The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

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Shemtov
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The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

This is a language that uttered in a trance by the Prophetess of Fuhe, when she holds the Seer's Ball. The Seer's ball was originally made by M'aillys speakers, but it was captured by Fuhe around 500 years ago. Because of it's influence, some words have been borrowed into Fuheko.

Phonology:
/p b t d k g/ <p b t d k g>
/ɸ β θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h/ <f v ţ ḑ s z ś ź h>
/ɬ/ <ļ>
/m n ɲ/ <m n ń>
/r ʀ/ <r ŗ>
/l w j/ < l w y>

/i u ɯ/ <i u ǔ
/a/ <a>
/ae ai ao au/ <ae ai ao au>

Phonotactics (C)V(j/w/N)

Nouns:
Nouns have two numbers, singular and plural and two cases, Nominative and Oblique.
They are declined like this:
Example Noun: Kaedana "sword"
Nominative Singular: Kaedana
Nominative Plural: Kaedanań
Oblique Singular: Kaedanaw
Oblique Plural: Kaedanavǔ

If the noun already ends in a nasal, the nominative plural is formed by reduplication: Ban "Warrior" Banman "Warriors"
As seen, if the first consonant of the word is /p b t d ʃ ʒ/, it assimalates into a nasal, in the reduplicated word.

Regular Verbs:
Regular Verb stems end in a vowel. They, disregarding moods have three tenses, past, present and future and two aspects, Imperfective and Habitual/Perfective. This post will focus on the Imperfective, as there is a bit of complication with the Habitual/Perfective. They inflect for person, but not for number:
Example verb: Ŗaigo "to speak"
Present tense:
1P: Ŗaigom
2P: Raigoy
3p: Ŗaigo

Past tense:
1P: Ŗaigoń
2P: Ŗaigoyi
3P: Ŗaigoļǔ

Future tense:
1P: Ŗaigosa
2P: Ŗaigoźi
3p: Ŗaigohae

Example sentence:
Kaedana ŗaigo: pupusa banvǔ
Kaedana ŗaigo: pupu-sa ban-vǔ
sword say slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR
"The sword says: I will slaughter warriors"
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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Parlox
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Parlox »

I like the phonology of this language! Although what exactly is the Seer's ball, and what does it do?
:con: Gândölansch (Gondolan)Feongkrwe (Feongrkean)Tamhanddön (Tamanthon)Θανηλοξαμαψⱶ (Thanelotic)Yônjcerth (Yaponese)Ba̧supan (Basupan)Mùthoķán (Mothaucian) :con:
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Shemtov
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

Parlox wrote:I like the phonology of this language! Although what exactly is the Seer's ball, and what does it do?
It is a fired clay ball, with curve-like, geometrical markings on it. It is an object infused with Ki that allows the holder who has to be a virgin woman who has honed her control over the Ki since childhood, that allows her to speak with "Beings of Pure Ki". The The Prophetess' Tongue is their native language.
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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Parlox
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Parlox »

Shemtov wrote:
Parlox wrote:I like the phonology of this language! Although what exactly is the Seer's ball, and what does it do?
It is a fired clay ball, with curve-like, geometrical markings on it. It is an object infused with Ki that allows the holder who has to be a virgin woman who has honed her control over the Ki since childhood, that allows her to speak with "Beings of Pure Ki". The The Prophetess' Tongue is their native language.
Sounds interesting! I would like to hear more, do you have any information on the subject written down somewhere?
:con: Gândölansch (Gondolan)Feongkrwe (Feongrkean)Tamhanddön (Tamanthon)Θανηλοξαμαψⱶ (Thanelotic)Yônjcerth (Yaponese)Ba̧supan (Basupan)Mùthoķán (Mothaucian) :con:
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

The Habitual/Perfective aspect is formed by using the copula as an auxillary and adding the infinitive to the end of the sentence. The infinitive is formed by adding ţǔ as a suffix to the verb stem.

The Copula:
Present tense:
1P: Kam
2P: Kay
3P: Ka

Past tense:
1P: Gǔm
2P: Gǔy
3P: Gǔ

Future tense:
1P: Kasa
2P:Kaźi
3P: Kahae

So we can have sentences like:
Kaedana ka ŗaigoţǔ : pupusa banvǔ
"The sword keeps saying: I will slaughter warriors"

Gǔm pupuţǔ banvǔ
"I have slaughtered warriors"

Kasa dagǔţǔ kaedanaw
"I will have lifted up the sword"
________
To make something genitive, you put it in the oblique case, and put the particle van between it and the possesed object:
Kasa dagǔţǔ ŗaśaw van kaedanaw
"I will have lifted up veangences's sword"
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Nachtuil »

I like that the future tense hints at being derived from the present tense for the copulae. The concept of this language is interesting to me. It reminds me of the movie 300 where the oracle speaks in their own speech (if I recall right they just asked them to make up stuff on the spot). How does the language function in your world? Do the priests learn the language of the prophetess as part of their religious duties? Is she the only native speaker of the language? Is she immortal or is the language divinely implanted in the chosen prophet of the moment?
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Shemtov
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

Nachtuil wrote: How does the language function in your world? Do the priests learn the language of the prophetess as part of their religious duties? Is she the only native speaker of the language? Is she immortal or is the language divinely implanted in the chosen prophet of the moment?
It's not really a religious thing, in the sense that we would think of when using that word. The Prophetess is sort of like a conduit for the beings of pure Ki. There are varying opinions on what they are. Some believe them to be gods, others the spirits of the dead, others angels under a Monotheistic deity, which is the Orthodox opinion, and is the true explanation (not that I'd put that into any book I'd write about the World of Fuhe, I want the function of these beings to vague to my readers, too). The Prophetess, known as the Yamavava, is chosen by the Grand Commissioner of the Kätänä-to-Kinu-Mutai, the governing and enforcing body of Fuhe when the previous Yamavava dies. Only the Yamavava and the Grand Commissioner of the Kätänä-to-Kinu-Mutai are allowed to learn the language. She utters, he interprets.
Last edited by Shemtov on 30 Aug 2017 02:02, edited 1 time in total.
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Nachtuil »

Shemtov wrote: ...

Only the Yamababa and the Grand Commissioner of the Kätänä-to-Kinu-Mutai are allowed to learn the language. She utters, he interprets.
Thanks for explaining. What happens if of of them die? Does the other teach the language to the replacement?
Last edited by Nachtuil on 29 Aug 2017 00:55, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by DesEsseintes »

Nachtuil wrote:
Shemtov wrote: ...

Only the Yamababa and the Grand Commissioner of the Kätänä-to-Kinu-Mutai are allowed to learn the language. She utters, he interprets.
Thanks for explaining. What happens if oe of them die? Does the other teach the language to the replacement?
And perhaps more importantly: what if both happen to die at the same time, or the time between their deaths is not long enough to pass the knowledge on to the new incumbents? A language, after all, is not something that can normally be taught in a matter of weeks.
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

They've written a self-teaching guide to the language for just such an occasion. It's locked up in a vault in the palace of the Grand Commissioner of the Kätänä-to-Kinu-Mutai, but if needed, they do have access to it. In an emergency, The Prophetess can focus all her Ki on the Seer's Ball an the "Beings of Pure Ki" will magically teach her the language, allowing her to pass it on, but such an act exhausts her to the point where she's out of commission for a month after doing it.
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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Re: The Prophetess' Tongue Scratchpad

Post by Shemtov »

Use of the oblique case:
The Oblique case, when unmarked by a preposition, has the meaning of "accusative" ie. direct object:
pupusa banvǔ
pupu-sa ban-vǔ
slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR
"I will slaughter warriors"

However, when proceeded by certain prepositions, it's meaning changes.
ţǔ- Dative; Benefactive:
pupusa banvǔ ţǔ kiw
pupu-sa ban-vǔ ţǔ ki-w
slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR BEN Ki-OBL
"I will slaughter warriors for the sake of the Ki"

Paļisa kiw ţǔ banvǔ
Paļi-sa ki-w ţǔ ban-vǔ
give-1P.FUT Ki-OBL DAT warrior-PLR.OBL
"I will give Ki to Warriors"

miń: Locative

pupusa banvǔ ţǔ kiw miń Fuhaew
pupu-sa ban-vǔ ţǔ ki-w miń Fuhae-w
slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR BEN Ki-OBL LOC Fuhe
"I will slaughter warriors for the sake of the Ki in Fuhe"

Sai- going from the place
pupusa banvǔ ţǔ kiw sai Karaevaw
pupu-sa ban-vǔ ţǔ ki-w sai Kareva-w
slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR BEN Ki-OBL ABL Kareva-OBL
"I will slaughter warriors for the sake of the Ki while coming from Kareva"

Lu- Going to a place:
pupusa banvǔ ţǔ kiw lu Karaevaw
pupu-sa ban-vǔ ţǔ ki-w lu Kareva-w
slaughter-FUT.1P warrior-OBL.PLR BEN Ki-OBL ALL Kareva-OBL
"I will slaughter warriors for the sake of the Ki while going to Kareva"
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
-JRR Tolkien
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