Phonology and Sailor Speech

Aruvic is a warm-water sailor language shaped by ships, reefs, harbors, trade winds, routes, bells, ropes, taverns, captains, and clear-sea farewells.

Its sound system is open and practical. Words often end in vowels, making Aruvic easy to shout across a deck or sing in a working song. It avoids many heavy clusters, especially in borrowed words, and tends to soften them into vowel-friendly forms.

Core Sound Shape

(C)V(C), (C)VV(C)

Aruvic usually favors open syllables, but it still allows some final consonants in short nautical roots.

Examples:

• mara = sea / water

• nava = to sail / to go

• kosa = crew / family

• selo = clear / safe / good

• luma = moon

• porti = harbor / home

• mar = sea / water

• nav = ship

• kan = boat

• sol = sun / day-marker

Vowels

Aruvic uses short vowels, long vowels, and several diphthongs.

Short vowels:

• a = /a/

• e = /ɛ/

• i = /i/

• o = /o/

• u = /u/

Long vowel:

• aa = /aː/

Diphthongs:

• ai = /aɪ/

• ae = /aɛ/

• ei = /eɪ/

• ou = /oʊ/

Consonants

Aruvic uses clear consonants and a strong r. It also uses y as /j/.

Examples:

• boya = /boja/

• myr = /mjr/

• rani = route / know / known

Digraphs

Aruvic uses two main consonant digraphs:

• sh = /ʃ/

• th = /θ/

Examples:

• shai = sheltered channel

• helo-thari = wake-memory

Borrowed Words

Aruvic often adapts borrowed or foreign-looking words into open, sailor-friendly forms.

Examples:

• bota = brother

• fola = fool

• bela = bell

• gala = galley

These forms keep the word recognizable while making it easier to say in Aruvic rhythm.

IPA Chart

Consonants

Vowels