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thonthal [2020/10/20 16:42] lverona |
thonthal [2020/12/22 15:49] (current) lverona [Etymology] |
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| ===== 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 3000 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.1603226537.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/10/20 16:42 by lverona
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