Shireth'aan'la

Shireth'aan'la was the language of the Dragons when they roamed the lands freely. The Kalka'shar believe it to be the origin of their language, gifted to them by the Dragons. Though Kalka'shar call it Shireth'aan'la, it is believed that the actual name of the language is far shorter: a few growls and clicks with a sweeping tail movement.

Writing System

Shireth'aan'la is a primarily spoken language, but when it is written the letters are large, striking symbols easy to strike into dirt or stone with a dragon's claw. Characterised by curved and straight slashes, the alphabet is limited and short to match the limited syllables and sounds that can be created with a Dragon's mouth.

Geographical Distribution

It is said that Shireth'aan'la was once speaken worldwide by Dragons and Kalka'shar alike. Over time, the Dragons were said to have retreated to their own corner of the Continent, which then split off and became the Dragon Island. The language today is mostly forgotten on the Continent, evolved into the modern Kalka'shar tongue, and only the rare Dragons who survive on the island still speak their ancient tongue -- that is, if they have not also lost their language to time.

Vocabulary

Largely relying on physical movement and expression, Shireth'aan'la has a very limited vocabulary -- even more so now that most have forgotten it. The majority of surviving words are descriptive of concepts difficult to convey through action alone, such as conflicting emotions or exact locations.

Tenses

Dragons are said to be disinterested with the past, believing it to be an unnecessary burden -- that the only memory that should remain is of the lessons learned, even if they do not remember how those lessons were learned. Thus, it was unusual to hear a Dragon speak in past tense; most will only speak in present and future tense and some, thought to be the wisest seers of their kind, would only speak in future tense.