Branch Writing
by hughpierre
Even for its adherents, branch writing is notoriously difficult to learn. It is old. Many of its component parts originate from ancient interactions of a species with a many-times more complicated language.
Branch has such a close relation to Block that it was often refer to when creating Eeatian.
Geographical Distribution
It follows that branch writing is considered too difficult for outsiders to bother to learn. It is, therefore, restricted to the mais hanging valley.
Its system of counting is more useful in accounting matters. And is widely implemented by oztomecintli in tracking their trades.
Ambitious people hoping to climb the administerial hierarchy are incentivized to learn it as a matter of tradition.
Expression | Translation | Context |
---|---|---|
In and about the Corn Court | ||
Tuméen le sáasilo' ixi'im | By the Light of the Corn | Traditionally starts the proclamation of official statements and punctuates the end. The light is in reference to Cinteōtl's pervasive glow. |
Ma' u páajtal almacenar ixi'im ti' jump'éel cesta yéetel agujeros | You can't store corn in a basket with holes | It is the small details that will undermine you. |
Le hongo ku ataca le ixi'imo' lúubul yóok'ol To'one' | The fungus (chahuistle) that attacks the maize falls on us | Caught red handed or when a plan has been foiled. |
No'oh ti' jump'éel tribunal k'u'uk'mel kaax | Justice in a chicken's court | An unfair presiding that ignores the recognized standards of law or justice for the sake of a foregone conclusion. |
Bey juntúul barril ixi'im | Like a cask of corn | Effortlessly; with total ease. Typically used in reference to catching husk balls in various sports. |
Siik le ixi'imo' | Concede the corn | To admit to or acknowledge one's fault, shortcoming, mistake, crime, or naiveté. |
In and from Oztomecintli | ||
Tech bo'ota'al yo'osal le cacao yéetel cacao ti', taak'in yéetel taak'in yéetel ixi'im yéetel ixi'im | You pay for cacao with cacao, money with money, and corn with corn | Stay with what you know and what you understand. Common advise for the merchants in Oztomecintli. |
Jarro ixi'im | Jar of corn | A very easy task. The phrase comes from the act of dropping maize from on high balloons and catching them. |
Ku náajaltik le ixi'imo' | Earn one's corn | To be worthy of the money that one is being paid. |
Le ixi'imo' nojochtal ma'alob tu'ux máak mina'an u kojo'ob | Maize grows well where people have no teeth | An anti-war sentiment that harkens the courtiers' means of peaceful expansion. |
Tu kúuchil Wíinikil yóok'olkaab, ku k'iinbesa'al jump'éel jooch ixi'im madura yéetel le kʼanaʼan | Somewhere in the world, a crop of corn ripens and survival is celebrated | Maize is so wide spread and ubiquitous that every desperate people can find commonality. In reference to Cintēteo's spread. |
Insults | ||
Wóoliso' ixi'im | Cornball | A trite, overly sentimental or unsophisticated person. |
Kala'an | Corned | Drunk. |
Galleta ixi'im | Corncracker | A derogatory term for an afflicted ash person, especially one who is poor and from the south. |
Phonology
There is no relation between the written and spoken language.
When speaking, it is common to suck on your own mouth to produce either a sharp popping or smacking sound between the tongue and roof of the mouth or a sucking sound between the teeth that intermittently punctuate lines of words.
Clicks form only a small portions of the constants in the language that occur before, during or after speech:
Lips Click
A pocket of trapped air is compressed by the tongue until it is allowed to spurt out through the lips. It is a modifier to several verbs.Kiss Click
Lips are compressed like a 'p' and sounds more like a noisy smack of the lips than a kiss.Teeth Click
The lower lip starts by connecting the upper teeth with the upper lip to release a noisy sound with airflows restricted to the mouth, or passing through the nose.Tongue Click
A pocket of air trapped between two closures is rarefied by a sucking action of the tongue, rather than the diaphragm. The release of the forward closure produces the clicking sound. This is the most common sound made per sentence.Cheek Click
Clicks may be oral or nasal by sucking the side of the mouth. It pairs with several vowels, tones, and other constants for a variety of sounds and meanings.Sentence Structure
Radial
Different segments of a circle, indicate the direction the written word is to be read.Half Crescent
A quarter circle points toward its central axis to direct attention.Half
Half of a circle serves as a reading stopping point with its inner radiaus. The outer radius shows where to continue.Crescent
Three quarters of a circle indicates where a big leap from one end of the text to another is required to continue its logic.Straightness
Vertical
A straight vertical line contains independent clauses within areas to separate from other ideas.Horizontal
A straight horizontal line combines independent clausesDegrees of Rotation
Several straight lines tend to be drawn at different angles. These are so, to tie three or five clauses that spread across the written canvas.Structural Markers
Negative Space
Every stroke of a pen to paper, chisel on stone, saw through wood or scar on skin always leaves two marks: the impression of the stain and the unmarred surface. They are intermittently linkedThe blank space that exists between the lines drawn can carry significant meaning that complements what is actually drawn.
Root Languages
Spoken by
Counting
Stalks
In counting the main stem, or stalk, is just a simple vertical line representing the number zero; and from which all other numbers to 9999 can be written.Stems
Numbers can be identified by drawing and imaginary line that intersects the stalk at the middle to create a cross. Much like with counting in block writing base 2, but in base 10. Writers similarly create four notional blocks where:the top left represents tens | the top right represents single units |
the bottom left represents thousands | the bottom right represents hundreds |
I love the corn idioms and how the counting strokes represent corn.
Adazuri: A shonen-inspired magitech fantasy world home-brewed for 5e.