Elven language

The Elven language is possibly the world's oldest language to have seen continuous use since its inception.

History

Pieces of of elven script have been found in stonework that predate even the works of the Mithrebi, who employed the language in government as well as the magical arts, which were always tightly entwined in Mithrebi society. The oldest confirmed samples are aged somewhere between 1600-1500 BM.
Though it is an ancient language, it has changed remarkably little over the millenia. New words have entered the lexicon and old ones have faded from use, but the grammar has stayed rather constant, meaning archaic elven remains legible to speakers and scholars of the language to this day.

Dialects

Several distinct dialects of the elven language exist in the region of Merthos:

• Veilwood dialect or the eastern Merthos dialect. Present mostly in the Veilwood Enclave and its surrounding regions, it is considered the closest to archaic elven in the region.
• Maadul dialect (alternatively the western Methos dialect), a variant of the language spoken by the elves of the Mooncrown region. Presumably its roots are in the dialect of the Underdark-dwelling elves.
• Northern dialect, recently brought to the region by migrants from the northern lands. Predominant among the elven populaces of Evantis and the Antizon Commonwealth

Influence on Merthos

The Mithrebi named the months of their Calendar in elven, a practice which has survived to this day. The name of the mountain Dae Silath is also archaic elven, and it translates to "White Mountain".