Language of Iunism (subject to updating)

 

Base Characters and Roots

Iuni, the language of Iunism, has a set of 17 individual characters, and is still in the process of having a fully translated dictionary. Iuni is traditionally spoken towards the back of the mouth/in the throat, and has slight flourishes to distinguish characters as it does not involve much mobility of the lips as with the English language. There are a few special characters in the alphabet:

• Written as a horizontal line "-" (pronounced as /g/), is exclusively used to represent a kind of possessive quality, while the others seem to follow similar building-block, letter-like type usage as most Western languages. 
• Written as a check-mark with a flat line connecting the tip of the small line to intersect with the large line (pronounced as pair), means "change" when by itself. It is the root of words that relate to Doesh Pire.
• Written as a small diamond with the bottom-right line (connecting the right corner to the bottom corner) extending downward (pronounced as hee), means creation, and is the root of words that relate to Doesh Kihia
• Written as a verticle line with a disconnected half-diamond to the right of it, and a small tail that touches the first line (pronounced as dough-ay) is the only character with two syllables, often used in titles, or when addressing a kind of hierarchal position. Proper pronunciations include both syllables, but some Iuni speakers will shorten to either just "dough" or "de", though shortening this character to just the "d" sound is seen as a slight against the Doesh, and greatly frowned upon.

Many of the words are derived from the five Doesh--- Auro, Kihia, Pire, Iduor, and Kaefel--- as these are the origins of Creation, thus have seeded the various things that follow them.

Pronouns and Titles

Iunists do not practice a set gender system, as they view identity as a complex structure of its own, instead of correlating directly to genitalia or other dichotomous characteristics. In Iuni, speakers use pronouns indicating 'me' "hma/hmu/hmag", a singular 'you' "hmet/hmek/hmeg", a plural 'you' "hmehn/hmehna/hmehng", and a third person 'they' "hmor/hmul/hmug" and "hmorle/hmuor/hmueg" for singular and plural groups respectively. There is also the "hmori/hmorig" pronoun for instances of 'we', though is not very commonly used. Pronouns are almost always supplemented for a person's name, as names are believed to be divine pieces of identity and not to be used in common conversations. In addition to this, individuals will often select a word or two describing their physical appearance for necessary identification. In some (and very few) cases, a person will use a given title as well. When speaking to a being with a given title, it is customary to refer to them as they introduce themselves; if they use their title, one would speak to them using the title. If they use their name, then one would speak to them using the name. Otherwise, referring to a being with the pronoun "you" is permissable.

Titles in Iunism are incredibly sacred gifts, as often those who hold them are seen as powerful in multiple aspects of being (from intellect, spirituality/creativity, emotionality, physicality, and destructiveness) without having their selves misbalanced. Mortal beings rarely ascend past the first given title (Doet), if achieved, and are almost never able to pass the second (Doei) in the primary line of succession. There are extended branches of titles, though these often describe supportive roles as opposed to leaders or rulers.

Known Words and Definitions