62 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
62 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
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---
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title: Miwāfu
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---
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<p>
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This novel has characters who come from the Mifuno Desert where the native
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language is Miwāfu. Names in this language are significantly different from
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English, so here is a short guide on pronunciation and usage.
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</p>
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<p>
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The biggest difference is that every name is gendered, which is identified
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by the accent on the penultimate syllable. There are three types of accents:
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<em>Grave</em> (as in hèru for stallion) is a tiny tick that goes down
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to the right. The grave accent indicates a masculine aspect, either in
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physical gender, size, or power. Names with grave accents either end in
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a lower pitch or the entire word is spoken in a lower tone.
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</li>
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<li>
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<em>Macron</em> (for example, hēru for colt) is a bar over the vowel.
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This is a neuter term, used for many gender-free words or expressions
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within the language. It is also used for mechanical devices, abstract
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concepts, and children—both human and beast. Macrons are spoken as a
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long vowel or drawing out the word just a beat longer than normal.
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</li>
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<li>
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<em>Acute</em> (héru for mare) is a tiny tick that goes to the upper
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right. The acute indicates feminine aspects of the word. It can
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represent control without power or precision. These words end on a high
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note or the entire word is spoken in a higher pitch.
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p>
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The only instances where accents aren’t used is adjectives or indication of
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ownership. So, if a valley is owned by the clan Shimusògo, it is known as
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Shimusogo Valley.
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</p>
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<p>
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The names themselves are phonetic. A syllable is always from a consonant
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cluster to the vowel. For examples: Mi.wā.fu (IPA
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<span class="ipa">/mi.waː.ɸɯ̥/</span>), Shi.mu.sò.go (<span class="ipa"
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>/ɕi.mɯ.ꜜso.ɡo/</span
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>), and De.sò.chu (<span class="ipa">/de.ꜜso.tɕɯ̥/</span>). The only
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exception is the letter “n” which is considered part of the syllable before
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it when not followed by a vowel. For example, ga.n.ré.ko (<span class="ipa"
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>/ɡa.ŋꜛɾe.ko/</span
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>) and ka.né.ko (<span class="ipa">/ka.ꜛne.ko/</span>).
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</p>
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<p>
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Miwāfu has no capital letters, they are added to satisfy English
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conventions.
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</p>
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