Írvalek
Origin Planet
Orthis
Year
4025
Speakers
~ 780,000
Speakers
Primarily the inhabitants of the Envari Highlands on Orthis, with some diaspora communities across the planet.
Originating from the highland regions of northern Orthis, Irvalek developed independently as a pastoral community's language, emphasizing harmony with nature and precise expression in ritual and daily life.
The Irvalek culture is deeply spiritual, with a focus on balance between the natural elements and community. Their language reflects this balance, with a rich variety of expressions for natural phenomena and community interactions.
Stress pattern
Primary stress is on the first syllable, secondary stress on even-numbered syllables.
Style description
The script, called 'Valríth', consists of angular glyphs that denote both phonemes and conceptual modifiers. It is highly systematic, designed for ease of digital and physical inscription.
Noun system
Nouns are marked for case (nominative, accusative, genitive) and number (singular, plural). No gender distinctions.
Verb system
Verbs are inflected for tense (past, present, future), aspect (perfective, imperfective), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative).
Adjective rules
Adjectives precede nouns and agree in number with the noun.
Number rules
Digits are base-6. Plurality is marked by suffixing '-en' to the noun and modifying the article.
| Phrase | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| halen zinal | good morning | ˈha.len ˈzi.nal |
| baret vunel | thank you | ˈba.ret ˈvu.nel |
| Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| talek? | what? | ˈta.lek |
| et kadal? | do you speak? | et ˈka.dal |
| English | Translation | Literal meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| The bird is beautiful. | Zinal danel. | Beautiful bird. | ˈzi.nal ˈda.nel |
| I go to the big mountain. | Tekor an milak talon. | Go I mountain big. | ˈte.kor an ˈmi.lak ˈta.lon |
| Do they speak? | Kadal ren? | Speak they? | ˈka.dal ren |
Sky Chant
A shared ritual sung at dawn to praise the sky spirits and welcome the day.
Every morning, the Envari people rise before dawn to perform the Sky Chant at designated hilltops.
Stone Oracles
Ancient stones carved with glyphs used for spiritual guidance and decision-making.
Before planting season, communities consult the Stone Oracles to determine auspicious times.
Elemental Festivals
Quarterly festivals honoring each natural element, with dances, offerings, and storytelling.
During the Fire Festival, flame dances are performed to symbolize renewal and passion.
All final consonants are unreleased in casual speech.
Example: In 'milak', the 'k' is barely pronounced in quick speech: [ˈmi.laʔ].
A glottal stop separates two vowels in adjacent syllables.
Example: In 'kadal', pronounced as [ˈka.ʔdal], the glottal stop breaks the 'a' and 'd'.