it; purpose is it matters. Being handed a task you believe in serves purpose and can still detract from autonomy.
Met (tha): serves the sake
To say that a belonging of yours serves a sake (pays it off), write that thing as a noun, then a /ɡ/ word: sake root, mid-word th, a, then an ending. That adjective describes the noun. The ending says the payoff's time horizon: whether the payoff lasts or arrives right away. With -m, you leave the time horizon unstated:
zahazal gulotham.z-house | g-competence-met-any-term
"My house serves competence."
Not the same job as: ability (can sing). Ability joins an activity root to its vowel with x. A sake word joins a sake root with th, and tha means serves this sake.
Time horizon (endings on met)
On a serves word, the ending says when the payoff lands: -l lasting, -m unstated, -r immediate. That order, from -l (most settled) through -m (the default) to -r (most passing), is the settled-to-passing scale, and other sake endings reuse it. Neither end is better; a good day needs both. If you do not know, use -m.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
…thal | serves the sake over time | lasting | -l ≈ lasting |
…tham | serves the sake; time horizon unstated (soft default if unknown) | serves | -m ≈ open |
…thar | serves the sake right away | immediate | -r ≈ right now |
zebel ganathal.z-present | g-relatedness-met-lasting
"My gift serves relatedness in the long term."
zugul gulothar.z-book | g-competence-met-immediate
"My book serves competence right now."
An immediate payoff is often exactly what is needed:
zozol gozothar.z-strawberry | g-pleasure-met-immediate
"My strawberry is a pleasure right now."
Unmet (thu): detracts from the sake
To say that a belonging of yours detracts from a sake, write that thing as a noun, then a /ɡ/ word: sake root, mid-word th, u, then an ending.
That ending is changeability: how lasting the harm to the sake is, on the same settled-to-passing scale as met. If you do not know, use -m.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
…thul | the detriment is fixed as far as you can tell | irreversible | -l ≈ lasting |
…thum | effort or circumstance may soften the detriment (soft default if unknown) | modifiable | -m ≈ open to change |
…thur | the detriment has no lasting impact | passing | -r ≈ right now |
zugul gulothum.z-book | g-competence-unmet-modifiable
"My book detracts from competence (modifiable)."
One noun can carry both a tha word and a thu word. The pair can run either way: good now, costly later (an immediate tha word and a lasting thu word), or costly now, good later:
zugul gozothur gulothal.[z-book | g-pleasure-unmet-passing | g-competence-met-lasting]
"My book is a slog for now, but it builds lasting competence."
Word shape
A sake word is a sake root with mid-word th, a stance vowel, and an ending. On /ɡ/ it describes a noun you keep; on /th/ it describes the event. A noun that is not yours takes the stimulus word, with the same sake word on /w/ immediately before it.
A sake word ends in -l, -m, or -r, from that stance’s table. It never takes -n. The stance itself is one vowel after th. On any other root, mid-word th plus a vowel is label scope: what kind of claim a label makes.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
tha | the belonging or event pays off this sake | serves / met | a ≈ add (the payoff is in) |
thu | the belonging or event subtracts from this sake | detracts from / unmet | u ≈ undo (the sake is taken down) |
On /th/, the sake word says how the event itself stands toward the sake:
zazawan vezebel thulotham.z-Azawan | v-tell | th-competence-met-any-term
"Azawan tells, and that serves competence."
Without mid-word th, the root keeps its everyday sense: gahul is ballot-like, and hozol is the adverb from strawberry.
Personal possession
A sake word on /ɡ/ also says the noun is yours, with no separate word for my. That shortcut makes thanks and costs cheap to say about the things you already call my X. To say who owns something without naming a sake, use gegabem plus /b/ (joins). Someone else's thing uses that pair too, never a sake word alone on /ɡ/.
When the noun is not yours (weather, a gathering, another person’s church), follow it with the adjective gobum, as stimulus: the thing you react to, not something you keep. Put the same met or unmet word you would use on /ɡ/ on /w/ immediately before gobum, as extra detail on it. (cue: ☝️ point: you point at the thing; you do not hold it)
zabezam wahuthur gobum.z-gathering | [w-autonomy-unmet-passing | g-stimulus]
"The gathering detracts from autonomy right now (passing)."
The same /w/ sake word can sit before any adjective. Then it is about that property: the tea's heat is what serves pleasure, not the tea as a whole. gobum is the case where the property is the noun itself, as the thing you react to.
zedehel wozotham gahadul.z-tea | [w-pleasure-met-any-term | g-hot]
"The tea is pleasantly hot."
As a plain noun, zobul is emphasis. gobum with no /w/ sake word before it names no sake. An event (this raining, this telling) takes its sake word on /th/ on the clause, whether or not it is yours.
| Agazan | Use | English | Same root as | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
gobum | unowned noun as sake-target | as stimulus | obul emphasis | ☝️: you point at it rather than keep it |
Practice
Short drills for Beginner. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a shelter tent
New words:
| English | Agazan | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| tent | ededul | ⛺ |
| wind | ewedul | 🌬️ |
| autonomy | ahul | 🗳️ from ballot: voting is choosing for yourself |
| competence | ulol | 🧰 from toolbox: the kit that gets things working |
| understanding | adol | 💡 from lightbulb: the light goes on when it makes sense |
| beneficence | ebel | 🎁 from present: a gift leaves someone better off |
| physical | oyul | 🫁 from lungs: breathing easy means the body is well |
| pleasure | ozol | 🍓 from strawberry: sweetness you enjoy |
| sake | egal | 🥚 from egg: not yet a specific kind |
| stimulus | gobum | ☝️ from point: you point at it rather than keep it |
Review:
| English | Agazan |
|---|---|
| Azawan | azawan |
| Ahaben | ahaben |
| knife | anaval |
| basket | abezal |
| bucket | abegul |
| cookie | ugugol |
| rain | erehel |
| thunderstorm | avodel |
| night | anadal |
| cook | vugugal |
| sing | vezehel |
English → Agazan
1. My tent serves the physical sake in the long term.
Show answer
zededul goyuthal.
z-tent | g-physical-met-lasting
2. My knife is good for me.
Show answer
zanaval gegatham.
z-knife | g-sake-met-any-term
3. The wind detracts from the physical sake right now (passing).
Show answer
zewedul woyuthur gobum.
z-wind | [w-physical-unmet-passing | g-stimulus]
4. The thunderstorm detracts from pleasure (modifiable).
Show answer
zavodel wozothum gobum.
z-thunderstorm | [w-pleasure-unmet-modifiable | g-stimulus]
5. Azawan cooks, and that serves pleasure right now.
Show answer
zazawan vugugal thozothar.
z-Azawan | v-cook | th-pleasure-met-immediate
6. My basket detracts from autonomy (modifiable).
Show answer
zabezal gahuthum.
z-basket | g-autonomy-unmet-modifiable
Agazan → English
1. zabegul gebethal.
Show answer
z-bucket | g-beneficence-met-lasting
My bucket serves beneficence in the long term.
2. zerehel woyuthum gobum.
Show answer
z-rain | [w-physical-unmet-modifiable | g-stimulus]
The rain detracts from the physical sake (modifiable).
3. zugugol gozothar.
Show answer
z-cookie | g-pleasure-met-immediate
My cookie is a pleasure right now.
4. zazawan vezehel thulothum.
Show answer
z-Azawan | v-sing | th-competence-unmet-modifiable
Azawan sings, and that detracts from competence (modifiable).
5. zededul gozothur goyuthal.
Show answer
[z-tent | g-pleasure-unmet-passing | g-physical-met-lasting]
My tent is unpleasant for now, but it serves the physical sake in the long term.
6. zanadal wadotham gobum.
Show answer
z-night | [w-understanding-met-any-term | g-stimulus]
The night serves understanding.
Pick one
1. My knife detracts from competence (modifiable). zanaval gulothum. or zanaval gulotham.
Show answer
zanaval gulothum.
z-knife | g-competence-unmet-modifiable
thu detracts from the sake; tha serves it.
2. Ahaben sings, and that serves pleasure. zahaben vezehel thozotham. or zahaben gozotham vezehel.
Show answer
zahaben vezehel thozotham.
z-Ahaben | v-sing | th-pleasure-met-any-term
The singing is an event, so its sake word goes on /th/; on /ɡ/ after zahaben it would describe Ahaben.
Fix it
1. The rain serves pleasure. zerehel gozotham.
Show answer
zerehel wozotham gobum.
z-rain | [w-pleasure-met-any-term | g-stimulus]
A sake word alone on /ɡ/ says the rain is yours; for a thing you do not keep, put the sake word on /w/ before gobum.
Intermediate
Emotion compose
English emotion words (anxious, resentful, proud) often do judgment or explanation work: one label packs in what is at stake and why it feels that way. In Agazan you name the pieces instead, on one word: the sake stance on the situation, a locus (where the feeling sits or what it points at), and a motion ending (how the feeling moves). The sake word keeps its stance vowel and its ending letter, then adds the locus (the vowels of a hook) and the motion ending. You can then say what you make of a situation without leaning on a single emotion word.
Put that word where any sake word goes: on /ɡ/ after a belonging, on /w/ immediately before stimulus gobum when the noun is not yours, or on /th/ by itself when the feeling has no object. For the bare noun emotion, with no judgment to explain, use the compound zaholohahal (the water of the heart).
zezebel wulothuraor gobum.z-speech | [w-competence-unmet-passing-CIRCUM-SURGING | g-stimulus]
"Anxious about the dialogue:" competence at stake for now; it hangs over the room; it surges.
Build it from the plain sake word: wulothur (competence, unmet, passing) + ao (over: CIRCUM) + -r (SURGING) = wulothuraor. The sake word's own ending (-r here) now sits mid-word and keeps its meaning.
The locus uses the hook vowels you already know. A placement locus says where the feeling sits:
| Locus | Hook | Use | English |
|---|---|---|---|
a | in | INTERNAL | mine, held inside |
ao | over | CIRCUM | the atmosphere of the situation |
uo | through | UNPLACED | I can't place where it comes from (no single source) |
A direction locus says what the charge points at:
| Locus | Hook | Use | English |
|---|---|---|---|
o | at | AIMED | the charge lands on a target (annoyed at, grateful to, pressing for) |
oe | toward | SEEKING | turning to someone for comfort or safety |
ue | against | RESISTING | pushing back (objecting to, fighting) |
e | for | ON-BEHALF | felt for someone's sake (upset for) |
u | from | AWAY | moving off (avoiding, fleeing, disengaging, hiding) |
ua | out of | COLLAPSE | out of fight: giving up (defeated by) |
ae | using | FAWN | using yourself to placate (appeasing) |
A direction names the dominant pull when feelings mix; use two feeling words for two pulls. AIMED lands on a party or a goal; RESISTING opposes an outcome or a demand. ON-BEHALF is your own feeling about someone else's stake (to say the feeling is theirs, name them as its holder); FAWN is placating someone for your own safety.
Name the landmark with a /b/ word right after the feeling (after gobum when the feeling is on /w/): the target of a direction, or the situation for CIRCUM. INTERNAL and UNPLACED take no /b/: they have no landmark. A direction with no /b/ points at the stimulus noun when there is one, otherwise at someone unnamed.
zumel wanathumol gobum balahen.z-memo | [[w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-STILL | g-stimulus] | b-Alahen]
"Resentful at Alahen about the memo, gone still."
The motion ending says how the feeling moves, on the settled-to-passing scale: -l is the most settled, -m is the ordinary case, and -r the most passing, lasting only right now. (cue: a feeling is water: still, a current, or a wave)
| Motion ending | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| -l | STILL | not moving: held, frozen, numb | -l ≈ lasting: still water |
| -m | FLOWING | moving steadily, at a pace you can ride | -m ≈ the ordinary case: a current |
| -r | SURGING | moving in waves or spikes: rising, falling, swinging | -r ≈ right now: a wave |
Motion is how the feeling moves, not how strong it is. Strong but steady anger is flowing, and so is calm contentment. Fury held in check and a numb flatness are both still. Surging and still are information, not verdicts: surging can be a cue to ground; still can be a cue to rest, or to re-engage gently. Freezing is STILL: AWAY with -l is frozen, wanting out.
Say how strong the feeling is with a degree word on /w/ right before the feeling word. Before a /ɡ/ feeling it grades that adjective as usual. Before a /w/ feeling, it grades the feeling, not the stimulus. With no degree word, strength is unstated.
zebeyom wohahal gulothamar.z-draft | [w-ocean | g-competence-met-any-term-INTERNAL-SURGING]
"Overwhelmingly proud of the draft."
zumel wamazam wanathumom gobum balahen.z-memo | [[w-small | w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-FLOWING | g-stimulus] | b-Alahen]
"A little irritated at Alahen about the memo, steadily."
The locus plus the motion ending is the emotion tail. It goes on met tha, motive tho, and unmet thu words. Prescription the is advice, not a feeling, so it takes no tail. A word with no tail (wulothur) is an ordinary sake word.
| Agazan | English |
|---|---|
zezebel wulothuraor gobum | anxious about the dialogue (competence at stake, temporary; hangs over the room; surging) |
zozazom wanathumual gobum | given up over the division (unmet relatedness; out of fight; still) |
zebeyom gulothamar | proud of the draft (met competence; held inside; surging) |
zumel wanathumem gobum bazawan | upset for Azawan about the memo (unmet relatedness; on Azawan's behalf; flowing) |
zezebel wanathumum gobum balahen | avoiding Alahen over the dialogue (unmet relatedness; moving off from Alahen; flowing) |
zezebel wanathumaem gobum balahen | placating Alahen about the dialogue (unmet relatedness; appeasing Alahen; flowing) |
zumel wanathumoem gobum bazawan | upset about the memo and turning to Azawan for comfort (unmet relatedness; seeking Azawan; flowing) |
zumel wanathumuer gobum | objecting to the memo (unmet relatedness; pushing against the memo; surging) |
zezebel wamethumal gobum | the dialogue feels pointless (unmet purpose; held inside; still) |
zebeyom gebethamam | glad my draft helped (met beneficence; held inside; flowing) |
zezebel wamazam wulothuruom gobum | a little uneasy about the dialogue, and I can't say why (competence at stake, temporary; slightly; unplaced; flowing) |
zezebel wulothumuer gezehom | the dialogue is frustratingly slow (unmet competence on the slowness; pushing against it; surging) |
Raw feeling (contacting a sensation without judgment) may go unlabeled. To name a feeling without explaining it, its lexicon root works as an ordinary property word: zn ganegel (I am angry). Use the full compose when an emotion word would have done judgment work.
Compare with: could be uses MAY (thovum). Because of is a causal claim with the because pole. The stimulus says what the feeling is about; a direction /b/ says what it is aimed at; the because pole says what caused it.
Prescription (the): ought this act for this sake
When English puts should / ought to on doing something for a named sake (Ahaben ought to sing to serve the physical sake), put a /th/ word on the clause: sake root, mid-word th, e, then an ending. The clause's verb names the act that ought to count toward the sake. The sentence then says the act ought to happen; it does not report that the act is already happening.
The ending says why you think the move is welcome. Use -l when the person invited this move, explicitly or through a clear standing invitation. Use -m for an unsolicited offer meant to serve the sake. Use -r for a trial: the move is worth trying to see whether it serves the sake, not a settled recommendation. These endings describe why the move is offered and what it aims at, not whether it succeeds. How firmly you put the act on the listener is a separate choice, made by the speech-act word on /y/ (yel / yem, yal / yam). If none of the three reasons applies, drop the.
Compare with: a command yel tells someone to act outright, without naming the sake or why the move is wanted. the is an ought tied to a sake (ought to, to advance this sake), with the reason on the ending.
Compare with: a forecast (a channel plus bral) when English should is really a prediction about what will pay off the sake, not a prescribed ought. To report that the act is happening, drop the and say the verb alone.
Compare with: motive tho plus a request yem when the speaker wants their own sake served. the is advice about the sake named on this word.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
…thel | the person invited this kind of move | invited | -l ≈ lasting: their invitation stands |
…them | an unsolicited offer meant to serve the sake | offered | -m ≈ open offer |
…ther | a move worth trying, to see whether it serves the sake | worth a try | -r ≈ right now (a trial run) |
zazawan vezebel thanathem.z-Azawan | v-tell | th-relatedness-ought-offered
"Azawan ought to tell to serve relatedness (offered)."
zahaben vezehel thoyuthel.z-Ahaben | v-sing | th-physical-ought-invited
"Ahaben ought to sing to serve the physical sake (Ahaben asked for a move)."
zalahen vabayal thanather.z-Alahen | v-bow | th-relatedness-ought-trial
"Alahen ought to try bowing to serve relatedness (worth a try)."
A move meant to prevent harm to the sake is a so that … not dependent (so that): hogom + burl, then the outcome to keep off.
zalahen vabayal thanathem hogom burl zazawan vedabal.z-Alahen | v-bow | th-relatedness-ought-offered | [h-so-that | b-lest-clause] | z-Azawan | v-departure
"Alahen ought to bow for relatedness, so that Azawan does not leave."
Motive (tho): time horizon
English doing this for … and for the sake of … name a motive: why the action is happening, as a description, not a should. Write /th/ on the clause with the sake root, mid-word th, o, then an ending. That ending is the time horizon, on the same settled-to-passing scale as met: whether the act serves the sake over time or right away. If you do not know, use -m. To say this is the usual reason, add hual after the motive word (…thom plus hual).
zazawan vezebel thanathom.z-Azawan | v-tell | th-relatedness-motive-any-term
"Azawan tells for relatedness."
Not the same job as: prescription the, which says the act ought to serve this sake. tho describes why the act is happening: doing it for this sake.
On /ɡ/, the same stance gives your noun’s purpose (my gift for relatedness).
For other English for, use:
- an intended event (walks so that Alahen sits): so that (
hogom), not a sake - the other side of a swap (a book for a hammer): exchange (
hehem) - acting for someone (tells on behalf of Alahen): proxy (
hadem)
A reason held to keep a cost off is a so that … not dependent (so that, hogom burl), as with prescription.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
…thol | does this for the sake over time | lasting | -l ≈ lasting |
…thom | does this for the sake; time horizon unstated (soft default if unknown) | for | -m ≈ open |
…thor | does this for the sake right away | immediate | -r ≈ right now |
Neither end is better; a good day needs both, and doing something for a payoff right now is often exactly what is needed. When the situation is what pulls the reason, say so with the because pole and the situation as /b/.
A motive word takes the emotion tail too. The feeling is then a pull toward the payoff, as English curious or eager is:
zezebel wadothomom gobum.z-speech | [w-understanding-motive-any-term-AIMED-FLOWING | g-stimulus]
"Curious about the dialogue."
Which ending table?
Beginner already used serves and detracts from. Intermediate adds ought this act for and doing for. Pick the ending table that matches the stance vowel.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
tha | time horizon endings | serves / met | a ≈ add |
the | invited / offered / trial endings | ought this act for this sake | e ≈ order (instruct / ought) |
tho | time horizon endings | doing for this sake | o ≈ one (one sake as the reason) |
thu | changeability endings | detracts from / unmet | u ≈ undo |
Attachment sites
Beginner already attached /ɡ/ after a noun and /th/ on the clause for met and unmet. The rest of the map:
| Agazan | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
g…tha… after a noun | praise: your noun serves the sake | my gift (serves relatedness) (ganatha…) |
g…thu… after a noun | criticism: your noun detracts from the sake | my book (detracts from competence) (gulothu…) |
g…tho… after a noun | your noun’s purpose is this sake | my gift for relatedness (ganatho…) |
/w/ sake + gobum | the same stances on a noun that is not yours | the gathering (detracts from autonomy) (wahuthu… gobum) |
/w/ sake + another adjective | the stance on that one property | pleasantly hot (wozotham gahadul) |
gl- + sake word | the same adjective before the belonging | glanathal zebel |
th…tha… on the clause | the event serves the sake | tells: competence is met (thulotha…) |
th…the… on the clause | prescription: the act ought to serve the sake | ought … for this sake (thanathe…); ending = invited / offered / trial |
th…tho… on the clause | motive | Azawan … (for relatedness) (thanatho…) |
/w/ before a sake /ɡ/ | extra detail on that adjective | very relatedness-serving |
Prescription the goes on /th/ only: it is about an act, and a noun is not an act. For what a noun is for, use tho. On the, use -l for an invitation, -m for an offer, and -r for a trial. On thu and tho, prefer -m when you cannot tell which ending fits.
For several sakes, write several /ɡ/ or /th/ words (gulothal ganathal), one sake each. The noun or verb the sake word describes keeps its own ending, which says whether it is concrete or abstract.
A /w/ word before a sake word on /ɡ/ grades that adjective. A /w/ sake word immediately before gobum is the sake itself.
zazawan vezebel thulothal thanathom.z-Azawan | v-tell | th-competence-met-lasting | th-relatedness-motive-any-term
"Azawan tells: it serves competence in the long term, and relatedness is the motive."
Whose stake
A sake word with no /b/ is about your sake. To say it is someone else's, put that person in /b/ right after the sake word. This works on every stance and every placement: met, unmet and motive on a noun, and met, unmet, prescription and motive on the clause.
zazawan vezebel thanathom balahen.z-Azawan | v-tell | [th-relatedness-motive-any-term | b-Alahen]
"Azawan tells for Alahen's sake (for Alahen's relatedness)."
zalahen vabayal thanathem bazawan.z-Alahen | v-bow | [th-relatedness-ought-offered | b-Azawan]
"Alahen ought to bow, for Azawan's relatedness (offered)."
zebel ganathal balahen.z-present | [g-relatedness-met-lasting | b-Alahen]
"My gift serves Alahen's relatedness in the long term."
zabezam wanathul gobum balahen.z-gathering | [[w-relatedness-unmet-irreversible | g-stimulus] | b-Alahen]
"The gathering does lasting harm to Alahen's relatedness."
The /b/ names whose stake it is, not who owns the noun. On /ɡ/ the noun is still yours: zebel ganathal balahen is my gift, good for Alahen. Someone else's thing is gegabem plus /b/, or gobum.
A feeling word with a direction tail already uses its /b/ for the landmark (emotion compose), so it cannot also name whose stake.
Compare with: the for hook (el balahen) names who the act is for without naming which sake.
Feeling with no object
On the clause, a feeling word is about the clause's event: zalahen vowogal thanathamar is moved that Alahen walks. With no event at all, a feeling word on /th/ is a whole sentence about you: how you feel right now, with nothing as its object.
thulothuruor.th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING
"I'm anxious."
A lone feeling can still name what caused it. The cause is not the object: the feeling is not about the rain.
thulothuruor thavem berehel.th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING | [th-because | b-rain]
"I'm anxious, and the rain caused it."
Compare with: a lone noun before the feeling is an existence clause, so the noun's being there is the stimulus: zalahen thulothuruor. is anxious that Alahen is here, not Alahen is anxious.
Thanks and sorry
Agazan has no set phrase for thank you. Say that your sake is met: a lone /th/ met word is a whole sentence about you, the same shape as a feeling with no object, and saying it to the one who acted is the thanks. Pick the sake that was actually served; the ending says how long the payoff lasts (endings on met). (cue: thanks = my sake is met)
thanatham.th-relatedness-met-any-term
"That meant a lot to me." (thank you)
thulothal.th-competence-met-lasting
"That will keep helping me do it." (thanks, that sets me up)
Add an emotion tail to say how the thanks moves you:
thanathamar.th-relatedness-met-any-term-INTERNAL-SURGING
"I'm so moved." (thank you, that really touched me)
| Agazan | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
…thal | the help lasts | that will stay with me |
…tham | the help, horizon unstated (default) | thank you |
…thar | the help landed right when needed | thanks, that got me through |
Sorry is about their sake, not yours. A lone unmet word would say my sake went unmet, so name whose sake in /b/ right after it. The ending is the same changeability as on any unmet word, so it says how serious the harm is. (cue: sorry = that detracted from your sake)
thanathum behon.[th-relatedness-unmet-modifiable | b-listener]
"That hurt your sense of connection." (I'm sorry)
| Agazan | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
…thul behon | the harm is lasting | I'm deeply sorry |
…thum behon | the harm can be softened (default) | I'm sorry |
…thur behon | the harm is passing | my bad |
The /b/ can name anyone: thanathum balahen. owns up to a harm to Alahen, even when you are telling someone else.
Compare with: a met word with a /b/ person (thanatham balahen.) says the act met Alahen's sake: Alahen appreciated it, not your thanks.
Hopefully and other attitudes
English hopefully, luckily, and worryingly say how you, the speaker, feel about the whole claim. In Agazan, put the content root for that feeling on /th/ with -m. It is always the speaker's attitude, never the subject's. For the subject's manner (Azawan walks hopefully), use /h/ (hevegem).
| Agazan | Use | English | Same root as |
|---|---|---|---|
thevegem | you want it, and it is still open | hopefully | evegel crossed-fingers |
theledem | it went well by chance | luckily | eledel ladybug |
thewedam | it concerns you | worryingly | ewedal worried |
zazawan thevegem vowogal.z-Azawan | th-hope | v-walk
"Hopefully Azawan walks."
Hope is not a way of knowing, so it cannot hold up a forecast by itself. To say hopefully … will, add a real evidence channel as well. Hope says how you feel about the claim; the channel says what backs it.
Compare with: a hunch with no evidence is INTUITION (evidentiality). thevegem says you want the outcome; INTUITION says your gut expects it.
Permission (thegol / thegom / thegor)
English may / is allowed to says a restriction is lifted. Put thegol, thegom, or thegor on the clause: stance th on the root ego (🟢 green circle). The ending says where the permission comes from: a rule, a person, or nobody. Use -l when a rule, policy, or formal right allows it. Use -m when a person grants it; that person is the speaker unless a /b/ right after the permission word names someone else. Use -r when no one granted it but no one objected either. If you do not know, use -m.
zazawan vowogal thegom.z-Azawan | v-walk | th-PERMIT-granted
"Azawan may walk (I'm allowing it)."
zazawan vowogal thegom balahen.z-Azawan | v-walk | [th-PERMIT-granted | b-Alahen]
"Alahen lets Azawan walk."
zahaben vehahel thegol.z-Ahaben | v-sit | th-PERMIT-allowed
"Ahaben is allowed to sit (the rules allow it)."
zalahen vezebal thegor.z-Alahen | v-sleep | th-PERMIT-tolerated
"Alahen sleeps, and no one is stopping it."
The negatives use the root ede (⛔ no entry) with the same endings.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
thegol | a rule, policy, or formal right allows it | is allowed to / has the right to | -l ≈ law: the rules say go |
thegom | a person grants it (speaker, or the /b/) (default) | may / I'm letting you | -m ≈ mouth: someone said go |
thegor | tolerated: no one granted it, no one objected | no one's stopping it | -r ≈ read the room: nobody said stop |
thedel | a rule, policy, or formal ban forbids it | is not allowed to | -l ≈ law: the rules say no |
thedem | a person forbids it | may not / I won't let you | -m ≈ mouth: someone said no |
theder | frowned on: no one forbade it, but it is not welcome | people won't like it | -r ≈ read the room: nobody said no, but it's not welcome |
To ask for permission, put the clause under ask: yom zn vehahel thegom. (May I sit?). Grant it with yaol. (go ahead).
Compare with: prescription the says the act ought to serve a sake; permission only says the act is allowed. Ability says someone can do it; permission says whether they may.
Requirement (thumel / thumem / thumer)
English must / has to / is supposed to puts a demand on an act without naming a sake. Put thumel, thumem, or thumer on the clause: stance th on the root ume (📝 memo). The endings follow permission. Use -l when a rule, policy, or law requires it. Use -m when a person demands it; that person is the speaker unless a /b/ right after the requirement word names someone else. Use -r when nothing is written and no one demands it, but people expect it. If you do not know, use -m.
zazawan vowogal thumel.z-Azawan | v-walk | th-REQUIRE-rule
"Azawan has to walk (the rules say so)."
zahaben vehahel thumem balahen.z-Ahaben | v-sit | [th-REQUIRE-demanded | b-Alahen]
"Alahen makes Ahaben sit."
zalahen vezebal thumer.z-Alahen | v-sleep | th-REQUIRE-expected
"Alahen is supposed to sleep."
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
thumel | a rule, policy, or law requires it | must / is required to | -l ≈ law: the rules demand it |
thumem | a person demands it (speaker, or the /b/) (default) | has to / I need you to | -m ≈ mouth: someone demands it |
thumer | custom expects it; no rule, no one demanding | is supposed to | -r ≈ read the room: custom expects it |
Compare with: prescription the says the act ought to serve a named sake, a reason you can check. Requirement says only that a rule, a person, or custom demands it. A command yel is the speaker telling the listener now; thumem reports a demand, which may be someone else's.
Consent (thuxegol / thuxegom / thuxegor)
Consent is permission from the one the act happens to: their body, their things, their time. Put thuxegol, thuxegom, or thuxegor on the clause: stance th, then role vowel u (the one it happens to), mid-word x, and the root ego. A /b/ right after the consent word names who consents. That slot holds one noun; when several people are affected, fill it with a plural or a join. The actor's own consent is always implied, so with no /b/ the only person affected is the actor, and the clause reads as letting yourself.
The ending says how binding the yes is, with the same cues as permission: -l ≈ law, -m ≈ mouth, -r ≈ read the room. Use -l for a binding agreement: they signed on in advance, and withdrawing has terms. Use -m when they said yes; they can take it back at any time. Use -r when you are assuming or inferring it and no one said yes. If you know they said yes but not how binding it is, use -m.
zazawan vezebel thuxegom bahaben.z-Azawan | v-tell | [th-CONSENT-given | b-Ahaben]
"Azawan tells, and Ahaben said yes to it."
zazawan vezebel thuxegol bahaben.z-Azawan | v-tell | [th-CONSENT-contract | b-Ahaben]
"Azawan tells, as Ahaben agreed to in advance."
zazawan vezebel thuxegor bahaben balahen bal.z-Azawan | v-tell | [th-CONSENT-assumed | [b-Ahaben | b-Alahen | b-and]]
"Azawan tells, assuming Ahaben and Alahen are OK with it."
zalahen vezebal thuxegom.z-Alahen | v-sleep | th-CONSENT-given
"Alahen lets themself sleep."
-r is allowed but visibly weaker. Choosing it makes I assumed part of the sentence instead of hiding it inside they were fine with it. On yourself, -r is half-hearted: zn vehahel thuxegor. is I suppose I'm OK with sitting. -l on yourself is a vow: zn vehahel thuxegol. is I've committed myself to sitting.
Promise: a vow said to someone is a promise. The listener is the one you promise by default: zn vowogal thuxegol., said to someone, is I promise (you) to walk. To name a different person as the one you promise, add the for hook (extra noun).
zn vowogal thuxegol el bahaben.z-speaker | v-walk | th-CONSENT-contract | [for | b-Ahaben]
"I promise Ahaben I'll walk."
The weaker endings stay weaker on purpose: -m is I'll do it (you can still back out), and -r cannot pass for a promise.
The negatives thuxedel / thuxedem / thuxeder use the same endings. -l is a binding refusal: they opted out, and the matter is settled. -m means they said no. Any no withdraws an ordinary -m yes; only a -l agreement has terms for withdrawing. -r means they probably don't want it; with no /b/, it is not letting yourself.
| Agazan | Use | English | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
thuxegol | a binding agreement; withdrawing it has terms | by agreement / they signed on | -l ≈ law: they signed on, like a contract |
thuxegom | the affected said yes; they can take it back (default) | they agreed / I let myself | -m ≈ mouth: they said yes |
thuxegor | consent assumed or inferred | I think they're OK with it | -r ≈ read the room: you're guessing they're OK |
thuxedel | a binding refusal | they opted out | -l ≈ law: they opted out on record |
thuxedem | the affected said no | they refused | -m ≈ mouth: they said no |
thuxeder | consent presumed absent | they probably don't want it / I won't let myself | -r ≈ read the room: they probably don't want it |
To check in, ask: yom zazawan vezebel thuxegom. (Are you still OK with this?).
Compare with: permission thegom can come from anyone with the standing to grant it: zazawan vezebel thegom balahen. means Alahen allowed it, which is not the same as the listener agreeing. zn vehahel thegom. is I'm allowed to sit (someone let me); zn vehahel thuxegom. is I let myself sit.
Contrary to a stance (uem)
English against the rules, against Alahen's will, and contrary to the plan say that the event happens even though a rule, a person, or a plan says otherwise. Put the hook uem contrary to right before a /th/ stance word. The stance then says what the event goes against, and it no longer applies to the claim. zazawan vowogal thedel. says Azawan is not allowed to walk; zazawan vowogal uem thedel. says Azawan walks anyway. (cue: ue ≈ undo aimed at; -m the opposing frame, which the stance spells out)
zazawan vowogal uem thedel.z-Azawan | v-walk | [contrary-to | th-FORBID-disallowed]
"Azawan walks against the rules."
The stance keeps its endings and its hosted /b/. On a refusal, the /b/ is the person who said no, so the pair is English against their will:
zazawan vezebel uem thuxedem balahen.z-Azawan | v-tell | [contrary-to | [th-CONSENT-refused | b-Alahen]]
"Azawan tells against Alahen's will (Alahen said no)."
zahaben vehahel uem thumem balahen.z-Ahaben | v-sit | [contrary-to | [th-REQUIRE-demanded | b-Alahen]]
"Ahaben sits, against Alahen's orders."
A plan after uem is the subject's own unless a /b/ names whose plan it is. A speaker attitude after uem is what you were hoping for.
zazawan vowogal uem thamam.z-Azawan | v-walk | [contrary-to | th-plan-itinerary]
"Azawan walks, contrary to their plan."
zazawan vowogal uem thamam balahen.z-Azawan | v-walk | [contrary-to | [th-plan-itinerary | b-Alahen]]
"Azawan walks, contrary to Alahen's plan."
zazawan vowogal uem thevegem.z-Azawan | v-walk | [contrary-to | th-hope]
"Azawan walks, against my hopes."
Only the stance right after uem is what the event goes against. A stance anywhere else in the clause still applies to the claim:
zazawan vowogal uem thedel thegom.z-Azawan | v-walk | [contrary-to | th-FORBID-disallowed] | th-PERMIT-granted
"Azawan walks against the rules, and I'm allowing it."
The stance after uem has to say something the event can go against: a ban, a requirement, a refusal, a plan, or what you hoped.
After uem | English |
|---|---|
ban thedel / thedem / theder | against the rules / though I forbade it / though people frown on it |
requirement thumel / thumem / thumer | contrary to regulations / against my orders / contrary to custom |
refusal thuxedel / thuxedem / thuxeder | against their will (they opted out / they said no / they probably don't want it) |
plan thamar / thamam / thamal | contrary to the plan |
speaker attitude, such as thevegem | against my hopes |
Permission and consent given (thegom, thuxegom) only lift a restriction, so nothing can go against them. Sake words cannot follow uem either: to say an act goes against someone's interest, put an unmet sake word on the clause (zazawan vowogal thegathum balahen. Azawan's walking harms Alahen's interests).
Compare with: despite the rain is uem or hezom with a noun in /b/ (zazawan vowogal uem berehel.). Although Alahen said no as a full sentence is hezom barl plus that sentence. The sentence after barl needs an event or a thing, so a stance word alone cannot fill it; use uem with the stance instead.
Enough and too (sake bars)
English enough and too much compare an amount with what a need requires. Write a met sake word on /th/ as the bar right before a rank join: it stands for what that sake needs, and the rank join compares the amount with it. The equal-rank join zoel is enough. Rank zel is too much, and zuel is not enough. Use the unspecified sake ega when you do not name which sake.
zedehel thegatham zoel gral.[z-tea | th-sake-met-any-term | z-equal-rank | g-amount]
"There is enough tea."
zedehel thegatham zel gral.[z-tea | th-sake-met-any-term | z-rank/more | g-amount]
"There is too much tea."
zedehel thegatham zuel gral.[z-tea | th-sake-met-any-term | z-rank/less | g-amount]
"There is not enough tea."
The bar keeps its time-horizon ending, which now says how long the payoff has to last: thegathal is enough to last, and thegathar is enough for now.
zedehel thegathar zoel gral.[z-tea | th-sake-met-immediate | z-equal-rank | g-amount]
"There is enough tea for now."
Name a sake to say which need sets the limit. With a quality as the scale, the same pattern gives too ADJ and ADJ enough. To say whose stake it is, put that person in /b/ right after the bar.
zedehel thoyutham zel gahadul.[z-tea | th-physical-met-any-term | z-rank/more | g-hot]
"The tea is too hot to be safe."
zedehel thoyutham balahen zel gahadul.[z-tea | [th-physical-met-any-term | b-Alahen] | z-rank/more | g-hot]
"The tea is too hot for Alahen's health."
On the time scale, a sake bar is too late and too early:
zazawan thegatham zuel bral vevahal.[z-Azawan | th-sake-met-any-term | z-rank/less | b-later] | v-arrival
"Azawan arrives too early."
| Agazan | Use | English |
|---|---|---|
met sake bar + zoel | reaches what the sake needs | enough / ADJ enough |
met sake bar + zel | past what the sake needs | too much / too ADJ / too late |
met sake bar + zuel | short of what the sake needs | not enough / too early |
| bar ending -l / -m / -r | how long the payoff has to last | enough to last / enough / enough for now |
/b/ right after the bar | whose stake | too hot for Alahen |
Compare with: the same met word after the fence is about the whole claim: zedehel zel gahadul thoyutham is the tea is the hottest, and that serves my health.
Practice
Short drills for Intermediate. Try each item before opening Show answer.
Setting: a monastery
New words:
| English | Agazan | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| pray | vebevol | 🙏 |
| kneel | venehal | 🧎 |
| candle | agogal | 🕯️ |
| relatedness | anal | 🪢 from knot: ties people together |
| purpose | amel | 🧭 from compass: a heading worth following |
| permission | thegom | 🟢 from green: go ahead |
| forbidden | thedel | ⛔ from no entry |
| policy | thumer | 📝 from memo |
Review:
| English | Agazan |
|---|---|
| Azawan | azawan |
| Alahen | alahen |
| Ahaben | ahaben |
| listener | ehon |
| competence | ulol |
| physical | oyul |
| stimulus | gobum |
| bell | ebehul |
| heavy | aragam |
| sit | vehahel |
| sleep | vezebal |
English → Agazan
1. Azawan ought to pray to serve relatedness (an offer).
Show answer
zazawan vebevol thanathem.
z-Azawan | v-pray | th-relatedness-ought-offered
2. Alahen kneels for purpose, right away.
Show answer
zalahen venehal thamethor.
z-Alahen | v-kneel | th-purpose-motive-immediate
3. Ahaben prays for Alahen's relatedness, over time.
Show answer
zahaben vebevol thanathol balahen.
z-Ahaben | v-pray | [th-relatedness-motive-lasting | b-Alahen]
4. That meant a lot to me. (thank you)
Show answer
thanatham.
th-relatedness-met-any-term
5. Ahaben lets Azawan kneel.
Show answer
zazawan venehal thegom bahaben.
z-Azawan | v-kneel | [th-PERMIT-granted | b-Ahaben]
6. The candle is too heavy to be safe.
Show answer
zagogal thoyutham zel garagam.
[z-candle | th-physical-met-any-term | z-rank/more | g-heavy]
Agazan → English
1. zebehul wanathumor gobum.
Show answer
z-bell | [w-relatedness-unmet-modifiable-AIMED-SURGING | g-stimulus]
Resentful at the bell, in waves.
2. thulothuruor.
Show answer
th-competence-unmet-passing-UNPLACED-SURGING
I'm anxious.
3. thanathum behon.
Show answer
[th-relatedness-unmet-modifiable | b-listener]
I'm sorry. (that hurt your sense of connection)
4. zahaben vehahel thumer.
Show answer
z-Ahaben | v-sit | th-REQUIRE-expected
Ahaben is supposed to sit.
5. zazawan vebevol thuxegor balahen.
Show answer
z-Azawan | v-pray | [th-CONSENT-assumed | b-Alahen]
Azawan prays, assuming Alahen is OK with it.
6. zalahen vezebal uem thedel.
Show answer
z-Alahen | v-sleep | [contrary-to | th-FORBID-disallowed]
Alahen sleeps against the rules.
Pick one
1. Azawan kneels for relatedness (why Azawan is doing it). zazawan venehal thanathom. or zazawan venehal thanathem.
Show answer
zazawan venehal thanathom.
z-Azawan | v-kneel | th-relatedness-motive-any-term
tho describes the motive; the says Azawan ought to kneel.
2. Alahen is allowed to sleep (the rules allow it). zalahen vezebal thegol. or zalahen vezebal thegom.
Show answer
zalahen vezebal thegol.
z-Alahen | v-sleep | th-PERMIT-allowed
-l is permission from a rule; -m is a person granting it.
Fix it
1. My candle serves relatedness. zagogal thanatham.
Show answer
zagogal ganatham.
z-candle | g-relatedness-met-any-term
A belonging's sake word is /ɡ/ after the noun; on /th/ it is about an event, here just the candle being there.
See also
- Applicability when: restrictors.md
- Ability
xa/xe/xo/xuon an activity: intention.md#ability - DECISION reuses unmet changeability endings: intention.md