History of the Bujanski language

This is an article about the history and development of the Bujanski language.

## Archaic stages

### Bujanid

Bujanid, or High Bujanid or Old Bujanid, was the first form of the Bujanski language. It was the language spoken by Koschei the Red and his followers when they conquered the island and founded Bujan.

"Gv" was a common cluster in this ancestor language. For example, the word for "star" in Old Bujanid was "gvæzda" (modern Bujanski: zvesta).

Old Bujanid has a similar, complex declension for verbs as with other Slavic languages, such as Rukanian.

* az - I
* āzo - I (ceremonial)
* kōgvæneja - exposure
* kōgvætǐ - to show
* ɫožǐ - lie
* otǔrjētjǐ, otorjētjǐ - to renounce, to abandon
* Rodzina - Motherland

### Samples of Bujanid

* "Āzo, otorētjajōś Darruosa!" - "I renounce Darros!"
* "Āzo, proklęnajō svojǫn ɫožinǫn Rodzinǫn, posjelān svę sōnuoi vo Pjekɫa." - "I curse the false Motherland, who sends its children to Hell."
* "Āzo, otokrjevōjōś svę ko Pjerūno, khǣ Jono spasān mǔnæ!" - "I open myself to Perun, may He save me!"
* "Pjerūno vosvobōdńid mǔnæ!" - "Perun will set me free!"

### Zvestarid

Zvestarid, also known as Old Bujanski, was the international language used by most of the world since the Zvestarid Standardisation.

"Zvestarid" has become the standard for the modern Bujanski language in its homeland after it became independent, but it was renamed "Bujanski" in many nations during its recent standardisation. The allies whose fighters aided the liberation of Bujan were the first to change "Zvestarid" to "Bujanski", at the request of the Bujanski peoples.

* az - I (archaic)
	+ Replaced by the more-recent "jo".

## Early history

Bujanski is classified as an Eastern Slavonian language, originating somewhere in southeastern Pogimmel. Ultimately, Bujanski was derived from a form of Pogimmelian from more recent arrivals who established the Kingdom of Zvesta, while the direct descendant of the preexisting Slavic language of Bujan evolved into Drevobojanse.

Bujanski diverged away from the Slavonian languages of the east Darroskei coast as it got influenced by Sarmelonid and Wonao languages:

* Retention of long vowels, and later adding long vowels and doubling consonants.
* Retention of æ as a distinct letter, or even reviving its usage as a response to the Zavtranian Usurpation.
	+ Most likely due to influence from the Sarmelonid and Eosome classical languages, where [æ] is a distinct vowel.
* Usage of [d͡ʐ] (dž), originally a Vozonid or Wonao phoneme.
* Distinction of j-vowels and other vowels.
* Existence of diphthongs (av > au; æi, æu; ua, ue, uo).
* Final -j becomes interchangeable with -i in many words and names, turning vowels into diphthongs.

## Kingdom of Zvesta

See also: Classical Bujanski language

In the Zvestarid era, many Vozonid words were replaced by coined Slavonian words, and the Bujanski new words were adopted again and modernised after Bujan's independence from Wannaenid rule. The Vozonid words are mostly used in classical or poetic settings.

As early as the Terran invasions of Zvesta, there were proposals to add "jo" as a new letter in the Bujanski alphabet, as a sign of defiance against the Terrans. "Jo" became a proud symbol of Bujanski independence and the rejection of the Zavtranian Usurpation.

With the Zvestarid Standardisation, Bujanski (then known as Zvestarid) became more widespread as a common language. Nationwide resistance against the Zavtranian Usurpation and its Darroskei allies also popularised the Bujanski language throughout the entire island, replacing Pogimmellian as a symbol of the revived Slavic nation.

## Later history

Two factions competed for becoming the dominant influence that would shape the Zvestarid language. One faction wanted to beautify the language, so it sounded more like ceremonial Sarmelonid in its harmonious vowels. The other wanted to make Zvestarid look more closer to the etymology of Slavjane words, an ancient common tongue among the Slavic peoples.

The pro-classics faction prevailed over the pro-beauty faction, hence the archaic-looking structure of modern Bujanski words.

Within Bujan, the Darroskei script became commonly used instead of the Common script, while the Common script became more widespread in other nations.

Drevobojanse's linguistic features and vocabulary was a third influence in the development of Zvestarid.

### Features influenced by the pro-classics faction

* Many archaic Slavic words reused, especially for modern and scientific things
* Revival of ae
* Solidifying en, on nasals as en and on (or even an, as in janzyk, "language")

### Features influenced by the pro-beauty faction

* No -j vowel is allowed to be next to a -j vowel, so the other -j vowel becomes a typical vowel. (e.g. njaja > naja)
* Diphthongs have different plurals (e.g. æu > æuve; oi > oroi)
* Distinct plurals for some declensions

## Modern times

Zvestarid remained in use even though Zvesta fell to Wannaenid rule, but the version in Bujan evolved somewhat differently from the commonly-used form across the world. When Bujan became independent, the locals tried to standardise their own language to match the one used abroad. However, from the 1910's onwards, the national standard was voted by people throughout the country, while the Koscheigradian standard used in the capital became an aristocratic dialect that diverged from the official standard.

As many Bujanski were born and raised in Rukania, their knighthoods brought Rukanian words and expressions with them when they liberated their homeland. Some words were adapted to Bujanski grammar, while many others were left intact as classical words.

### Knightly Bujanski

In this register, "g" is usually pronounced as "h".

* dobraštije - greatest good
* dyknistǐ - war crimes
* eimja - title, honourific
* ity - you shall go
* leryččy - "little storks", Bujanski knights who returned to their homeland
	+ singular: leryčok; correct Rukanian plural: leryčky. The cluster "čk" is not allowed in Bujanski phonology, so it may be assimilated to "čč".
* leryka - a stork
* odjag - robes
* oserttsja - core
* peremoga - victory
* prosvita - reformation, penance
* razom - together
* sertsjok - foot soldier
* sič - castle
* sjogodni - today
* smilenij - courageous, cautious
* tača - a car
* tromarets - student, squire
* vetlenčistǐ - chivalry, discipline, honour
* vočotnyk - a teacher
* vser, user - all
* vsirasom, sirasom (vsîr razom, "all together") - regroup!
* zaknočistǐ - chivalry
* zaknočistnij - chivalrous, honourable
* Zvilǐnenja - Liberation, the Bujanski War of Independence

## See also

* Kings of Bujan
* History of Bujan
* Bujanski dialects
* Wonao glossary
* Wonao Bujanski words