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Romanizing Gallifreyan

By marzattlindexsvateegardon (The Attlind)

I am far from the first to try and romanize moden Gallifreyan for earthly audiences (English, predominantly) such as the Wilderness Years novelists and even on-screen appearances since the series reboot. While I would love to adhere to one popular standard or another, the myriad of dialects and linguistic time periods I am trying to reconcile into one vaguely coherent archive, I've had to make a few compromises, several of which admittedly favour my own home dialect of Wugharigan.

Word division

3 words minimum per clause, strict subject/verb/object division. In some dialects such as Tapraliphan, whole-clause words are common due to their use of the Sheramn (collared) circular script; this is commonly seen in the ancestral names of Tapraliphan Time Lords, such as darkelatraquistahastrad, which would be written here as dar kelatra quistah astrad*.

*Note: this is very archaic Gallifreyan and would be written differently as a modern title: darex kelatra quisteda kelastrad.

Some former romanizations (mostly from human linguists at UNIT) include the particle division of some Enaslabreg texts - the southernmost Enaslabreg dialect existed purely as a logography for millenia before being transliterated by neighboring Tapraliphan tribes into circular script, with the resulting particle clusters often being interpreted similarly to romanized Korean: Gallifrey's secondary sun sometimes being written as payma-ngawa-fry to aid those familiar with Enaslabreg text. With the exception of place and person names, Enaslabreg-derived words will be written unbroken [paymang(k)awafry]

Numerals

The Tapraliphan decimal system will be used for its ease of comparison to the metric system. As such, hyphens will be used in the same order as UNIT standard [100-000-00-0]

Phonology

Written Gallifreyan, as a phonetic language, varies in spelling between region and dialect. For any words with contested pronunciation, the Wugharigan equivalent will be used, except in situations where the word is of greater or sole significance to another dialect.

eg. arkyti is used over the Tapraliphan arakeetha

Double vowels are retained in words formed by compounding [gena-alic] or where their usage is ubiquitous even within Wugharigan phonology [tee]

I realize much of this might not be particularly relevant to many, but it is important to me as a historian to ensure that the changes I make in the name of accessibility do not discourage readers from using a historical lens.

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Another poem, as requested by my colleague:

ala timevizlinddlozo

kelungkoo, ebadriklo

oora timezixelatto, mezixelnectra

masdeflashiphkiphulashu.

ebadriklo meswalipsayanlindam,

raspiborus klosekvydrasda,

zecdriscoctscen,

capito.

agziser, oora zofarkytio.

--

you will not want to pay attention to a story

of my life, and besides

I have no need to tell it, I am in need of listening

to the great song of the sun.

and besides it's the same ancient story,

a small group of people just trying,

one method or another,

to survive.

mostly, I want to be kind.

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I have taken an interest in human poetry, and decided to translate this beautiful piece into my own language.

tilicangunix zaykoogissen;

timontskaraskol. taysadnacon.

mehistvezsaywhucodlikhast.

mesheralayfisamrexaphkrask.

melorenahandewtaynerashoak.

meskahespilungkrootosura.

zasiphula, telisstayuyezvyt

mefaylamykraybeth kethrifpryd

tasikefrey kaycajioke nahulkid

menatheborykedayvyutessech.

zaykoogissen, wayryaracherth.

tiskadalishaf. tichyubvach.

--

do not kneel crying at my grave;

i am not sleeping there. i wandered away.

i am the thousand winds over the blood-orange sands.

i am the broken wings that make water fall.

i am the fabric that guards you from a sandstorm.

i am the yeast that rises your bread.

in the morning, when the light quietly arrives

i am the gentle inspiration that your mind speaks

from all the birds in sky-wheels flying south into the future

i am the cradle of the constellations.

at my grave, restrain your suffering.

i am not there. my story has not been cast off.

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Gallifreyan Culture: Arkytior and Loren Fabric

Arkytior translates directly to ‘is always kind’.

This tall, flowering flax-like plant grows abundantly in fields, deserts, and otherwise unviable soil. Its flowers range from a light purple to a dark red and can grow up to seven feet in height, creating ‘false forests’ which last only for as long as the plant’s lifespan, which is around seven months. Once the plants die, they each launch hundreds of seeds into the air, which are carried on Gallifreya’s strong winds and land in a new location, where they will later all grow at once.

Gallifreyans will cut the arkytior stalks near the end of their lifespans using a lyayv, a type of straight-bladed scythe, and will shake the seeds into a basket to be manually dispersed. Its stalks are made of a bundle of sturdy fibres which are separated, soaked in an acid called nugaf, and used to weave loren, a fabric which is strong enough to protect against vicious sandstorms and harsh sunslight.

Loren is a thick, canvas-like fabric with similar characteristics to linen. It is extremely heavy, weighing up to 34oz per square yard, and is thick and tightly-woven enough to stop a bullet, or indeed a small rock traveling at 80 km/h. It also provides full sun protection and is breathable enough to be worn in hot temperatures. It is used to create asetoasey, floor-length cloaks worn to protect against the environment, and hayskissey, large bell tents that can be disassembled and transported to support Gallifreyans’ nomadic lifestyles. It readily absorbs dye, and different Gallifreyan clans would traditionally dye their loren different colours to indicate lineage or allegiance.

The extreme environmental resilience, abundance, and usefulness of arkytior lead ancient Gallifreyans to personify it as a kind being of nature which gifted them safety. 

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About Myself

Athos! Athomosich! (That’s how you say hello in Gallifreyan!)

My name is marzattlindexsvateegardon, but you can call me the Attlind. I am a Gallifreyan historian and educator, currently working with the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. I am currently learning English with the help of my wonderful human colleagues, who are also helping me translate my posts. I hope to teach curious humans more about Gallifrey’s rich history, culture, and language, as you so kindly have shared with us. I am happy to answer any questions about Gallifrey or about myself! I quite enjoy answering questions. I hope you all appreciate my work and please feel free to reach out to me if you would like to talk.

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Gallifreyan Culture: Fabric

Fabric, slip, and weaving, jilayth, hold great cultural significance to Gallifreyans due to their arid homeland, the continent of Gallifreya, requiring extensive protection. The immense salt flats of the desert, plains, and mesa allow for harsh winds to whip sand into nerashoakey, or ‘storms that strip of flesh’. This name is aptly given, as the wind speeds of up to 80 km/h and sand that more closely resembles coarse gravel can tear flesh from bone and kill any creature that is insufficiently protected. Additionally, the harsh sunlight from the planet’s stars, kasterfey, beats down on the continent’s surface nearly all hours of the day, causing skin damage and heat stroke. To survive these near-inhospitable conditions, Gallifreyans weave thick fabrics to create clothing and tents which protect them from the elements. Floor-length cloaks known as asetoasey and bell tents large enough to house entire communities, hayskissey, are vital to survival in Gallifreya’s unforgiving conditions.