Old Bastiqui

Almost two thousand years ago, before the magic began to die in Bastique, the culture of the people of Bastique was vastly different to what it is today. Their society was so intrinsically linked to the magic that they used that, once that magic began to die out, the city-states and their people devolved in panic. This marked one of the few moments in the history of Bastique that the two city-states, ever at odds with each other, worked together to come up with a solution.
Over the next few years, they developed ways in which their societies would survive the end of magic, at least to a certain extent. One such development was the abandonment of their entire language as they knew it. Old Bastiqui, as it came to be known, utilised magic in much of its usage, much like every other part of their culture at the time.
Only half of the language was spoken, using similar words that can still be found in the Bastiqui language today. Words that were missing from the language were the adjectives, as these were conveyed through the use of magic. Rather than using the spoken word to describe the flavour of something, one would use magic to instead cause their audience to experience the flavour themselves. When describing colours the speaker would simply make an illusory image of that colour appear before them.
Because of this loss of most of their ability to describe objects, concepts and emotions, the language spoken by the population of Bastique today has become overly wordy to make up for this loss. Where once sentences and conversations would last minutes, they now last hours as the speaker attempts to fully convey their meaning. In becoming more verbose, Common Bastiqui, the modern variant, is almost unrecognisable from its origins as it grew and evolved in the last few millennia. Today there are very few who are able to speak Old Bastiqui, and those that claim to be fluent in its verbal aspect are unable to prove their claims as there is no one left alive who could provide validation.
Many scholars have studied the remarkable similarities between Old Bastiqui and the language spoken by the Natives of Persifon. While they are different in execution, both utilise magic to convey meaning to their audience. Some in the linguistics community believe that this is a coincidence and both peoples came to a similar conclusion regarding their language. Others theorise, however, that someone from Bastique may have travelled to the wild continent of Persifon and taught the early Natives how to communicate more effectively with each other.

Geographical Distribution

Old Bastiqui was spoken across the continent of Bastique. The only variations were in the regional dialects and slang used in the different city-states and villages. Once, when there was but a single city-state, there was just a single language with only one permutation. However, as time passed and the city-states split and their cultures and people began to evolve separately from one another, new words began to emerge. This was not originally a problem though, as the magic of Old Bastiqui helped to bridge any gap that may have otherwise caused confusion.

Phonetics

The most notable phonological feature of the verbals aspect of Old Bastiqui is its more nasal sounding vowels, as well as the way in which a consonant at the end of a word is not pronounced unless immediately followed by a word that begins with a vowel. However, for a language in which half of it is not spoken verbally, the people of Bastique do not place as much importance on pronunciation as much as others might.
This has further led to the creation of new words or meanings as they are pronounced incorrectly by the speaker, yet the true intent and meaning remain clear due to the magical aspect of their words.

Common Phrases

Le Phunt Rude Exclamation. Unlikely to be heard in polite or formal conversation. Most commonly used out of frustration or pain.
Borsht A harsh, generic insult. Usually held in reserve to describe ones worst enemy or closest friend. The speaker would use magic to imply the mirth or hatred in the word.
Ouele ton cé, ton cé Translates to "Whatever may be, may be".

Common Unisex Names

Naming conventions amongst the Bastique have not altered in the transition from Old to New Bastiqui. The beauty and the true meaning behind those names have long since been lost, however, as how can one truly describe the emotions a parent may feel for the child without sharing those feelings through the use of magic.