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Vortigaunt language basics
True Vortigese can only be understood by telepathic individuals. The inflection and specific context of any spoken sound is created through Vortal means. Flux Shifting is the term they use, where each Vortigaunt's mental and verbal communication is shared in a holistic manner. Therefore any context is generally lost on Human ears, and each single Vortigese word can be interpreted in dozens of different ways depending on that context. Many words can be spelled in different ways, but they are generally pronounced only one. Vortigaunts can learn virtually any language, pronunciation may be more or less correct though they always sound 'exotic'. Though they have few or no words with certain sounds in their own language, they can pronounce English/non-Vort sounds just fine. Vortigese is difficult for normal Humans to pronounce because some of the resonance and depth of the actual sounds are created using their longer throats, differently shaped mouths, and considerably larger lungs. Many Vorts give off rumbling sounds that can hardly be heard by Human ears. What may sound like a simple grunt to a Human can be a complete word or even sentence to a Vort.
When words might, in English, flow together sloppily, most Vorts pronounce each of their own words individually even if they speak quickly. There is little change in stress between words or syllables, though when there are three or more syllables, the second is sometimes stronger. However, this can be complicated if the words they speak have multiple interpretations when strung together, in this manner they have quite a few 'puns' or hidden meanings that may not be understood if merely spoken.
Not every word or phrase follows every rule, as with most languages they have their exceptions based on traditional use. Vorts from different origin points (tribes, continents, dimensions, or eras) may have slightly different inflections, and there exists an 'ancient' form of the current language which very few 'younger' Vorts understand easily. (Pockets of ancient Vortigaunt communities or those which branched off at that time may still use it or a variation.)
Vortigese is not intentionally vague or difficult to decode, for Humans. However, those who have Vortal inputs are clearly at an advantage to understand certain phrases and follow lengthy discussions.^
^A note from the author: since this, contextually, is my Repurposed fanfic version of Vortigese, a number of factors contribute to how I have created it.
First I used in-game sounds from Half Life and its expansions, up through Half Life 2 Episode 2, rather than any other input (I don't use subtitles for games, and I cannot play or really watch extended periods of Alyx) for the creation of the very basic original few words. Taking contextual cues from the game itself, you could see how specific words were used as threats, communication in general, and as conversation tools. I have significantly expanded from the original score of words available, obviously, and this is entirely on my own and for my own needs, not implied to be part of the canon Half Life game setting.
Second, in the context of Repurposed, the Vortigaunts who arrived to earth during their invasion learned English (and other languages but English in specific) from a select few people early on, those willing to teach them. Eli Vance and Paxton Fettel are among those people, and it is mainly due to Paxton's influence that they have a sort of 'overly flowery' method of speaking. There are hundreds of ways to say 'danger, look out', in English as well as Vort, so this speech would vary between individuals as well as tribes or pockets of Vorts. Pax, remember... is the kid who stored an entire library of Shakespeare works in his girlfriend's Vortal brain, so it's really no wonder some Vortigaunts have taken the literary influence and run with it.
Third, I often use this language to name characters for this and other settings. The World of Zekira in particular, but many characters here in the Rookery who have had any contact with Vorts may get a title, and in order to really give the 'right' title, more words are needed. In some cases particularly with Zekiran naming, I worked backwards from an existing older name in my other universe, and ascribed it meaning here as word-parts.
And Fourth, I also take requests and many additions have been from them! Having found that role players online have used the original primer on Deviantart as their Vort dictionary (extremely flattering omg) means that sometimes a word that didn't exist is here because of those gaps in role playing interaction. Food terms, some social structure terms, and short phrases have come from this, and for that I thank you all for having paid any attention to this project at all!
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Context-driven punctuation ** This information may be changed or updated since I've been making a lot more words and may or may not have followed it myself
Since this is a written work, some context can be explained away by using hyphens (-) and apostrophes (') to indicate 'connections' between words. They essentially modify whatever two words appear together, as subject or object.
Often, imagining the phrase “of (the)” or “from (the)” between two words can help explain their context. Obviously it depends on which specific words are in use.
‘(word) is used to indicate the verb form of whatever other word is in use, while (word)' generally shows what is being done. When there is no proper way to imagine action between those, ‘ merely shows the emphasis or direction that the object should be observed.
(word)-(word) is used to combine ideas together, as in English.
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Context-driven information
Counting in Vort requires concentration – it's either “none”, “one, two, three” or “many”. To know how many, exactly, of any given thing (people in a room, eggs in a basket, rounds in a clip) are present, the sender and receiver of the information must be flux-shifting. Otherwise, it's a good idea to speak something other than Vort if you want to convey complicated math.
Tense and location - while Vortigese does have a past/present/future set of tense words and modifiers, often they'll completely ignore saying those words while flux-shifting, because ‘they just know' whether the events they're discussing are current, past, or potential. In deference to any auditory listeners, or if they're attempting to convey important information directly to Humans, they will attempt to use whatever words are appropriate. Similarly, a given location (here, there, somewhere else) may be ignored while in purely Vortigaunt company, because that information is carried implicitly with their minds. Also of note, Vorts often neglect to address the issue of ‘they are actually dead', when referring to others of their kind, or indeed strongly Vortal Humans. This is likely because they accept any Vortal presence as 'current', and while they know death prevents verbal speech it's never stopped them from lingering and communicating with the rest of their kind.
They require three individuals in order to properly triangulate almost all things: points in space, moments in time, and contextual knowledge. With only one or two of them, something is often lacking, and miscommunication may occur. When a Vort is unable to connect to the Vortessence, they may never quite recover and sense 'everything, everywhere, all at once'. (note - I did come up with this before the movie of the same name)
Individual sound pronunciation guide - not all sounds always are spelled ‘properly' and would also vary by population's use.
Use of ^ indicates “voiced” intonation, see below. Their alphabet may differ, this is ‘equitable and adapted to English'.
A = ah as in car; aa as in mat; ae as in pay; ai as eye
E = eh as wet; ee as in see; ey as in a in pay
I = as in ink; ih as in hit; ii as e-e including a slight pause; ie as eye
O = as in oat; oh sometimes as in mod; oo as U below without pause but held slightly longer
U = as in cut; sometimes oo as in soon; sometimes includes pause o-o
W = seldom used, generally oa 'oo uh' with no break
Y = seldom used, generally ee as in seen, sometimes ‘yuh' as in yes
H = as in Hello, at end of words generally softens vowel sound, irregularly is voiced (usually as ch)
--
B = as in Bat – no P sounds**
Ch = at start of word always as in Champ, at middle or end of word voiced [^] as in the Gaelic loch or German achtung
D = as in Dug - at end of word almost always heavily voiced, as added
G (gh) = as in Good, strongly voiced at end of word [^] as ‘guh'
J = as in Juice (rarely as zh)
K = (also ck) as in Kill, all C with no h added are K sounds; no Q words, they are all ‘kw' or ‘kooa'
Ks (x) = as in Tacks (see X)
L or LL = as in Lull – heavily voiced in many words
M = as in Man
N = as in Nice – except at end of word, may be silent; nn indicates a depth of tone or emphasis on the final n sound
R (rh) = as in Ran – often sounds rolled or as a growl
S = as in hissed
Sh = as in Shut
T = as in Table – except at end of word, may be silent or heavily abbreviated in voice
Th = as That, some Vorts voice this sound more than others
Ts = as in pacts
V = as in Volume – no F (unvoiced) sound**
X or Z = as in Zoo, or zz as buzz, these can be confusing to hear, however the x often should come with a deeper growl and z with more of a buzz/nasal tone. X at end of word always = ks
Xh or Zh = as the g in mirage, usually [^]
** In some dialects, P and F appear to be in use, and not as interchangeable as their voiced letter/sound. If they are included in the list below they will be considered ‘post-contact' and outside the range of the Vorts who typically are portrayed in the Repurposed stories. Note also that those sounds are used when Vorts speak human languages, so it's clear they can use them, but their basic language didn't particularly form with those since they require ‘lips'...
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Vortigese Word Listing
This is very basic. Not all spellings are consistent, so choose what looks best and how it sounds - ah and aa do sound different from ey but may be interchanged, just fake it; when a word is listed having different spellings, the main spelling is used as its primary alphabetical location (so some may have e first, others i first, etc).
I recommend using ctrl+F to search for meanings since there is a lot of overlap
| Word / Sound / Component (pronunciation help) |
Meanings - verb, noun, modifier, context, not necessarily in that order since some words use one type more than others; exclusions or specific-uses not originally found among Vort society (human additions) -- Added complex words with similar connotations |
| ach^ | a non-star celestial body, planet or comet, seen from a world; an image reflection (not a mirror, but the image itself) or light's reflection on an object such as a mirror/atmosphere; also may be a mirage or other 'untouchable, near' visible item; very rarely used for personality, but can mean 'a pale imitation of x person' |
| ah' (a+other words, abrupt) | you, us, nearby companions, team or group address |
| ahg, agh^, agg | the idea of generalized concepts, 'things' if physical, 'ideas' otherwise; generalization, overall use or implementation; --ha'agh (voiced gh) does not mean 'no idea' but instead ‘stereotype' or ‘typical negative thing' |
| aghlah, aglaa (ah'glaa) | the all-in-one, encompassing, the fabric of life circle, sphere 'We Are One' |
| ah(hh)r | opening of the Vortal communication pathways, readiness to commune by flux-shifting |
| ahl, all | of or from, lineage of, surname or epithet, representation from a group or place (always followed by word) |
| ahm, amm | a corridor or tunnel, a space that connects other locations used only for that purpose; can also refer to arteries or veins, pipes or tubes |
| ahn, an (long ah) | new, but implies having begun again; to reform, to transform or change emotionally or physically |
| ai, aye, eye | spectrum, a specific wavelength group that which can be sensed in a limited way (rarely emotional) |
| ain, ayn, -ane, aen (as 'aim') | durability, lasting effect, non-temporary boost; equally physical and social/mental; may indicate status or greatly improved works/behaviors, awards, an elevated membership, etc |
| ak, awk, ahk | the feeling of mass, weighty, something substantive to touch or carry |
| alla (ahl-ah) | self, people, singular or plural depending on context Vortikind embodied in flesh |
| allu (ahl-oo) | other non-threatening life forms, allies non-Vortigaunt individuals peaceful contact |
| alt | food preserve, cheese, jam a product designed for storing and eating; also the process as a verb |
| araa, arah | physical aspect of transparency, see-through but substantive, barrier, force field; --not mah/maa – physical only |
| ard, ardh | droplet, raindrop, a small amount of liquid; |
| arm, ahrm | to reinforce, build up, mostly physical as a wall or barrier that can be reconstructed or torn down; call in troops, bolster emotionally; ablative armor before it is used |
| arr (are) | safety, security, secure location; to assure or reassure; to check an object, area, or person for safety's sake |
| ash, ahsh, aash (distinct s) | to physically miss, feel the motion of something moving past 'wind' or 'wake', 'near miss' |
| ask, aask, ahsk (awsk) | to impose, imprint upon, enact, do the bidding of, do as instructed with authority; the imposition of a law, legality, technicality; enforcer or lawyer |
| ath, aath, ahth (awth) | clumsy, physically unskilled, butterfingers almost always physical and usually referring to a person |
| azh^ | sun, a star nearby, a star cluster prominent in the skies; |
| b'[word], buh | added to modify any other thing to be 'neutral' in any way neutrality, typically of political and emotional nature, but can be physical 'neither good nor bad' |
| bach^, baach^ | an ingredient that goes into a mixture, usually combined with a modifier that indicates what it should do within it usually representing physical items rather than traits or emotions, though with Human contact this has changed because personality generalization can include such descriptors |
| bahh, baa | multiples, many, divisions of a single thing --such as individual Vortigaunts among their kin |
| ban (bawn) | increments or demarcations, measurements gradualness, portions as opposed to a whole object or event, 'moments' of time |
| barr, barh | to chant, repeat a phrase or pattern, a spell or incantation, loosely 'music' or 'song' |
| bed | sweetness, a pleasant taste or smell -- not usually mental/personality |
| bee, bii | warrior class as opposed to worker or controller class 'grunts', soldiers |
| beelees (bee'liis) | controller class as opposed to worker or warrior one who organizes, commands or otherwise is in charge of a team/group |
| beh | female, of any species when there is a difference 'her/hers/she' modifying object/individual |
| bek, behk, beck (hard k) | to overlap, as scales or feathers; to iterate repeatedly (not negatively) |
| big | spice, herb, or flavor additive usually natural and ground/sprinkled; to add spice/flavor, 'spice things up' |
| bim, beem (beam) | the past, things which have already occurred unchangeable, historical, posterity |
| bin, biin, been | fright, scare, something that causes a terror; can be emotional or physical, distinct from 'surprise' or 'awe' |
| bit | wetness, dampness, moisture but not a body of liquid, something that is not dry |
| bityavay (bit-ya vay) | vapor, heated moist air, usually regarding food but also ambient or even radioactive |
| bol (bowl) | beak, usually animal or bird; -- bolzuk = heacrab, the jumping beak |
| bot (bought) | reference to a singular item, 'that thing', a specific subject/object, 'it' as a pronoun |
| bra, brah | to be unclear on something, uncomprehending, or uninformed; definitely popular among Humans as a negative, but can also indicate a youthful innocence, rather than ignorance |
| bri, bree | to deliver, bring to another location; often refers to a performance or 'news' bring presented |
| brr, brh | to drop, the act of letting go of something that falls from the hand physical, rarely emotional, though it can refer to 'getting rid of toxic people' distinct from chol |
| brun, broon | to make another, duplication of a physical thing, copy, back-up (also noun); Vorts still won't use this for 'clone' |
| buu, boo | the physical quality of hardness inflexibility applied to objects or opinion |
| buum, boom | to recycle or refresh (verb); something that is often reused, or an item that returns repeatedly such as ‘antlers' or ‘dust' usually refers to a single object rather than many of the same kind of thing (so, the returning blossom of a flower, but not a line of streetlights) |
| by, bye | contrast, not conflicting but different; such as colors that do not clash, or opinions that are discussed but not argued about; such contrasting colors on a single creature or plant, or 'a pleasant debate' |
| chaa, chah | knowledge, innate or shared vortal information objective thought as opposed to subjective |
| [word]' or - chackt (as chalked) | a verb form (what ever it can do / be / act) for any object in question |
| chae, chay | compressed, something that can be 'fit' into a spot such as a sword into scabbard, or tools into a case |
| chaen, chayn (chain) | economy of effort, 'just enough', sleek or perfected movement; compact in form, space-saving, as chae though implies it 'starts out this way' |
| chaesh, chaysh | loose or floppy, rag-doll, limpness, usually physical; 'to go limp' or 'flop to the ground' |
| chee, chi | a shrill sound, high-pitched noises a buzzer or shriek a whine, specific sounds many animals make |
| chel, chell | rinse, clean up, dab; grooming or cleaning ones self (as opposed to another thing) |
| chela, (chell'ah) | to vigorously clean or purge generally more hostile than ‘wash' purify, filter, cleanse |
| cho, choh, tseo | silence rather than quiet, purposeful withholding of voice, behind the scenes, ‘unseen/heard', stage ninja; having something to say but not saying it |
| chol, choll (ol in cold) | tilt, tumble downward, fall; ungainly, physical imbalance, sway or stagger; 'domino effect' note different from brh in that this is the object's imbalance, rather than falling due to simple gravity |
| choluu (chol luu) | to list or lean when something should be straight, a limp implied to be 'at the edge of collapse' |
| chrah | hill, rise, a physical object that is raised from its surroundings |
| chua, chuaa | engage, command to attack, 'do it' rarely used with chackt |
| chuk, chook | physical hunger almost never used to describe psychological needs |
| churr | sustenance, food to eat, the act of ingesting |
| chuzh (chews, choose) | physical orientation or direction, ‘facing', |
| 'd (always ends a word) | an addition to a word modifying it into the past tense, |
| daa, dahh | hue or color, the visual description of a physical object's appearance combines with other words to specify -- note that the colors that Vortigaunts perceive are radically different from those of Humans, so they may have some interesting or weird combinations |
| daal, dhal, dahl (dawl) | to interpose, come between, interrupt, interject; implies briefness or temporary state of interruption which will go back to normal afterwards; to pull a Kanye ‘I'm'a let you finish but' -- daalazh = an eclipse, for instance |
| dach^ | a rattling sound, rustling, as wind through leaves, or tapping of small feet; physical shake or tremble not used to describe psychological jitters |
| dam, daam, dham | representative, elected, official capacity either temporary or permanent important social status |
| dan, dahn | honor of another, a high regard,
respect to perform a duty well (if verb) applies to observed actions of other people |
| dara (data, short r) | to guard, to protect,
the act of giving shelter or defending a thing or person physically a guardian, security, or sentinel rarely psychological |
| darr, darh | brightness, light source as opposed to heat source |
| dash, daash, dahsh | shallow, slight depression physically, ‘pond', a small indentation easily forded; rarely used to describe a person as the connotation for this term is very different Vortally than for English |
| dat (short t) | to flick or quickly brush something, wave away; |
| dech^ | texture of being bumpy, knotted a single item with grain or beady exterior warts, nubs |
| dee, di | overabundance, too many, too much explosion, stink, lingering and pervasive |
| del, dell | to care for, tend physically, attend to needs; caretaker, groundskeeper, nurse/attendant rarely emotional/vortal, this applies mainly to keeping a person or place healthy/alive |
| den | limbs, anything not body or brain depending on species can mean wing, hand, leg or pincers |
| det (short t) | to ask, request politely, soften a demand or query "please?" "come again?" |
| dey (day) | to require more, need, request, ask for explanation/clarification generally not 'quantity of items' but 'more information' |
| dim, deem | amusement, lightheartedness, a joke something worthy of mocking (when object/person) |
| diq, diik, deek | a swarm, mass of moving items particles or creatures that are very small |
| doh, dou (dough) | tangled, messy, unnecessarily complicated a maze, knotted materials definitely applicable to personality |
| dok, dohk | unfertilized egg contents (as chicken), ingredient for food or eaten in the wild |
| don (dawn) | a rudder or tail such as on a bird, kite, or vehicle that helps steer or stabilize it; can be personality, but is usually item |
| dood, duud (dude) | pocket designed to hold something, small compartment as kaan but usually in quantity, 'cells' usually biological (blood cells, orange fruit meat, pea pods, ravioli); rarely a verb, but 'stuffing envelopes' comes to mind, an assembly line which produces full bottles for instance compare to gom |
| drah, draa (draw) | to agree,vouch for someone/thing, join in a group decision, 'vote', contribute, donate, offer; an offering/donation when object, also 'dowry' or 'will/inheritance' in a physical sense of objects being given |
| drik |
the shiny thing flapping in the corner of your eye see Rix, drik is the object of a distraction, rather than Rix's verb |
| drim | shaman one who manipulates Vortessence to determine courses of action, or who sees multiple versions of any action |
| du, doo | to store, pack away, compartmentalize a warehouse or closet, pantry, the location where stored goods are put |
| dy, die, dye | once, former, had been, past tense (not bim), expired 'ex-/exiled-(person/thing)' generally insulting or threatening |
| dzin, dznn | hint, suggestion, a sway in words or indicators |
| ead, ed (head) | to be resigned, but also to resent or be dissatisfied to give up or give in to a feeling or situation frustration |
| eeya, iyah | warmth, heat, the element of fire a cook/camp fire when object |
| eeyo, io, eyo | to toss, throw, fling generally not the object being thrown but rather the action of throwing can imply emotionally 'taking out the garbage' or 'dropping the ball' compare to eez, this is for releasing something aggressively rather than merely moving it |
| eek, eeq, iik, iq | stored energy, electricity, shock battery or lightning if object |
| eesk, iisk | a seat, resting place, chair or bed also serves as table, shelf any flat created object, not a natural formation (not ski) |
| eet, eat | elemental stone, rock, distinct from ore or crystals often combined with other words to show specific aspects |
| eez, iiz | to project, lunge, motion of thrusting or extension (not throw/launch), reach; pseudopod, eyestalk of light plant or snail, tendril (the speed of thrusting doesn't matter in this case) rarely emotional though can mean 'pushy' (rather than 'projecting') |
| egh, eeg | intelligence, smartness, canniness, a strong comprehension 'book learning' |
| eh'[word] | a mental or emotional modifier, when something is usually physical more commonly used with human interaction since a lot of their interpretations have different meanings |
| eh'hin (eh hin) | to be amputated, restricted, cut off to be made broken both physically and mentally -- note that eh'hin at its core is a dreadful insult due to the era in which it was coined: when enslaved Vorts under Nihilanth were enlisted to the ‘ranks' of fighters for being sent to Earth or other worlds, their thumbs were cut or burned off, preventing them from interacting with devices normally |
| ell, elh, el, ehl | physical property of slickness, shine, reflective a mirror if object |
| ent, ehnt | forgetfulness, memory lapse, a gap or blanked out moment to black out, be unable to recall something, also to be unable to form a memory in the moment can be used as a verb to force this memory lapse, as they are telepathic and can weaponize this trait |
| esh | world, planet, environment on a large scale, biome; community or neighborhood (physical); culture (conceptual), rarely individually emotional in nature as it tends to define a wide-scale object or concept |
| eth | team, group, squad, pack an unrelated group rather than family or descended from the same bloodline often animal/non-Vort |
| ga[word], gah[word] | a positive experience, 'yes' |
| gaka (ga kah) | self-worth, pride, something of which to be proud (when object/action) applies to self action |
| galih (ga lih) | euphoria, the state of existence rather than living the pleasant effect of the Interval (death) |
| gallalam (ga lah lam) | satisfaction, completion, to finish, to end (an event, not a life) |
| gallum (ga lum) | gift, pleasure, something precious something which can be taken or given freely (when object) |
| gan, gaan, gahn | luck, a positive quirk, not something to be relied upon but to be enjoyed when it occurs; usually regarding an event or physical thing, rather than personality, but can mean ‘lucky' as an individual who has such luck |
| gar, garh (as car) | uncertainty, numerous possibilities, wavering, 'maybe' |
| gat (short t) | forward, ahead, a directional cue; to continue onwards, 'be heading in the right direction' |
| geh | pointy, spiky, quills, needle (distinct, not jagged); |
| gerr, gerh (as fair) | the physical quality of softness, pliability flexibility of things or ideas change (purposeful) |
| gii, gee (as gi, the clothing) | the results of Geh: impale or stab wounds, indentations, bite marks, gouges; to have left such an imprint on someone or something 'damaged' emotionally or physically |
| git (short t) | tartness, a flavor or scent that is sharp but not necessarily unpleasant |
| glah, glaa | embrace, accept, gather the non-spiritual component of wholeness with a group, teamwork |
| glit | length of an object, full distance, amount of a whole, 'sum' paired with modifiers for small/large |
| glu, gloo (ga luu) | hibernation, stasis, coccoon; generally looked upon as a positive version of luu, but sometimes means ‘caught in amber' or ‘frozen in time', both of which are very real things for Vorts |
| go, goh | appropriate behavior, correctness, fit for the context; meeting approval, pass muster, a 'thumbs up' |
| gog (as cog) | liquid, the element of water generally any body of water (when object) |
| gom | hollow, empty inside, something that has a space within it, not negative; usually food or small object such as gourds compared to dood, gom is a larger implied space |
| gon (gone) | weather overall, specifically wet storm or rainy conditions, distinct from wind or gusts; |
| gor, gorh | an accomplished goal, 'storied', to withstand or pull through; applies as much to the person or thing doing this as the goal or event, item or moment in question |
| graa, grah | a theory, formula, set of rules or instructions intellectual rather than physical to ponder or theorize (verb) |
| gram (grom) | fondness, pleasure as it applies to wanting something, eagerness, anticipation implies only the spirit of enjoyment, not the object |
| gret | a contract made between parties, a list of demands or grievances something official and binding -- note that they are very aware of English 'regret' as it applies to 'be careful what you wish for' |
| gruh, groo, grew | pace or prowl, stealthy motion sleight of hand, trackless movement, deliberate speed |
| gruk, grook | cavernous, an interior of a natural area shelter as a concept |
| grun, groon | grace, physical ease of motion, elegance freefall / flight, to soar (when verb) |
| gu, goo | motion applied to a broad scale, shifting, something being between two states |
| guh (as in gun) | to linger, remain, loiter; |
| gulanga (gu lang ga) | training, sparring, practice, rewarding repetitive physical or Vortal activity |
| gunn, goon, guun | to prepare, to ready one's self a warning if spoken to another |
| gurr, ghurr (grr, the growl) | feet, paws, hoof locomotive extremities as opposed to manipulative ones when different |
| gurrah, gurah, guraa | below, underneath, the under or bottom portion of an object, often describes depths or 'distance to fall' |
| gwt, gwit | a clipped, brief, or in-passing recognition, 'hey', said while distracted rarely used as an object but can be that distraction itself also this is used to describe small seeds or inedible parts of food |
| gyu, gew | the shape of an arch, crescent a physical crescent-shaped portion of something bigger or broader such as a moon or a piece of food compare to Kwen as this may also refer to phases of an object as seen in parts (sliver, crescent, the ‘slender' portion of that phase) |
| ha, haa [word] | a negative modifier set before another word that suggests imbalance or inequity generally not used alone until after Human contact 'no' |
| hach^ | never, will/did not, refusal of a request 'nope, no way' |
| hach^ra | pit, hole, indentation in something normally flat includes bullet holes to dig or gouge (when verb) |
| hae, hay | parallel connections, such as a ladder's lines to organize in such a direction with equal or measured distances between each rung a ladder or rungs of a ladder as objects, ‘a chart' as an organizational tool |
| hahd, haad, had | to leave a mark, scar, an imprint physically (not emotional/social) compare to Vouch (still negative, but no ownership) |
| hagh, haag | to dislike or place lesser value on something to refute or disallow because of opinion |
| hallam (ha'lam) | a negative condition, unrest, chaos |
| harra (ha'rah) | indebted via negative means unhappy bond of servitude entrapment by subversion |
| havra, havrah (ha'vra) | mismatch, a part that is missing or not correct something out of place 'unease' |
| heh | sense of urgency, usually that of animal life the burst of activity from a flock of fleeing creatures for instance |
| hebhi (heh bii) | warning from an animal or the rush itself, usually the sound it makes an army ‘invasion' or ‘retreat' in motion |
| hen | exclusion of something, instead 'or' when modifying more than one object/idea, the act of choosing (when verb) |
| hex | round, ball-shaped |
| hi, hee, hii | outsider, enemy, foreigner in a negative context |
| hin | to shatter, break violently or into many pieces usually regarding an object but can be emotional |
| hish, heesh, hiish | pest, annoyance, vermin, 'bugs' to be bothered/plagued or infested almost always physical |
| hoch^ | sparks, flickering, sparkles, starlight, uneven but bright light or color, static refers to physical light, not lih / spiritual |
| hoh, ho, hoe | mental or emotional stun, surprise, shock, unexpected or sudden emotional impact |
| hot, hoht | backwards, behind, a rear-facing directional cue |
| hox, hoks (hawks) | a trigger or catalyst, something that clearly causes something else to occur can be both physical and psychological to describe an object, event, or a personality |
| hoy-hoy | an attention-getting 'hush up / pay attention / watch out' used in hunting or battle |
| hu, hoo, huu | to be atop something moving, a mount (usually alive) to ride or drive |
| hud, hood, huud | to collect, harvest, round up, gather, herd refers to multiple items or creatures rather than singular almost always physical |
| hut (short t) | to descend or lower down physically, climb (not fall) downwards purposefully almost always physical but can imply voluntarily 'taking a knee' in honor or deference |
| hyat (as yacht) | vegetable, edible tuber or root, non-fruit may include things that humans have categorized other ways 'not meat' |
| ih'[word] (as 'in') | a physical modifier when something is usually Vortal or emotional |
| ihr, eer (ear, rolled r likely) | immediate excitement, anticipation, attentiveness, eagerness as a physical sensation implies the thing is going to happen/is right there rather than gram's 'wanting' |
| in, een, iin | reverberate, echo, bounce off of to affect another that begins doing what the user is doing 'get the crowd jumping' |
| int, eent, iint | nervous energy, anxiety, jumpiness (a more profund version of in/een) |
| ioo, ew, eew | juicy food |
| ivra, ivrah (ih'vra) | to match one thing to another, a pairing or coupling harmonious physicality complementary colors or items |
| ix, iks | fluctuation, scintillation, usually colors on animals/plants that act as a display or signal (see Vix) |
| jah, jaa | remnants, that which is left over, anything not used or useless 'after' |
| jahn, jann, jaan | to emerge, break out, hatch, implies without help an egg breaking from the inside, a cocoon opening to unwrap, uncloak |
| jaim, jaem (as 'james') | to switch, alter, swap objects or ideas debate, discuss where more than one idea exists -- note that this doesn't always imply that the debate successfully changes anyone's mind, merely the exchange of ideas |
| jek | to drink, quench thirst, swallow when object may combine with flavors or use -- 'jekeh' jek keh = "salud / drink up!" |
| jii, jhi ('gee' in English) | curled, fluted, something that is wound or wavy |
| jiiv (as 'Jeeves') | DNA, the object form of jii applied to living things not applied to non-living items (as merely jii) |
| jim | vine, a strand with objects on it or springing from it usually alive, but can be hanging lights or even laundry lines while they are in use |
| jio, jhio (as 'geography') | intricate, involved, detail without sloppiness engraving, fine handiwork, inlay also personality 'layers' |
| jix, jiks | jagged, unexpected footing, tumbled rock or terrain while usually physical it can describe 'dazed' or 'stunned' emotion |
| joh, joe | careful, precise movement, caution |
| jot (as 'ought') | to release en masse, such as a spore cloud or spray of particles from a wave gently flowing away from a central point (not shuk) usually natural and not focused or purposeful |
| jox, joks | to favor one physical thing or trait over another, such as handedness or genetic dominance choosing such a trait to use because it is stronger or of more value than another option similar to it |
| jurr | solid, ground, the element of earth, dirt or stone (when object), compare to eet which is specifically a type of jurr |
| k' (kuh short) | added to start of a word or phrase, indicating 'heed this' or 'obey this' - k'vech = wait for this event, k'ruun = don't move - compare to other 'command' words, this is more of an instruction set or unstructured advice, often used for signage or a locational warning,a checklist of event-driven actions, rather than being pushed to do them by a leader |
| kaa, kah, kahh [word] | texture, the presence of a physical thing that can be touched or felt used with a physical descriptive term that's added to another word to show what kind of texture it is |
| kag (cog) | triangular, lines of three connected points to triangulate or locate by establishing contact with two others of note, kag is also the 'third limb', the number three, and is among the very few words Vorts use to mean a specific number or quantity |
| kallah (kaa'laa) | literally 'the texture of connection' |
| kan, kaan, kahn | segmented portion of an individual object (such as insect limbs) |
| karr, karh | words spoken, specific meanings ascribed to vocal sounds vocabulary or language overall |
| keh | to fix that which is broken,
repair make the best of a situation in very rare circumstances: to forgive |
| ken, kehn | calmness in the face of adversity, unflappable, unaffected, undistracted |
| keo, kyo | undo or undone, to go back or revert |
| ket (short t) | flatness, dullness, lack of features can refer to physical as well as mental properties, usually objects (a 'flat and boring table', 'expressionless') |
| kib (as kibble) | something that is unharmonious or clashing, garishness usually refers to physical descriptions but can point out 'the bad apple' in a group of people, or voices out of tune, dissonance |
| kih, kee, key | within, inside, interior a shell or container (when object) that is implied to have something in it |
| kir, kirh, kirr | to recover, regain, re-emerge reincarnation, to become once more revitalize, refresh in the sense of health |
| kit (short t) | to use, or be of use generally for physical tools or items, but also 'at your service' |
| klurr, klurh | a low frequency sound, thrumming or hum, dirge large animal sounds, groaning/moaning |
| koh (as 'cold') | to apply a texture or covering on a surface, to paint, to spruce up or improve visually 'shape up', 'get your shit together' (when social/emotional) paint or varnish, when object |
| korr, korh, kor | followers, groupies, attendants the people who form 'the masses', rather than the one who leads them sheeple when very negative |
| kot, kawt (caught, cot) | to tame something that is wild |
| koy, koii, qoi | productive, functional, able |
| kraa, krah | quiet sounds, hushed, whisper volume of sound rather than frequency 'be quiet' as a verb |
| kree, krii | to monitor, keep track of, watch over |
| krit | to sting or pierce, usually an attack by an animal with such a method of hunting |
| krux, crux | to be found, to be rediscovered usually 'after being lost', rather than discovering something new refers to the act of discovery as a moment in time ("I found my keys!") - contrast to rux, a newly discovered item |
| ksaa, ksah | confidence, surety, the act of believing in another |
| kshaa, kshah | abruptness as opposed to gradualness sudden, not unexpected but short in duration |
| kshek | ink or dye, stain nouns the act of coloring something, changing colors/camouflaging though rarely used, may also mean 'disguise to infiltrate' |
| kso, ksoh | lush, abundant in the way of thick furs or greenery implies aesthetic value in addition to quantity |
| kth (kith) | to choose among, pick from many usually physical, can mean 'take sides' compare to meh this is picking, not placing |
| kurr | being told, being given |
| kut (short t, 'coot') | attract, bring near, gravity, tug, pull |
| k'kuth (k' kut kth) | to pluck, grasp and tug something free that is attached specifically physical, as plucking a fruit from the branch - formed from and pronounced with a staggered kuh kuh sound similar to the motion of grabbing and snapping |
| kuu, koo | cling, attach, latch onto be sustained by or carried by (physically) |
| kwa, kwah | very, extreme without being too much (not Jaa) the farthest end of some concept ('very old', 'extremely popular') |
| kwen, quen | a dish or dome shape, implied to be hollow and not a full sphere can be any level of curved as this refers to the presence of the openness on one side and curvature of the surface itself functionally can mean ‘a cup' to ‘a radar dish', an amphetheater dome, etc |
| l' (luh short always paused) | added to the start of a word or phrase, asking for or offering group assistance; to share or cooperate if left without a word after it - l'lik = to surround as a pack; l'rex = to scatter a group quickly; l'ead = abandon a task as a team |
| laa, lahh | a connection, a link, a step between things to progress, to make those links or take those steps - not in a physical sense but conceptually |
| lach^ | 'here', the location presently occupied - as opposed to any other location no matter how close or distant |
| lak (lock, lawk) | the arc or trajectory of an object in motion (be it a tennis ball or a planet) orbit, a gravity well's influence to circle, to travel around another object |
| lalli (lah lih) | space as defined by physical objects within it, note that this is 'space' as a concept that includes planets, stars, even dimensions |
| lam (often extended m) | emotion, feelings of the mind rather than sensations of the physical body an opinion as distinctly stated based on such emotion ('I feel sad and should do something happy') |
| lan, lanh | risk or chance difficulty but not strife; something that is tough to achieve but not a burden, and will be 'worth' doing or having a narrow margin of likelihood but with a great end result or benefit |
| lao | to tap, peck, or rap upon something implied that this is a conscious effort and not the result of motion or random noise typing, morse code, the knock at a door; alternately banging or pounding if negative |
| leeg, liig, leegh, liigh | a creature with a thinking mind, a sentient being something that is self-aware or can communicate - a mixture of concepts lih, eeg, and l' all referring to those who can have thoughts |
| leer, liir, lihr (all similar) | to consider, to study in context a directive to think on a subject distinctly not Zurr (qualitative) or Tak (quantitative), but conceptually exploring ideas of things that exist (not 'the imagination') |
| lees, leez, liis, liiz | to lead or command, generally positive though still issuing orders to elect to do a thing, preside over both verb and noun; 'leader' or 'to lead by example' |
| leh, ley (both as lay) | burden, weight troubles, blame the downward direction, negatively construed |
| len | fruit, any of a variety of food plants edible by humans and vorts alike edible pieces of trees, bushes, or above-ground plants that are non-grains usually with modifiers to describe texture, flavor, color, or usefulness |
| let (short t) | bandage meant to be quickly or temporarily used a temporary fix either metaphorical or physical something designed to be beneficial but short term |
| lev (as levitate) | oil or grease may be considered for edibility or lubrication depending on context |
| lih (as 'lid') | the spirit, the non-physical 'self' the essence in Vortessence energy as a manipulatable substance whether it powers a person's soul or is a person (vorts do not distinguish those as separate) |
| liik, lik, leek, rarely lyk (leak) | to hover, mantle over, lurk overhead or behind something |
| lilli, lili | within reach;
to grasp to comprehend; sanity (both of these things are intricately tied in vorts, they often 'reach' with their third arm for comprehension) |
| lillimah (lilli mah) | freedom, openness; serving both physical and emotional space that counts as actually 'nothing filling this area here' existence without boundary; spirit in the emotional sense of 'high spirits' |
| ling | to establish, be the first to do a thing, locate a place to 'plant a flag' in the metaphorical sense groundbreaking ideas, innovative personality - compare to Nox which is a purely physical act, ling concentrates on the person doing them |
| lish | to arrange, make plans for, connect other people socially (not physically) to plan, to plot, or organize those people (not command or control) a director or conductor (of plays/music), one who takes instructions and applies them - while similar to liis this implies a less formal intention and a less commanding presence |
| lit (short t) | tiny and delicate, noticeable smallness, usually particles dust, soot, something that will vanish if touched or interrupted with motion rarely just conceptual, this is a physical property often combined with other descriptors |
| livoy (lalli voy) | skies, 'space thickness', the sky as seen from a planetary viewpoint usually refers to night time but since Xen has no day or night cycle it often means 'beyond the ground' has gotten more use as 'night sky' or 'starry sky' while on Earth |
| loh, low | to accelerate, gain speed while in motion can refer to physical speeds or to emotional or personality traits, ideas |
| lud, ludh | an acrid smell or taste, burning or tangy something that leaves an aftertaste or lingers in the air (usually after/during cooking) |
| ludrow (lud row) | smoke, particularly from a fire or a burning/burnt item generally negative, but can indicate 'campfire smoke' which is seen as a positive of civilized lifeforms |
| lum, loom | to hand off, give an item to another physically, shift an item from hand to hand to 'change hands', or 'pass the torch' also notably Vorts may define this as 'complete the cycle' or 'understanding' -Vorts use this term to describe their third hand as it becomes useful for physically manipulating items when both their others are occupied, and express distress with humans who only have two hands because they 'cannot handle this thing properly' |
| lung, lang (with distinct g) | concentration, effort, attention in an extended sense -opposed to Xkah which is immediate and implied to be shorter term focus |
| lurr, lurh (rolled r often) | transference, healing, energy between as a short distance (of objects or people) -note that Vorts have an incredible sense of nearness or distance when in groups so the presence of 'healing' is almost automatic for them, and anyone who can detect auras or energy looking at a team of Vortigaunts would immediately see why this term is interchangable with those rather disparate words |
| lush, loosh | to enclose, encircle (a group of things), ensnare or entrap a lasso, bear trap, net, or such objects that catch but don't necessarily harm or kill often used to describe hunters, herders, or trappers |
| luu, loo | rest, sleep, inactivity implies exhaustion rather than meditation (compare to vet) -- lihluu = dreaming; shehluu = snoring |
| maakaa (mah kah) | eyes, the body's way of physically seeing, visual perception organs |
| maan, mahn | to set up, prepare a specific thing for use, as 'a table setting';
almost always physical the table setting itself, the results of a recipe, the written script or the stage for a play |
| mah, maa | bare, plain, in view, obvious -this is one of the most useful terms Vorts have, as it is often combined with descriptors for distance, color, shape, or purpose, but also applies to personalities, concepts, and values |
| mach^ | sticky, a substance with a texture that snags or clings heavily glue, tar, sap; generally a physical property |
| marr, marh | a comb or brush-like object to comb or groom something that needs to be untangled, or sift through fine things by dragging over them (rather than pouring through a sifter) occasionally used 'comb for information' or pore over documents, gather information in this manner |
| mai, my | prepared items that aid in healing (implied as long-term) medicine, tonic; not bandages, but curatives |
| mei, may | something small and granular, worn off from a bigger thing rubble, pebbles; salt or sand to grind or wear down (as a mill, or a rockslide's results) |
| meh (as the expression) | to organize or sort, sift through and place -compare to kth, this is the act of placing things in the right order |
| mech^ | to pinch, clasp, close something that attaches to itself a hinge or clasp, a physical lock a clam or snapping plant |
| mii, mee | magnetism, attraction or synthesis between metals to magnetize (an object that is not already) rarely used as a personality descriptor, intended as a physical one |
| min, minh | strength, the quality of an object that is sturdy or hardy muscularity of a person or animal, 'meatiness' |
| mirr, mirh | reflex, something that is completely natural and happens without thought 'knee jerk' if negative can be both physical or conceptual, personality trait, or action |
| mit, miht (pronounced t) | to absorb, to soak, funnel, ingest a sponge or siphon (often used in cooking or science) usually physical, but may also be 'revelation', as a sudden understanding of a thing, or immersion in a culture may offer |
| mix, miks | logical, something that conforms to a sensible pattern to draw a conclusion from clues that make sense |
| moh, moa | imagination, fancy (as 'whim'), creativity, fantasy (not dreaming) to imagine, to fantasize, to visualize |
| morr, morh (more) | an edge, the border of something or somewhere delineation, generally physical but may refer to states of being or time slots |
| mot (pronounced t) | over ripe, gone off to decay usually refers to food, but can imply mood or physical interaction, 'rancid vibes' |
| mun, moon | to record physically, leave a trace, plant a trail a marker or a clue on such a trail implied to be purposeful rather than incidental |
| murr, murh ('murica) | intimacy, closeness on a personal level the act of physical sex implies both joy and satisfaction on a physical and emotional level |
| muu, mo-oo (distinct o - o) | the quality of taste or smell modified by other descriptors to determine type of smell/taste |
| nach^ | pathway, the trail of a journey, implied to be 'narrow or rare' to follow or lead such a journey into the unknown embarking, the act of hiking or wandering |
| nae, nay | wind, air currents (as opposed to just 'air'), from a breeze to a hurricane a natural storm (not portal storm or constructed wind-making device like a fan) |
| nag, nagh | a line as a shape straightness as a physical trait to draw a straight line a ruler (as a measuring/artistic tool only) |
| nahh, nah, naa | a beginning, the start or inception the highest point, the tip or top of something (usually large), 'the peak' of a mountain (not the mountain itself) -note that this implication of 'starting at the top' is also coming into use as a concept, but has its basis in Vorts seeing up as their starting point as 'free floating' spirits, and 'down' as the journey |
| narr, nar, narh | unhealthy desire want-for or greed though not often used in Vort culture, they have definitely described Human culture in this manner as an idea, 'capitalism' |
| ned, nedh | bulbous or drop shaped, pear shaped, to describe an object teardrops, gourds, squash wobbling or unsteady trajectory, falling in a sort of viscous slide as a tear would as a verb |
| net (short or silent t), neh' | the expected results, expectations of something that has yet to occur projections, hopes, 'prediction' but not the analysis itself |
| nex, neks | energetic, enthusiastic, excitable, vibration brownian or electron motion strongly used with excitable children or anticipatory groups |
| nh, nn (^, as now) | to bristle from a single source, stand on end as hairs 'hairbrush' or 'pinecone' may be used as verb or noun |
| ni, nee, nii | male, of any species where there is a difference his/he/him in describing an individual or overall gender |
| noh | ending (physical), death of a body implies natural death and not enforced or negatively dying |
| nohaa (noh ha) | death at range, the effects of war to shoot or fire weapons bullets or other projectiles fired |
| not (short t) | to scramble, confuse, mix things together that don't normally belong and don't 'work' together well generally the verb form, though 'slop' is implied as a noun compare to shii, which implies functionality or harmony, not is more the dissonant or unpleasant results |
| nox, noks (knocks) | chunk of land having been conquored or discovered, an island, a settlement, colony a foundation or base of operations the physical act of founding/ground breaking, or claiming compare to ling, which is more metaphorical and personal, nox implies the location itself and not the person doing the claiming |
| numi, noomi | physically artistic or pleasant, something pretty, creative use of physical or visual things a piece of art an artist or creator (not 'visionary'/'inventor') who makes physical works of individual art |
| nur, nurr | salty or briny smell or taste, implied to be of a natural origin salt as an ingredient or substance 'to salt' or soak in brine, for cooking |
| nus, noos | adaptable, malleable, amorphous a gelatinous object or creature without a standardized or typical shape applied to a personality, may indicate 'yes-man' or 'goes with the flow' depending on the situation or implied negativity/positivity |
| nuy, nui (as new-ee) | unexpected, unpredictable, the unknown (as opposed to the obfuscated that is known) insanity, disruption or chaotic energy -note that this is a resoundingly negative word for Vorts |
| ny, nie, nye | the name of a thing, the title bestowed upon a defined person or thing to bestow such a title -note that to take a title or name yourself is considered taboo and completely against their ways |
| o' (short) | 'sure', 'fine', 'whatever' to accept a task given with a shrug or a wave-off, not considered negative but definitely compare to uhn which is acknowledging it |
| oa, wah | loudness of a sound, booming or resonant, strident noise, raucous 'speak up' if used as a query, 'be loud' as a verb - note the difference of pronunciation between oa and oha |
| odu (as owe-due) | to dangle, swing, flap while attached to something a flag or a wagging tail, a rope |
| ogg, ogh | but also, in addition to, an additional facet as in 'has distant kin, but also close family' |
| oha (oh hah distinct syllable) | range, distance, a measurable amount of space between things (usually implied to be long) a range finder, a measuring tape (compared to ruler or microscopy which is more for small measure) |
| ohl, ole | to pulse, to throb, to grow and ebb a heartbeat, tide as it comes in (rather than going out or merely 'the' tide) |
| ohm, om | elemental metal, ore, gems or crystals; hard structures found in natural settings |
| ook, uk, uuk | specific plants for food or use; something grown to be eaten made functional an orchard, a garden; implied to be made consciously rather than found in the wild cultivation, gardening |
| oon, uun (not uhn) | to fly, flap, or propel through air or space manipulative flight rather than freefalling |
| ord (as afford) | transmitted, airwaves, radio signal, a technological method of communication not Vortal speech or even in person, implied to be exclusively 'the airwaves' themselves, the method rather than the content |
| ori, orii, oree, ory | to solve a riddle, to come up with a solution a riddle or brain teaser implied to be mental or emotional and not physical as a puzzle |
| orm (as conform) | an antlion, generally referring to the worker type -- ormbah = eggs; ormlih = larva; ormturr = queen; ormdara = guardian; ormshuk = spitter |
| osh (as wash or ocean) | to apply pressure, tighten tourniquet, clamp applies to a specific location or portion of a whole, rather than siid's overall effect |
| ot (as ought) | a person's left side, the left facing direction, to go leftwards |
| ozh (ojh) | to elude, to be subtle in interaction, to pretend or be sly; hidden activities, subterfuge ulterior motives when negative, to escape detection or 'get away' when positively applied |
| raa, rah | business, the practice of work, interaction the transfer of goods rather than concepts or ideas may imply the location where business is done, though rarely |
| rach^ | a tool, an object or implement that tool's use when combined with '/-chackt -rarely describes weapons, as they have their own type of distinct implications |
| rae, ray | stripes, markings, rosettes varigated or mixed colorations usually defining animal markings, but may be used as personality traits |
| rahd, rod, rawd | beauty as defined physically to appreciate a physical aspect of an object or person, location |
| rai, rye | to spot or locate, to have detected something visually or vortally hunt or search for (in a positive sense) -compare to kree which is more creepy |
| ran, rahn | pacing of time, predictability and regularity something that occurs at a specific and regimented moment 'dawn', the ticking of a clock, a guard change |
| rahz, rozh | a very specific location or item to target or home in on something 'hit the target' -- razhahl = 'home', the place where one is from |
| ree, rhee | a plant, a growing thing without a brain lichen on up to trees not implied to be for any specific use, just 'a plant' |
| reem | a leafy plant, not specifically food the specific leaf rather than stalk or fruit |
| rel, rehl | to pair up with, to match with, the act of bonding as a verb the bond or pair itself; generally assumes equality between these two things regardless of gender, species, duration, or intent 'marriage', 'partnership', 'trusty / beloved mount' |
| rex, rehx reks | to flutter, flap as wings or leaves in a breeze naturally implied erratic motion, a butterfly's path |
| rix, rihx, riks | a distraction, lure, bait something that is not what it appears, a trap of any sort setting the trap, rather than the trap as laid |
| roa, row | nebulous, fluffy, indistinct physical location a puffball, a cloud, a blurry outline vagueness or noncommittal behavior |
| rog (as dog) | to hold or hold up, display, carry an item prominently, or show something while holding it aloft a badge or placard, a medal on a uniform, a crown; all implies 'being held' or 'placed on' something of importance |
| rowya (row ya) | steam, usually very hot vapor rather than wispy subtle cooking; the vapor itself - not used to describe a personality trait until they met Humanity, 'hot headed' as an indistinct 'angry all the time' |
| rrb (as urb/irb) | the elements of a being's personality, the presence of a personality, 'personality' as a trait - compare to the use of eh' to preface 'not' typically a trait, someone has rrb and a potted plant does not, but that same person might be eh'sut, 'bright like a flower' |
| ruhh, ruu | chill, cold, the element of ice immobility (of a normally mobile item) |
| rum, room | above, higher, heights in general the upper portion of an object up as a directional cue |
| rus, roos | a style, as a distinction from others which could be similar, a unique flair -opposed to vouch which is negative, rus implies positivity |
| rut, root (pronounced t) | to roll, rotate, tumble, spin to turn something that spins (often in lower gravity, or while held telekinetically) to be dizzy from such spinning -rarely used to describe emotion/personality |
| ruun, roo-oon | motionless rather than immobility waiting, pausing, inaction or slowness to respond or act when action may occur |
| rux, rucks | to discover something for the first time, referring to the act of discovery rather than the thing discovered note that this often implies 'a thing that was not present before', Vorts know perfectly well that things exist concurrently but new things can be developed or arrive on scene - contrast to krux of 're-discovery' |
| ryo, rio, reeoh | different, varied; generally referring to physical presence, though often applied to personalities and ideas - when negative, 'ha-ryo' refers to specific 'this isn't right' or 'something is off' |
| saa, sah | actions that are easy, simple; something uncomplicated or direct unbuilt, raw objects in an unconstructed state |
| sahk, soc (as sock) | a tube shaped item usually implied to be hand sized or food-sized (so pasta, but not a needle) refers to the tube shape in itself rather than ahm, the interior |
| san, sahn (sawn) | to fall into place, to 'fit' just right, a measure of exact portion can be considered both physical and social 'fitting in' |
| sed, sehd (said) | starchy, stiff, a food or object that creates starch; note that this includes the variety of stages of starch, from liquid, stiffness, and breaking down afterward 'conforming' or 'standing at attention' stiffness that softens after a time may imply a tough exterior but soft otherwise, or something that starts out bland and ends up sweet or enjoyable |
| seh, say | blood, fluid as applied to function (hydraulic, mercury) liquid (mainly) that is valuable only when contained |
| sem, sehm | the brain, a specific organ connected with thought |
| seng, sang | to pick or pry open, to take apart in detail, to analyze carefully something physical to perform surgery or do an autopsy, to complete a puzzle a puzzle, or something with complex parts to be examined, as a noun |
| sennah, senaa | time, immediacy, 'now' current events, neither set in the past nor the future -- note that while the word certainly combines seh and naa and can be construed as 'sitting in the center of the river of time' that phrase does appear in much older context and is one of the few terms that come from the 'ancient' Vort language directly |
| shaa, shah | the opening of vocal or verbal communication over distance (rather than Vortal) 'hello', 'goodbye' a message itself carried audibly over an area -- note that Vortigaunts have extremely large lungs and their resonant voices carry over much larger spaces, so at times their conversations may be heard starting or stopping even if there are no Vorts for miles |
| sheh, shay | sound, the physical quality of a noise, or something that can be detected audibly usually combined with specifics about the sound's duration, pitch, or other qualities |
| shii, shee, shih | mesh, something that is woven in itself or with another thing to mix, to weave; usually of fabric or threads, rather than liquid when physical this applies equally to social, emotional, Vortal, or physical weaving |
| shuk, shook | to spray, spread in a conscious fashion direct flow, spit, ejaculate (such as antlion spit, gonarch spawn) compare to sloo which is chaotic |
| shuu, shu | offspring, young, brood |
| sii, see | pain, ache, physical and rarely mental / emotional discomfort |
| siid, seed | to compact, condense, push together, confine, or encapsulate 'pill', 'wad of paper' as examples of nouns generally this is 'of a large amount of one thing pushed into a smaller space' rather than numerous items or different substances |
| skaa, skah, ska | upright, standing, verticality something that stands out particularly against a landscape to stand up or perk up as a verb |
| skee, ski | to set down, balance on something, layer, or place atop strata of ground, layers of things (such as a ream of paper), floors of a building ski'nahket = Black Mesa |
| skoh, sko | concavity on a small or large scale a scoop or spoon shaped object the concept of lift, as a wing or parachute produces upward motion due to that shape |
| slae, slay | the surface of a bubble, filmy, something that has surface tension and holds a shape but is not durable not necessarily fragile or shattering, but something that may pop if touched thin skinned personalities |
| slah, slaw | to substitute, to swap out, to switch, or act as a proxy; verb form indicates neither positive nor negative connotations an 'avatar' in a video game, or 'legal representation' in court or business, a 'pinch hitter' |
| slee, slii | transparency, glass-like, implied to be thicker and more durable than slae, but still fragile the quality of visibility through solids such as ice, glass, crystal, plexiglass, etc, rather than opaqueness can be applied to personalities or social groups |
| sloa, slow | to drain, to draw out as a leech might, generally refers to liquids that aren't supposed to be drained a negative connotation often used as 'emotional exhaustion' or 'subversion' depending on whether the subject or object is in focus a literal leech, a moocher |
| sloo, slu | to scatter or spread in a chaotic manner, unpredictable patterns or direction panic behavior among a crowd of things (cockroaches, people) compare to shuk which is more organized |
| soa, soah | to be mistaken for, to greatly resemble 'you look just like...' -this is not 'to disguise as', it implies being mistaken for by others |
| sog, sohg | a physical item which is useful for multiple purposes a multi-tool, Swiss army knife; an animal or location (such as a horse that may be used as a burden beast, food, or racing; or a building that has a classroom as well as a production facility, etc) -note that this is not yoth, this is an object that is actively intended to be used for different things |
| son, sohn | fish, an aquatic non-mammal, from tiny leeches to massive sharks used with descriptors for size, danger level, or uses |
| soo, su | extravagant, fancy, special in some way to distinguish this thing from other similar things surprisingly rare that a Vort would use it negatively, but Humans often attempt to use it as an insult |
| sot (pronounced t) | ripe, ripeness of food (usually fruit or meat) to ripen, to 'rest' (as removing food from heat) note that this is never used as a negative by Vorts |
| staa, stah | surface, skin, covering; the thing keeping the insides from the outsides, usually of a living thing but may be 'tent' to wrap or clothe, the act of donning clothing or outerwear |
| stoi, stoy | narrow, slender, an object that has a narrow or compact shape rarely used as a verb 'get/make thinner' or 'shave off' to reduce the broadest part of a thing --hyatstoy = carrot; gehstoi = spear |
| stoirow | a wisp, thin clouds, a vapor trail may also indicate planetary rings or comet tails implied to be temporary |
| stu, stoo | to erase, remove, leave no trace or track to unmake (generally negative) can refer to physical trails or Vortal echoes equally |
| sturr, stir | ownership, belonging to, generally referring to the individual or group doing the owning territory, servants, collections of goods as nouns -note that while Vorts seldom have material goods or possessions, they recognize that other species usually do |
| sun, soon | a physical barrier, a shield, a wall, armor or protective gear implies that this is a created or erected item, rather than one naturally occurring |
| surr, surh | an animal that doesn't have a 'spirit' but is still alive; non-intelligent or interactive creatures note that those Vorts who want to truly insult Humans use this as a slur |
| surrch (surr churr) | a modern term meaning 'meat' as food or the specific 'meat animals' that Humans might intend to breed for that purpose |
| sut, suit | blossom, flower, or bloom;
a plant that flowers refers to both the flower itself, and the act of blooming physically (opening, displaying, as well as 'being attractive to breed') |
| t' (tuh with a pause) | always added to the start of a word or phrase; indicates 'arrival' or to arrive t'allu-lach = we're here!; t'huu-rel = arrives riding their trusty mount |
| tach^ | shyness, reclusive or anti-social to be present but to recoil or hang back iztach = light-bearing stalk plants found on Xen which retract when approached |
| tahh, taa | something made, created, manufactured; non-natural items or substances - note that this is not a negative connotation, compare to ula |
| tahdarah, tadra, tah drra | homestead, the house that is built, a structure made to protect from the elements can also include any building where people of any sort congregate, from an apartment building to a hospital or a food court, add modifiers to describe the actions taken there |
| tak (talk) | to explore, be aware of surroundings; to examine a broad subject or area; to sum up a quantitative assessment of an entire item or location - compare to Zurr (qualitative/opinion forming) or Wenn (comparing this thing to another thing) |
| tal, tahl, taal, tall | a blunt stike, an impact with a wide object rather than one with an edge a mace or hammer; can imply 'landslide' down to 'punching' depending on the context |
| talash | to evade, dodge, anticipate an attack and act - as a verb it doesn't need chackt added |
| tan, tahn | small, lesser, on the losing side, younger if applied to age |
| tao (towel) | to split, divide, demark something separated yet still is 'the same' item such as a serving of food, a sheet of paper from a ream |
| tar, tarh, taar | symbol, abstraction, lettering or numerals to write or create code; figures (written), runes, carvings, (road) signs |
| tash | and, also, in addition to, as well as a conjunction implying a group of different things being described |
| taws, tawz | savory flavor, something mouth-watering to smell or taste, non-sweet food |
| tay, tae | the physical texture of wrinkling; folds or creases, something with an un-flat surface to fold or create such creases nooks and crannies formed by such areas |
| taynu | to be opposite, the act of creating an opposing motion - not 'reflection' but physics properties of 'equal and opposite force' such as a tug of war (k'kuth taynu) or a boxing match - does not imply being an enemy, but can mean 'debate partner' |
| terr, terh | a location anywhere but where the speaker is;
distant or close but not 'here' 'there' (oddly one of the few words that sounds quite similar to its English translation) |
| tesh | physical work, drudgery, hard labor generally not dangerous work but mundane or unskilled tasks |
| tex, teks | a cone or fan shape, such as a field of view objects with that shape such as a fan, a horn, pyramid |
| thaa, thah | professional, skilled in physical ways that allow service, refers to the level of skill specifically |
| thaal, thahl | the person or group skilled at professional level; as 'Vortal' but with purely physical skills |
| thee, thii | pursuit, to chase or follow something or someone, to keep up with, seek, or sniff out known things - compare to kree (monitor) |
| thoi | connection, family, bond of blood or community ordered or ranked things among their similar group (such as a private or lieutenant in a squadron) |
| thoo, thu | to jostle, shove, nudge, trip, bump into something physically an unsubtle hint, but not necessarily a challenge, "cough cough wink" |
| tie, ty | to float, bob and weave on the wind or water, natural movement rather than affected or purposeful 'go with the flow'; gentle buffeting with such motion |
| tii, tee, tih | tolerant, patient, generally of children, events, or occurrances - distinct from ead which is 'resigned to', tii implies a positive and purposeful tolerance |
| ting, teeng^ | prosperity, bountiful, fertile to prosper, to have a bounty, to gain more than one had before |
| tio, tiyo, teeoh | specific attention given to a person or thoughts scrutiny by or of a person - compare to Joh, this is distinctly toward individual sentient life |
| tirh, tiir (as tear to cry) | to train others, to serve (food) a checklist or manual - compare to Kurr, tirh implies need rather than generosity |
| toy, toi | physical speed, motion on an individual level 'hurry up!', 'snap to it!' as a command |
| trah, traa | silky, strands that are fine or slender, usually 'fibers' may refer to a delicate disposition or mood, 'refined tastes' |
| tsah, tsaa | sensation, perception, physically gathering items or information (as opposed to merely sensing them) |
| tsoo, tsu | a lingering message, a hint or sign that is not written out or physical 'that which can be inferred'; the 'vibe' of a place or person sometimes refers to 'the whispered secrets' with a Vortal component, as the All-in-one tends to house all of this known information aggregated by Vortikind, and sometimes passes it along to new minds |
| tul, tool | to reply, to respond, to form a reubttal or argument the contents of a reply 'ni tul, beh tul' "he said, she said" |
| tull, tuhl | irritable or an irritation, something that grates on the mood or physically, an annoyance or pest creature may refer to texture, mood, personality, or actions |
| turr, turh | big, greater, on the winning side, elder |
| tuu, too | growth, the act of experience applied to an event, to progress harmonious change as opposed to chaotic |
| u, oo | 'other', 'not me/us' - note this is usually in conjunction with 'ah' forming allu; can mean 'they/them' when other people are implied to be part of a group |
| ua, ooah (as hoorah) | to submerge, immerse, usually in liquid but can be emotional to drown, dunk, bury (physical or feelings) |
| ud, ood | horns, spines, claws of an animal things used to attack rather than merely move around or defend with - compare to Geh, ud is active |
| uhn (as 'fun') | acknowledgement, context-dependent presence 'here!' in roll-taking in response to being asked 'are you here' |
| ula, ulah, oolaa | artificially created, forced, a negative connotation of manufacturing abrupt, inappropriate behavior or occurrance |
| urr | to enter, to fill, to become generally a verb, but combine to make nouns (such as uya'urr, 'open doorway') |
| ush (as push) | bone, structural biology, endoskeleton rather than exoskeleton internal stiffness, 'hard core' personality |
| ut, oot | a person's right side, right facing, a directional heading to the right - note that this is not in comparison to 'wrong', this is purely a physical directive |
| uul, ool | to build or create, the act and the verb rather than the object being built (tahh) - rarely used with 'chackt' as this is its own verb |
| uuv, oov (as move) | shape, the concept or abstraction of a physical shape using polygons or lines usually adds descriptions noting its specific sides or quantity of them, to imply 'cube' rather than 'a box' |
| uya, ooyah | an opening, hole, portal, a port hole, an open window or door generally refers to natural, or positive openings (not 'wounds') |
| v' (vuh, short) | verb form added to start of another word indicating 'to continue doing that thing' or 'repeat that action/activity' - compare this to gat's physical directive, this implies to keep doing something already in progress, applying to both metaphorical or physical actions - v'tao = continued division of portions (fractal math?), v'xih = walking the tightrope 'balancing act' |
| vahh, vaa, vah | mystery, secret, the unknown, hidden facets obfuscation when purposeful; lies when very negative; surprise when very positive |
| var, varh | unearned praise, vanity of self-worth |
| vech^ | the future, potential, things which have not happened yet |
| veh, vay | elemental air, breathable gas lightness when applied to weight to clean something gently (not 'chela' cleanse) |
| vem | delicious and filling usually refers to food or meals, but can apply to an interaction that has gone well, as negotiations or tasks |
| vet (short t) | to relax, be calm and at rest meditation or trance - opposed to 'loo', vet is more restfullness and being at peace |
| vih, vee | to expand, spread, extend;
as wings, a parachute, or a Xenian spire generally applied to physical properties or locations, rather than mood or personality |
| vin | hatred, dislike, distress over a situation applies only to the idea, not describing a physical trait |
| viq, viiq, veek, viik | to swirl, a funneling motion; to stir (by hand) a mote or storm, hurricane or dust devil, the contents moving through a funnel |
| vix, viks | dotted, dots, small single points of regular shapes (not blotches that are different from one another) pattern recognition, mapping, highlighting specific directions using such dots (as bioluminescence or Vortally charged signs) 'follows the dots' as a person who rarely deviates from paths or instructions even if there are other options - azh ahl'vix = constellations in the night sky |
| voh, voe | to finish with a definitive motion; finality after effort 'the payoff' to actions, 'so there!' |
| vol (vole) | breathe out, exhale, to puff or blow out (not inhalation) |
| voo, vu | ending, violence, to cut a knife or blade, something sharp |
| vort (voiced t) | talented, learned, skilled in intellectual pursuit applies usually to cleverness, power manipulation or something non-physical |
| vortal | the person who uses wit or mental prowess; rarely used to describe non-powered abilities - non-standard use of ahl |
| vouch, voosh (irregular ch) | brand, taint, 'imprint of' a burned brand or stamp of ownership (a barcode, a cattle brand) a negative connotation of 'possession' |
| voy, voi | density or lack thereof; modify with other terms usually refers to thickness of atmosphere or parrticles in the air, but may include 'amount of people in a room' - hardly used to describe personality until Humans came along... |
| vra, vrah | to stabilize, to fasten, snug down, secure, anchor fasteners, snaps and belts, an anchor, devices which perform those actions can mean 'unwavering' or 'loyal' to describe a person |
| vurr | absence of space, togetherness one thing, a single item |
| vuun, voon, voo-oon | to verbally recount, tell a story, to record Vortally (to commit to the All-in-one) an oral history or performance of events that have occurred |
| wee, wii, ooii | a beast of burden, an animal tasked with assistance or to be ridden - wee'toy = 'a race horse' |
| wenn, when, ooehn | to compare two or more similar things to one another; to rate or place as a tier list things of the same nature comperable items, similarities physical or conceptual in nature, but always of multiple different things, rather than Zurr of singular among themselves |
| wist, ooist | grain plant, specifically not a fruit or vegetable plant, with significant stalk or grain like seeds |
| wiz, uiz, ooiz | a lightning crystal, the peizoelectrically charged Xenian crystals with a distinct blue color (so named for their droplet formations, shattering, and explosive properties) can refer to vacuum tubes, light bulbs, bombs, or other such bright and explosive items but usually Vorts mean the ones on Xen |
| won, oahn | crispy, crunchy, to be chewed noisily the sound of brittle things breaking, though usually implies food and not bones being damaged to chew, which also means 'tasty gratitude' |
| xen, zen | an escape (location), a hideaway, a hidden place |
| xhaa, zhaa | to impress, to scare or frighten (not surprise), to intimidate an intimidating person or a daunting task |
| xih, zee | the middle, the center, a balance point, average the mid-point of a journey; 'adulthood' compared to a child or elder |
| xil, zeel, zil | out of the ordinary, a rarity, weirdness 'un-like' when in a group, an easily distinguished object |
| xkah (zuh kaw) | focal point, a thing of importance or notice |
| -ya | always added to another word; to cook or prepare food - lushya = bake (enclosed heat); gogya = boil; levya = fry in oil |
| yar, yarh | feathers specifically of birds, to distinguish from other flying creatures to decorate or make fancy, dandify, make something pretty |
| yee, yi | pleasant to touch, velvety, gently grained fur, stubble to pet or stroke as fur, to feel a surface |
| yeer, yirh, year | to hang or drape over something or someone a cape, laundry on a line the bestowing of an honor or a duty upon someone; passing the torch; relinquishing a duty and honoring those who pick it up; to be knighted or crowned |
| yem | a positive opinion, to prefer something over another, to like something, to value or think highly of a thing |
| yil, yihl | splayed, frond-like, unfurled something that is able to open and close by itself; a valve (biological as a heart valve) or aperture (in a location or object) that opens and closes but maintains its mass; an open book, a full bloom generally refers to the 'open' state of these objects or locations 'open to ideas' |
| yit (short t) | physical fragility, breakable, thin or brittle can imply emotional sensitivity or weakness, easily broken mood or hurt feelings |
| yoth, eeoth, iioth | a person who is adaptable, a flexible mind, an opportunist can be spun negatively as wishy-washy, an ass-kisser, 'yes man'; Vorts rarely use those terms |
| yox, yoks | to distort, warp or twist, particularly of vision heat haze, a spoon's reflection, uneven reflectivity |
| yuk, yook | boldness, gregariousness, social |
| yuul, yul, yool | to milk or express, extract, distill liquid from something a grain press, cattle milk, fruit juice, bulb pop also refers to specific drinks by using modifiers for color/flavor or intent |
| zay, xay | iridescent patterning, something that changes when at different angles shiny feathers, glitter, fancy paint or stealth technology |
| zah, xah | a degree of snark or sarcasm, often added to other terms to illustrate a bad idea or exaggerated trait a jibe, poking fun at someone emotionally or socially ("emotional damage") |
| zar, zarh | to invade, to insert, a negative connotation of 'bury' or 'burrow' |
| zee, zi | to mold or press into a specific shape, to make something fit efficiently to organize items or ideas a well-managed filing system for instance; tetris - does not generally refer to people or events, primarily physical objects |
| zeh, xeh | to deserve something specific, to have a destiny, the fate of someone's actions a physical destination to reach; the destiny in view |
| zhey, zhay | dryness, aridity, lack of moisture to dry out; to be thirsty or parched |
| zhil (as shill) | a pump, be it mechanical or biological (a piston or heart depending on context); a thing that regulates or moves other things (liquids, people, trash) to push things through implying the motion of physical things rather than an emotional 'he was moved' |
| zich^ | to operate, manipulate, cause something to physically function to activate or work on an item a switch that turns something on or off (generally 'on') |
| zoo, zuu | to experiment, to try different aspects or angles approaching a problem to think outside the box |
| zuk (as took) | springy, bouncy to bounce or bounce-back, to jump or rebound (physically) - rarely used as 'twitchy' or 'jumpy' |
| zurr | a qualitative assessment, to size something up, mainly to form an opinion of something physical (not Tak), a single thing rather than one thing to another (not Wen) |