An oral-only language, the language of undines has three consonants, and multiple vowels which can be combined in strings that are difficult for non-native speakers to parse and pronounce.
The phonetics are of course:
(ɫ) (k) (trill r) /æ, a, ou, u, ʌ, ɪ, i, ɛ/ with diphthongs /eɪ, ɛu, aɪ, au, oɪ/
All of the vowels are differentiated between in speech, changing meaning etc. Sound combinations such as /ui/ or /iu/ or /ia/ etc are not blended into diphthongs, /u/ usually remains separate from oncoming vowels (but not preceding.) and so does i. Consonants do not stand on their own, and if it had an alphabet it would probably be a complex syllabary or use several diacritics.
Though the language itself has no alphabet, it can be written out using the same transcription as the IPA, usually not capitalized except at the beginnings of sentences or sometimes given names. It can also of course be transliterated (often incorrectly) into any number of alphabets. However, Undines don’t really share their language with others, and keep to themselves, and when they do speak with others they usually speak in the other person's language.
It is a tonal language where, unlike in Mandarin, the tones are used to indicate some grammatical intent rather than lexical: Rising tone, falling tone, high tone, ^ tone, light/”no” tone indicate respectively: future tense, past tense, question, destination, everything else, and are usually placed on the initial and final sound in a sentence. Of course the language has particles etc. as well.
It is a mono-gender, pronounless (except me/you/that one/this one) language.
Names:
No gender differentiation. Names only contain the vowels /æ, a, ɪ, i/ and their resulting diphthongs and combos (ai, æa, ɪa, ɪi etc.).
Mono or di-syllabic given name + Surname, which increases in length with each generation:
The given name of the parent is appended to the beginning of their surname when they have a kid, and this continues on until it becomes too long to be practical in speech, usually after like 6-8 generations when the final segment of the surname is dropped each subsequent generation. It’s like a running tally of who your ancestors are.
Example: ka ɫaɫirikɪɫaɪræɫakakæriɫaɪ. Also written “Ka Lai-liri-ki-lai-ra-laka-kari-la.”
Another example, you have two undines, the one who raises the child is named Ki Ra. They have a kid and name the child La, their name is La kira, La has a kid and it is named Li lakira, and so on.
Simplified names are: Given + kɛu-parent: Ka’s nickname, if their parent is named Li, would probably be “ka kɛu-ɫai,” Ka child of Lai. (child of liri child of ki child of lai child of ra child of laka child of kari child of la).
Ka lailirikilairalakakarila has 8 segments in their name and if they have a child, will probably drop the la at the end when they append their ka to the beginning.
The phonetics are of course:
(ɫ) (k) (trill r) /æ, a, ou, u, ʌ, ɪ, i, ɛ/ with diphthongs /eɪ, ɛu, aɪ, au, oɪ/
All of the vowels are differentiated between in speech, changing meaning etc. Sound combinations such as /ui/ or /iu/ or /ia/ etc are not blended into diphthongs, /u/ usually remains separate from oncoming vowels (but not preceding.) and so does i. Consonants do not stand on their own, and if it had an alphabet it would probably be a complex syllabary or use several diacritics.
Though the language itself has no alphabet, it can be written out using the same transcription as the IPA, usually not capitalized except at the beginnings of sentences or sometimes given names. It can also of course be transliterated (often incorrectly) into any number of alphabets. However, Undines don’t really share their language with others, and keep to themselves, and when they do speak with others they usually speak in the other person's language.
It is a tonal language where, unlike in Mandarin, the tones are used to indicate some grammatical intent rather than lexical: Rising tone, falling tone, high tone, ^ tone, light/”no” tone indicate respectively: future tense, past tense, question, destination, everything else, and are usually placed on the initial and final sound in a sentence. Of course the language has particles etc. as well.
It is a mono-gender, pronounless (except me/you/that one/this one) language.
Names:
No gender differentiation. Names only contain the vowels /æ, a, ɪ, i/ and their resulting diphthongs and combos (ai, æa, ɪa, ɪi etc.).
Mono or di-syllabic given name + Surname, which increases in length with each generation:
The given name of the parent is appended to the beginning of their surname when they have a kid, and this continues on until it becomes too long to be practical in speech, usually after like 6-8 generations when the final segment of the surname is dropped each subsequent generation. It’s like a running tally of who your ancestors are.
Example: ka ɫaɫirikɪɫaɪræɫakakæriɫaɪ. Also written “Ka Lai-liri-ki-lai-ra-laka-kari-la.”
Another example, you have two undines, the one who raises the child is named Ki Ra. They have a kid and name the child La, their name is La kira, La has a kid and it is named Li lakira, and so on.
Simplified names are: Given + kɛu-parent: Ka’s nickname, if their parent is named Li, would probably be “ka kɛu-ɫai,” Ka child of Lai. (child of liri child of ki child of lai child of ra child of laka child of kari child of la).
Ka lailirikilairalakakarila has 8 segments in their name and if they have a child, will probably drop the la at the end when they append their ka to the beginning.