
The heraldry of Tilea in Total War: Warhammer and Warhammer: The Old World.
Tilean is the language spoken by the inhabitants of the land of Tilea in the southern Old World. It is a distinct and musical variant of Old Worlder.[23a]
In the Empire, it is most commonly encountered amongst merchants and mercenaries, and is often confused with Estalian, which obviously annoys both peoples. To the ear of an Imperial citizen, Tilean sounds soft, breathy and exotic.[1a] [1c]
Tileans are culturally prone to talk with their hands. This influence has even spread to the Imperial city-state of Nuln, perhaps due to the large population of Tileans who reside in that commercially important city and their common origins.[4a]
Tilean linguists find translating a Classical document into the Tilean tongue easier than others due to the many similarities between the two languages.[26a]
There are different dialects of Tilean such as "Classical Tilean", "Old Tilean" and "Low Tilean." The elegant Tilean of the upper classes is significantly different from the dialect spoken by the masses. The dialect known as "Southern Tilean" is spoken in Luccini and its surrounding areas.[3a][8a][9a][11a]
Even the pronunciation of Tilean tends to change according to the speaker's city-state of origin. The Tobaran dialect, for example, has rounded vowels making it easy to distinguish from standard Tilean and Estalian.[11a]
The fancy cursive script of Tilean is commonly used as a drop cap to adorn hand-made books and the heraldries of the nobility.[22a]
The closeness of all the Human languages of the Old World means that most Tilean people can make themselves understood outside Tilea. Tilean is also one of three most common languages in the Border Princes alongside Bretonnian and Reikspiel.[15b]
For some reason the Strigany tongue, the language spoken by the nomadic Strigany people, has many terms similar to those used in the Tilean language.[24a]
Tilean Blazon[]
Heralds have developed a complex and precise language for describing shield patterns and crests. While this is not a secret tongue, it requires considerable scholarship to master, and most perceive it as gibberish. In Tilea, especially, the Blazon language has grown exceptionally baroque.[13a]
Tilean Among Other Races[]
Dwarfs of the western holds commonly have a smattering of Tilean.[7a]
It is not uncommon for mercenary Ogres to only know a debased version of the Tilean language, often making it difficult for generals of other nations to impart orders to them during a battle.[16a]
Chaos[]
The secrets of Chaos cannot be expressed in the simple tongues of mortals. Like other languages insufficient to express the wonder of transformation, Tilean lacks the words to provide comprehension of the true nature of Chaos.[18a]
Lexicon[]
A[]
- Acitus - Keen-bladed.[8b]
B[]
- Brumoso - Name of a month in the Verenean Calendar or one of the many variants of the Imperial Calendar.[2]
D[]
- Di Lucci - The fortunate.[6c]
F[]
- Folimaggi – The Tilean name of Mage-Leaf, an herb used by the spellcasters to regain magical power. The word is a corruption of the Classical Folia Magii.[25a]
G[]
I[]
K[]
M[]
- Mountains-at-World’s-End (Montagne ai Confini del Mondo[Note 2]) - Worlds Edge Mountains (Sartosan dialect ca. -750 IC).[12b]
O[]
- Occiodiveren - Tilean name for Mannslieb.[2a][Note 3]
R[]
- R - The letter "R" in Tilean is pronounced by vibrating the tongue against the roof of the mouth, just as in the Lingua Praestantia.[17a]
S[]
- Sciortini - Watchman or sentinel.[5a]
- Sesto - The sixth born son.[5a]
- Stradioti - Tilean name for the light cavalrymen.[10a]
V[]
Imperial Calendar Tilean Translation[]
Northern Tileans use the Imperial Calendar or one of its many variants as well as the Verenean Calendar. This is especially the case in the city states of Miragliano and Trantio, for they more frequently deal with Bretonnians and Imperial folk.[1b] The calendar remains unchanged even though the names of the days and months are replaced with those of the softer-sounding Tilean language.
Days[]
- Lavordì - Wellentag (VELL’n-taag)[6a]
- Gabeldì - Aubentag (OW-ben-taag)[6a]
- Mercadì - Marktag (MARK-taag)[6a]
- Fornodì - Backertag (BAKKER-taag)[6a]
- Tassadì - Bezahltag (b’TZAAL-taag)[6a]
- Regiodì - Konistag (KO-nis-taag)[6a]
- Iniziabato - Angestag (AN-ges-taag)[6a]
- Santodì - Festag (FESS-taag)[6a]
Months[]
- Postregato - Nachhexen (Nach-HEX’n)[6a]
- Nuovannaio - Jahrdrung (YAAR-drung)[6a]
- Araggio - Pflugzeit (pFLOOG-tsight)[6a]
- Sigmarile - Sigmarzeit (ZIGG-mar-tsight)[6a]
- Soluglio - Sommerzeit (ZOMMER-tsight)[6a]
- Priamisterio - Vorgeheim (FORR-g’hime)[6a]
- Oltremisterio - Nachgeheim (NACH-g’hime)[6a]
- Messembre - Erntezeit (ERN-tsight)[6a]
- Birrembre - Brauzeit (BRAOW-tsight)[6a]
- Freddembre - Kaldezeit (KAL-tsight)[6a]
- Ulricheo - Ulriczeit (UL-rik-tsight)[6a]
- Priastregatio - Vorhexen (FORR-hex’n)[6a]
Tilean Names[]
Female Forenames[]
Agnese, Agnola, Altapasqua, Amellina, Antonia, Belcolore, Bianca, Cherubina,Cicilia, Corelia, Ermellina, Flaminea, Flora, Foscarina, Francesca, Ghisolabella, Julietta, Junipera, Liona, Lucretia, Mathilda, Mira, Olympia, Pantasilea, Pia, Pomellina, Rigarda, Smeralda, Sofia, Vannozza, Vermilia, Veronica, Zebaina.[10c]
Male Forenames[]
Ambrogio, Aguilello, Antonius, Balsamo, Bartolommeo, Bonanno, Brancaleone, Ettore, Franchino, Galasso, Grifo, Guglielmo, Jacobello, Lenuzo, Luchinus, Marino, Melmoth, Mercuzio, Montoni, Oliverotto, Paganinus, Pantaleo, Pintaldi, Ravaglioli, Rinaldo, Saraceno, Scarletto, Schedoni, Smarra, Torchitorio, Vatheck, Ysidro, Zenobio, Zschokke.[10c][15a]
Surnames[]
Acciaioli, Acerbi, Albano, Alberti, d’Amoto, Barbacia, Barbigia, Barbolini, Bellegno, Bianco, Boccole, Calbo, Calcagnini, Calvis, Capello, Corbo, Fabbro, Figino, Filago, Filiarchi, Fiolo, Firavanti, Foscari, Fulci, Guerra, Malatesta, Marsillach, Molino, Pentangeli, Rosso, Udolpho, Vitelli, Zeluco.[10c]
Way of Saying[]
"All their songs are sad, and all their wars are happy."
"In the Republic of Remas all citizens are equal - anyone who's too tall has his head chopped off, and anyone who's too short gets stretched."
- —Popular Reman saying[6b]
"The best way to remove a rat from a hole is being to send in a bigger rat."
- —Old Miragliano witticism[21a]
Notes[]
- Note 1: Some Tilean words are anglicized for the English version of the game and have been later translated into the Italian version with what would probably be the correct term.
- Note 2: Many of the official publications have never been officially translated so these terms have only been translated literally.
Trivia[]
The Tilean language shares many terms with the real world Italian language, which is its obvious inspiration, but some words and names are similar to Spanish ones which is the inspiration for Estalian. This may be due to the linguistic legacy of the Reman Empire that ruled both Tilea and Estalia many centuries ago.
Some names have Swiss origin like for Zschokke.
Brumoso is probably a reference to the French Republican calendar month called Brumaire (from French brume 'mist', from Latin brūma 'winter solstice; winter; winter cold'), starting 22, 23, or 24 October and ending on 21, 22, or 23 November.
In the novel, Day of the Daemon by Aaron Rosenberg Strygany terms are closer to the one present in the Italian vocabulary than those from the Romanian one as one would expect. This choice was probably made because both the real-world languages are Romance languages, with a common Latin route.[24a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (Italian Language, RPG)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation
- 2a: pg. 141
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs - A Guide to the Empire (RPG)
- 4a: pp. 97-98
- 5: Fell Cargo (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- 5a: Ch. 3
- 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition) (Italian)
- 6a: pg. 149
- 7: Book of Grudges - A Guide to Dwarfs & the Everlasting Realm (Background Book)
- 7a: pg. 12
- 8: The Gathering Storm - A Campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (3rd Edition)
- 9: Genevieve Undead (Anthology) by Kim Newman (under the pen name Jack Yeovil)
- 9a: "The Cold Stark House" (Short Story), Ch. 2
- 10: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms (RPG)
- 11: Fell Cargo (Novel)
- 11a: Ch. 10
- 12: Neferata (Novel) by Josh Reynolds
- 13: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Career Compendium (RPG)
- 13a: pg. 31
- 14: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: The WFRP Companion (RPG)
- 14a: pg. 80
- 15: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Renegade Crowns (RPG)
- 16: Warhammer Fantasy Battle: Rulebook - Skirmish (6th Edition)
- 16a: pg. 35
- 17: Inferno! 45
- 17a: pg. 37
- 18: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Corruption (RPG)
- 18a: pp. 109-110
- 19: Riders of the Dead (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- 19a: "Azytzeen"
- 20: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Realm of the Ice Queen (RPG)
- 20: pg. 12
- 21: Brunner the Bounty Hunter (Omnibus Novel) by C.L. Werner
- 21a: "Foreword"
- 22: Daemon Gates - Night of the Daemon (Novel) by Aaron Rosenberg
- 22a: Ch. 3
- 23: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: A Grim World of Perilous Adventure - Rulebook (RPG)
- 23a: pg. 279
- 24: Warhammer: Day of the Daemon (Novel) by Aaron Rosenberg
- 24a: Ch. 7
- 25: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Apocrypha Two-Chart of Darkness (RPG)
- 25a: pg. 80
- 26: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 26a: pg. 197