Alphabet Overview
Drabàshabal uses a phonetic system rooted in the spoken sounds of the early Nodilani - descendants of the Theseus crew. The language was born from whispered slang between children aboard the generational ship and refined over centuries into a structured and sacred tongue.
It is written using a unique system of Starlight Runes, but represented here with a Latin-alphabet-based transcription for learners.
Consonants
Drabàshabal has 22 consonants. Some may sound familiar, others not:
Plosive: p, b, t, d, k, g
Nasal: m, n, ng
Fricative: f, v, s, sh, h, j
Affricate: ts, tsh, dj
Approximant: w, bv, r
Lateral: l
Special Notes:
bv is a voiced bilabial fricative, softer than English “b”
dj as in “djungle”
j as the s in "measure"
tsh like “ch” in “church”
sh like “sh” in “ship”
ng is a standalone sound as in “song,” not “n” + “g”
Vowels
Drabàshabal uses 5 primary vowels, each with a stable, clear pronunciation:
a: long as in "father" or short as in Italian "pasta"
e: long as in German "geben" or short as in "bed"
i: long as in "machine" or short as in "in"
o: long as in "note" or short as in "thought"
u: long as in "flute" or short as in "pull"
Most of the time vowels are pronounced clearly, without diphthongs. But there are occasional exceptions like "ao" or "ou".
Syllable Structure
The typical syllable structure is: (C)V(C) - a consonant followed by a vowel, optionally ending with another consonant.
Examples:
po = to stand
shin = to see
sul = soul, life, spirit
