talmáli

Talmáli is a constructed language that has appeared in linguistic experiments and speculative fiction contexts. It is designed to explore how grammar encodes evidentiality, modality, and discourse history, and to support world-building for fictional settings. In practice, talmáli exists in multiple versions created by different communities, each offering its own rules and vocabulary.

Origin and name

The term talmáli is used in project notes and fan circles but lacks a single canonical etymology. Different creators often assign personal or culturally derived roots to the name. Because talmáli is actively developed by independent contributors, the language displays a range of variants rather than a single standardized form.

Linguistic features

Phonology in talmáli typically uses a small vowel inventory (a, e, i, o, u) and a moderate set of consonants common to many conlangs. Stress is commonly placed on the penultimate syllable. The morphology is largely agglutinative, with suffixes marking tense, aspect, mood, and evidentiality. The basic word order is subject–object–verb, and noun phrases are head-final with adjectives following nouns. Nouns inflect for number and definiteness, while pronouns distinguish inclusive and exclusive first-person plural. The language also employs verb affixes to indicate evidential sources such as direct evidence, reported speech, or assumption.

Writing systems and usage

Talmáli is usually written with a Latin-based script, though some versions exist in alternative orthographies or fan-created syllabaries. It is primarily used within conlang communities and in speculative-fiction projects, serving as a tool for linguistic experimentation and narrative world-building. There is no universally recognized standard form, and learners often compare variants to study how different grammatical choices influence learnability and perception.

See also: constructed language, conlang, language creation.