Sarmelonid language

The **Sarmelonid language** (Sarmelonid: **Šondwo Sarmelonidō**, **Šondwo Wozonidō** ("Vozonid language")) is an earlier stage of the Vozonid language used during the Sarmelonid Empire. While it was known during its time as the "**Vozonid language**", later historians sometimes referred the language as the "**Ratirminid language**", as it was used during the reign of Ratirminoz, the penultimate emperor.

## Usage

See also: Archaic Sarmelonid glossary

It is nowadays regarded in Vozolaz as a classical language to honour the accomplishments of the Sarmelonid emperors. As certain non-Vozonid countries looked up to the Sarmelonids' culture as their standards, the Sarmelonid language also became the direct ancestor for several later languages, such as the speech of Irajon and Porashon.

The "Sarmelonid language" that is popularly-used in later eras is based on the contemporary version during the reign of Emperor Ratirminoz, the penultimate ruler of the Sarmelonid civilisation.

Kuelgon and alien subjects proposed adding "f" as the newest letter of the Sarmelonid alphabet, mostly to transcribe their various languages. To them, it represented them becoming equals to their fellow subjects under the empire's protection.

## Dialects

### Bawornortarid

This is the standard dialect used in the capital city of Bawornortar, at the southern part of the Vozonid heartland. It was regulated by the Imperial Academy.

* r tends to sound more rolling and longer: [r(ː)]
* final r except after -a or ô [ɔ] might sound like [-rɯ]
* a, when stressed and lengthened, may sound like [ä~ɒ]
* o might sound like [u] before -n, especially at the ends of words

### Noble Sarmelonid

Noble Sarmelonid, the "refined" speech used by nobility in the capital city and elite colonies, refuses to use æ and e. The resulting speech became the ancestor of most modern Vozonid languages in Vozolaz.

* A different set of numerals
* No /æ/ and /e/ (the latter only in Gauvajut words, a classical language)
* gl - [g͡ɫ-] at the start of words (most often found in eastern Vozolaz)

### Other dialects

Galactic subjects of the Sarmelonid Empire's space territories tend to use their own letters, regardless of the instructions of the Imperial Academy that required official combinations (like p'w for "f"). The most notable case was the proposed letter "f", derived from the Kuelgon letter "fonska" (dolphin) and named after the Igarin "f" letter's name. The letter's design and name were from two enemies of the Vozonids, also having a threefold meaning:

* victory - through Vozonid aid against the two oppressors.
	+ "F" became a trophy from the two empires' languages.
* unity and peace - under the Vozonids' guidance to rebuild the war-torn Galaxy.
	+ "F" appeared in the languages of many of the subjects who defected and fought for Vozolaz.
* equality - its usage alongside the official alphabet represents the aliens' equality as fellow brothers of the Vozonids, "children of the gryphon".
	+ The Kuelgonised "f" letter appeared in many flags of the aliens serving under Emperor Silojennoz. Some even called him "Lord Filojennoz", meaning "Mighty Protector" in an obscure Kuelgon language.

In spite of it being a letter of the Kuelgon enemy's language, Kuelgon is popularly used by various aliens across the Galaxy due to many years of Kuelgon rule. "F" also appears in many Galactic languages from the new allies and defectors, like Igarin and Resparin. The Imperial Academy refused countless requests to add new letters for foreign sounds, not because of their association with enemies of the empire, but simply because of seeing the native Vozonid spellings as something to be proud of.

## Descendant languages

### East Vozonid

* Arantarese language
* Azgovian language
* Josolchir language

### Others

* Porasonid language
* Shaunetorian language

### Sarmelonid words in other languages

* Siangwaanian Vozonid words
* Sarmelonid Bujanski words

## Modern varieties of Sarmelonid

### Bujanski Sarmelonid

Bujan is one of several nations in the world that use Sarmelonid as an official language. Even though Bujanski and Eosome are used more often, the Sarmelonid language is seen as a prestigious symbol of a new Slavo-Vozonid identity, to break away from the Darroskei and Terrans who tormented the ancestors of the Bujanski Slavs.

The use of Sarmelonid is seen as a sign of high intelligence, even when it is also used in witty, creative curses and profanity. The standard Bujanski dialect of Koscheigrad was influenced by Sarmelonid colloquial pronunciation from Bawornortar, transcribed in classical books and recited works.

However, many Sarmelonid words were later displaced during the Zvestarid Standardisation, so they are nowadays used in classical poetry and art.

### Siangwaanian Sarmelonid

Sarmelonid is understood by many Siangwaanians, but limited to a handful of classical words and terms.

However, the locals of western Siangwaan's highlands are heavily influenced by Vozonid culture, so they either speak a dialect of Josolchir or Sarmelonid. Other Siangwaanians look down on them as drunkards pretending to be aristocrats and royalty for their ornate robes and vocabulary.

### Nevkrenian Sarmelonid

Sarmelonid is a classical language in the Slavic nation of Nevkreno. Many educated people, even down to lowly paupers, can understand the most basic sentences and grammar in Sarmelonid, alongside their native Slavic language of Nevkrenian.

## Alphabetical order

Alphabetical order: 'ai, ža, na, ja, ra, wa, la, ša, sa, ka, k'a, ga, g'ō, qo, ta, t'a, ma, da, za, pa, p'a, ba, khō, þō, tša, dža, ğō, ța, ḑa, lho, rho, źa, i, ō, e, a, y, u, æn, ôn.

Proposed letter "f" is after "ôn". The name for that new letter was "firol" or "wirol" (f > v > w). In some space colonies, "firol" is placed after "qo" or "da".

## Pronouns

nominative - accusative - affiliative - possessive

* I: luoz/luaz - luon/luan - lusol/lusal - lōze/lāze
* I (greater): loiroz/loiraz - loiron/loiran - loisol/loisal - loize/laize
* I (royal): joroz/joraz - joron/joran - joral/jaral - joize/jaize
* I (divine): tjōroi/tjārai - tjōron/tjāran - tjōzol/tjāzal - tjōsæ/tjāsæ

* thou: luokh/luakh - lūkho(n)/lūkha(n) - luozol/luazal - lōkse/lākse
* thou (greater): lūroz/lūraz - lūron/lūran - lūrol/lūral - lūroze/lūraze
* thou (divine): niræwoi/niræwai - niræjon/niræjan - niræwol/niræwal - niræo(sæ)/niræa(sæ)
* he/she: kno/knai - knon/kanja - knonul/kanjul - konze/kanze
* he/she (greater): droz/draz - dron/dran - dronjol/dronjal - droize/draize
* it: tšez - tšēzo - tšezol - tšeze
* it (greater for things): sār - sāron - sārol - sājeze
* it (greater for lands or spirits): šon - šoron - šonol - šoize
* we: lài - làjon - làjol - làize
* we (greater): læ̀ja - læ̀jan - læ̀jol - læ̀ze
* you all: plonjo - plēnjon - plējol - plōize
* plural they: tóipo - tóipon - tóipol - tóipse
* plural they (greater):

Nominative pronouns can also be used to say "is something/someone" or "am something/someone".

A pronoun can be added after its subject to stress its importance.

### Genitive

* -ur, -ul, -ru - for words
	+ -ur if a word ends in l, s, š, ž; -ru if a word ends in a vowel.
* -ez - for names
	+ -ze if a word ends in a vowel.
* -rin - for place names

## Verbal tenses

infinitive - continuous - perfect

* Past: mak- - makhzal-/mağzal- - makhræn-

* Present (common): lues- - luzzal- - luzræn- (Ls)

* Present (important/imperative): las- - lazzal- - lazræn- (L)

* Future - mien- - milzal- - mirræn-

-zra - passive

## Affixes

### Location

* muôn - from
* ny - towards, to
* njàšo - through
* nenza, -nuen - near
* banza, -zua - far
* banzod, -bazod - far away from
* bazan - distant
* njan - away
* araj - on
* (m)jālk - over
* usu- - over-
* baizo(d)- - beyond

* -tja, -sja - in
* -tjano, -sjano - into
* -(o)ta - inside

* od - out
* joiza - here
* žeza - there
* lag'un - left
* rueg'un - right
* alga, ari - up
* lūru - down
* monda - centre
* drō - north
* glys - east
* swo - south
* zmari - west
* -ruèi - around
* luèrei - elsewhere

### Time

* mān - now, may ..., able to
* nār - before
* khār - after
* rōdil - first
* aoğril - last, final
* zāroi - previous
* nāroi - next
* šæi - until
* nǽ ... - when

### Amount

* džen - every
* gáu, (ğ)àu - all
* mōn- - whole
* oklo - each
* -ţo - much, many
* -țo(n/l) - more like, -er
* -țoroi, -țroi - most like, -est
* ... ţo - more
* ... qreu - less
* meqei - many
* bawalţo - so much
* bantil - most
* bawalqil - very most
* palsa(i) - (Gv.) a lot, too much
* saumeqil - some
* wimuqil - small amount
* -oto - only
* tùr- - re-, again
* bawal - great
* bairoz ..., bairaz ... - greater
* wimera, wim(o/e)- - small
* wi-, we-; wi ..., we ... - little, small
* wime ...; weima ... - lesser
* njerìs - few, less
* wimura - lesser, little
* pā- - over-, doing more
* mue- - under-, doing less
* sæn - than, instead of

### Question

* kuet, -zu, kwad - what
* kuezzu - whatever
* kuen, sag'o - who
* le, lu(ìn), lwìn, okād̦, okādž - where
* mǽnda, nǽkhan - when
* kuezzu - whatever
* mæn(da)zu - whenever
* guēza - whoever
* zojēza - however
* lwēnza - wherever
* zojen - how
* qjò, kjò - why

### Describers

* -tar - -ness, state of being
* -tār - place of
* -taron - place of (greater than)
* -ōwo - (collective)
* -laz - land of, country of
* -zon - abode, domain of
* -banka - study of, -logy
* -nois - year of
* -ron - month of
* -son - group of
* -dā̀no, -dāno - greater day of
* -zil - day of
* -(ja)dōl - doer (male)
* -(ja)dōlja - doer (female)
* -jez(oi) - family name (male)
* -inzo, -nizo - son of
* -jezai - family name (female)
* -nja, aja - daughter of

### Miscellaneous

* sieu ... - like, similar to
* sol ... - (done) by
* -zil - this
* -zìl - this (greater)
* -šìla - this (greatest)
* -zal - that
* -zòl - that (greater)
* -šòla - that (greatest)
* -quel/-qil - (adjective)
* X la Y - X the Y
* la X - the (disliked) X
* ... wá - ... says, (quotation)
* máisir - should
* džā - must

## Basics

### Basic words

* ta - and
* wái - or
* džǽ - but
* p'æi - for
* háun, háunsæ - against
* solo/sola - (done) by
* sǽ - yes
* g'ol - no, not
* tag'ol - never
* haihana, hajana - never!
* dirjõwan - absolutely not
* di- - not, un-
* -ok/-ak - diminuitive
* -njàšo - using ...
* -nóiša - with
* wír ... - if

### Actions

* (Ls)-jotàra - to go, to move towards
* kalši-nni - (Gv.) to follow
* (Ls)-otko - to do
* (L)-kanjò - to bring
* (L)-malto - to do, to perform this action
* ğuenar- - likes to do
* wetil- - loves to do
* muḕšôi- - to dislike doing
* (L)-diț, (L)-lī̀lho - to see
* (La)-dirjõ - to forbid, to not allow, to prohibit
* (La)-(h)anje - to have, to get, to receive

### Greetings

* šonera/šonero - peace to you
* ailōron; rōmo - greetings
* tūro - hail to you, glory to you
* aiwàlen - welcome
* šō malsai lūkhon - pleased to meet you
* áira darassæ - thank you
* daræ ... - please, may I, can I ...
* džintrawei - be careful
* mağwotta - it is done
* wanjara - goodbye
* àmutt'o - I am sorry
* Luoz iràig'aunoriddi; Luoz ir̀aig'audri - I am holding burning coals; I am sorry (formal)
* winubagæ; wjubakæ - excuse me
* šarlae!; šarlaje! - glory!, glory to the gods!
* hoqqil bandžazil - happy birthday (common)
* bandžadān tūro - happy birthday (greater)
* hoqqil Purulli; hoqqil Rusāræi - happy new year (common)
* Purilli tūro; Rusāræi tūro - happy new year (greater)
* zollhussæ - long years; long live
* Zollhussæ Onōronōr! - Long Live the Emperor!
* Tūro Wozolaz! - Hail Vozolaz!
* Tūro Sarmelon!; Tūro Sarmelonoz! - Hail Emperor Sarmelon!
* Bawal Sarmelon!; Bawal Sarmelonoz! - Great Sarmelon! (a common exclamation)

### Commands

* adau - threshold; forbidden
* di’àrag’yda - do not cross
* d̦ag'atol - impassable
* jaþawal - dry floor; do not enter (religious)

## Numbers

Casual and Formal (F)

0; 1-10

* auno, áun, ruo, dānnó, pjos, wjós, þyò, myrò, gnū̀zo, žerònto/zrḕi, prìnda
* (F) àuna; wáin, luài, þanja, pjosà, tyṑri, þyā̀ro, mairò, knàjo, žurùta/zrā̀i, parìna

11-20

* khátis, leg'ánto, klepalu, zurebun, šerísei, suonori, læbir, oeiwan, náikzua, náiklos
* (F) akhótis, lig'únta, klippal, zarbon, šúrsai, sonuon, laiburi, aijowan, nákizua, nákilas

21-30

40-100

* poklas, mjarìnan, jenáiklas, gnū̀rinda, pjonáiklas, žáráiklas/zrḕikilas, zakheg
* (F) pogulas, pjāsoprìntu, inákilas, knā̀prìntu, ponákilas, žurákilas/zrā̀ikilas, zakhigan

1000 - hjemon

10000 - dasæ̀i

million - mjannjo, (F) mjan

billion - wjan, (F) wjanwjo

-ez, -ze - ordinal

-šy - -fold, multiplies by a number

## Samples

Wināra tšez nar'ha nokhwṑzul!

[wɪˈnaːrʌ t͡ʃɛs ˈnarxa ˈnoxwǒːzul]

*Faith it sword war-GEN!*

Faith is the blade of war!

**Tūro Sarmelon, Tūro Wozolaz, țoirodon-țroi ta naia-țroi ğàu þā̀naraso! Mān šon mien-zjôrin šæi irjōso mien-ullùn, mān šon mien-tundā baizod-sū krawjoso-ru!**

[ˈtuːro ˈsarmɛlon ˈtuːro ˈwozolas ˈʈoi̯rodontroi̯ tə ˈnajatroi̯ ɣâu̯ ˈθâːnaraso maːn ʃon mjɛnˈzjɔrin ʃæi̯ ˈirjoːso mjɛˈnulːûn maːn ʃon mjɛnˈtundaː ˈbai̯zodsuː ˈkrawjosoru]

*Victory Sarmelon, Victory Vozolaz, mighty-most and beauty-most all nation-PLU! May it FUT-endure until sun-PLU FUT-darken, may it FUT-stand beyond-death god-PLU-GEN!*

Hail Sarmelon, Hail Vozolaz, mightiest and most beautiful of all nations! May it endure until the suns go dark, may it stand beyond the death of the gods!

**Todžà-ruèi, ațàþoppo mak-klāguz-zra p'æi lues-waidakhan šoron.**

[ˈtod͡ʒârwɛ̂i̯ əˈʈâθopːo maˈkːlaːguzːra pʰæi̯ lwɛsˈwai̯dʌxan ˈʃoron]

*City-around, tower PAST-set up-PASS for PRES-defend it.*

Around the city, towers are being set up to defend it.

**Læ̀ja lues-kanjò širana, Šjaragamma-tja-zìl lokhùron.**

[ˈlæ̂jʌ lwɛsˈkaɲô ˈʃiranʌ ˈɕjarʌgamːʌt͡sjazîl ˈloxûron]

*We PRES-bring hope, Galaxy-in-this doomed.*

We will bring hope in this doomed sea of stars.

**Mekhur-zìl Kara Jauparozul, sār mindas maknurai azai-tjano!**

[mɛˈxurzîl ˈkarʌ ˈjau̯parozul saːr ˈmindʌs mʌkˈnurai̯ aˈzai̯t͡sjano]

*Era-this Age Gryphon-GEN, it time ascension glory-towards!*

This era is the Age of the Gryphon, the time of our ascension to glory!

**Læ̀ja máisir lues-lamjol muôn Noruskoi, mattasues tóipo sruwana lwìnjarai ţo Niebas-sja sæn mjannjo sæk'uruzaso.**

[ˈlæ̂ja ˈmǎi̯sir lwɛsˈlamjol mwɔn ˈnoruskoi̯ maˈtːasuwɛs ˈtǒi̯po ˈsruwanʌ ˈlwîɲarai̯ ʈo ˈɲebʌsːjʌ sæn ˈmjaɲːo sækʰuˈruzaso]

*We should PRES-learn from Norsemen, righteous-deeds they offering pleasing more Heaven-to than million sacrifice-PLU.*

We should learn from the Norsemen, that righteous deeds are a more pleasing offering to the Gods than a million sacrifices.

### Four T's

t [t], t' [tʰ], ț [ʈ], þ [θ]

* ațàþoz - [ʌˈʈâθos] (tower)
* bìnþanaz - [ˈbînθanʌs] (parade, walk of shame)
* d̦oroi þôzoi - [ˈɖoroi̯ ˈθɔzoi̯] (heavy trooper)
* þā̀nara - [ˈθâːnarʌ] (nation)
* þyeroz - [ˈθɥeros] (lightning)
* t'ùkaroz - [ˈtʰûkaros] (a dog)
* t'eukko - [ˈtʰeu̯kːo] (doggie)
* t'obla - [ˈtʰobla] (a screen, a TV)
* Sôtt'ôjùs - [ˈsɔtːʰɔjûs] (Land of Sin, sarcastic or mocking name for Vozolaz)

## Trivia

* The Sarmelonid language was influenced by Sanskrit, Thai, some Turkish, and Russian.
* The Sarmelonid alphabet was based on the Glagolitic and Thai scripts, which the author considered to be very beautiful.
* In December 2022, the author considered adding an "f" letter for galactic dialects of Sarmelonid, due to its appearance in commonly-used languages like Resparin and Kuelgon. It was also influenced by the "F" character in the web animation "Alphabet Lore".

### Pronunciation

ʔ - /Ø, ʔ/ - ' - ak'ùţaz ("separation") or 'ai, Separates vowels from becoming diphthongs.

ž - /ʒ/ - ža, /ʑ/ - before j

n - /n/ - na, /ŋ/ - before k, k', g, g', q, and ğ

/ɲ/ - before j, /ɳ/ - before or after ț and ḑ

j - /j/ - ja, /ʲ~j/ - may palatalise the consonant before it, /-iː/ - after a vowel, such as the word araj ("on")

r - /r/ - ra

w - /w/ - wa, /ʋ/ usually before u, y, or any consonant except j

l - /l/ - la

š - /ʃ~ɕ/ - ša, /ɕ/ - before j or when doubled

s - /s/ - sa, /-s(ː)/ at the end of a word

k - /k/ - ka

k' - /kʰ/ - k'a

g - /g/ - ga

g' - /gʱ/ - g'ō

q - /q/ - qo

t - /t/ - ta

t' - /tʰ/ - t'a

m - /m/ - ma

d - /d/ - da

z - /z/ - za, /s/ at the end of a word in the -(o)z/-az nominative ending.

p - /p/ - pa

p' - /pʰ/ - p'a

b - /b/ - ba

h - /h/ - ha

/ç/ before j

/x/ in Gauvajut loanwords, before consonants, or when doubled (hh)

kh - /x/ - khō

þ - /θ/ - þō

tš - /t͡ʃ/ - tša, /t͡ɕ/ before j

dž - /d͡ʒ/ - dža, /d͡ʑ/ before j

ğ - /ɣ/ - ğō, /ː/ lengthens preceding vowel before a consonant, /j/ after j or i

ț - /ʈ/ - ța, /ʈɯ/ at end of a word or in "uneven" consonant clusters (e.g. "țb", "țg", "țn", which do not exist in native Vozonid: nț is an "even" consonant cluster).

ḑ - /ɖ/ - ḑa, /ɖɯ/ at the end of a word or in "uneven" consonant clusters (e.g. "ḑb", "ḑg", "ḑn", which do not exist in native Vozonid: nḑ is an "even" consonant cluster).

lh - /ɭ/ - lho

rh - /r̝~ɽ/ - rho, /r̥-/ at the start of a word

ź - /d͡z/ - źa. Used for Gauvajut loanwords., /t͡s/ medially in some words or always at the end of a word.

i - /i/ - i, /ɪ/ unstressed, /-ɪ̯/ if it ends a diphthong (e.g. ai), /j-/ if it starts a diphthong (e.g. io > jo; usually in native Vozonid words, i in that function becomes j)

o - /o/ - ō

e - /e/ - e, /ɛ/ unstressed, /-æ/ as the last letter of a word; in fact, word-final e becomes æ in most cases, except in some words and in foreign words and names, especially in Gauvajut.

a - /a/ - a, /ʌ/ or /ə/ unstressed

y - /y/ - y (mistakenly shown as a second e in the chart), /yɥ/ as a semivowel (e.g. yo - like w/u and j)

u - /u/ - u, /-ʊ̯/ if it ends a diphthong (e.g. au), /w-/ if it starts a diphthong

æ - /æ/ - æn, sometimes /ʌ/ when unstressed, especially at the end of a word for some speakers especially to differentiate it from word-final e

ô - /ɔ~o/ - ôn

## See also

* Sarmelonid glossary
* Sarmelonid slang
* Gauvajut language
* Gauvajut glossary