Tainish
Tainish, often called Aldish by foreigners, is the language spoken by roughly half of Alderode, predominantly in the northernmost provinces, or ginnals. It is the recognised language of the Ssaelit faith.
Distinct from the Continental language, in its written form Tainish uses its own phonetic alphabet in conjunction with roughly two-hundred pictographs (an additional seven-hundred pictographs are reserved for use in Old Tainish). It is right-branching, ungendered, and contains a complex system for expressing politeness which, when mirrored in Continental, can make Aldish speakers seem overly formal and stiff. Because Tainish's current form is a deliberate redesign of its original, Tainish forms and conjugations are very regular, making it a moderately easy language to learn.
History
Tainish came from the Tains, a group of fair-haired people who, thousands of years ago, lived in a secluded valley beyond the Gold Mountains (soud vaghal) of eastern Alderode. When this valley and its people were conquered by western tribesmen, the Tainish culture and language were disseminated westward. Over time the Tainish language, which was and continues to be the language of pymary, was simplified into a less complicated, formal, and ritualistic tongue until it became what it is today. Original Old Tainish is reserved for use in pymary and in educational and scholarly treatises.
Vocabulary
Many concepts unique to Alderode find expression only in Tainish. For example, because a portion of Alderode lives for centuries this has made necessary convenient terms for one's relatives that extend further back than two or three generations. There are also myriad unique units of measure specific to pymary (measurements for the saturation of colour, the strength of smells, the density of rainfall, etc). Aldish schoolchildren are required to fully understand both Continental and Tainish, but there are no translations for many of these Tainish terms. Also, all terms unique to the Ssaelit faith and Ssaelit temple are expressible only in Tainish.
Examples
| English/Continental | Tainish |
|---|---|
| Tainish | tairet |
| Continental | llederoret |
| Yes | ssha |
| No | ko |
| Hello! | Aum yut shenut! (formal) or Pahol! (informal) |
| Farewell! | Mallil i Yerta! (Gefendur only) or Laemasa, llaemas e Mann! (Ssaelit only) |
| Have a nice day! | Timmabi nasamasota! |
| Please | okhael emimabi akdem |
| Thanks | Socha |
| You are welcome | lluomabi |
| Who? | Akaa? |
| What? | Solle? |
| When? | Akaraa? |
| Where? | Donaa?? |
| Why? | Pulinaa? |
| How? | Charaa ? |
| What is your name? | Solle ssomun sa raek? |
| How much? | Solle kafha? |
| I do not understand. | Ssalim efhim. |
| Yes, I understand. | Ssha, ssalim. |
| I agree | Lim. |
| Help! | Falomabi! |
| Can you help me please? | Okhael vhomal falom dan? |
| Where are the toilets? | reghal ssomunt donaa? |
| Do you speak Tainish? | Vhomal tookim tairet? |
| I do not speak Continental. | Vhom tookim efhim llederoret |
| I do not know. | Llachom efhim. |
| I know. | Llachom. |
| I am thirsty. | Ssom hrashul. |
| I am hungry. | Ssom matig. |
| How is everything? | Fhen ssomun sshenut? |
| Everything is alright/great/terrible. | Fhen ssomun shenut/damma/fhel. |
| A vliegeng ate my baby. | Vliegeng hhrashotemun da nall. |
| I will f*** stab you. | Maa roilim chal. |
Translations of every Tainish line from the comic.
| Tainish | Translation |
|---|---|
| Mamalen entek | Wandering root |
| Kussen | slave |
| Galit | galit |
| Muol | Lit. servant but figurately closer to jerkwad buttface |
| Anteit Vaosa | Merciful Saints |
| Vhefhen kakhthimun vil dan efhim tookim vil saba. | Father said I must not talk to any of you. |
| Taomabi e fhangimabi mo Uaid. | Go and wait with Uaid! |
| Uaid | Lit. turtle |
| Ssael fhikemun rish. | Ssael reveals the way. |
| Ilganyag | Black Tongues |
| Imunt Hethllot? | They have a Plat? |
| Mallil Hethllot, ssomal ssupall llo moya graefhich? | Revered Plat, you are a friend of this villain? |
| Aumut Vaosa | Victorious Saints |
| Mae illuda! | So awesome! |
| Ssom Soud. | I'm Gold. |
| Ssomal Ilganyag? | Are you a Black Tongue? |
| Dan paesabi! | Forgive me! |
| Simon simol! | Simon bean! |
| Vhefhen! | Father! |
| S'lele ssomun donaa? | Where's mama? |
