Class begins in one hour! Please take your seats, and prepare for the lesson! Today we learn spelling!

*Walks in and leaves backpack in the same seat as last time*
*Walks out to use the facilities*

1215990
*Walks in after conjuring a puff of smoke so as to hide the fact that I lack the ability to teleport.*

*Teleports in and sits down in front*
*Takes out paper and quills*

*Walks in, lays down on a set of desks in the back row and falls asleep.*

*Walks back in and sits down* *Attempts to review notes*

1216082
How far into the future are we anyway? Do we still use things like quills?

1216102 I assume we still use quills. I have no clue how far in the future we are though.

1216102
Yes you still bloody do use quills. We're in the future, not barbarians.

1216129
Can we get some sort of clarification from the boss himself?

1216134>>1216130 There you go!

1216130
Bah. I thought pens would be invented by then.

1216130
Are there still barbarians?

1216146
Ask the Minotaurs.

So, anyone done the homework yet?

1216243
Yes

1216243
zrrrk *snort* *keeps sleeping*

1216243
Maybe after this.

*opens door slowly*

*sighs with relief about being on time*

*takes seat in front row*

1216271 I was planning to do it after today's lesson too.

1216243

I should definitely get around to doing that.

Very well, let's begin! Today, we will be learning the basics of the Eqquish alphabet. We will not be learning the actual language, as you all seem to be fluent in English, but in order to fully understand the runes you may be using, we will need to start you off small. Now, for the first question. Can anyone here tell me what a "diacritic" is?

1216331
It's like one of those accent marks right?

*Wakes up*

1216339
Essentially, yes. Many languages especially Middle Eastern ones like Gryphic use them in place of certain sounds. In the case of Eqquish, each of the vowel sounds in the middle of a word are represented by a diacritc.

1216331
It's a glyph that influences how a letter is pronounced.

1216368
Correct. In Eqquish, there are ten diacritics belonging to each alphabet. One for each of the vowel sounds. This is something a lot of beginners struggle with, and so we will start by visiting the concept.

Please follow this link to be shown the Eqquish alphabet used in modern society. This is referred to as "modern Eqquish", or "common Eqquish". It emphasizes functionality and quick, easy use. You will also notice that there are only twenty letters. This is because some of the similar letter sounds, like S and Z and soft C are represented by one rune.

1216393
How does changing the spoken sound of vowels in Eqquish affect magical spells?

1216428
One step at a time. A mispronounced word can be devastating, and magical runic is a very touchy language. By ensuring that the word is pronounced exactly as it should be, we reduce accidental injuries.

1216419
Meep.

1216501
Relax, it's not as bad as it looks. We'll walk through a couple of words together, and you should be able to get the general gist of it. And with a bit of practice, you'll find it easier than writing English!

1216501
Meep indeed.

1216501

This may be more difficult then anticipated

1216419
What are those four words on the last page? I'm not fluent in Eqquish yet.

Well. Crap on a cracker.

1216526
Your homework for tonight. Another will be added later on.

1216527
That wouldn't be a very good craker. Also, as I just found out about the size tag...
Edit, sorry bout that.

1216527>>1216520>>1216513
*Cracks neck, rolls shoulders* Alright looks like I'm in my element.

1216538

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

1216543 It just caught me a little off guard. I'll be fine.

Well actually, going over it, it now seems easy enough.

Probably.

Hopefully.

1216536
*Starts working on a cipher.*

1216558
It's just a lot to take in in one moment.

Well, let's wade right in!

The first rule of Eqquish is that words that start with vowels generally tend to have those vowels, and those alone. There are not many vowels in the middle of the word in Eqquish. This means words like "attack" will be spelled as follows- "Ayeh, Tyr, the 'short a sound' modifier, Kyr." And that's it. There are no double letters, no silent letters. What you see is what you get. This may mean for the first little while you may have to sound out words before writing them down, which is perfectly acceptable.

1216554
Of course it did.

1216566
1216558
1216527
Use this as a reference guide. It's just like learning the alphabet way back in primary school. You needed reminders then, I certainly don't expect you to do without now.

1216569

Short a sound modifier?

Did we get a list of those diacritics?

1216583
Just to clarify, Top is the glyph, middle is the name, bottom is the sound made for each of the 20 letters?

1216593
The short "a" sound modifier. The "ah" sound.

1216593
I think it's all the way at the back, the only problem is I don't know which modifier to use.