Ul-Zaorith Wiki


Language: As briefly mentioned in the introductory notes, the language of the Fudorian people is called Nevordis, (directly translated to English as Common) as it was the commonly spoken dialect between the Bid'hair gypsies and the provincial kings prior to the Fudorian Unification. Currently there are slang dialects specific to the Serfdom Commons, the Labouring Commons, the Prosperous Commons, and the Nobility Castes respectively. There is also an "accented Common" spoken exclusively by the Bid'hair which is harder to understand by the common Fudorian. But while there are these dialects, they differ msotly in formality and grammatical structure, rather than in word content, though there are certainly prophanities and slang terms that would not be acceptable in higher society.
Common utilizes a similar alphabet system to English as follows:
A - 'aa' sound like 'apple', not 'ah' like 'father'. When combined with other vowels makes an 'ay' like 'hay'.
B - 'b' like 'ball'.
D - 'd' like 'dad'.
E - 'eh' like 'set'. When combined with A makes an 'ay' like hay, when combined with I makes 'eye'.
F - 'f' like 'fish'.
G - 'g' like 'game'. Never 'gem'.
H - 'h' like 'house'. When placed after a vowel, shifts the emphasis of sound to that syllable.
I - 'ih' like 'lick'. When with E or A makes 'eye'. With O or U remains separate in sound, as in 'oh-ee' or 'oo-ee'.
J - 'j' like 'jam'.
K - 'k' like 'kick'.
L - 'l' like 'lamb'.
M - 'm' lime 'mama'.
N - 'n' like 'noun'.
O - 'oh' like 'open'. Not 'often'.
P - 'p' like 'pat'.
R - 'r' like 'round', never trilled like in Italian or Scottish.
S - 's' like 'sample'. Not 'thesbian'.
T - 't' like 'triangle'.
U - 'uh' like 'up', only 'oo' when combined with another vowel.
V - 'v' like 'virgin'.
W - 'w' like 'won'.
Y - 'yuh' like 'yes' when preceding a vowel, 'eeyuh' when acting as a vowel.
Z - 'z' like 'zebra'.

While not letters in and of themselves, the following sound combinations should be covered:
SH - 'sh' like 'shame'.
TH - 'th' like 'thought', never 'than'.
CH - 'ch' like 'chalk'.
PH - 'pf' like Japanese 'taifun'
KH - a rough 'k' like found in Yiddish or Scottish, as in the Scottish exclamation of "ach!"

Common is not a difficult language to learn in pronunciation, but it has many contradictory rules that it developed from its hybridization of Suoro, Speritanian and Tirivahni dielcts, with more than a little Ancient thrown in. Similarily to how Englsih can be extremely difficult to learn as a second language, Common holds similar problems.

Naming is done in two parts, the Family name, which precedes, and is inherited from the father's lineage, and the given name which follows. Generally given names are two to three syllables, with the first syllable holding the force of the name. In Royalty it is acceptable to name a royal Prince or Princess after an ancestor, in which case their name is modified with an identifying number, such as King Jeddah III etc. Also, certains names go through phases of popularity, where many will name their child with a certain famous name. Examples of famous or popular names are for Boys: Sasharr, Tashkelt, Tiernon, Tabastus, Jeddah, Syrya, Sashen, Esbard. For girls: Amila, Phehn, Andara, Baessel, Myrna, Merris, Hammiah, Moslyn, Riga