Documentation

1. Introduction to sylang

sylang is a constructed language designed for optimal performance in large language model (LLM) contexts while remaining learnable by humans. It achieves significant token efficiency while maintaining semantic precision and human accessibility.

This documentation provides a comprehensive guide to the language, including its phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary. It is intended for both beginners and advanced users.

sylang is built on four foundational principles:

Computational Efficiency: Maximum information density with minimum token usage
Embedding Space Optimization: Vocabulary and structures designed for ideal vector representation
Deterministic Processing: Zero ambiguity for machine parsing
Human Accessibility: Systematic learnability despite optimization

2. Phonology & Pronunciation

sylang employs a streamlined phonological inventory chosen for maximum distinctiveness and ease of transcription. The sound system uses a subset of English-familiar sounds, avoiding those that are easily confusable in speech or result in complex spellings.

Consonants

Letter	IPA	Example
p	/p/	pen
b	/b/	big
t	/t/	top
d	/d/	dog
k	/k/	cat
g	/g/	go
m	/m/	man
n	/n/	no
l	/l/	light
r	/ɾ/	butter (American)
s	/s/	sun
z	/z/	zoo
x	/ʃ/	ship
j	/dʒ/	jump
v	/v/	very
f	/f/	fun

Vowels

Letter	IPA	Example
a	/a/	father
e	/e/	may
i	/i/	see
o	/o/	go
u	/u/	blue

Syllable Structure

Syllables in sylang are primarily CV (consonant-vowel) or CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant). Consonant clusters are highly restricted to maintain distinctiveness and ease of pronunciation.

3. Morphology

sylang uses an agglutinative morphology designed for both clarity and compression. Words are formed by stringing together morphemes in a fixed, logical order.

3.1 Word Formation

Words in sylang are formed by combining root morphemes with affixes. Each morpheme typically carries a single, clear meaning, and morphemes concatenate without changing form.

The basic structure of a sylang word is:

PREFIX + ROOT + SUFFIX

Example:

no-kari-ta
(not-read-past) = "did not read"

3.2 Common Affixes

Affix	Meaning	Example
-mi	Adjectival	doro-mi (big-ADJ) = "big"
-vo	Adverbial	rapi-vo (quick-ADV) = "quickly"
-ta	Past tense	meru-ta (speak-PAST) = "spoke"
-su	Future tense	kari-su (read-FUT) = "will read"
-i	Plural	taru-i (person-PL) = "people"
no-	Negation	no-boni (not-good) = "not good"

4. Syntax

sylang syntax is designed for maximum clarity and predictability, making it easy for both humans and machines to parse.

4.1 Basic Sentence Structure

The default word order for main clauses is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). The subject always comes first, the verb (with any prefixes/suffixes) second, and then the object or other complements.

Example:

Taru meruta.
(Person speak-PAST)
"The person spoke."

Taru karisu lema.
(Person read-FUT book)
"The person will read a book."

4.2 Questions & Commands

Questions are formed using question particles:

Ke ti karisu lema?
(Q you read-FUT book)
"Will you read a book?"

Commands use the imperative particle "du":

Du kari lema!
(IMP read book)
"Read the book!"

4.3 Complex Sentences

Complex sentences in sylang use explicit markers for subordination and coordination:

Taru pensa ko karali bonimi.
(Person think that trees good-ADJ)
"The person thinks that the trees are good."

Taru meruta ja karisu.
(Person speak-PAST and read-FUT)
"The person spoke and will read."

5. Core Vocabulary

The sylang vocabulary is tight and efficient, with most root words kept to one or two syllables. Here are some common words:

sylang	English
taru	person
doma	house
lema	book
kara	tree
ani	water
meru	speak
kari	read
vidu	see
faru	do, make
boni	good
doro	big
rapi	quick

For a complete vocabulary list, please refer to the Vocabulary Reference (coming soon).

6. Learning Resources

sylang is designed to be learnable by humans with a systematic approach to vocabulary and grammar. The learning curve is accessible to motivated users.

Learning Levels

Foundation level: 100 words, basic sentences (10 hours)
Practical level: 500 words, complete grammar (30 hours)
Mastery level: 2,000 words, all constructions (40+ hours)

Learning Resources

Spaced repetition system: Optimized review scheduling (coming soon)
Pattern practice: Systematic grammar introduction (coming soon)
Multi-modal materials: Text, audio, interactive exercises (coming soon)
Customized learning paths: Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and analytical approaches (coming soon)

Stay tuned for more learning resources as they become available.

7. Glossary of Key Terms

This glossary provides definitions for key linguistic and technical terms used in describing sylang Prime.

Term	Definition
Agglutination	A morphological process where words are formed by stringing together morphemes without changing their form at the boundaries. Each morpheme typically retains a single, clear meaning.
Anaphoric reference	The use of a linguistic expression to refer back to a previously mentioned entity in the discourse. In sylang Prime, this is explicitly marked with the -je suffix.
Aspect	A grammatical category that expresses how a verbal action or state relates to the flow of time (e.g., whether it is completed, ongoing, or habitual). Marked by single-consonant suffixes like -p (perfective) and -r (imperfective).
CV(C)	Consonant-Vowel-(Consonant). Describes the simple syllable structure preferred in sylang Prime, limiting consonant clusters.
Derivational morphology	The process of creating new words or changing the part of speech of an existing word by adding affixes (e.g., turning a noun into an adjective).
Evidentiality	A grammatical category that indicates the source of the speaker's evidence for a statement (e.g., direct observation, inference, hearsay). Marked by prefixes like vi-, ru-, and mo-.
Hortative	A grammatical mood or particle used to express a suggestion or encouragement, often including the speaker (e.g., "let's"). Marked by the initial particle xo.
Imperative	A grammatical mood or particle used to express a command or request. Marked by the initial particle du.
Morpheme	The smallest meaningful unit in a language. In agglutinative languages like sylang Prime, words are built by combining multiple morphemes.
Orthography	The set of conventions for writing a language, including its character set, spelling rules, and punctuation.
Perfective aspect	Indicates that a verbal action is viewed as a completed whole, without reference to its internal duration. Marked by the suffix -p.
Pragmatics	The study of how context contributes to meaning beyond the literal interpretation of words and sentences. sylang Prime incorporates pragmatic features like speech act markers and evidentiality.
Relative clause	A subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun, typically introduced by a relative pronoun (e.g., "who," "which," "that"). Marked by the particle ze and follows a verb-final order internally.
SVO	Subject-Verb-Object. The standard word order for main clauses in sylang Prime.
Subordinate clause	A clause that depends on a main clause and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. In sylang Prime, these are often marked by particles like ko, ze, se, or kepo and use verb-final order.
Tokenization	The process of breaking down a sequence of text into smaller units called tokens (often words or sub-word units), used in natural language processing. sylang Prime's design optimizes for tokenizer performance.
Valency operators	Morphemes that change the number of arguments a verb takes (e.g., causative k- adds an agent, passive -f reduces the subject).
Verb-final order	A syntactic structure where the main verb of a clause appears at the end of the clause. Used for subordinate clauses in sylang Prime.

8. Language Structure Mind Map

This mind map provides a visual overview of sylang Prime's structure and key features, showing how different components of the language interrelate.

The mind map illustrates the hierarchical organization of sylang Prime's design principles, from orthography and phonology through morphology and syntax to pragmatics and discourse structure.

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