Heláin [HLN]
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Registered by
[Deactivated User] on 26 September 2016
Language type
A priori
Species
Human/humanoid
About Heláin
Heláin is the language spoken in the Telian Commonwealth (Let-Curéid Telian), a confederation of coastal states called fyrdlands (freanda). The Telian are known throughout the world for their maritime trade, their medicine, and their religion: the worship of one, most high god according to the teachings of the high priest, prophet, and lawgiver Tersas. Writings attributed to Tersas and his descendants form the core of Liturgical Heláin, the literary dialect with which this grammar is chiefly concerned.
Key features:
* ergative verbs
* verb-patient and noun-determiner word order
* sandhi (less euphonious clusters change to more euphonious ones)
* two tenses (past/non-past) and nine aspects/moods (no person/number on verbs)
* two genders (m/f), in the sg. only; also pl. and rare dual and collective
* five noun (substantive) cases, up to ten demonstrative cases
* no adpositions (their functions are handled by cases, demonstratives, and nouns)
NOTE: Grammar tables are a bit scrambled, esp. those for cluster-stem verbs; imperf. formation has been updated in the reference grammar but not in the tables.
Key features:
* ergative verbs
* verb-patient and noun-determiner word order
* sandhi (less euphonious clusters change to more euphonious ones)
* two tenses (past/non-past) and nine aspects/moods (no person/number on verbs)
* two genders (m/f), in the sg. only; also pl. and rare dual and collective
* five noun (substantive) cases, up to ten demonstrative cases
* no adpositions (their functions are handled by cases, demonstratives, and nouns)
NOTE: Grammar tables are a bit scrambled, esp. those for cluster-stem verbs; imperf. formation has been updated in the reference grammar but not in the tables.
Sample of Heláin[view] u tul, memindaŋgen coráv dhe, setetissa gupe, u teán finthan unamfiora teigellad susolivoras teteindaŋac avai melienas umfinithas eól evetra.
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more than great, glassy orbs sprinkled with light from the stars they could not see.[view all texts]
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more than great, glassy orbs sprinkled with light from the stars they could not see.[view all texts]
Sound samples in Heláin
Some sound samples of Heláin. Maximum of 6 shown. Click the links to see the full texts.
u tul, memindaŋgen coráv dhe, setetissa gupe, u teán finthan unamfiora teigellad susolivoras teteind...
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more than great...
And then with a little shudder the elf became quite still, and his eyes were nothing more than great...
1. harren alle avos rosis istwinnen e’citir ista, istwín mu secusenned eól, mur avaienas istenitha.
...
1. More than the morning light which riseth anew, rise thou in our hearts, O worshipful god of all ...
1. More than the morning light which riseth anew, rise thou in our hearts, O worshipful god of all ...
Language family relationships
[view] About IsolatesThis is a family for isolate languages.
Phonology
| Consonants | Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Labio- velar | Velar | Glottal | |||||||
| Nasal | m | n̪ | ŋ | |||||||||||
| Plosive | p | b | t̪ | d̪ | k | g | ||||||||
| Fricative | ɸ | β | θ | ð | s | h | ||||||||
| Lateral approximant | l | |||||||||||||
| Approximant | [j]1 | ʍ | ||||||||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||||||||
| Flap | ɾ | |||||||||||||
| Blends | jɛ |
- before vowels, allophone of /jɛ/
| Vowels | Front | Near- front | Central | Back | ||||
| Close | [i]1 | u | ||||||
| Near-close | ɪ | |||||||
| Close-mid | [e]2 e:3 | |||||||
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | ||||||
| Open | ä | |||||||
| Polyphthongs | ɒj | ɞj |
- before vowels and r, allophone of /ɪ/
- before vowels and r, allophone of /ɛ/
- double e/i
Orthography
Below is the orthography for Heláin. This includes all graphemes as defined in the language's phonology settings - excluding the non-distinct graphemes/polygraphs.
 HeláinOrthography [edit] | |||||||||||
| ah a a /ä/ | oh o o /ɔ/ | uh u u /u/ | E e eon /ɛ/, [e]1 | I i ion /ɪ/, [i]2 | yh ye ye /jɛ/ | h h levea /h/ | w hw hwa /ʍ/ | l l el /l/ | r r or /ɾ/ | n n en /n̪/ | t t te /t̪/ |
| d d de /d̪/ | j th eth /θ/ | q dh edha /ð/ | k ŋ eŋ /ŋ/ | c c ce /k/ | g g ge /g/ | m m em /m/ | p p pe /p/ | b b be /b/ | f f ef /ɸ/ | v v eva /β/ | s s es /s/ |
| ✔ Shown in correct order [change] | |||||||||||
- before vowels and r
- before vowels and r
Additional NotesAlphabetical order keeps resetting, alas.
Latest 8 related articles listed below.
Liturgical Heláin: Orthography, Phonology, Morphology
The alphabet, rules of sandhi, forms, and more.
08-Oct-21 21:58Inaiyora
The Sacred Laws of Tersas
08-Oct-21 12:59Liturgical Heláin: Syntax I
Aspect and tense; case, number, and gender; phrases, clauses...
15-Sep-21 21:25Liturgical Heláin: Syntax II 02-Sep-21 20:37
Cultural Terminology
Kinship, weights and measures, the calendar, and more.
02-Sep-21 20:34The Letter of Amainta
A controversial sacred text.
20-Jan-20 23:25Bits and Pieces
Links to Heláin-related forum activity
19-Jan-20 14:02LotM - Jan 18: Heláin
Let's start off the 2018 right with Hélain!
28-Feb-18 02:49
