Drévala
Origin Planet
Orthis
Year
5632
Speakers
~ 320,000
Speakers
Approximately 320,000, primarily in the valleys and forested plateaus of central Orthis.
Drévalic evolved amongst the interconnected highland communities of Orthis, shaped over millennia by oral tradition and ritualistic chants. It was standardized by the Council of Seers for inter-tribal communication.
The Drévalic-speaking people value harmony with nature and spiritual balance. Language is deeply tied to their sacred ceremonies and seasonal festivals. Knowledge is passed through lyrical storytelling.
Stress pattern
Stress generally falls on the first syllable of the root word.
Style description
Script uses curvilinear glyphs inspired by leaf patterns, with diacritics indicating tone and emphasis. Primarily phonetic with semantic modifiers.
Noun system
Nouns mark definiteness and case with particles. No grammatical gender.
Verb system
Verbs inflect for aspect (complete/incomplete) and mood (indicative, imperative, volitional). Tense is contextual.
Adjective rules
Adjectives follow nouns and do not inflect for number or case.
Number rules
Singular is unmarked; plurals use the suffix '-mé'. Cardinal numbers precede nouns.
| Phrase | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| dreva zuri | bright home | dre.va zu.ri |
| oro melin | kind sun | o.ro me.lin |
| Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| vani? | what? | va.ni |
| tari dretho? | are you (pl.) speaking? | ta.ri dre.θo |
| English | Translation | Literal meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| The bird sees the sun. | Shiri vuara oro. | See bird sun. | ʃi.ri vua.ra o.ro |
| I know the mountain. | Baka di taren. | Know I mountain. | ba.ka di ta.ren |
| Are they walking? | Vasha nana? | Walk they? | va.ʃa na.na |
Sky Calling
A ritual performed at dawn where community members chant to greet the sun, believed to bring harmony and clarity.
During Sky Calling, elders lead the chant from the eastern ridge.
Memory Stones
Stones engraved with life events placed along trailheads and important sites; each stone contains a glyph and a family sigil.
A family might leave a Memory Stone at the entrance of a new home.
Voice Tree
A sacred tree where confessions and hopes are whispered; thought to carry voices to benevolent spirits.
Before a journey, a traveler visits the Voice Tree to share their intentions.
Glottal stops are emphasized between identical vowels to indicate pause.
Example: ‘nu'u’ is pronounced [nuʔu], meaning 'now'.
Final vowels are held slightly longer if they precede a glottal stop.
Example: ‘vashaʔ’ is pronounced [va.ʃaːʔ]