Ayleidoon, also known as Cylmeris or Salialambe, is the language created by the Ayleids. It was based off Aldmeris and Ehlnofex with much more influence from the latter, having started as an encrypted version of the Aldmer language for the Ayleids to hide their messages from the Aldmeri Kings. After the Ayleid Empire was formed it became the main language of the Ayleids and their slaves.
History[]
The Ayleid language evolved from the language of their ancestors, the Aldmer, which in turn evolved from the original language of mortals - the Ehlnofey -, Ehlnofex. It uses a very similar alphabet to Aldmeris.
Initially, Ayleidoon was referred to as Cylmeris and was a regional dialect of the Aldmer colonists that migrated to the Heartlands of Tamriel. It evolved naturally from the mother tongue over many centuries. Cylmeris became Ayleidoon when these colonists of the Heartlands began to conspire for independence from the Aldmeri Kingdom. They created Ayleidoon from Cylmeris to encrypt their communications and hide messages and information from the Aldmer homeland. They did this by reintroducing much more Ehlnofex influences in Ayleidoon, making it sound more archaic than other elven language.
After independence was achieved, Ayleidoon was adopted as the official language of the new Ayleid Empire in the Heartlands. The language began its slow process of evolution over the next few centuries, absorbing words from modern Aldmeris, Bosmeris, Daedric and the Nedic tongues of the Ayleids' slaves. Aldmeris and Ayleidoon are still somewhat mutually intelligible, though it is very difficult to communicate properly with one another.
Pronunciation[]
The pronunciation of Ayleidoon closely resembles the pronunciation of Aldmeris.
The consonants:The following consonants are pronounced as in Tamrielic:
- qu, x
- d
- h - always pronounced, as in 'happy', never silent as in 'honour'
- p, b
- l
- s, sh
- th
- n, m
- v, w, f
These consonants are a bit different:
| Consonant | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| c | always pronounced 'k' as in "cat", never as 's' |
| ch | pronounced as in Reach "loch", never as in Tamrielic "choose" |
| g | always pronounced as in "good" |
| k | the 'k' sound is never aspirated, meaning that there is not puffy sound with it. |
| r | thrilled 'r' sound, not like the standard Tamrielic sounds or the Galenic sound |
| t | always pronounced 't', never 'd' or any other sound, not even between vowels |
| y | a semi-vowel, pronounced as the consonant in "you" before a vowel, as the vowel sound in "still" after a vowel and as the Galenic 'u' |
The vowel sounds:
There are five vowels and the semi-vowel "y", each having a short and a long version. The long versions are written as "aa, ee" etc. and simply pronounced as a longer version of the short sound. The long vowels are extremely rare.
The "e" sound is usually pronounced as "ey" (like the Tamrielic 'eh?') at the end of a word, so "Umarile" is pronounced Umariley. This is also how the name "Umaril" is pronounced.
| Vowel | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| a | as in "father" but short. |
| e | as in "tell" |
| i | as in "still" |
| o | as in "hold" |
| u | as in "fool" but short |
Grammar[]
Unlike Aldmeris, Ayleidoon does possess the definite article, equivalent to Tamrielic "the". The article is an.
Adverbs[]
Forming an adverb that tells of a manner something is done: an ending -le is added to a word.
| Qualifiers | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sa | so, very |
| Time | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ne | never |
| pado | before |
Conjunctions[]
| Ayleidoon | Tamrielic |
|---|---|
| Ni, aba | no, not |
| Yando | also |
| ye | and |
Interrogatives[]
| Tamrielic | Ayleidoon |
|---|---|
| From where? | Avma? |
| How? | Asma? |
| What? | Man? |
| Where? | Vama? |
| Where to? | Vime? |
| Who? | Man? |
| Why? | Asma? |
| With what? | Asma? |
Nouns and Adjetives[]
The Ayleidoon noun and adjective declines in seven classes. As in Tamrielic, the only declensions are the nominative and genitive, but both have singular and plural forms. The noun are divided into the declension classes simply by the final sound in singular.
| Noun classes | Nominative | Genitive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | ||
| A-ending | -a | -ais | -a | -ai | |
| E-ending | -e | -eis | -e | -eis | |
| I-ending | -i | -is | -i | -ie | |
| AI-ending | -ia | -ia | -ia | -ia | |
| O-ending | -o | -ois | -o | -ois | |
| U-ending | -u | -o | -u | -o | |
| Consonantal ending | - | -i | -e | -e | |
The declension of adjectives is similar, but lacks the genitive form, just like in Tamrielic. The greatest difference to Tamrielic is that the Ayleidoon adjective had plural form. So, if the word it describes is in plural, so is the adjective.
| Adjetive classes | Nominative | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | ||
| A-ending | -a | -ai | |
| E-ending | -e | -i | |
| I-ending | -i | -i | |
| AI-ending | -ia | -ia | |
| O-ending | -o | -oi | |
| U-ending | -u | -o | |
| Consonantal ending | - | -i | |
Positions[]
Grammatically positional words they work in the same way as in Aldmeris; the positional word is always placed before the noun.
| Ayleidoon | Tamrielic |
|---|---|
| as | for, because of |
| asva | within |
| av | considering, about, from, of, out, away |
| lipsa | faraway, far |
| ry | as |
| sino | here |
| va | in, at |
| ve | among, between |
| vinne | to |
Possessive[]
Ayleidoon, like Aldmeris, completely lacks possessive, meaning that is has no equivalent of the Tamrielic "have" verb. You can't ask "do you have any money?" Ayleidoon phrases those kind of questions in a different way, making some speech patters very different from typical Tamrielic patterns. Some examples:
- Do you have any money? > Is there any money in your pockets?
- The king has a tall tower > The king's tower (followed by a description of the tower's location or something else; "... is in the valley" so you can't simply say that the king has a tower)
- He has a terrible disease > He is sick with a terrible disease.
Pronouns and demonstratives[]
| Pronoun | Nominative | Accusative | Genitive | Genitive ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | A | Angua | -ngua |
| You (sg.) | Ni | Ni | Sou | -ya |
| He/She | - | - | - | - |
| We | Nu | Nu | Nou | -na |
| You (pl.) | Tye | Tye | Tou | -ya |
| Relative pronoun; which, who | Man | Man | Man | - |
There is no pronoun for "he" or "she"; instead of them, a noun is always used. For example, "he killed the bear" = "Bob killed the bear / the man killed the bear."
Genitival endings are a feature that did not exist in Aldmeris. They are used as an alternative to the genitive form of a pronoun and added to the noun that is owned. The separate genitive word and the ending are never used together. Thus you can say cava angua or cavangua and both mean "my house".
The relative pronoun man is also used as a phrase meaning "which was/who was". For example: aldmer man buro "the aldmer who was a slave".
Verb[]
Ayleidoon verbs have three tenses; the present, the future and the past.
Present tense[]
The present of course tell what happens now. The root form of the verb is used as the present tense. The old personal endings can be used as a stylistic addition. The endings are:
| Pronoun | ending |
|---|---|
| Me | -nye |
| You (sg.) | -t |
| He/She | - |
| We | -ne |
| You (pl.) | -ye |
| They | - |
If the verb ends in a consonant, an -a- is added before the personal ending.
So, for example using the verb mitta- "to enter"; a mitta "I enter" or stylistically mittanye "I enter".
Past tense[]
The past tense tells what happened or has happened. In verbs ending with a vowel, an -i- is unfixed just before the last vowel. In verbs ending with a consonant, an ending -e is added. The personal endings can be used stylistically as with the present tense, and if a personal ending is used, it is added after the past tense marker.
Example:
- mitta- "to enter" > ni mittia "you entered", mittiat "you entered" with the personal ending
- amar- "to tell" > ni amare "you told", amaret "you told" with the personal ending
Future tense[]
The future tense tells what will happen in the future. It is formed by adding an ending -var (-avar in verbs ending in a consonant). A personal ending is never used. For example, racuvar "they will fall down".
Commands[]
There are two forms of commands. The first is the regular imperative, used to tell somebody to do something. It is formed with the ending -voy with vowel-ending verbs and -a with verbs ending in a consonant.
- An example using the verb mitta- "to enter"; mittavoy! "enter!"
- An example using the verb amar "to tell"; amara! "tell!"
The second is a new form that did not exist in the Aldmeris, used to express a hope for somebody to be something. It is formed with the ending -be and can be added to either a verb or an adjective. Thus the following examples:
- sunnabe! "be blessed!" from sunna "blessed"
- racabe! "be destroyed!" from raca- "to destroy"
Other verb forms[]
An equivalent of the Tamrielic -ing ending is -en, but is used only as an adjective. For example, you can use it to say "A running man" but not "A man is running".
An equivalent of the Tamrielic -ed ending is -i and is used in a similar way, although verb "to be" is not used. For example, aldmer amari "an aldmer was told".
Negative sentence[]
A negative sentence uses the classic Aldmeri formation. It is formed by adding a prefix aba- to a verb, or ab- if the verb starts with a vowel. Otherwise the verb works as normal. For example. aldmer abamaravar "an aldmer will not tell".
Word Order[]
A common sentence has the following word order: Subject + Verb + Object.
An adjective always follows the word it describes; mar vabria "sea foaming" = "foaming sea"
The owner always follows the owned; cava aldmere "the house aldmer's" = "the aldmer's house"
In question sentences the basic word order is: Interrogative + Verb + Subject + Object + Preposition. Some examples:
- Man nor Rielle? "Who rules Rielle?"
- Vime ni burongua ayleide? "Where you my slave hid?" = "Where did you hide my slave?"
Vocabulary[]
| Ayleidoon | Tamrielic |
|---|---|
| Aba (abai) | Forbidden (adj) |
| Acharya (acharyai) | Original Ancestor, Aedra (n.) |
| Ada (adais) | Deity, god, temple (n.) |
| Adma- | To hear (verb) |
| Adonai (adonai) | Noble, royal, exalted, high-bearing, lordly (adj) |
| Agea (ageais) | Lore, wisdom, secret (n.) |
| Alasil | Vision (n.) |
| Alata (alatai) | Radiance, Light (n.) |
| Ald (aldi) | Ancient (adj) |
| Aldmeri (aldmeris) | Elf Ancestor (n.) |
| Amar- | To tell, to declare (verb) |
| Amaralda- | To foretell, to precede (verb) |
| Amaraldane (amaraldani) | Herald (n.) |
| Anda (andai) | Long (adj) |
| Anga (angai) | Cold (adj) |
| Anga (angais) | Iron (n.) |
| Angalayond (angalayondi) | Winter (n.) |
| Anu (ano) | Beginning, creation (n.) |
| Anyadena (anyadenais) | Life-treaty (n.) |
| Anyammis | Life (n.); as an abstract force, not an individual's life and deeds |
| Aran (arana) | King (n.) |
| Aranque (aranqui) | Queen (n.) |
| Arata (aratais) | Dust (n.) |
| Arcan (arcani) | Magic (n.) |
| Arcta- | To recognize, to admit, to ackowledge (verb) |
| Arpen (arpena) | Nobleman, noblewoman (n.) |
| Arpenia (arpenia) | Nobility (n.) |
| At | Elder (adj.) |
| Ata (atais) | Father (n.) |
| Atatar (atatari) | Fatherwoods (n.) |
| Auran- | To welcome, to receive (verb) |
| Auri (auris) | Welcome (adj) |
| Auta | To leave, to get out (verb) |
| Autaracu (autaraco) | Remnant (n.) |
| Ayleid- | To hide (verb) |
| Ayleid (ayleids) | Hidden Ones, Heartland Elves, Saliache (n.) |
| Ayleidoon | Hiding, Hidden Tongue (n.) |
| Bal (bali) | Stone, rock (n.) |
| Bala (balais) | Power, strength (n.) |
| Barra- | To wear (verb) |
| Baune (bauni) | Mighty (adj) |
| Bek (beki) | City (n.) |
| Belda (beldai) | Strong, powerful (adj) |
| Bella (bellais) | Storm (n.) |
| Belle (belli) | Stormy, thunderous (adj) |
| Bellia- | A storm is going on (verb) |
| Bis | New (adj.) |
| Bo (boi) | Tree-Sap (n.) |
| Boiche (boichi) | Tree-Sap Elf, Bosmer (n.) |
| Bre, brelye (breis brelyeis) | Beech tree (n.) |
| Buro (burois) | Slave, slavery (n.) |
| Calne | given |
| Can- | To summon, to call (verb) |
| Can (cani) | incantation, call (n.) |
| Cand (candi) | Vault, arch (n.) |
| Cano (canois) | Dungeon, prison (n.) |
| Canomora (canomorais) | Daedric herald (n.) |
| Carac (caraci) | Mountain (n.) |
| Cava (cavais) | House, mansion (n.) |
| Cele (celeis) | Silver, white-gold (n.) |
| Cele (celi) | Silver (adj) |
| Cey (ceyi) | Shadow, shade (n.) |
| Che (chi) | Person/elf, man/male (n.) |
| Cul (culi) | Tower (n.) |
| Cyrod (cyrodi) | Heart, center (n.) |
| Da | Fane (n.) |
| Dagon | Destruction (n.) |
| Darre | Mercy (n.) |
| Delle- | To give, to grant (verb) |
| Dena (denais) | Treaty (n.) |
| Ecul (eculi) | Coast, shore (n.) |
| Ede (edeis) | End (n.) |
| Ehlno (ehlnoi) | Mortal (adj) |
| El | Holy title, prefix or suffix of a name |
| Eld | Old (adj) |
| Elen (eleni) | Oak (n.) |
| Emera- | To guide (verb) |
| Emeratu | Music (n.) |
| Emero (emerois) | Guide (n.) |
| Ener (eneri) | Skill, ability, edge (n.) |
| Epe- | To speak (verb) |
| Fal (fali) | Cold (adj) |
| Fanacas (fanacasi) | White (adj) |
| Frensca (frenscai) | Wave, foamy crest of a wave (n.) |
| Gaia- | To be afraid, to fear (verb) |
| Gaiar (gaiari) | Fear, horror (n.) |
| Gandra (gandrais) | Gift (n.) |
| Gandrevla (dandrevlais) | Festival (n.) |
| Garauvol (garauvoli) | Enemy (n.) |
| Garlas (garlasi) | Cave, cavern (n.) |
| Gethen- | To set (verb) |
| Glath (glathi) | Sunset (n.) |
| Glynn (glynni) | Wooden valley, glen (n.) |
| Gord (gordi) | Patriarch (n.) |
| Gori, goria (goris, goria) | Obscure, secretive (adj) |
| Gravia (gravia) | Ugly (adj) |
| Gume (gumeis) | Against (n.) |
| Haelia | Horrible, scary, terrible (adj) |
| Hame (hameis) | Home (n.) |
| Hautalle | To send (verb) |
| Hec- | To leave, to go away, to depart (verb) |
| Hecta- | To exile, to refuse (verb) |
| Hecul | Outcast, Missing (adj.) |
| Heculche | Outcast Elf, Orc (n.) |
| Heculmora (heculmorais) | Outcast-Daedra (n.) |
| Hilya- | To follow (verb) |
| Horst (horsti) | Temple (n.) |
| Hrota (hrotais) | Mine, delving, subterranean hall (n.) |
| Ilpen | Many (n.) |
| Imperatum (imperatumi) | Empire, realm (n.) |
| Joran- | To betray (verb) |
| Jorano | Traitor (n.) |
| Kana- | To dare (verb) |
| Karan (karani) | Armor (n.) |
| Kemen (kemeni) | Earth, ground, soil (n.) |
| Kynd (kyndi) | Child (n.) |
| La (lais) | Time (n.) |
| Lae (laeis) | Throat (n.) |
| Lalor (laloria) | Dark time, tragedy (n.) |
| Lambe | Language (n.) |
| Larelleis | Spring season (n.) |
| Latta (latti) | Bright, shining (adj.) |
| Lattia- | To shine, to brighten (verb) |
| Leed (leedi) | Great, big (adj.) |
| Liebal | Will (n.) |
| Lind (lindi) | Coin, Money (n) |
| Linda (lindais) | Wealth (n.) |
| Lindai (lindai) | Rich, wealthy (adj.) |
| Lipsand (lipsandi) | Soapstone (n.) |
| Lor (lori) | Dark, black (adj.) |
| Loria- | To wade, to darken (verb) |
| Luch (luchi) | Room, chamber (n.) |
| Lye (lyeis) | Tree (n.) |
| Macka (mackai) | Enduring, firm, steady (adj.) |
| Mafre (mafreis) | Frost (n.) |
| Magicka (magickais) | Magic, energy (n.) |
| Mala (malai) | High (adj.) |
| Malaburo | Worship (verb) |
| Malatu (malato) | Truth (n.) |
| Mallari (mallaris) | Gold (n.) |
| Mantia (mantia) | Tower (n.) |
| Mar (mari) | Sea (n.) |
| Math (mathi) | Home (n.) |
| Meld- | To drive away, to exile (verb) |
| Meldi (meldis) | Exiled (adj) |
| Mentain (mentaini) | Mansion (n.) |
| Metana | To take (verb) |
| Mir (miri) | Young Man (n.) |
| Misca- | To brighten, to bright light (verb) |
| Miscar (miscari) | Lantern, lamp (n.) |
| Mitta- | To enter (verb) |
| Molag (molagi) | Fire, flame (n.) |
| Mor (mori) | Evil, dark (n.) as an abstract force |
| Mor, Mori (mori) | Evil (adj.) |
| Mora (morais) | Daedra (n.) |
| Moraga | To unbind (verb) |
| Morilatta (morilattais) | Autumn (n.) |
| Na- | To be (verb) |
| Naga (nagais) | Death (n.) |
| Naril (narili) | Final (adj.) |
| Ne | Never |
| Nemalauta | To believe (verb) |
| Nen (neni) | Lake, body of water (n.) |
| Nili (nilis) | Flower (n.) |
| Nir- | To make, to craft, to create (verb) |
| Nirn | World (n.) |
| Nirya (niryais) | Maker, craftsman, creator (n.) |
| Nor- | To rule, to reign (verb) |
| Norn (norni) | Reign, authority (n.) |
| Oio (oioi) | Eternal (adj.) |
| Ondo (ondois) | Cliff (n.) |
| Orn (orni) | Weald, meadow (n.) |
| Otte (otti) | Harbor (n.) |
| Pado (padois) | Past (n.) |
| Par (pari) | Fist, grip (n.) |
| Pelin (pelini) | Knight (n.) |
| Pelinal (pelinali) | Glorious "Star-made" Knight (n.) |
| Pellan (pellani) | Foreign (adj.) |
| Pellani (pellanis) | Foreigner, outsider (n.) |
| Piuka (piukais) | Corridor (n.) |
| Quen (queni) | Woman (n.) |
| Raca- | To destroy, to sack, to break (verb) |
| Racu- | To be destroyed, to collapse, to fall down (verb) |
| Racuvar | Cast down |
| Rahtan- | To reach (verb) |
| Relle | Water (n.) |
| Relleis | River, stream (n.) |
| Rielle (rielleis) | Beauty (n.) |
| Rielle (rielli) | Beautiful (adj.) |
| Ril (rili) | Glory, honor (n.) |
| Ruma (rumai) | Familiar, important (adj.) |
| Rumare (rumari) | Dear, familiar, own (adj.) |
| Salache (salachi) | Aldmer, lit. "high elf" (n.) |
| Saliache (saliachi) | Ayleids, Cylmer, Heartlands Elf, lit. "higher elf" (n.) |
| Sancre (sancri) | Golden (adj.) |
| Sard (sardi) | Bridge (n.) |
| Sardavar (sardavari) | Fortress guarding a bridge (n.) |
| Seate | To arrive (verb) |
| Sel (seli) | Hall (n.) |
| Sepredia (sepredia) | Peace (n.) |
| Sercen (serceni) | Earth (n.) |
| Sil (sili) | Light, brightness, shining (n.) |
| Sila- | To shine, to glitter (verb) |
| Silyanorn (silyanorni) | Acorn (n.) |
| Shanta-, shauta- | To come, to arrive (verb) |
| Sorn | Limit (n.) |
| Spanga (spangais) | Foam (n.) |
| Spana (spanai) | Deep (adj) |
| Spania (spania) | Depth, abyss, crevice (n.) |
| Stani (stanis) | City (n.) |
| Stare (stareis) | Mansion (n.) |
| Suna- | To bless (verb) |
| Sunna (sunnai) | Blessed, good (adj.) |
| Talwin (talwini) | Warmth, summer (n.) |
| Tam (tami) | Morning, Dawn (n.) |
| Tar (tari) | Forest, Wood (n.) |
| Tarcellanen | To understand |
| Tarn- | To go, to pass by, to travel (verb) |
| Tarn (tarni) | Dwelling (n.) |
| Tarnabye (tarnabyeis) | Mountain pass, way, road (n.) |
| Tel | Silver (adj.) |
| Telepe | Safe, secure (adj.) |
| Thel (theli) | Wing (n.) |
| Tor (tori) | Hill (n.) |
| Trumbe (trumbeis) | Wall, fortified gate (n.) |
| Twyll (twylli) | Well (n.) |
| Tya- | To taste (verb) |
| Vabra (vabrais) | Foam (n.) |
| Vabria (vabria) | Foaming (adj.) |
| Vahta (vahtais) | Secret (n.) |
| Vahtacen (vahtaceni) | Secret (adj.) |
| Val (vali) | Foothill (n.) |
| Vanua (vanuais) | Ruin (n.) |
| Var (vari) | Mouth (n.) |
| Varla (varlais) | Star (n.) |
| Varlor (varlori) | Symbol (n.) |
| Vasha (vashais) | Lost, gone (adj.) |
| Vea (veais) | Sea (n.) |
| Veyond (veyondi) | Walled yard (n.) |
| Vinda (vindais) | Pain, suffering (n.) |
| Vindai (vindai) | Painful (adj.) |
| Wel (weli) | Sky (n.) |
| Wenaya (wenayai) | Green (adj.) |
| Wenayasille (wenayasilleis) | Summer (n.) |
| Wend (wendi) | Journey (n.) |
| Wende (wendeis) | Throne, authority (n.) |
| Yond (yondi) | Gray (n.) |
Derivative Endings[]
These endings are used to derive new words from existing ones.
| Ending | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -iil | place, region, country, imporant building |
| -que | feminine agent |
| -ya, -r, -ro | agent, maker |
Source[]
- Based on Hrafnir's languages on the Imperial Library.