User:Shadow Markuz/Isu Language

Isu Language

“When the destruction and death threatens before us

And the solar flare is reaching

To the calculator of futures we run”

- Inscription on the Saga Stone, Isu Era

The Isu Language is a system of communication devised and employed by the Isu. It was used for different purposes like formal communications to the populace, poetry, passwording, inventory management and many other purposes, making it an important window on the culture of the Isu civilization.

As many other idioms, the Isu Language is not a fixed and standardized language but one that has evolved and changed over time. Because of this, the form of the language currently studied by the Assassins and Antony Henry, actually contains some archaic words that are remnants of an even older form of the language.

Contents

[TBD]

History

According to Antony Henry, the Isu Language is an ancestor to the ancient human languages from the Indo-European family and potentially other languages, but it is not the only writing system used by the Isu. The First Civilization actually used several different and seemingly unrelated types of writings that can be found in different Precursor sites, making it a multifaceted civilization.

[Expand with the current existing History section of the Isu script?]

Structure

The Isu Language is an actual language system with its own dedicated vocabulary and set of grammar rules that are akin to the rules of several other rules used in modern languages. It has its own alphabet, a set of pronouns, a number of grammatical cases, verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, postpositions, conjunctions and also a dedicated numbering system.

Alphabet [Confirmed, as in, we don’t know of any more phonemes]

The Isu Language alphabet is made up of 41 phonemes, each with its own sound and pronunciation, which are used to create words and numbers.

[Add Table of the 41 phonemes]

Personal Pronouns [Partially Confirmed]

The set of personal pronouns is similar to that of the English language, and are mostly used at the beginning of sentences

Personal Pronouns in the Isu Language

First Person Singular	hṃ
Second Person Singular	dű [not confirmed]
Third Person Singular	?
First Person Plural	ṇsṃ
Second Person Plural	æű
Third Person Plural	toæ

Grammatical Cases [Confirmed]

The language features several grammar cases that indicate how to interpret the meaning or function of the various words within the context that they are used in. Grammar cases in the Isu Language are usually indicated by the final letter of the word. The confirmed grammar cases are as follows:

Grammatical Cases of the Isu Language

Case	Suffix
Nominative	Stem word (no suffix)
Nominative (animate words)	-s
Genitive	-às
Dative	-àæ
Accusative (inanimate, tangible words)	-ch
Accusative (inanimate, intangible words)	-á
Accusitave (animate words)	-m
Locative	-æ
Ablative	-os
Causal / Purpose	-ôd
Instrumental	-h

Verbs [Partially Confirmed]

Verbs are usually placed at the end of the sentence they are referred to and are defined by four qualities, each corresponding to specific letters of suffixes of the verbs themselves: person, tense, mood and voice

Person

There are six verb persons in the Isu language and they represent the subject of the verb

Isu Language - Verb Persons

First Person Singular	om
Second Person Singular	às [not confirmed]
Third Person Singular	ôd
First Person Plural	oms
Second Person Plural	àd
Third Person Plural	ṇd

Tense

As in many Proto-Indo-European languages, the Isu Language seems to feature only two tenses: the present / future tense, indicated by the suffix -i and the past tense, indicated by the suffix -a. The Isu were able to infer whether the present / future tense used in a sentence had to be interpreted with a present meaning or with a future meaning, thanks to their Sixth Sense.

Thus, the verbs of the Isu Language in the present or past tense are built as such: stem + person + tense suffix

The Isu Language also features the present continuous tense, which requires the verb to be conjugated in its present tense, followed by the particle de

Mood

The main mood utilized in the Isu Language is the indicative one, featuring tenses such as present / future and past. Following the same concept exposed in the Tense paragraph, because the Isu were able to understand intent thanks to their Knowledge, a number of verb moods (such as imperative and conditional) are missing from the Isu Language and are expressed through the indicative one. As such, for example, by looking at a sentence featuring a single verb in the present tense, the Isu could understand whether that verb was to be interpreted in the present, future, imperative or conditional form (or else).

Non-finite forms

While the above moods are all finite forms of the verbs, the Isu Language also features non-finite forms such as the infinitive and past participle forms.

The infinitive form is built by using the stem of the verb (no suffixes), followed by the particle ṛ

The past participle form is built by using the suffix -to after the stem of the verb. As it happens in many languages, the part participles can also be used as adjectives.

Voice

There are two main verb voices in the Isu Language, that is active or passive. While the active voice follows the rules expressed in previous paragraphs, a verb in the passive voice is identified by the suffix chṛ. More specifically, the present tense of a verb in the passive voice is created by adding the suffix ichṛ, while the past tense of a passive verb is indicated by the suffix achṛ.

Thus, the verbs of the Isu Language in a passive voice are built as such: stem + person + tense suffix + chṛ

The verb to be is always placed as a suffix at the end of its predicative complement which can be a noun or an adjective.Released Texts

Official Translations