Horjinic 101: Class #2: The Gonak (Alphabet)

[Fax Celestis]

Gonak is the Horjinic word for "characters", derived from gon, meaning sign and ak, designating it as female and plural.The Horjinic language has gone through several incarnations, which can be presented as such: ancient runic, modern runic, and modern word-based. Ancient runic was before the Neligan split off. Modern runic was between the Neligan split and the Second Triat, and modern word-based is what is used from then to today.Each letter of the Gonak has an ancient meaning, a more modern translation, and a character origin. I will cover each in turn.-A (ahh)The Gona for female is a special character and is reserved for the endings of words. Adding this character to the end of a word will mark it as female. Otherwise, it is assumed (through process of elimination) that the word refers to a male.At (att)The Gona at originally referred to peace, not water, though over time its meaning came to change, most likely due to frequent references to "peaceful water". The character itself was derived from a pair of shaking hands, implying peaceful relations.Au (ow)The Gona au has always referred to a shield or guard, though it is also a prominent letter in color names. This stems from heraldry and painted shields, but later came to refer to the entire spectrum of color use. The character was originally derived from a kite shield's shape.Ax (akss)The Gona ax always has referred to life, despite the word for life in modern times being "fate" (fah-tay). The origin of the character is assumed to be a growing plant, but the actual origin is unknown.Di (dee)The Gona di has referred to death both in ancient and more modern runic, despite the word for death in modern times being "taax" (tacks). The origin of the character is assumed to be a tombstone's cross, but the actual origin is unknown.El (ell)The Gona el refers in the more modern runic to a sword, though the ancient Gona itself refers to victory. Over time, the rune ceased meaning victory and started referring to sword, though the actual Gona itself remains largely unchanged. The origin of the character is a downturned sword.Er (err)The Gona er referred to resilience in the past, as in "tough as stone," but later came to just mean stone and then just earth. The origin of the character remains unknown, though it is theorized that it comes from a mountain-on-the-horizon shape.Es (ess)The Gona es referred to wind in ancient times and still does in the more modern runic. The origin of the character is a leaf blowing in the wind, with the line tracing its path.Et (ett)This Gona, et, originally referred to a sword, but later came to mean fire. Exactly how this switch happened is uncertain, though it probably has something to do with the shape of the Gona itself. The origin of this character is a sword lying down.Fa (fah)The Gona fa referred in ancient times to a scythe, though in more modern times it refers to crops in general. The character is associated with growth, as can be seen in the words for life (fate), earth (fael), and fertility (fateel). The origin of this character is a simple scythe.Ga (gah)The Gona ga was largely unused in the modern runic. The ancient runic used the word to designate "not". The origin of this character is unique, as it is not designed from reality. It is instead derived from crossing things out.Gi (ghee)The Gona gi originally stood for strength but later came to stand for air. This switch came about in much the same way as er did with earth and fortitude. The origin of htis rune is unknown.Go (goh)The Gona go stood for fire originally, but was widely unused in modern runic and was replaced by the et rune. The origin of this rune comes from a stylized bonfire.Hor (hoar)The Gona hor originally stood for cat, but later came to the more general meaning of animal. The origin of this rune stems from the shape of a cat's eye. The pairing of horand jin makes a cat's face.Ig (igg)The Gona ig stood for stealth originally, but its use fell by the wayside in the modern runic form. The origin of this rune is an animal moving through grass, though it is now highly stylized.Jin (djinn)The Gona jin stood for godhood in both ancient and modern runic. The origin of this rune stems from the shape of a cat's eye. The pairing of horand jin makes a cat's face.-K (chk)The Gona -k designates a plural. This is a special character and is only used at the end of words.Le (lay)The Gona le was used in ancient runic for spear, though its use fell by the wayside in modern. This Gona is derived from a stylized spear.-N- (n)The Gona n originally meant spirit in the ancient runic, though later on it was used as a sound modifier for other runes, in much the same way that it is used today.Pe (pay)The Gona pe originally meant plant in the ancient runic, but it too fell by the wayside as a minor rune later on. The rune itself was derived from a plant growing out of the ground.Ra (rah)The Gona ra meant sky in the ancient and modern runic. The origin of the rune itself is unknown, and so far no one has been able to come up with any good ideas.Re (ray)Re originally meant light in ancient runic. It later came to mean sunlight, a minor but important distinction. The rune itself was derived from a sun shining light down, but the sun itself was dropped early on.Ri (rhee)The Gona ri was the original rune for water, but it was dropped in favor of at later on. The origin of the character itself comes from a river delta, seen from above.'Ru (rooh)The Gona ru was the original rune for earth, but later was dropped in favor of er. The origin of the rune is a stylized mountain range.Sa (sah)The Gona sa meant sun in both ancient and modern, though the rune did not make the jump to the modern, word-based language in its full form. The origin of this rune is a stylized sun.Se (say)The Gona se meant lightning in the ancient runic and spear in the modern, but is very infrequently used in today's language. The origin of this rune is a downward-striking lightning bolt.Si (see)The Gona si meant dark in the ancient runic, but wasn't used in the modern. The origin of this rune is a struck-out moon.Ta (tah)The Gona ta meant sound in both the ancient and the modern runic. Unfortunately, the origin of this rune is unknown.Te (tay)The Gona te originally meant body in the ancient runic, but later came to mean man. Adding a to this made the word mean woman. The origin of this rune is unknown.To (toh)The Gona to meant moon in both ancient and modern runic. The origin of this rune is a stylized moon.Us (oos)The Gona us has meant (and always will mean) bow, even in modern word-based. It's shape is derived from the shape of a compound bow.Ve (vay)The Gona ve meant less in the ancient runic, though it lost use in modern and has only recently started seeing wide use again in modern word-based. The character's origins themselves are unknown.Vi (vee)The Gona vi meant house in both modern and ancient runic. Its form is derived from rooftops. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink RegigoraaukEdited by: Fax Celestis  at: 10/6/05 17:52

[Shyriath]

Niftiness. By the way, do you remember the Horjinic name you made up for me? I'm working on some things I wanted to add to my page in the wiki, and it occurs to me that it ought to go in there.

[Fax Celestis]

Horgorisa Veusrengoteigeldi. "Leader Dragon". Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

So would people's names have their own characters, or would they all be formed from composites of the Gonak?

[Fax Celestis]

Composites from the Gonak.The "ancient" and "modern" runics referred to are before the Gonak became a spoken language. Prior to that, the Gonak was used mostly for markings of areas: carvings into a treetrunk saying "spear demon ahead" or some such.When it started being spoken, the Gonak changed from being characters with a personal meaning (like Japanese) into syllabic sounds (like the Futhark).Make sense? Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

So Shyriath's name is: ?

[Fax Celestis]

Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

Niftiness.

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Yeah, I was just going for the first name, so I'll take that as a "yes".

[Fax Celestis]

What does "Yarad" translate to? Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Tis Hyperborean for "metal", though I'd prefer to use it as "steel" myself.

[AngelGuardian93]

Took me long enough to read this thread. Nifty. There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[AngelGuardian93]

BTW, when are you going to continue this class? There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Fax Celestis]

I'm working on #3, "Basic Word Forming", as we speak. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Harvey the Blue]

I'm confused. Are these runes used for the entire alphabet? How would you say something like, ooh, I dont know... "What time is it?" using the runes? Harvey SteffkeSai'Kar's Memories LiveJournal - ranting about Shirerothian issues since fall 2004.

[Fax Celestis]

Peru'elle.Peru, meaning time, and elle indicating a question.And the response? Ore Sonvo Nausiaura. Ore, for ten, sonvo for fifty-four, and nausiaura for night.Yes, this has nothing to do with the runes ancient meanings; that is because the runes were originally used for written notes only, not formal communication. Later on, a verbal basis was formed and the language started seeing widespread use, instead of just being signs. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk