Naleedic is a language primarily spoken in
Naleed and western Litticala. It is the official language of the
Naleedite Confederacy.
Modern standard Naleedic evolved out of the many dialects of old Naleedic spoken by the various
Naleedite tribes. The vocabulary, grammar, and writing system were standardized by
Temporalist scholars, who taught the language in Houses of Knowledge. While there is still some variation in spoken dialects between tribes, these are largely mutually intelligible. Early contact between the
Sheer tribe and
Calans led to the development of
Kelam, a Naleedic-
Calan creole language. Kelam is not mutually intelligible with Naleedic, but can be written using the Naleedic script.
Geographic Distribution
Naleedic is the official national language of the
Naleedite Confederacy, where it is spoken by members of all four
Naleedite tribes. It is also spoken by some of the Naleedite population in the
Kingdom of Litticala and parts of southern Charya.
Temporalists around the world are frequently literate in the language, but lack speaking ability.
While written Naleedic is largely standardized, there are a variety of spoken dialects. The vocabulary and pronunciation of Naleedic in Charya and Litticala are both heavily influenced by the dominant spoken languages in the region, but are largely mutually intelligible with standard Naleedic. The Old Mamaric dialect spoken by some of the isolated northern villages of the
Mamari tribe is difficult for most speakers of standard Naleedic to understand, as the grammatical structure is very different.
Writing Systems
Naleedic is written using the Naleedic script, which was adapted from the
Sheeric script developed in ancient times. The script is written vertically, from top to bottom, and then left to right across the page. Standard Naleedic uses only straight lines to form letters, but there is a strong calligraphic tradition in the
Tal tribe that features delicate curved writing.
Calan-Naleedic and Charyan-Naleedic are sometimes written using the scripts of the dominant languages of the region they are spoken in, however, the spread of Temporalism has largely ended this practice. Temporalist Houses of Knowledge teach only the Naleedic script.
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