Do-Ze-Rahl linguistics: Xahin: a Language of the Dark

[Wensleydale]

Interest in linguistics have led me to expanding on ideas for Xahin, the language of the Labyrinth (Do-Ze-Rahl's underdark equivalent). Any of you other language geeks... :P well, here you go.

 Basics of Xahin

Xahin's speech involves three different forms of communication, speech, humming, and finger-signs. Each has its own small phonetic alphabet (known as 'glyphs') and although in poetry and other more complex forms of writing all three are required, you can get along, with some skill  and knowledge, in just one or two. Some dialects cut out one of the three, and a constructed form known as finger-speak by surfacers cuts out all audible noise, making it useful for silent attacks and stealthy ambushes.

Xahin is inflected in its humming and in its speech. There are four different humming tones - high, average, deep and throat-deep. The first two are nasal, the third uvular and the fourth glottal. Xahin also has a 30 character alphabet, involving a lot of sounds not found in english or Debelzi.

[spoiler=Diagram of Vocalisation]

Many thanks to the writer of the languages article at Zompist.com.[/spoiler]

It's spoken as a second or first language by the majority of Aelves and Duerg, and was (supposedly) the common language when they were surface-races. Evidence for this is shown in Debelzja and a number of similar surface tongues which share similarities to Xahin.

 The Alphabet

Ae (as in cake), C (as in card), D (as in dark), E (as in me), G (as in garden), Gg (as g in George), F (as in fat), Ff (extended normal f), H (as in hard), Ii (as in fight), I (as in in), J (as in jam), Jj (no english equivalent - lips placed as if to whistle, tongue against top of mouth, teeth together and emit a deep 'j' noise through your mouth rather than your throat), L (as in lamp), M (as in man), N (as in nod), Nn (extended 'inn' noise), O (as in oh), P (as in park), Q (as in quid), R (as in red), Rr (as in are), S (as in sing), Ss (as in hiss), T (as in took), Tt (as in th in the), U (as in under), Uu (as in ou in you), X (as Z in Zylophone), Y (as in you), Yy (as in why).

A, C, D, E, G, Gg, F, Ff, H, Ii, I, J, Jj, L, M, N, Nn, O, P, Q, R, S, Ss, T, Tt, U, Uu, X, Y, Yy.

The vowels are A, I, Ii, O, Ss, U, Uu, Y, Yy.

These are combined to make words - but some words contain humming, indicated in Debelzi writing by picture-letters and part of the standard Xahin alphabet.

Finally, finger-signing is also part of the Xahin alphabet, indicated by spidery letters which are believed to have evolved from pictures of hands. There are ten hand signs, doable on one hand only. They are:

Open palm, fingers outstretched, palm outwards from the speaker.

Open palm, fingers outstretched, palm towards the speaker.

Closed fist, palm towards the speaker.

Edge of hand facing towards speaker, thumb curled inward, first finger touching it and forming a circle.

Edge of hand facing towards speaker, thumb curled inward, second finger touching it and forming a circle.

Edge of hand facing towards speaker, thumb curled inward, third finger touching it and forming a circle.

Edge of hand facing towards speaker, thumb curled inward, fourth finger touching it and forming a circle.

Closed fist, thumb upwards between third and fourth finger, edge of hand facing toward speaker.

Palm facing toward speaker, tip of thumb crossing palm and touching the lower ends of both second and third finger, first, second and third fingers tight together, fourth finger folded inward.

Palm facing toward speaker, tip of thumb crossing palm and touching the lower end of the second finger, first and second fingers tight together, third and fourth fingers folded inward.


Normal words include up to two humming syllables and one handsign along with normal letters and sounds. An example is Vas(high nasal hum)sad (open palm out sign), which in bastardised Xahin is written as 'Vasemmmsad' (bastardised Xahin includes no fingersigning).

 Grammar

Xahin has six noun forms - objective, subjective, negative, interrogative, plural and optative.  If multiple forms are required, add them in this order: plural, negative, interrogative, optative, objective, subjective. The optative, interrogative, and negative are also verb forms.

Objective and Subjective (Possession)

The objective noun form indicates possession of the subjective noun form - god, for instance - Vadd (closed fist), and blood, Vas(deepest hum)iid(fist with thumb between middle fingers).

The objective form adds a 'jjad' to the end of a word, whilst the subjective adds a deepest hum.

Vaddjjadd(closed fist)-Vas(deepest hum)iid(high nasal hum)(fist with thumb between middle fingers) therefore means god's blood.

Negative

When a noun becomes negative, a simple Rr is added as a prefix. Not an Aelf, for instance, would be Rraelf(high nasal hum). If the noun begins with a consonant, the Rr is instead Rra (such as in Rraduerg, not a Duerg).

Interrogative

For questions in Xahin, the words change. An 'ajj' is added as a suffix if the word ends in a consonant (Aelfajj) or a jj if the word ends in a vowel (Rrahii(high nasal hum)dajji, the word for Greengate, becomes Rrahii(high nasal hum)dajjijj).

Optative

This mood indicates a hope - although it is more commonly used in verbs, it is occasionally used with nouns. It is often used with the interrogative. It adds a low nasal hum ending in a 'j'. An example is - Vas(deepest hum)iid(low nasal hum)j(fist between middle fingers). Blood!

Plural

This form makes nouns plural. It is simple - a 'yd' is added to the end. Fire, Diijii(closed fist), becomes Diijiiyd(closed fist) - fires, or many fires.

TENSES

The past, future and present tense in Xahin are handled differently than in english. The default is the present tense - this requires no mutation.

In the past tense, however, the section speaking about the past is ended and begun with a Jja, Ajj - for instance, the Netherheart bled - Jja-Nter(medium hum)-Zaj(first finger forming ring with thumb) Vas(deepest hum)-Ajj. (In bastardised Xahin this comes out as Jja-Nterimmm-Zaj Vasummm-Ajj).

In the future tense, the section speaking about the future is ended and begun with an -Uud and a Duu- - for instance, the daemon will return - Duu-Netrlajj(medium hum) Diiji(deepest hum)(fourth finger forming a ring with thumb)-Uud. This comes out in bastardised Xahin as Duu-Netrlajjimmm Diijiummm-Uud.

Perfects, Imperfects, Actives and Passives

There is no difference between perfects and imperfects in Xahin, just as there is no difference between passives and actives. They just do not exist.

[Raelifin]

First of all, language is more a matter of grammar than alphabet, so you're not done by a long shot. Good work so far though.

A few notes on alphabet.
The english alphabet is composed of many dual-sound letters, some of which overlap. I can see several instances where your letters overlap in sound. Though this may be intentional, I'll point them out, just in case:

Gg (as g in George) = J (as in jam)
R (as in red) = Rr (as in are)
Yy (as in why) = Ii (as in fight)

Kudos for "Jj". It's my new favorite conlang sound.

A few points for clarity:
C (as in card) <-- For best readability make this "K". Tolkein's bigest goof was not using the letter "K" imo.
Uu (as in ou in you) <-- Oo is easier to read, I find.
A (as in cake) <-- I prefer Ae or otherwise.
E (as in me) <-- You'll get in trouble if you leave this as a plain "e"
Example: Kuunace becomes Koonaekee

Also, Ss isn't going to be a vowel no matter how hard you try.

Any reason you left out major, soft vowels like father, puppy, apple and elephant?
It seems a bit constricting.

[Wensleydale]

Overlapping letters are intentional ;) but Rr is not overlapping. Rr literally sounds like the alphabetical name in english - 'Are'.

K might be a good idea, and that would mean cutting C - I mean, C and K have a history in english, this other language doesn't.

Mm... just to change it from english?

[limetom]

"Jj" is a nasalized voiced postalveolar affricate; repesented in International Phonetic Alphabet, it should look like this:


I know too much...

[Wensleydale]

W00t, another language freak. :P

And yes, I know. But I'm avoiding using the IPA here, it might scare people away.

[Tangential]

Another language geek here.

So far it looks good. The Optative case in interesting as in the lack of Perfects, Imperfects, Actives and Passives. Along with peculiar tense forms and odd sounds and signs Xahin has a very alien feel.

good job.

[Wensleydale]

:D

The optative I actually took from ancient greek - although it lost it I believe during the period of the Greek Empire...