In this overview, we'll take a closer look at Archontian (Archontic), on
Nodaadic, on known unique Smallfolk languages and dialects, and on one
particular example of argot and cant from central Aporue.
1.) "Archontian" / "Archontic" / "Old Imperial"
The lingua franca of the bygone Old Empire of antiquity,
popularly also known as "Archontia". Well... As the "medieval" and
"post-medieval" scholars of Aporue would put it, in a later descended
form of Archontian, the legósa nobrenna. (Remember. No Franks or Frenchmen in this world, just the Nobrenese.)
How did it sound ? I like to think of it as a mix of Latin and elements
of other Romance languages (that developed under the influence of Latin)
with many elements of Greek, and to a lesser extent, other languages as
well. For real world comparisons, these other
loanword-and-concepts-contributing languages would be the equivalent of
various languages around the Mediterranean Sea during Classical
Antiquity, e.g. native languages of North Africa, languages of the
Levant, languages of Asia Minor, etc.
Examples of Archontian expressions
These are largelly similar in Ancient Archontian and its later descendants, Churchly Archontian and Scholarly Archontian.
Eag súmai isót forgora. - I am at the market. [1]
Dío súmai magana. - God is great.
Ypirsérvi Díola - Servant of God
Perogreskynus - Pilgrim (when capitalized, refers to the Pilgrim as the mysterious physical incarnation of the Creator/Maker)
sángtos anthopulus - saint people, a longer-winded way to say "saints"
Well-established Archontian terms for major religious branches that group together certain types of churches are Olankalian [2] and Alithidromic [3]. These would be the equivalents of the Catholic and Orthodox churches of the real world.
I have joked about this before, but you can imagine Archontian as a bit
like that vaguely Latin-sounding gobbledygook heard in the fictional
lyrics of the songs by the French band ERA. Exhibit A, Exhibit B (+ estimated translation). :-)) Just imagine more of a Greek-sounding influence in the words, and some
elements of other languages from around the Meditteranean Sea, and
you'll have somewhat of an idea. ;-)
Archontic, the alphabetical writing script of Archontian
Ancient Archontian ("Old Imperial") was written in the Archontic script,
which has continued to slightly evolve in the many centuries since the
Old Empire's demise. The Archontic script I have focused on and depicted
here earlier is largelly consistent with the standards used in the
"present day" of the setting. Whereas the language can be referred to
interchangeably as Archontian and Archontic, the writing script and
alphabet are always referred to only as Archontic.
Notes
[1] isót - vaguely Greek-sounding (sto), with some Latin-esque/Romance-esque elements... and maybe also a nod at AH.com jargon ? ;-)
[2] Olankalian - the term is loosely derived from real world Greek óla-ankaliázei, i.e. "all-embracing"
[3] Alithidromic - the term is loosely derived from real world Greek, alithís, i.e. "truthful", and drómos, i.e. "road", "way"
2.) Nodaadic
The original language of the Irim people, also known as the Nodaadim.
The Irim people who still inhabit the traditional homelands of the Irim
and western Aiza continue to use its dialects as an everyday mother
tongue. However, the Irim diaspora in Aporue (and often elsewhere as
well) have largelly retained it only as a religious language, used in their religious services and in their religious schools.
Both religious and secular scholars of the Irim also use it, to varying
degrees, as a language of learning and even scientific scholarship,
while others prefer to use the more modern forms of Archontian,
especially Scholarly Archontian (this is because Churchly Archontian is
seen as overly tied to the non-Irim faiths, and thus unsuitable for
actual Irim religious scholarship, or at least most of it).
Most of the Irim in Aporue (including the Irim community in Melza) speak
newer tongues that had emerged on the continent as a result of
hybridizing vocabulary and grammar of colloquial Nodaadic with the
various languages and dialects of local people. These newly-formed
languages, many of them already centuries old by this point, have by and
large become the new everyday languages and new mother tongues of most
Irim / Nodaadim citizens.
Despite Archontic originating from different but related languages of a
very different language family than Nodaadic, "Old Imperial" had
incorporated words and terminology from languages of many surrounding
language families, including terms, expression and concepts from
Nodaadic and its linguistic relatives. This is particularly notable in
the case of Churchly Archontian, which has borrowed (and often
phonetically modified) a fair few terms from Nodaadic, especially
religious and philosophical terms that were not present in Ancient
Archontian or had no good equivalent in Ancient Archontian.
- | - | - | -
3. ) Aporuean smallfolk languages and dialects
An interesting factor in the origins, history and surviving forms of
languages unique to the Smallfolk (Rarachs and Permons) is that they
might have actually begun as something of an intentionally artificial
language, created by their earliest speakers as something of a secret
language. The reasons behind this might have been efforts by members of
either the Rarach or Permon smallfolk to escape the closer scrutiny of
more prejudiced or outright hostile Bigfolk humans.
This hypothetical factor has never been resolves to early linguists'
satisfaction, and those Rarachs and Permons who still speak their unique
languages at least in private have been unwilling to provide more
deeper insights into the history, nature and purpose of the smallfolk
languages. Many who subscribe to the "artificial secret language"
hypothesis often dovetail with the proponents of the "supernatural
evolution" (or "magical evolution") hypotheses that claim neither the
smallfolk nor the beastpeoples have existed since time immemorial, but
might have been a result of the infamous (yet still poorly understood)
magical experimentations conducted in the Old Empire. Though linguists
have been able to identify what seem like loanwords into the smallfolk
languages, from the ancient forms of bigfolk languages from eastern Aiza
and ancient Aporue, there is inconclusive evidence on whether the
smallfolk languages were newly-created secret languages, with some terms
from established human languages reinserted back as loanwords, or
whether the smallfolk languages were originally derived directly from
bigfolk languages, and intentionally modified by their speakers to
become more unique-sounding and secretive languages that weren't easy to
decipher by community outsiders.
Possible family tree of the Aporuean smallfolk languages
Below is a very hypothetical family tree for the known smallfolk
languages (and their dialects) that occur on the continent of Aporue.
Aporuean (Bigfolk) languages ? / eastern Aizan languages ? / a priori languages ?
* Common smallfolk (Rarach) language subfamily
** Proto-Rarach
*** Ancient Rarach ?
*** Middle Rarach ?
**** Modern Rarach (developed from particular varieties of Middle Rarach)
***** Contemporary dialect variations of Rarach: Western Aporuean
Rarach, Southwest Aporuean Rarach, Central Aporuean Rarach, Eastern
Aporuean Rarach, Southern Aporuean Rarach
* Montane smallfolk (Permon) language subfamily
** Proto-Permonic
*** Old Permonic / Ancient Permonic ?
**** Middle Permonic ?
***** Contemporary dialect variations of Permonic: Western Aporuean
Permonic, Southwest Aporuean Permonic, Northern Aporuean and Hrímlandic
Permonic, Central Aporuean Permonic, Southern and Southeast Aporuean
Permonic
Aporuean smallfolk names
Some personal names and family names
originate primarily in the unique smallfolk languages, either in the
Rarach languages and dialects, or the Permon languages and dialects.
Solving the etymology of some names can be rather difficult and
sometimes outright impossible, as the Rarach and Permon languages
liberally borrowed or reworked loanwords from bigfolk human languages.
It's often difficult to say where the influence of one or the other
begins and ends.
A textbook example would be the Permon male name Laternin, which
features elements that seem to borrow heavily from Archontian, but was
considered a uniquely Permon male name for much of its recorded history,
ever since its emergence. Eventually, it became one of a number of more
uniquely Rarach and Permon names that also found popularity and use
among the Bigfolk. In addition to all of the aforementioned factors,
this popular loaning into bigfolk human languages has muddled and
complicated the research into the history and etymology of smallfolk
names.
Examples of Rarach dialect from central Aporue
TBA
Examples of Permonic dialect from central Aporue
Acinmrek ! - pron. u-tsin-mrek - "Well, I never !", "Blast !", "Dammit...", "Oh, bother..."
A very mild slur in Permonic, said as an exclamation of frustration, mild anger or bewilderement.
(Actually, Kremnica backwards. ;-) )
- | - | - | -
4.) Argot, cant and other local secret languages
As part of the secret languages that have developed in the history of
Aporue, one cannot also exclude the far more niche, but still
interesting and significant phenomennon of argot languages or "cant" languages.
These are often used by people on the periphery of what's considered
"acceptable society", and primarily include the likes of individual
criminals or whole criminal groups. As the main point of argot is that
few should be able to understand the coded meanings of its vocabulary,
the vocabulary of argot or cant is never exactly stable, and always
tends to change or reinvent itself after a few years or at most decades,
in order to keep fulfilling its role as a secret criminal language.
Though mobsters sometimes use argot, its main users are petty thieves
and small-time crooks, professional thieves-freelancers, informants for
thieves, members of thieving fellowships or thieves' guilds, but also
double agents and spies for both thieving organizations and the police,
which can complicate matters. Argot and cant are used not only by
humans, but also by beastpeoples.
Virtually every city and town that has a substantial grouping of
professional thieves, also has its own secret “dialects”, used by said
thieves. Argot (or popularly, “cant”) can technically use any existing
local dialect or colloquial speech as its basis, but the key to its
success lies in its vocabulary. Common words or words that could easily
reveal criminal/illegal intent are (usually cleverly) replaced by
completely different terms - though ones that have been derived with at
least some intuitive, logical, metonymical or just punny connection to
the original word/expression.
Naturally, a thieving argot (or any argot) develops over time, having a
general tendency to reshape, renew and reinvent itself due to the
hazards dogging its users: Once an argotic expression becomes too well
known to the commoners who weren't supposed to understand it, old
expressions are jettisoned and replaced with new ones. Argots have a
very vibrant and dynamic existence when it comes to their vocabulary, to
the point that it sometimes borders on the ephemeral.
At this particular point in Aporuean history, Melza has several
prevailing argot conventions among professional thieves. There are some
relatively universal expressions and idioms in place throughout the
whole City, but many guilds and fellowships also develop their own
argot, for the sake of greater safety and discretion, and also greater
ease of use. The table that follows includes some of the more universal
expressions from the Melzan thieving twang.
Examples of Melzan thief argot (cant)
| Argotisms | Meaning |
|---|---|
| burr, gap, board | house, dwelling, flat |
| fiss, bug, cranny, loo | safehouse, hideout |
| bread, piss, pissgrub | inn, alehouse, pub |
| cratch, chute, gull | street |
| sore, shiner | alley, back alley |
| plate, tray | yard, courtyard |
| skid, slide, sole, slink | to go, to walk (somewhere) |
| trash, tidy, tuck | to fence loot, sell off loot |
| egg in a basket, eggbasket, tooth | loot cache |
| boiled egg, cracked egg, toothache | damaged loot, damaged goods |
| thistle, nettle, rag, hag | dagger or stabbing weapon |
| strand, lord, lard | sword (usually straight) |
| scythe, shank, shin | sabre or curved sword |
| branch, knot, silk | bow (weapon) |
| snapper, nutmeg, hurdy-gurdy | crossbow |
| skewer, splinter, splint | arrow |
| jolt, peg, pin | (crossbow) bolt |
| finch, inch, pale | fence, middleman, receiver |
| tit, sparrow, fly | squealer, informant |
| threepee | from “purse-and-pocket-pilferer” - pickpocket, cutpurse |
| dross, floss, toss | a thieves' guild boss |
| baldric, boot | ally from a guild, usually armed (e.g. Guard, Brigand) |
| toe, sob, swift, ratcatcher | (common) policeman or patrolman of the City Watch |
| flask, flasker, swigger | guard or watchman of The Watch or the Melzan army |
| mutt, pot, clank | Flying Squad or Unrest Quellers member of The Watch |
| forage, porridge | beer or other alcohol |
| cabbage, cabbage soup | coffee or chicory |
| rot, fester, blight | food or meals |
Gestures as a subset of argot, cant and other secret languages
Even with the advance of technology, neither the cultures of Aporue, or
any other cultures anywhere in the world for that matter, have invented
devices capable of transfering people's voices in an audible fashion.
Forget portable radios, even oversized stationary telephones and radios
are still being worked on. They remain a pipe dream even for the
wealthiest reputable folk, so what's a poor professional thief to do ?
Use simple substitutes that have been around for ages, of course. Visual
signals, involving flashing signals with tiny mirrors or polished
pieces of metal, can prove practical at greater distances and in certain
situations. Sadly, unless the conditions are right, these are generally
too risky an option to be used stealthily. Audible signals, often
involving the use of birdcalls (or very good natural sounds imitation)
are also an option, and somewhat of a stealthier one than visual
signals. But only if they are done right. An inappropriate use of sounds
can still give one away…
Well, if even these simple substitutes are not all that secure, what to
use then ? Perhaps some of the oldest communication in the book, of
course: Gestures and facial expressions. Silent, not flashy, cost
nothing. And unless you run to a distance where no one can make heads or
tails of what you're gesturing, they are a very clear and unambiguous
communication method. Well… Unambiguous only as long as people agree
upon a secret code to go with each gesture.
Here's an overview of fairly standardised gesture and facial expressions
code in thieving underworld of Melza (some of them come in more than
one variation):
| Gesture | Face | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| putting a finger to one's lips | N/A | "Quietly…" |
| putting a finger to one's lips, raising a finger priggishly | N/A | "As quietly as possible…" |
| putting a finger to one's lips | slight nod | "Right, keep going quietly." |
| tapping the nose with an index finger | N/A | "Don't worry. I know…" |
| waving closely towards oneself, pointing at one's foot | frowning, shaking of head | "Slower !" / "Don't rush ahead !" |
| raising a finger, pointing at the floor | frowning | "Caution, a loud floor." |
| shaking one's foot in place, pointing at the floor | grinning sourly | "Caution, a creaky wooden floor." |
| clenching one's fist horizontally, pointing at the floor | frowning | "Caution, a loud stone/cobbled floor." |
| holding one's hand horizontally, pointing at the floor | frowning | "Caution, a loud tiled floor." |
| nod to an object, “bagging” gesture | N/A | "Nab that." / "Nick it." |
| nod to an object, “raking” or “rummaging” gesture | N/A | "Check it." / "Search it through." |
| mimicing a spyglass around the eye | N/A | "Have a look." / "Look around." |
| mimicing a spyglass around the eye, pointing | N/A | "Take a look in that direction." |
| mimicing a spyglass around the eye, pointing at a door | N/A | "Go and have a peek through the keyhole." |
| palm placed behind ear, pointing at a door | N/A | "Eavesdrop behind that door." |
| “pulling down a door handle” gesture, pointing at a door | N/A | "Open that door carefully." |
| brief swing of clenched fist, pointing at a guard | N/A | "Knock him out." |
| brief swing of clenched fist, pointing at a guard | clear wink | "Knock him out, but make sure it's possible." |
| wave-like gesture with a hand, optional pointing | N/A | "Flowing water…" / "River. / Stream." |
| waving hand as if against smoke, brief “throwing” gesture | N/A | "Throw a smokebomb." |
| brief “throwing” gesture | frantic, exaggerated blinking | "Throw a flashbomb." |
| backhanded wipe in front of eyes, brief “throwing” gesture | N/A | "Throw a flashbomb." |
| covering mouth with palm, brief “throwing” gesture | N/A | “Throw a gasbomb.” |
| quickly flipping wrist upward, brief “throwing” gesture | N/A | “Throw a grenade.” |
| waving hand as if against smoke, brief palm downward gesture | N/A | “Place a smokemine.” |
| brief palm downward gesture | frantic, exaggerated blinking | “Place a flashmine.” |
| backhanded wipe in front of eyes, brief palm downward gesture | N/A | “Place a flashmine.” |
| covering mouth with palm, brief palm downward gesture | N/A | “Place a gasmine.” |
| quickly flipping wrist upward, brief palm downward gesture | N/A | “Place a mine.” |
| brief palm downward gesture, “turning a dial” gesture [4] | N/A | "Set the timer on the mine." |
Notes
[4] - the amount of time for the timer is indicated by also
showing a certain number of fingers. Each finger represents a different
shorter Aporuean time unit. One finger usually refers to a thanker, two fingers to a blesser. Holding a finger (or fingers) in a crooked, 90° bent position, means half the amount of that time unit.
(On a sidenote, besides real world sign languages devised for
communication between hearing-impaired and fully-hearing people,
gesture-based languages used for special purposes have been around for a
long time in human history. Some used for military applications, such
as this British Special Airborne Service gesture code,
some used in law enforcement (police gestures while opening a stealthy
police raid), and some even used by various criminals (past and present
gestures of thieves, small-time local gangs, etc.).
The thieves' dilemma: To keep silent or not to keep silent ?
So, let's imagine you and maybe one or two of your fellow burglars are
already taking part in some heist or proverbial catacomb-crawl. Let's
imagine a situation occurs where you can't rely on gestures and facial
expressions. You need to get verbal. Is it too risky or not ? Well, that
depends. The answer is context-sensitive.
If you feel or think someone (or, heaven forbid, something) could
hear you very easily, with your cover getting blown or at least
compromised quickly, try to avoid verbal communication. If you feel or
think that someone (or something) doesn't have much of a chance
to hear you if you speak up in what amounts to careful whispers… then
speak up to your companions in said careful whispers. It's all a matter
of common sense, knowing your current surroundings and staying vigilant,
and being willing to sometimes sacrifice utmost sneakiness for
effective communication and leadership.
Obviously, if you start running around and hollering in an already
hostile or potentially dangerous environment, expect bad stuff to come
your way, sooner or later.
- | - | - | -
PRE
Other Thick as Thieves linguistic overviews
- The Archontic alphabet and its history
- Melzan dialect (Melzish) and its relatives
- Beastpeople species languages (Part 1)
- Beastpeople species languages (Part 2)
- Personal names and family names in Aporue
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