Honorifics and Avoidance Language: view article

Word	Literal Meaning	Spiritual Value
Atšuo	body	fortitude, resilience
Goro	hair	strength
Tšyim	heart	lovingkindness
Kwey	womb	transformation
Bwolo	leg, foot, toe	righteousness, dignity
Syeerit	hand, finger, arm	justice
Zwole	eye	truth
Atsxoru	nose	insight
Aleyma	ear	faith
Gweyna	belly	creation
Ootsea	face, personality, selfhood	divinity
Uakwuo	blood, soul	family

Nolwynn uses honorifics to convey respect. These infixes are based on the words for body parts:

Value	Infix or honorific	Meaning
Atšuo	-atša- -ada-	Used to honor a surviving family member after a death
Goro	-koro-	Honors warriors, usually used for men
Tšyim	-atše- atši	Used for very close friendships. Atši means something like “dear,” or “honey”
Kwey	-kwua- lozúkwuana	Honors a mother who just gave birth
Bwolo	-bula- bula, bua	Honors a child who just went through the puberty rites
Syeerit	-yeet- eesa	Honors any member of a Nolwynn tribe
Zwole	-wole-	Honors the shaman and others of high status
Atsxoru	-zoro-	Honors someone whose insight is valuable, someone who gives good advice. Used as a general catch-all honorific
Aleyma	-eyme- eyme	Honors someone newly married. When used between spouses it means “darling.”Eyme is also a noun meaning “faith” or “faithful one.”
Gweyna	iigweyna	Honors a man who just became a father
Ootsea	-tseo- tseo	Used exclusively with supernatural beings
Uakwo	-uwo-	Used with close family.

[edit] [top]Avoidance Language

This is an extremely important concept in Nolwynn language and culture. It intersects with many other points of grammar. It also forms a foundational aspect of their religion.

Because they live their entire lives on the ocean, the Nolwynn people have a lot of superstitions about land. It is considered a cursed place where the essence of their deity does not dwell. But sometimes it is necessary to venture onto land. In an effort to protect those who leave the ocean, many taboos have arisen, spawning the Avoidance Language. This is a register where certain words and sounds are avoided because they are believed to be either disrespectful or potentially dangerous. It is often used in conjunction with the mourning mood. Avoidance Language is a type of magical language; the idea is that by obeying the laws of avoidance the clan can help protect those in danger. In some cases, using the Avoidance Language against someone is used as a curse or insult, to bring bad luck. But be careful when using it in this way: repeated misuse is a banishable offense!

There are five main occasions where the Avoidance Language is used:

When someone is away on land	Pronouns referring to them are avoided. Words that start with the same syllable as their name are avoided.
During the full moon	To avoid the wrath of the supernatural monsters called the Shadowless Ones, pronouns referring to any supernatural entity or the moon are expressly avoided.
When hunting dangerous creatures	Words that start with the same syllable as the prey’s name are avoided. Pronouns referring to the hunters are avoided.
During the birth process	Pronouns referring to the mother are avoided. Words that start with the same syllable as her name are avoided.
Up to a month after someone dies	The person’s name and their mother’s name are forbidden, as are pronouns referring to the deceased. Words referring to birth are avoided; being born during the month-long mourning process is said to be a bad omen. During this month-long process, a “death name” is used instead.

In addition to the taboos listed above, the avoidance register also commonly avoids words that pertain to bad luck, storms, misplacing an item, death, or getting lost.

Aspects of the Avoidance Language are used in other situations too: when creating a sentence with negatives or direct objects, for example.

If taboo phrases must be uttered, circumlocutions and idioms are used instead. Pronouns are an open class in Nolwynn, so new words can be coined if need be, and honorifics can fulfill the role of pronouns too. To learn more about pronoun-related taboos, see this article.

[edit] [top]Mourning Mood

The mourning mood is reserved for instances where the Avoidance Language is used. You can use the Avoidance Language without the mourning mood, but never the other way around: the mourning mood is always used in conjunction with the Avoidance Language. It is said to reflect the fear and anxiety Nolwynn have for their friends who are away on land. To create the mourning mood, use the suffix tum[e]- with the Avoidance Language.

Here is an example:

Melina akumwola. Mera ookwey tumešaneeywe.
Melina hunt.3S<ERG> | girl for <mourning mood>worry.1S<ERG>

“[Kxalina] is hunting. I’m worried for [her].”

Here, Melina is used instead of her name [as per the Avoidance Language]; it is a combination of mera ["girl"] and the common feminine name Kxalina. Instead of using a pronoun, mera is used instead.

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[link] [quote] [move] [edit] [del] 09-Apr-23 12:14 [Deactivated User]

cool stuff!