Kaelish is the language commonly spoken by the inhabitants of the Wandering Isle.
Known words and phrases[]
| Kaelish | English translation |
|---|---|
| oncat | cat[1] |
| dirre | sweetheart[2] |
| Kep ye nom? | What is your name?[2] |
| nomme __ | my name is __[2] |
| Ken ye hom?[3] | Where are you from? |
| ken | where |
| kep | what |
| ye | your |
Ancient Kaelish[]
| Ancient Kaelish | English translation |
|---|---|
| Nae brenye kerr, eld ren. | Good to see you, old friend.[4] |
| eld | old |
| ren | friend |
Linguistic analysis[]
From the words and phrases of Kaelish given in the books, it is possible to derive several pieces of linguistic information:
- Nouns, at least some nouns, can take head-marking for some possessors (but not others). Nom means "name," and nomme, with a -me suffix, means "my name." However, there is no suffix for "your name" ─ or if there is one, it is not necessary.
- At least in some cases, Kaelish has a zero-copula. Kep "what" + ye nom "your name" = "what is your name." There is no word here that translates as "is"; instead, juxtaposing the two phrases creates that meaning.
References[]
- ↑ Ruin and Rising, chapter 3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Six of Crows, chapter 34
- ↑ Crooked Kingdom, chapter 22
- ↑ Rule of Wolves, chapter 48