It was the first constructed language ever published as part of a role-playing game[citation needed] and draws its inspiration from Urdu, Pashto, Mayan and Nahuatl. The last influence can be seen in the inclusion of the sounds hl[ɬ] and tl[tɬ]. One exact borrowing from a real-world source is the Tsolyáni noun root sákbe, referring to the fortified highways of the Five Empires; it is the same word as the Yucatec Mayasacbe, referring to the raised paved roads constructed by the pre-ColumbianMaya. Another close borrowing is from the Nahuatl word tlatoani, referring to a leader of an Aztec state (e.g. Montezuma); it is similar to the clan-name of the Tsolyáni emperors, Tlakotáni.
Alphabet
Tsolyáni is written in an offshoot of the Engsvanyáli script which was developed by Barker in parallel with the language, being very close to its modern-day form by 1950.[1][3] It is read from right-to-left and is constructed like the Arabic script. The consonants each have 4 different forms: isolate, initial, medial, and final; the 6 vowels and 3 diphthongs each only have an independent initial form, while diacritical marks are used for medial and final vowels.[4]
Each letter in the Tsolyáni Engsvanyáli script now has a name—each consonant is surrounded by a coordinating vowel: labials in u-u, dentals in a-a, apicals in i-i, laminals in e-e, velars in o-o-, and the remaining (uvulars, glottals, ... etc.) in ü-ü:
In IPA
Letter Name
Final
Medial
Initial
Isolate
IPA
Translit
In IPA
Letter Name
Final
Medial
Initial
Isolate
IPA
Translit
/o·ko/
oko
/k/
k
/u·pu/
upu
/p/
p
/o·ɡo/
ogo
/ɡ/
g
/u·bu/
ubu
/b/
b
/o·xo/
okho
/x/
kh
/u·mu/
umu
/m/
m
/o·ɣo/
ogho
/ɣ/
gh
/u·fu/
ufu
/f/
f
/y·qy/
üqü
/q/
q
/u·vu/
uvu
/v/
v
/y·hy/
ühü
/h/
h
/u·wu/
uwu
/w/
w
/o·ŋo/
ongo
/ŋ/
ng
/a·t̪a/
ata
/t̪/
t
/y·ʔy·hy/
üꞌühü
/ʔ/
ꞌ
/a·d̪a/
ada
/d̪/
d
/i·tsi/
itsi
/ts/
ts
/a·n̪a/
ana
/n̪/
n
/i·ɬi/
itli
/ɬ/
tl
/a·θa/
atha
/θ/
th
/i·si/
isi
/s/
s
/a·ða/
adha
/ð/
dh
/i·ʃi/
ishi
/ʃ/
sh
/e·tʃe/
eche
/tʃ/
ch
/i·zi/
izi
/z/
z
/e·dʒe/
eje
/dʒ/
j
/i·ʒi/
izhi
/ʒ/
zh
/eʰ·je/
ehye
/j/
y
/e·ʂe/
esse
/ʂ/
ss
/a·l̪a/
ala
/l̪/
l
/a·r̪a/
ara
/r̪/
r
/i·ƚi/
ihli
/ƚ/
hl
/y·ɭy/
üllü
/ɭ/
ll
The vowels have their names echoing in n-n, while ü (/y/ or /ɯ/) and the diphthongs echo in m-ꞌ. These have only an isolate/initial independent letter, and are denoted by marks when falling medially or finally within a word or name:
In IPA
Vowel Name
Vowel Sign
Vowel Letter
IPA
Translit
In IPA
Vowel Name
Vowel Sign
Vowel Letter
IPA
Translit
/nu·nu/
nunu
/u/
u
/ni·ni/
nini
/i/
i
/my·my/
mümü
/y/~/ɯ/
ü
/na·naʰ/
nanah
/a/
a
/ne·neʰ/
neneh
/e/
e
/no·noʰ/
nonoh
/o/
o
/moɪ·ʔoɪ/
moiꞌoi
/oɪ/
oi
/maʊ·ʔaʊ/
mauꞌau
/aʊ/
au
/maɪ·ʔaɪ/
maiꞌai
/aɪ/
ai
Here are the numeral symbols the Tsolyáni use:
In IPA
Name
Numeral
Numerical Value
In IPA
Name
Numeral
Numerical Value
In IPA
Name
Numeral
Numerical Value
/ˈɬe/
tlé
10
/ˈɬo/
tló
5
0
/m̹ˈriˌkta/
mríkta
100
/ˈɡa·ˌbi/
gábi
6
/ˈpru/
prú
1
/ˌtaʊ·ˈknel/
tauknél
1,000
/h̹ˈru/
hrú
7
/ˈɡa/
gá
2
/ˈɬe·ˌtaʊ·ˈknel/
tlétauknél
10,000
/ˈɡa·ˌmi/
gámi
8
/ˈbi/
bí
3
/m̹ˈri·ˌkta·ˌtaʊ·ˈknel/
mríktatauknél
100,000
/ˌpru·ˈɬe/
prutlé
9
/m̹ˈri/
mrí
4
/jyr·dyn/
yürdün
1,000,000
The punctuation signs used in Tsolyáni include:
!
?
.
,
" ' ' "
-
; :
Phonology
Tsolyáni has an unusual sound system, with elements blended from Arabic, Urdu, Pashto, and Mayan.
Diphthongs used by Tsolyáni: ai/aɪ/, oi/oɪ/, au/aʊ/; those in use in related conlangs include: ea /eɑ/, ia /ɪɑ/, eo /eɔ/.
Related conlangs
Tsolyáni was the only Tékumeláni language that had a full grammar book, dictionary, pronunciation tapes (now on CD) and a primer, all publicly released. Yet it was not the only language Barker developed for his imaginary world. He also wrote grammar guides and partial vocabularies for several other languages he developed for it: Yán Koryáni, Livyáni, Engsvanyáli and Sunúz. In the world of Tékumel, the first two are the languages of the modern nations of Yán Kór and Livyánu, respectively. Engsvanyáli is a dead language, an ancestor of Tsolyáni and many other modern Tékumeláni languages; knowledge of it is considered prestigious, and it is used in literary, liturgical, sorcerous, and scholarly contexts. Sunúz is an obscure language, used for sorcerous purposes; it contains terms to describe movement in a supposed six-dimensional multi-planar space, something of use to the fictional beings who visit the other planar realms where demons live.
Barker also wrote articles on the scripts for other languages of Tékumel.
The Yán Koryáni Block Script
CONSONANTS
/p/
/b/
/t̪/
/d̪/
/k/
/ɡ/
/ʔ/
/f/
/v/
/s/
/z/
/θ/
/ð/
/ʷ/
p
b
t
d
k
g
ꞌ
f
v
s
z
th
dh
-w
pu
bu
ta
da
ko
go
'ishta
fu
vu
si
zi
tha
dha
labializer
/ʃ/
/ʒ/
/ʂ/
/x/
/ɣ/
/q/
/h/
/m/
/n/
/ɲ/
/ɳ/
/ŋ/
/w/
/ʲ/
sh
zh
ss
kh
gh
q
h
m
n
ñy
nn
ng
w
-y
shi
zhi
ehsse
kho
gho
qü
hü
mu
na
nye
nnü
ngo
wu
palatalizer
/j/
/r̪/
/l̪/
/ɬ/
/ɭ/
/c/~/tʃ/
/ɟ/~/dʒ/
/ts/
/dz/
/tɬ/
/dɮ/
/ˀ/
y
r
l
hl
ll
ch
j
ts
dz
tl
dl
-ꞌ
ye
ra
la
hli
llü
che
je
tsi
dzi
tli
dli
glottalizer
The labialization sign may be used with most of the consonants (outside of: ꞌ, ss, ñy, w, and y).
/pʷ/
/bʷ/
/t̪ʷ/
/d̪ʷ/
/kʷ/
/ɡʷ/
/qʷ/
/hʷ/
pw
bw
tw
dw
kw
gw
qw
hw
The palatalization sign may also be used with most consonants (outside of: ꞌ, ss, ñy, w, and y).
/pʲ/
/bʲ/
/t̪ʲ/
/d̪ʲ/
/kʲ/
/ɡʲ/
/l̪ʲ/
/r̪ʲ/
py
by
ty
dy
ky
gy
ly
ry
The glottalization sign is usually employed on the tenue and affricate letters; it is occasionally seen elsewhere.
/pˀ/
/bˀ/
/t̪ˀ/
/d̪ˀ/
/kˀ/
/ɡˀ/
/qˀ/
/cˀ/~/tʃˀ/
/tsˀ/
/tɬ/
pꞌ
bꞌ
tꞌ
dꞌ
kꞌ
gꞌ
qꞌ
chꞌ
tsꞌ
tƚꞌ
The labialization with glottalization signs may both be employed on the tenue and affricate letters.
/pʷˀ/
/bʷˀ/
/t̪ʷˀ/
/d̪ʷˀ/
/kʷˀ/
/ɡʷˀ/
/qʷˀ/
/cʷˀ/~/tʃʷˀ/
/tsʷˀ/
/tɬʷˀ/
pwꞌ
bwꞌ
twꞌ
dwꞌ
kwꞌ
gwꞌ
qwꞌ
chwꞌ
tswꞌ
tƚꞌ
The palatalization with glottalization signs may both also be used on the tenue and affricate letters.
/pʲˀ/
/bʲˀ/
/t̪ʲˀ/
/d̪ʲˀ/
/kʲˀ/
/ɡʲˀ/
/qʲˀ/
/cʲˀ/~/tʃʲˀ/
/tsʲˀ/
/tɬʲˀ/
pyꞌ
byꞌ
tyꞌ
dyꞌ
kyꞌ
gyꞌ
qyꞌ
chyꞌ
tsyꞌ
tƚyꞌ
VOWELS AND DIPHTHONGS
The vowels are named an, en, in, on, un, üm, ëm, öm, äm, and åm; the diphthongs have the names of aum, aim, eam, oim, iam, and eom.
^Barker, M. A. R. (1950). A Useful Grammar of Ts Solyàni (by Messìliu Badàrian). Seattle. pp. 1–13.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abBarker, M. A. R. (1950). A Complete and Efficacious Pamphlet on the Structure and use of the Cursive Script of the Ts Solyani (by Chanyavassa Vimululyanga). Seattle. pp. 1–11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abBarker, M. A. R. (1978). The Tsolyani Language, Part I and II (2 vols.). Imperium Publishing Company. pp. 1–130.
External links
Tsolyáni entry in the Conlang Atlas of Language Structures, 2008–2010
