Hymmnos

Hymmnos is a language created by Akira Tsuchiya for the video game Ar tonelico. By the time of the game (3700 A.D.), it is obsolete as a spoken language and only used for interfacing with ancient machinery in the form of songs. It seems to be a distant descendent of English with influences from Japanese, Sanskrit and German.

It is interesting in that it has a very strong emphasis on communicating the emotions of the speaker.

=Origins=

The Hymmnos language it's a derivation of the language used by the Tsukikanade, the ancient shamans that used magic through spellcasting, but from that language we have only two dialects left: Cult Ciel, which while is still in use, it's mostly forgotten; and Risshizen Tsukuyomi, which has very few speakers, and (still) unknown grammar rules.

After some time, when the first tower of Ar Tonelico was built, the people in charge of the project took the Tsukikanade language and optimized it so it could become a better language for controlling the Tower and its communications. For more details about the story of the individual dialects, go to the dialects section

=Writing=

The writing in Hymmnos is made up from some complicated glyphs, based on the ones that were used in the Sanskrit language, and also, adds number glyphs that look like sound waves.



=Grammar (Standard Hymmnos)=

Basic Structure
Hymmnos was designed with the purpose of stating the emotions of the speaker (or singer), and as such, all the sentences are prefixed by a set of three words called "Emotion Sounds"

Let's take this example:

Was yea ra chs hymmnos mea (I will be glad to turn myself into a song)

The first three words, "Was yea ra", are the Emotion Sounds, and these three words are subdivided in three levels:

Was is Level 1, used for expressing the intensity of the emotion. yea is Level 2, which it's the emotion itself. ra is Level 3, which it's used for expressing if you want the emotion to last, or the context where the emotion is being felt.

These are all the known emotion sounds:

The rest of the basic grammar is very simple, since it uses this grammar structure:

Verb-Object-Compound or Object

coming back to the example, chs (to turn into) is the verb, hymmnos (song) is the object and mea (my or myself) is the Compound or Object.

Each sentence can only contain a emotion, so you can't input more than a set of emotion sounds per sentence.

And by this point, you must be wondering where the subject is...

Well, since the sentences in hymmnos are first person by default, the subject is usually omitted.

Structure with a Subject
But that changes if you want to speak about what someone else is doing. Then, you have to use this structure:

Verb-rre-Subject-Verb-Object-Compound or Object

The "rre" that is before the Subject is the "Subject Definer" (meaning that the noun that it's next to it becomes the subject of the sentence). The first verb in the sentence has the function of saying what you are doing, while the second one is for expressing what the subject is doing. Of course, the sentence is still done in first person, and the Emotion Sounds are only applicable to the speaker. And no sentence can contain more than a subject, so the Subject Definer can be employed only once.

Example:

Wee ki ra hyma rre aquagon pagle wart (I will concentrate myself in hearing the words that aquagon says)

And as a final note for this section, both the subject definer and the first verb are omitted if the subject is a pronoun or if the subject it's used as a object.

Pronouns
The pronouns have two ways to be used: as objects or as subjects, and they change slightly depending on how they are used.

Use of Particles (Prepositions/Postpositions)
If you need to use particles (or as we also know them, prepositions), you just have to put them between the verb and the object, but this it's only used if the action of the verb affects anything that's not yourself.

For example, it´s used here:

Was yea erra melenas tes ar ciel (I will be eternally glad to give my love to this world)

With "tes" (to) being the particle.

But not here:

Was yea ra sonwe hymmnos mea (I will be glad to sing my song)

Adjectives
The adjectives always come before the noun that they are affecting, as we can see here:

Ridalnae sol ciel (Irreplaceable world) tyui frawr (Small flower)

Noun phrases indicating ownership
If two nouns are put one in front of other, then the first noun "owns" the second one.

For example:

Aurica forlinden (Aurica's village) Revatail Ciel (Reyvateil's world)

Its easy if you just image a ('s) being put between both nouns.

Special Character Pronunciations
Note: The 0 and the 1 used here aren't the same as the ones in the numbers. These ones are used in Hymmnos Binary, and it's use it's signaled by this mark: #x#>>#### (replace the #s with 0s and 1s).

Hymmnos Binary it's used in the execution of the programs of the tower and in some hymns, like this example: 0x010001110.

Numbers

 * nel - 0
 * noi - 1
 * ji - 2
 * dri - 3
 * fif - 4
 * vira - 5
 * ixe - 6
 * hepto - 7
 * octo - 8
 * nei - 9
 * dec/de - 10
 * hec/he - 100
 * kik/ki - 1000
 * mik/mi - 10000

The second form of the decimals is used when combining, in a manner similar to Japanese. For instance, jide is 20 and kik octohe ixede octo is 1868.

Emotion Sounds Keeper Definer Syntax
This structure is for repeating the same set of emotion sounds through various sentences. Even if it's a advanced gramar rule, actually it's very simple. It's used in the following way:

(Emotion Sounds) 0x vvi. (Keeper Definer Start)

・

(Text)

・

1x AAs ixi. (Keeper Definer End)

It means that everything that it's between both lines (0x vvi and 1x AAs ixi) will have always the same set of emotion sounds.

"0x vvi" it's pronounced: "Oku vuvi"; and "1x AAs ixi" it's pronounced: "Iku AAs ixi".

Example:

Was yea erra 0x vvi ("Was yea ra" from here)(starting mark)

chs hymmnos mea (I will be eternally happy to turn into a song)

hymme rre walasye hymma mea (I will be eternally happy that the people hears me)

sonwe anw sol ciel (I will be eternally happy to sing to the world)

rre sol ciel hymma hynne mea (And I will be eternally happy that the world hears me)

1x AAs ixi (until here)(ending mark)

Wee apea ra rre yor melenas (I will be very happy to love you)

It's the same as:

Was yea erra chs hymmnos mea

Was yea erra hymme rre walasye hymma mea

Was yea erra sonwe anw sol ciel

Was yea erra rre sol ciel hymma hynne mea

Wee apea ra rre yor melenas

Binasphere
This is one of the most complicated grammar rules existent in Hymmnos, and it's used to sing two lines of lyrics as if they were one (Binasphere means "two worlds" in Hymmnos, the two worlds being the two lines of lyric combined).

It's used in the following way:

Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor (I will be glad to turn you into a song)

en chsee fwal fwal yor (and then, I shall spread out your wings)

First, we take the two lines, and then, we break up and reorganize them as we want in one line, writing them all in caps and adding a x to the end of the syllables that were part of a broken word. The x isn't added if the syllable was the ending of one of the original words, as we can see below:

=> WAx EN YEx CHx A SEE RA CHS FWx HYMMx AL NOS FWAL YOR YOR

Then we assign them a number: 0 for the syllables from the original first line and 1 for the ones from the original second line:

=> WAx EN YEx CHx A SEE RA CHS FWx HYMMx AL NOS FWAL YOR YOR

0  1   0   1  0  1   0  0   1    0   1   0   1    0   1

Then we have to make the Binasphere Formula for the song. To make it, first we have to write this: EXEC_hymme 2X1/0>>formula

The word formula is replaced with the number string that we got after assigning the 0s and 1s to the syllables. In the example the formula would be: 010101001010101. And thus, the complete formula for the example it's: EXEC_hymme 2X1/0>>010101001010101

The formula is always placed at the end of the song, and a song can't have more than a Binasphere formula. If one wants to use Binasphere again in the same song, then the lyrics have to adjust to the formula that was made first. The => (pronounced Tab) it's used to mark the point where the Binasphere lines start.

And to decipher a Binasphere, it's done like this:

Example taken from EXEC_NULLASCENSION/.:

=> RRHA RRHA GUWO Ax GAx PEx GIS A GAx TIE INNx

GIS NA GRAN GAx PAUL NOx TYUNY INI SAASH AR YANJE

CIEL EN INI LA ZAx AR HHA CIEL RRHA RRHA Ax GUWO

GA PEx GAx A TYUNY RA HARx AR CIEL

TES EN YORA INI CHYET WAx SOR GAx LAx TYUNx SYEx LA

FORx GANx ART SA DAL FAYx WASSA RA CIEL

EXEC hymme 2x1/0>>01101010

We have to reassign the formula to its syllables, but since this Binasphere formula it's shorter than the total lines of lyric, we have to keep looping the formula until we reach the end of the song (the / isn't used actually, I'm only using it in the example to mark the places where the formula it's looped):

=> RRHA RRHA GUWO Ax GAx PEx GIS A  GAx TIE INNx

0   1     1  0   1   0   1  0 /  0   1   1

GIS NA GRAN GAx PAUL NOx TYUNY INI SAASH AR YANJE

0  1   0   1    0 /   0    1    1   0     1   0

CIEL EN  INI LA ZAx AR HHA CIEL RRHA RRHA Ax GUWO

1   0  /  0  1   1  0   1    0    1   0 / 0   1

GA PEx GAx A TYUNY RA HARx AR CIEL

1  0   1  0   1    0 / 0   1   1

TES EN YORA INI CHYET WAx SOR GAx LAx TYUNx SYEx LA

0  1   0    1    0 / 0    1   1  0     1    0    1 FORx GANx ART SA DAL FAYx WASSA RA CIEL

0 /  0    1  1   0   1    0     1  0

Note: The final loop has to end in the final syllable of the song.

After that, we only have to put the syllables and words together in their respective lines, as its shown by the formula.

This is how the lines look after they have been deciphered:

First line:

Rrha apea gagis gran paul nosaash yanje en ini ar ciel (In this delightful trance, the way will be opened for the eternal goddess to purify this world)

Second line:

Rrha guwo gagis tie inna gatyuny ini ar ciel la zahha (In this trance of hatred, from the inside of my captured mind, I shall purify and make advance this accursed world.)

First line:

Rrha apea ra hartes yora chyet walasye forgandal wassa ciel (In the midst of this trance of delight, your hearts will be chosen from all the people for the festival of the world)

Second line:

Rrha guwo ga gatyuny ar ciel en ini sor gatyunla art sa fayra (In this transient anger, I shall purify this accursed world through the flames of the hell)

Emotionless Sentences
Normally, if the sentence doesn't has a emotion sound preceeding it, then it uses the same emotion sounds from the sentence that came before it. But if none of the sentences have emotion sounds (and if the sentences aren't using the Emotion Sound Keeper Definer Syntax), then the Tower can't process it as a spell, and ends processing it as a simple song, used only to convey feelings but not to execute any kind of magic.

Example taken from the EXEC_HARMONIOUS/. lyrics:

Faura yerwe murfan anw sol ciel (The little birds chirp their feelings to the world)

Faura sonwe murfan anw sol ciel ee (The little birds sing their feelings to the people)

Ridalnae sol ciel yanyaue manaf (Filling this irreplaceable world with precious lifes)

Presia yasra lusye enclone anw omnis (While the loving light of the sun floods and wraps everything)

Faura selena anw Metafalica (The little birds play the song of hope)

This song was used to convey feelings to a certain someone in the story of Ar tonelico, but not for casting magic or executing functions inside the Tower.

Double Register of Emotion Sounds
Even if writing the Emotion Sounds in a sentence when using the Emotion Sound Keeper Definer Syntax is nonsense, it still can be done. It's only made if you want to make a change in emotion between two parts that continue having the same emotions, since when processing the song, the Tower gives priority to the Emotion Sounds written in a sentence over the ones written for the Keeper Definer Syntax.

Example:

Wee apea ra 0x vvi. (I will be inmersed in happiness)

her ar ciel irs (I'm inmersed in happiness because I exist in this world hyma rre faur sonwe (I'm inmersed in happiness for listening to the singing of the birds)

Was yea erra sonwe hymmnos mea (I will be eternally happy to sing my song)

sonwe sos rre ar ciel (I'm inmersed in happiness singing for the sake of this world)

1x AAS ixi.

As we see, the fourth sentence changes it's emotion, to return to how it was before in the next sentence.

=Grammar (Pastalia Hymmnos)=

Emotional Verbs
Emotional verbs, listed as "E.v." in the lexicon below, are a word type unique to the Pastalia dialect. The vowel sounds of an emotional verb can be chosen to communicate a variety of emotions. There are three categories of vowels: those pertaining to oneself, those communicating one's emotions towards a companion, and those communicating one's emotions towards the world.

Inflected vowels are usually written with capital letters to clearly mark an emotional verb. (I think the glyphs used in the Hymmnos alphabet are different, too.)

Examples:
 * rEfYEm - r.f.m (see) + E + YE - "I'm happy to see you"
 * sYAlA - s.l. (believe) + YA + A - "I believe in you with all my strength"
 * wUhLYOh - w.h.h. (feel) + LYO + U - "I don't like all this hostility in the air"

Important Note: The emotional verbs are only used in Pastalia dialect sentences, and for that reason, they can't be used in standard sentences, nor combined with emotion sounds.

=Dialects=

Hymmnos and the Hymmnos letters are ancient, from the First Era, and they were made just before the father of Sound Science discovered the [Sound Magic]. Though in these times, the language wasn’t called Hymmnos, its name was [Tsukikanade (Moon Playing)], the ancient language the shamans used for their spell-casting verses. Though afterwards, when the Hymmnos language began to be used for optimization on the control of the Tower and its telecommunications, it was necessary to make changes in its format to optimize its functionality, and even so, its basic grammar and vocabulary remained unaltered from its basis, the shamans’ spell-casting verses. From there, the Hymmnos language was spread around the game's world as a general-use language, though every region made their own and subtle changes to the format and vocabulary, and according to history, the vocabulary changed rapidly with the passing of time. In that way, Hymmnos is similar to Japanese, since both have ancient writings, and both developed different dialects for each region.

Currently, these are the Hymmnos dialects that are still in use during the Third Era:

Central Pure Law (Standard Dialect)
It’s called [Central] because, during the First Era, it was called the heart of all the Song Magic in the First Tower of [Ar Tonelico]. That is, to control the Tower, they optimized the chanting lines used for spellcasting, and these optimized lines were called the Central Pure Law. However, even if in theory controlling the Tower was only possible through the use of this dialect, in the practice the Tower could be controlled using any other dialect. After that discovery, the Central Pure Law was chosen as the only format for the World Hymmnos Standard Dialect (called ISO standards in Earth) by the Tower Administration Bureau, based on the Capital of Sol Ciel, [El Elemia]. As a result, all the other [Dialects] were standardized and turned into the Central Pure Law, but after some investigations, it was discovered that they still could add their own words to the standardized Hymmnos, with the only condition being that they had authorization to do so. Because of that, it’s possible to find words from the Central Pure Law and the other dialects mixed up in the songs.

Cult Ciel Law (Ancient Language From Before the First Era)
This dialect is a direct derivation from the ancient [Tsukikanade (Moon Playing)] language, used by the ancient shamans in their spells, and it’s the origin of Hymmnos. In current times it has been mostly forgotten, and there aren’t many remains of its vocabulary and grammar.

Cluster Law (Cluster Area Language)
During the First Era, there was a dialect established and transmitted from generation to generation in a area very far away from Sol Ciel, separated from it by the (Hoshi no Uragawa (Lining of the Stars)). That area was called Sol Cluster, and the dialect established in there was called the [Cluster Law]. When seen from the standpoint of the Central Pure Law, it’s referred commonly as a [Dialect], and its practical effects are almost the same. Currently, in the surrounding areas of [Ar Tonelico], there aren’t any people that speak or use the [Cluster Law], though probably, somewhere in the world, there is still a colony of people that still use this dialect.

Alpha Law (Origin Spell)
In the world there are only 3 [Origin Reyvateils], and inside their minds, they can craft optimized versions of the Hymmnos vocabulary. Thus, these optimized words are called [Origin Spells]. Though this [Alpha Law] has a small problem, if it’s not performed in the area of the Tower that the Origin manages, then it won’t be able to manifest its full power. Because of that, each Origin crafted a vocabulary for their [Law] that adapted to the specifications of their Tower (strictly being some existing words that were picked by the Reyvateils), so they could expand its functions, because the new words activated some dormant functions in the Tower. But that means that they exist only in the Tower that they were crafted in, if it’s used in another Tower, since it doesn’t have the same vocabulary to activate these, or these functions are downright absent, then, these words will become unusable in the other Tower, so this dialect is characteristic because it doesn’t serve to all purposes. (For example: the Chronicle Key Hymn is a Alpha Law, Eolia Genus word, meaning that it was crafted in the first Ar Tonelico Tower, managed by the Origin Eolia, and it’s unusable in the other Towers because these Towers don’t have any of the sealing mechanisms or programs that the hymn needs to be executed).

Ancient Meta Falss Law (Sacred Language from the First Era)
In the early days of the First Era, around the year 2000 AD; during the sweeping conquests in the name of the holy land [Meta Falss], in that land was created a peculiar dialect. The average power that these words had was much higher than the ones from the Central Pure Law possessed. This great level of power was the reason behind the creation of this Hymmnos dialect, though it’ said that the power was in the land from where it was originated. In this area, there was a very high spiritual ideology, and its investigations and development from the songs of the Tsukikanade language were very prosperous. Hence, for that reason, when they felt that other lands were passing their limits, they got over them little by little, through the training of their bodies and the polishing of their skills, so they could craft stronger songs, and then, they polished and developed these songs. Though, for good or for bad, under the influence of that spiritualism, while the other lands turned the crafting of the songs into a science, and realized the importance of the emotions and breath in the use of the Tsukikanade language, around the year 3000 AD, the culture in Meta Falss wasn’t advancing anymore, and was rapidly going in decadence. Though, thanks to their diplomatic relations with Sol Ciel, they managed to get their dialect registered as one of the ones used in the Song Magic servers, under the name of Meta Falss Law.

New Testament of Pastalie (Pastalia Dialect)
Approximately around year 3400 AD, in the land of Meta Falss, there was crafted a new dialect. The Song Magic Server called [Infel Phira] is a different server from the [Ar Tonelico] server, and only the Reyvateils connected to that server, called I.P.D.s (Infel-Phira Dependency), are able to use that dialect. Its special characteristic is that is incompatible with the other dialects, because of its grammar and syntax. Because of that, its execution declaration isn’t [EXEC_XXXX/.], but rather it was revised as the more original [METHOD_XXXX/.]. Still, in its practical use still has available some functions from the other dialects, thanks to an emulation system. Inside Infel Phira, the other dialects are translated to the New Testament of Pastalie dialect, though in the outside they can be used as normal, for example: the [Central Pure Law]. Its grammar totally differs from the other dialects made during the First Era, so it’s a pretty good idea to review it.

Readings of the Ancient Moon Story (Risshizentsukuyomi) (Ancient Language From Before the First Era)
It’s an ancient dialect, and similarly to the Cult Ciel Law, it’s a derivation from the Tsukikanade language. There is no deeper info about its history, grammar and syntax available yet.

Corrupted Pastalia Hymmnos
There isn't any information available yet. Unofficial name.

=Lexicon=

=Examples=

(These were kind of embarrassing >_>... let's put some better ones later, after the lexicon is done)

=Reference=

Hymmno Server (Japanese language) Hymmno Dictionary (Japanese language)