Languages of Mythania
The languages of Mythania are as complex and diverse as its cultures. The Age that the first spoken languages arose is unknown, but the first surviving written records are from the Eldrien, chiseled on stone nearly 8,000 years ago. Some recent archaeological evidence points to even older languages and prehistoric civilizations, but this evidence is dubious at best.
Ancient Languages
Below are listed the major ancient languages. These are dead languages, useful only to scholars, mages, and alchemists. None of these languages are actually lost or forgotten--they are simply no longer spoken as a common tongue. Many older books may be found to be written in these languages (especially Elinican and Relican), and most modern languages are based on them.Prima Lingua: The root of all language is said to be the Prima Lingua, the First Tongue, which is said to have been given by Metavus to great races of the world. The Prima Lingua has long been lost and its existence seems an unreliable legend. Even so, it is considered by most to be the root of all language. Mages have long searched to reconstruct the Prima Lingua, as it is said that any magical incantation spoken in the Prima Lingua would increase potency by ten-fold.
Elinican: Elinican is one of the most ancient languages, said to be the closest recorded language to the Prima Lingua, though still many generations removed. Elinican is written in a vertical script called Elinican Runic (which is read right to left), of which there are 25 letters. Elinican writing was originally made on clay tablets, and later on scrolls of papyrus and parchment. Elinican is now a dead language, though there are many derivations of it. It was once common on Celaphania and the Sea of Isles, and spread as far as Tarrona. Most native languages of these areas are based on Elinican hybridized with other lost languages.
Hon'go-ma: Hon'go-ma evolved independent of most other languages, though certainly there was some contact with Elinican and Relican speaking people. Hon'go-ma is the root language for most of the languages of Zhonghua. "Tsutongua" is a modern derivation of this ancient language, and keeps very close to the original form. Hon'go-ma is a complex picto-iconographic language, originally very simple in structure and form--for example, the word 'man' was drawn as a stick figure man. Later, these iconograms evolved to more complex forms to express more complex words and conceptual ideas. Some characters can take ten or even fifteen brush strokes to make, and others just two or three. Like Elinican, Hon'go-ma was written vertically from right to left, and in ancient times was drawn on scrolls of bamboo strips.
Dvaszavak: Dvaszavak originated in far-eastern Tarrona, probably from a nation in what is now the Wastelands. It was a sharp, guttural tongue, and is clearly the root of most languages in north Tarrona. Dvaszavak had its own unique writing form called Dvaszic Runic, which consists of 28 runes. This runic alphabet has been mostly replaced by Relunic in modern Dvaszic-based languages, though some special characters may remain.
Ultic: Ultic was once common in the western lands of Tarrona (what is now Tilsha and Brishar), and is believed to have evolved from older human and Eldrien tongues. Ultic likely took shape at the same time as Elinican, though it evolved entirely separately. The written form was a runic alphabet, originally carved upon strips of wood, and later drawn on parchment. With the influence of the Elinican language, Ultic began to change and continued to evolve with influence from Relican family languages. Ultic had the same effect on Relican; although modern Antarish stems from Relican, a great deal of the vocabulary was drawn from Ultic. Today, a form of Ancient Ultic is still spoken by the Eldrien.
Amahric: Amahric developed in the desert regions of what is now Suddaea, Canath, Kharam, and southern Ostarh. Amahric was a very smooth and quickly spoken tongue and had a variety of dialects, most of which evolved into the languages of the Desert Kingdoms of Tarrona. Amahric script is a flat, linear writing style of 28 characters, written horizontally from right to left.
Maradian: When the Empire of Marada arose, delving into science, astrology, and alchemy, they developed a logical and methodical approach to everything. The great sages contrived the "Perfect Tongue", a purposefully crafted language designed to convey absolute meaning with as much simplicity and as little misunderstanding as possible. As a result, Maradian became an unremarkable, artificial language; most poets and writers continued using Relican and Elinican. Maradian made use of Relunic characters because of their wide usage and relative simplicity. However, Maradian introduced an entirely new numbering system, and was the first to explicitly develop "zero" both in meaning and mathematical concept. Though Maradian is no longer in use, its decimal-numbering system has remained the primary system ever since. Today, all numbers and mathematical formulae are expressed in Maradian form.
Relican: Relican is partially derived from Elinican, though it was primarily a combination of other (now lost) languages in the eastern Medrean region. The Relican language formed at some point during the Second Age of Darkness (likely around 500 Before Keshim). Unlike Elinican, Relican was written left to right horizontally. It was common across Celaphania before the rise of Marada, after which it was officially replaced by Maradian. Relican was later revitalized by the Imperial Republic after the fall of Marada and spread across the continent to replace the many local dialects and tongues that had sprung up during the Third Age of Darkness. A derivation of Relican was brought to Tarrona by Maradian exiles following a failed civil war in 120 MA (-920 CA), which eventually evolved into Antarish (the language of Antaria). Relican is written in a Relunic script of 20 consonants and 6 vowels. The Relunic script is today used to render most modern languages.
Modern Languages
These are languages that are currently in use today. Some of these languages may be a hybrid of several different languages, such as Skarvito.Tarronan Languages
Antarish (Relican family language): Antarish is used as the common language of Antaria. It is common across all of Tarrona, and is now the official language of Ostarh, Dralia, Bryland, and the Commonwealth Kingdoms. Antarish is either the first or second language for most people of southern and central Tarrona, and known by most educated people in Celaphania as well. Because of this, Antarish is considered one of the chief trade languages. There are several major dialects of Antarish, though all are similar enough to be easily understood. High Antarish, as it is called, is a structured and well-documented form of Antarish that is accepted as "true" Antarish. High Antarish is used by nobility and upper class citizens, as well as for legal documentation.
Kendic (Dvaszavak family language): Once the official language of Kendes, Kendic uses traditional Dvaszic runes as well as Relunic script and the Maradian numbering system. It is common to Kendes, Kaldea, and parts of Darmania (though Carsovian and Antarish are also common to Darmania). Within the past hundred years a new, seemingly artificial language has appeared in Kendes and Kaldea called Grethic, and is being enforced as the official language of the Grand Imperium. Kendic remains the language of commoners despite the best efforts of the Kendes government to enforce the new language.
Kaldean (Dvaszavak family language): Kaldean is an older Kaldean language, now almost extinct except within a few remote northern tribes. The Kendic language has replaced the Kaldean tongue throughout most of northern Tarrona, but Grethic is now being enforced as the official language of the Imperium.
Grethic (Origin unknown): Grethic is a fully developed, complex language that first appeared in Kendes and has become the official language of the Grand Imperium. Grethic uses a syllabic alphabet of 64 circular-shaped symbols written horizontally from left to right. The Grethic numbering system is radically different from the Maradian system, and baffles mathematicians who are used to the Maradian system.
Lethanic (Dvaszavak family language): Lethanic is spoken in Lethan and parts of Phana. It uses Relunic script and the Maradian numbering system. Most people in Lethan know Antarish, Lelakan, Kendic, or Carsovian as a second language.
Carsovian (Dvaszavak family language): Carsovian is spoken in Darmania, Phana, and northern Ostarh. It uses Relunic script and the Maradian numbering system. Though based on Dvaszavak, the language was heavily influenced by Scathic.
Lelekan (Dvaszavak family language): This is the traditional tongue of Leleka, though it is true that many other languages are spoken in Leleka, such as Antarish and Kendic. Most modern day Lelekans do not know Lelekan at all, and instead know Antarish or Kendic as their first language.
Amahric (Amahric family language): The national language of Suddaea is Amahric, though it is in fact a distant cousin of Ancient Amahric. Along with Antarish, modern Amahric is spoken as a common tongue throughout the Desert Kingdoms of Tarrona. It uses Amahric-like script, but the Maradian numbering system is used for math.
Canaic (Amahric family language): Canaic is a form of Amahric spoken primarily in Canath, Cordia, and western Suddaea. It is similar to Amahric and uses a similar script, but is different enough to be considered a separate language.
Celaphanian Languages
Palish (Relican family language): Palish is spoken mostly in the Medrean kingdoms of Celaphania--mainly Armillia, Panora, Crethia, and parts of Cylinica and Glaven. Palish is considered to be the Common Tongue of Celaphania, just as Antarish is the Common Tongue of Tarrona.
Tulsan (Relican family language): Tulsan is the official language of Glaven, and spoken thoughout much of western Celaphania. It has similarities to Palish, but is the most similar of all Relican languages to Relican, probably due to the fact that Glaven was once the capital of the Imperial Republic and a great deal of their cultural influence remains. Most people in Glaven speak Tulsan, but also know Palish.
Cylinican (Relican family language): Cylinican is a Relican-based language used throughout Cylinica. It is the official language of Cylinica, but most people in Cylinica also know Palish and are at least passingly familiar with one of the other major trade languages.
Panorish (Relican family language): Panorish is the official language of Panora and most of eastern Mesoria. It is a Relican language and uses Relunic script and Maradian numbers. Just as with every nation in Celania and Mesoria, however, most Panorians speak Palish as well.
Arkanic (Relican-Maradian): One of the few languages to retain a significant part of the Maradian language, Arkanic is fairly unique. It is still spoken and written in parts of central Mesoria and Azcan. This is primarily because Maradian was the first modern language learned by the tribes and barbarians of these regions. Arkanic uses its own iconographic script, which, though similar to Maradian, consists of nearly 800 symbols, many of them combined forms of Maradian symbols. It can also be rendered in Relunic form.
Tsutongua (Hon'go-ma family language): Tsutongua is the official language of Tai-tsing. Tsutongua is a modern rehashing of Hon'go-ma and keeps very close to the original form. It is written vertically from right to left and there are over 60,000 individual characters in the Tsutongua language, each conveying a different word or meaning. The characters range from simple to highly complex; most are combinations of various root forms (about 60 forms). Because of its complexity, it takes many years to master and is extremely difficult for outsiders to learn and understand.
Kohaen (Hon'go-ma family language): Kohaen is of the Hon'go-ma family, but far removed from the original form. There are about 100 different characters, each one a different vowel, consonant, or syllable.
Kangoan (Hon'go-ma family language): Similar in some ways to Kohaen, Kangoan is another Hon'go-ma-based language that is far removed from the base form. Kangoan is spoken in Kangoa, as well as some parts of southern Tai-tsing. It is written vertically from left to right, and consists of about 300 script-like symbols.
Sinoese (Hon'go-ma family language): Sinoese is spoken in the Sinoen region of the Shanalyean Mountains. Like many Hon'go-ma-derived languages, it consists of several hundred characters written either vertically from right to left or horizontally from left to right.
Taonese (Dialect of Sinoese): Taonese is a dialect of Sinoese spoken in what was once Taona. It is similar to Sinoese, but different enough for it to be considered a separate language.
Nanshido (Tsutongua-Relican hybrid): Nanshido evolved in the land of what is now Nanshin, and is a hybrid of Tsutongua and Relican. A large part of the language is fairly unique to the region. It has 60 syllabic characters, but also uses Tsutongua characters to represent certain words. Relican script is also a common form of notation.
Trade Languages
Achito (Elinican family language): Spoken mostly by the nations of Megonia, Achito is also common in the Sea of Isles. Most Islanders know Achito, and any merchant in the Sea of Isles should be familiar with it. Achito is a popular pirate tongue; the pirate dialect eventually became Skarvito.
Tradish (Antarish-Achito): Tradish is a language combining a very harsh and guttural version of Antarish with Achito (and even some Skarvito slang with a mish-mash of other languages). It is a very messy language, evolved over centuries by traders, merchants, and pirates. It has no official designation, but is simply called Tradish by convention. Tradish is an ever-evolving language, and a slightly different version can be found in every port city. Most merchants learn Tradish while on a ship or from a father who was a merchant by trade. It is a language that is extremely difficult to actually learn on one's own, as it is not an official language anywhere, except perhaps Sculdoria. Tradish is considered an underclass tongue, and in some places may be considered offensive.
Skarvito (Pirate-Achito): A form of Achito spoken by the pirates of the Sea of Isles, Skarvito was heavily altered by centuries of mispronunciation and argots (underworld slang). Skarvito is used in combination with Achito and Tradish. A typical conversation might meld all three of these massively hybridized languages together, creating a hodge-podge that is utterly indecipherable to outsiders. There is practically no structure or proper syntax, and since it is rarely ever written, the spelling of words greatly varies.
Non-Human Languages
Trican: This is the language of the triclopes, now used exclusively on Tricar. It is unknown where it came from, for it is unlike any other language on Mythania, but it has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. During the Great Tyranny, the Tyrants enforced Trican as the World Language. After the fall of the Tyranny, Trican was rejected by humanity. Remnants of Trican can, however, still be found in most languages throughout the world.
Dworghen: There are several Dworghen languages, but the major one today is the dialect spoken in Nuram. Dworghen is a very heavy tongue with deep guttural sounds, stressed consonants, and few vowels. In fact, vowels are only present to further stress the consonants. Even so, the most common letters are the softer consonants, such as 'm', 'j', 'l', and 'r'. Dworghs have their own runic script that they still like to use, but they also use Relunic script for everyday writing and commerce.
Kaffrian: The Kaffrians have their own language, though most also speak Palish, Tradish, and Achito. Kaffrian has changed considerably from its ancient form, and has little resemblance to the older language. Kaffrians have also abandoned the use of Kaloglyphs and use Relunic script exclusively (only scholars may know Kaloglyphs). Some humans mockingly refer to Kaffrian as "Meowese".
Marsid: The Marsids never had a complex or sophisticated language and never developed a written form. As a result, they simply began using human language--Palish, Relican, Antarish, Tulsan, Panorish, Arkanic, or whatever the major language of the area happens to be. Ancient Marsid has now been lost as it was never written. Some Marsids also speak Kaffrian, which confounds humans to no end.
Ogrim: There are countless ogre languages, but only three are spoken by the major tribes. All of these languages are harsh and guttural, and have words that even sound like growls. Most humans have a hard time speaking Ogrim. Few ogres know any other language but their own, and have no desire to learn any human tongues. However, war-chiefs and shaman will often know one or more other languages (usually Scaithic or Kendic), and what few ogre scholars and bards there are may know Antarish.
Ultic Eldrien: Ultic Eldrien is the language of the Eldrien as it evolved in Tarrona. It is basically the same as ancient Ultic, but more fluid and song-like, with long vowels. Nearly all Eldrien in Tarrona speak Ultic Eldrien, but each tribe has a slight variation or dialect unique to them.
Talic Eldrien: Talic Eldrien is the Eldrien language common on Celaphania (Celania and Mesoria), "Talic" being a modern designation to distinguish it from Ultic. It is considerably different from Ultic Eldrien, and bears no resemblance to any human languages. It is a pleasant-sounding language and human bards often strive to learn or imitate it.
Scaithic: Scaithic is a form of Ultic spoken by the Scaithi.