Norvo's personal log, supplemental: I have done the
necessary studying up on the Arbazan language required for my position. The
language itself, Arba’zanadra, is the most widely spoken langauge on the
planet, a 'romantic' language of sorts with its history based in antiquity. For
centuries, it has been seen as the language of diplomacy, and major cities have
seen it as a right of passage when they switched their primary spoken language
over to it.
the arbazan place
little relation between cultural heritage and spoken language, though they do
retain its use rather than switch to other federation standard languages.
written
arba’zanadra – or arba’zanadithÈ, looks like a series of claws or eyelashes.
when it is a bright color on a dark background, it is meant to be informational
or professional; when it is a dark color on a light background, it is meant to
be personal, secretive or emotional. it is said to be based on the seed fluffs
of the zanadri flower, though other regions believe it is originally based on
eyelashes.
certain cultures
on the planet believe the first written message was a coded poem from a warrior
to his distant wife, in a form only they could understand. when he died in
battle, she, a teacher, used it to teach writing to all. some are quick to
point to this anecdote when they are told arbazans are cold or prudish.
another regional
culture believes the first written message was a trade list, and the list
served to help the messenger-envoy to remember details of what his home clan
had to trade. related cultures believe it may instead have been surrender
demands, or a tax/inventory of some type.
spacing between
lettering has significance in arbazan writing, when glyphs in a word are closer
together it intends emphasis, so glyphs in nouns are often spaced closer
together, or this can be used to draw attention to alternate parts of the
sentence.
lettering, when possible, curves from top left downward to bottom
right. unless a series of numbers is involved, in which case they are, when
possible, displayed in a curved rightward display on the far left.
