Proto-Halorese

The mother of all Halorin speech

Halor have the ability to mimic human speech, and after Domefall many have become fluent in English and other human languages. However, few humans are fluent in any halor language: their complex songs are beyond the capability of many. The best I can manage is a greeting call.

– Archaeological Chief Peter Larson

Proto-Halorese was the basic means of communication within the Dome of Light at the time of the arrival of drones. Many different local dialects and languages have sprung up from the base language, but this was the first, original Halor language. Expressed by complex bird song, Proto-Halorese is the basis of all modern Halor language.

Writing System

The Proto-Halorese alphabet is theorized to be logographic, with one character for each word. The character marks closely resemble the pitch and components of the song produced. According to the same Bai et. al study, the characters were found recorded in a cave wall earlier by Outrider Drones. (1198)

Geographical Distribution

Ohhh, you think all these languages came from here? You humans are so cute! So simple-minded. It probably comes from Zentland, we can agree on that. But west of the Thousand Peak Range? No, no, no...

– Holman speaking to Marion's research team

Proto-Halorese is by now an extinct language, but its descendants are now spoken widely by Halorin both within the dome and outside of it. The language is theorized to have originated in the bamboo forests east of the Salt Range on the continent of Zentland. (Holman et. al, 1274; Kalison et. al, 1261) However, this hypothesis is contested by other scholars, who contend that the language originated west of the Thousand Peak Range on the other edge of Zentland. (Marion et. al, 1271)

Phonology

Example Sonogram by ElementalShrike

The sounds are similar to those that you would expect from bird song on earth. According to linguistic studies done by Liam Bai's team, the proto-song recorded by drones during early stages of terraforming made heavy use of inflection and pitch slides to convey meaning. (Bai et. al, 1198)
To convey this language in human form, often sonograms are used, a technology from long, long ago on Earth. An example sonogram of the Claran equivalent to "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is shown above.

Common Phrases

hoo-eet, hoo-eet, ka

Good day (formal)