Appendix:Qatama writing

From Dick

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

Moj

Image:Nm moj2.PNG

Moj is the alphabetic representation of the Qatama language.

Notable features

  • Moj is written from left to right in horizontal lines, it may also be written vertically from top to bottom.
  • The word moj not only refers to the script but also means "to write" in Qatama.
  • Moj was inspired by the Tibetan, Klingon, and Masonic writing systems.
  • Moj contains 14 consonants, 4 vowel diacritics and 2 vowel carriers.

Moj consonants

Image:Moj cons2.png

Moj vowels

Image:Moj vwl2.png

  • The vowel carriers are used when a vowel begins a word or for diphthongs.
  • The vowel carriers are not used when the script is written vertically.
  • There is no punctuation used in Qatama, pauses, stops and questions are understood through the use of context and particles.
  • The three different pronunciations of <j> are dialectal in Qatama.

Moj numerals

Image:Moj num2.png

Higher numbers are constructed as follows:

Image:Moj_num3.gif

Moj sample

Image:Moj sample2.png

The Mogua

Image:Mogua1.PNG

  • This is something I call mogua, it's a play on moj (writing system) + gua (face), if you look closely, every grapheme of Moj can be made with a combination of these brush strokes.

Ajan

Image:Nm ajan2.GIF

Ajan is an abjad used to represent the Qatama language. It was created as an alternative to the alphabet Moj.

Notable features

  • Ajan is written vertically, in columns running from left to right.
  • The word 'ajan' not only refers to the script but also means "a tied rope, or knot" in Qatama - referring to the appearance of the words.
  • Ajan contains 15 consonants, two vowel markers and three vowel diacritics.

Ajan abjad

Image:Ajan.GIF

A serif style

Image:Ajan serif.GIF

Notes

  • Full vowel indication (vocalization) can be added, usually by means of diacritics, but this is not common.
  • The script can also be written horizontally, but this is only done to save space.
  • There is no punctuation used in Qatama, pauses, stops and questions are understood through the use of context and particles.
  • Most often the vowels are not marked, the single diagonal mark is used to show that a vowel begins or ends the word, and is also used to connect graphemes that otherwise would not connect based on the normal methods of connecting.

Sample text in Ajan

Image:Smp ajan.GIF

Ngala

Image:Nm ngala.gif

Ngala is system of quasi-featural glyphs, mostly monosyllabic used to represent the Qatama language. It was created as an alternative to the alphabet Moj.

Notable features

  • Ngala can be written vertically, in columns running from left to right, or horizontally.
  • The word 'Ngala' not only refers to the script but also means "a square, or a block" in Qatama - referring to the appearance of the glyphs.
  • Ngala contains 10 radicals arranged in blocks of four to form mono or disyllabic glyphs.
  • Many of the glyphs can be reverse-engineered to resemble the words or ideas they represent.
  • There is no punctuation used in Qatama, pauses, stops and questions are understood through the use of context and particles.

Formation of a glyph

Image:Ngala2.png

Ngala radicals

Image:Ngala3.png

Guidelines for connecting the radicals

  • Each radical should be connected to at least one other radical.
  • The radicals should be connected at open points rather than at closed corners.
  • Aim to make the glyph be as "pictographic" as possible. Obviously excluding many abstracts and rigidly grammatical lexical entries.

Examples

Image:Ngala myong.png

  • myong - n. a large feline, tiger lion…etc. The picture shows a lion looking back over his shoulder.
    • As you can see, each radical spot is used, top left: m, bottom left: ya, top right: o, bottom right: ng. In this glyph the o modifies the ya and makes it yo.

Image:Ngala myong2.png

  • A possible handwritten version of myong, but keep in mind, these glyphs would rarely ever be handwritten.

Image:Ngala guja.png

  • guja - n. water, stream, creek The picture shows a stream running throw a forest.
    • In the above you see an example of a disyllabic glyph.
  • Disyllabic glyphs only occur when the second syllable is one of the following nuclei: a, o, ja, ha, ya, la, ra.
  • There are occasions when these are modifying the preceding nucleus and not acting as second syllables and the occurrences are based on phonotactic rules. E.g. ya-a is /ja:.a:/, but ya-o is /jo:/.

Image:Ngala nha.png

  • n'ha - n. a cut, gash, slash v. to cut, hack, slice.
    • The picture shows an axe and a hatchet cutting a block of wood.
  • In this sample you see that only two radical positions are used, this is perfectly acceptable. They are variable to give way to more "pictographic" possibilities.

Image:Ngala toj.png

  • toj - n. warrior, fighter, combatant. The picture shows a warrior, his shield and battle axe.
  • This sample shows how the secondary nucleus position can be used without the first, the glyph remains readable.

Image:Ngala toj2.png

  • Another example of a handwritten glyph, toj.

Image:Ngala mogu.png

  • An example of a dual glyph pictograph.
    • mogu /mo:.gu:/ - n. sleep, rest, relaxation | v. to sleep, lay, rest

A longer sample

Image:Ngala mongha.png

Personal tools