Zurvár
Facts
- Language: Zurvár
- Created: 1993
- Alternate names:
- Language code:
- Language family: fictional language
- Script:
A constructed language by James Nicholls.
The language itself is no doubt fairly unoriginal, but the presentation (hopefully) has appeal. It features a base five numeric system, a unique alphabet and orthography, a Babel text that desperately needs updating, agglutination up the wazoo, and a small (but occasionally growing) number of texts documenting the culture and history of the Zurvár people (with enlightening footnotes).
Language sources: In terms of grammar, English (the only language I speak) and my own diseased imaginings. In terms of sounds, Adûnaic, Khuzdul, Biblical Hebrew, Irish Gaelic and anything else I stumble across and like the sound of.
An underlying concept of Zurvár is a once complex and rigid language fallen into a state of, if not decay, then certainly much more casual usage. Another is that it's been exposed to many other languages throughout its history and absorbed both words and grammar from them. There are also a number of more recent German and Finnish loanwords (typically for animal and plant names respectively).
Only long-suffering friends on whom I continually foist the latest developments. They smile, nod and change the subject.