1. Overview

Maþal is a richly agglutinative language characterized by extensive use of prefixes, infixes, suffixes, and, in some environments, discontinuous or circumfix-like constructions. Morphemes are formally distinct, semantically stable, and structurally transparent. The language favors regular derivation from lexical roots and a high degree of formal precision in word formation.

2. Word Classes

Maþal distinguishes the following core lexical categories:

• nouns

• adjectives

• pronouns

• verbs

• particles

• numerals

• conjunctions and subordinators

The language does not employ prepositions or adverbs as independent lexical classes. Functions typically associated with those categories are instead expressed through nominal case morphology and other grammatical marking strategies.