Kelish

Kelish is the language of the Great Padishah Empire of Kelesh east of the Inner Sea, including its westernmost Inner Sea region satrapy of Qadira. It is a throaty, phlegmatic language rich with poetry, scholarly writing, and history, having served the empire for countless generations. It is also widely spoken by the genies of that land.

History

Kelish is derived from the tribal languages spoken within the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. Also known as Old Keleshite, these languages were more grammatically complex with sounds not commonly used in other regions. Their unique and often difficult nature slowed the spread of Keleshite influence, leading merchants to create a simplified trade version that shared more in common phonologically with languages found outside of Casmaron.

Features and grammar

Kelish has six vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u, which can be short or long; and ə, which is either silent or pronounced as a schwa). In most cases, r sounds are trilled with the tip of the tongue, while a second r sound is instead rolled. The spoken language also uses glottal stops.

Most words stress the final syllable.

Script

Kelish uses an abjad script, and written Kelish contains only consonants. Each consonant can have two inflections, commonly referred to as "soft" and "hard", depending on context.