FORM 12 — GLOSSARY OF TERMSREVISION ONGOING
The Lexicon
Terms appearing in transmissions, with glosses. The list grows as terms are used. It is not a teaching document and no pronunciation is guaranteed to survive contact with a speaker of English.
Words
- hoddan.HOD-uh as in hot
- The specific tiredness that comes from having been pleased for a long time.
- verringreetingVEH-rin
- Used only on arriving somewhere you have been before. There is no equivalent for arriving somewhere new; Slarvathians consider that a lesser occasion.
- eskalethn.ESS-kuh-leth
- An object kept solely because of who gave it to you. Appears on customs forms under 'personal, non-declarable'.
- thummokn.THUM-ok th as in thin
- A meal eaten standing up. Impolite on Slarvathia.
- melln.MELL
- Fog that arrives from below.
- surratn.SUH-rat
- Fog that stays past its welcome.
- ivvenn.IV-en
- Fog you can see the sun through.
- kaddn.KAD rhymes with had
- The base unit of Slarvathian time. The day is divided into two hundred kadd; one kadd is a little under seven Earth minutes. Used for schedules, transit and the Office's paperwork.
- sulln.SULL rhymes with dull
- A duration named for what is done inside it rather than for how long it lasts. One sull is one full turn of the thing you are waiting on, however long that takes. It cannot be converted into kadd and Slarvathians consider the attempt slightly rude.
- flumper-dumpern.FLUM-per-DUM-per
- The bright pack the Correspondent wears at his waist, and the only name he will use for it. Not a word in Slarvathese. Not a word in English. Its origin has been requested twice and supplied neither time.
- volln.VOLL rhymes with doll
- One of the six words for fog. Not yet described by the Correspondent.
- ekkerenn.EK-uh-ren
- One of the six words for fog. Not yet described by the Correspondent.
- thassn.THASS rhymes with pass
- One of the six words for fog. Not yet described by the Correspondent.
Places
- The Vennet ShelfVEH-net
- Where the fog comes up. Grey, and always has been.
- Old GriethGREETH
- The Lowmarket at ThurTHOOR
- Audible from the step, not visible.
- The Quiet Belt
Observances
- The Long Sitting
- A day on which nothing happens, on purpose, for a full day. Prohibition on repair extends to dwellings only.
Saying it
| Written | Said |
|---|---|
| Slarvath | SLAR-vath (rhymes with bath, not moth) |
| Slarvathia | SLAR-vaa-THEE-uh |
| Slarvathian | SLAR-vaa-THEE-un |
| Slarvathese | SLAR-vaa-THEE-ze |
As generally heard on Earth: Slar-VATH-ee-UH. The Office has recorded the discrepancy.