Re: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 98 18:35 MET DST


Michael Cule

>>The Civilized People of the Janube Valley speak Janubian, 'a tongue >>not closely related to any other' (Genertela Book p12).

> That's as may be. But Junora is not on the river and on p 13 it says
> that in the Kingdom of the Jonatings they use three languages
> 'Junoran, Syanoran and Oranoran, three related Theyalan tongues'.
> If Junoran isn't what they speak in Junora then I'm a Dutchman.

The logical conclusion would be that the Junorans living on the Janube aren't civilized... ;-)

Seriously, I think that the comment cited by Peter relates to the city states (Perfe, Arrolia, and from Riverjoin to Zoria.

The Theyalan of the lands south of the Janube may have sifted into the city states, and various, unrelated "Hsunchen" influences as well.

As a pet theory, could "Janubian" be _distantly_ related to Veldang (invasion of Blue People) and more closely to the Sweet Sea languages not mentioned in Genertela Book?

Alphabetic Western:
> Why? It makka no sense! For a script to be used to communicate by
> groups using differing spoken languages seems to require an
> ideographic script.

Interesting.

> If it is alphabetic the language will mutate as the written
> language mutates and will soon be mutually incomprehensible.

Not if you have books resistant to rewrites as your major source of literacy. AFAIK the Thora remained in Hebrew even when the Israeli mostly spoke Aramaeic.

> The analogy with Latin as a common sacred tongue fails because Latin
> has a spoken and written form of its own.

Maybe. In that case, take the example of British English as spoken and as written. Somehow, there are lots of silent constructions in words like brought (spoken like "broat") or knight ("nite").

> I think it must be more like
> Japanese and Chinese using ideographs to communicate.

Most people don't.

>>The Yggi are not Orlanthi and have their own traditions.

> p 34 of Player's Book Genertela says they are *so* Orlanthi. Unless
> this has been officially Gregged?

It has, in Tales #10, and subsequent communications. If you look at their descent, they have a similar ancestry to the Brithini according to common Malkioni and Waertagi myth (Malkion = Son of Aerlit Kolating and Warera Triolina, the Ygglings descended from Ygg Seastorm and Nelarinna Triolina).

Players Book Genertela says "Orlanthi" for a lot of cultures which aren't remotely Heortling, like the Caladralanders or the Rightarm Islanders.

Peter:
>>The other Orlanthi come from the south over the High >>Llama's Pass into Jonatela and Oranor.

When?

There seems to have been a migration of herder peoples in Peloria along the Rockwood Mountains. The Pelandan records show several such people coming in generally from the south (which they never had an overview of). There also seem to have been local beast totem peoples accepting the Theyalan missionaries and switching to divine worship.


Powered by hypermail