AmDDRed

HOMEWORLD: KUSHAN LANGUAGE

To have a spare place for adding things I've split the thing in 3 parts:

1. Xenolanguage I - Homeworld languages overview
2. Xenolanguage II - Kushan language vocabulary
3. Xenolanguage III - Kushan language vocabulary analysis

Contents

1. The Sources
2. Kushan Language Patterns
   • Words Structure
   • Suffixes
   • Feminatives
   • Plural Form
   • Words Joints
3. Kushan Vocabulary: Analysis
   • Almost Translated
   • Half-Translated
   • Not Translated
   • Literal References
   • Khar
   • Daiam, Kharam, Assam
   • Siidim, Gaalsien, S'jet
   • K'ha, The Breath of Sajuuk
   • ne
   • Kiithless
   • Other Combinations
4. Kushan Poetry
5. Links

The Sources

• HW1 - Homeworld 1, manual, game
• HWC - Homeworld Cataclysm/Emergence, manual, game
• HWCO - Homeworld Cataclysm, outtakes
• HWWOS - HW and HWC ship descriptions, well of souls
• HW2 - Homeworld 2, manual, game
• HW2PR - Homeworld 2, Prima Official eGuide
• HWDOK - Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Expedition Guide, game
• HWR - Homeworld: Revelations RPG
• HWRS - Homeworld: Revelations RPG Story Seeds
• HWM - Homeworld: Mobile, homeworldsource.net
• HW3 - Homeworld 3
• HWDST - Homeworld Dust Wars drafts

Change Log

• 13.07.24 - separated Xenolanguage II into Vocabulary and Analysis parts

Kushan Language Patterns

Here are some patterns that I found after checking the available vocabulary.

Words Specifics

Something that marks Kushan language:

1. Regular usage of double vowels, but not always:
   e.g.: skaal, faagan, haariri
2. Regular usage of specific consonant combinations (KH,TH etc):
   e.g.: Khar-Atekh, kiith, A'kadath
3. Regular usage of apostrophe for non-specific vowel usage (consonant self-sound):
   e.g.: S'jet, J'niira, B'tir
   -- though it's a HWDOK feature and might be defined as old Kushan leftovers or dialect
   -- or it might be another way how to connect words removing some extra vowel
4. Usually words consist of 1 or 2 syllables, but it depends
5. Words can have suffixes

Suffixes

There is bunch of word endings, that are quite common, but not limited to that:

• -el, -al, -il, -ul, -'l
• -an, -en
• -im, -um
• -ar, -ir, -ur, -or
• -uk, -ok, -ak
• -it, -et, -'t
• -ith, -ath, -oth
• -art, -ard
• -ab, -ob
• -aw
• -es, -as, -os, -is

There might be a chance that finding those suffixes in the middle of a word could mean that the word is constructed of two roots.

And by the example of the following words, we know that sometimes that suffixes may be removed, for some reason:

• LiirHra[] <- Li[ir] + Hra[al]
• Gaalsi[] <- Ga[al]si[en]
• Siid[] <- Siid[im]
• Kar[] <- Kar[an]
• Saju[]-Ka <- Saju[uk]

The last case of Saju-Ka (HW1) is interesting, as there is Sheer-Ka (HWC) word, but maybe this could be applied to another -uuk ending word - Cow Duke, sorry, I mean, Caaw Duuk (HWDOK). So, it might be alternated this way:

• Caaw Duuk -> Caaw Du-Ka

Though it's hard to tell, as it's not clear what Ka and Duuk means, and if Saju- & Sajuuk connected (Ham and Hamster?).

Interesting if kiith Paktu name could tied somehow to this case... Like:
- We are Paktu from Paktu-Ka.
- Paktuuk? Paktuur? Paktuul?
- No, we're Paktu, we're free to shape ourselves as we want it.

Feminatives

There are names like Huur[] - Kuur[A], Majiir[] - J'niir[A], and we can define those guys as men and women, so there is a chance that -[A] ending is defining gender. Like, J'niir[A], Kuur[A], Siim[A], Dav[A] etc. Maybe other endings as well contain gender information.

And watching how S[a] turns into S[id], I'd say, there is for sure an ending -A there. And we might even suggest that Sa is a feminative, which leads back to a thought that Kushan culture is very matriarchical one...

Kar (m) -> Karan (f?)?

Plural Form

There are several ways of creating plural form:

1. with suffix -id:
   e.g.: kharak/kharakid, kiith/kiithid, sa/sid
   open vowel of the original word is replaced
2. using possessive adjectives as plural form, with postfix -i/-ii
   +i -> e.g.: sobani, manaani, sjetti, naabali
   +ii -> e.g.: kharakii, manaanii, sobanii
   the accent can be changed here: sobani - sobanii

It looks like -id is not a plural form, but a creation of a new single form word, that means “the bunch of”, like it's done in esperanto: birdo (a bird) - birdoj (birds) - birdaro (flock of birds). In our case it could be the following logic:

• Kharak - the object, the planet
• Kharaki - something that belongs to the object, some of the planet habitants
• Kharakii - many of something that belongs to the object, the multiple units of the planet habitants
• Kharakid - all of something that belongs to the object, the planet habitants in general

For example, Amar[i][id] flats (HWR) could be translated like this: flats of the all of belonging to a bunch of Amar ones, whatever that means, something like that. Or there is Amari[a] entity, be it people, animal or else.

We can play this game further: Taiidan - whatever -an means, there is all belonging to Tai :D. But that word should be of another language, so never mind.

Words Joints

There are different ways of combining words in Kushan:

1. Aaa Bbb : Skaal Tel, Sajuuk Cor
2. Aaa-Bbb : Kuun-Lan, Kiith-Sa
3. Aaabbb : Griitidim, Hiigara
4. AaaBbb : LiirHra
5. Aaa'Bbb : Asaam Kiith'sid, Kor'shesh (?) --not sure about this

But this is too much related to writing and can hardly be distinct in speech, so somehow this should be regulated.

For example, there is “Skaal Tel” and “Skaal Fa”, male and female predators of Kharak, then there is Somtaaw destroyer “Naar-Tel”, and Tel sector, and Coruc-Tel and Seera Tel systems. Skaal, Naar, Coruc, Seera might define some alien life species: Kharakian, Hiigaran or any other planet biome Kushani got familiar with. But on the other hand, “Naar-Tel” is not “Naar Tel” - and we don't know for sure what's the difference between “Naar-Tel”, “Naar Tel”, “Tel Naar”, “Tel-Naar” in Kushan language… Or even “Naar'Tel”?..

But we know phrases Sajuuk Cor/Taa, wrath/fist of Sajuuk; and Skaal Tel/Fa/Brii, male, female, kids of Skaal. But the word order makes it somewhat clear. And while I still cannot imagine how to make a "hollow kinswoman" out "J'niira Kiith", for "Siifar Kor'shesh", "Night of Fiery Daggers", it looks like "Siifar" is "Fiery Daggers" and "Kor'shesh" is "Night", though I'd make it otherwise. But let's not forget that the word order not always is stable, and as we don't know the exact word meaning the final result may vary.

The same is about the Kiith-Sa, kiith-leader, leader of kiith, and most probably the order is important, but how it's happening, is it a root-root, root turning into a suffix, can we have Sid-Kiith, how it's Sa of Sa's, Sid-sa? For now it's not really clear, and I'm not ready to imagine a new grammar rule for this. :) Anyone else to define it?.. And why in HWC it's written as "Kiith'sid"?

Kushan Vocabulary: Analysis

Almost Translated

Here are the words, that come from the partly translated phrases, so the other part can be logically continued: at least there are versions what untranslated word might mean.

• Brii (HWDOK)
  if we accept that Skaal Brii is “Skaal's cub”, then Brii is ”cub”, maybe, "cubs"
• Cor (HWC)
  "God's Wrath"
  As Sajuuk is the main deity on Kharak, Cor is Wrath
• Daiam (HW1)
  if there is Daiamid, and -id is a plural form, then Daiam is somewhat of a “deputy”?
  
• Fa(l) (HWC)
  as Skaal Fal is a female of a Skaal animal, then Fa(l) is “female” (I'd vote for F[a] for feminative)
• Sa (HW1)
  as kiith-Sa means “kiith leader”, and it used separately and with kiith name directly, like Naabal-Sa, it means, the Sa = leader. But can it be used with other words, like Mothership-Sa - leader of a ship, e.g. captain, or it has some restrictions?..
• Taa (HWDOK)
  comes from "Saajuk Taa": first, if there is no other word, then it should be Sajuuk, and second, there were Gaalsien warriors named Fist of God, so, maybe, Taa = Fist?
• Tel (HWC)
  as Skaal Fal is a female of a Skaal animal, then Tel point us that this one is a male, Tel is a “male”
  or, as there is so much "Tel" in HWM, maybe, it's reference to the real "Tel", like "Tel Megiddo", the Megiddo hill/tell/mound: so, if Tel is hill and is used as euphemism for male attribute, so what's Fa(l)? - is it "valley"?..

Half-Translated

Here are collected phrases, that have a translation, but the words inside the phrase are unfamiliar so far. So there might be variations of meanings of the used words themselves. For example, "petite mort, translated from French, means “little death”, and is generally used as a euphemism for orgasm".

• A'kadath Su Tiira (HWDOK)
  “Victory is work”: if we take straight English translation, then A'kadath = Victory, Su = Is, Tiira = Work, and that fits interesting with Tiir, the capital of Naabal, and that ancient wanderer Tiirshak S'jet… But we don't know where a verb is, what the sequence of words is and so on. It's the only full sentence of the Kushani speech we've seen so far!..
• Caaw Duuk (HWDOK)
  A harvest spirit, but why 2 words?
• Clee-San (HWC)
  "Truth Seeker"
• Dhaigren (HWDOK)
  "Dreamlands"
  [Dhai][gren] - what's dream, what's lands? Maybe, [en] means "a lot"?
• Faal-Corum (HWC)
  "Silent Wayfarer"
  Not clear, what is what, and if “wayfarer” is a several meanings combination word, “unit who travels far”, and is this depicted in a phrase; as well, is Corum related to Coruc and Cor?.. It could be that [Fa][al] is about the "Wayfarer" (maybe we can tie it to the "way rope" - Faagan?), and [Cor][um] ("Silence") is somewhat opposite to Cor ("Wrath"). Because otherwise is hard to think how the "Wayfarer" and "Wrath" could be related.
• Faal-Tel (HWC)
  I believe there was a mistype as originally the name was "Dark Matter FCluster Faal-Te", and the other systems had this "-Tel" ending. Or there could be a new grammar rule for -Te(l) and -Fa(l)?..
  Anyway, as Faal-Corum is a "Silent Wayfarer" and Skaal Tel is a male of Skaal, it could be something like “Silent guy/area” or “Wayfarer guy/area”, both are good, as Somtaaw and Manaani meeting happens both in a silent and "Far Reaches Sector" (direct quote from HWC mission name!). So I'd vote for the latter.
• Ferin Sha (HW1)
  "Dancing Ground"
• Khaaneph (HWDOK)
  "Godless".
  So, what's here is "god" and what's "-less"? Is the name Khagaan related?..
• Hiigara (HW1)
  "Our Home"
  If it's a combination of 2 senses, not clear what part of the word has such. Hii - our? Gara - Home? Then the name “Gar” - homey guy? or our guy? Or what?..
• J'niira Kiith (HWDOK)
  "Hollow kinswoman"
  It's hard to understand if English translation is a non-literal one, literature one, or else; we know word kiith, so J'niira is left, but it's not clear if a gender is included in it - like -iir ending is common, so is it -a to mark woman? - and is there any meaning in a J' beginning.
• Koshiir Ra (HWC)
  A god of protection, but why 2 words?
• Khontala (HWC)
  We know the first temple of Shimmering Path, “Oracle of Tala”, so, probably, it's [Khon]+[Tal][a].
  I'd vote that Tala is a mountain, and Khon, going along Kha-thing (see above) would mean "Holy mountain".
• Kuun-Lan (HWC)
  "Purifying Flame"
• Lungma Jiin (HWC)
  "The Roof of the World"
• Qwaar-Jet (HWC)
  A god of Pain and Enslavement, but why 2 words? Is this anyhow related to S'jet?
• Saju-Ka (HW1)
  Gaalsien capital city; there a clear connection to Sajuuk, but otherwise too much options;
• Siifar Kor'shesh (HWDOK)
  “Night of Fiery Daggers”:
  if we take straight English then "Siifar" is Night, "Kor" is Fiery (which comes good with known Cor - Wrath), "Shesh" - is Daggers; but there are at least 3 meanings, and we have here 2 words, one divided by an apostrophe, and no examples of these words usage, so this is purely hypothetical; like Sii might be Fiery, far - Dagger, Kor'shesh - Night , who knows?.. If we take "Triikor" - desert cat - then Kor might mean a dagger like the claws of a cat...
  I'd stay with Siifar for night (with Siidim - sky/star people - in mind) and Kor'Shesh as Fiery Daggers (what is what still needs to be figured).
• Viin Cal (HWDOK)
  An ancient god of the hunters, but why 2 words?

Not Translated

Here are the words and the word combinations, that have no translation, but they exist. Are these simply names or some meaning behind - it's not clear.

• HW1
  • Heeshk, Fushai, Kaark, Saju-Ka, Klaar, Koraal, Koshiir Ra, Qwaar-Jet, Saarkin Cho, Silumiin, Siim Salla, Tiifal, Variis, Wodaan
• HWC
  • Bushan-Re, Caal-Shto, Coruc-Tel, Coruc Farr, Faal-Te, Hunon, Gren-Shto, Naar-Tel, Sojent-Ra, Veer-Rak
  • Baar-Ett, Clee-San, Coor-Lan, Drun-Kyori, Eh-Ghoan, Eheb-San, Faal-Corum, Feng-Yuun, Kuun-Lan, Gaal-Ten, Gaar-Balhi, Maal-Nitz, Mholah-Ri, Morrh-Re, Naab-Corum, Ruun-Aaid, Shin-Clah, Shuus-Nan, Teer-Gig, Toet-Coy, Thul-Lee, Thuuw-Nan, Vhenk-Maan, Veer-Kah
• HW2
  • Sarum, Thaddis Sabbah
• HWDOK
  • Aard'th Saar, Akalon, Amida, B'shiir, Beladin, Biaan, Bokiir, Caaw Duuk, Corvaal, Dassar, F'xbat, Fiiskire, Garaak, K'karr, K'thtaal, Kapisi, Khadiim, Khashar, Knar-re, Maach-Nar, M'toth, P'chirii, P'torr, Riikes, Sakala, Salka, Sarath, Skaad'l, Slaa, Torin, Viin Cal, Vriis
• HWR
  • Abaard, Amariid, Atekh, Mataar, Nisilbis, Sadsaior
• HW3
  • Mera'Kaar, Deskar Fal, Toran, Galtos, Fadak, Der'ak Nor, Haal'Ta, Krak'or, Faal Lan, Habeladin, Scal, Forenthsla, Boreaal, Vinn Cal, Chuldah, Akadath, Ferin, Akkad, N'Bex, Azkar, Zolan, Sho'Az, H'rex, Selbah, Zevrani, D'neymon, R'del Shar, Patel-Sho, Namell, Orlan, Geon, Kalik D'an, Ferrin Sal, Kindal, Vaal Sh'to

Literal References

• Albegiido - Tel Megiddo
• Asaam - most probably, it's “Assembly” modified
• Caaliburnos - Excalibur
• F'xbat - foxbat, really???
• Gehenna - Hinnom Valley
• Kharak - Al-Karak
• Kushan - Kushan Empire
• Kuun-Lan - Kunlun
• Paktu - Paektu Mountain
• Siim Salla - Biim?!
• Siifar Kor'shesh - Night of the Long Knives
• Tiir - Tyre
• Wodaan - Odin

Khar

In fact, metallurgy and structural composition are an identical match to the Khar-Toba wreckage on Kharak
(c) HW1, Mission 08, The Cathedral of Kadesh

Khar-Toba appears to be the first city built by our ancestors after surviving planetfall on Kharak.
(c) HW1, Historical Briefing, p.3, Khar-Toba Analysis

Despite conditions that would daunt personnel in modern enviro suits, these first brave excavators managed to uncover what has come to be known as the First City, Khar-Toba.
(c) HW1, Historical Briefing, p.3, The Discovery of Khar-Toba

Kiith Sjet is, in fact, one of the only kiith to have a validated claim to direct kiith descent from the ancient first city of Khar-Toba.
(c) HW1, Historical Briefing, p.30, Kiith Sjet

The only other recorded finding of one of these ships is on Kharak; known as the Khar-Toba, it is the ship that brought the Hiigarans to Kharak, eventually becoming the planet's first city after it landed.
(c) HWR, p.150, Khar-Toba

The team had found the Khar-Toba, the First City, and everything, everywhere, would change for everyone.
(c) HWR, p.176, The Age of Reason

Khar-Toba, it appeared, had been built around the wreckage of an ancient vessel, perhaps by the very people who landed (or crashed) it on the surface of the world all Kushan then called home.
(c) HWR, p.177, Pre-Exodus

The name can refer to both the Exile ship Khar-Toba, which bore the hyperspace core from Hiigara to Kharak, or the city that accreted around its wreckage in the desert. Historically, however, the city is usually what is meant.
(c) HWR, P.187, Khar-Toba

In the Great Nebula she petitioned Fleet Command to board the derelict sister ship of the Khar-Toba, and in the Sea of Lost Souls she personally investigated the Ghost Ship.
(c) HWR, p.216, Emilia Somtaaw - Fleet Intelligence Officer

There is a word "Khar", used quite often (compared to other words). There are two believed meanings of it: “first” and “ship”. IMHO, both seem to be right, but let's check the usage.

1. Khar-Toba (HW1)
   City on the ship ruins
   1. Something like "The First City" or 'THAT (The Very One) City';
   2. Ship-city; ship-landing or else. Some are taking this name with guide stone - the reflection to the Kaaba in Mekka (Mekka's "brother" is Sajuu-ka, IMHO), the black stone. This is quite correlating, especially if we know that "kara/khara" in turks language is "black" (even here we can play with 'black/danger/sadness/void/universe' meanings, imaging the whole story behind 'khar' evolution through the physical, association, social and religious applications).
      And Toba in this case might mean "The First". Like "Ship/Place/Location One/First", basically, The First City. Or we can think that the definition "The FIrst City" is just a pseudonym, an alternative name for Khar-Toba.
2. Khar-Selim (HW1)
   Explorer ship
   1. First explorer/voyager, or the Pioneer, the first to discover something. But does it mean that 'Khar-Selim' can be applied to all pioneers? Or ''The Lonely Wanderer'? Or like in the previous case 'THAT (The Very One) Explorer', as it was very special ship.
   2. Ship-explorer/voyager, very simple.
      But what if the 'Selim' is some name, name of some wanderer and the great explorer, that became a synonim to the marathon voyager? - like it was in the case of Taiidan salvette codename - 'Tiirshak', the scientist and explorer of Kharak?..
3. Khar-Atekh (HWR)
   One of the S'jetti-filled cities
   1. First Atekh?
   2. City-ship of Atekh?
4. Khar-Toran (HW3)
   5th Fleet carrier under command of Admiral Baal Soban
   1. First Toran?
   2. Ship of Toran?
5. Khar-Kushan (HW3)
   HW3 new Imogen S'jet's mothership
   1. First Kushan?
   2. Kushan ship?
6. Khar-Sajuuk (HW3)
   HW3 new Karan S'jet's mothership
   
   1. First of Sajuuk's?
   2. Ship of Sajuuk?
7. Sajuuk-Khar (HW2)
   "The Chosen One" (c) HW2 or "chosen people" or "chosen of Sajuuk" (c) HW2PR
   1. Sajuuk's First?
   2. The placeholder of the Sajuuk, the “sajuukshipped”; the one who's is lead by Sajuuk, the Great Captain Whos Hand Lead Whatever It Is :).
      Maybe, the ship of the Sajuuk could be named nearly the same but in the reverse order - Khar-Sajuuk, and that's something that correlates with the 'Khar-Selim'.
8. Kharak (HW1)
   Khar+ak: Planet habited by the Exiles
   1. Guys translated it like "the First Planet" that was possible to habit; or we can transform the word 'first' to the 'the unit', 'the one': like, the planet that we chose. Like the article 'the', but with much more weight: THAT (The Very One) Planet.
   2. "Ship" meaning should not be taken so straight: it could mean something like "place"; but even without it, the planet is a quite big ship - for those who had seen only their prison ship for generations, "ship" could have more sacred, more "world" meaning then we do;
      And "-ak" suffix could mean the greatest level of size: like, the biggest ship/place.
      Actually, there is a city called Al-Karak, and its name once had the meaning 'Fortress'.
      And there are few more ancient city names with Kar/Khar in it. Like Khar-Nak - Egyptian city near the Tanis.
      
9. Kharam (HW2)
   Khar+am: ship wreckages on a multiplayer map
   1. First-am :). Well, we should know more about this ship and it's purpose. Mb, it's the first, but… we don't know. Or it could mean 'The One' ship, the lonely ship. Or else.
   2. Ship-am :). Well, '-am' suffix meaning could be - 'what's left of', 'abandoned', 'ruined', 'contaminated' and, of course, 'forbidden', as the actual meaning of the Arabic term 'Haram'.

Well, personally I like "ship" version - it's more like translating from other language, where you have to take two or more words and to think what is the logic in their connection to understand the final sense of the phrase. The words themselves have their history, usage habits and cultural background.

How about a fine new word “Khar-Tel”? What could it mean? :)

Daiam, Kharam, Asaam

Well, Daiamid is something like Parliament, and as there is an -id ending, which mean that it's like Semurg, meaning the collection of parliamentors, daiams. So, if the Daiamid is about speaking and negotiating, Daiam could mean somewhat of a guy who's negotiating about something. But that's a complicated idea. What if it's also consists of something more?

We have two more words with the same -am ending, and it's Kharam and Asaam. Cannot say anything about the latter, but Kharam should be a complex word, consisting of root Khar and suffix -am. And then we must understand what the Khar means. As it was mentioned earlier, if -am is somewhat of "forbidden", then it's easy to go with Daiam - forbidden to fight physically! Daiami - of ones who's forbidden to fight physically, and Daiamid, the gathering of all who's forbidden to fight physically. Theoretically :)

"That Daiamid should be named Dhaiamid!" (c) the guys disappointed in politics

Siidim, Gaalsien, S'jet

There is a word Gritiidim, meaning “sand people”: thus their antagonists, Siidim, should be somewhat of a “star” / “sky” - people. So, there's definitely a common part in both words, but what is this? Is it -[iidim]? -[dim]? -[im]?

There was this text:

religious leaders of Kiith Siid and Kiith Gaalsi, which were then the most powerful kiithid of the north
HW, p.24, Historical Briefing, Kiith Paktu

So, probably it's [Siid]+[im], [Gritiid]+[im].

And then we can have [Si]+[id] and [Griti]+[id]. Altogether, it's something like, the people (-im) ones (-id) of Star/Sky (Si) / Sand (Grit).

What to do with [Khar]-[Sel][im] then?.. Or with [Si][im] Salla?

• And then, [Sii][far] could have the same root there, as a whole it means "night", thus it's:
  • a Stars Sky - [Sii] = stars, [far] = sky
  • a Dark Sky - [Sii] = sky, [far] = dark

I guess, it's Stars, as [Si][i] goes for multiple object belonging to. And we can work with it further.

GAALSIEN:

1. We have a word Dhaigren - "Dreamlands", for sure having a suffix of multiplication - something of multiple, but that's not [-id] (HWDOK, what are you doing to me!) (maybe non-people thing?):
   [Dhai][gr][en] - "Dreamy lands", somewhat like "a bunch of lands of dreams";
2. We have [Fa][al] for "far", and [Faa][gan] for "extended rope" so that, literary, would mean something like "far bind";
3. We have [Gaalsi]+[en]. And clearly it's [Ga][al]+[Si][en]:
   • with [Si][en] meaning a set of stars
   • with [Ga][al] meaning "binder"
4. And thus [Ga][al]+[Si][en] would mean "Stars" "binder": ship captains, connecting the star systems, which would lead us to their initial role in Exile before turning into a kiith. Later, on Kharak, of course, it would be reading more as a "god wi-fi" private access members.
5. What could [Gaal]-[Ten] mean?..

S'JET:

1. We have S'Jet and Qwaar Jet - the god of pain and enslavement, would could they have in common?
2. Qwaar Jet could be somewhat of a classic devil prosecutor - he counts and looks for sins - well, but I really like Qwaar being a "pain", thus it would he's a "pain counter", I don't know - like carving each on a person's clay of life, so that the awoken Sajuuk does not recognize his creations under the one's sins and pains one did in one's life...
3. S'Jet initially were astronomers, they were looking at the stars and counting them (my wild guess), so it would be - [S'][Jet] - Star Counters. Dreamers, yeah.

K'ha, The Breath of Sajuuk

There are words - Khadiim, K'had, Khagaan, Kah'a, Khontala.

If we assume that Kha-K'ha-Kah'a-Khon - are the versions of the same root, let it means something like not the God, but the Divine Spirit. A breath - "K'ha".

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(с) Job 33:4

Then it would mean somewhat like that:

• [Khadi][im]
  - It could mean as [K'had][i][im] - K'had's people?
• Gaalsien Decree of [Kah]'a
  - Holy decree, book of Leviticus, with a guidance how to survive in a desert ;)
• [Khon][tala]
  - Holy mountain, literally - it asks for this after introducing Kuun-Lan :)
• [Kha][aneph]
  - "Godless", but more like "God Spirit Missing": soulless, animal existence.
• [K'h][ad]
  - after introducing K'Had Sunder and Retribution, and later having Gaalsien-sa K'had Sajuuk, with Gaalsien mothership "Satuuk Conquers", it's getting complicated. I can suggest that K'had, besides the title, is somewhat like impersonated or obsessed or blessed by Holy Spirit / Sajuuk Breath.
• [Kha][gaan]
  - well, after understanding [Faa][gan], Khagaan is somewhat like "tied with holy spirit" (well, I don't know yet how to explain double A - maybe because it's female name? - anyway this is a beautiful hypothesis!)
• [Kha][shar]?
• [Veer]-[Kah]?
• [Kh][ar] - blessed vessel?..

ne

There are two names in HWU lore that feel strange:

• Aart ne Somtaaw (HWC)
• K'nsaal ne Paktu (HWDOK)

What could this "ne" mean? For sure, it's not somewhat of d'Artagnan (of Artagnan place), because everybody should have used this kind of name form. But this appear only twice.

It was understood that Kaalel must serve as initiates of Sjet for three generations before they would be permitted to take the kiith name and serve in the third tier, as counselors and calendar keepers.
(c) HWCO, Kiith Kaalel

I have a theory that this is something marking the neophyte to the kiith. And in HWC was the situation when 15k kiith Somtaaw accepted 10k new joiners. Who said that Paktu can't do the same?..

Kiithless

This is a new definition in HWU/HWM, but it's how would it sound in Kushan language?

There are 2 words that might help:

• J'niira Kiith (HWDOK) - "A hollow kinswoman"
• Khaaneph (HWDOK) - “godless”

And that would lead us to the word of Kiithless: [Kiith]+[aneph].

Also we can imagine that old J'niira Kiith is a combination of
[J'ni][ir][A] + [Kiith] = [Root for meaning "Empty"] [Suffix for "Person"] [Ending for Gender] + [Family].

If we take [J'] is a negation, then we would get
- [J']+[Niir]+[A] = [Not] + [Full] + [Feminative]
If we continue this we can even get to the [J'][ku][ul] as the opponent of God, where [kuul] is some quality like "clean", "faithful" etc.
So, if we make it as Jaku-Ka, would it mean "the city of a Devil", the Gaalsi swearing for blasphemous Tiir?.. But we don't know if "Ka" means city and there could be any other meaning. But it wasn't essential in this exercise.
And, in this case, [Niir] - would mean "full"/"complete" "man", and maybe [Ni]+ some suffix would mean "completeness"/"Wholeness"?

Of course, it's not clear if the suffix [-ir] really means "person", like "man" in a form of [-ir][] or "women", [-ir][A], and if this suffix is more universal, creating double vowel, so it's more like [-Xr][/A], having these combinations - [-aar], [-iir], [-uur] etc..

So, I guess, while officially Kiithless would be named as Kiith'neph (sounds better), but unofficially and unpleasantly their name would be J'niiri/J'niirid/J'niirim, J'niiri Griitidim, "the empty ones", zero level citizens.

But, of course, there are a lot assumptions and that's the object of discussions.

Other Combinations

• COR:
  Sajuuk Cor, Cor[uc]-Tel, Cor[uc] Farr, Naab-Cor[um], Faal-Cor[um], Cor[vaal]
• FAAL:
  Faal-Corum, Faal-Tel
• GAR:
  [Hii]gar[a], Gar[], Gar[a][ak]
• JET:
  [S']Jet, Qwaar-Jet
• KA:
  Saju-Ka[], Sheer-Ka[], Ka[ark], Ka[al][el], Khar-Ka[al][ad], Ka[al][Tech]
• KORA:
  Kor['][shesh], Kor[a][al], [Trii]Kor[]
• KYORI:
  Kyori sector, Drun-Kyori
• LAN:
  Kuun-Lan, Coor-Lan
• MIIR:
  Miir[pat], Miir[han]
• NAAB:
  Naab-Corum, Naab[al]
• NAN:
  Shuus-Nan, Thuuw-Nan
• RA:
  Sojent-Ra, Koshiir Ra
• RE:
  Bushan-Re, Knar-Re, Morrh-Re
• SAN:
  Clee-San, Eheb-San
• SHTO:
  Caal-Shto, Gren-Shto
• TEL:
  Tel sector, Naar-Tel, Coruc-Tel, Faal-Tel, Seera Tel, Skaal Tel
• TIIR:
  Tiir, Tiir[a], Tiir[shak]
• VEER:
  Veer-Rak, Veer-Kah

Kushan Poetry

Probably, last but not least - the guys that try to create new words usually are thinking that they should use similar sounds to be "on the same page" with that alien language, but it's right only in part. Because it can turn in a quite dumb unsystematic repeats like - kor-cor-corum - kha-kah-khon-Khar-ka - Tiir-tiira-tyrra - and so on. Sometimes you can rule this out creating some interesting cultural layer out of it, sometimes it's... Well, like the symbols on Kushan map.

Basically, you don't need to be afraid of creating new words, but all the languages are harmonic their way, and poetry is something that mark the rhythm and the sound of the language. That's why we can distinct languages and their structure creating similarities. The same we must look here. You can't just take a word from a different language and put in, you need to adapt it.

Well, like an experiment I wrote something that you might even understand with all the vocabulary above, even when I don't know the prepositions and verbs constructing rules yet :)

Griti Kharak
Koshiidim
Saam Dhaii A'Siifar

Faal Lan-Duuk
Jaku Taiidan
A'Lungma Va Qwaar

Gar'neph!
Viin A'Taiidim
Kushani Paaura

Khon-Niira Karan
Kushan-Khar
Dai Kadath A'Hiigara

Links

• Duolingo - Writing Systems Around The World

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