Nadrāin
Nadrāin, colloquially known as Nadrā and in modern times called the Cursed Tongue was the language of the First Men and the earliest iteration of the Common Tongue. Traditionally, it was spoken by Men and was developed in the Heart region of modern Hadasen, where the First Men originated from. Other forms of communication and languages existed at the time, another common tongue being that of the elves, but Nadrāin came to be spoken by almost the entire continent around the Age of the Peace.
In western Yaleakasardia during the same time, it was common for men and elves to be bilingual in Nadrāin and Elvish, as in many cities they had to live and work together. Racial divides intensified during the Age of the Slaughter caused Elvish to fall out of common use.
The language takes its name from the First Men settlement of Naderā in the Heart River Valley, which has a distant relation to the modern city of Heart.
Spelling & Phonology
Breakdown of Grammar
| ǹgand-i | arpe-mb | ri | pelki- | sawi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperative | Plural | This | Singular | Inside |
Consonant Inventory
- h
- j
- k
- l
- m
- p
- r
- s
- t
- w
- ŋ
- ʧ
- ᵐb
- ᵑg
- ⁿd
Vowel Inventory
- a
- i
- u
- ə
Syllable Structure: (C)V(C)
Stress Pattern: Penultimate - stress is on the second to last syllable.
Spelling Rules
| Pronounciation | Spelling |
|---|---|
| ə | e |
| j | y |
| ŋ | ng |
| ⁿd | nd |
| ᵑg | ǹg |
| ᵐb | mb |
| ʧ | ch |
Grammar
Main Word Order: Subject Verb Object (prepositional phrase).
Adjective Order: Adjectives are positioned before the noun.
Adposition: Postpositions
Nouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| No affix leng /ləŋ/ dog | If ends with vowel: Suffix -ᵐb Else: Suffix -aᵐ lengamb /ˈləŋaᵐb/ dogs |
Articles
Nadrāin has no definite article 'the', or indefinite article 'a'.
Pronouns
| 1st Singular | 2nd Singular | 3rd Singular Masculine | 3rd Singular Feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| tik /tik/ I, me, mine | mbi /ᵐbi/ you, yours | pim /pim/ he, him, his, it, its | chi /ʧi/ she, her, hers, it, its |
| 1st Plural | 2nd Plural | 3rd Plural |
|---|---|---|
| pi /pi/ we, us, ours | pu /pu/ you all, yours | ǹga /ᵑga/ they, them, theirs |
Possessive Determiners
| 1st Singular | 2nd Singular | 3rd Singular Masculine | 3rd Singular Feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| tuǹg /tuᵑg/ my | wa /wa/ your | ndu /ⁿdu/ his | ndi /ⁿdi/ her |
| 1st Plural | 2nd Plural | 3rd Plural |
|---|---|---|
| u /u/ our | ǹgis /ᵑgis/ your | a /a/ their |
Verbs
| Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| No affix wacha /ˈwaʧa/ learn | If ends with vowel: Suffix -k Else: Suffix -ək wachak /ˈwaʧak/ learned | If ends with vowel: Suffix -m Else: Suffix -um wacham /ˈwaʧam/ will learn |
Numbers
Nadrāin has a base-10 number system:
- ndu
- tek
- chu
- yu
- mba
- epe
- lua
- kucha
- kemb
- mbit
- lich
- hing
- hu
- mbind
- ul
- ti
- ǹgu
- tim
- pe
- ki
100. tis
1000 - nde
Common Tongue Dictionary
A hundred or so common words in the Nadrāin language.
Key: spelling - definition(s)
| Noun | Verb | Adjective | Preposition | Adverb | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a - want, require, lack, desire, prefer, choose | andem - overlook | chimriek - fragile | chis - near | il - so, therefore, thus | ke - what |
| aklu - target, purpose | changu - intervene | ela - excellent, fantastic | pi - up | lak - nothing | |
| ambisha - formula | chik - ask, inquire | hepwu - necessary | rut - least | ǹgo - they, them, theirs | |
| atrund sayekyi - navy | humbe - tremble | hirpil - evil | salka - actually | ||
| chaki - ship | hurhe - crash | islumye - minor | |||
| chayking - issue, concern | iemik - shrug | kimba - holy | |||
| chema - enemy | irpim - snatch | kitru - volatile | |||
| chet - tariff | iwe - pose | kutram - bald | |||
| chuppa - summary | kala - fuck | ndetirpu - final | |||
| chutrisim - risk | kalwa - rape | ndipmu - wide, broad | |||
| eǹge - human | kuhu ndumpa - answer | ndukik - obscure | |||
| ersi - diary | kumru - rattle | ǹgeuchurchu - bloody | |||
| ewura - echo | kurha - skate | ǹgis - bad | |||
| haltend - painter | lapsi - hunt | pilim - conscious | |||
| hapsing - population | lempi - excel | pupkirhu - jealous | |||
| hatru - patent | let - bid | ripka - awful, terrible | |||
| heming - parent | mbawsa - follow, stalk | sihwichi - passive | |||
| hikar - overdose | mbua - reflect | such - stubborn | |||
| hiǹg - audience | ndarsi - sigh | um - thick | |||
| hiwu - pearl | ndung - expect, rely on | undaprirchu - skilled | |||
| impand - metropolis | ǹgimbi - desert | wetya - deaf | |||
| ipipa - lecture | ǹgulru - touch, feel | wilcheng - funny, absurd | |||
| kale - fuck | ǹgurche - compromise | wirmik - pink | |||
| kapwak - shovel | pakya - let go | wund - large, huge | |||
| katra - referendum | pang - place | yilkik - regular | |||
| kemchik - option | pem - enforce | yishim - sensible | |||
| ker - way, manner, process, style, route, direction, procedure, kind | pipu - mumble | ||||
| keyimb - evidence, symptom | puchaǹge - interpret | ||||
| kik ndand - upper class | rerwuk - enjoy | ||||
| kinga - example | rik - lie | ||||
| kirsung - toast | ritramb - authorize | ||||
| kultulta - friend | satimb - weigh | ||||
| likyi - transport | sepmi - earn | ||||
| liǹgim - subtlety | setsi - count, calculate | ||||
| liskesech - settlement (village) | sim - report | ||||
| lucha - swamp | siska - stall | ||||
| lurpur - stalemate | tatsang - creep | ||||
| mbalind - killer | telke - hug | ||||
| mbapki - weapon | timb - take, receive, collect | ||||
| mbeng - fashion | uklech - evacuate | ||||
| mbetsa - protection | utyus - experience | ||||
| mbilang - spelling | wal - transcend | ||||
| mbing - girl | waǹgek - emphasize | ||||
| mbundich - advertisement | wimye - drip | ||||
| ndel - dinner | wityum - dig | ||||
| ndilrauk - gang | yatrimb - lose | ||||
| ǹgas - passion | yumra - visit | ||||
| ǹgemri - bank, stock, fund | |||||
| payru - heat | |||||
| pepsech wil - toe | |||||
| pimyund - assassin | |||||
| pistilind - sailor | |||||
| putyul - hell | |||||
| rarhisa - fertilizer | |||||
| relchak - hierarchy | |||||
| rimbi - dish, plate, bowl, cup | |||||
| rumchi - attitude | |||||
| sand - organism | |||||
| sarhund - employer | |||||
| sek - building | |||||
| siǹgand - cuff | |||||
| sumba - credit (recognition) | |||||
| supsa - stick | |||||
| suyre - man | |||||
| tand - bed | |||||
| terwe - slab | |||||
| tie - crime, felony | |||||
| tipsinge - parcel, package, bundle | |||||
| titchu - suit | |||||
| tukla - tragedy | |||||
| tupi - neck | |||||
| tutra - electricity | |||||
| urmi - nut | |||||
| warwatchi - knee | |||||
| weǹg - bathroom | |||||
| wul - bastard | |||||
| wurpu - saucepan | |||||
| yampu - ambition | |||||
| yembe - bench | |||||
| yeyle - maze | |||||
| yuhwi - volcano | |||||
| yusli ndand - lower class |