| labial | alveolar | retroflex | palatal | velar | labiovelar | uvular | glottal | ||
| nasals | m | n | |||||||
| voiced plosives | b | d dz | dʐ | g | |||||
| voiceless aspirated plosives | pʰ | tʰ tsʰ | tʂʰ | kʰ | qʰ | ||||
| ejective plosives | pʼ | tʼ tsʼ | tʂʼ | kʼ | qʼ | ʔ | |||
| voiced fricatives | z | ʐ | ʑ | ʁ | |||||
| voiceless fricatives | s | ʂ | ɕ | χ | h | ||||
| liquids | ɾ l | ||||||||
| semivowels | j | w |
Note: /pʼ/ and /tʼ/ are only found in loans of unaspirated voiceless consonants from other languages. In general, unaspirated voiceless consonants from other languages are loaned as ejectives.
| front | central | back | |
| close | i | u | |
| close-mid | e | o | |
| mid | ə | ||
| open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| open | a |
| front | central | back | |
| open-mid | ɛ̃ | ɔ̃ | |
| open | ã |
The following sound changes took place from Proto-Laqar:
The following romanization is used:
| labial | alveolar | retroflex | palatal | velar | labiovelar | uvular | glottal | |
| nasals | m ⟨m⟩ | n ⟨n⟩ | ||||||
| voiced plosives | b ⟨b⟩ | d dz ⟨d j⟩ | dʐ ⟨ǰ⟩ | g ⟨g⟩ | ||||
| voiceless aspirated plosives | pʰ ⟨p⟩ | tʰ tsʰ ⟨t c⟩ | tʂʰ ⟨č⟩ | kʰ ⟨k⟩ | qʰ ⟨q⟩ | |||
| ejective plosives | pʼ ⟨p'⟩ | tʼ tsʼ ⟨t' c'⟩ | tʂʼ ⟨č'⟩ | kʼ ⟨k'⟩ | qʼ ⟨q'⟩ | ʔ ⟨∅⟩ | ||
| voiced fricatives | z ⟨z⟩ | ʐ ⟨ž⟩ | ʑ ⟨ź⟩ | ʁ ⟨ġ⟩ | ||||
| voiceless fricatives | s ⟨s⟩ | ʂ ⟨š⟩ | ɕ ⟨ś⟩ | χ ⟨x⟩ | h ⟨h⟩ | |||
| liquids | ɾ l ⟨r l⟩ | |||||||
| semivowels | j ⟨y⟩ | w ⟨w⟩ |
In pairs marked ⟨x/y⟩, ⟨x⟩ is stressed and ⟨y⟩ is unstressed. ⟨ə⟩ is always unstressed. Stress is not marked in monosyllables.
| front | central | back | |
| close | i ⟨í/i⟩ | u ⟨ú/u⟩ | |
| close-mid | e ⟨é/e⟩ | o ⟨ó/o⟩ | |
| mid | ə ⟨ə⟩ | ||
| open-mid | ɛ ⟨è/ê⟩ | ɔ ⟨ò/ô⟩ | |
| open | a ⟨á/a⟩ |
| front | central | back | |
| open-mid | ɛ̃ ⟨ẽ/ę⟩ | ɔ̃ ⟨õ/ǫ⟩ | |
| open | ã ⟨ã/ą⟩ |
The default pattern is that both the agent and the patient of transitive verbs are unmarked if the agent is higher on the person/animacy/definiteness/topicality hierarchy than the patient. For volitional transitive verbs where the agent is lower on the person/animacy/definiteness/topicality hierarchy than the patient, the agent is put into agentive case. For avolitional transitive verbs where the agent is lower on the person/animacy/definiteness/topicality hierarchy than the patient, the patient is put into patientive case. For volitional intransitive verbs, animate subjects are unmarked and inanimate subjects are put in agentive case. For avolitional intransitive verbs, inanimate subjects are unmarked and animate subjects are put in patientive case. This is a fluid-S arrangement, where the same verb can be volitional and avolitional when intransitive depending on how they are used.
The basic word order is topic-comment. Attributive adjectives, attributive postpositional phrases, relative clauses, compounding nouns, and possessors precede nouns, and determiners and numbers follow nouns. Arguments precede postpositions.
The following evidential particles are derived from the given Old Laqar verbs forms:
| form | Old Laqar form | |
| direct knowledge, egophoric | go | -pə wəgowə |
| personal observation | ze | -pə zeyləyowə |
| reportative | šol | -pə šolyowə |
| deductive | sa | -pə sawowə |
| dubitative | ja | -pə jawowa |
| assumption | lo | -pə wəlowə |
Evidential particles are placed last in a main clause, after any aspect/tense/modal particles.
The following aspect/tense/modal particles are derived from the given Old Laqar auxiliary verbs:
| form | Old Laqar form | |
| future tense | nê | -pə nayə |
| retrospective aspect | lê | -pə laywə |
| continuative aspect | ju | -pə juyə |
| inchoative aspect | si | -pə siwə |
| cessative aspect | ya | -pə yacə |
| they are able (to) | hi | -pə huywə |
| it is possible (that) | rô | -pə råhə |
| it is necessary (that) | gô | -pə gawə |
| it is probable (that) | c'i | -pə cʼiyə |
| it is supposed to be (that) | lô | -pə låģá |
| it tends to be (that) | źi | -pə ġiyə |
| it is allowed (that) | tê | -pə tayə |
They are negated or qualified by placing the negative particle šu or other adverbs before it, after the verb.
These particles can be combined; e.g. nê, marking future tense, can be combined with aspect-marking particles like lê, ju, si, and yê.
lê can be used with both perfective and imperfective verbs. ju, si, and yê are used with imperfective verbs.
Yes/no questions are ended in the interrogative particle nə, after the main verb and any modal particles.
The relativizer clitic -zə has been lost. Relative clauses where the relativized argument is an unmarked agent or patient of the verb in the relative clause are formed by simply placing the relative clause before the relativized argument. Relative clauses where the relativized argument is a marked agent, patient, indirect object, or locative argument in the relative clause are formed by placing the relative clause before the relativized argument and then placing a proximal demonstrative in the relative clause in the appropriate case/with the appropriate compound postposition.
The complement nominalizer clitic -pə has been lost for complement clauses.
Nouns (particularly patients, instruments, or locatives) can be incorporated into the verb, where the noun is placed directly before the verb, after any adverbs, and the noun does not agree with the incorporated argument (if it is a patient). Note that clauses containing incorporated patients cannot be passive.
The subordinating conjunctions have been reduced significantly, so as to have their old etymologies be obscured.
| form | etymology | |
| if | yòq'e | reason-GEN |
| because | yòq'o | reason-INST |
| so that | yòča | reason-DAT |
| than | bẽne | amount-GEN |
| before | kéča | front-DAT |
| after | c'íča | back-DAT |
| when | dák'ə | time-LOC |
| while | dáko | time-INST |
| where | mòk'ə | place-LOC |
| how | rók'ə | manner-ABL |
| whether | kók'ə | true-ABL |
| as | rólo | manner-INST |
| but | sák'ə | other-ABL |
| despite | sálo | other-INST |
| lest | sétə | fear-NOM-ABL |
Possessed nouns agree with their possessor in person and number. Alienable possessors are put in genitive case, and inalienable possessors are unmarked.
Words with CVCæ, CVːCæ, CVCɒ, CVːCɒ Old Laqar stems for which their base forms and their 3sm-possessed forms would be identical borrow the 3pm-possessed form to express 3sm-possession, to replace possessed/non-possessed ambiguity with number ambiguity. Note that CVNæ, CVːNæ, CVQæ, CVːQæ, CVNɒ, CVːNɒ, CVQɒ, and CVːQɒ stems are not affected by this. Also, plural 3sm-possessed forms borrow from plural 3pm-possessed forms in cases where plural forms would otherwise be identical to plural 3sm-possessed forms. Likewise, definite 3pm-possessed forms borrow from definite 3sm-possessed forms when they would otherwise be identical to unpossessed definite forms.
The genitive and dative case have merged, taking the form of the previous genitive case. The form of the allative case has simplified, such that it now takes the form of the old dative case.
| agentive | hə |
| patientive | no |
| genitive/dative | re |
| instrumental/comitative | lo |
| locative | k'ə |
| allative | ča |
| ablative | k'əl |
The following are used with any of locative, allative, or ablative cases:
| base | 3rd sg. m. | 3rd sg. f. | 3rd pl. m. | 3rd pl. f. | gloss | |
| before, in front | ke | kéwə | kéri | kèyo | kéxô | chest |
| after, in back | c'i | c'íwə | c'íri | c'íwo | c'éxô | back |
| over, above | buk | búkə | búkri | búko | búkô | hair |
| on top of | loś | lóśə | lóśri | lóśo | lóśô | head |
| on the bottom of | mírrə | mírrəwə | mírrəri | mírrəwo | mírrôxô | buttocks |
| under, below | k'íčə | k'íčə | k'ečrí | k'íčo | k'ečò | feet |
| in, into, out of | ną | nãnə | nãri | náno | nãnô | stomach |
| on, onto, off of | dô | dòwə | dòri | dòwo | dòxô | skin |
| outside | síbə | síbəwə | síbəri | síbəwo | síbôxô | wind |
| around | dékə | dékə | dékri | déko | dékô | circle |
The following are examples of relational noun-case combinations that are more fixed, with it not being possible to arbitrarily use other cases:
| base | 3rd sg. m. | 3rd sg. f. | 3rd pl. m. | 3rd pl. f. | gloss | |
| instead of | máweča | mòwəča | môríča | mòwoča | moxòča | place=ALL |
| as | rólo | rówəlo | rórilo | ráwolo | róxôlo | way=INST |
| because of | yòq'lo | yòq'əlo | yòq'rilo | yòq'olo | yòq'ôlo | reason=INST |