Ikhyâshai (language)


 * This is the language of the Ikhyâshan's. For the empire, see Ikhyâshan Empire.

Ikhyâ shai, (Içashei, Tashta-Palpatonan) is an extinct Antenan language (part of the greater Neravannan language families) that was spoken in ancient Ishlamu. One of the earliest examples of the Antenan languages, it used the logographic writing system of the Marinxans, an unrelated dialect.

Following the turn of the third millenium, the Ikhyâshan and Marinxan people developed a close cultural intimacy, which resulted in widespread bilingualism. Marinxai had a large impact on the Ikhyâshan tongue, as found in the multitude of borrowed words and phrases. As the cultures evolved and changed, two variants of Ikhyâshai appeared, known as Tashtai and Palpatonai respectively.

Ikhyâshan managed to maintain its dominance as the primary language in Ishlamu for thousands of years until circa 5200AE, when Khiamai overtook it in the later Tashtairan Empire. By the Amithos Era, traditional Ikhyâshan had become a neglected language, except by those in temples or universities. Many Ikhyâshan loan-words still survive, however, in contemporary Maphtum, most commonly used by the Inatan followers. It is still a widespread tradition to give Ikhyâshan names to children, as many believe the name of a person to define their destiny.

Classification
Ikhyâshan belongs to the Antenan languages in the Neravannan language family, a family native to Southern Nera and Eastern Vanna.

Amongst the Antenan languages, Ikhyâshan forms an Una'antenan subgroup with Rwânan. This subgroup is distinct from the other Antenan languages by its Subject-Object-Verb word order, while most of the other Antenan usually have a Subject-Verb-Object order. This difference can be attributed to the influence of the Maranxan dialect.

Writing

 * Main Article: Tashtairan Logograms

Ikhyâshan was written on a mixture of softstone tablets or on primitive reed paper as early as 2900AE. It was written using a syllabic script derived from the pictographic writing system of the elder Maranxans. At first, the Ikhyâshans applied the pictographic system to their own language, but in many ways was not suited to the nature of their dialect. However, many logograms for important or traditional words continued, such as 'uma' (form of primitive currency) and 'nubal' (an Ikhyâshan god).

In Ikhyâshan, only the consonants have a written symbol, while the vowel sounds that precede or follow it are denoted by smaller flicks, hooks or dots on either side of the actual symbol. Since these modifications are technically syllable-based, their writing system is classified as a syllabic writing system.

Development
There are several distinct periods of the Ikhyâshan language: The earliest Ikhyâshan inscription was borne upon a softstone tablet at the site of the ancient city of Elani, addressed to a very early pre-Unxaphtan king named Gakhyesem-tânu by his apparent wife, who is thought to be from Ikhyâsha.
 * Archaic Ikhyâshan (3500-4050AE)
 * Elder-Palpatonan (4050-4470AE)
 * Middle-Palpatonan (4470-5000AE)
 * High-Palpatonan (5000-5400AE)
 * Late-Palpatonan (5400-5900AE)

The Ikhyâshan Empire, established by Unxalta of Ikhyâsha, introduced the Ikhyâshan language (the "language of Ikhyâsha") as a written language, adapting the Maranxan pictographic inventory for the occasion. During the Elder-Palpatonan and Elder-Tashtairan period, the language virtually displaced the original Maranxan, which is assumed to have been extinct and out of use as a living lanugage by 4200AE.

Archaic Ikhyâshan, which was used up until around 5700AE, differs slightly from both the Palpatonan and Tashtairan dialects, and was eventually displaced by them. Yet both Palpatonan and Tashtairan were easily distinguishable by circa 3900AE. Elder-Palpatonan, along with the closely related Pâtaruan, is more inventive and progressive than the Elder-Tashtairan dialect (and the more distantly related Rwânan language). Elder Palpatonan was the language of king Alonza's Creed, which is one of the oldest surviving documents of an edict pertaining to treaties and diplomacy.

The Middle-Palpatonan/Tashtairan period started in the 43rd century. The division is marked by the Mistenan invasions of Palpatona around 4450AE. The Mistenans, who reigned for 30 years, adopted the Ikhyâshan language in place of their own, though their own native tongue had little influence over it. At its apogee, Middle-Palpatonan was the most widespread language of the entire ancient Ishlamu, spreading throughout southern Nera and to eastern Vanna, including Faera.

Middle-Tashtairan became used as a lingua franca in most of ancient Ishlamu. During the High-Tashtairan Empire, High-Tashtairan developed into a nobleman's language, being influenced by Early Exephan. Under the Ancient Terzhumans, the Exephan language continued to propser, but Tashtairan continued its decline. The languages final downfall came about during the Amithos Era when it was further marginalized by the Mithyaldans, even though High-Tashtairan texts remained in use within literary tradition well into Tartheotan times. The most contemporary use of Palpatonan comes from around 6010AE. A number of Ikhyâshan words and many personal names survive to this day in the modern Exephan languages spoken by ethnic Tashtairans in Maphtum, Endorai, Telâm and Amât.

Dialects
The following list represents the dialects of Ikhyâshan:
 * Tashtairan (Northern Ishlamu)
 * Palpatonan (Central and Southern Ishlamu)
 * Pâtaruan (Central Nephir, in and around the city of Pâtaru)
 * Ridyânan (Northern Telâm, around Ridyâna)

Phonetics & phonology
Due to Ikhyâshan no longer being used as a spoken language, little can be said with certainty about the phonetics and phonology of Ikhyâshan. Some conclusions can be made, however, due to the relationship to the other Antenan languages and the variant spellings of Ikhyâshan words.

Consonants
The following table represents the Ikhyâshan consonantal phonemes.

Stress
Stress in Ikhyâshan is believed to have always been pronounced on the first syllable in two and three syllable words, and on the first and third syllables in words with four syllables or more.

It is also expected (from studies of informal texts) that short and unstressed vowels were often dropped altogether in speech. This is seen in words such as Partaruk, where many informal or simple texts will not decline the t for a vowel sound, writing it instead as Part'ruk.

Long & Short
Vowels can be either long or short. In the standard writing system, short vowels show no inflection, while long vowels are marked. Long vowels usually occur on stressed syllables, however this is not a consistent rule and is often broken.