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| ====== Thonthal ====== | ====== Thonthal ====== | ||
| - | Thonthal /θɑːnθɒl/ is a North-Central [[Continent]] language, first spoken in the end of the first revolution by peoples that have formed [[Leykarya]]. It is the state language of [[Leykarya]] and was the state language of [[Darda]] and [[Xornerian]]. | + | Thonthal /'θɒnˌθʌl/ is a North-Central [[Continent]] language, first spoken in the end of the first revolution by peoples that have formed [[Leykarya]]. It is the state language of Leykarya and was the state language of [[Darda]] and [[Xornerian]]. |
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| - | As Leykarya used its seafaring capability to establish international ties, Thonthal spread to several other countries as a useful foreign language: peoples that traded with Leykarya began benefiting from sharing Thonthal, and it became a lingua franca first in the south and then in the north. Thonthal is not commonly spoken in Yammoe. | + | |
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| - | For a number of historical and linquistic reasons, Thonthal's evolution has been very slow. Over the course of more than 3000 years it hardly changed, and its most ancient forms are still readable by modern speakers. Various forms of Thonthal did evolve much faster in isolation from Leykarya, like some Thonthal versions in Loodori and the neighboring area of Rowlow. | + | |
| Thonthala is a term used to denote the body of literature written in Thonthal. | Thonthala is a term used to denote the body of literature written in Thonthal. | ||
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| Surviving [[Western Dantrian Civilization|Western Dantrian]] records shed little light on its origins, as most documents seem to have been written in [[Mandae]]. However, Thonthal is thought to be based on a language or several languages in Central Dantria, since [[New Dawn]] travelers spoke a very similar language and [[Darda]] easily adopted Thonthal as state language in the 1580s [[dantrian_calendar|SR]]. | Surviving [[Western Dantrian Civilization|Western Dantrian]] records shed little light on its origins, as most documents seem to have been written in [[Mandae]]. However, Thonthal is thought to be based on a language or several languages in Central Dantria, since [[New Dawn]] travelers spoke a very similar language and [[Darda]] easily adopted Thonthal as state language in the 1580s [[dantrian_calendar|SR]]. | ||
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| + | As Leykarya used its seafaring capability to establish international ties, Thonthal spread to several other [[eastern_dantrian_civilization|eastern countries]] as a useful foreign language: peoples that traded with Leykarya began benefiting from sharing Thonthal, and it became a lingua franca first in the south and then in the north. Thonthal is not commonly spoken in Yammoe. | ||
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| + | For a number of historical and linquistic reasons, Thonthal's evolution has been very slow. Over the course of more than 3000 years it hardly changed, and its most ancient forms are still readable by modern speakers. Various forms of Thonthal did evolve much faster in isolation from Leykarya, like some Thonthal versions in Loodori and the neighboring area of Rowlow. | ||
| ===== Etymology ===== | ===== Etymology ===== | ||
| - | The meaning of the word "thonthal" is famously unknown, although, given Thonthal's ancient roots, is hardly surprising. Although Thonthal's development was extremely slow in the past 2000 years, it had its share of change, and while many ancient documents are readable, they are still different enough that a native speaker would be able to fully or immediately understand them. | + | The meaning of the word "thonthal" is famously unknown, although, given Thonthal's ancient roots, hardly surprising. Although Thonthal's development was extremely slow in the past 3000 years, it had its share of change, and while many ancient documents are readable, they are still different enough that a native speaker wouldn't be able to fully or immediately understand them. |
| The current consensus is that the word "thonthal" is a compound word, originally comprised of "thont" and "hal", with the latter being a postfix used in written texts of ancient Thonthal that changes adjectives into adverbs. | The current consensus is that the word "thonthal" is a compound word, originally comprised of "thont" and "hal", with the latter being a postfix used in written texts of ancient Thonthal that changes adjectives into adverbs. | ||
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| In some words, pronouncing duplicate consonants will activate the second meaning of the word, which is usually the magnified version of the first meaning. An example would be the word "marme", which is "step". Pronounced with the second vowel, it would mean "stairs" (a "set of steps"). Adding an additional consonant to the end of the word - "marmem" - will further magnify the meaning to "a long staircase". Dropping the middle consonant, but retaining the ending one works for some words and activates additional meanings. In this case, /mɑrʔəm/ might mean "a stand" (as in, a support of some kind). However, these additional meanings strongly depend on context, could be easily misunderstood and are rarely used, although knowing them and being able to invoke them might speak to someone's deep knowledge of spoken Thonthal. | In some words, pronouncing duplicate consonants will activate the second meaning of the word, which is usually the magnified version of the first meaning. An example would be the word "marme", which is "step". Pronounced with the second vowel, it would mean "stairs" (a "set of steps"). Adding an additional consonant to the end of the word - "marmem" - will further magnify the meaning to "a long staircase". Dropping the middle consonant, but retaining the ending one works for some words and activates additional meanings. In this case, /mɑrʔəm/ might mean "a stand" (as in, a support of some kind). However, these additional meanings strongly depend on context, could be easily misunderstood and are rarely used, although knowing them and being able to invoke them might speak to someone's deep knowledge of spoken Thonthal. | ||
| - | A whole set of words, especially those related to family, would be considered insults towards one's family if consonants are dropped. For instance, the word "mother" would be "henha" /'hɛnʔʌ/. Pronouncing the second "h" would be a grave insult towards the interlocutor's mother. Confusingly enough, this would not be the case when uttered by a daughter or granddaughter towards her mother or grandmother and would instead convey daughterly love. | + | A whole set of words, especially those related to family, would be considered insults towards one's family if consonants are not glottalized. For instance, the word "mother" would be "henha" /'hɛnʔʌ/. Pronouncing the second "h" would be a grave insult towards the interlocutor's mother. Confusingly enough, this would not be the case when uttered by a daughter or granddaughter towards her mother or grandmother and would instead convey affection. |
| ==== Consequences for written Thonthal ==== | ==== Consequences for written Thonthal ==== | ||
thonthal.1603142249.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/10/19 17:17 by lverona
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