Erulian(language)

Overview

Erulian is a major human language of Omain and the official tongue of several prominent nations, including the Erulian Empire itself. It is the second most widely spoken language in the world, following Common, and functions as a prestige language of religion, administration, diplomacy, and scholarship.

Erulian is spoken natively and officially in:

Erulian Empire
Kingdom of Ka
Uxbrid
Helskirk
Shersia

In many regions, it coexists with local tongues, but Erulian remains the dominant written and liturgical language of the Hexadem.

Approximate global usage (including second-language speakers):

Common: spoken by ~80% of Omain’s population
Erulian: spoken by ~60% of Omain’s population

Most educated individuals outside isolated cultures (like Grantia and some deep tribal regions) understand at least basic Erulian.

Historical Origins

The Erulian language descends from an ancient human tongue known as Old Orisian, the language of the first settled humans before they fragmented into migratory tribes.

Old Orisian was a broad, flexible language used across early Omain.
As tribes split and scattered, Old Orisian branched into several proto-dialects.
One of these branches evolved in northeastern Droskarin and became Early Erulian, the speech of the people who would later form the kingdom (and then empire) of Erule.

When King Calados I was crowned and the Hexadem formalized, Erulian became:

the liturgical language of the Seven Books,
the administrative language of the first organized nation, and later
the imperial language of the Erulian Empire.

Over centuries of imperial expansion, Erulian spread as:

the language of record-keeping, law, and military orders,
the tongue of education and literacy, and
the default spoken language in conquered or closely allied regions.

Phonology and Sound

Erulian is a consonant-rich, moderately vowel-balanced language with clear syllable structure and a fairly regular stress pattern.

Vowels

Erulian has five primary vowels, each with short and long forms:

a / ā – as in “far”
e / ē – as in “bed” / “they”
i / ī – as in “hit” / “machine”
o / ō – as in “lot” / “more”
u / ū – as in “put” / “flute”

Diphthongs (like ai, au, ei) occur but are relatively rare and usually signal older or formal words.

Consonants

Common consonants include:

Plosives: p, b, t, d, k, g
Fricatives: f, v, s, z, sh (š), h
Nasals: m, n
Liquids: l, r
Approximants: y (j), w

Erulian r is typically trilled or tapped; sh (š) is common in older formal terms and names (Hexadem, Shersia, Shar).

Stress and Rhythm

Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable (penultimate stress).
Compound and borrowed words may shift stress for clarity.

This gives Erulian a measured but expressive rhythm that works well for formal proclamations and religious recitation.

Writing System

The Erulian language is written in the Erulic script, a left-to-right alphabet derived from stylized forms of Old Orisian rune-marks.

Alphabet

The modern Erulian alphabet uses 24 primary letters, with a few digraphs and diacritics for older or sacred spellings. It is roughly equivalent in density to a simple Latin-like script.

Example (transliterated):

A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, Š, T, U, V, Y, Z

Š (sh) is treated as a separate letter, important in religious terms and proper nouns.
There is no separate “c” in native words; sounds are covered by k or s.
Sacred names often preserve archaic spellings (e.g., Tetfard → Tetford in modern pronunciation).

Usage

Formal script is used for imperial decrees, temple inscriptions, and the Seven Books.
Everyday script is a simplified, more rounded variant used in letters, signage, and common records.

In the Erulian Empire and Ka, literacy in Erulian is a major marker of social standing.

Dialects and Regional Variation

While the written standard is relatively unified (centered on High Erulian of Erule), spoken Erulian includes several notable regional varieties:

Imperial Erulian (Erule / Heartland)
Considered the “standard”; used in court, clergy, and education.
Ka-Erulian
Spoken in the Kingdom of Ka. It retains some old Bolborkian phrasing, a slightly rougher consonant usage, and a more clipped rhythm.
Shersian Erulian
Mixed with loanwords from orcish and local island tongues; used as a trade and administrative language.
Uxbrid Erulian
Influenced by Common and local dialects; used heavily in commerce and politics. Some Hexalemis terms also appear here.
Helskirk Erulian
Retains archaic formal vocabulary and is somewhat more conservative; strong presence in military and noble contexts.

Despite these differences, all dialects remain mutually intelligible, and most educated speakers can easily adjust between local speech and High Erulian.

Sociolinguistic Role

Erulian occupies a prestige position across Omain:

It is the official language of:
- Erulian Empire
- Kingdom of Ka
- Helskirk
- Uxbrid
- Shersia
It is the primary liturgical language of:
- Hexadem sermons
- Recitations from the Seven Books
- Baptismal rites and major religious declarations
It is commonly used in:
- Imperial diplomacy
- Trade agreements
- Scholarly work and magical treatises
- Military command and logistical documents

In many regions, especially in Ka and Uxbrid, Erulian is the language of power and formality, while Common dominates casual, cross-cultural conversation.

Global Speaker Distribution

Based on the current estimated population of Omain:

Around 60% of the world’s population can speak Erulian to some degree (native or as a second language).
Roughly 35–40% speak it as a native tongue, concentrated in:
- Core provinces of the Erulian Empire
- Most of Ka’s urban centers
- Major cities in Uxbrid and Helskirk
- Shersian colonial settlements

This makes Erulian:

The second most spoken language in the world, after Common
The primary language of imperial culture, Hexademic religion, and high education