Maïllan
Maïllan was a language spoken by the Lennöri and the western Allorï throughout the First Age, and the predecessor of Attasaraï-branch of the northern languages spoken by their descendants. Maïllan, along with the its speakers, nearly went extinct at the end of the First Age.
Maïllan survived, however, and became the progenitor of a wide branch of languages spoken by the survivors in attasaraï from the Second Age onward. In addition, much of the metaphors and idioms born in the distant Tenwä survived in the descendant languages even as the environment of their origin had long been left behind and lost to memory.
Maïllan was also the first of the northern languages to have a dedicated script, developed over the years by its late speakers the Merientei.
Incantations
Compared to the magic traditions and knowledge within the rest of Tenwä, Allorï magic became more concise in return for somewhat smaller strength and effect. Their focus was on utilitarian magic fit for everyday use and something easily taught to many, instead of secrets known only to the sages and wisemen of their clans.
Phonology
Maïllan featured a series of fricatives born of singular, voiceless plosives seen in Tenwälamï. It was also among the few languages in the family to retain complete vowel harmony.
Stress
Primary stress always fell on the first syllable, with a possible secondary stress following every second syllable afterward in words with four or more syllables.
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal |
m ⟨m⟩ | n ⟨n⟩ | (ŋ) | |
Stop |
p ⟨p⟩ (pʰ) | t ⟨t⟩ (tʰ) | k ⟨k⟩ (kʰ) | |
Fricative |
θ ⟨ht⟩ (ð) s ⟨s⟩ | x ⟨h⟩ (ɣ) | ||
Approximant |
ʍ ⟨hw⟩ w ⟨w⟩ | l ⟨l⟩ | j ⟨j⟩ | |
Trill |
r ⟨r⟩ |
Allophones
Aspiration of voiceless plosives (p, t, k) occurred word-initially, as in kara /ˈkʰɑ.rɑ/.
Velar nasal (ŋ) remained an allophone of the alveolar nasal (n) in any circtumstance where the latter came into direct contact with the velar stop (k).
| Strong | Weak |
|---|---|
| pp | p |
| tt | t |
| kk | k |
| p | ʍ, w |
| t | θ, ð |
| k | x, ɣ |
Consonant Gradation
Maïllan featured a gradation of plosives and geminate consonants in closed, non-primary syllables.
Weak non-plosive consonants were voiceless alone and following a voiceless consonant, and voiced elsewhere.
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i ⟨i⟩ y ⟨ü⟩ | ɯ ⟨ï⟩ u ⟨u⟩ |
| Mid | e ⟨e⟩ ø ⟨ö⟩ | ɤ ⟨ë⟩ o ⟨o⟩ |
| Low | æ ⟨ä⟩ | ɑ ⟨a⟩ |
Vowels
Strict front-back vowel harmony applied, though compounds could feature a front-vowel and a back vowel word back to back without an issue.
Diphthongs
| äi | ei | öi | üi | ie | äü | öü | üe | üö |
| aï | ëï | oï | ui | ïë | au | ou | uë | uo |
Morphology
Nouns
Twelve cases, three numbers, and a whole lot of suffixes.
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
Nominative |
- | -htä/hta | -i/ï |
Genitive/ Accusative |
-n | -htän/htan | -in/ïn |
| Inner Locatives | |||
Inessive |
-nnä/nna | -htännä/htanna | -innä/ïnna |
Elative |
-nni/nnï | -htänni/htannï | -inni/ïnnï |
Illative |
-nne/nnë | -htänne/htannë | -inne/ïnnë |
| Outer Locatives | |||
Adessive |
-ssä/ssa | -htässä/htassa | -issä/ïssa |
Ablative |
-ssi/ssï | -htässi/htassï | -issi/ïssï |
Allative |
-sse/-ssë | -htässe/htassë | -isse/ïssë |
| Miscellaneous | |||
Essive |
-s | -htäs/htas | -is/ïs |
Translative/ Prolative |
-hä/ha | -httä/htta | -ihä/ïha |
Comitative/ Instrumental |
-nö/no | -htänö/htano | -inö/ïno |
Number
Maïllan inflected nouns in three numbers: singular, dual and plural.
Singular
The unmarked singular number denoted a single instance of a noun, or when the number remained uncertain or irrelevant.
Dual
The dual number was used when there were exactly two of a noun. It was often used when talking about things which naturally came in pairs.
Plural
Plural number could be used when there were many of a noun.
nirä "a fox"
louhtï "a lake"
luëntï "a remain"
lennähtä, "two groves"
anïëhta "pair of wings"
ümehtä "pair of eyes"
alaï "waters"
louhtëï "lakes"
luëntëï "remains"
Pronouns
Maïllan recognized three distinct persons: first, second and third. Personal pronouns inflected akin to other nouns, including in case and number.
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
First Person |
mïna, mën |
mïhta | maï |
Second Person |
sïna, sën |
sïhta | saï |
Third Person |
pïna, pën |
pïhta | paï |
Each person (first, second and third) had a personal suffix used in marking possession as well as in verbs.
| First Person | Second Person | Third Person |
|---|---|---|
| -n | -s | -hwi/hwï |
Adjectives
Maïllan utilized the attributive case it inherited from Tenwälamï to varying degrees depending on dialect. As an independent word the attributive was left out. Additionally, the possessor of a noun preceded any and all attributive adjectives.
nirä jëssa an "the fox is black"
jëssat nirä sën an "the black fox is yours"
sën jëssat nirä tenwännä an "your black fox is in the forest"
Verbs
Maïllan inflected verbs in two tenses, three aspects and three moods.
| Simple | Perfect | Imperfect | |
|---|---|---|---|
Nonpast |
simple nonpast | nonpast perfect | nonpast imperfect |
Past |
simple past | past perfect | past imperfect |
Tense & Aspect
The nonpast tense was, in practice, the present tense, however it featured in future constructions as well. In verbs, tense was followed by a possible aspect marker, then mood and finally personal suffix where applicable.
Ä/A-stems
| First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
Simple Nonpast |
-än/an | -äs/as | -ähwi/ahwï, -ä/a |
Simple Past |
-en/ën | -es/ës | -ehwi/ëhwï, -e/ë |
Nonpast Imperfect |
-ähwen/ahwën, -ähwenni/ahwënnï |
-ähwes/ahwës, -ähwessi/ahwëssï |
-ähwen/ahwën |
Past Imperfect |
-ehwen/ëhwën, -ehwenni/ëhwënnï |
-ehwes/ëhwës, -ehwessi/ëhwëssï |
-ehwen/ëhwën |
Nonpast Perfect |
-änden/andën | -ändes/andës | -änti/antï, äntehwi/antëhwï |
Past Perfect |
-enden/ëndën | -endes/ëndës | -enti/ënti -entehwi/ëntëhwï |
E/Ë-stems
| First Person | Second Person | Third Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
Simple Nonpast |
-en/ën | -es/ës | -ehwi/ëhwï, -e/ë |
Simple Past |
-in/ïn | -is/ïs | -ihwi/ïhwï, -i/ï |
Nonpast Imperfect |
-ehwenni/ëhwënnï, -ehwen/ëhwën |
-ehwessi/ëhwëssï, -ehwes/ëhwës |
-ehwen/ëhwën |
Past Imperfect |
-ihwenni/ïhwënnï, -ihwen/ïhwën |
-ihwessi/ïhwëssï, -ihwes/ïhwës |
-ihwen/ïhwën |
Nonpast Perfect |
-enden/ëndën | -endes/ëndës | -enti/ëntï, -entehwi/ëntëhwï |
Past Perfect |
-inden/ïndën | -indes/ïndës | -inti/ïntï, -intehwi/ïntëhwï |
Conditional
Maïllan used the suffix -läs/las to form the conditional mood, put after of an aspect marker and before a possible person marker.
Imperative
Quick, short commands were simply present tense verbs without a person marker. In Maïllan, this could easily make them identical with third person present tense verbs due to the colloquial habit of dropping the third person marker from the end of a verb.
Nonfinites
Verbs could take a nonfinite form with a suffix -l, which was also the most basic form of infinitive. Through use of the suffix a verb could take a case suffix, a feature Maïllan speakers utilized to the fullest.
Depending on the dialect, speakers could use the noun cases above in place of the older relics listed below. Similarly not all speakers used all of the forms shown below, particularly where cases might overlap in meaning.
| Case Suffix | Nonfinite Form | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
Locative |
-llä/lla | leliellä | in/while whispering |
Ablative |
-lli/llï | lelielli | from, after whispering |
Lative |
-lle/llë | lelielle | into/before whispering, will whisper |
Prolative |
-lhä/lha | lelielhä | through whispering, by way of whispering |
Comitative |
-llö/llo | leliellö | with a whisper, by way of whispering |
Adverbs
Maïllan adverbs were mainly constructed as nonfinite verb form combined with the comitative case (historical adverb) or the prolative case (rare regional development).
Syntax
In general, Maïllan had a simple and fairly consistent subject-object-verb order, however some exceptions applied. Most notably exceptions occurred when dealing with idioms, metaphors and such phrases, as the idiom had a tendency to precede the rest of the sentence.
Intransitive Verbs
nirä olmë "the fox sleeps"maï olmïn kaassa "we sleep in the morning"
maï mallonno olmën kaassa "we sleep well in the morning"
Transitive Verbs
pïna nirän jasahwï "he hunts the fox"kara mïnan noulehwï "the crow rejects me"
sïnallë kaan laurën "to you I give the dawn"
Future Construction
Maïllan could communicate a future event through a nonfinite verb form combined with the verb nathë "to come, arrive".
salallë nahtën kaassa, "I will know in the morning"
lowïëntï emii kumallë nahtë, "fallen apple will rot"
Conjunctions
Instead of separate words, Maïllan used the comitative suffix to form conjunctions between nouns and phrases, corresponding roughly to and.
otta kaano "evening and morning"
lenti kihtänö anën "I am slow and fast"
öini manahwï mourëssa "the falcon cries and flies"
temrä siränti siräwennö an "the branch is broken and breaking"
temrä sirähwen sirändellö an "the branch is breaking but not broken"
"nahtë nümi"
Ancient Tongue of the Lennöri
Table of Contents
Common Phrases & Idioms
alas merenö
when two people are very close or inseparable, and work well together
lowënnë kahwëntï
head in the clouds, forgetful, thoughtful, not fully present
neltä-ihtellä tarïnnë ënka
to do something the most difficult way possible
Common Greetings
kaaï
A common and casual morning greeting.
nemrei
A common and casual daytime greeting.
ottaï
A common and casual evening greeting.
The Importance of Pairs
In Maïllan magic, the existence of pairs became a fundamental requirement for spells. Two words, two pairs of words, two lines, and so on (a single line being eight syllables long).
The same principal extended to Maïllan poetry and singing outside of any magical purpose, though the lines overall tended to become longer as the focus shifted toward storytelling.
Late into the First Age, it also became more common to construct poems and songs with four pairs of lines, with overall length of eight lines, each eight syllables long, with matching stress patterns between lines when possible.
Breaking the established patterns was not so much a taboo or otherwise forbidden, but rather something expected from the mouths of children rather than in circles of serious storytelling, or perhaps from someone young and inexperienced experimenting with the rules.
What an amazing article! Loved the way you explained exactly how to use it.
Thank you! I ended up going a little further with the details than I originally planned, but at least I had a fun time making the thing. On the other hand, now I don't have an excuse to procrastinate on the rest of the prompts.