What this is
This is the canonical learner hub for Elder Tongue, the language of the Elders of Aethric. It is designed so a newcomer can progress from zero to fluent usage for narrative dialogue, lyrics, ritual speech, and everyday scenes.
[Canon] markers, replace with the agreed Elder Tongue facts already locked for your worldbook.Pedagogy Start with sounds and writing, then core morphology and word order, then expand using the phrasebook and dialogues. Song rules are separated for performance accuracy.
Quick facts
- Typology: [Canon: e.g. SVO, head‑final]
- Morphology: [Canon: agglutinative / fusional]
- Phoneme count: [Canon]
- Writing system: [Canon: runic/latinized w/ diacritics]
- Stress: [Canon: e.g. penultimate unless marked]
- Special feature: memory‑bound terms and Namesworn effects reflected in honorifics.
Orthography & Phonetics
Two parallel scripts are supported: the native Elder glyphs and a learner romanization. The romanization is one‑to‑one with phonemes to keep singing and TTS tools consistent.
Letters
| Roman | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | open; never schwa |
| e | /e ~ ɛ/ | [Canon: exact value] |
| i | /i/ | tense |
| o | /o ~ ɔ/ | [Canon] |
| u | /u/ | back rounded |
| y | /j/ | consonantal y |
| c | /ts/ | never /k/; use k for /k/ |
| dh | /ð/ | soft th |
| th | /θ/ | voiceless th |
| sh | /ʃ/ | postalveolar |
| kh | /x/ | velar fricative |
| rr | /r̄/ | [Canon: trill/length] |
| ë | /ə/ | [Canon: if used] |
Adjust inventory to match Elder canon (add ejectives, length marks, etc.).
Pronunciation rules
- Stress: [Canon rule]. Mark exceptions with acute: á, é, í, ó, ú.
- Vowel length: doubled vowels indicate length aa ee ii or macrons ā ē ī per canon.
- Syllables: Preferred shape (C)V(C); avoid complex onsets unless lexified.
- Assimilation: n before k g → [ŋ]; before f → [ɱ].
Phonotactics checklist
- Legal clusters: [Canon list]
- Word can’t end in: [Canon]
- Epenthesis vowel: [Canon]
Phonology & Prosody
Inventory
[Canon: full consonant and vowel charts here.]
- Allophony: [Canon]
- Sandhi: ritual elision rules for song recitation.
- Prosody: preferred mora count per line for chants: [Canon e.g. 12–14 morae]
Ritual timing
In sung lines, lengthen stressed vowels before sonorants; final vowels remain audible. Avoid schwa deletion in sacred names.
“What’s remembered, exists” affects naming cadence. Memory‑bearing morphemes receive length or pitch accent per canon.
Morphology
Derivation
| Affix | Gloss | Example |
|---|---|---|
| han‑ | memory, record | han-lir “memory‑song” |
| ‑eth | collective | mar‑eth “the fleet, the many ships” |
| va‑ | honorific | va‑tira “honored elder” |
| ‑en | agentive | khal‑en “ward‑keeper” |
Replace or extend with Elder canon affix set.
Inflection
- Nouns: number [Canon: sg/du/pl], case [Canon: e.g. core + locatives].
- Verbs: tense [Canon], aspect impf/pfv/habit, mood declarative/intent/ritual.
- Agreement: subject indexing [Canon]; polite register affects morphology.
Sample declension & conjugation
Noun: lir “song”
| Case | Form | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| NOM | lir | song (subject) |
| GEN | liren | of song |
| DAT | lirath | to/for song |
| LOC | lire | in song |
Verb: sha “to see”
| Aspect | 1sg | 3sg | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfective | i‑sha | a‑sha | I am seeing / s/he sees |
| Perfective | i‑shan | a‑shan | I saw / s/he saw |
| Habitual | i‑shai | a‑shai | I tend to see / s/he tends to see |
Syntax
Basic order
[Canon: e.g. SOV] with topic‑fronting permitted for focus. Adjectives post‑nominal. Possessors pre‑nominal with genitive.
- Negation with particle na before the verb: I na‑sha.
- Questions by final particle ke and rising contour.
- Relative clauses follow the noun, headed by ya.
Registers
Three registers: Common, High, Ritual. Honorifics inflect titles, verbs take deferential prefixes.
- Common: Master Wayne sha liren “Master Wayne sees the song.”
- High: Va‑Wayn a‑sha liren.
- Ritual: Va‑Wayn a‑shai han‑lire “...per memory‑song.”
Function Words
Particles
- na negation
- ke question
- ho focus
- ta evidential: witnessed
- sa evidential: heard‑tell
Adpositions
- ir in/at
- vel to/toward
- mor from/out of
- sen with/by means of
Conjunctions
- a and
- nor but
- eth or
- han because
Verbs
Template
[polite‑prefix]-[subject]-ROOT-[aspect]-[mood]
Adjust to canon. Example: va‑ i‑ SHA ‑n ‑a
Common irregulars
- be “to be” → es / en / era [Canon forms]
- go “to go” → vel / van / vare
- have “to have” → nor / nora / norn
Aspect & Mood
- Imperfective ongoing/state
- Perfective completed
- Habitual customary
- Intent volitional mood
- Ritual used in oaths, chants; locks vowel length.
Nouns
Number & Case
Singular unmarked; dual with ‑ar; plural with ‑eth [Canon endings].
- Nominative zero
- Genitive ‑en
- Dative ‑ath
- Locative ‑e
Gender & Animacy
[Canon: none / animate vs inanimate]. Honorific prefix va‑ for Elders, sa‑ for revered places.
Pronouns & Agreement
Independent pronouns
| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | i | imar | imet |
| 2 | ti | timar | timet |
| 3 | a | amar | amet |
Replace with canon forms if different.
Agreement clitics
Subject prefixes on verbs: i‑ 1st, t‑ 2nd, a‑ 3rd. Object suffixes optional in High register.
Numbers, Time, Measures
Cardinals
| Value | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | an |
| 2 | du |
| 3 | tri |
| 4 | quar |
| 5 | pën |
Time words
- today hanir
- yesterday morhan
- tomorrow velhan
Adapt to Elder calendar canon.
Core Phrasebook
Greetings
- Senir. Peace to you.
- Va‑senir. Peace to you, honored one.
- Senir ke? Are you well?
Everyday
- I‑sha liren. I see the song.
- Na a‑shan. He did not see.
- Vel mar‑eth! To the ships!
Polite & Ritual
- Va‑tira, senir han. Honored elder, peace because of memory.
- Han‑lir a‑shai. The memory‑song resounds.
Sample Dialogues
Harbor greeting (Common register)
Elder A: Senir, ti vel mar? — Peace, are you bound for the ships?
Elder B: I‑go vel mar, a‑sha storm. — I go to the ships, she sees a storm.
Gloss: senir peace, vel to, mar ship(s).
Audience with the Council (High)
Speaker: Va‑tira, i‑shai han‑lir ir Titan‑Rib. — Honored elders, I intone the memory‑song in the Titan‑Rib.
Chant & Song Rules
Meter
- Lines prefer [Canon] morae; refrain repeats last foot.
- Epenthetic vowels allowed to preserve meter.
- Names preserve full vowels regardless of elision rules.
Phonetic export
When exporting to audio tools, use the romanization exactly as listed in the copy‑blocks. Avoid unicode beyond macrons unless tool supports it.
Exercises
Pronunciation drills
- Minimal pairs: sha vs cha; th vs dh.
- Coda control: read lir, liren, lirath.
- Stress: mark the stressed vowel in each: senir, morhan, han‑lire.
Grammar drills
- Decline mar “ship” in number and case.
- Conjugate go in all aspects for 1/2/3 sg.
- Translate: “We saw the honored Elder in the archive.”
Answer key (placeholder)
Appendix A: Core Lexicon (Starter)
| Elder | Gloss | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lir | song | ritual core |
| han | memory | metaphysical |
| mar | ship | nautical |
| khal | ward | magic |
| senir | peace | greeting |
| tira | elder | title |
Appendix B: Style & Punctuation
- Use · for morpheme breaks in pedagogy only: han·lir.
- Proper names capitalized; particles remain lowercase.
- Quotation marks follow Elder style: « … » in High register.
- Dates follow the Elder calendar; see worldbook for conversions.