zná

Zná is a constructed language (conlang) created by a linguist for the speculative fiction project The Quiet Archive, first appearing in 2021. The language investigates knowledge and memory through its grammar and lexicon. The name Zná derives from the language’s core verb znát “to know” and is used as both self-designation and label by speakers.

Phonology and writing: Zná uses a compact phoneme inventory centered on five vowels (a e i o u) and about twenty consonants, including p b t d k g f s ʃ m n l r j w. It is non-tonal; stress typically falls on the first syllable. The script is Latin-based with diacritics to indicate vowel quality and a secondary stress mark.

Grammar and syntax: The default word order is subject–verb–object. Zná is analytic and marks number and definiteness periphrastically; adjectives follow the nouns they describe. Aspects and evidentiality are conveyed with postverbal particles; tense is inferred from context. Pronouns distinguish inclusive and exclusive first-person plural, and there are formal and informal second-person forms. Verbs encode evidential stance, indicating whether the speaker has direct evidence, witnessed information, or reports hearsay.

Lexicon and morphology: Most words derive from a small set of roots and are produced through productive compounding and derivation. The language favors semantic precision through clear compounding rules and regular derivations.

Usage and reception: Zná features in The Quiet Archive and has fostered a modest online community of learners and conlang enthusiasts. Resources include dictionaries, a learner’s primer, and sample texts hosted on fan-maintained sites.