Ktuvok language

[Mornche Geddick]

Zompist wrote:

They are not gregarious, and ktuvoks tend to live alone (with their slaves and pets).

and again

Unfortunately, I don't have any information on ktuvok languages. There's at least one per empire.

What I want to know is, how are the ktuvok languages preserved?

If they hardly ever meet each other (for months on end), they're going to spend most of their time talking in Eynleyni with their slaves (assuming they DO talk, rather than simply hypnotise them or control them telepathically). Ktuvokese is going to die out.

Or if they meet other ktuvoks oftener (to go hunting, as implied in http://www.zompist.com/verbio.htm, ktuvokese won't die out, but it's likely to fragment, so you might have a dozen different languages in Elmunkashi alone.

Do the ktuvoks have a special policy to preserve their language? What measures do they take to make sure everyone talks the same way, even in Sarcainor?

[Neek]

I think because their language is on par with the Iliu: It is in a continuum of consciousness beyond human understanding...

[zompist]

Little is known about ktuvok languages: ktuvoks don't teach it to their human subjects. They prefer never to speak human languages with each other, however, which is why their languages are preserved.

The ktuvoks purposely keep from having regional blocs within their empires: a ktuvok domain will include bits of territory from all over the empire. The purpose is more political than linguistic, but it keeps a fair amount of linguistic unity over an entire empire.

The iliu are said to have learned at least one ktuvok language, and their report was that it was quite simple, even more so than human languages.

[Salmoneus]

Little contact would probaly help preserve the language rather than destroy it. As far as I know, linguistic, like most othe social, change is a function of communication density.

For one thing, low density makes it difficult to transfer innovations. For another, it increases the chance of an innovative speaker meeting a very conservative speaker and not being able to communicate. Because of this, and because the lower density makes every communication more significant, it is a greater risk to innovate.

In a high density community, it doesn't matter if I use a bit of slang and the other person doesn't understand it - I can rephrase. And if ask him to do something today, and he misunderstands because my usage is abnormal, I can see what he does, and tomorrow I can correct him. If we only meet every month, then we can't afford this sort of communication.

That's probably one reason why letters used to be more conservative in speech - because it takes so long to say 'i don't understand' in a letter, it is better to eliminate the chance by speaking ultra-conservatively.

[Mornche Geddick]

The ktuvoks purposely keep from having regional blocs within their empires: a ktuvok domain will include bits of territory from all over the empire. The purpose is more political than linguistic, but it keeps a fair amount of linguistic unity over an entire empire.

Yes, but a ktuvok might well rule territories all over Dhekhnam, while never actually leaving his swamp. I suppose the younger, estateless, travelling ktuvoks you mentioned in a previous thread http://www.spinnoff.com/zbb/viewtopic.php?t=11429 must be the ones who keep the language together.

And by the way, why do they have patchwork territories? Is it to prevent civil war?

[zompist]

And by the way, why do they have patchwork territories? Is it to prevent civil war?

That, and any other regional power blocs. Ktuvoks are not, like orcs, devoted minions of a Dark Lord. They're highly territorial and competitive creatures who will, if they can, gladly fight each other and take over each other's estates. That this doesn't happen very often is a sign that they are masters of the art of balancing power.