Help:EIPA
Throughout the Project AU Wiki, the pronunciation of words in Ee'koi languages is indicated using the Ee'koi International Phonetic Alphabet (eIPA). The following tables list the eIPA symbols used for words and pronunciations. Because Ee'koi anatomy is different from human anatomy, most of these phonemes are unpronounceable for humans. Ee'koi use a mix of consonantal sounds (articulated with their mouths), vocal sounds (articulated with their breathing spiracles), as well as changes in their facial skin pigmentation and, in some languages, hand signs.
Key
Phonemes and diacritics
Consonantal sounds are produced by the interaction of various parts of the mouth. Note that they are equivalent to human non-pulmonic sounds, as the Ee’koi’s respiratory and oral tracts are separated, unlike humans. Consonantal sounds are distinguished by place and manner of articulation, as well as whether the sounds are produced with the mouth open or closed. The parts of the mouth used for consonantal sounds are the labia, aulaea (equivalent to teeth), the oral cavity and the pharyngeal valve.
Vocal sounds, sometimes called vowels, are produced by letting air flow out of their breathing spiracles. They can vary in pitch, of which up to 5 are usually distinguished. Light sounds are produced with fully open spiracles, while dark sounds are produced with partially closed spiracles.
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Pigmentation
Ee’koi can change the pigmentation of their skin to virtually any color, but there are 12 basic color patterns using up to 5 different colors which are encoded with specific meanings (similar to human facial expressions). These are are notated 1 through 12, in superscript, before a word. Patterns are encoded with meanings that vary from language to language, but have similar themes.
| Number | Image | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ∅ | Neutral | |
| 1 | Related to change, creation, life, aging, time passing | |
| 2 | Related to Ee’koi, that which is familiar, local | |
| 3 | Related to animals, lower lifeforms, living bodies | |
| 4 | Related to plant life, crops, things made from plants | |
| 5 | Related to the world we live in, natural processes, the ground | |
| 6 | Related to things that are positive, affirmative, declarative, concepts | |
| 7 | Related to things that are negative, opposite, a lack of something | |
| 8 | Related to the sky, the clouds, the stars, space | |
| 9 | Related to other artificial objects, things that are not natural | |
| 10 | Related to meat, flesh, food, corpses | |
| 11 | Related to that which is different, far away, foreign, strange | |
| 12 | Related to state, stagnation, destruction, death, time of day |
Signs
Some Ee’koi languages also incorporate signs performed with the speaker’s grasping appendages, analogous to human hands (of which they usually have two). These are notated in square brackets, after a word. The order of notation is as follows, starting from left:
- Appendage: L (left), R (right); can be ommitted
- "Hand" position: V (vertical), H (horizontal)
- "Finger" position: x (closed “fist”), 1 (first “finger” up), 2 (second “finger” up), 3, 12, 13, 123, etc.
- Appendage movement: Qa (clockwise), Qb (counter-clockwise), Ka (outward), Kb (inward), A (up), B (left), C (down), D (right), W (up-left), X (down-left), Y (up-right), Z (down-right)
- "Hand" movement: f (flick), q (twist clockwise), c (twist counter-clockwise)
- Contact: > (side by side), + (left on right), - (right on left), | (side by side but not touching), = (superposed but not touching), X (crossed)
Example: [LV13>RHx] “left hand vertical, first and third fingers up, into right hand horizontal, closed fist”