Sylean language
From Traveller Wiki - Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far future
The language originating on Capital/Core, and spoken by many people in the Core sector.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
There are three major influences that formed into the Sylean spoken from the founding of the Third Imperium. First, the Syleans themselves have a unique vocabulary and, originally, their own grammar. Next, the Ziru Sirka had thousands of years to drill Vilani grammar into the Syleans. The fact that Sylean survived in any form at all is a testament to the stubbornness of people. Thirdly, the Rule of Man provided a sprinkling of Anglic to Sylea, usually in the form of names, but also affecting orthography. So then, Sylean is (1) a native lexicon, (2) a Vilani-influenced grammar, and (3) a mostly Solomani orthography.
[edit] Orthography
All sounds are pronounced as Vilani or Solomani, with the exception of /X/, which is pronounced /sh/. The Syleans write /sh/ when writing words borrowed from the Vilani, and use /x/ when writing native Sylean words. For example, in the world name /Shana ma/, the word /shana/ is borrowed from the Vilani.
The Sylean vocabulary has many consonant-clusters in it, and they use more sounds than the Vilani. Many of their vowels are borrowed from (or modified to) archaic and modern Vilani. Likewise for their consonants, although there are many Sylean or Solomani consonants used which do not appear in Vilani.
a aa b d e g h i ii j k kh l m n o p r s sh(x) t u uu v z
Some modern spellings include y (Sylea, Rhylea) and w, but these letters are actually the Sylean diphthongs ij and uu.
[edit] Grammar
Sylea has been dominated by the Vilani for ages; it is no surprise that elements of Vilani grammar have been grafted into Sylean syntax. However, Sylean is rather less agglutinative than Vilani, and like many Terran languages, it is not ergative.
[edit] Verbs and Adverbs
Verb roots always end in a vowel + /h/, and implicitly represent the first or second person -- sort of like a general 'we' category (probably borrowed from Vilani grammar) which can mean I, you, some general person, or us. Suffixes alter the verb in various ways. The verb structure is:
verb: ROOT + (negation) + (third/fourth person) + (mood) + (modal enclitics)
or
adverb: ROOT + /ad/
Negation. /-du/ negates the meaning of the verb. This is a borrowing from the Vilani verbal prefix /du-/.
Third person. /-ne/ represents he, she, it, them.
Fourth person. /-ii/ represents a different he, she, it, them.
-to. Although we don't know what this suffix is for, we know it exists and comes before mood suffixes. Moreover, we know it turns the verb's 'h' into 'x'.
Mood:
/-ma/ desiderative "let's go!"
/-mo/ jussive "let them eat cake."
/-mi/ didactic/mirative "let me tell you/you're telling me that..."
/-ju/ counterfactual (from Vilani /Zu/)
/-me/ quotative "They say that..." (was: -em)
/-ix/ probable
/-lad/ improbable (from Vilani /Lad/)
/-zi/ conditional "supposing that..."
/-aam/ interrogative (from Vilani /Aam/)
Modal enclitics (borrowed from the Vilani) immediately follow the verb:
/Asi/ "must, have to" (also used for imperative)
/Esiim/ "ought to"
Adverbizer: /-ad/ (from the Vilani verbal suffix /-ad/).
Note that the vowel before the final /h/ is deleted where possible, and the /u/ from the negative suffix /du/ is also deleted.
[edit] Verb list
Verbs Adverbs
Kah be healthy Khad in a healthy manner
Kahdu be unhealthy Khadad in an unhealthy manner
Iagah think Iaghad thoughtfully
Iagahdu not-think Iaghdad thoughtlessly
Xah include, bring in Xahad inclusively
Xahdu be bypassed, isolated Xahdad isolatively (?)
Esih require Eshad compulsively?
Esihdu forbid Eshdad forbiddingly
Siilah be appealing Siilhad appealingly
Siilahdu be unappealing Siilhadu unappealingly
Dimolih adorn Dimolhid tidily
Dimolihdu unadorn Dimolhidu untidily
Selijih eat
Selijihdu fast
Pih ? (< Pixtome, a world name)
[edit] Adjectives
Intransitive verbs are used as adjectives. This method is borrowed from the Vilani.
[edit] Examples
Kah. "'We' are healthy."
Kahne. "She is healthy."
Kahne esiim. "She ought to be healthy."
Iagah khad. "'We' think healthily."
Iagahne khad. "They think healthily."
Iagahii khad. "They (different from the group above) think healthily."
Xahduma. "Let's become isolated."
Xahdunemo. "Let them become isolated."
[edit] Nouns
Nouns can be related to verbs; many times, the noun form of a word ends in -n, -r, or -l, while the verb form ends in -h. The noun form also tends to have shortened initial vowels, while the verb form will often have diphthongs or lengthened initial vowels.
Ar ? (from Arati, family name) Bel ? (from Beliiz, ?) Cel ? (from Celia, Anglic name) Ciil ? (from Ceelig, personal name) Daval ? (from Davalli, personal name) Del ? (from Deligo, family name) Der ? (from Derizos and Derisovial, names) Dever ? (from Devero, family name) Dimol ? (from dimolin, adornment) Dimolin adornment; clothes (from dimolih, adorn) Esen ? (from Esenina, personal name) Esin restriction; interdiction Gin health (from Vilani, Sylean Gina) Igan mind (from Iagah, to think) Il ? (from Illia, personal name) Kan health or body Mar ? (from Mariik, Vilani college name) Mul ? (from Muliid, Vilani personal name) Muscir ? (from Musciri, personal name) Niir homeworld Pual ? (personal name) Rhijl ? (from Rhylea, Rhylan, Rhylanor) Sel ? (from selijil, food, and selijih, eat) Selijil food (from selijih, eat) Shana copse, grove; hope; name (fem) < Vilani Shar ? (from Shariha, personal name) Shel ? (from Shela, Vilani personal name) Sher ? (from Sheri, Vilani personal name) Shil ? (from Shili, Vilani family name) Siil ? (from siilah, be appealing) Sijl ? (from Sylea) Ter ? (from Teresa or Theresa, Anglic personal name) Vel ? (from Velardi, family name) Wair ? (from Wairi, personal name) Xan singularity, isolate, bypass Zuar ? (from Zuarkri, personal name)
[edit] Noun Suffixes
These are suffixes which modify the noun. In many cases, they may be "stacked" one after the other. Suffixes may represent conjunctions, possession, number, and/or case markings.
Here are the "first group" suffixes we know of; when they occur, they are always first after the noun.
-an -ar -at -ih (verbalizer) -ij -in -k -li
And here are the "second group" suffixes we know of; when they occur, they are always the last suffix of the noun.
-a -di -i -iid -iik -iiz -il -or -ri
Finally, here are the suffixes that we can't classify:
-ah (verbalizer) -ea -es -ha -ia -ial -ig -is -iz -ler -o -os -ov
[edit] Conjunctions
Conjunctions come between phrases, as in many Terran languages. Sylean has conjunctions to represent inclusion and exclusion.
Certain noun suffixes may perform conjunctive roles.
/he/ and, as in "just this and that"
/ii/ and, as in "this and that and et cetera"
/e/ and/or, as in "this and/or that" In colloquial Sylean, /e/ and /he/ are often used interchangeably.
/kii/ or, as in "either this or that but not both"
Examples:
Igan he kan, Mind and body.
Igan ii kan, Mind and body and other things.
Igan e kan, Mind and/or body.
Igan kii kan, Either mind or body (but not both).
[edit] Numbers
0 An 10 Nan 20 Ma nan 100 Kanna 300 Ka kanna
1 La 11 Lan 21 Ma lan 101 Kanna la 900 Ko kanna
2 Ma 12 Man 22 Ma man 102 Kanna ma 1000 Nan kanna
3 Ka 13 Kan
4 Xi* 14 Lin 30 Ka nan 110 Kanna nan 10,000 Lakanaa
5 Mi 15 Min 40 Li nan 120 Kanna 100,000 Nan Lakanaa
6 Ki 16 Kin 50 Mi nan 1m Makanaa
7 Lo 17 Lon 80 Mo nan 200 Ma kanna 10m Nan Makanaa
8 Ex* 18 Mon 201 Ma kanna la 100m Kakanaa
9 Ko 19 Kon 1b Nan kakanaa
10b Likanaa
1t Mikanaa
100t Kikanaa
10q Lokanaa
[edit] Sylean words and phrases
Xahdunemo Imperial policy of surrounding unwilling pocket empires Hipodile Ceremonial games or ritual center Iagah Khad Sylean thought police Igan Hipodile The official Sylean Mind Games Esih selijil he dimolin. Proverb "all we need is food and clothing"
[edit] Lexicon
/s Aazra Kand /e world/place name /s Andraaka /e college name /s Beliiz Derisovial /e personal name (m) /s Caymal Mamuga /e personal name (m) /s Ceelig Donkou /e personal name (m) /s Celia /e personal name (f) /s Davalli /e personal moniker /s Derizos /e personal name (m) /s Esenina Zosiphon /e personal name (f) /s Gina Shili /e personal name (f) /s iagah /e thinking (gerund) /s Iagah khad /e Thought police /s Idmum /e world name /s igan /e think /s Igan hipodile /e "Mind games" /s Illia Xunow /e personal name (f) /s Imar /e system name /s Imdi Mi /e system name /s Josua Devero /e personal name (m) /s Kagii Laa /e city on Kand /s Kagii Shiir /e personal name (m) /s Khad /e police /s Mariik /e college name /s Meice, Bay of - /e place name /s Miiso Meuller /e personal name /s Mikkel Juans /e personal name (m) /s Misha Aan /e personal name /s Muliid Arati /e personal name (m) /s Musciri Deligo /e personal name (m) /s Niir /e Core 0106 /s Nipe /e system name /s Nuunzaaind /e system name /s Pixtome /e world in Core sector (also a conjugated verb) /s Pual Wovii /e personal name (m) /s Secathet Worain /e personal name (m) /s Sesisos Gishvii /e personal name (f) /s Shariha Velardi /e personal name (f) /s Sheri Kashvi /e personal name (f) /s Shela /e personal name (f) /s Sylea /e Sylea /s Theresa Aykthul /e personal name (f) /s Uumin Duu /e system name /s Viiki Smith /e personal name (f) /s Viviia Sanch /e personal name (f) /s Wairi Aykthul /e personal name (m) /s Zimiin /e system name /s Zuarkri /e world name
