Difference between revisions of "High Language"
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The high language differs from English in several regards, although for game purposes you're welcome to skate over this. For the curious, it's an agglutinating language somewhat like Japanese or Korean in structure, with SOV (subject-object-verb) order and postpositions/particles. (Obviously its phonology is quite different from either of those languages.) It does not have articles. It also does not have a separate future tense, but a present/future tense with the use of circumlocutions if greater precision is needed. | The high language differs from English in several regards, although for game purposes you're welcome to skate over this. For the curious, it's an agglutinating language somewhat like Japanese or Korean in structure, with SOV (subject-object-verb) order and postpositions/particles. (Obviously its phonology is quite different from either of those languages.) It does not have articles. It also does not have a separate future tense, but a present/future tense with the use of circumlocutions if greater precision is needed. | ||
| − | The high language's personal pronouns do not have gendered forms based on sex; "he/him," "she/her," and "they/their" were used in the books mainly because the author had to write in English. In the high language, there are two "genders" (or noun classes, the less confusing term), for pronouns, animate and inanimate. Animates are used for living creatures and the occasional abstract principle or religious vestige ("fire" takes the animate for reasons having to do with the history of Kel religion). Inanimates are used for objects and servitors, reflecting their subservient status in the hexarchate. General Shuos Jedao is often referred to as an inanimate, reflecting his status as a weapon in the Kel Arsenal. | + | The high language's personal pronouns do not have gendered forms based on sex; "he/him," "she/her," and "they/their" were used in the books mainly because the author had to write in English. In the high language, there are two "genders" (or noun classes, the less confusing term), for pronouns, animate and inanimate. Animates are used for living creatures and the occasional abstract principle or religious vestige ("fire" takes the animate for reasons having to do with the history of Kel religion; clouds are inanimate except when the weather is particularly awful). Inanimates are used for objects and servitors, reflecting their subservient status in the hexarchate. General Shuos Jedao is often referred to as an inanimate, reflecting his status as a weapon in the Kel Arsenal. |
High Language [[Profanity|profanity]] has been influenced by the faction system. | High Language [[Profanity|profanity]] has been influenced by the faction system. | ||
| − | The high language [ | + | The high language [http://yoonhalee.com/images-hxx/2018-03-03-hxx-alphabet01.png system of writing] has syllable blocks written vertically. |
==Historical Development== | ==Historical Development== | ||
Originally, the high language was a pidgin/creole growing from the major Kel language from back when the Kel were a spacefaring nation, before the formation of the heptarchate. Since the founding of the heptarchate, the high language has been quite stable aside from slight vowel shifts, in part due to political influence. A change in more recent history is that the "modern" high language, c. 1250, rarely inflects for number. The "we" that Kel hexarchs use is an archaic form from an earlier version of the language that did have plurals; "I" and "we" were still distinguished as late as c. 350. | Originally, the high language was a pidgin/creole growing from the major Kel language from back when the Kel were a spacefaring nation, before the formation of the heptarchate. Since the founding of the heptarchate, the high language has been quite stable aside from slight vowel shifts, in part due to political influence. A change in more recent history is that the "modern" high language, c. 1250, rarely inflects for number. The "we" that Kel hexarchs use is an archaic form from an earlier version of the language that did have plurals; "I" and "we" were still distinguished as late as c. 350. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Honorifics== | ||
| + | A list of known honorifics: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * -'''zho''': used for H*archs; archaic by 1250 | ||
| + | * -'''shei''': used for lovers | ||
| + | * -'''ye''': used for instructors | ||
[[Category:Worldbuilding]] | [[Category:Worldbuilding]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:47, 14 January 2020
The high language differs from English in several regards, although for game purposes you're welcome to skate over this. For the curious, it's an agglutinating language somewhat like Japanese or Korean in structure, with SOV (subject-object-verb) order and postpositions/particles. (Obviously its phonology is quite different from either of those languages.) It does not have articles. It also does not have a separate future tense, but a present/future tense with the use of circumlocutions if greater precision is needed.
The high language's personal pronouns do not have gendered forms based on sex; "he/him," "she/her," and "they/their" were used in the books mainly because the author had to write in English. In the high language, there are two "genders" (or noun classes, the less confusing term), for pronouns, animate and inanimate. Animates are used for living creatures and the occasional abstract principle or religious vestige ("fire" takes the animate for reasons having to do with the history of Kel religion; clouds are inanimate except when the weather is particularly awful). Inanimates are used for objects and servitors, reflecting their subservient status in the hexarchate. General Shuos Jedao is often referred to as an inanimate, reflecting his status as a weapon in the Kel Arsenal.
High Language profanity has been influenced by the faction system.
The high language system of writing has syllable blocks written vertically.
Historical Development
Originally, the high language was a pidgin/creole growing from the major Kel language from back when the Kel were a spacefaring nation, before the formation of the heptarchate. Since the founding of the heptarchate, the high language has been quite stable aside from slight vowel shifts, in part due to political influence. A change in more recent history is that the "modern" high language, c. 1250, rarely inflects for number. The "we" that Kel hexarchs use is an archaic form from an earlier version of the language that did have plurals; "I" and "we" were still distinguished as late as c. 350.
Honorifics
A list of known honorifics:
- -zho: used for H*archs; archaic by 1250
- -shei: used for lovers
- -ye: used for instructors
