Lyzzie Language
The Lyzbeth call their "human" language Elspeth, which has changes from clan to clan, depending on where they live. It is now time for your Elspeth language lesson! How else do you expect to know what we tell you? We have nicely put things in bold so the chief Clan you were searching for can be found with ease.
Clan Pronounciations
Aubrey (aw'bree), Bard (bar'd), Celt (kel't), Donovan (Don'oh'von), Ingrim (in'grim), Okapai (oh'kop'ai), Hodge (hod'j), Shea (shay)
Here is some vocabulary help with the names you'll be naming your charecter and to get you familiar with pronounciation. this was taken from the sheas page.
you'll find the 'ah' sound is common in their speech, and they sound british or cornish for the most part. i'll use the males names as an example. Yvan sounds like 'iee-vahn', Abelar is 'ah-bee-lar', Averill is 'ah-vril', Launce is 'lah-ns', Yorack is 'yoor-ahk', Greer has a slight roll of the tongue on the r's like a scotsman or irishman would say it, and Sook has an 'eww' sound instead of 'uh', like 'book' would in britian's verbage. The rules are quite simple, 'a' makes an 'ah' sound, 'sia' is a 'sheh' sound, 'y' makes a long or short 'i' sound, and if the 'e' is at the end of a name it remains silent, or if its in a name it carries a short 'e' sound unless near an 'i'. Follow me?
All the Lyzzies have nicknames and insults for each others clans. Here are some zingers!
Aubreys have nicknames, depending on whose mouth it comes from. "Puries" (Pure'eez) is the name the Ingrim, Okapai, Hodges, Bards, Celts, and Shea call them by, behind their backs of course. And given it for good reason too, they are pure in nearly every way. Donovans think otherwise, calling them simply, the "Egos".
Bards are called "feather-brain" (feth'r-brae'nz) because most have wings of feathers; Another one is "incompetant scribes" (in'com'pet'ant-skr'i'bz) since they take notes by mouth or pen, and are the sly-witted judges of many towns, this insult seems to make even the coolest of Bards become steamed.
Celts were called "mythic dogs", "faery dogs", "faery horses", "canines of olde", "equins of olde" and many other names like that. Not many have see them, and are just myths to most.
Donovans are called "Dommies" (Doe-meez) by many Clans. Some believe its because they seem to dominant over others, and others think its the word "dummies" with an accent. The Aubreys call them aggitated bumblebritches ;)
Hodges call each other "veggie-swiper" and other absurd names. To everyone else their just known as "the planters", since above ground of every hole, is a garden, which creates the illusion of a sea of planted crops.
Ingrim are called some harsh names by all. Lyzzies adapted the nickname "wingèd rats" (wing'ed ratz) by humans. They carry the odd name "package-eaters" because when they deliver a parcel, their payed with food, and if the package being delivered contains food, Ingrim are known to eat it before it arrives to its destination!
Okapai are known as "tree walkers" because of their height, and some for their color, look like walking trees. They have more names like "jujumbi-eaters", Jujumbi (jew'jum'bee) being a large, lavender-colored berry that grows on the tops of tall native trees.
Sheas have many names that are usually cursed at them, since they travel and stay at strangers homes. "Rag rat" is a common one, "rat tramp", and "rogue'n rat". The word "rat" is a nasty thing to say to a Shea, making them feel like less, especially if they are a Bileg.
One name for common-day use for all clans, is "fodder", which means "food for livestock", which is kind of a low blow.
Two Lyzzies of the same spieces, or two close friends, would call each other "cousin." To show someone ranking higher than you would be called "My Lord", and your father or a lyzzie of same social rank, "Sir". A married lyzzie female is reffered to as "Mistress", and "Lady" (or M'Lady) of an unmarried or a female of higher social ranking (a queen).
The Diction
Furthermore, they use the words of olde, which we replaced long ago. But since they were secluded from humans long ago, they continue to use the language last heard, passing it from one clan to another, making this most lyzzies' adapted native tongue which evolved little, and is phinetically spelled when it comes to certain words below. Here are some words that they still use.
Anon - Until later (Anon, we meet)
Morrow - Tomarrow (see ye morrow)
Ev'nen - evening (T'will be morrow ev'nen)
Instead of using "it will", "it is" or "it was", they would kick out the 'I' and make it one word, "t'will", "Tis", and "t'was".
Farewell - goodbye
Prithee/pray - please
et - ate
Ah! - A! (sound is the same)
Oh! - Aiya!
Quell - supress (qw'el) (Quell your thoughts of anger, think of her with pure thoughts.)
Ye - you (with soft e, as in mess)
Aye - yes/yeh
Nay - no
Naught - nothing
Whilst - while
Huzzah! - an exclamation like "yay!" Used to cheer someone on during a match or otherwise. ("Huzzah! Get him, you nasty brute!")
As well - also (used at the end of the sentence, no matter where "also" would go)
The ones highlighted in red are the ones used by all Clans. The Aubrey's use of these words are quite Shakespearian, which include the ones written in black. Whilst the Hodges use more of the small-town Scottish dialect. Donovans are Cornish-spoken and use the words in black as well. Celts are of course Irish/Scottish some with Cornish, some are of small-town, depending of where their past home had been. Bards are of all dialects, which ever they've been brought up with, they seem to lose by studying another language. Okapai are usually alone, so they either forget the language their mother taught to them and learn the one they most frequently hear, or they are mute in which they are diagnosed with when born. Over 45 percent of the okapai population is mute (but not deaf), and learn to make due without using speech, like drawing or writing of a needed item in dirt, communicating through body and facial expressions and making clicks with their tongue or tapping a stick on a tree trunk like morse code.
Lyzzie Encyclopedia
Forget what something was called? Look it up here!
Brythonic - (brit'ton'ik) one of two modern celtic lang; british language of Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
Clan - (klan) n. a certain group or tribe.
Cornish - (kor'nish) language of medieval times, founded in the town of Cornwall, now only spoken by certain Lyzbeth Clans. It soon became extinct to humans, and recently revived by those who love middle-age poetry, renaissance festival goers, or those who love stories such as Le Morte D'Arthur (The Death of Arthur), but none speak it fully in any parts of the world, except the lyzzies.
Fleg - (fleg) adj. unevolved, four-legged creature. Fleggan, to be a fleg.
Bileg - (bil'eg) adj. evolved, two-legged creature. Bi-legged. Bilegan, to be a bileg.
Signet -(sig'net) n. a symbol, emblum, or charecter that each Clan has chosen to relate to themselves.
Hall of Devotion - (Hol ov' dev'oh'shun) n. a giant hall split up into four sections, where Aubreys that are of age, go to find a mate, get to know them, and start a family.; The Hall
Icebox - (Is'boks') n. a primative refridgerator
Withers - (With'erz) adj. the shoulders of a creature who is a fleg.
Lyzbeth Calendar
The Lyzzies adopted the ways of olde, instead of looking to a date chart, they look to the stars. Aldebaran (eye of Taurus), meaning "the follower", shows itself in Winter. Regulus (the chest or front leg of Leo) "the king", is found in spring. Antares (the brightly-shining heart of Scorpio), or the "rival of Mars", represents late July/August. Fomalhaut (mouth of Pisces' southern fish), its name simply means "mouth of the fish", and is found in October.
Polaris is worshiped by the Aubrey clan, and has many names by different clans. Humans are familiar with it and call it "Pole Star", "North Star", or its given name "Polaris". Aubreys call it "Estah", meaning "star", another name would be "gate of heaven". The reason they see it as a godly figure, is because it's always seen in the sky throughout the year, and they feel it is watching over them and protecting their souls. It is called "Phoenice" by the Ingrim, Celts, and Okapai.. "Mismar" by Donovans, and "Star of Arcady" by the Hodges and Bards.
Most Lyzzies use no numbers or signs to depresent days, they know the positions of the sun or the lighting of the day if its cloudy. Their senses are stronger and more accurate than any clock. Most Lyzzies have no "week", unless they have adapted it from humans. Otherwise, they tell it just by saying how many days away they will meet, or use words like "fortnight" (two weeks). They haven't any realizations of months, but tell the position of a star during the time in which they would meet or plan. It's very primative, but its all they've found works. Those who needed to know the dates and times specifically, like Donovans and Hodges, adapted the idea of marking a sturdy stick that is nailed into the ground in the middle of a circle in the center of their town, as sort of an old-fashioned Big Ben. They then place rocks on four different sides, and the townsfolk follow the shadow to tell the month and time. Of course, with it being outdoors makes it hard to read the shadow in winter. But who would plan a battle or plant a harvest in winter! Humans believe that in their world, long ago, England's own Stone Henge was used the same way as the stick or sundial but in reverse (the sun showing the months), and it remains to be unproven.