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.

Noun Determinatives

BLOOD is an uncommon determinative for 1aq. nouns.

FIRE is a determinative for 2sol. nouns.

Verb Conjugation

GO indicates the aorist tense.

GO-NECK indicates the third person aorist agreement.