The Lexicon
A comprehensive record of all documented phonemes and words from the Tongue, maintained by the Custodia Ultimae Vocis since 390 AD. Entries are classified by tier based on frequency of occurrence and confidence of translation.
Tier Classification:
- Tier One: 15+ occurrences, confirmed translation
- Tier Two: 5-14 occurrences, probable translation
- Tier Three: 1-4 occurrences, hypothetical translation
Tier One (Confirmed)
Translation: threshold, boundary, liminal space
Context: Appears in death scenarios involving transition or crossing. Often paired with other threshold-related terms.
Translation: witness, observer, one who sees
Context: Frequently appears in cases with multiple witnesses present at death. May indicate relationship between observer and observed.
Translation: flesh, vessel, physical body
Context: Used to denote the biological container. In the context of Case TM-1922-014, it suggests the body is not the actor, but the equipment being utilized.
Translation: life, being, living entity
Context: Part of the compound Beth-Maleth Vhotel in Case TM-1983-127. Distinct from 'Bet' (flesh/vessel), 'Beth' appears to denote life itself or the state of being alive, rather than the physical container. In context, suggests the animate quality or vital force that distinguishes living from dead matter.
Translation: mouth, opening, aperture
Context: Denotes an opening or threshold-gap rather than the anatomical mouth specifically. Appears in cases involving vocal manifestation and transition. Critically, root structure analysis of TM-0072-001 (Golgotha, Year 33 AD) reveals that the redacted first word of the Tongue shares its root with gha. The subject of the sentence named itself using the root for opening. Whether this is self-description, title, or function remains unknown pending recovery of the suppressed translation.
Tier Two (Probable)
Translation: perception, vision, the act of seeing
Context: Specifically relates to the sensory intake of information. Unlike 'Voram' (the observer), 'Krosh' appears to describe the technical mechanism of sight, often accompanied by extreme neurological or ocular trauma.
Translation: inevitable, unavoidable, bound to happen
Context: Part of the compound Beth-Maleth Vhotel in Case TM-1983-127. Appears to denote inevitability or inexorable progression, particularly in relation to death and biological processes. Subject's body was colonized by adaptive fungal organism attempting to maintain host indefinitely, yet death occurred regardless—suggesting the word emphasizes the unavoidable nature of crossing the threshold.
Tier Three (Hypothetical)
Translation: stream, flow, passage
Context: Part of two documented compounds: Maleth-Khor (Stream-Time / The Flow of Time) in Case TM-2024-051, and Beth-Maleth (Life-Flow) in Case TM-1983-127. While documentation notes 12 occurrences, the relevant Lexicon pages are mysteriously missing from certain copies. Translation derived from translator's immediate comprehension and contextual analysis. Appears to denote movement, progression, or the passage of something through time or space. Notably associated with water (Case TM-2024-051) and biological processes (Case TM-1983-127).
Translation: Time
Context: Part of the compound Maleth-Khor, tentatively translated as *Stream-Time* or *The Flow of Time*. Translation is highly hypothetical.
Translation: ████████████████
Context: TM-0072-001. Golgotha, Judea. Year 33 AD. The first documented manifestation of the Tongue. Single word, nominative case — the subject of the sentence that every subsequent manifestation continues. Root structure identified as sharing phonological pattern with gha (mouth/opening). Vibrometric recovery from Vatican relic fragment (olive wood, Vatican possession since 375 AD) provides partial phoneme reconstruction. Translation was recorded by Byzantine founding scholars in 391 AD. Crossed out by unknown hand at unknown date using sufficient ink pressure to leave permanent indentation in the page beneath. Entry was not torn — it was kept and suppressed.
Note from Translator Lanza, December 31, 2024: "The subject names itself first. Everything after it is predicate. We are watching something finish a thought."
This lexicon is updated as new cases are translated. Community contributions and alternative interpretations are documented in episode discussions.