Klikik (click-KIK)

Klikik is an avian tongue based on the sounds of chirping and clucking birds and is used by the Avinku. It has a lot of sharp, short sounds with much repetition. Klikik is the name that they call it, although outsiders will often not immediately recognize it as a language in its own right.
  ‘Ku’ is a very important sound and is appended to the front of all Avinku species names. The concept it represents stands for a wide range of things, but it can be best described as the life force that flows through all of us. They recognize this same life force being in the heat of a volcano or the dancing of fire as well, so it can be used to refer to those in a more tangible sense. However the roots refer much more directly to a soul or life essence.
  In general the language is ‘spoken’ by combining concepts and repeating them for proper emphasis depending on how important that particular piece. ‘Aradua’ might indicate a bit of dust, but ‘Arararadua’ would mean a huge dust storm is coming, hide quick!
  The construction of Klikik is rather confusing to most students new to the language - unlike many other languages which possess distinct words modified by different additions before or after, Klikik is built out of miniwords which when put together form compound words that express a concept. These strings of sounds are often rattled off at high speed and without a great deal of punctuation, making it seem like little more than chirpy nonsense to the typical observer. However, this very maneuverability of speech is what gives the language its charm, lending it a very sincere and poetic means of expression.

Vocabulary

Kik - home, place, location, roosting spot   An - water, springs, liquid   Ku/uu - fire, volcano, heat, life, warm, life-giving essence, spirit, soul   Ara - wind, sky, breeze   Dua - sand, beach, pebbles   Katt - strong, guard, fight, stand fast, aggression   Ki - cut, sharp, stiff, hard, swift   Da - food   Hihi - sweet, sweetness, nectar   Lilin - insects, flying prey, ariel food, food on the wing   Kipip - hunter, hunting, fighting, food procurement   Cuik - rock   At - calm, peaceful   Ti - swim, move through water, flowing water   Kal - laughter, good humor, jokes   Lipa - art, beauty, weaving   Di - big, large, a lot, many   Iddle - laughter, happiness; friends, companions; family, home   Bi - trees; forest, jungle   Tin - cute, pretty; little; young


Cover image: by Bertvthul

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