zompist bboard

I've always wondered, and with the new map I guess now is a good time to ask, are there any distinct languages in the Central sub-family in the southern part of the plain? I mean, is it just "Verdurian" all the way down, or do places like Curiya and Viminia have their own languages? If not, how much dialectal variation is there? How solid is the linguistic border between Obenzayet and the rest of the plain?

It's still the Verdurian language, mutually intelligible with Mazhtane, but each with their peculiarities, for example, the Viminians are known for pronouncing their /l/s as [w].

There's some information on dialects in the Verdurian grammar. In general, the farther you get from the Ctesifon-Verduria axis, the odder the dialects. Some of the southern dialects are fairly difficult for Verdurians.

It's worth remembering that all of Eretald isn't much bigger than France.

Ah, I see. So basically Soa Sfahe isn't Verdurian per se. It's basically Eretaldian or Neo-Cadhinorian or something, and "Verdurian" is the dominant dialect.

brandrinn wrote:Ah, I see. So basically Soa Sfahe isn't Verdurian per se. It's basically Eretaldian or Neo-Cadhinorian or something, and "Verdurian" is the dominant dialect.

In the sense that "English" isn't English.

I'm not sure what distinction you're making, brandrinn. 'Verdurian' is my term for the language (verdúry řon is used, but sounds scholarly). The dialect is Mažtane.

A good terrestrial parallel might be German circa 1750, a language that wasn't clearly 'owned' by any one state, but was spoken over a wide range of large and small states.