The Old Cana Language

The Cana

The Cana was the name of a group people who once inhabited much of western Ecoth including what is today the kingdom of Vacana. Vacanan language dates back to the dialect of these ancient Cana tribes, but as the influance of surrounding kingdoms and empires led the tribes of Vacana became more unified, merging their languages to form a similar pattern of speach. Cana, the word outsiders had prieviously used to describe people from their general area. The unified tribes of the Cana would gradually intergrate into the rest of Ecoth, slowly losing their older languages in favour of the Ecothnicly recognised standard language. This was likely brought to the area when the Traiphotians first colanised what would later become Vacana. Although the lanuages of the ancient Cana are now lost to time, there are many remenance of their old toung mostly seen in Vacanan names and places.

The most obvious word to come from the Cana is Vacana. Originally called Wu Cana, which meant The United Cana, the word Wu (meaning together) was later replaced with Vua (meaning royal or important figure) when the first King of the region was crowned. Eventually the words changed with time and ended up written together as Vacana.

In the old Canan language letters such as V, H and J were only used by those higher status. This is why many import names in Vacana start with or include these letters. Families such as Hundra dated back thousands of years and some even once believed that people who had these rare letters in their name were chosen by the Gods. In reality, back in the day, only the highest classes used termanoligy where these letters were used in the language due to better education. By the time of The Old Dynasty most Vacanans were fluent in all letters of the standard alphabet and much of the Old Cana Language was not used.

Letters and Their Meanings

In Canan adding letters to words can change how the word is used, the importance of the word or in what context it is referring to. There are several types of letter ajustment.

Joining Terms

• A - The (sometimes of)

• E - Of (sometimes belongs to)

• Q - And / Plus

Adaptifiers

• D - Many (pluralises a noun)

• I - Used / Old

• Y - Colour

• C - Good

• K - Bad

Signifiers

• C - Good

• K - Bad

• L - nateral

• O - Mystery / Unexplained

• H - Importance and Power

• J - Importance

• V - Importance - unique or special.

• U - Offten used as a substitute to V by lowwer class people and in older words.

• B -

• F -

• G -

• P - PLOZ

• M -

• N -

• R -

• S -

• T -

• W -

• X -

• Z - PLOZ

Common Words And Phrases From Old Canan

• Vua or Va - Royal / Important Person

• Wu - United / Together

• Uth or Vuth - Greeting (Formal/Informal)

• Jhgo - Chief / Leader

• Cana - Can be the people of Cana or just people

• Canar - Friend / Ally

• Kgraf - Enemy / Foe

• Kirge - Death

• Kir - Danger / Harm

• Do - Quantity / Ammount (often refering to money or valubles)

• Huun - Power (sometimes magical power in mythology)

• Eez - Trustworthy/Loyal

• A - The (sometimes of)

• E or En - Of / Belongs to

• Q - And / Plus

• Iif - River / Stream

• Lop - Place

• Sak - Home / Place of rest

• D'sak - Village / Settlement

• Turt - Tree

• D'turt - Forrest / Many Trees

Conin Hundra Joedofe Doez Harald friend cattle sea sky wheather hill fish boat tool plough fight weapon cart metal stone dirt/ground valubles at me I you

Geographical Distribution

Across what is now Vacana.

Dictionary

19 Words.

An image of the distribution of the peoples inhabiting the western peninsula around -5500.