Ŏshil

Rise with the tides and move with the waves
— Ŏshil proverb
Ŏshil, also known as the Mertongue, is the language of the Wūlsed'ok merfolk. Native to the merfolk home world of Tiyu Shòbá, in Tiyu Amara it is spoken primarily in the south and eastern coastal regions of Thurásin.

History

While extensive historical details about Ŏshil are not known in Tiyu Amara, it is understood that the language developed among the Wūlsed'ok during the time in their history where they were semi-nomadic, relocating great distances with the seasons. That partial isolation from their fellow merfolk, as well as the passing interactions with the myriad language of the sea, influenced Ŏshil's development.   It was brought to Thurásin and Tiyu Amara as a whole when the Wūlsed'ok came through the Portal of Siéhl in 27 Disturbance (72 Years Ago). Since then, it has seen relatively minor inroads with the land-based humans and elves, seeing the most adoption in the island communities in the Dyiiladuun Sea and in the coastal regions of Lawaguum and Ettioril.
Spoken by
Official language of
Hlùsid'ok

Wave Sign

Though merfolk are capable of speaking underwater, this is not always practical, such as when accompanying land-based companions on dives. To facilitate communication in these scenarios, the spoken word will be replaced with a sign language usually termed "Wave Sign", involving the use of hands and tails. For those who do not have tails, similar motions can be achieved with their legs without loss of information.

Phonology

Substitutions

Among the Thurásin languages, there are two things that make Ŏshil stand out - its lack of any nasal consonants (m, n, ng), and its use of tone. Unlike the other inhabitants of Tiyu Amara, merfolk are incapable of producing nasals due to the lack of noses, and in encountering these sounds elsewhere substitute them for the nearest plosive - /m/ to /b/, /n/ to /d/, etc. This causes significant problems with their most common neighbours, Garanya and Nyikkishong, both of which have 4 nasal consonants. Conversely, the Ŏshil /ɬ/ <hl> and /ɮ/ <zl> is not found anyway in Thurásin, typically being substituted for /l/.
  Tone is not found in any known Tiyu Amaran language, and it is considered quite difficult for outsiders to pick up and reproduce. Many second-language speakers will omit tone entirely, resulting in significant confusion. Other second-language speakers will "simplify" the tones into a set of 5 pitches, without any dynamics such as rising or falling, though this is an imperfect system.


Cover image: Underwater by Daniel Newman

Comments

Author's Notes

If you ask how the tones work I will cry ;-;


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