Kardii Vocabulary

First of all, all words are given in singular and infinitive form. i.e., try searching for 'come' instead of 'came', 'man' instead of 'men', etc. Also, kardii verbs are listed without suffixes. Finally, if at first you don't succeed, get out the thesaurus.

Another Note: Some Kardii words appear with '(u/ee)' or '(ru/ree)' beside them. These are words which change according to gender. For more info, see gender.

Word Class

You're probably wondering about some of those strange words classes that appear in the search results. Most English words can be easily classified as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., but because most Kardii words can function in more than one of these capacities, they are classed according to the way their meanings change in each function. The meaning given below as 'X' is the 'Primary Meaning' given above. This is the function which tends to most easily be equated to a single English concept.

Class	As a Noun	As a Verb	As a Modifier	Notes
Pure Verb	~-~--~-~	X	~-~--~-~	only two exist: 'ty' and 'haaket'
Common Verb	the act of 'X-ing'	X	~-~--~-~
example: ksa	transformation	to transform
Pure Noun	X	~-~--~-~	~-~--~-~
To Use Noun	X	to use 'X'	~-~--~-~
Narrow Use Noun	X	to do ~ with 'X'	~-~--~-~	verb meaning listed under 'secondary meaning'
example: 'buhshuh'	leg	to kick
To Consume Noun	X	to eat/drink 'X'	~-~--~-~
To Wear Noun	X	to put on 'X', to wear 'X'	~-~--~-~
Shape	X	to draw an 'X', to form into an 'X'	'X-shaped'
Material	X	to make from 'X'	made from, composed of 'X'
Common Modifier	the state of 'X', 'X-ness'	to make 'X', to become 'X'	X
example: 'j'vee'	beauty	to beautify, to become beautiful	beautiful
Position	~-~--~-~	to go (to) 'X', to put/send (to) 'X'	X	modifiers are postpositions and are often followed by 'a'
To Feel Noun	X	to feel, to experience 'X' (passive action)	~-~--~-~
To Make Noun	X	to make/build/cause/produce 'X'	~-~--~-~
Movement	'X'-ward, 'X' style movement	to move 'X-ward', to move in 'X' fashion	~-~--~-~	noun is primary meaning
Pertain To Noun	X	N/A	of, pertaining to 'X'
Seem Noun	sensation	to seem like, to be able to be sensed	~-~--~-~	noun is primary meaning
example: 'jeline'	sound	to sound like, to be audible	~-~--~-~
Type	X	~-~--~-~	an "X" of..
example: 'misoa'	hue, shade	~-~--~-~	shade of (eg. tini misoa - shade of green)

Naming and Address

A person can be addressed by their given name or by their title, but not both together. It is also possible to address a person by their family's name, although this is rare. Note that a Shela family name is not the same as an English surname. It does not attach to a person's given name and many families do not in fact have a name at all. Unless they are friends, people tend to be addressed by their title (usually their occupation).

Now, having said all that, a person's name, title and family name tend to be given all at once when they are being introduced. This form of introduction ('liare', in Kardii) follows the format '(given name) tyse (title) vin j'taav (family name)', 'shandari tyse j'tiira vin j'taav jepyshala' (Shandari, who is a priest(ess), of the blood of Jepyshala). The liare is only given when a person is being introduced (or, if absolutely necessary, to identify the specific (not present) person being discussed). The person in the above example would afterwards be addressed as 'j'tiira', or the feminine 'j'tiiree'.

There are a few variations in the format of the liare. 'Tyse', in historical records, will become 'tysa' to denote a person who is deceased. It is also worthy to note that when a liare is given in Kardiifa (not always noticeable, as proper nouns do not change for Kardiifa), 'tyse' stays as it is and does not become the Kardiifa 'vin ty'.

'Vin j'taav' (of the blood) before a family name also has variants. A member of a merchant clan will replace 'vin j'taav (family name)' with 'vin mayad (clan name)', even if they are not actually related to the clan.

Names

Boys' Names

The rules that say whether a name is masculine or feminine are not very rigid in Kardii, although names ending in 'm' or 'n' are usually masculine, as are names whose meanings are to do with man-made objects.

Girls' Names

Names ending in 's' or 't' are usually feminine, as are names whose meanings are to do with animals.

Family and Clan Names

The Shela custom of naming families was once reserved for nobility. Then came the merchant clans, to whom the founding families are much like nobility anyway. Today, many families have names, often from the names of objects or symbols that the family associates with themselves. Most family names are blended forms of two or more words, eg. 'imelistee', from 'imele' (voice) and 'istee' (wind).

When a married couple decide not to move in with either of their families and start their own household, it is common for them to adopt a combined form of both their family names.

Kardii Vocabulary

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Kardii - English

English - Kardii