Teonaht
Encyclopedia
Teonaht is a constructed language
that has been developed since 1962 by science fiction
writer and University of Rochester
English professor Sarah Higley, under the pseudonym of Sally Caves
. It is spoken in the fantasy setting of the Teonim, a race of polydactyl
humans who have a cultural history of worshiping catlike deities.
Teonaht uses the object–subject–verb (OSV) word order, which is rare in natural languages. An interesting feature of Teonaht is that the end of the sentence is the place of greatest emphasis, as what is mentioned last is uppermost in the mind. The language has a "Law of Detachment" whereby suffixes can be moved to the beginnings of words for emphasis and even attach onto other words such as pronouns.
Teonaht is often cited as an example of the genre in articles on the world of Internet-hosted amateur conlanging
.
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
that has been developed since 1962 by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer and University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
English professor Sarah Higley, under the pseudonym of Sally Caves
Sally Caves
Sally Caves is the pen name of Sarah Higley, a science fiction writer and professor of English at the University of Rochester. She is best known for creating the Star Trek character Reginald Barclay.-Star Trek:...
. It is spoken in the fantasy setting of the Teonim, a race of polydactyl
Polydactyly
Polydactyly or polydactylism , also known as hyperdactyly, is a congenital physical anomaly in humans, dogs, and cats having supernumerary fingers or toes....
humans who have a cultural history of worshiping catlike deities.
Teonaht uses the object–subject–verb (OSV) word order, which is rare in natural languages. An interesting feature of Teonaht is that the end of the sentence is the place of greatest emphasis, as what is mentioned last is uppermost in the mind. The language has a "Law of Detachment" whereby suffixes can be moved to the beginnings of words for emphasis and even attach onto other words such as pronouns.
Teonaht is often cited as an example of the genre in articles on the world of Internet-hosted amateur conlanging
Conlanger
A conlanger is a person who invents conlangs .-Professional conlangers:Conlangers who have been hired to create languages.* Marc Okrand - Klingon, Atlantean* David J. Peterson - Dothraki language...
.