The Grammar of High Develavik
Develavik is a fairly simple language to understand, due both to its lack of conjugation and the flexibility it provides concerning the function of nouns. For example, in the notorious historical editorial Develavikia And Softrostland - Unity And Turmoil, it is stated: Raetzl Develavik fyrstr fremja forrat kaupmatr at. This just about translates to: The early Develavik government focused solely on trade moderation. This is a perfect example of the lenient grammar and sentence structure in Develavik. This literally translates to: Government Develavik early perform administration trade only. The reason this works is because of the sentence structure. Proper Develavik sentences are structured modularly, phrase by phrase. Each individual phrase is ordered by part of speech. Noun, adjective, verb, adverb. In short independent clauses, such as Noun Verb Noun structures, the nouns are grouped together, subject first, then predicate. In complex sentences, such as Adjective Noun Verb Adjective Noun Adverb, the structure would be more isolated: Noun Adjective Verb Adverb Noun Adjective.
This pattern based system is dreadfully unwieldy in conversation, but a useful tool when keeping records or conveying important information, as long as one does not expect to grip readers with their writings.
Additionally, adjectives and nouns are mutually exclusive, for the most part. A noun can be used in place of an adjective, as is the case with Common. Where Develavik differs however, is that nouns must be used as adjectives, unless the intended meaning is not noun based. The best way to remember this is to mentally insert the word of in between a noun and an adjective noun. This also works for distinguishing between adjective nouns and true adjectives, as true adjectives not permit the use of the word of, and the phrase will make little sense.
Perhaps the most relieving thing to know before studying Develavik is to expect a very forgiving learning curve; that is to say, conjugation is all but non-existent in High Develavik, due both to the rigid and clear sentence structure, and to the interchangeability (to an extent) of nouns and adjectives. Any pupil with little spare time looking to learn a second tongue would be remiss to choose most other languages.
Another detail of note is the marked absence of first or second person nouns, i.e. me, you, we, us, etc. This is perhaps the most distinct characteristic of High Develavik, and it is largely due to this that it is spoken exclusively by nobles and the upper class in formal capacities, and only in informal capacities when possible. High Develavik is practically useless for any type of casual conversation, or for anything really, unless you have money or power to manage.
The Runes of High Develavik
While Common Develavik, or Develafjot, is almost always written and read in Common lettering, High Develavik, or Develafyrir, is more often than not written in runes. Seeing as it isn’t the most intuitive of ciphers, Develavik Runes will not be discussed at great lengths in this book (though there will be a key in the back of this publication). High Develavik is much easier to understand for Common speakers if written in Common lettering.
The Sounds of High Develavik
Perhaps the most important thing to learn before tackling High Develavik is the pronunciation. Not all of them are straightforward, but all of them are important. The key things to remember is that the letter J always makes the sound of the letter Y, the letter T makes a light Th sound when followed by a vowel or at the end of a word, and an Ae makes a long A sound. of course, if the text is written in runic, these rules are useless, though runes are far more straightforward, once you know them. And in both runic and common, when you encounter a seemingly unpronounceable mess of consonants, insert a short letter I sound where it makes most sense.
aefter (p)...................after, following
aldartal (n)................month; cycle
aldr (n)......................era, age, period
at (adv).....................only, singularly
burr (n)......................son; sword; spark
burra (n)....................daughter; spear; leaf
byrdh (n)...................birth, nascence
byrja (n)....................beginning, commencement
develavik (adj, adv)..of or pertaining to the nation, people or culture of Develavikia
einn (adj)..................one; single, solitary
epter (p)...................following the death of, succeeding
forrat (n)...................control, moderation; delegation
fjot (n).......................people, common; lower class
fraeti (n)....................history; ancestry, heritage
fremja (v)..................perform, accomplish
fyr (p)........................before, prior to
fyrir (n, adj)...............superior (adj) superior to (p King (n)
fyrstr (adj).................early, nascent
heimr (n)...................land, territory, region
horgr (n)....................altar, altar of birch
kaupmatr (n).............trader, merchant
lag (n).......................title, occupation
lionar (n)...................Norse people
margmenni (adj).......many, multitudes
merki (v)...................mark, delineate, indicate
missa (p)..................sans, being without
nlgask (v).................appoint, ordain; publish
noktad (adj)..............naked, bare
postdevela (p)..........following byrdh, or the birth of Develavikia
raetzl (n)..................government, council; symposium
sitja (v).....................reside, occupy
skapari (n)...............architect, creator, auteur
sveit (n)....................district, neighborhood
vald (n).....................power, influence
var (v).......................was, used to be (as clarification only)
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