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Miscellaneous Notes Quotes and Names How to Use the Dictionary Library

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Alphabet

Writing Notes

· The letter “v” can substitute for “f” and vice-versa. This is particularly used for words sourced from ancient languages, e.g. Fa’Diel and Manafartogo are considered to be correctly spelt as Va’Diel and Manavartogo in Pandoran script; likewise, thevos may also be spelt as thefos.

· Spaces are used to divide words, as in English.

· Brackets, dashes and slashes are written as in English.

· Capital letter and open quotation denotation is written beneath that letter.

· All other punctuation is written beneath the letter preceding where its corresponding symbol would be in English.

· To do an interrobang (?!), combine ? and ! into the same symbol.

· Apostrophes are like English – the same as a closed single quotation mark.

· If a proper noun contains apostrophes, then all letters immediately proceeding the apostrophe mark are also capitalised, e.g.: Fa’Diel

· Ellipses extend from the letter preceding its corresponding place in English into the space before the next word, covering it, e.g.: I think…the sky is blue equals I think the sky is blue.

· There are no hyphens (since Pandoran words tend to be compound)

· The Lucre symbol is written before the number, just like the dollar symbol.

· The conjoin symbol joins two letters together to make a diphthong “borrowed” from another language. It is written at the bottom of the letters, as part of the first one. These sounds are:

- j (d, ch)

- sh (s,h)

- w (u,i)

- x (k,s)

- z (d, th)

When these diphthongs are written in English, the diphthong is used rather than the letter combination (with the natural exception of “sh”), as in wagalbo and Jema.

Pronunciation Guide

(In English Alphabetical Order)

*Vowel

a* = ah (father)

aa* = ar (car)

ae * = a (cake)

ao * = aow (Mao; open o sound)

b = b (bat)

c = ch (much; like it but very soft, almost “sh”)

ch = tch (cheese)

ck = kh (loch)

d = d (duck)

e* = eh (friend)

g = g (goat)

gn = ñ (piñata, but sound formed in back of throat,
not behind teeth)

h = h (horse)

i* = ii (more like a Japanese “i” than English “i”; Pikachu)

k = k (king)

l = l (laugh)

m = m (mouse)

n = n (net)

nn = n' (as above, but before a glottal stop before
the next syllable)

o* = o (hot, English pronunciation [i.e. not the
American “haht”])

p = p (pin)

ph = ff (photograph, almost “fff” in intensity)

pp = 'p (as in “p” above, but crossing a glottal stop,
i.e. the first syllable ends with the “p” forming

in the mouth while the second “p” expels it)

r = r (ramen, with a small roll like Japanese)

rr = 'r (as above but after a glottal stop)

s = s (sing)

t = t (tea)

th = th (say “ts” while mouth is in “th” position)

u* = oo (look)

v/f = f (fill, not as strong as ph)

y* = ea' (sea, with a glottal stop before the next syllable;
if followed by two consonants, the first one is
joined to the first syllable, e.g. Syl’phid)

j = dtch (unvoiced “j”)

sh = ssh (very soft sh; Pandorans find it hard to create
this sound without getting close to their “ch”)

w* = uy (like “ui” but more open, almost “wheh”)

x = k’s (small glottal stop between “k” and “s”;
Pandorans are used to a vowel following the “k” sound)

z = dth (like saying “z” with a lisp; this sound does not otherwise exist in Pandoran)

NOTE: When written in English, any two vowels or consonants that are together, with the exception of the doubles listed above, are on separate syllables.

Important Names

Undine = oon-DII-ne (short “oo”, “e” of “–ne” neutral vowel)

Gnome = ÑO-me (“e” neutral vowel, “Ñ” formed in throat)

Sylphid = sil'-FFIID

Salamando = sah-lah-MAHN-do (short “o”)

Lumina = loo-mii-nah

Shade = s’HAH-de (“e” neutral vowel; s and h are not linked)

Luna = loo-nah

Dryad = drea'-AHD

Lich = dea'-LOOKH thah-nah-tos "liitch" ea'-OSSH-ii fon kiip'-po

Ark = ahrk beh-ROO-gah ea'-OSSH-ii fon kiip'-po

Nase = NAH-seh po-rah-mee

Grammar and Other Miscellaneous Notes

PAST WRITTEN SENTENCES/PHRASES/WORDS/RULES MAY CHANGE OR BE ADDED TO

CONCRETE RULES FOR THE USE OF MODAL VERBS AND “IS” ARE NOT FINALISED

CONCRETE RULES FOR THE USE OF “THE” IS NOT FINALISED

SENTENCE STRUCTURE NOT FINALISED

ALL OF THE ROOTS FOR SOME WORDS NOT CREATED

DICTIONARY ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Basic Sentence/Clausal Structure

Subject → Object → Verb

Subject (Adjective/s) (Adverb) (Modal Verb) → Object (Adjective/s) (Adverb) (Objective Verb [a verb only pertaining to the object]) → Verb

· Words tend to be compounded from basic roots.
This means that words, prefixes and suffixes are joined together to form new ones, e.g.:

dryosolohugin = dryosolo + hugin
dryosolo = dryos + olo
dryos = dry + os

· The use of “am/is/are/be” and modal verbs.

o “am/is/are/be” - personal
When used to denote a person’s existence or existence of their actions (the present participle), be- is combined with the personal pronoun, e.g.:

Where are you? = Retos beto?
I am helping Lich. = Bere Lich chegoto.
Is she helping Lich? = Bepho Lich chegoto?
He is. = Becho.
“It” is writing. = Bekoro aphoto.
We are suffering. = Bene dreoto.
You (pl.) are making a sound. = Bemo e ephido eroto.
“They” are crossing a line. = Bero e mala malaoto.
They are there. = Besu tosae.

When used like above with a name or an occupation (e.g. a word ending in -pos), be’ is combined with the name or the occupation when the name begins with a consonant. Bet’ is used if the name begins with a vowel, e.g.:

Where is Lich? = Retos Be’Lich?
Lich is helping the writer. = Be’Lich aphopos chegoto.
Is Ark the writer? = Ark ku bet’aphopos?
Ark is. = Bet’Ark.

When using the term “be”, as one would in English, bete is used and not combined with any personal pronouns, e.g.:

Wherever you may be… = Ubarano to opa bete…

o “is/are” - object
When used to denote that something exists or their actions exist (the present participle), gete (singular) and geru (plural) are used instead of the be- verbs, e.g.:

My book is orange, = Ren tugennapheru aoros gete,
but my seeds are purple. = oto ren dridoru bykaa geru.

NOTE: A person’s feelings and emotions are considered objects and are used possessively, e.g.:

I am happy. = My happiness is. = Ren daraelas gete.
He is stupid. = His stupidity is. = Chen gaennaluros gete.

NOTE: It can be offensive to use the objective form of “is” when referring to a person.
Ark’s declaration of someone not as a person makes him speak with the “gete” tense rather than the “bete” tense to refer to them.

o Modal verbs

Modal verbs are placed immediately before the object of the sentence or before the verb if there is no object. Like “is”, “are” and “be”, the correct variation of the word depends on the person. The 1^st Person Singular acts as the root of the modal verb and is combined with the relevant pronoun to the subject. However, it is not combined with a pronoun used as the subject of the sentence, e.g.:

I can help you. = Re ioma to chego.
You can help me. = To iomato reo chego.
Ark can help you. = Ark iomacho to chego.
My mother can help me. = Lakepospho ren iomapho reo chego.
The Matangian can help you. = Ku Turenematango iomakoro to chego.
We can help you. = Ne iomane to chego.
Can you (pl.) help me? = Mo iomamo reo chego?
“They” can help you. = Ro iomaro to chego.
Lich and Ark can help you. = Lich no Ark iomasu to chego.
The book can help you. = Ku tugennapheru iomake to chego.
The rocks can help you. = Ku gnoru iomavu to chego.

All modal verbs begin with the prefix io- and the roots have only four Pandoran letters. They are (1^st Person Singular):

ioka = shall
iolo = will
ioma = can
iothe = want to
iotu = must

· The use of “the”
If “the” (ku) would be used with another preposition (e.g. “of the”, “to the”, “in the”, “from the”). then “the” is dropped entirely.

· Commands and requests must include “you”.
Any commands and requests, e.g. “please sit”, “do not go” must include the word to as “you” is the subject of the sentence, and that it is considered very rude not to include it, e.g.:

Do not cross the railway tracks. = You do not cross the railway tracks. = To malaluneraru malao gaparo.

· Adjectives come after the noun and are generally arranged in reverse order to English.
Whereas English tends to put its adjectives in order of describing importance from least specific to most specific towards the noun, Pandoran tends to do this in reverse, with the noun followed by the most specific to the least specific adjectives, e.g.:

electric self-defence mechanism = mechanism defence-of-self electric = tirbon returen sylph

· Adding prefixes and suffixes to words

o If the prefix ends in “e” or “o” and the word begins with “e” or “o”, then the first “e” or “o” is dropped, e.g.:

re + ennao = rennao
tumasao + onera = tumasaonera

o If the word being added to ends in a consonant, and the suffix begins with “l” or “r”, then “e” is added to the beginning of the suffix, e.g.:

acanoros + lin = acanoroselin
tirbon + ru = tirboneru

o If the word being added to ends in “o” and the suffix begins with “a”, the “o” is dropped and a “n” is placed after the vowel, e.g.:

eraoposto + aphoru = eraopostanphoru

A B C D E G H I K L M N O P R S T U V #

Miscellaneous Notes Quotes and Names How to Use the Dictionary Library