Proto-Orth

First Appearance and Context

Proto-Orth is referenced in current material as part of the Orth language tradition, including when a young avout is described as speaking in Middle Orth with footnotes in Old and Proto-Orth. The in-world reference work The Dictionary also uses period labels such as Proto-Orth to mark how a term’s sense changes across time within Orth.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Period label within scholarship: Proto-Orth functions chiefly as a historical tag used by The Dictionary and scholars to qualify definitions and usage notes.
• Example of sense distinctions: In the headword Aut, earlier senses are grouped under “Proto‑ and Old Orth” (an individual act), contrasted with “Middle and later Orth” (a formal communal rite).

Relationships

• Part of the Orth continuum: Proto-Orth denotes the earliest stage in the Orth tradition, preceding Old Orth and later forms (e.g., Middle, Praxic, and New Orth). See Orth for the broader language and its historical forms.
• Usage in practice: Erudite speakers may cite Proto-Orth in footnotes alongside other historical forms to signal source traditions or to contrast shifts in meaning. An example in current scenes involves Fraa Arsibalt employing such learned flourishes.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Register: Treated as an early historical form rather than an everyday spoken register in present scenes. Its role in texts is primarily to anchor etymology and sense history.
• Labeling: Appears in entries and notes as “Proto‑Orth,” sometimes paired with “Old Orth” when grouping earlier senses.

Current Status/Location

Proto-Orth is not shown as a living conversational language in current material. It survives as a scholarly period label in definitions, citations, and commentary, especially within The Dictionary and among avout who reference early sources.