Echi

Echi is the language spoken by the Echmer, the bat elves native to the archipelago of islands known collectively as Yneslea.

The Origin of Echi
All Merish languages share similar forms due to their common origin the Aldmeri, which in turn descended from the ancient tongue known as Ehlnofex. From these derivations soon followed from the earliest languages, for example Chimeris was eventually transformed into Dunmeris after Azura’s curse. And while the Echmer weren’t born as actual mer, their language is derived from both ancient Dwemereth and Ehlnofex.

The verbal form of Echi is a watered down version of Echmeri echolocation influenced by Dwemeris words and phrasing. It was created in the early days of the Echmer’s evolution by the Dwemeri tonal architecture, and was expanded upon during the latters genetic experiments on the Echo Folks growing population. It became more common due to its convenience for both the Dwemer and Echmer, and after the Dwarves vanished from the face of Tamriel the Echmer refined the speech even more, and it eventually became modern Echi.

The written form of Echi is heavily influenced and resembles written the Dwemer runes found on Stros M’kai as well in Vvardenfell, with only a few alterations to certain letters. However, anyone who understand Dwemeri writings should without a doubt be able to transcribe Echmeri texts with few to no errors.

Vocabulary
The formation of Echi is very similar to the languages of the other races of Tamriel. Vowels consist of the letters a, e, i, o, and u. Y is also used as a vowel, specifically when it is at the beginning of a word. All other letters are used as consonants. Echi bears a striking similarity with the Khajiiti language with its use of ‘, but the Echmer use those symbols in their words to note that the next letter should be said in a lower or higher tune. If the letter is a vowel, the tune is higher. If the letter is a consonant, the tune is lower. This results in the Echmeri language sounding a bit like singing when first heard although it is everything but.

Important Notes on Echi
In Echi, adjectives usually go after the noun instead of before and are connected with a ‘-‘ symbol in common Tamrielic (for example; ‘Yregrui-a’sazt’ would translate into ‘Black-Welkin’). Also, unlike in the English language where words can have multiple meanings (black can be either a color, a race, a mood, or a type of act), Echi has a word for every definition (A’sazt is the color black, while Gru is black in terms of personality). If one was to attempt to interchange either word for the other, most Echmer would find that rude or offensive. Pronouns are used like they are in real life, and there are only suffixes in Echi – prefixes do not exist in the language.

Another thing to observe is that all Echmer come from a specific clan that consists of two letters (ex. Sect ‘Ti’). All Echmer names have these two words attached to the end, forming their complete name (ex. Ina +Ti = Inati). However, some Echmer are born with completely different names (ex. Hrahndeyl’s name is a combination of two words instead of being simply a regular name, as he was born outside of a sect), but it is very rare.

Table of All Known Words
Unfortunately, there are not that many known Echi words within Tamriel, and the Echmer themselves rarely write in their native language when corresponding with the Empire. However, they have used a word here and there on occasion and the Imperial forces stationed on Yneslea have also supplied more words that have been added to this glossary.

