Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
The Language of the Niküa
Barzel
Member, Alpha Two
For some reason, I decided to take up the very nerdy challenge of creating a simplistic language for the Niküa. I am unaware if such a language is already in game, as I am just getting familiar with AoC (I will be participating in alpha 2). Therefore, I started with a little Wiki information and my own creativity. For my first goal, I decided I would translate the AoC introduction to the playable race (as seen below).
To be clear, I am no linguist, and I do not study nor understand the languages I used as inspiration for this fantastical, fan generated, non-canon language. For my inspiration, I took a Google Translate version of Māori, internet-found Old English words, and what I could find of Tolkien’s Khuzdul, itself inspired by Hebrew. I chose these inspirations because the Niküan flavor seems to incorporate the typical Tolkien inspired fantasy dwarf, his hobbits (halflings), and a Pacific Islander influence. To be specific, the Old English comes from the naming conventions of the Hobbits found in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, etc. The language I then created using these bits and pieces is purely fictitious, and is in no way meant to be representative of any of those sources. So please excuse my amateur hack-ory–this is just for fun!
The first words I translated were ones I could find in Khudzul, then I looked them up in Māori and Old English. Combining letters and sounds, I came up with:
red = bhuru
valley =darzil
head = upufod
great = guali
silver = khioli
Then, after that primer, it was on to the race blurb:
“Family. Freedom. Courage. Where the Dünir saw mountains as home, the Niküa saw it as a prison. How could they complete the great hunt inside a cave? The craft of their brothers doesn't elude them though; they too are highly skilled artisans. Instead of jewelry for nobles, the Niküa see crafting as a right of passage and advancement of the family. Will you progress your people from the mountains of your ancestors?”
Through the creative translation process, I simplified it to this:
Family. Freedom. Courage. Where Dünir saw mountains as home, Niküa saw as prison. How could they complete great-hunt inside cave? Their brothers’ craft doesn't elude them; they too highly artisans. Instead jewelry for nobles, Niküa see crafting as right of passage and advancement for family. Will you progress your people from your ancestors’ mountains?
The simplification was for ease of use, and not meant to imply that the fictitious language of the Niküa could not be sophisticated or nuanced. What follows is the translation, using the method of looking at each word in the 3 languages (when possible) and combining letters/sounds with through my own impulses:
Zhawisu. Heekuga. Maikul. Ziheo Dunir bhitai oangazi wai gamol, Nikua bhitai wai hewarug.
Heiz bae zaut foter guali-hutangoa ronu roanu? Bhera kheizio malik neoi awhiza ratu; Nikua hozo ontu kruk. Wakhesan khei ro azigizi, Nikua bise malik wai fronga aza fronga ro zhawisu. Kha khutho fronga ruo iwabru mari ruo tumilazio oangazi?
To read it, I have provided the key below. This key is loosely inspired by a (surely ignorant) understanding of some Pacific Islander pronunciations, as well as those found in Khuzdul (almost as ignorant, but perhaps less egregious). Where “none” is found in the key, it simply means that there is no letter (and sometimes sound) to correspond to the English letters used to represent the Niküan language. B=b, for example, simply means that the b letter in Niküan makes the same sound as in English, as the d, f, so on and so forth.
a=ah, b=b c=none, d=d, e=eh, f=f, g=g, h=h, i=as short i, unless at the end of the word then ee, j=none, k=k (always kh when beginning a word), l=l, m=m, n=n, o=oh, p=p, q=none, r=rolled r, s=s, t=t, u=oo, v=none, w=v, x=none, y=none, z=z. To make a word plural add zi suffix, to make possessive at o suffix (zio for plural possessive, pronounced z+ee+oh here instead of z+eh+oh as found elsewhere). Vowels found together do not change the sound, as each are pronounced separately (ee=eh+eh). Finally, English r controlled blends such as ir, er, etc. are pronounced similarly (e.g., ir=ee+rr), except for ar, which sounds as in English (as in car, and star).
Again, I am no linguist, don’t read or speak Māori or Old English, and I don’t teach today’s English, so some of the terminology I used above may be incorrect, and for that I apologize. Hopefully, though, it was clear enough and understandable as a simple exercise in fan fiction and basis for future RP. If you happen to have input, feel free to post it below. I will probably be expanding upon this, and other Niküa RP musings, in the future. Wezpoli!
To be clear, I am no linguist, and I do not study nor understand the languages I used as inspiration for this fantastical, fan generated, non-canon language. For my inspiration, I took a Google Translate version of Māori, internet-found Old English words, and what I could find of Tolkien’s Khuzdul, itself inspired by Hebrew. I chose these inspirations because the Niküan flavor seems to incorporate the typical Tolkien inspired fantasy dwarf, his hobbits (halflings), and a Pacific Islander influence. To be specific, the Old English comes from the naming conventions of the Hobbits found in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, etc. The language I then created using these bits and pieces is purely fictitious, and is in no way meant to be representative of any of those sources. So please excuse my amateur hack-ory–this is just for fun!
The first words I translated were ones I could find in Khudzul, then I looked them up in Māori and Old English. Combining letters and sounds, I came up with:
red = bhuru
valley =darzil
head = upufod
great = guali
silver = khioli
Then, after that primer, it was on to the race blurb:
“Family. Freedom. Courage. Where the Dünir saw mountains as home, the Niküa saw it as a prison. How could they complete the great hunt inside a cave? The craft of their brothers doesn't elude them though; they too are highly skilled artisans. Instead of jewelry for nobles, the Niküa see crafting as a right of passage and advancement of the family. Will you progress your people from the mountains of your ancestors?”
Through the creative translation process, I simplified it to this:
Family. Freedom. Courage. Where Dünir saw mountains as home, Niküa saw as prison. How could they complete great-hunt inside cave? Their brothers’ craft doesn't elude them; they too highly artisans. Instead jewelry for nobles, Niküa see crafting as right of passage and advancement for family. Will you progress your people from your ancestors’ mountains?
The simplification was for ease of use, and not meant to imply that the fictitious language of the Niküa could not be sophisticated or nuanced. What follows is the translation, using the method of looking at each word in the 3 languages (when possible) and combining letters/sounds with through my own impulses:
Zhawisu. Heekuga. Maikul. Ziheo Dunir bhitai oangazi wai gamol, Nikua bhitai wai hewarug.
Heiz bae zaut foter guali-hutangoa ronu roanu? Bhera kheizio malik neoi awhiza ratu; Nikua hozo ontu kruk. Wakhesan khei ro azigizi, Nikua bise malik wai fronga aza fronga ro zhawisu. Kha khutho fronga ruo iwabru mari ruo tumilazio oangazi?
To read it, I have provided the key below. This key is loosely inspired by a (surely ignorant) understanding of some Pacific Islander pronunciations, as well as those found in Khuzdul (almost as ignorant, but perhaps less egregious). Where “none” is found in the key, it simply means that there is no letter (and sometimes sound) to correspond to the English letters used to represent the Niküan language. B=b, for example, simply means that the b letter in Niküan makes the same sound as in English, as the d, f, so on and so forth.
a=ah, b=b c=none, d=d, e=eh, f=f, g=g, h=h, i=as short i, unless at the end of the word then ee, j=none, k=k (always kh when beginning a word), l=l, m=m, n=n, o=oh, p=p, q=none, r=rolled r, s=s, t=t, u=oo, v=none, w=v, x=none, y=none, z=z. To make a word plural add zi suffix, to make possessive at o suffix (zio for plural possessive, pronounced z+ee+oh here instead of z+eh+oh as found elsewhere). Vowels found together do not change the sound, as each are pronounced separately (ee=eh+eh). Finally, English r controlled blends such as ir, er, etc. are pronounced similarly (e.g., ir=ee+rr), except for ar, which sounds as in English (as in car, and star).
Again, I am no linguist, don’t read or speak Māori or Old English, and I don’t teach today’s English, so some of the terminology I used above may be incorrect, and for that I apologize. Hopefully, though, it was clear enough and understandable as a simple exercise in fan fiction and basis for future RP. If you happen to have input, feel free to post it below. I will probably be expanding upon this, and other Niküa RP musings, in the future. Wezpoli!
"’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
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