Andorian/Graalen

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Andorians

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The Andorians speak a unified language known as Graalen.

Origins of Graalen

It is believed that because they can sense subtle variations in pitch and vibration that Andorian speech is soft and sibilant. This is also believed to be partially due to their language originating from music and partially due to their hearing being different from other races. This theory is lent support by the fact that as a culture Andorians have a great interest in music.

Pronunciation Notes

In most Andorian words, emphasis is usually on the second to last syllable. As dual consanants (such as in tlaal meaning “management” or “government”) often appear at the beginning of words, a type of partial vowel is sometimes added when speaking outloud (like an implied pause, light grunt or glottal-stop). Thus tlaal would be pronounced utlaal, with the “u” being very slight and quick

Examples

Handwritten Graalen.

Below is an example of Graalen, showing the ways in which the four genders are referred to in various situations and through varying levels of politeness.

Apparent Sex	Gender	Polite form of Address	Bondmate Endearment	Parental Name	Offspring Name	Sibling	Parent by Marriage	Child by Marriage
She	Zhen	Zha	Zh'yi	Zhavey	Zhei	Zhi	Zhadi	Zhri'za
She	Shen	Sha	Sh'za	Shreva	Shei	Shi	Shidei	Shri'za
He	Chan	Cha	Ch'te	Charan	Chei	Chi	Chada	Chri'ze
He	Thaan	Tha	Th'se	Thavan	Thei	Thi	Thadu	Thri'ze

Examples taken from the table above include the Andorian equivalents to the Federation Standard "sister", being shi or zhi, depending on gender, and the equivalents for "father" being charan and thavan.

Nouns

• Atlirith: Andorian eagle
• Ekathamor: keth (clan) name
• Ezatamor: personl name
• Hybor: small Andorian mammal, similar to a rabbit
• Shla’hlast: baby, infant; literally “the outcome of love: a living person”

Word Order

Graalen is a simplistic contextual language. It has no articles; an Andorian would not say "the knife" they would simply say "knife." (Although some nouns have implied articles). In addition, there are no verbs for "is" or "are" in present tense, and Andorians usually refer to themselves and each other by name, even in third person to refer to themselves instead of using pronouns. Others have created gender specific pronouns for convenience, such as "zhe" to refer to a zhen, but they are only used by other languages such as Standard and not by Graalen speakers themselves. Aside from these and a few eccentricities, the sentence structure of Graalen is typically that of Standard.

Syntax Morphology

Graalen is a "consonantal root" language, meaning basic units of meaning (or core concepts) are expressed in the form of a string of consonants. For example, ND-R forms the root of words meaning "world", "planet", or "everything there is." Vowel modifiers turn these core concepts into words. Thus, Andor means "world" but Andoria means "The World."

Stops and pauses are only used in the middle of complex consonants "surrounded" by vowel sounds, for emphasis, or for tonal distinction. For example, Am Tal is not two words but one, amtal ("the business of secrecy"). The pause is introduced to break up the complex consonant MT. Less significant pauses re indicated by apostrophes. Apostrophes also indicate when separate words should be pushed together, such as in Lor'Vela ("the woman who brought the law") when such compounds contained an audible pause or tonal shift.

Core Concepts

(Note: This list is from Star Trek Role Playing Game: Among The Clans. It is currently incomplete)

CH-K: War, violence, destruction (typically large-scale)
CH-LD: Renewal, replenishment
D-GR: Food, agriculture, eating
D-LD: Plants (particularly woody ones), wood, vines
D-LN: Edible plants, fruits, and vegetables
D-R: Escape, shelter, evasion
D-S: Fear, dread
DH-R: Trade, commerce, bargaining
F-L: Passion, emotion
F-RK: Naivete, innocence
FL-N: Creative drive, creative need
FL-V: Happiness, good feeling
GH-L: Masculinity, man
GR-K: Anger, hatred, contempt
GR-L: Communication
HL-S: Fire, heat
HL-SH: Effort, power, energy (physical)
HL-ST: Life, vitality
HR-K: Weakness, frailty, impotence
HR-S: Death, dying
J-L: Vastness, largeness, size
J-TH: Essence, character, flavor
K-L: Beauty, inspiration
K-LN: Dominance, superiority
K-N: Religious observance, worship
K-R: Wonder, excitement, enthusiasm
K-SH: Connection, interaction, interrelationship
K-TH: Community, group, cooperation
K-V: Deception, lies, pretense
L-R: Femininity, woman
L-S: Water, fluid, fluidity
L-TH: Time (measured tiem)
L-X: Ice, cold
LN-R: Art, creativity
LN-V: Magic, spiritual energy, force of will
LR-N: Music (particularly in the professional sense)
M-KR: Pain, mortal terror
M-R: Identity, labeling, naming
M-RSH: Ambition, motivation
M-X: Exceptions, differences
MD-N: Silence, stillness, peace
MT-L: Secrecy, hidden things
N-R: Regret, sadness
N-N: Deference, obedience, desire to please (often used ironically)
ND-L: Nothingness, emptiness, vacuum
ND-N: Past, previous, remembered
ND-R: World, all, everything
ND-S: Alien, otherworldly, vastly distant
ND-SH: Future, expectations
PR-N: Glory, fame, celebrity
PR-TH: Victory, success despite obstacles
R-L: Illness, injury
R-N: Pleasure, appreciation
R-S: Change (positive connotations)
R-TH: Change (negative connotations)
S-L: Enemy, opponent, antagonist
S-N: Hatred, emotional conflict
S-S: Money, commerce, trade
SH-L: Love, sex
SH-N: Combat, violence, attack (smaller scale than CH-K)
SH-R: Blood relations, family ties, lineage
SH-S: Speed, swiftness
SHL-S: Medicine, healing, hospitals
SHR-S: Friendship, closeness, trust
SK-RK: Stupidity, feeblemindedness
SK-RSH: Compromise, conciliation
T-N: Sight, things visible, appearances
TH-L: Rock, stope, soil, solidity
TH-R: Wisdom, intuition, truth
TH-S: Home, shelter, warmth
TL-L: Leaders, royalty, masters, authority
TL-N: Expertise, skill, authoritative knowledge
TL-R: Hunting, predatory habits
TR-N: Youth, beginnings
V-L: Law, order, stability
VR-N: Organization, administration
Z-N: Individuality, selfishness, loneliness
Z-S: Touch, texture, sensation

Vowel Modifiers

Words in Graalen are produced by separating the consonantal core concepts with vowels.

-A: (both consonants in the root compressed together, followed by A) The outcome, fate, destination, culmination, or logical outgrowth of the core concept. For example, shla'hlast is an Andorian term for an infant. It literally translates as "the outcome of love: a living person". Shla by itself generally means "child." This modifier is applied to only a few roots in practice, but some of the results (like shla) are very commonplace words.

-A-: A type of person (usually) associated with the core concept. A shras is a friend. A lar is a female. This modifier is often included in compound words, such as tashrul ("archer", literally translated as "a person who injures from a distance"). It is a general term, less specific than -O- (see below).