User:Aegon/High Valyrian Tutorial/W1-1

The High Valyrian Writing System

Introduction

The Valyrian writing system is a mixed script that features an alphabetic component, an iconic component, and a paradigmatic component. All three elements are used simultaneously.

Alphabetic glyphs are used purely for their phonetic value. Most of the time they indicate a single consonant and sometimes they are used for long vowels or sequences of sounds.

Iconic glyphs can stand for whole words, can be augmented to form different words, or inflections of the same word.

Paradigmatic glyphs are glyphs that generally have other functions and are used in specific verbal and nominal paradigms to indicate inflections.

Punctuation

Double dots indicate full stops and separate sentences, regardless of if they are statements, questions, or exclamations.

Single dots separate words. No spaces appear in the High Valyrian sentence. All full words are separated with single dots to clearly state when one word ends and the other begins.

Paradigmatic Glyphs

Grammatical Number

PILE indicates the collective number.

HAND indicates the paucal number.

Noun Determinatives

WATER is the most common determinative for 1aq. nouns. BLOOD is an uncommon determinative for 1aq. nouns.

FIRE is a determinative for 2sol. nouns. DRAKARYS is an occasional determinative for 2sol. nouns, to imply martial danger or a connection to dragons.

HAMMER is a determinative of 2lun. nouns. FIGHT is a determinative for 2lun. nouns, often denoting violence.

GATE is a determinative for 3lun. nouns, particularly agentive nouns derived from verbs.

ICE is a determinative for 3ter. nouns. IRON is a determinative for substances and names of the 3ter. declination. ROPE is used as an occasional determinative for 3ter. nouns with a meaning related to binding. STONE is used as a determinative for 3ter. nouns to denote sturdiness.

SUN is a determinative for 3sol. nouns.

SHIP is a determinative for 3aq. nouns.

DRAGON is a determinative for dangerous or venerable nouns and dragon names for 4sol. nouns. BIRD is a common determinative for 4sol. nouns and rarely as a determinative for other avian nouns.

CAT is a determinative for 5lun. nouns.

WOMAN is a determinative for female animate nouns of any class.

Cases

The accusative case appears to be J. The plural is J-MUCH.

The genitive case appears to be HEFT.

The dative case appears to be HEFT-T.

The instrumental case appears to be HEFT-S. The plural is HEFT-S-MUCH.

Derivations

LEG is used for the -kio agentive derivational affix. Also, for the ikagon causatives.

SWELL appears to be used for the intensification prefix oz-.

STORM is used for the augmentative -āzma.

HOOK is used for inchoative verbs (eg. obūljagon).

CYCLIC is used for repetitive verbs (eg. ā-).

Adjective Determinatives

TRUE is a common determinative for class II adjectives and especially superlatives. CYCLIC is the most common determinative for class II adjectives.

Verb Conjugation

Present

First person singular is N.

First person plural is MUCH.

Third person plural is Z-MANY.

GO indicates the aorist tense.

GO-NECK indicates the third person aorist agreement.

Future

First person plural is LIE-MUCH.

=Perfect

Third person plural is SEVEN-Z-MUCH.

Third person singular passive is SEVEN-EAT.

Valyrian has a derivation where the perfective form of the verb can be turned into a new stem (so urnegon “to see”; ūndan “I saw”; ūndegon “to catch sight of”). When these repurposed perfectives are spelled, a silent H is used to separate the verb stem from the rest of the inflection.

J is also used in verbal conjugation for the past tense [e] series.

Z is used for third person inflection.

V is used for marking locative applicatives, and is also used for the subjunctive.