Rukanian language

The **Rukanian language** (Rukanian: **Movjašta Rukansǐka**) is the language of the Kingdom of Rukania, a distant land of knights in the Far East.

## Script

### Native Rukanian alphabet

Rukanian is written in an alphabet related to the Bujanski alphabet, but the letters look more curved and flowing. In fact, the Bujanski and modern Rukanian alphabets were derived from an older form of the latter.

Its oldest known ancestor, **Old Oruzii**, was written using pictograms. Only with the introduction of Naevaniska cuneiform, itself derived from Madaenan writing, were the pictograms deciphered through transcriptions of words and names.

The modern Rukanian alphabet is *not* a descendant of the pictograms.

### Rukanian Common

The Common script is also commonly used in Rukania, although not in official or ceremonial settings. In the south of the kingdom, signposts display both native and Common scripts for the same language.

A Bujanski might find many of the letters to be familiar, but he would have to read a language guide or attend a prestigious Rukanian class to read some of the different or exclusive letters in the knightly language:

* г - h (not g)
* ґ - g
	+ For foreign languages. In Slavic languages, any corresponding г (g) is usually pronounced as "h".
* є - je
	+ not је
* ї - ji
	+ not јі.
	+ "Ji" does not exist in Bujanski, so in pre-Wannaenid records it is transcribed as "je" or rarely "ei".
* й - j
	+ not ј
* ю - ju
	+ not ју
* я - ja
	+ not ја
* и - y
	+ not ѵ, but always и
* йо - jo
	+ This form is the default, used at the start of a word or after a vowel or ь (light j).
	+ ьо is used after a consonant or і
* дз, ꚉ - dz
	+ not ѕ
	+ ꚉ is the form used in northern provinces. It is also used to transcribe Sevraejan dz.
* дж, ꙉ, ћ - dž
	+ Although dž also exists commonly in native Bujanski words, in Rukanian it is not written as џ.
	+ ꙉ is an archaic form mostly used in classical ceremonies.
* ' - hard sign, stops palatalisation
	+ No such sign exists in Bujanski.

### Special characters

Diacritics are used in both native and Common alphabets to differentiate grammatical functions.

* letter i with circumflex (î) - for some words, like vsir (всі̂р, all)
* letter o with macron or circumflex (ō, ô) - for the o in vocative case
	+ Руканіьо̄ - Rukanijō! (O Rukania!)
	+ Ветленіьо̄ - Vetlenijō! (O Knights!)

## Dialects

The large size of Rukania meant that over centuries, different dialects were formed at its regions.

### General

y is observed to be pronounced as "uy" or "wy" [wɪ~ʷɪ].

Some older words are mostly used in classical settings (like stage plays, jousting, and ceremonies) and by upper-class people, rather than the knighthood-families who are not so aristocratic.

In some words, like "vsîr" (all), "i" is written as "î" to mark the word being more important.

ǐ is usually transcribed as "j" when at the end of a word.

### Northern Rukanian, Valjadii Rukanian

Northern dialects pronounce g as g (not h).

Due to the Sevraejan origin of the Valjads who live there, some words are pronounced with diphthongs at the northwest, or with nasal vowels at the northeast. These nasalised vowels correspond with very old forms only used in classical ceremonies, or back in Sevraeja and Baniorel, which preserve those vowels.

### Northeastern Rukanian

* "S" and "z" are more "hissing"
* Nasal vowels, but developed before "m" and "n"
* Some desert towns also retain (or reuse) nasal vowels in words that correspond to similar Valjadii or Baniorelese words. Some of the same towns also add a "n" or "m" after the vowel.

### Western Rukanian

* "a" may be replaced by "o"
* unstressed "a" at the end of a word is usually weakened
* final -ik - [-ikʰʲ~ikʲ]

### Central Rukanian

Clusters of consonants tend to be split into o-o-o syllables. For example, "zolti" ("gold") is pronounced as "zolotj".

* o before š, šč, št, ž - [o(ʊ̯)-]
* ščo (what) - co [t͡sɔʊ̯~sɔʊ̯]
* ts at the start of a word - [t͡s~s]
* dz at the start of a word - [dz~z]

### Southern Rukanian

Not to be confused with the common dialect used by the southern islands, which is closer to central Rukanian.

Chuvysian Rukanian, spoken at the capital, is a more prestigious variant of the Southern dialect.

* os' or ose ... - "this is ..." (instead of "tse" or "sche"); often associated with aristocrats, yet used by almost everyone in southern dialects

### Sixpoints Rukanian, Shistvjal's'kij Rukanian, Shistvjalese Rukanian

This is the common dialect used at the Shistvjaliv Islands, south of Rukania at the tropical ocean. It is more similar to central Rukanian, in terms of phonology and vocabulary.

To southerners, it sounds more coarse.

### Pronunciation of šč

While šč is sometimes pronounced as "sht" in western Rukania, the Chuvysian (Chudosvo Vysokii, capital) aristocratic dialect pronounces šč as "th" or "sth". Here is an example with the word jašča ("a raptor"):

* Standard: jašča [ˈjaɕt͡ɕɐ]
* Chuvysian, Royal: jastha [ˈja(s)θə]
* Classical: jašta [ˈjäʂtɐ]
	+ In *all* instances of šč.
* Western: jošta [ˈjoʂtə]
* Central: jošta [ˈjo(ʊ̯)ʂ͡tʰə]
* Northern, Valjadii: jaš'ča [ˈjaɕt͡ɕə], jašša [ˈjaɕːə]
* Eastern: jasšt'ha [ˈjaʂtʰa], ješt'a [ˈjɛʂtʰa]
* Southern Islands: eišt'a [ˈjɛʂtʰa], joššt'a [ˈjoʂtʰa]

In formal and classical words, šč is simply replaced with "št" to make it look more classical.

## Usage of Rukanian abroad

### Bujanski Rukanian

Before the fall of Zvesta, Rukanian began to be used as a courtly language in the monarchy in honour of Rukania being the inspiration for the Standardisation. It continued to be used by the Zvestarid remnant east of Arienai and Makkadal, allowing the Bujanski there to somewhat understand what the knights from Rukania were speaking. On the other hand, the Bujanski knights from Rukania found the speech used in Arienai to sound very outdated.

Rukanian is also the ceremonial language of the Lindas Jousting Team's fanclub, a mockery of how others saw its use of pink by depicting it as the royal colour of Rukania. This led to its popularity from some Rukanian sports teams, who invited them to play at local championships.

As many Bujanski were born and raised in Rukania, Rukanian words and expressions were brought with them when they liberated their homeland from Wannaenid rule. Those words were seen as more classical and formal words, used by the Bujanski knights among themselves and by friendly groups who fought alongside them.

In modern times, Rukanian is not used as much as Bujanski and Eosome among the Bujanski royal court, but is more often used by nobility and academies at southern Bujan. Although it is not one of Bujan's official languages as Sarmelonid, it enjoys a level of prestige as a "royal language", associated with nobility, knights, and princes. Bujanski who learn Rukanian, whether casually with a phrasebook or in a prestigious school for jousters or gentlemen, would find that the language would be more similar to the Slavonic language of classical literature and Rodnover prayers, due to its archaic declensions.

### Heronoi Rukanian

The eastern provinces of Heronoja became the only part of the country to use Rukanian as an official language, if not the whole continent of Palkyras.

## Nouns

Four "genders" or cases are the classification of all nouns in the Rukanian language. First gender is for feminine words ending in "a" or "ja"; second gender is for masculine or neuter words; third is for feminine words ending in a consonant and "maty" (mother); and the fourth is for various words ending in -a or ja, but with archaic n and t-plurals.

For example: "ptašenja" means "a chick, a baby bird". The plural of this neuter word is "ptašenja*ta*", a t-plural, so this is a fourth-case word.

## Adjectives

As with nouns, "soft declension" is used for words ending with a j-vowel; as opposed to "hard declension" for all others.

### Nominative

* -(n)ij - masculine, default
* -(n)a - feminine
* -(n)e - neuter
* -(n)i - plural

### Genitive

* -(n)oho - masc (default), fem
* -(n)oji - neut
* -(n)ykh - plu

## Adjective-demonyms

### Nominative

* -s'kij - masculine (default)
* -s'ka - feminine
* -s'ke - neuter
* -s'ki - plural

### Genitive

* -s'koho - masc (default), fem
* -s'koji - neut
* -s'kykh - plu

## Pronouns

* I - jez (common); az (royal)
	+ ja - informal, more common than jez (though jez is considered correct)
* my - mine
* thou - ty
	+ vy - formal or respectful form, when speaking to people who are nobles.
	+ "Vy" is also used as an honourific even if the recipent is not aristocratic or royal, if that person is seen as very honourable or heroic.
* he - vin (proper); ve; vjoho (royal, classical)
* his - vjoro
	+ njoro - after preposition
* she - vina (proper); vea; viji, iji (royal, classical)
* her - vjire
	+ nejire - after preposition
* it - vono
* its (genitive) - vjoro
	+ njoro - after preposition
* we - my
* our - nas
* you all - vy, ve
* your - vas
* they - vony
* their - jikh
	+ nikh - after preposition

## Verbs

Perfective and imperfective forms are different from those in Bujanski. Verbs that correspond to perfective may be the opposite in Rukanian, as imperfective, and vice versa; so Bujanski has become too different from Rukanian and its relatives.

Furthermore, Bujanski verbal declension has been simplified, while Rukanian preserves a more complex system of declension. While it may take more time to learn Rukanian verbs, the appeal to this language to a Bujanski would be the verbs having a more archaic appearance.

### Examples

kvoryty - speaking

* pokvoryty - to speak
* kvorju - I am speaking
* kvorul - I spoke, thou spake, he spoke, she spoke
* budo kvorytu - I will speak

## Affixes

### Demonym

* -sǐkij - male
* -sǐka - female
* -sǐke - neuter
* -sǐki - plural

### Place

* zo ... (genitive) - with
* zo- - with, co-, syn-
* vid ... (genitive) - from
* pjid, pjed - under
* tos - here
* os' ... - here is, there is, this is, that is
* blyz'nyj, blyz'je - near
* dalei - far

### Amount

* -šta - greater
* -štije - greatest
* bahato - many
* bato, bahto - multi-

### Time

* vǐčora - yesterday
	+ vočra in casual speech
* sjohodne - today
	+ archaic Rukanian: sejo + godneje (this day)
* zautra, zontra - tomorrow
	+ archaic Rukanian: za otra (towards the [next] dawn)
* toper - now
* topernyj - current
* zaražžja - immediately
* zaraz - right now, currently
* dovičnistj - forever
	+ Example: Rukanija, Do Vičnistj! (Rukania, Forever; Long Live the Kingdom of Rukania)

### Question

* ščo - what
	+ što - what (western dialects)
* jak - how
	+ jok - how (classical, aristocratic)

### States of being

* -ije - -ness
* -stvo - state of being
* -ščyna - -ness, around a place
	+ e.g. "Čovyščyna" (Chovyschyna), the towns south of Chovysa, the modern Rukanian capital.
* -ar - a doer (classical)
	+ e.g. "kobzar", a muse, a bard
* -telj - a doer (modern)
* -nik - a doer (modern)
* -stavja - -isation, becoming like
	+ E.g. "Tynirostavja", "Terranisation"

## Basics

* tak - yes
* istino - indeed (formal way to say "yes")
* nir - no
* to, zo; i - and
	+ "i" is the normal form, while to/zo are after the final "i" of a previous word.
* tse - this
* sei - this (classical, archaic)
* os' ... - this is ... (formal, aristocratic, southern dialects)

### Greetings

* dobrodinj - hello
* dobro laskavji - welcome
* datjobro - thank you
* objakote - "please look over", excuse me
* vebjakote - I am sorry, pardon me
	+ "Pardon me"s and "thank you"s are required expressions every Rukanian must learn, ever since their toddler days, as chivalry is part of Rukanian culture.
* bažaju mitsnoho - I wish you well
	+ A very formal greeting used among nobles, schools, academies, and jousting classes.
* dosytj - that is enough

## Numbers

0; 1-10 - niščenj; iden, dve, trje, čotre, p'jatj, šist, sidmi, vesmi, tevjosj, tesjonsj

multiplier forms: niščo-; jedno-, dvo(no)-, trejo-, čotro-, p'jato-, šisto-, sidmo-, vesmo-, tesvjo-, tesjo-

100 - sto (stejo-)

1000 - tysjača (tysjo-)

10000 - tesyčja

100000 - stosyčja

million - batomorja ("as many as the seas")

billion - batozirja ("as many as the stars")

trillion - batosviččja ("as many as different forms of light")

hundred trillion - blyz'vičnnja ("closer to eternity")

## Samples

Bujanski: **Varon ædal vjoskejot, i on bezkolja vjarisjal.**

[vʌˈron ˈædal ˈvjoskɛjot i on bɛzˈkolja ˈvjärisjal]

*King ride-PAST east-to, and he never return-PAST.*

Rukanian: **Volostj pojikhal na veskhid, i nerol povrenultysja.**

[ʋoˈɫɔstʲ po'jixaɫ nə ʋɛˈsxid i ˈnerɔɫ pɔʋrɛˈnʊɫtʷɪsja]

*King ride-PAST to east, and never return-PAST-self.*

"The king rode east and [he] never returned."

**Jak ty dnomaješ, ja zo "derjevo"?!**

*How thou think-THOU, I for "tree"?!*

What do you think I am, a "tree"?

**Budite smilenym! Ve vsîr vetlenji!**

Be brave! You are all knights!

**Vsîr pjid Nebam! / Vsîr pjid Nebam naležytj Boham!**

"All under Heaven!" / Everything under Heaven belongs to the Gods!

(an ancient Rukanian motto that was the equivalent of "no justice, no peace" or "the Gods are with us")

## Gallery

"Volja" (freedom, willpower), written in regular and calligraphic forms."What do you think I am, a tree?"
## Trivia

* Rukanian was based on Ukrainian, but a number of words in Rukanian were derived from Old East Slavic and Proto-Slavic reconstructions, to make Rukanian look like "a surviving Kyivan Rus".
	+ As Rukania itself is more akin to a surviving ancient civilisation, the author created a number of words by mixing different Ukrainian and Slavic words to replace loanwords.
* A classical form of Rukanian is used as the ceremonial language for jousting academies across Jerde.
	+ This may be how Wiresa's family was able to understand a little bit of this language.
	+ This was based on the usage of French in fencing.
* While Ukrainian is seen as a supposed "dialect" by Russian nationalists, Rukanian is treated with great respect in Bujan as a classical language, although not as often as Vozonid, archaic Eosome, Slavonic (the language used in Rodnover prayers), or Sanskrit.
	+ Bujanski associate it with aristocracy, knighthood, jousting, politeness, and civility, rather than vulgarity.

## See also

* Rukanian glossary
* Rukanian mythology
* The Teachings of Sir Larasenko

### Related languages

Rukanian is a Western Slavonian language, like Sevraejan, but evolved in a different course. Bujanski is an Eastern Slavonian language (like its closer relative Pogimmelian), of the Movarian branch, alongside Nevkrenian and Sevestranian.

* Sevraejan language
* Bujanski language
* Classical Bujanski language
* Drevobojanse glossary
* Bujanski glossary