Duiniken Cursive

General introduction

Duiniken Cursive (translated from Tarrabaenian Duinikóm flésa; 'fhédol nathar' in Duinis 'Éch, meaning 'our signs/marks') is the form of writing most often used to write down the language of the Duiniken, Duinis 'Éch. It has a long lasting history and has been used continuously from the latter third of the Era of the Trees up til now. Most historical sources are preserved in Duiniken stone carvings, which are found everywhere around modern day Tarrabaenia, written in Proto-Duinis 'Éch, an older form of the Duiniken language. The invention of Duiniken Cursive is attributed to Bireithu 'Imráhh, a cultural hero of Duiniken. The writing system is an alphabet characterised by its organic flow and its continuous writing, both of which is especially surprising considering the medium mostly used for texts in Duiniken Cursive.

History, distribution and stages of development

Around 2100 of the Era of the Trees, a time at which the Duiniken experienced peace, prosperity and progress, Bireithu 'Imráhh is said to have lived in a now lost settlement close to present day Tarrabaenias capital Savína. He is credited with a number of inventions, one of which is Duiniken Cursive. According to legend, one night he received guests and at one point needed to cool off from the feast and the wine. He stepped outside and saw slugs leaving traces on the grass. He pictured the slugs were having their own little get-together and interpreted their traces as symbols for their chitchat. Thus Duiniken Cursive was born.

While this account seems fairytale-like, there is a good chance that there was a person that is now called Bireithu 'Imráhh living close to modern day Savína. The carvings of the Duiniken considered the oldest stem from around that period and are all from somewhere around Savína. Through them and comparison with other inscriptions made later as well as written sources on later, perishable media, development in the form of writing as well as the language can be observed.

Stone inscriptions in Duiniken Cursive can be found all over what was formerly Duinis Talou, that is the area within the bow of the Sévo Mountains, the northwestern part of the Moiyeli Swamplands and in northern Andaperna. Some outliers are west of the Grey Sea stretching down to modern day Kissalin, indicating that the Duiniken settled further down south than the Tarrabaenians do today. Also the Central Erana Mountain Ranges eastern parts have inscriptions in Duiniken Cursive. Younger examples are also found on other media like parchment or wood or paper.

Furthermore Duiniken Cursive is still in use by the Duiniken in Nuat Duinis Talou. Although a simplified, angular version of the script exists, Duiniken Cursive is still the prevalent form of writing used by the Duiniken in Nuat Duinis Talou. Considering the long time it has been in use, it has stayed surprisingly consistent through the centuries. Eventually phonetic changes occurring when Proto-Duinis 'Éch transitioned into Duinis 'Éch ushered on the development of new letters since the phonetic inventory of the language grew. Also orthography became more standardised, using the glottal stop within the word as well, instead of only when in word initial position.

by Kveldulfr83

A rubbing of an inscription in Duiniken cursive made by Iúridanus Licínius Creber showing an already more standardised form of Duiniken Cursive with all glottal stops represented.

In Tarrabaenia the alphabet fell out of use with the Tarrabaenians conquering the land and establishing their own government. With the tensions between the Tarrabaenians and the Messellat Mdûlûn calming down, intellectuals started to direct their attention to culture and history. One faction, the perscrutórés, were intrigued by the writing, the meaning of which was forgotten and started deciphering it as well as rediscovering more and more writings in Duiniken Cursive, which became a major asset in their explorations of the past. Also, the script is being used for artistic purposes, although most using it hardly understand it and use it more as some form of asemic writing.