Down through the centuries, the various colonies of Earth each evolved their own language. If the founding group was homogeneous in background, its primary language generally derived from the culture; if it was heterogeneous, the favorite language of choice eventually dominated. At the time of the first launches, the languages of choice for the myriad of peoples who chose the stars were Chinese, English, and Spanish. These three languages formed the pidgin tongue which was the basis of Axis Standard.
The colony of Nuala was one of the few founded involuntarily, and its linguistic progression was radically different. Due to the high number of scientists among the original settlers, English, Latin, and German predominated, with a sprinkling of Gaelic and several African dialects thrown into the language stew. Since the pronunciation of several commonly-used Nualan words do not translate easily, assistance is offered below.
ä — used in:
Ragäree
ragäree
Ciedär
Ciedärlien
This “ä” is pronounced as American speakers say “o” in bother and “a” in father. The first “a” in ragäree is pronounced as in rah.
aa — guaard
This double vowel is the long exhalation ah. It is almost identical to the first “a” in ragäree, and in most parts of Nuala and on the planet Niamh has become identical. Only tradition leaves the spelling of ragäree unchanged.
ē — sini
This vowel is the old usage for the “e” sound in American English for beat, bleed, and sleepy. Both “i”'s are pronounced the same way.
ü — used in:
Mendülay
Mendülarion
This “ü” is pronounced as American English speakers say the “ue” in cue and the “ew” in few.
A bracketing effect is used by the Nualans in their written language, mostly in titles and in proper names. In the first example below, the second and third words are pronounced differently when linked; in the second, the written usage is merely traditional. A few very strict septs of clans use this bracket only when a child is the heir of its mother (eldest daughter or son) but this is not a general interpretation.
^ — used in:
Mendularion S^Atare
Nadine reb^Ursel Kilgore