ABOUT ELVEN/SQUIGGLY MOONRUNES LANGUAGE:
Alphabet: 19 letters + 3 diphthongs that make 22 sounds.
For comparison of sounds and letters to english, see 'Elven.png' file.
PERSONS:
1st Person, "IA" = I, me; (rarely) we.
Also known as 'Proud' form because elves use this form as a mark of self-identity and counsciousness.
2nd Person, "IO" = You (singular)
Also known as 'Polite' form, for adressing others in close vicinity of the speaker.
3rd Person, "IE" = He/She/It
Also known as 'Rude' form; adressing someone with form 'IE' is considered as an insult if the name of the adressed person is not included.
This form is also used to adress animals, plants and non-alive things (tools, buildings, etc)
Plural 1st, "IANA" = We
For adressing group of people in which speaker is included
Plural non-1st, "IONI" = You (plural), They
For adressing groups of other people.
VOWEL OMISSION:
Elves 'shun' sentence configurations where first word ends with vowel and next word starts with the same vowel.
When it inevitably happens, they perform an omission, making the two words sound like one, long word.
Example:
'Strong worker' = Areko oron -> Areko()ron
NEGATIVES:
Negative/disagreement is signified by adding prefix 'nX', where X is the first vowel of the word one disagrees with.
It's also special case of vowel omission; in negatives, vowels are never omitted.
'He is not an old man' = 'Ie na-awan man'
'I'm not dead' = 'Ia na-apro'
PLURAL NOUNS:
If the noun ends with a vovel, sufix 'non' is added
If the noun ends with a consonant, sufix 'an' is added
'Magic mushrooms' = 'Zimel pamnomyhenon'
'Strong workers' = 'Areko (o)ronan'
VERBS:
Most Elven verbs are modified nouns (few verbs are exceptions in that they are different words). A verb is made of noun+suffix according to three rules:
If the noun ends with vowels 'e', 'y', 'i' or 'u' or a consonant, '-a' is added.
If the noun ends with vowel 'a' or 'o', '-u' is added.
In rare cases where a noun ends with two vowels, the second vowel becomes '-u' in the verb
'sam' (SHARP) => 'sama' (to SHARPEN)
'apro' (DEATH) => 'aprou' (to DIE)
'lyse' (DRINK) => 'lysea' (to DRINK)
'almelsa' (FLOOD) => 'almelsau' (to FLOOD)
'gereo' (DRAW(IMAGE)) => 'gereu' (to DRAW)
EXCLAMATIONS AND QUESTIONS:
Exclamations are respresented by loud '-te' added to the last word of the phrase:
'The child is dead!' = 'Otlas (oi) apro-te'(!)
'This is gold!' = 'Dot (oi) galod-te'(!)
Questions are represented by quiet 'le' added at the end of the phrase, after a brief pause:
'Are you asleep?' = 'Io (oi) sid, le'(?)
'Is he dead?' = 'Ie (oi) apro, le'(?)
As shown above, elvish language do not change position of person and 'be' verb in questions.
PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE:
be, present (am, are, is) = oi (however elves often drop this when speaking about present)
be, past (was, were) = aoi
be, future (will be) = eoi
'I am reading!' = (1st person) + (be, present) + (verb 'read') + (exclamation suffix) = 'Ia (oi) olefitile-te'
'He was drinking' = (3rd person) + (be, past) + ('drink (v)') = 'Ie aoi lysea'
'I will be following you' (1st person) + (be, future) + ('come (follow)') + (2nd person) = 'Ia eoi lafiloa Io'
POSSESIVE:
Sufix 'la' is added to the present/past/future 'be', no matter the person.
'He is my father' = 'Ie oila teta'
'That bed was yours' = 'Tato kis aoila Io'
'Will you (plural) be my friends?' = 'Eoila Ioni ilumi, le'
PERFECT TENSE AND ELVEN LANGUAGE:
There's no such thing in Elven Language; any instances of 'have/has/had' are replaced in Elven by Possesive, standing alone ('la')
ADJECTIVES:
In Elven language, there are no defined adjectives; instead, base nouns are used.
Furthermore, there's no comparative adjectives; only base nouns are modified with 'ce' (most) and 'lens' (least) to create superlatives.
'It's a rainy day' = 'Ie zigule atul'
'The sweetest bread' = 'ce-notele umalos'
'The least known story' = 'lens-damea opil'
In case where a binding word (of 'e-', with 'fi-', and '-i-', for 'ar-') is connected to an adjective superlative, the binding word stands alone:
'of the tallest mountain' = 'e ce-los pamnonilos'
SCRIPT RULES:
Consonants are written on the same level; any vowels that come after the consonant are written above the consonant.
Multiple vowels are stacked with the first after the consonant on the bottom of the stack and the last vowel on the top of the stack.
In case the word starts with a vowel, it is written on the level of the consonants, but without the usual 'writing bar' of the script.
In case the word starts with two vowels, the first is written on the level of the consonants, but the second follows the 'stacking' rule, and is written above the first vowel.
For example, 'nikea' (friend) will have 'n' as first symbol, and 'k' as second symbol; 'i' will be above 'n', 'e' above 'k' and 'a' above 'e'.
More examples of words can be found in Elven.png, at the bottom of the file
Script, unlike the spoken language, does not apply vowel omission of any kind; every letter is spelled out.
ACCENT:
Always on the 2nd syllable: ziMEL (magic), ioNI (you (plural), they), ziGUle (rain), tuLE (sun), feNONfi (fifty-four)
In rare cases of two one-syllable words combined by phrase 'and', there's only one accent on 'and'.
Same happens with 'of' and 'with' phrases placed amidst two one-syllable words.
NUMERICALS:
0 on 10 unon 20 dion
1 un 11 unun 30 tion
2 di 12 undi 40 fion
3 ti 13 unti 50 fenon
4 fi 14 unfi 60 senon
5 fen 15 unfen 70 selon
6 sen 16 unsen 80 enon
7 sel 17 unsel 90 menon
8 en 18 unen
9 men 19 unmen
Numbers not divisible by 10 are made by using the full ten + appropriate single digit.
29 dionmen
54 fenonfi
71 selonun
Hundreds:
Prefix 'ce' + appropriate 'tenth' numerical:
100 ceunon
200 cedion
500 cefenon
Thousands:
Prefix of 'tenth' numerical + 'reon', except the first thousand:
1000 reon
2000 direon
5000 fenreon
Numbers between 100 and 9999 consist of paired numbers between 1 and 99, connected by elven word 'and' (except full hundreds and thousands, look above):
284 = 2 + 84 = di-i-enonfi
1019 = 10 + 19 = unon-i-unmen
8573 = 85 + 73 = enonfen-i-selonti
Numbers between 10 thousand and million use the formula of number of thousands (reons) and the rest written as numbers between 100 and 999:
10000 = 10 reon = unonreon
24370 = 24 reon, 3 + 70 = dionfireon, ti-i-selon
39937 = 39 reon, 9 + 37 = tionmenreon, men-i-tionsel
Above 100 thousand, the formula still includes thousands (reon) in two-digit numbers:
594851 = 59 reon, 48 + 51 = fenonmenreon, fionen-i-fenonun
Finally, for numbers going into millions (1 to 99), elves use word 'heron' with prefix number, plus proper formula for numbers between 10000 and 999999:
2594851 = 2 heron, 59 reon, 48 + 51 = diheron, fenonmenreon, fionen-i-fenonun
13572099 = 13 heron, 57 reon, 20 + 99 = untiheron, fenonselreon, dion-i-menonmen
"Before you do anything rash, I will inform you that Prince Aliberti and Princess Rosana have been captured and most of their little troupe killed. Put down your weapons if you want to be brought to them alive rather than dead."
