Languages

Language is a method of communication used by the Four Earthly Peoples. Globally, there are 14 recognized extant languages, as well as five creolized languages. Various varieties exist of each language, and each has a unique lineage that traces back to the ancient languages of the E'Ash Civilization.

The most widely spoken language on the planet is Däegic, followed by Keghotuhr, Onor, Iloisa, and Ydelhiad.

Language families
All languages currently spoken on the planet are descended from the E'Ash languages. After the fall of the E'Ash civilization, the languages of the Four Earthly Peoples diverged and evolved over a period of 10,000 years during the Infinite War. The languages of the Four Earthly peoples do share some traits with each other, relics from the age of the E'Ash.

Human Languages
The language spoken by Humans when they arrived at Ditarre was Ukohan. Eventually, various groups developed their own languages, including Old Iloisa, Uzyb, Nokin, and Proto-Metzi. Old Iloisa became the sole official language of the Iloisa Empire by 150 AT, and its dominance throughout the Human territories led to the extinction of Uzyb and Nokin. In the millennia after the fall of the Iloisa Empire, Old Iloisa developed into modern Iloisa, Dekoisa, and Iparah, spoken in Ilois and Honsinad, Nokina, and Usybork, respectively. Proto-Metzi eventually developed into the modern Metzi, which was in danger of extinction due to cultural suppression of the Metzi by the Usybork government, but recent revitalization efforts have taken place, saving the language.

Many of the Human languages are distinguished by levels of influence from neighboring languages. Iparah and Metzi have strongly influenced each other and taken influence from Onor; Iloisa has a high degree of influence from various Elven languages, including Ynoforan and A'Roic; and Dekoisa has a high influence from Keghotuhr. As a whole, human languages are known for SVO word order and agreements between nouns/verbs and plurality/gender, and are syllable-timed. Metzi, due to its isolation from the other human languages, is also agglutinative and lacks the agreement system present in other Human languages, and uses VSO order. Iparah, Iloisa, and Dekoisa are highly mutually intelligible.

Orc Languages
The earliest Orcs spoke Orcanthi, and spread the language as they settled their traditional homelands, including Penazaduz and the southern Garden Continent, as well as the islands between the two continents. Orcanthi eventually developed into Penaz and Old Gardenian. Penaz was brought up to the Frozen Continent and eventually developed into the modern Penazaduz, Keghotuhr, and Kepeti. Old Gardenian remained in the south and developed into Gardenian, spoken in continental Gogeget, as well as Rodadzi and Nennish, spoken on the Rodadzz Islands and Nen Ren, respectively.

Orc languages, unlike many others, exhibit a high degree of difference from each other. A good clue for identifying Orc languages is the Gh-Kh shift. For example, the pronunciation of "Keghotogh": Keghotogh in Penazaduz, Kekhotokh in Keghotuhr, Kekjotokj in Kepeti, Kechotoch in Gardenian and Rodadzi, and Kexotox in Nennish. Orc languages use SVO word order and a complex system of prefixes and suffixes. They are also stress-timed. Penaz languages have high mutual intelligibility, and Gardenian languages do, as well; the latter group is so closely related that they are sometimes classified as varieties rather than fully distinct languages.

Elf Languages
Early Elves spoke Sehohan and brought the language with them when the moved to the central Garden Continent. Sehohan eventually developed into Old Ynoforan, which spread across to the continent of Däe and eventually southern Ditarre. Old Ynoforan then developed into modern A'Roic, Ydelhiad, and Ynoforan. All three languages have official status in the A'Roastad Empire, but Ydelhiad is by far the most widely spoken.

Elf languages are somewhat similar to each other in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but lack mutual intelligibility. They differ highly in terms of pronunciation and timing, which are difficult for learners of the Elven languages to grasp. Elf languages each have sets of tones, and are agglutinative and mora-timed. They typically use SOV word order. Ynoforan is unique for featuring mostly single-syllable words, which are strung together to convey more complex meaning.

Dwarf Languages
The Dwarves brought the language of Noral with them to the Onor Peninsula. Noral eventually developed into Mul and Middle Onor, which were spoken on opposite sides of the Onor Peninsula. After the Dwarven Genocide, Mul became extinct, as its namesake ethnic group was virtually wiped out. The Onor people eventually spread across the entire peninsula, and Middle Onor came with them. Middle Onor eventually developed into modern Onor thanks to a significant Uzyb and Iloisa influence (modern Onor borrows around 30% of vocabulary from the two). A unique variety of Onor known as Nodalonor is spoken in the nation of Nodal, and is notable for its Ydelhiad and Ynoforan influences.

Dwarf languages share many features with Human languages, including SVO word order and grammatical agreements, and are syllable-timed. Nodalonor is distinguished by its use of SOV word order (a feature borrowed from Elven languages), which can lead to confusion between speakers of Onor and the former variety. As a whole, however, the varieties are highly mutually intelligible.

Creole Languages

 * Däegic: a blend of Nodalonor, Iloisa, Ydelhiad, Ynoforan, and Gogeg that developed on the continent of Däegarden after the 40-Year War. Däegic is ubiquitous throughout the continent, and has official status in each of its territories. Despite being the world's largest language, it is usually taught as a second language and has few native speakers. Däegic shares numerous features with the other languages of the world: it uses VSO word order, features agreements, and is agglutinative. It is most closely related to Nodalonor, but only by a small margin.
 * Imperial Creole: A mix of Ydelhiad, Ynoforan, and A'Roic that developed in the A'Roastad Empire after the Immortal War. The language developed due to a high degree of cultural blending within the A'Roastad Empire, especially in densely populated urban areas. Most Elves can code-switch from Imperial Creole to Ydelhiad, Ynoforan, or A'Roic. Different cities and major population centers have their own varieties of the language.
 * Sankari: A blend of Ydelhiad and Gogeg, spoken by the Sankari people, a group of mixed Ydelhiads and Western Gardenians. The language and the people developed after the 40-Year War, when groups of Ydelhiads remained in an area formerly governed by Däe Ydelhiad that came under Gogeget rule.
 * Vardo: A blend of Iloisa and A'Roic spoken in the city of Ygasa Vardo and surrounding eras in the Ra'Acen Isthsmus by the Vardo People, a group of mixed Iloisa and A'Roafans. The language and culture developed over centuries of cultural exchange between the city's native A'Roafan population and settlers from the Iloisa Empire.
 * Penoisa: A blend of Penaz and Old Iloisa. Also known as Tulkonic. It developed when Tulkonism was first brought to the Iloisa Empire. The language is a liturgical language, often used in Tulkonist religious settings, and is the official language of the Tulkonist Council, the governing body of Tulkonism. Council affairs as well as some religious ceremonies in more conservative branches of Tulkonism are conducted using the language.

Trivia

 * Many of the similarities between mainland Human and Dwarven languages suggest that the two groups may have had close contact during the Infinite War.