Sardesh
From RocksfallWiki
Sardesh is the name given by outsiders to the secret language used by corpseborn. Its true name is shared only among the corpseborn themselves and actually has multiple names across different communities. It is not a true language in that it does not have a full grammar and lexicon, but it does have an expansive lexicon of words including inversions and modifications of words from Ombesh and some other languages.
| Word | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| budal | Corpseborn | from ibu, 'corpse' + dal, CB word for person |
| hedal | non-Corpseborn | from heta 'tall' + dal, CB word for person |
| rim | (dead) birthmother | inversion of mir 'mother' |
| mimir | adoptive mother | reduplicated form of mir 'mother' |
| boboz | adoptive father | reduplicated form of boz 'father' |
| sid | biological child of Corpseborn | truncated inversion of dosi 'child' |
| formir | Hand of the Dead midwife | from foforg 'tide' + mir 'mother' = "tide-mother" |
| fofor | exchange of children between communities | from foforg, 'tide' |
| khaije | Corpseborn martial arts style | CB word, meaning obscure, perh. onomatopoetic |
| mab | taboo / unmentionable | from mabai 'to prohibit, to forbid' |
| pengi | curse | from pengi 'gift' |
| pizmochi | birth lineage | Old Ombesh, an ancient kind of ship |
| mezlu | luck / fate | from muzul 'destiny' |
| aizer | Corpseborn community | from ozar 'hole' |
| aizeron | Corpseborn community leader | from ozar 'hole' + -on, CB honorific suffix |
| naskon | Corpseborn lorekeeper / reckoner | perh. from Thu Parsh nasiq 'knowledge' + -on, honorific |
| tembu | to pass as non-Corpseborn | from tembu 'skin, hide' |
| tetem | someone who is passing | reduplicated form of tembu 'skin' |
| puru | friend, companion | perh. inversion of rupu 'lover' |
| naz | deception, lie | inversion of zano 'righteous' |
| sardesh | Corpseborn argot | from sardi 'cunning' + -esh 'speech, talk' |
| zhospe | taint, stigma, contamination | from zaspe 'disease' |
| osfai | separation, segregation | unclear, perh. borrowing from Thu Parsh |
| zozh! | unclean! (cry) | from bazozh 'dirt' |
| haren | transgender / third gender person | from haren 'bridge' or harani 'twisted' |
| vaski | family, clan, chosen kin | inversion of givas 'hearth' |
| ludu | Corpseborn name/nickname | inversion of udul 'nickname' |
| folfi | witch | inversion of vifolu 'spider' |
