A variety of languages are spoken across Threa. This chapter lists all known languages and language families, gives you an idea of what they roughly sound like, where they originate from, and whether there is an associated writing system. Should a writing system stand independently, then it is mentioned here as well. 

What languages are spoken within a given civilization's territory are detailed in the "Demographics" section on its page.

The language that nearly all fictional words on this site stem from is Aezkian, the native tongue of the aezkul and their Wind Kingdoms. Words like "Aezkian", "Blazkian", "izizik”, "trezlin", "aezkul", and so on and so forth are all Aezkian. It is the primary fictional language of this site. If any of the made-up words are from another language, then this is usually pointed out, at least when they are first used, or apparent because of context.

Even the word "Threa" itself is an Aezkian word, and an aezkul scholar would define it as follows:

Threa (noun): the land between the Aezrikka Zule and the oceanic coast, in any direction, including the islands within soaring range of lan wings, and everything on, above, or below it.

Aezkian

noun: native language of the aezkul, aezlin, and their clans
adjective: being of or relating to the aezkul-aezlin clans or their culture

Aezkian originates from the Aezrikka Zule. It is the native tongue of the aezkul and their clans and kingdoms. It is an independent language, having developed entirely on its own when the aezkul evolved from mere beasts to people. Wings allow the aezkul to remain in contact with their roots even when they travel far and hence ensured that they merely developed one true language, even if features various vernaculars.

The tongue has a massive vocabulary and can be very hard for foreigners to learn. The aezkul, specifically, prefer to use a lot of words in their sentences and overall try to sound rather elegant or sophisticated when possible. Especially in literature, the aezkul enjoy using a variety of terms; their vocabulary expands every day. Foreign words, if they appeal to the aezkuls' ears, are readily incorporated, leading to the creation of regional dialects that are heavily influenced by neighboring tongues.

Aezkian is very fluidly and quickly spoken. When an aezkul speaks it, they sound very musical in their words, using lilting tones and talking almost to a tune. It can be mesmerizing to listen to them speak for a while. To others, it may just be flat-out annoying; it depends on the listener. The musicality of Aezkian varies from being rapid and clattering like a tambourine to the gentleness and clearness of a harp.

Non-dragons have trouble with the pronunciation, lacking the same natural resonator and ability to properly repeat the bestial noises the aezkul are capable of. This is why the lin have developed their own version, which is easier to pronounce and features a slimmed vocabulary. Most aezkul refer to it as "Lesser" or "Lower Aezkian". Aezkul who are not quite as haughty call it "Simplified Aezkian" instead.

Being that the aezkul and aezlin are a people of scholars, they have of course developed a writing system for their language. The letters are exclusively made out of straight lines and shallow curves; they are adapted to being drawn in dirt or carved into stone by an aezkul's claw. It makes replicating the symbols with ink, paint, or chalk rather easy, which is beneficial to lin, and makes them overall easy to learn and recognize. In stark contrast to the steadily expanding and already vast vocabulary, the Aezkian alphabet has been kept as simple as possible. This has been deemed necessary by Aezkian scholars to keep literature legible and easy to interpret for many generations to come. Hence, the alphabet is split into vowels and consonants, which only combined form syllables and then words. Were it not for the flexibility of this writing system, the influx of new terms would be impossible to handle.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

None noted yet! (Feel free to share your suggestions in the Discord chat.)

Blazkian

noun: native language of the blazkul-blazlin clans of the Searing Desert
adjective: being of or relating to the Searing Desert clans or their culture(s)

Many languages have evolved in the Searing Desert over the course of past millennia. The region's vastness and disparate tribes are the cause. Although most languages were killed alongside their speakers, others were spread far by blazkul wings and then blended thanks to traders, missionaries of Kaen Karakor, and frequent exchange of blazlin through conquests and raids. Nowadays, all blazkul clans can more or less understand each other. Their (more or less) shared tongue is called Blazkian and has its roots in Aezkian. The origin is owed to evolution; blazkul and aezkul share common ancestors, which evolved heightened intelligence first while living among the mountains. Presently, after millennia of hostile separation, Blazkian and Aezkian are barely alike anymore. They are akin only in their base notes. Other than the Aezkian foundation, Blazkian is a very pure language because no non-blazkul or non-blazlin influences have otherwise affected it. The blazkul's vigorous conservatism and chauvinism are to blame.

The desert tongue is a simple one. Its grammar is primitive and its variety of terms trivial compared to a more sophisticated tongue like Aezkian or High Sokan. However, while Blazkian has few truly unique terms, it has many, many words for the same thing, owed to the many different, scattered tribes that speak it. The amount of vernaculars is immense, and they are often so distant from each other that the speaker of one can barely understand the speaker of another. Common across all dialects is that the words are short and choppy, and sentences are made to the point. It gives the entire language an angry undertone, which is enhanced by its guttural and crude pronunciation. At least non-blazkul have no trouble properly speaking Blazkian; the heavy blazlin influence ensured this. Blazkul just sound more growly when they speak it. The lin influence is one reason that Aezkian and Blazkian drifted apart so drastically; the aezkul are too lofty to debase their language for the bipedal peoples.

Neither blazkul nor blazlin have developed a writing system. They instead took the letters of the Aezkian alphabet. This was the doing of Karakite priests, the most highly educated caste of emberspike society. A desire to preserve the glorious history of the emberspike clans and the teachings of Kaen Karakor for eternity required something more intricate than pictures; they could be misinterpreted. It demanded a complex writing system, and the aezkul involuntarily provided it. Their studied lin were abducted in raids and forced to teach writing to the priests. Literature was imported through fireclaw merchants or with quick-winged couriers to assist with the task. As of today, the Blazkian-variant of the Aezkian writing remains the only one the Blazkian peoples have. Its alphabet and rules have been altered to the point that native Aezkian readers have trouble deciphering it without experience.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "Strength through struggle" is the central dogma of Kaen Karakor's believers.
• "Keep your fire stoked" advises to be ready to act at a moment's notice.
• "Better to burn bright and short than dim and long" states that it is better to take great risks and acquire glory and fame rather than to live safe and long, but in obscurity.
  

Gren

noun: native language of the nations Jamgadir, Manhomir, Vandell, Suwehb, and Thirpof
adjective: being of or relating to the above mentioned nations or their overarching culture group

The Gren culture group and language family belong to the five major realms of the Verdant Valley and Vandell, but their origin is the Suwehbish people, the most southern of the ancestral trezlin tribes of the Verdant Valley. The Suwehbish merchants, warriors, and especially their druids spread their tongue, way of life, and faith northward. Most successful of the three were and are the druids, who tirelessly spread the worship of Yggorum, the Gren's highest god. Believing in Him is the core trait that all Gren realms share. Where spears or trades failed to bring the originally Suwehbish language, Yggorum's missionaries succeeded.

What even the religion could not erase was and is the variety of dialects and divergent tongues. There is more of them than there are realms. Vocabulary and pronunciation can differ greatly between them, yet not enough for them to be considered their own languages. While all Gren can understand each other, there is no guarantee that there are no difficulties or misunderstandings. This becomes more likely the further two speakers originate from another; Mahomirans can barely understand Vandellans. However, they will get used to each other's way of speaking, if given enough time. They might even end up creating a new vernacular of their own.

Overall, no matter the regional variation, Gren is a guttural language that sounds harsh and boorish despite its articulation relying on fully formed vowels. It is a tongue of hardy hunters, farmers, and woodsmen. What it lacks in elegance, it makes up for in simplicity and directness. Each Gren dialect has a relatively limited number of non-synonymous words, but they permit compounding them into new terms to accurately name anything. Although synonymous words are scarce within the same dialect, they are common when all variations of the Gren tongue are taken into consideration. However, this only applies to simple words that are not often used when speaking to foreign envoys or traders, like the term for “core of an apple”.

A Gren writing system exists. Suwehbish druids developed it, and they are in the slow process of sharing it with the druidic circles of the other Gren realms. The alphabet includes multiple symbols that each represents a single letter. Multiple letters form a syllable and multiple syllables a word. A few special letters exist. These so-called runes stand for certain concepts or entities on their own. Each major Gren deity has its own rune, as do important words such as “king”, “war”, “harvest”, and the various seasons. The letters are almost exclusively made out of straight lines, but the runes are an exception to this.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "By Yggorum" and "by the love of Yggorum" are self explanatory. Versions with other Gren gods exist, only used by their respective believers.
• "Tvo pjost!" is Gren for "Cheers!", or more literally: "To our well-being!"
• "Witty like Svik" expresses that someone or something is witty like the Gren god of trickery, hunting, and deception. Similar comparisons to deities or figures of legend are quite common.
• "Even a dragon's scales can be pierced" is used as a response to someone claiming that a given task is very difficult or impossible.
• "If you feed one fewigg, two will return the next day" advises to be cautious when giving charity; it could lead to being exploited by the needy and destitute.
• "Ya'll are wild like a forest drake in rut" originates from Valley Trezkian tongues, especially from those around Vandell, and requires no explanation.
• "We cut our oak" express that the speaker and another person ended whatever positive relationship they previously had; they had a harsh quarrel.
• "We're on full grown terms" states that the speaker and another person have a very good relationship to each other; they are close friends or partners.
  

Kozkian

noun: language of the sozkul clans and pods
adjective: being of or relating to the sozkul clans (rarely used; the word sozkul is usually used instead)

Kozkian is the language of the sozkul, and originates from the western beaches of the Starless Forest. As the sozkul spread along Threa's coastline, so did their tongue. One would believe that this might result in it splitting into various vernaculars, which in turn diverge until they become languages of their own. This did not happen to Kozkian, because most sozkul gather in the same location once a year. This gathering dedicated to fostering relationships and finding mates is called the Big Meet, and thanks to it, Kozkian has remained roughly the same across Threa. Naturally, there are some terms or ways of speaking that are unique to each sozkul grouping, but they are at most light dialects. Sozkul hailing from the southern reaches of the Frozen Wastes have no communication complications when conversing with kin from the eastern coast of the Central Sea.

True to its inventors and speakers, Kozkian is a primitive language. It lacks complex syntax entirely. Entire conversations can be resolved with a few key words. Most of the language revolves around organizing food, mates, friends, or shelter. Complex tenses and concepts are lacking. Nevertheless, the language is difficult to learn for non-kul because it primarily consists of growls, taps, grunts, barks, whistles and hisses, rasps, and clicks. A quickly shouted word would be entirely lost on most lin; they would mistake it for random animal calls.

No writing system for Kozkian has been developed. A few symbols for certain concepts (e.g., “good fishing here”, “dangerous hunters live near”, etc.) have established themselves, but calling that a proper writing system would be far fetched. The sozkul usually edge things into rock or draw with chalk.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "Sozkul faster fish; azkul faster sozkul" means that one should not overestimated themselves, because there is always a better hunter.
• "Where brown water, there mazkul" emphasizes that, if something looks like there is trouble, there likely is trouble. It advises caution, especially in unknown territories.

Sozkian, North Central

noun: language of the sozlin tribes inhabiting the northern shores of the Center Sea and the wetlands in and around the Verdant Valley
adjective: being of or relating to the sozlin tribes inhabiting the area mentioned above or their culture (the word sozlin is usually used instead)

North Central Sozkian is a mouthful – clearly a designation created by an Aezkian scholar. Its native and original speakers, the sozlin tribes living within and around the Gren realms, call it finspeak. They refer to Gren as hornspeak. North Central Sozkian has its origins, like all Sozkian languages, on the southern shores of the Starless Forest. The sozlin tribes spread out from there and so did their tongue. Over time, their vernaculars became estranged and turned into languages of their own. Dialects within these languages formed as well. Most sozlin tribes in the northern regions near the Center Sea each have their own dialect. The greatest differences exist between the swamp- and the sea-shore-dwelling lin, which is why the former's dialect is often called swampspeak.

Gren had a large influence on North Central Sozkian because the Suwehbish people and their sozlin neighbors have engaged in peaceful commerce and cultural exchange for centuries. While this has never led to becoming one culture, it has ensured that the sozlin's tongue becomes agreeable for both. The sozlin also adopted many Gren words because the shore dwellers lacked terms for the advanced concepts of their faster progressing, green-scaled friends, such as "currency", "king", or "scholar". Naturally, the sozlin altered the pronunciation of the integrated words to better suit their own manner of articulation. Prolonged trade and cooperation have even led to the creation of pidgins and creoles. Gren-Finspeak Creole is to be mastered by any trader worth their sozlin-harvested salt.

The tendencies to integrate words from and hybridize with foreign languages do not mean that North Central Sozkian is primitive. Being a settled people has led the northern sozlin to complex beliefs and thoughts and the desire to put them into words. Their language allows elaborate conversations about various subjects in all tenses. Still, much of their vocabulary does revolve around fishing, aquatic animals, and similar. Finspeak has individual words for nearly all parts of a fish and the phases of its life.

North Central Sozkian is quick- and hard-spoken, consisting mostly of clipped words. Native speakers, when speaking foreign tongues, often cut away parts of words, making them more comfortable for themselves to say. Heavy Sozkian accents can be quite difficult to understand. A lot of North Central Sozkian words also incorporate hisses and noises made by tongue clicking. The latter make them particularly difficult to learn for native speakers of languages that do not incorporate these (e.g., Gren), which further encouraged the formation of hybrid languages to facilitate exchange.

None of the north central sozlin tribes have developed their own writing system, but some have adopted that of the Suwehbens. Most tribes do have commonly agreed upon symbols for important concepts, such as their deities – the Yrun – and cardinal directions.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "May the Yrun watch over you" is used to wish someone a good night, but it is never said when someone sleeps during the day.
  
• "Plenty of fish shall fill your net" is a way to wish someone good luck.
  
• "Beware of ripples" advises to be careful, to watch out.
  
• "If you can have a lake, why settle for a puddle?" are words to encourage ambition.

Trezkian, Valley

noun: language family of the non-Gren trezlin tribes and petty states inhabiting the northern, western, and far eastern Verdant Valley and western Vandell
adjective: being of or relating to the trezlin tribes inhabiting the area mentioned above or their culture (the word trezlin is usually used instead)

Before Gren – the language – evolved at the shores of the Verdant Valley, the trezlin tribes of the Valley and Vandell spoke a whole group of languages that were quite similar – Valley Trezkian. Nowadays, most of its once native lands have been taken over by Gren instead. Only tribes, petty kingdoms, and similar communities situated outside the borders of the Gren realms speak Valley Trezkian currently. Centuries of hardening relationships between the Gren and the non-Gren have led to enough of a divergence between their tongues for them to be considered separate languages; a process that began long before the Kingdom of Suwehb had been founded.

Gren and Valley Trezkian remain similar in many aspects. Many of their words are alike and the grammar has not diverged too terribly. Most tribal trezlin that border the Gren nations speak a creole that permits communication with their kin as well as with the Gren. Naturally, they are affected by the existence of dialects as the Gren themselves are. Even more strongly in fact, because the Gren realms are like a wedge between the tribes of the northwest and those of the east. A tribesman speaking a mixture of Manhomiran Gren and his local vernacular of Valley Trezkian will be nearly hopeless when trying to speak to a Suwehben or, worse yet, a Trezkian person from nearby the Scar. Given ample time, the two will eventually manage to develop an understanding of each other's words. For this reason, Valley Trezkian is considered a language family rather than a single language.

Valley Trezkian sounds a lot like Gren to foreign ears. This is no surprise; the languages share a common, relatively recent past and the same form of articulation. However, to a Gren, Valley Trezkian sounds like a less sophisticated form of their tongue, especially to Suwehbens. They view Valley Trezkian as a mockery. A Manhomiran's view is less severe; their Gren dialect is tightly intertwined with Valley Trezkian, thanks to the Manhomirans' still being very close to their tribal roots.

Writing systems do not exist among the primitive trezlin tribes. However, some of the more sophisticated, settled ones have dabbled into assigning meaning to symbols or runes, creating proto-writing systems.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "Walls protect from raids, but the canopy shields from dragons" is a common phrase to argue against the settled, fortified lifestyle of the Gren.
• "Predator lives off meat; prey lives off grass" is another insult targeting the Gren, whose diet includes a lot of grain, but the Manhomirans also like to use it to make fun of their southern neighbors.
• "Yggorum or Yggrax, ygg don't care!" - a pun to dismiss missionaries (mostly druids) of Yggorum.
• "Ya'll are wild like a forest drake in rut" originates from Valley Trezkian tongues, especially from those around Vandell, and requires no explanation.

Wolsh, Valley

noun: language of the wolshak packs inhabiting the Verdant Valley and neighboring regions
adjective: being of or relating to the wolshak packs inhabiting the above mentioned region or their culture (the word Wolsh is usually used instead)

The roots of Valley Wolsh lie somewhere in the western Four-Faced Forests, and it is spoken by packs across the entire Verdant Valley and Vandell. Its proximity to the presumed origin of wolshaks and their languages means it is likely very similar to the ancient stem. Wolshaks either occupy a large territory or live nomadic, and frequent meets between different packs to fight, trade, or seek mates ensure that they uphold a shared tongue. Dialects unique to each tribe do commonly form and are numerous hence, but none diverge enough from the base to become their own language. Peaceful exchange with non-Wolsh communities is comparatively scarce, which is why foreign tongues had little influence on Valley Wolsh. The wolf-like folk prefer to use their own words over those of the, in their eyes, weak lin. Packs that do trade with lin usually create pidgins to allow communication, and are an exception to the rule.

Felt superiority is not the only reason for avoiding their neighbors' vocabulary. Lin and wolshaks have vastly different head shapes and means of articulation. This makes it difficult for them to properly pronounce each other's words. Lin outright cannot say some Wolsh terms, because properly uttering them requires the ability to bark, growl, whine, or even howl with a certain pitch and timbre. The aforementioned practical independence between Wolsh and lin languages further adds to the challenge for one's native speaker to learn the tongue of the other.

Valley Wolsh sounds guttural and outright bestial most of the time, but its tone can vary. Spoken by a pack alpha, it is intimidating and predatory, while a cowering omega will sound like a whimpering whelp. This makes it a very colorful language. Yet, Valley Wolsh's most notable traits are simplicity and directness, which have made it easy for the language to last throughout the centuries and prevail across a vast area. It contains just enough words for the wolshaks, a species lacking in intellect, to communicate their plain thoughts and organize their unsophisticated society and hierarchy. More complex concepts are defined by slapping various words together into a compound. Despite this, Wolsh traders have to integrate a vast amount of foreign words into their vocabulary to partake in commerce with non-Wolsh societies, and they normally butcher the pronunciation.

A writing system for Valley Wolsh does not exist. Instead of writing letters, wolshaks prefer to howl to carry a message across vast distances. Specific howls have certain meanings, such as "danger", "intruders", "prey", or "seeking talk". While this varies between Wolsh languages, all packs of the Verdant Valley use the same howls for the same purposes. The howl for "execute raid" is one that Gren villagers have learned to fear.

Phrases, Proverbs, and Idioms

• "If spear breaks, you have claws" expresses that there is always another way to success.
• "Keep nose up; never know when sniff good prey" suggests to always be ready for opportunities.
• "Pack is numbers; numbers is survival" reaffirms that the pack is the best safeguard. Never go alone.
• "Sometimes you must throw spear to gain spear and meat" references the fact that some prey has to be killed at range because it runs quicker than wolshaks. Smarter wolshaks use it to express that perceived losses can lead to a net gain.