Ancestral Alfen

Don't stare too long...

...Their language is nonsensical. There are no standards of sentence structure. Verbs, nouns, and objects shift and appear randomly in the sentence, we can't determine if it is meant to be read left to right, or right to left, and deconstructing a sentence can lead to words that don't even exist in the language. All of this is done to justify their love of symmetry. All of this is done to fuel their obsessions...

— Loryt from Palindromes

Viral languages are written languages that can elicit an emotional response in the one reading it, regardless of their comprehension of the words they are reading. The first viral language died out eons ago, used by the Alfen Ancestors. The only other form of viral language to exist is Formal Ozolithian, which still maintains use in select parts of the world.

Ancestral Alfen differs from formal Ozolithian in many ways. For starters, there is no correlation between the spoken language of the ancestral alfen, which resembles the language of their descendants, and their written language. Phonemes differ between the two, if they existed at all in their writing. This makes the language nearly impossible to study. Those who do have chosen sounds from the present state of the Alfen language and attributed them to each character in Ancestral Alfen. Another difference is the cosmetic element. While both formal and informal Ozolithian were designed for efficiency, establishing rules that allow an entire sentence to be spoken in a single word, Ancestral Alfen was designed for aesthetic value. The entire language centers around palindromes, words that read the same forward and backward. There are rules within the language that forces sentences and even entire paragraphs to do the same, each half of the text existing as a mirror image of the other, and yet saying something entirely different.

A Curious Artform

There is a lack of syllable structure in Ancestral Alfen. In fact, most who study the language agree that the individual letters matter far less than the overall word they are a part of, and this extends to sentences and entire texts as well. The entire "image" of the text is what conveys the meaning, and one must see the whole before they can begin to interpret what is being said with its individual parts.

The language is thought to have started as a form of artistic expression, similar to calligraphy. As time progressed and the Alfen established their empire, the language gathered traction and the empire established standardized rules, adopting it as their written language.

This comes from analyzing the behavior of surviving ancestors, who can simply look at a text and understand its meaning within fractions of a sentence, no matter how large the text is. If this is true, then the language would have been ideal for the Alfen, as it has an alarming degree of efficiency that other languages simply cannot replicate.

Study

A major issue that continues to frustrate many scholars who study ancestral Alfen comes from emotional confusion. Unlike formal Ozolithian, it is never clear if the emotions brought on when reading the language are that of the writer or the reader.

It is possible that emotions expressing intent of the writer get mixed in with instinctively emotional responses on the part of the reader, leading to overwhelming opposite emotions experienced at the same time.

In some cases, scholars studying Alfen technology have activated mechanisms that killed many on accident due to experiencing emotions that they believed the Alfen intended, when in reality it was their emotions they were feeling. The Alfen took pride and joy in the slaughter of others, but that pride and joy could easily be your own, brought on by the fact that you saved lives.

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Fun fact: Alfen Shaping

It is unknown whether the ancestral alfen wrote on parchment. All surviving text in the present is found solely on a smooth, black stone. The stone is dense and resistant to the elements, sharing many qualities with marble.

The ancestors used specialized enchanted chisels that required only a single tap from a mallet to engrave a mark in the stone. This is why their lettering consists primarily of straight lines, excluding a select few chisels that can be switched out for the marks that are not.

Dictionary

2 Words.

Viral Languages

Viral languages offer a comprehensive understanding of the intent. In Formal Ozolithian, many words found in other languages don't exist. By reading it, one can immediately understand the feelings of the writer on the subject, making fiction more than a pastime, but an experience where one can feel every emotion as events unfold on the page.

The Alfen ancestors didn't write fiction, but there is still the benefit of knowing exactly what is intended when it is written. The Alfen used art as a language, but not much else is known about their culture. The language itself is an anomaly among linguists of all skill levels in the present day. Many have dedicated their lives to studying it only to be found wanting as they realize they learned nothing.

A good analogy to how viral languages can benefit those who use them can be found in the real world. Text messaging or online chats can often be misinterpreted or have unintended consequences. Such events never occur when using a viral language one is fluent in because the intent is always clear.