Kelam

Kelam is a creole language spoken by the Sheer tribe in the Kingdom of Litticala. The language evolved from an earlier informal Naleedic-Calan pidgin that was spoken by Sheeric and Calan traders. Kelam is not mutually intelligible with Standard Naleedic or Calan, but speakers are typically also fluent in one of these languages.

Geographic Distribution

Kelam is spoken primarily in the western regions of the Kingdom of Litticala by the Sheer tribe and those who live among them. It is also commonly spoken in the marketplaces of Coromare and other Calan cities as a trade language. Kelam experienced its greatest spread after the end of the Sheeric Uprising, due to the efforts of King Nicolau III. Many residents of Coromare learned to speak Kelam to emulate the King's adoption of the language, and to show their support for his Sheeric consort.

Writing Systems

Kelam may be written with either the Naleedic script or the Calan alphabet. The Naleedic script is most commonly used in western Litticala, and areas with a heavy Sheeric population. Use of the Calan alphabet becomes more common as one moves eastward. However, the rise of Temporalism has led to increased use of the Naleedic script for Kelam even in areas where Calan is the dominant language.

Vocabulary

Having developed from a pidgin, Kelam is at once both complex and concise in its vocabulary. Early interactions between Calans and the Sheer tribe often involved talking around words and concepts that did not translate well. Eventually, these phrases used to circumvent words were simplified into new words themselves, leading to a wealth of vocabulary addressing very specific ideas and concepts, which often do not have simple names in either Naleedic or Calan.

Root Languages

Spoken by