Graďlutut

Gràďlutut literally translates “the language of the gods,” and was so named because it was the gods who taught it to the people--minus the writing. So, each planet developed a different system of writing for Gràďlutut at different times. The language, because it was so isolated from each group of speakers in relation to all of the other different speakers (planetary isolation, an extreme form of geographic isolation), it gave rise to all the drastically different and varied languages found in the N’Zembe system today. As time passed throughout the system, knowledge of the first language disintegrated. The only remaining evidence of it, and the only aspect of pronunciation still remembered and preserved are names--the planets, N’Zembe, and species’ names are from Gràďlutut. This was primarily the doing of the priesthood, but the people were supportive of the move.

Writing System

Each habitable planet and moon has a different way of writing the language.

Geographical Distribution

Every habitable planet and moon has this language as it's first language.

Phonology

Phonotactics: double vowels are pronounced the same as singular, unless the vowels are separated by an apostrophe, indicating each is a separate syllable and that the word will act as two words in pronunciation, each part having its own stress. Stress: on the last or second-to-last syllable unless there is one syllable, indicated by either a rising or falling syllable: falling/rising-even in the intonation. Also, suffixes never receive the stress, it is based on the primary/root form of the word.

Morphology

• Hà can be prefixed to a verb, adverb, or adjective to emphasize the affirmative.
• Rí can be suffixed to a verb, adverb, or adjective to negate it or create the opposite.
• Subject pronouns can be prefixed to a verb to form the indirect object (IO), OR can be suffixed to a verb to form the direct object (DO).
• Nouns that can be a type of person are gendered by prefixing ve-, re-, ge-, or je- to the root form of the noun. Some nouns cannot be modified by ge- because zirch are frequently thought of as inferior to other genders. For some species, gendered nouns are not necessary because there is only one gender (such is the case with the Drelkensheath).
• Suffixing -i or -ik forms the plural. Most words will either be pluralized by one or the other, not either interchangeably. The plural form will be indicated in the lexicon.
• Possession of nouns is shown by suffixing the appropriate subject pronoun.
• Adjectives are gendered by suffixing the reverse of the first two letters of the appropriate subject pronoun. The exception are the first person subject pronouns; they are not reversed.
• The suffix -beth denotes the perfect tense and is used with all seven tenses. It follows the verb conjugation ending.
• The suffix -len denotes indeterminate past and follows -beth when applicable.
• The suffix -ij denotes the near future tense and follows -beth when applicable.
• Suffix -pil denotes distant future and follows -beth if applicable.
• The prefix una- creates a noun from an infinitive form of a verb.
• When alu- is added to colors, they become regular -en verbs.
• The prefix ja- forms the comparative form of both adjectives and adverbs. Follows alu- when applicable.
• The prefix ji- forms the superlative form of both adjectives and adverbs. Follows alu- when applicable.
• The suffix -erv modifies verbs and signifies “again,” similar to re- in English.
• Adjectives denoting quality transform into regular -ru verbs when modified by alu-.
• The prefix vai- forms the verb form of a noun. The type of verb depends on which the noun most naturally lends itself to, but it is normally a regular verb for simplicity’s sake.
• Adjectives denoting emotional or mental condition transform into regular -ul verbs when modified by alu-.
• The suffix -ia modifies verbs and signifies that the grammatical subject of the sentence is not the actor, that really it is the IO or DO, being acted upon by the unnamed “true subject.” It follows any and all other verb suffixes.

Syntax

Sentences are in the form of S IO-V-DO, questions are IO-V-DO S.

Adjectives follow the nouns they modify.

Adverbs follow the verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs they modify.

There are no articles (a/an, the).

There are seven verb tenses: distant past, indeterminant past, recent past, present, near future, indeterminate future, and distant future.

When there is an apostrophe between two vowels, both portions of the word get accented, because the apostrophe makes it act as though it were two words instead of one.

Infinitives count as DO grammatically, and are hyphenated to connect them to the conjugated verb.

In a complex phrase such as “whoever drinks the water I give him,” water acts as the indirect object of “gives,” leading to “whoever drinks I water-give-him,” literally.

A sentence cannot be started with an adverb because adverbs must follow the adjective, verb, or other adverb that they modify.

When the subject of the main verb is the indirect object of an intervening phrase, such as in “the water I give him will become a spring,” the subject is placed as the indirect object and the verb for which it is the subject is properly conjugated (which is clearer in Gràtďlutut than English).

With compound IO or DO, the other objects are also prefixed or suffixed without any conjunctions, word modification, etc.

Phonetics

Lekreanfyr: Vowels: ah (ạ), a, eh (ẹ), e/i, ih (ị), oh (ọ), o, oo/u, uh (ụ) Consonants: b, ch (č), d, f, f/h (ḥ), g, j, k/kh, m/n, p, r/rh, l/rl, s, sh, t/th, v, w, x, z/zh
Arshilkrin: Vowels: ah/a, eh/e/i, ih (ị), oh/o, oo/u, uh (ụ) Consonants: b, ch (Č/č), d, f, g, h, j/zh, k/kh, l/r (Japanese), m, n, p/t, r, s/sh, th (Ď/ď ), v, w, x, z

Dictionary

5 Words.

Successor Languages

• Sinovani
• Grisnadal
• Vidrun