Sea-Speak is a family of closely related languages spoken by peoples living on and around the islands of the Wounds. Used as a lingua franca by diverse populations in the region, Sea-Speak is a collection of creoles based upon the Gnomish dialect spoken by the Keleta-Ru gnomes with influence from Taruhmite Dwarven, Zabarshan Elven, and the tongues of the humans, locathah, and other populations. The many dialects of Sea-Speak are mutually intelligible, broadly speaking, yet differences do often arise in vocabulary.
All directions in Sea-Speak are expressed as cardinal directions and relative to the speaker.
Words and roots
All Sea-Speak words consist of one or more syllables, each of which is a single consonant sound joined with a single vowel sound. Compound words or names are formed by joining multiple words together - if the compound includes a verb, the verb always appears first.
These words and roots are in use in the most widespread dialects of Sea-Speak.
| Word or root | Meaning |
|---|---|
| gaesa | endless, more than a thousand |
| ha | sail (verb) |
| keleta | travel (verb) |
| kolawa | sky |
| kori | tree |
| lasau | island, land |
| na | water |
| namuhu | memory |
| ne | power, authority |
| ru | people |
| si | live (verb), continue (verb) |
| ta | anchor (noun), position (noun), remain (verb) |