Appendix:Zaduusel script
Zaduusel is the script used to write Kinuk'aaz, the language of the Omec from Syfy's Defiance. The word itself in Kinuk'aaz translates to "writing". In contrast to other Votan writing systems, it is fully alphabetic, with some distinct features.
Background
External history
David J. Peterson, the creator of the Kinuk'aaz language and the Zaduusel script, designed three writing systems for three other Votan languages (Irathient, Castithan, and Indojisnen). These were employed extensively by the art department of Defiance. Peterson was informed early on by production of the third season that they did not have need for a writing system for Kinuk'aaz. He was well into developing the language, and had already begun translating the script, when Suki Parker of the show's art department contacted him via email and asked if he was creating a writing system for the Omec. Peterson replied saying that he had previously been informed that such a system would not be necessary, but if the art department were of a different opinion, they were welcome to try to get approval from show management. Peterson had largely forgotten about this correspondence when some months later he received another email from Parker confirming that the creation of the Omec writing system had been approved. Even though the writing system was created and introduced at a relatively advanced stage of production, it was featured already in the first episode of the season.
Initial design considerations
In the initial stages of designing the Omec writing system, Peterson reached out to Parker for interior shots of the Omec ship to serve as a source of inspiration. He then experimented with various shapes, as seen in the sketch below. In his view, it is suited for writing with an edged pen, which is also seen in the sketch:
Type of script
The Zaduusel script is an alphabet. The choice to make it so was driven by two primary considerations.
Firstly, Peterson sought to underscore the distinctiveness of the Omec culture in contrast to other Votan groups. While other Votan languages had palatals, the Omec language would lack them entirely. The other Votans count using a base-20 numerical system, whereas the Omec would use base-10. Syllabic writing systems were the rule in other Votan languages, but the Omec were to use an alphabet. These distinctions reinforced the idea of the Omec's detachment from the broader Votan community.
Secondly, Peterson was mindful of the time constraints. Alphabets have a smaller set of characters, reducing the workload for font creation and coding. Additionally, he aimed to expedite the project as a token of gratitude to Suki Parker and the art department who had made the writing system's creation possible. In this context, an alphabet presented the most practical solution. However, the script would still include some additional complexities.
Direction of writing
The Zaduusel alphabet primarily follows a left-to-right writing orientation, largely due to the constraints imposed by certain computer programs. However, Peterson ensured that Zaduusel could effectively be written from top-to-bottom as well, a feature unique among the Votan writing systems. This flexibility was introduced to the orthography at the request of the art department.
Characters
The table below follows Zaduusel's alphabetical order. Importantly, each consonant exhibits four distinct forms: plain, imperfect, perfect and geminate. These forms are typically represented distinctly in writing, even though they may not always result in different pronunciation.
| Orthography | IPA | Romanization | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain | Imperfect | Perfect | Geminate | Proto-Kinuk'aaz | Modern Kinuk'aaz | ||
| h | nh | =h | hh | /h/ | h | ||
| ' | n' | =' | '' | /ʔ/ | ' | ||
| o | /o/ | o | |||||
| oo | */oː/ | /uː/ | uu | ||||
| a | /a/ | a | |||||
| aa | /aː/ | aa | |||||
| ae | */ae/ | /ai/ | ai | ||||
| r | nr | =r | rr | /ʀ/ | r | ||
| b' | mb' | =b' | bb' | */ɓ/ | /b/ | b | |
| p | mp | =p | pp | /p/ | p | ||
| b | mb | =b | bb | /b/ | b | ||
| e | /e/ | e | |||||
| ee | */eː/ | /iː/ | ii | ||||
| m | (µ) | =m | mm | /m/ | m | The imperfect form is reserved for formal writing, the geminate form is usually used instead. | |
| n | (ñ) | =n | nn | /n/ | n | The imperfect form is reserved for formal writing, the geminate form is usually used instead. | |
| i | /i/ | i | |||||
| ii | /iː/ | ii | |||||
| q' | nq' | =q' | qq' | /q’/ | q' | ||
| k' | nk' | =k' | kk' | /k’/ | k' | ||
| k | nk | =k | kk | /k/ | k | ||
| g | ng | =g | gg | /g/ | g | ||
| u | /u/ | u | |||||
| uu | */uː/ | /yː/ | üü | ||||
| v | nv | =v | vv | /v/ | v | ||
| s | ns | =s | ss | /s/ | s | ||
| d' | nd' | =d' | dd' | */ɗ/ | /d/ | d | |
| t' | nt' | =t' | tt' | /t’/ | t' | ||
| t | nt | =t | tt | /t/ | t | ||
| d | nd | =d | dd | /d/ | d | ||
| ts' | nts' | =ts' | tts' | /ts’/ | ts' | ||
| ts | nts | =ts | tts | /ts/ | ts | ||
| dz | ndz | =dz | ddz | /dz/ | dz | ||
| z | nz | =z | zz | /z/ | z | ||
| l | nl | =l | ll | /l/ | l | ||
| ö | /ø/ | ö | |||||
| ü | /y/ | ü | |||||
Numerals
The number system, which uses base-10, is described in the following table:
| # | Initial | Plain |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 00 |
| 1 | 1 | 01 |
| 2 | 2 | 02 |
| 3 | 3 | 03 |
| 4 | 4 | 04 |
| 5 | 5 | 05 |
| 6 | 6 | 06 |
| 7 | 7 | 07 |
| 8 | 8 | 08 |
| 9 | 9 | 09 |
The plain forms are all shown here with a leading zero. Numbers are written in three number segments with a comma separating each segment. The first number in a segment is receives a type of diacritical mark in the form of a curl on the left, and the following two numbers are written in their plain form.
Punctuation
In the table below the punctuation marks of Zaduusel can be seen:
| English | Orthography |
|---|---|
| Beginning of paragraph | .. |
| Colon | . |
| Comma | , |
| Hyphen | - |
| Parentheses | (...) |
| Stroke | — |
| Quotation marks | "..." |
| Brackets | [...] |
| Colon/Semicolon | : |
Note: Peterson has stated that he has forgotten his intended purpose for the stroke.