sarsnty

Sarsnty is a fictional constructed language (conlang) created by linguist Mara Valli for typological experimentation and worldbuilding. Developed as a case study in morphology, syntax, and phonology, it is widely referenced in online conlang communities and in academic exercises that compare language structures without tying them to real-world languages.

Phonology and phonotactics

Sarsnty has a moderately small phoneme inventory designed to be approachable for learners. Consonants include p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, s, l, r, and j; vowels are a, e, i, o, u. Syllable structure is typically (C)(C)V(C), with a preference for open syllables. Stress is predictably placed on the penultimate syllable in most words, and vowel length is phonemic in a minority of dialectal variants. The language permits a range of phonological alternations driven by affixation and mood.

Grammar and syntax

Sarsnty is described as primarily an analytic-to-muscular continuum language with agglutinative tendencies. Its base word order is subject-verb-object (SVO), but it allows flexible marking to emphasize topics or focus. Nouns take explicit case-like suffixes that indicate grammatical role, while verbs encode aspect and mood through suffix complexes. Adjectives typically follow nouns, and pronouns align with a nominative-accusative pattern in standard clauses. The language sustains a modest set of nominal and verbal affixes to express tense, aspect, evidentiality, and negation.

Orthography

The writing system uses a Latin-based script with diacritics to indicate vowel quality and stress. Most texts employ a straightforward transliteration from a phonemic representation.

Origins and use

Sarsnty originated in a 2010s research-and-worldbuilding project and has since circulated in conlang forums and linguistic workshops. It serves as a sandbox for testing how morphological layering, syntax variability, and orthographic conventions interact in a constructed linguistic system.