There are a number of attested derivational affixes. In this section we list some of the most common ones, both productive and non-productive.
3.5.1. Prefix i-
The prefix i- is a rather common prefix that derives words referring to entities that are made of, or somehow associated with, the referent of the base morpheme. Some examples are:
tseŋ
n. glass
itseŋ
n. glass dome
chtuŋ
n. skin rash, disease
ichtuŋ
adj. sick, ill, infected
gakt
n. ancient ruins
igakt
n. museum, conservatory
shver
n. skin, peel
ishver
n. leather
shlag
n. cloud, fog, mist
ishlag
n. concealment, camouflage
veŋ
n. blockade, barrier, hindrance
iveŋ
n. annoyance, irritation, frustration
vol
n. light
ivol
n. lamp, torch, headlights
A number of place names and personal names exhibit the i- prefix in relation to various cognates:
bult
n. hero
ibult
common masc. name (the Strong?)
hau
n. flower
ihautu
a common barich name (the Flower?)
neŋ
name of a plain in southern Pyak
ineŋ
tribal name associated with this plain
vuŋ
a fertile region in southern Pyak
ivuŋ
a well-known barich in this region
In some cases it appears that the name of the larger region is derived from a local name, rather than the other way round:
tluŋ
a city in Itlung
itlung
Itlung, a region in northern Pyak
Some other derivations are less certain, but seem suggestive enough to be likely cognates:
pfmi
to turn one's eye towards smth.
ipf
eye
shmi
to rest, to sleep
ish
house, home
3.5.2. Prefix a-
The augmentative prefix a- is a little less common, but appears in some cognates involving personal names and place names:
gruŋ
n. claw, hands
agruŋ
personal name (Big Claw?)
naht
n. sea
anaht
the Anaht Sea, the largest body of water on Pyak
vuŋ
a fertile region in southern Pyak
avuŋ
n. elders, advisers (the great ones of Vung?)
The next cognate is less clear in meaning, but is possibly a reflex of a now-obsolete meaning of gakt.
gakt
n. ancient ruins
agakt
personal name
3.5.3. Pluralizing Prefix mo'-
The pluralizing prefix mo'- often plays a derivational role as well. In section 3.1.2.1 we have already seen the derivation:
ipf
⟶
mo'ipf
eye
monster
There are other derivations as well. Here are some examples:
och
n. bullet, projectile
mo'och
n. ammunition, munitions
versht
n. indoors, inside
moversht
n. building
tzehr
n. time
motzehru
adv. for a long time
When applied to the various types of names, mo'- also derives the meaning of “list”:
barshai
n. nursery name
mobarshai
n. list of nursery names
eŋatt
n. tribal/locale name
mo'att
n. list of tribal/locale names
hrufshai
n. personal name, callsign
mohrufshai
n. name list
There are also some obvious cognates where the exact meaning of the prefix is uncertain:
otl
adj. south, southern
mo'otleŋ
tribal name from southern Pyak (“the Southerners”?)
3.5.4. Suffix -is
The derivational suffix -is occurs on nouns, deriving nouns that mean “a small part of” or “tip of”. The archetypical derivation is:
gruŋ
hands
gruŋgis
claw, finger
Other examples include:
blopf
river
blopfis
tributary
hraul
planet
hraulis
satellite, moon
hrver
gun
hrveris
gun barrel
ipf
eye
ipfis
iris
ish
home
ishis
chamber
naht
sea, ocean
nahtis
bay, cove
pfah
door
pfahis
door knob, door handle
shog
tool
shogis
main functional part of tool (tip of screwdriver, edge of knife, etc.)
Linking consonants are inserted if the base noun ends in a vowel:
hrshe
mountain
hrshenis
mountaintop, outcrop
tseŋ
glass
tseŋgis
shard of glass
3.5.5. Nominalizing -t
The suffix -t has been attested as a nominalizing affix in various cognates:
ruh
adj. gaseous, vaporous
ruht
n. gas, vapor
himsh
adj. tall
himsht
common personal ("Tall One")
lish
adj. pretty
lisht
common fem. name
nrik
adj. short
nrikt
common personal ("Shorty")
sich
adj. small, tiny
sicht
common name "Little One"
tkat
adj. west, against the direction of a planet's rotation
tkatt
n. torque, twist
The following cognates are uncertain, albeit certainly suggestive:
hebuŋ
common tribal name in rural Pyak
hebt
common personal name
sebuŋ
common tribal name
sebt
common personal name
vuteŋ
common tribal name from southern Pyak
vutt
common personal name from southern Pyak
nutk
n. baby, child, offspring
nutt
common fem. name (one who bears offspring?)
The suffix -t also occurs in the following case, although it's unclear whether this is a real instance or a mere coincidence arising from an unproductive devoicing nominalization of an adjective:
vehrd
adj. warm, hot
vehrt
n. heat
3.5.6. Nominalizing Suffixes -eŋ, -att, -uŋ
The suffixes -eŋ, -att, and -uŋ occur in a large number of tribal / locale names, as well as a number of common nouns.
The suffixes -eŋ and -att are so common that tribal names are referred to as eŋatt (eŋ + att). There are too many examples of these to enumerate; here we list only a small, random sampling.
anahteŋ
from the Anaht area (from naht, "sea")
blopfatt
from blopf "river"
himsheŋ
from himsh "tall"
ineŋ
cognate with Neng, a plain west of Hottsha
nalatt
from nala, name of a village
nekatt
tribe from the city of Nekett
nrikuŋ
from nrik "short", "low"
Here's a selection of common nouns also bearing these suffixes:
bfe
adj. complex, complicated, incomprehensible
bfuŋ
n. clumsy person, blunderer
hrvett
n. medicine (field of study)
hrvettuŋ
n. rescue ship (closest equivalent to an ambulance)
kuh
n. ear, ear-hole
kuhuŋ
n. earlobe
vorch
n. undergrowth, body hair
vorchuŋ
n. hairy beast, barbarian, unruly person
The following is less certain, but nevertheless suggestive:
vol
n. light
voluŋ
n. spaceship
Especially interesting are the nouns referring to one of the primary occupations in Hrmitt society:
hrmitteŋ
n. explorer
tzakteŋ
n. soldier
vahshpeŋ
n. worker (farmer, maintainer)
The first of these is obviously cognate with the endonym hrmitt, and suggests its possible etymology.