Hizkuntza (is̺kuntsa)

It's a beautiful language, unlike any other I have yet encountered. The alliterative names are a little odd after a while, though. - excerpt from the letters of Miyagi Yumeko

Hizkuntza is the language of the Uhartekoa people of the Biluzik Archipelago. It is inspired by Basque.

Dialects

Among the Uhartekoa, each family maintains a collection of words and idioms that are used only in communication with other family members. This results in there being hundreds of extremely similar dialects, each associated with a particular family. Poaching vocabulary or idiom from another family is considered extremely rude, and can lead to the ostracization of the offenders. Familial dialects are considered to be important markers of identity, and the idioms often refer to important events in the family history.

Interesting Features

One thing that outsiders always note about Hizkunta is the tradition of alliterative names. Children are almost always given a name that alliterates with their family name, and people always use their given and family names whenever they can. Only other members of their family will address a person solely by their given name.

The language also has a lot of ways to define relationships between individuals quickly and in detail. There are different words for relatives via the subject's mother or father, and how many generations have passed since the nearest common ancestor.

Related Languages

There are no languages in the Great Ring that are even remotely related to Hizkuntza.

Naming Traditions

In Hizkuntza, children are named at birth, and the given name typically precedes the family name. As noted above, the children will almost always be given an alliterative first name - one example is the King of Herria, Zorian Zai, and the Crown Princess Zuzenna Zai. Names very rarely change during a person's lifetime - when two people marry, both spouses retain their family name, and their children may inherit the family name of either parent, and be considered a member of that family line. The decision of which family line to add a child is one of the most important in a person's life, and the parents will frequently consult their families and have many discussions before settling on the child's name.

Writing System

Hizkuntza uses a writing system that is unique to the Biluzik Archipelago. The symbols are based on circles with lines drawn across them at a various points, and each symbol carries a phonetic and a numeric value. The language is read from top to bottom, with the lines going from left to right.

Geographical Distribution

Hizkuntza is the official language of the Kingdom of Herria, and is spoken by most of the humans in the Biluzik Archipelago.

Spoken by

• Uhartekoa

Common Phrases

• Kaixo - Hello
• Agur - Goobye
• Eskerrik Asko - Thank You
• Ez Horregatik - You're Welcome
• Laguntza - Help
• Mesedez - Please
• Egun On - Good Morning
• Gabon - Good Night
• Bai - Yes
• Ez - No

Common Female Names

• Ainhoa
• Arantxa
• Eneka
• Garazi
• Izaro
• Izaskun
• Mirari
• Oihana
• Uxue
• Zurine

Common Male Names

• Aitor
• Ander
• Aratz
• Eneko
• Gorka
• Gurutz
• Iker
• Jokin
• Kerman
• Xabier

Common Unisex Names

• Adur
• Amaiur
• Aratz
• Eneko
• Eunate
• Garazi
• Ibai
• Izar
• Lizar
• Oihan

Common Family Names

• Agui
• Aramu
• Etxebe
• Garmendia
• Garate
• Goxea
• Iriba
• Itur
• Liz
• Zaba