GitP Worldbuilding Project

[Je dit Viola]

The religions don't have to be all polytheistic. They could be monotheistic, shamanistic, pantheistic, etc. The possibilities are endless, really.

As I'm imagining at the moment, many of the tribes/villages of the Humans will be Shamanistic, while the Mayadiles will likely be more polytheistic, with panthenons and stuff, because of the temples they build, in my imagination.

The humans Shamanistic because they're more based on magic and sorcery, and things like that.



((That's an awesome picture, by the way))

[Maximum Zersk]

As I'm imagining at the moment, many of the tribes/villages of the Humans will be Shamanistic, while the Mayadiles will likely be more polytheistic, with panthenons and stuff, because of the temples they build, in my imagination.

The humans Shamanistic because they're more based on magic and sorcery, and things like that.



((That's an awesome picture, by the way))

Hey, that's a cool idea. And the Gnomes would worship the Omnissiah?

[Je dit Viola]

*after quick Googlesearch*

Yes, that would work perfectly! The Gnomes would be monotheistic, worshipping a Machine God.

So, Humans: Shamanistic
Mayadiles/(I have forgotten their official name, probably. Is that it?): Polytheistic
Gnomes: Monotheistic


Does everyone else agree, or do they have better ideas that they want to input?

[Maximum Zersk]

*after quick Googlesearch*

Yes, that would work perfectly! The Gnomes would be monotheistic, worshipping a Machine God.

So, Humans: Shamanistic
Mayadiles/(I have forgotten their official name, probably. Is that it?): Polytheistic
Gnomes: Monotheistic


Does everyone else agree, or do they have better ideas that they want to input?

Awesome.

Yeah, expect a lot of 40k references from me regarding the gnomes, now. Might want to brush up on your 40k knowledge.

Anyway, I'm going to make a naming language for the mayadiles. Not a permanent one, but one to last until we get to the actual con-langing.

[Soterion]

I think it would be interesting to have the gnomes be animists, believing that each machine has a "spirit" or animating deity.

EDITED TO ADD:

"Listen carefully, young acolyte. All ores possess the metal spirit. All ores possess the desire for life. All ores possess the desire for freedom. But all ores dream the rock-dream, the unfire-dream. It is our calling, to set free the metal spirit trapped within the ore, and bring it to transcendent glory in the machine form, so that it might move and work and live and glow and change. Liberation of the spirit from the cold, unfeeling matter of the earth! Birthed into new life as a machine, not as some unthinking, unfeeling rock. What is our mission? To give life. What are our tools? Fire and coal and steam and water. Who do we serve? The ore, boy, the ore. The ore, and the spirit it contains. Remember my words, acolyte."

[Tulio d Bard]

@Soterion: I stopped doing my homework just to say how amazing that picture is. The symbols in the human hand, the croc "hand" (it might have been difficult to find one with that resolution), the Tuke feathers...
EDIT: Can we add it to our signatures?

Croc Language: probably German-like (I'm not talking about the words and grammar, just try using something that sounds like it).

Religion: Soterion's idea sounds good to me.

[Maximum Zersk]

@Soterion: I stopped doing my homework just to say how amazing that picture is. The symbols in the human hand, the croc "hand" (it might have been difficult to find one with that resolution), the Tuke feathers...
EDIT: Can we add it to our signatures?

Croc Language: probably German-like (I'm not talking about the words and grammar, just try using something that sounds like it).

Religion: Soterion's idea sounds good to me.

I was actually thinking of something Central American. Cause, you know, they're based on the Central American Cultures?

[Tulio d Bard]

I was actually thinking of something Central American. Cause, you know, they're based on the Central American Cultures?

Well, alright then. I thought of German because of the sound it makes (can't really explain). But do you even know how those languages look like?

[Maximum Zersk]

Well, alright then. I thought of German because of the sound it makes (can't really explain). But do you even know how those languages look like?

I know what German sounds like.

And no, I don't know what the Central American languages sound like. So I'm going to research it.

[Soterion]

The symbols in the human hand

Sad to say, I did not put those symbols there; somebody in the Punjab decided to put them on their own hand, and then put the hand on the internet.

EDIT: Can we add it to our signatures?

Oh, absolutely. Go to here for the actual picture.

[Maximum Zersk]

Sad to say, I did not put those symbols there; somebody in the Punjab decided to put them on their own hand, and then put the hand on the internet.



Oh, absolutely. Go to here for the actual picture.

That doesn't look like Punjabi.

Huh. Might be 'cause I'm used to a different script.

[Tulio d Bard]

I know what German sounds like.

And no, I don't know what the Central American languages sound like. So I'm going to research it.

I have no idea too. And it might be hard to find something on it.

(Forgive me if I sound rude, I'm not in a good mood today)

[Soterion]

That doesn't look like Punjabi.

Huh. Might be 'cause I'm used to a different script.

Well, I'm guessing that they're in the Punjab. They might be in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, or Pakistan, I suppose, since the owner of those tattoos is Rabari.

[Maximum Zersk]

I have no idea too. And it might be hard to find something on it.

(Forgive me if I sound rude, I'm not in a good mood today)

Is okay We all have bad days sometimes.

Well, I'm guessing that they're in the Punjab. They might be in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, or Pakistan, I suppose, since the owner of those tattoos is Rabari.

...there's no language called Pakistan.

There's Pakistani Pujabi, Balochi, Sindhi, Pashto, etc., but no Pakistani.

[Soterion]

...there's no language called Pakistan.

That's certainly true.

EDITED TO ADD:

I realize now my phrasing may have been unclear. I meant the owner of the hand may be in Pakistan. I thought this was clear from my using "in the Punjab" rather than "in Punjabi", but I see now I was incorrect. I apologize.

[Maximum Zersk]

That's certainly true.

EDITED TO ADD:

I realize now my phrasing may have been unclear. I meant the owner of the hand may be in Pakistan. I thought this was clear from my using "in the Punjab" rather than "in Punjabi", but I see now I was incorrect. I apologize.

S'okay. Guess I should of looked closer.

Well, nontheless! Man, I really should get started on that language tree.

[ref]

Hmm... Are we set on monotheistic? Maybe... There's God Metal, and the different metals (maybe not so many as here in Earth, who knows) could be his different manifestations, of different aspects of the Metal God, because you know, if the Metal God showed all the aspects at one time, the world wouldn't be able to endure that.

So like, for instance, Iron shows the strength of the Metal Good, the willpower to achieve what one set to do. Steel is the resilience, the draw of a different kind of strength, to endure the bad things. Silver shows the care for the well-being of the other gnomes. And so on.

(yeah, a bit inspired by the Magisters in Song of Ice and Fire).

[Maximum Zersk]

My idea would be that the religions of this world would be pretty ambigious. As in, sure there are some miracles, but they don't run around on the planet, at least.

And no, there probably would be different religions, but that could be a starting point for a major one.

Interesting ideas, ref.

[Tulio d Bard]

Hmm... Are we set on monotheistic? Maybe... There's God Metal, and the different metals (maybe not so many as here in Earth, who knows) could be his different manifestations, of different aspects of the Metal God, because you know, if the Metal God showed all the aspects at one time, the world wouldn't be able to endure that.

So like, for instance, Iron shows the strength of the Metal Good, the willpower to achieve what one set to do. Steel is the resilience, the draw of a different kind of strength, to endure the bad things. Silver shows the care for the well-being of the other gnomes. And so on.

(yeah, a bit inspired by the Magisters in Song of Ice and Fire).

And thus, the Small People would chose the metal they use in each case based on this aspects. Rings given to their beloved ones would be mainly made of silver, for example.

My idea would be that the religions of this world would be pretty ambigious. As in, sure there are some miracles, but they don't run around on the planet, at least.

"The Priestess cured the Lord's illness!"
"He was lucky..."
"How you dare! Can't you see that Great Emong did it?"

And no, there probably would be different religions, but that could be a starting point for a major one.

Maybe the Gods divided themselves to protect their favored sons and, with time, different laws and customs were taken.

[Maximum Zersk]

Okay, so here's the sounds that the Mayadiles are gonna have. Well, their proto-language, anyway.

{table]|Alveolar|Palatal|Velar|Uvular|Glottal
Stops|

[t], [tʼ]

|[tʲ], [tʲʼ]|[k], [kʼ]|[q], [qʼ]|

[ʔ]

|
Affricates|[ts], [tsʼ]|[tʃ], [tʃʼ]|
Frictave|

[s]

|

[ʃ]

||

[χ]

|

[h]

|
Nasal|

[n]

||

[ŋ]

|
Liquid|

[l], [r]

|
Glides||

[j]

|

[w]

[/table]

There will also be an extra sound, a growl. It'll be represented with a B, kay?

The proto-language's syllable structure will be (C)VC, similar to Proto-Mayan. Though an offshoot will have a VC(V) structure.

So how does it look so far? I think the name for the Northern River-Mayadiles at this point could be Sharlaq. What do you guys think?

[Je dit Viola]

I think it looks pretty cool.

I kinda wish to take a linguistics class now, though, so I can understand it better.

Well, I understand it a little. I know what some of those mean, and I know how to pronounce them.

Anyway, I think representing the growl by a B would be fine, if you would rather use that than a ~ symbol or something.

[Maximum Zersk]

I think it looks pretty cool.

I kinda wish to take a linguistics class now, though, so I can understand it better.

Well, I understand it a little. I know what some of those mean, and I know how to pronounce them.

Anyway, I think representing the growl by a B would be fine, if you would rather use that than a ~ symbol or something.

You could look learn a bit of liguistics from a conlager's article or something like that. That's how I learned how to start at least.

To be honest, I'm worried that the language will end up too much of a relex of English. Hopefully a beginner's level of German, a passing knowledge of Japanese and Punjabi/Urdu Grammar, and researching Mayan Languages will help that.

Well, I know what most of them mean. Alveolar, Palatal, Velar, Uvular, and Glottal are position in the mouth and throat, signalling where to put your tongue or where the sound comes from. Nasal, Affricates, Frictaves, Nasals, Liquids and Glides are how you sound it. For example, put you hand in front of your nose and make a "M" or "N" sound. You'll feel the air coming out of your nose. That's why it's nasal. But enough of that lecture.

To be honest, a B was the first thing that came into my head that was in the Latin Alphabet. I was originally going to use the first letter in the Armenian Alphabet, but I wasn't sure how that'd work out for some people's computers.

Anyway, next I'll work on the vowels, grammar, words, etc. Then after that, I could start working on smaller branches of languages.

Also, I'm updating the Original Post little by little.

[Tulio d Bard]

Okay, so here's the sounds that the Mayadiles are gonna have. Well, their proto-language, anyway.

{table]|Alveolar|Palatal|Velar|Uvular|Glottal
Stops|

[t], [tʼ]

|[tʲ], [tʲʼ]|[k], [kʼ]|[q], [qʼ]|

[ʔ]

|
Affricates|[ts], [tsʼ]|[tʃ], [tʃʼ]|
Frictave|

[s]

|

[ʃ]

||

[χ]

|

[h]

|
Nasal|

[n]

||

[ŋ]

|
Liquid|

[l], [r]

|
Glides||

[j]

|

[w]

[/table]

There will also be an extra sound, a growl. It'll be represented with a B, kay?

The proto-language's syllable structure will be (C)VC, similar to Proto-Mayan. Though an offshoot will have a VC(V) structure.

So how does it look so far? I think the name for the Northern River-Mayadiles at this point could be Sharlaq. What do you guys think?

I'll need to study linguistics too.

I can help with other languages to make this one (we need a name) less "Englishy" (I know Brazzilian Portuguese, Latin and a little of Esperanto, besides English). I guess you know French too, so we'll be well supplied (I'm sure there're others here that speak different languages other than these).

Does "Sharlaq" have a meaning?

[Maximum Zersk]

I'll need to study linguistics too.

I can help with other languages to make this one (we need a name) less "Englishy" (I know Brazzilian Portuguese, Latin and a little of Esperanto, besides English). I guess you know French too, so we'll be well supplied (I'm sure there're others here that speak different languages other than these).

Does "Sharlaq" have a meaning?

Actually, I know very little French, even though I'm Canadian.

As far as I've seen, a lot of people outside of Quebec don't bother.

Anyway no, it doesn't have a meaning. It's just a name besides Mayadiles until I have the languages more fleshed out.

[Soterion]

Do the Crocoatl have lips? Because if they don't, then they won't be able to pronounce "Sharlaq". The "sh" sound requires lips.

[Je dit Viola]

...are you sure?

Because I can pronounce "Sh" with just my teeth and tongue.

(Maybe I pronounce it wrong...)

[Maximum Zersk]

Do the Crocoatl have lips? Because if they don't, then they won't be able to pronounce "Sharlaq". The "sh" sound requires lips.

Actually, as Je dit Viola said, you can.

Though, I thought about that. So I got rid of all the Bilabial sounds.

[Soterion]

After some experimentation, I'm able to do it too, but it seems like a difficult sound to produce for someone with no lips. I just wonder if they would use it in the name of their language. It would be like "English" containing a voiceless uvular fricative. Maybe "Sharlaq" is a translation into the human speech, the way that Spanish is the translation of Espanol in English.

(also, I don't know how to make an enye in HTML)

[Maximum Zersk]

After some experimentation, I'm able to do it too, but it seems like a difficult sound to produce for someone with no lips. I just wonder if they would use it in the name of their language. It would be like "English" containing a voiceless uvular fricative. Maybe "Sharlaq" is a translation into the human speech, the way that Spanish is the translation of Espanol in English.

(also, I don't know how to make an enye in HTML)

Hm, I don't have a problem with it...

Possibly because I'm used to odd sounds. Ah well, people have sounds they can pronounce and can't pronounce, I guess. I'm pretty sure there are a few I can't, anyway.

[Warning, this information is subject to change. Also bananas.]

Well, I'm thinking of making the language possibly either isolating, or polysynthetic. The Sentence Structure I'm thinking will be Verb Subject Object, somewhat for something different, somewhat because I want to see how that turns out. I'm going to have articles, possibly definite, semi-definite, and indefinite. Don't know how to explain that, though. Possibly, for substance that isn't piece by piece, by degrees of amount. Like water. Not sure if that came out properly, though.

If I add cases, there will be Nominative, Accusative, Ablative, and Instrumental. They will generally come after the word. Prepositions would also come after. The articles would come before.

Well, anyone who can understand this, what do you think?

[ref]

Doesn't agglutinative fit better? Also, with VSO, probably post-positional? I know Spanish (mother language) and I'm now learning Japanese.

Gnomes will probably have some sort of logic language, with relatively few and distinct sounds so that ambiguity is reduced to none, if possible. They're also the most likely to have a different script (and romanization, of course).