I wrote a language. Several, actually, but only one is currently in development. The rest have been cast aside.
Why write a language? Well, for a few reasons.
Why write a language? Well, for a few reasons.
- I can.
- J. R. R. Tolkien did it, and I have admired him for it.
- Did I mention that I can?
That's really all this page is for, to discuss my language, as it is, my planned changes to it, vocabulary, syntax, etc. I hope to actually get it made into a font at some point. I have the tools, as well as most (possibly all, I need to decide) of the characters, though there are some odd things I don't know if I'll be able to do. In any case, for the time being it is limited to my notebooks and some graphics I have recently put together, but it will suffice for now.
Overview:
Name:
(Kihn-sho-ah-too)
Culture: Humanity (a fictitious world I have half built in my head...)
Meaning: "Water Language"
Characters: 12, with accents.
So, you may ask, how exactly do we make use of a mere 12 characters? I will tell you.
Of the twelve, 11 are vowels, the 12th being the only standalone consonant character, and the carrier of standalone consonants. Consonants are marked on the vowels.
For example, in the word, we have the "ih" vowel with a preceding "k", followed by a floating "n" (the carried consonant overrides the character's sound). We then have an "oh" with a preceding "sh," an "ah," and finally an "oo" with a preceding "t." By default consonants are sounded before the vowel they are attached to. In general, floating consonants occur when there are more consonants than can be taken by the surrounding vowels.
Consonants, with the exception of the carrier character "x (ks)," come in pairs that are relative to a "rotation." Characters are said to be in one of two rotations, life and death (more accurately immortality and mortality). Consonant markers that are "in-rotation" are voiced, while those that are "counter-rotation" are unvoiced. For example, g/k, d/t, et cetera. The exception are l/r/m/n, which are just weird. They are paired l/r, m/n, even though they don't exactly have voice.
Characters/Runes:
ah
oo
ih
oh
eh
x
ai (as in aye, eye, a-ee)
ou (loud)
oa (like "w" with a hint of "a", which is superseded by other following vowels)
iu (like "y" with a hint of "u"which is superseded by other following vowels)
ü (u umlaut, or greek upsilon)
oi (oil)
Markers:
vowel-doubler (a becomes a'a, a pronounced twice distinctly)
post-fix marker (the vowel-doubler used in conjunction with another marker, makes consonant sound after its vowel)
h
ch (post-fixed "h", sounds as in loch, Bach)
g (always hard)
k
j (always as in "edge")
tch (as in "itch")
d
t (always as in "top")
th (always as in "through," unvoiced)
dh (like "th" in "thee," voiced)
b
p
v
f
l
r
m
n
z
s
zh (voiced variant of "sh," somewhat like a soft "j")
sh
The mark that causes a vowel to double can also be used in conjunction with any consonant marker to make the consonant follow the vowel instead of precede it. The exception to this is the consonantal character.
By itself, the consonantal character says "x" as in "flex."
Joined with the vowel "eh" - these are the only two characters that combine in this fashion, and only with each other - it says "xe (like kseh/ksay)."
With the post-fix marker, it says "ex."
Lastly, it cannot carry the "ch" sound, which is a post-fix "h" on every other character.
Overview:
Name:
(Kihn-sho-ah-too)Culture: Humanity (a fictitious world I have half built in my head...)
Meaning: "Water Language"
Characters: 12, with accents.
So, you may ask, how exactly do we make use of a mere 12 characters? I will tell you.
Of the twelve, 11 are vowels, the 12th being the only standalone consonant character, and the carrier of standalone consonants. Consonants are marked on the vowels.
For example, in the word
, we have the "ih" vowel with a preceding "k", followed by a floating "n" (the carried consonant overrides the character's sound). We then have an "oh" with a preceding "sh," an "ah," and finally an "oo" with a preceding "t." By default consonants are sounded before the vowel they are attached to. In general, floating consonants occur when there are more consonants than can be taken by the surrounding vowels.Consonants, with the exception of the carrier character "x (ks)," come in pairs that are relative to a "rotation." Characters are said to be in one of two rotations, life and death (more accurately immortality and mortality). Consonant markers that are "in-rotation" are voiced, while those that are "counter-rotation" are unvoiced. For example, g/k, d/t, et cetera. The exception are l/r/m/n, which are just weird. They are paired l/r, m/n, even though they don't exactly have voice.
Details:
Characters/Runes:
ah
oo
ih
oh
eh
x
ai (as in aye, eye, a-ee)
ou (loud)
oa (like "w" with a hint of "a", which is superseded by other following vowels)
iu (like "y" with a hint of "u"which is superseded by other following vowels)
ü (u umlaut, or greek upsilon)
oi (oil)
Markers:
vowel-doubler (a becomes a'a, a pronounced twice distinctly)
post-fix marker (the vowel-doubler used in conjunction with another marker, makes consonant sound after its vowel)
h
ch (post-fixed "h", sounds as in loch, Bach)
g (always hard)
k
j (always as in "edge")
tch (as in "itch")
d
t (always as in "top")
th (always as in "through," unvoiced)
dh (like "th" in "thee," voiced)
b
p
v
f
l
r
m
n
z
s
zh (voiced variant of "sh," somewhat like a soft "j")
sh
The mark that causes a vowel to double can also be used in conjunction with any consonant marker to make the consonant follow the vowel instead of precede it. The exception to this is the consonantal character.
By itself, the consonantal character says "x" as in "flex."
Joined with the vowel "eh" - these are the only two characters that combine in this fashion, and only with each other - it says "xe (like kseh/ksay)."
With the post-fix marker, it says "ex."
Lastly, it cannot carry the "ch" sound, which is a post-fix "h" on every other character.
Advanced:
This is a stylization of all twelve characters, roughly serving as the alphabet.
As you can see, there are six "independent" runes, and six which appear to be combinations. That is indeed the case. It is also more obvious from this perspective what is meant by "rotation," as there is certain sense of direction to each character, some of is conflicting.
The two center runes represent life and death, immortality and mortality, and are the source of the "rotations." The remaining runes all represent an element, or combination of elements, as well as an interplay or enforcement of the rotations.
To those of you who have read "Wheel of Time," you could say that the two central runes are the driving forces, like saidin and saidar, but I did not steal this idea from him, so don't get mad at me.
| Character | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
 | Gam | a as in father |
| Gam represents fire and masculinity, and is of the physical rotation. This rune connotes life, passion, people, and the use of tools. | ||
 | Dook | oo as in food |
| Dook represents earth and knowledge, and is of the spiritual rotation. This rune connotes solidity, the corporeal afterlife, and factual knowledge. | ||
 | Kihn | ih/i/ee as in been |
| Kihn represents water and femininity, and is of the physical rotation. This rune connotes life, calm, and language or communication. | ||
 | Tohj | oh as in flow |
| Tohj represents wind or air, and wisdom, and is of the spiritual rotation. This rune connotes origin, the spiritual afterlife, and wisdom. | ||
 | Eh'ehm | eh as in element, or ay as in say |
| Eh'ehm represents Life, and is the source of the spiritual rotation. This rune connotes God and immortality. | ||
 | Xe | x as in flex |
| Xe represents Death, and is the source of the physical rotation. THis rune connotes humanity and mortality. | ||
 | Baish | ai, sounds like aye |
| Baish represents the confluence of fire and water, and is an "emphatic" of the physical rotation. Practically, this rune signifies something akin to a geyser or hotspring, but also the dynamism of the genders. Specifically, there is a certain sense in which too much water quenches the flame, too much fire evaporates the water, but the right mix is just smokin'. | ||
 | Vout | ou as in loud |
| Vout represents the confluence of earth and air, and is an "emphatic" of the spiritual rotation. Practically, this rune signifies something akin to a dry wind or a dust devil, but also the austerity of wisdom and knowledge. | ||
 | Pwazh | w(a), w with a slight a sound, unless followed by another vowel |
| Pwazh represents the confluence of fire and air, and is a "cross-rotational" combination. Practically, this rune signifies something akin to lightning, but also wrath, anger, and judgement, specifically the judgement of God. | ||
 | Fyud | y(uh), y with a slight uh sound, unless followed by another vowel |
| Fyud represents the confluence of earth and water, and is a "cross-rotational" combination. Practically, this rune signifies something akin to a river or the ocean, but also mercy and greatness, especially the mercy of God. | ||
 | Jüg | ü, like German u umlaut or Greek upsilon |
| Jüg represents the confluence of fire and earth, and is a "cross-rotational" combination. Practically, this rune signifies the mountain or volcano, the quest for knowledge, and defense. | ||
 | Tchoik | oi as in soil |
| Tchoik represents the confluence of water and wind, and is a "cross-rotational" combination. Practically, this rune signifies something akin to rain or a storm, but also the quest for wisdom, and attack. | ||
