Languages

Over the course of centuries, Gaia has developed a multitude of interesting languages. In fact, in spite of the clear predominance of Latin as the official language of the Empire, each culture - having its own distinct personality - has at least one or two languages. Thus, it is no wonder that in Lands of Al Enneth jashú is spoken, or that on the island of Varja the two branches of yamato have always been used. Given the amplitude and variety of the borders, it is practically impossible to make an exhaustive list of all the existing languages at the present time. Also, the Trivium and the Great University of Lucrecio have classified at least fifty languages commonly used, and that is without counting the dozens upon dozens of different dialects. Thirteen of all these common languages are considered official in the different countries of the Old Continent, and as a result, are usually thought of as the main languages of the world.
In general, a character will initially know the languages of their native country within what their intelligence allows. Naturally, it is always possible that he masters some other, if he is able to properly justify learning it. In order to know what language is used in a certain place, it is necessary to observe its origins.
Latin: Without a doubt, Latin is the most extended language of Gaia, because more than half of its inhabitants use it as a main language. It is simple but refined, as much in its oral form as written, which gives root to a multitude of dialects; at the present time, linguists have found more than two hundred varieties. They have its origins in the language of the ancient Empire of Solomon, although it is much more colloquial and has been simplified with the passage of years.
Arkes: A language of nordic origin, that finds its origins several centuries before the birth of Holst. It is very abrupt and noisy, and normally requires the raising of ones voice to differentiate a word from another. It is possible that it has a strong influence from the Jayan language, which coexisted with the nordics centuries ago. Its written version is very rudimentary, and allows for only limited literature.
Hermital: Although it has some words similar to arkes, hermital is a language with a radically different root. Much more complex and elaborate, each word has a multitude of endings that give meaning to the word. Its written version is terribly complex and long, since it means the learning of more than ten different symbols for each denomination. A book written in hermital could easily take up four times more than its equivalent in Latin.
Tarazv: An old dialect derived from a pirate code that sailors on the Coast of Pelegrí used. It is characterized by combining sounds with gestures. It does not have a written version.
Ailish: It is a clear and well-structured language that was developed in the forests of Alberia more than a thousand years ago. It is an extremely refined idiom, which takes a certain influence from the elvish languages. Its alphabet is made up of runes, each one of which represents the name of a different type of spirit. The Runes of Magic are thought to have originally come from this language, though this cannot be proven.
Ogashima: A strange colloquial mixture between yamato and Latin, whose use has turned it into a language in its own right. It uses a simplified combination of both formats of writing.
Jashú: The second most spoken language in Gaia, jashú, is characterized by its musicality and the fast succession of phonemes of its oral form. According to the affirmation by the followers of Jihamath, it is the language of the angels that was conferred to the Eyad to interpret the Book of Destiny. It has a certain phonetic similarity with the language of Ebudan, although their written forms are radically different.
Kannawa: Kannawa is the most spoken language of Nanwe. It is very archaic and its phonetics are filled with guttural sounds and clicks, extremely difficult to imitate for someone who has not practiced it since childhood.
Sheeham: A language with a multitude of dialects, spoken by a native of the savannahs. In spite of its slight complexity, it has a very advanced grammar structure. It is possibly the only written language that combines the colors of letters to express different terms. It has no similarity with any other known language.
Irula: Called “the language of knowledge”, irula is the complex language that is used by the wise men of Baho. It has several alphabets and written formats that make speaking it as difficult as writing it. It is believed that it derives from the union of jashú with the Devas language, although presently it does not seem to bear any relation to these.
Kola: Generally known as the “forceful language”, it is a simplified version of irula, although phonetically they sound very different. It does not have a written version.
Yamato: With more than five thousand years of history, yamato is the oldest language of man that is still spoken. It was born on the island of Varja and since it began has experienced numerous changes, phonetically as much as lexically. The Damiah language has had an enormous influence on it, so much that it could even be considered one of its dialects. It is a very structured language, with very set rules. It is easy to speak, but its written version is very complex, because a different spelling represents each word.
Yamato shun: A simplified dialect of yamato, whose changes are so notable that the linguists practically consider it a different language. Orally they both maintain a great similarity, but when prioritizing the simplicity and unification of symbols the written rules of Yamato Shun are absolutely different.
Dead Languages
In addition to the common languages, a multitude of missing languages or unused ones exist, which scholars call dead languages. Many presently known belong to the non-human ethnic groups that disappeared after the War of God. However, there are also many others from old empires that were extinguished by the passage of time, or whose origins are completely unknown. Normally, scholars of imperial universities study some dead languages, whereas others like nepranus or elium lacrimae are banned by a decree of the Inquisition or Tol Rauko, who consider them dangerous.
Contrary to the common or official languages of each country, knowledge of dead languages is something rare. Only some linguists, archaeologists or occultists have had the opportunity to master some of them. In game, some logical justification is necessary for teaching it prior to character creation, something that allows the character to have been able make attempts at them in the past.
Following is a list of some of the better known dead languages in Gaia, but of course, not the only ones.
Nepranus: The main language of the Duk´zarist, also called dark speech, is a complicated and harmonious language. It is characterized by its unusual form of writing, since each word registers in all directions: right to left, left to right, top to bottom and bottom to top.
Elium Lacrimae: The “language of the tears of light”, is a select and strange language spoken mainly by light elementals and some Sylvain priests who adored C´iel and the Ilakavir. It is a unique language, since in place of words it uses musical tones and songs. It has a written version, more similar to a musical score, that can only be completely deciphered by interpreting it.
Legameton: The ancestral language of the upper class of Solomon. It has a detailed and tremendously complex written form, in which each letter seems to be a rune simultaneously made up a multitude of smaller ones. It is the programming language that is used by the Lost Logias and also the true original of the Runes of Magic.
Ultwe´alariel: The most common and extended language among the Sylvain. It has a grammatical structure very similar to the ailish of Alberia, although their phonetics and writing differ completely.
Dael: It is very difficult to pinpoint the origin of this language, since it does not seem to be associated with any race or ethnic group. To date, they’ve only found some written remains in ruins located in the lands of Al Enneth (mainly in the deserts of Salazar), which is why, speculatively, it had to be an old language used by an ancient empire. At the moment, it cannot decipher more than a limited number words, and it’s oral form is still unknown.
Kamyu: The old language of the Kami, considered by the people of Varja to be like the language of the Gods. Its meaning has been lost with the passing of years, but some priests still use their words like spells.
Lileth: According to the Lilium tradition, lileth is the secret language of the spirits, and only the wisest priests are able to interpret it correctly. In its oral version, it is made up of extended words, whistles and guttural sounds. Written texts are very rare, but they use a system of curved lines and points extremely difficult to read.
Yvah: The refined language of the old empire of Yehudah, yvah is a language that contains numerous references to magical and supernatural formulas. Their letters simulate codes and magical pentagrams, intentionally facilitating the teaching of its students. Many magical grimoires written by the hand of man use it.
S´lish: An intrinsic and unknowable language used by certain supernatural entities. It is not easy to trace its roots, but it is assumed that it was born of a nonhuman culture that probably adored some aspect of Abaddon the Delkavir. The Church considers it is the language of hell, and the truth is that the majority of demonic creatures either use it or know it. It has a sinuous tone, difficult to pronounce for human beings.
Category:Lore