Language
Before the gods introduced English to Kairodor, its people spoke another, more ancient language called Kayzamira.
Kayzamira was a version of the World’s Language (see magic systems, ambiance) that could be spoken and written by humans. As such, it is heavily based on shapes and numbers, just like rituals are. Since its script is featured in most matrices, many ritual masters would recognize some words, but very few still speak it fluently.
Like Japanese, Kayzamira is a syllabic language, meaning consonants and vowels are connected into syllables. For example, one of the five vowels will always be paired with one of seventeen consonants (consonant before vowel, like lah, zoh, or tee). Therefore, in most syllabic languages, it would be unusual to see two different consonants or vowels in a row.
However, Kayzamira has one characteristic unique amongst syllabic languages. Vowels can be either dominant or submissive. A dominant vowel, distinguished with a +, can begin a word without a consonant (ex. Ooro, sand). Submissive vowels, distinguished with a -, can end a word inverted (ex. Boahn, a tiled ceiling) or be allowed to add an additional consonant to its end (Limath, a place unsuitable for farming).
Written Kayzamira
Kayzamira text is angular, without the signature curves that many languages use. Each vowel is associated with a shape, and sometimes whole shapes are included within a word. Dominant vowels can begin a word without a consonant, and submissive vowels can end a word without a consonant. These unaccompanied vowels are the only enclosed symbols, and all consonant/vowel pairs have openings within them.
Syllables within a word are connected to each other by a line that stretches from the rightmost point of the previous syllable to the leftmost point of the next. This is because, when performing a ritual, ambiance cannot flow between two disconnected parts of a matrix (see magic systems, ambiance). Letters are separated by a short vertical dash, and words are separated by two vertical dashes. Spaces are only used to signify the end of a sentence.
OH is a submissive vowel, which is how the word Tohr can begin and end in a consonant. Although there is only one vowel, the word is still written with two symbols: Toh and Ohr.
The next word in the sentence is roh, which is the normal form of the inverted ohr. Normal and inverted syllables are represented by the same symbols, and native speakers use context to determine the structure when reading.
When two written symbols appear consecutively within the same sentence, they become contracted. In English, we would represent this with an apostrophe (they’re). However, there is no punctuation in Kayzamira. When two syllables are contracted, the second consonant is omitted, which changes the written character.
Notes from the author: Initially, I didn’t plan on creating a language for this series. Characters speak English (not basic, or a generalized, common tongue) for a reason. However, I saw an opportunity to enrich the world in a truly meaningful way, so I took it.