Description:

The term 'jal' has to do with inertia - to continue doing something or to stay at rest. Where an implication of continuing an activity is not clear form context, it tend to mean staying at rest.

Verb:

As a verb, jal means to stay in place. When chained with another verb, it acts as a modifying term of aspect, saying that the action continues into the moment of focus, possibly due to sustained effort. Functionally, it's a lot like using the word 'still' in English. On its own, it is an intransitive pali verb of state and takes an absolutive subject which is the thing staying. Anything else about the action, such as location, must be expressed periphrasitcally with prepositional phrases.

Jal can also have the sense of 'live', as in to reside at a place, or to survive, especially when combined with the modifier xul for the latter meaning.

Another use for 'jal' is as a copula meaning to be at a place. While 'an' can be used for this purpose as well, High Common speakers generally prefer 'jal' for this purpose, and it is mandatory in many Low Common dialects. The place where the person or thing is is expressed if necessary as a nominative object introduced by the null preposition.

The derived form 'ejál' means to sustain or maintain something, implying more effort than jal, and is often used in a causative form.

Noun:

As a noun, 'jal' typically refers to an instance of staying in a place. So you could speak of a 'jal' at a friend's house, for example, if you visited or stayed over. The derived form 'jalysyn' is the scientific term for inertia, and is also a word for comfort or rest.

Interjection:

'Jal' is used in the set phrase 'zra jal', or literally 'true stay', as a word for goodbye. It is the correct response to the phrase 'zra stok', or 'farewell'. The person leaving says 'zra jal' to the person staying (unless both are parting to go on journeys).

Modifier:

As a modiifer, 'jalys' means 'at rest' or 'comfortable'. The derived form 'ejálys' means 'sustainable' or 'constant'.