Sethic languages

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Sethic languages

spoken in Nadaria, Upper Mercia, Moria genealogy Primitive Sethic    Old Book Sethic       Book Sethic writing systems early Sethic runes, the Vandar's script, the Serali script word order SVO and SOV morphology inflecting morphosyntax nominative-accusative

created by George Božović started 2006

Sethic languages archaic languages Primitive Sethic † · Old Book Sethic † Book Sethic Nadaria Nadarian · Middle Sethic † Common Sethic dialects Vardavian · Mervincian · Oinolostean † Mercia Proto-Mercian † · Old Mercian † Classical Mercian · Common Mercian Moria Proto-Arbean † · Old Arbean † Classical Arbean dialects High Arbean · Low Arbean writing systems Sethic runes † Vandar's script Serali script

Sethic languages are a group of several related conlangs spoken in the fictional countries of Nadaria, Mercia, and Moria, created by George Božović.

The adjective "Sethic" originates from the Primitive Sethic root SETH, which means 'word, speech' or 'to speak'. It has evolved into the common Sethic ethnonym "Seth" (meaning 'the one who speaks'), and thus gave name to most Sethic peoples as well as their native languages. In contrast to their own name, most Sethic peoples usually call some of their neighbouring peoples by the name gonair or similar, which translates as the mute ones, i.e. 'the ones who cannot speak in an understandable language'.

Genealogy

All Sethic languages have descended from the Primitive Sethic language. Linguists believe it was a spoken language with several minor regional dialects. Following the invention of the early Sethic runes, the first Sethic written language evolved, known as Old Book Sethic, the predecessor of a later common written standard called the Book Sethic language. After the migration of Sethic tribes from the mountains into the lower plains, the Sethic languages have been divided along the linguistic lines into three main branches: Nadarian, Mercian, and Arbean of Moria.

Nadarian is a spoken language which forms a rather heterogeneous dialect continuum with about a dozen distinct dialects and many regional subdialects. Over time some of its dialects have influenced the written Old Book Sethic language, and thus formed the regional Common Sethic standard used in Nadaria, which evolved from the earlier Middle Sethic language, the Nadarian recension of Old Book Sethic. Common Sethic has since become language of diplomacy and trade between the various Sethic nations.

Mercian branch arose as a regional subvariety of Sethic languages in the Upper Mercia. Dialects of this branch evolved from the common Proto-Mercian language. Spoken dialects are known as Common Mercian, while the literary standard is called Classical Mercian, itself derived from an earlier Old Mercian written language.

Arbean languages spoken in Moria consist of two major groups of dialects — High and Low Arbean. The High Arbean dialects served as vernacular for standardization of the local literary norm called Classical Arbean, alongside its earlier stage known as Old Arbean or Book High Arbean.