The languages of Amarthia
On this page, you can find a brief summary of most of the languages spoken on Amarthia and what they might sound like to someone from Earth. Please note that while the languages and customs might seem familiar, the associated Earth customs are only as a point of reference. With a vastly different history, the nations of Amarthia have naturally developed certain idioms that may not entirely mesh with the closest equivalent Earth culture.
*This section is still under construction*
Locken
(LOK-en)
The extremely diverse language of Locken is spoken by almost 45% of Amarthia's total population. The language originated in Locke and contains many dialects and accents.
The closest equivalent Earth language is English. Citizens of Locke may display habits that would be mistaken for British while citizens of the West United Kingdoms could be mistaken for Americans. Naturally, there are several key historical events that make the nations of Locke and the WUK very different from Great Britain and the USA (i.e. there are no Saxons on Amarthia and when the WUK asked for independence from Locke they parted amicably instead of going to war…that is until the next king decided his predecessor was a fool for letting the WUK split).
Fen Speak
While a distinct language from Locken, it is spoken only in Eisben Fens, a state in the Kingdom of Locke, and is included here instead of in the main language list.
This closest Earth equivalent would be Welsh.
Eileanach
Another independently recognized language in Locke, Eilaenach is primarily spoken in and around the Faith Islands. There are distinct differences in pronunciation between the north and south island clusters.
Gaelic is the closest equivalent Earth language here, and the name “Eilaenach” is literally the Gaelic word for “islander”. The northern islands lean towards Scottish, while the southern islands lean towards Irish.
(MAHree-san)
One of Amarthia’s “romance” languages, which also includes Mecci, Espanza, and Chauncé. Marisian is a very passionate language, but those who speak it are often obsessed with proper pronunciation and can come off as rather snooty.
Marisian can easily be associated with French and carries with it every stereotype included with the Earth language.
Marisian
Neuf (newf) Marisian
This sub-dialect of Marisian was developed independently in the country for which it is named. Neuf Maris was a joint venture between both Marisian and Challan colonists, so the two languages began to mix. However, Marisian remains the dominant root of the language.
Neuf Marisian sounds like French with just a hint of Portuguese thrown in.
Mecci
(MEH-chee)
One of Amarthia’s “romance” languages, which also includes Marisian, Espanza, and Chauncé. Mecci is another old language with a long history. It derives mostly from the country of Medocci on the northern edge of the Medean Basin. Medocci was once the seat of the great Meccinai Empire, which spread across the Meadean Basin to encompass almost the entire known ancient world.
If those facts sound familiar, that's because Mecci is the Amarthian equivalent of Italian and the ancient Romans would have found a kindred spirit in the Meccinai Empire.
Ariculm
Ariculm is a long-dead language widely spoken in the ancient Medoccian Republic and Meccinai Empire. Its roots can be seen in many common Locken and Mecci words, and it is widely used for scientific classification and by the Aabanite Catholic Church. In this regard, it is very much like Latin on Earth.
Dollan
(dahl-LAHN)
A robust langue with roots as deep as the mountains of its birthplace, the Valley of Zeichlind. While it’s very easy to make many Dollan words sound like harsh barks, it is actually a very precise and meaningful language, and the Dollan people take pride in functionality and aesthetics.
Dollan draws much of its aesthetic from Germany on Earth. The name itself is a common exonym for Zeichlind, which is a mix between the German words zeichen (sign) and lind (bland, mild, soft). The rough Amarthian translation is ‘land of soft marks’ which refers to the powdery snow covering the mountain peaks.
Sweisæ
(WAI-sah or ZWAI-sah)
It isn’t certain if Sweisæ is a derivative of Dollan or the other way around. Both bear many similarities but are different enough that a strong separation can be drawn between the two. It is spoken primarily in the mountainous country of Vösleis.
Sweisæ is very close to Dutch.
Espanza
(ess-PAHN-sah)
One of Amarthia’s “romance” languages, which also includes Mecci, Marisian, and Chauncé. Espanza is the official language of the nation of Libris and often considered a very passionate langue, used by great lovers and dashing heroes in black masks. It also has the unique quality of sounding very plain and unattractive when used by lower classes, especially when laced with its unique profanities.
The nearest Earth equivalent langue is Spanish, specifically in Spain. Other dialects have evolved naturally as Libris planted colonies across the sea, but “proper” Espanza always sounds like Spanish in Spain.
Netib
(neh-TEEB)
Netib is a very old language spoken in many regions of the continent of Estan, which includes the countries of Kirque, Barju, Adrakar, and Pytan. However, its origins lie in Pytan, which is one of the oldest nations on Amarthia. It is part of a language family known as estantic languages, which have alphabets with few if any vowels and can often sound very guttural.
Netib sounds most like Arabic with liberal splashes of Turkish.
F’sik (f’SEEK)
A derivative of Netib spoken throughout the island nation of Adrakar. F’sik leans more heavily on the Turkish roots compared to Netib.
Nitrik
(nae-TRIK)
The official langue of the nation of Kirque. Much like Netib it is a very old language, although many debate which came first. It is part of the estanic family of languages, but unlike Netib it possesses no vowels, relying completely on consonant sounds to convey the meaning of the words.
Nitrik sounds much like Hebrew on Earth.
Farse
(far-SEE)
An old nomadic language that originated in Barju and has since spread across the northern coast of Mwungo as far as Gat-Bahar.
Most Farse words sound similar to, surprise, Farsi, with a liberal sprinkling of Urdu.
Chauncé
(shaw-SAY)
This rhythmic language is spoken in Challan. It was formed when the nation split from Gat-Bahar many generations ago and uses many terms and phrases from both Espanza and Marisian.
Despite Challan’s cultural similarities with Morocco and Algiers, Chancé sounds like a strange mix of Portuguese and French.
(BEH-nees)
Benese is another diverse language that contains many dialects, some of which are even considered languages unto themselves. It is also one of the few tonal languages on Amarthia, and its writing system is base on logographs rather than a set alphabet. Benese originates from the land of East Benai and is probably the second most used language on Amarthia next to Locken.
East Benai is a massive landmass, and despite a unified government each region contains languages similar to several East Asian cultures on Earth:
The central and northern regions sound Chinese
the south-east sound Korean
The southwest sound like Thai
The mountainous northwest sound Tibetan
The islands of Kudai and Ku San sound Japanese.