Phasah Kaoh (pʰasaː kʰaoh)

When the Anak Kaoh emerged from within the dreams of Kaoh Piphop Soben, they came already knowing how to speak Phasah Kaoh. Their parents were the first foreigners to learn the language, and found it strange to learn to speak from their children, but no stranger than any of the other gifts of the Worlddreamer. - excerpt from the text "Remote Islands of the Great Ring", authored by an unnamed priest of the Kokoro no Tomodachi

Phasah Kaoh is the language spoken by the Anak Kaoh and which manifested directly from the dreams of the god Kaoh Piphop Soben. Like all things associated with the Anak Kaoh, the language entered the world fully formed from the dream, and babies of the Anak Kaoh understand it from the moment they hatch. Because of this, the Anak Kaoh rarely learn other languages, and consider the process of learning a language to be somewhat crude. It is inspired by the Khmer language.

Dialects

While there is only one dialect currently, the Anak Kaoh claim that several more exist within the dreams of Kaoh, and will manifest as their population grows. Some of the Anak Kaoh can replicate the accents and dialects of the unmanifested dialects, having encountered them in their dreams.

Interesting Features

The language is unique in its origins, and has many unusual features. One of these is that there are many words in Phasah Kaoh to describe things that exist within the dreams of the Worlddreamer, but have not yet been manifested in the physical realm. They have words for odd concepts and devices that they find difficult to explain to outsiders, with translations that they describe as garbled and inaccurate. One of these translates to 'Thinking Stones', while another is 'Lightning Juice'. While the Anak Kaoh all seem to know what they are referring to with these words, it has proven impossible to really describe them to those not imbued with knowledge by Kaoh Piphop Soben.

Related Languages

In the dreams of Kaoh Piphop Soben, only the dialects of Phasah Kaoh are spoken. There are no other languages for it to be related to.

Naming Traditions

Anak Kaoh are born knowing their names, and will inform others once they gain the ability to speak. Until then, they are given affectionate nicknames that sometimes are retained until adulthood. They put the family name first, followed by the personal name, and then add any nicknames they use at the end. The family names are not inherited from their living parents; they refer to their connection to the dreams of Kaoh Piphop Soben, and the place their pre-birth eidolon held within the Dream. They do not change their family or personal names in response to life events, but their nicknames can change whenever a new one seems better.

Writing System

The writing system of Phasah Kaoh is unique to the island of Kaoh, and emerged fully formed along with the knowledge of Phasah Kaoh itself. It is written from left to right, and characters in the language can be stacked within a word to indicate phonemes different from when they are side by side. Vowels are usually implicit in the script, with each consonant character having a specific vowel sound paired with it. Deviations from the implicit vowel are indicated using diacritical marks.

Geographical Distribution

Outside of the dreams of Kaoh Piphop Soben, Phasah Kaoh is only spoken on the island of Kaoh.

Spoken by

• Anak Kaoh

Common Phrases

• Som swar - Hello
• Lee heuy - Goodbye
• Orkun - Thank You
• Som arkun - You're Welcome
• Chuoy - Help
• Som - Please
• Tauk prae - Excuse Me
• Jaek - Yes
• At jaek - No
• Sok sabay chea te - How are you?

Common Female Names

• Soriya
• Chantrea
• Rathana
• Sophea
• Dalin
• Chomroeun
• Leakhena
• Samnang
• Davy
• Phearun

Common Male Names

• Vireak
• Rathanak
• Sokha
• Piseth
• Samnang
• Rotha
• Vanna
• Sovann
• Dara
• Rithy

Common Unisex Names

• Kimleng
• Sreyleak
• Ravy
• Sokun
• Chantha
• Rithy
• Sovannara
• Pisey
• Leap
• Rasmey

Common Family Names

• Vong
• Soeung
• Chum
• Khieu
• Lim
• Mao
• Rith
• Sin
• Thach
• Seng