JARAAD: Genitives are adjectives, not the nouns/pronouns they are based on

2022-09-08T20:46:56Z

Genitives are adjectives, not the nouns/pronouns they are based on

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:46, 8 September 2022
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	=== Parts of Speech ===		=== Parts of Speech ===

	Almost universally in Prydaenese, verbs end in -''a'', and genitive ~~nouns or pronouns~~ (those that express association or belonging) end in -''i''. The converse is not true: many other words also end in -''a'' or -''i'', for example ''gouva'' (noun, falcon) and ''leyewi'' (adjective, brave).		Almost universally in Prydaenese, verbs end in -''a'', and genitive adjectives (those that express association or belonging) end in -''i''. The converse is not true: many other words also end in -''a'' or -''i'', for example ''gouva'' (noun, falcon) and ''leyewi'' (adjective, brave).

	But in general, a word may be converted to a verb or to a genitive phrase by changing the final vowel sound or adding one. For verbs: ''gapri'' (noun, spear) can become ''gapra'' (verb, to fight), or ''gecha'' (noun, hunt) can become ''gechafa'' (verb, to hunt). For genitive phrases: ''aanam'' (you all) can become ''aanami'' (you all's), or ''vutiyuka'' (mountain) can become ''vutiyuki'' (of the mountain).		But in general, a word may be converted to a verb or to a genitive phrase by changing the final vowel sound or adding one. For verbs: ''gapri'' (noun, spear) can become ''gapra'' (verb, to fight), or ''gecha'' (noun, hunt) can become ''gechafa'' (verb, to hunt). For genitive phrases: ''aanam'' (you all) can become ''aanami'' (you all's), or ''vutiyuka'' (mountain) can become ''vutiyuki'' (of the mountain).

JARAAD: Fixing the header levels

2022-09-08T20:35:24Z

Fixing the header levels

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:35, 8 September 2022
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	: Sometimes the hunter eats the beast, and sometimes the beast eats the hunter.		: Sometimes the hunter eats the beast, and sometimes the beast eats the hunter.
	\|}		\|}

			=== Verb modification ===

	There is no conjugation for verb tense in Prydaenese. Auxiliary verbs can be used to mark if a verb is happening now (''ao''), in the past (''aio''), or in the future (''chryea''). Used on their own, these verbs literally mean ''is'', ''was'', and ''will be''.		There is no conjugation for verb tense in Prydaenese. Auxiliary verbs can be used to mark if a verb is happening now (''ao''), in the past (''aio''), or in the future (''chryea''). Used on their own, these verbs literally mean ''is'', ''was'', and ''will be''.
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	If the first vowel sound of a word is already elongated or is a diphthong, this feature can't be used. For ''draiyato'' (pretty), for example, ''vrarodu draiyato'' is the only way to say "prettiest."		If the first vowel sound of a word is already elongated or is a diphthong, this feature can't be used. For ''draiyato'' (pretty), for example, ''vrarodu draiyato'' is the only way to say "prettiest."

	== Portmanteaus ==		=== Portmanteaus ===

	In contrast to superlative elongation, this language feature is so ancient that it may be as old as the Prydaenese language itself. When two words are combined such that the ending sounds of the first word sufficiently match the beginning sounds of the second, they may be merged together at those shared sounds. This produces a new word whose meaning is related, usually ironically, to the base words.		In contrast to superlative elongation, this language feature is so ancient that it may be as old as the Prydaenese language itself. When two words are combined such that the ending sounds of the first word sufficiently match the beginning sounds of the second, they may be merged together at those shared sounds. This produces a new word whose meaning is related, usually ironically, to the base words.
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	\|}		\|}

	== Name Phrases ==		=== Name Phrases ===

	Traditionally upon a Prydaen kit's birth, their mother would consult a moon mage for a celestial reading of the kit's future. The moon mage would then give them a name based on that reading.		Traditionally upon a Prydaen kit's birth, their mother would consult a moon mage for a celestial reading of the kit's future. The moon mage would then give them a name based on that reading.

JARAAD: Initial wikification

2022-09-08T20:33:12Z

Initial wikification

New page

{{PlayerLore}}

== Introduction ==

Prydaenese is an ancient language, dating back at least to the time of the [[Empire of the Seven-Pointed Star|Empire]], but it's impossible to know precisely how long it's existed. For most of its history it had no native written script, so there are very few historical artifacts that yield information on how it evolved, or when.

About a century ago as of this writing, the Prydaen people were forced out of their homeland in the continent to the west by the necromancer [[Lyras|Lyras Maorgwelder]], who was nearly successful in exterminating the Prydaen as well as their neighbors the Rakash. This has likewise negatively impacted our knowledge of Prydaen language and culture as it existed for many centuries before the [[Great Migration]]. The people relied on oral tradition to pass along their history, and the large majority of those who knew those stories were killed.

Although I myself am Prydaen, I did not grow up in a Hub. I was raised with many traditional songs and stories, but my family primarily spoke Common at home. Much of what I now know about the Prydaenese language, I learned in adulthood. This required not just research on previously published material, but many in-depth interviews with native Prydaenese speakers. Thus, I come to this project as both an inheritor of Prydaen cultural tradition, and as a language learner. I hope that with this perspective, the following guide will prove useful to others seeking to understand Prydaenese in greater depth.

== Pronunciation ==

There are two primary writing systems used to transcribe spoken Prydaenese. The first was created by the [[Claw of Azca]], allegedly by [[Azca|Azca Fauran]] herself, but is closely guarded and not commonly in use outside the priesthood. The second was developed by [[Casimont|Professor Casimont Nalbiro]] for his two-volume [[Prydaen Dictionary]], and uses the [[Gamgweth]] alphabet to approximate the sounds of the language. The latter is the system I will be using.

=== Vowels ===

Modern Prydaenese has eight vowel sounds, classified as "short," "long," and "round" as laid out in the table below:
{| style="margin:auto"
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Short vowels
|-
! Vowel !! Common pronunciation
|-
| a || As the '''a''' in f'''a'''ther
|-
| e || As the '''e''' in p'''e'''t
|-
| i || As the '''i''' in s'''i'''t
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Long vowels
|-
! Vowel !! Common pronunciation
|-
| aa || As the '''a''' in c'''a'''t
|-
| ee || As the '''a''' in l'''a'''ne
|-
| y || As the '''ee''' in s'''ee'''m
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Round vowels
|-
! Vowel !! Common pronunciation
|-
| o || As the '''o''' in p'''o'''ke
|-
| u || As the '''oo''' in l'''oo'''m
|}
|}

Each short vowel "elongates" to its matching long vowel: ''a'' to ''aa'', ''e'' to ''ee'', ''i'' to ''y''. In older Lowlands dialects of Prydaenese each round vowel had a distinct elongated form, but these distinctions are no longer present. In contexts where a round vowel is elongated, its sound is simply held for a longer duration.

In informal speech, it's common for words ending in the short vowels ''e'' and ''i'' to have the final vowel elongated to ''ee'' and ''y'', and for words ending in the long vowel ''aa'' to be shortened to ''a''. This occurs especially at the end of a sentence or clause when they won't be immediately followed by another syllable. Thus, ''drutahi'' (droo-TAH-hih, blue) may also be pronounced droo-TAH-hee, or ''rapaa'' (rah-PAE, shoe) may be pronounced rah-PAH. To some older listeners, this sounds grating and is evidence of negative influences from Eastern languages. To some younger listeners, ''not'' making this substitution sounds stilted and old-fashioned.

Sequential vowel sounds in the same word are always diphthongized: pronounced in a single syllable as a smooth glide between the two sounds. For example, there are two syllables in the word ''diade'' (DYAH-deh, lady), and three in ''eidola'' (AY-doh-lah, ghost).

Informally and when speaking quickly, it's also common for vowels at the end of one word and the beginning of the next to be diphthongized. So the phrase ''grate unala'' (secret key) is pronounced formally GRAH-teh oo-NAH-lah but informally may reduce to ''grateunala'' grah-TYOO-nah-lah. Older and younger speakers are just as likely to make this substitution, and it can be likened to the use of contractions like ''aren't'' and ''don't'' in Common: inappropriate in formal contexts, but important in informal speech to sound conversational.

=== Consonants ===

Prydaenese has 20 consonant sounds, laid out in the table below in Common alphabetical order. Most pronunciations are similar to their Common counterpart.

{| style="margin:auto"
|
{| class="wikitable"
! Consonant !! Common pronunciation
|-
| b || As the '''b''' in '''b'''oy
|-
| ch || As the '''ch''' in '''ch'''ore
|-
| d || As the '''d''' in '''d'''ance
|-
| f || As the '''f''' in '''f'''ollow
|-
| g || As the '''g''' in '''g'''ame
|-
| h || As the '''h''' in '''h'''and
|-
| k || As the '''k''' in '''k'''ind
|-
| l || As the '''l''' in '''l'''and
|-
| m || As the '''m''' in '''m'''ake
|-
| n || As the '''n''' in '''n'''ear
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
! Consonant !! Common pronunciation
|-
| p || As the '''p''' in '''p'''ace
|-
| r || None
|-
| s || As the '''s''' in '''s'''and
|-
| sh || As the '''sh''' in '''sh'''ield
|-
| t || As the '''t''' in '''t'''oe
|-
| th || As the '''th''' in '''th'''ink
|-
| v || As the '''v''' in '''v'''ain
|-
| w || As the '''w''' in '''w'''ant
|-
| y || As the '''y''' in '''y'''ell
|-
| z || As the '''z''' in '''z'''ap
|}
|}

The Prydaenese ''r'' has no exact equivalent in Common, but is similar to the Gerenshuge as in ''rive'' (hammer). It is made by tapping the tongue to the hard palate, and sounds somewhere between the Common ''r'', ''l'', and ''d''.

Note the presence of ''y'' on this list. This Common letter is also used for the long vowel ''y''. They are distinct sounds: it represents a consonant in the word ''yabuna'' (leaf) but a vowel in the words ''yr'' (the), ''ysin'' (sash), or ''Prydaen'' (Prydaen).

There are also 9 "trill consonants": ''chr'', ''dr'', ''fr'', ''gr'', ''hr'', ''mr'', ''pr'', ''rr'', and ''vr''. These are distinct sounds and not consonant clusters. They are made with a voiced purring trill and have no Common language equivalent. The closest analogues are the consonants ''hrr'' and ''shrr'' in the S'Kra language.

I haven't included ''j'' in this list of consonants, because it is effectively nonexistent in modern Prydaenese. It did exist long ago, and its use is fossilized in the words ''jiu'' (eight) and ''jio'' (nine), but you will never hear it otherwise. Likewise, the letter ''g'' always represents the "hard" sound in Prydaenese and is never produced with a ''j'' sound as it sometimes is in Common. The same can be said for other letters with multiple sounds in Common: ''ch'' is always like '''ch'''ore, not ca'''ch'''e or a'''ch'''e; ''s'' is always like '''s'''and, not ca'''s'''ual or len'''s'''; ''th'' is always like '''th'''ink, not '''th'''en.

=== Syllables ===

A syllable in most languages can be broken down into three parts: the consonant ''onset'', the vowel ''nucleus'', and a final consonant ''coda''. In Prydaenese, syllables almost universally either have a single consonant for an onset and no coda, or neither onset nor coda. As a result, there are very few consonant clusters in Prydaenese: words like ''chmir'' (dress) and ''dathga'' (grassy plain) exist but are the exception, while most words flow like ''vekihata'' (war) and ''gechifacha'' (hunter).

Only a trill consonant may stand alone as a syllable without a vowel nucleus. For example: ''pr'chmir'' (wedding dress) is two syllables: ''pr'' and ''chmir''. ''Mr'' is a common interjection noise, similar to "huh?" in Common, although some dialects pronounce this as ''mra''.

=== Prosody ===

Each word in Prydaenese is generally given a single stressed syllable, the others spoken with a consistent lower stress. Similar to Common, a stressed syllable is spoken at a slightly higher pitch and volume. Occasionally but rarely, a second syllable in a word may have a sort of secondary stress, lower than the primary stress but higher than the rest of the word.

There are innumerable exceptions, but the general pattern is that the stress will fall on the first long vowel or diphthong, or else on the next-to-last syllable of the word. Thus: ''graimaa'' (GREYE-mae, desert), ''faiyka'' (FEYE-ee-kah, symbol of Eu), ''chugaivi'' (choo-GEYE-vih, poison), ''arubo'' (ah-ROO-boh, harness).

== Grammar ==

=== Parts of Speech ===

Almost universally in Prydaenese, verbs end in -''a'', and genitive nouns or pronouns (those that express association or belonging) end in -''i''. The converse is not true: many other words also end in -''a'' or -''i'', for example ''gouva'' (noun, falcon) and ''leyewi'' (adjective, brave).

But in general, a word may be converted to a verb or to a genitive phrase by changing the final vowel sound or adding one. For verbs: ''gapri'' (noun, spear) can become ''gapra'' (verb, to fight), or ''gecha'' (noun, hunt) can become ''gechafa'' (verb, to hunt). For genitive phrases: ''aanam'' (you all) can become ''aanami'' (you all's), or ''vutiyuka'' (mountain) can become ''vutiyuki'' (of the mountain).

=== Sentence Structure ===

In Prydaenese, a sentence or verb clause is constructed ''Verb - Subject - Object''. Subjects and objects are identified only by order without other marking. Modifiers, including articles, adjectives, adverbs, and auxiliary verbs, generally come before whatever they are modifying. Thus:

{|
|
; Sentence
: ''Arahaf hreya y gechifacha y gridadro, grur arahaf hreya y gridadro y gechifacha.''
; Literally
: Sometimes eat the hunter the beast, and sometimes eat the beast the hunter.
; Meaning
: Sometimes the hunter eats the beast, and sometimes the beast eats the hunter.
|}

There is no conjugation for verb tense in Prydaenese. Auxiliary verbs can be used to mark if a verb is happening now (''ao''), in the past (''aio''), or in the future (''chryea''). Used on their own, these verbs literally mean ''is'', ''was'', and ''will be''.

{|
|
;Sentence
:''Ao biapa y ruguro vobafu.''
;Literally
:Is rise the black moon.
;Meaning
:Katamba is rising (now).
|
;Sentence
:''Aio biapa y ruguro vobafu.''
;Literally
:Was rise the black moon.
;Meaning
:Katamba rose (in the past).
|
;Sentence
:''Chryea biapa y ruguro vobafu.''
;Literally
:Will rise the black moon.
;Meaning
:Katamba will rise (in the future).
|}

Auxiliary verbs come closest to the verb if it has multiple modifiers. For example, we would say ''radehige gigae hafaba ez'' (swift ought run I), and not ''gigae radehige hafaba ez'' (ought swift run I).

When the time is indeterminate or can be inferred from context, time-based auxiliary verbs are often omitted.

{|
|
;Sentence
:''Haf biapa y ruguro vobafu bar Ratha aio yuhra y choru.''
;Literally
:When rise the black moon to Ratha was go the moon mage.
;Meaning
:The moon mage went to Ratha when Katamba rose.
;Notes
:The verb ''biapa'' is unmarked because ''aio yuhra'' establishes the past tense.
|
;Sentence
:''Agae aud grur veg roisanen biapa y ruguro vobafu.''
;Literally
:After fifteen roisaen rise the black moon.
;Meaning
:Katamba will rise in fifteen roisaen.
;Notes
:The verb is unmarked because the context establishes it happening in the near future.
|
;Sentence
:''Chularake tailehra y Rakashen biapa y ruguro vobafu.''
;Literally
:Happy wait the Rakash rise the black moon.
;Meaning
:The Rakash eagerly await Katamba's rising.
;Notes
:Neither verb is marked because this general statement is true in the past, present, and future.
|}

When the subject or object of a verb is clear from context, it is also often omitted, which can lead to some very short sentences:

{|
|
;Sentence
:''Aio kubura ez y chres githa aan natipo.''
;Literally
:Was take I the here leave you fruit.
;Meaning
:I took the fruit that you left here.
|
;Sentence
:''Hreya vra?''
;Literally
:Eat yes?
;Meaning
:You ate it, didn't you?
|
;Sentence
:''Gonivi, chi butha.''
;Literally
:Not, but want.
;Meaning
:I didn't, but I wanted to.
|}

== Language Features ==

This section will cover something of an overlap between language and culture. These language features describe patterns of use that don't fit neatly into understanding the language's syntax and grammar, but are still important for a language learner to understand if you plan to interact with Prydaen in their native tongue and in their own environments.

=== Superlative Elongation ===

This is a relatively new language feature, but is common and accepted across Prydaenese speakers today. If the first vowel sound of a word is short or round, it may be elongated to emphasize the trait or express "more" or "the most" of that trait. For example:

{|
|
;Sentence
:''Ao ezi vipife ehurai, chi ez eehurai.''
;Literally
:Is my brother strong, but I (elongated) strong.
;Meaning
:My brother is strong, but I'm stronger.
|
;Sentence
:''Ao no munan y ruuhita.''
;Literally
:Is that elder the (elongated) teacher.
;Meaning
:That elder is the greatest teacher.
|
;Sentence
:''Aio chayuva van y vani grirodi chooreta.''
;Literally
:Was marry he the his hub's (elongated) beautiful.
;Meaning
:He married the most beautiful person in his hub.
|}

It's technically correct to use ''vrarodu choreta'' (most beautiful) in place of ''chooreta'', but increasingly this usage would be seen as unusual or overly formal.

If the first vowel sound of a word is already elongated or is a diphthong, this feature can't be used. For ''draiyato'' (pretty), for example, ''vrarodu draiyato'' is the only way to say "prettiest."

== Portmanteaus ==

In contrast to superlative elongation, this language feature is so ancient that it may be as old as the Prydaenese language itself. When two words are combined such that the ending sounds of the first word sufficiently match the beginning sounds of the second, they may be merged together at those shared sounds. This produces a new word whose meaning is related, usually ironically, to the base words.

The Prydaenese term for this is ''techalara'', itself appropriately a portmanteau of ''techala'' (crossroads) and ''halara'' (to play).

There are many thousands of these words, and their meanings are often specific to a particular region or group. Kits make a game of inventing new ones, and the resulting words may stay within that friend group, come to be used by their families, by their Hub, or eventually by Prydaen everywhere.

Some examples follow, although this is only the tiniest sliver:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Portmanteaus
|-
! Root words !! Combined
|-
| ''mibaro'' (old) + ''rotare'' (root)
| ''mibarotare'' (stubborn person)
|-
|''natipo'' (red) + ''pohaka'' (fruit)
|''natipohaka'' (strawberry)
|-
|''rihraibai'' (wise) + ''baidepai'' (truth)
|''rihraibaidepai'' (gossip)
|-
|''dovrachai'' (day) + ''chaidina'' (wound)
|''dovrachaidina'' (hangover)
|-
|''yolaru'' (seagull) + ''arufada'' (to kiss)
|''yolarufada'' (to steal food, i.e. off a friend's plate when they aren't looking)
|}

== Name Phrases ==

Traditionally upon a Prydaen kit's birth, their mother would consult a moon mage for a celestial reading of the kit's future. The moon mage would then give them a name based on that reading.

The name might be a single word: ''Rebeto'' (archer) for one who would be a skilled archer. ''Drarevra'' (fish) for one who would love swimming. ''Roleta'' (dragon) for one who would have a barely-constrained fury.

However, the name might also be a shortened version of a longer phrase, with arbitrary sounds extracted from it. The archer might have a name phrase of ''A rafa do y NAhaKUen RIdanga'' (an arrow soaring through the wind), shortened to Anakuri. The furious one might be called ''VAr yifra vin y HREya revichodo kamoyaDA'' (she might become the world-consuming fire), shortened to Vahreda.

Because these name phrases may have any length, and the sounds may be borrowed from nearly anywhere within them, it's next to impossible to work backwards from the given name to the name phrase. Prydaen tend to have a special connection to their name phrase: they may be proud of it, or embarrassed by it, and some may only share it with close friends and family as a sign of intimacy.

While a moon mage is still sometimes consulted especially among those born in Hubs, these days it's also common for a kit's parents to give them a name that expresses their own desires, without consulting the stars. My parents, for example, intended me to be a ranger, and named me ''rato y KEgrari graTH ehuRAI'' (as strong as the leopard's spirit), shortened to Kethrai. It was much to their chagrin that my path led me to become an empath instead.

Kethrai/Writing/Prydaenese Language - Revision history

JARAAD: Genitives are adjectives, not the nouns/pronouns they are based on

JARAAD: Fixing the header levels

JARAAD: Initial wikification