Verse:Hmøøh/Suwáábyíq

Sowaárp'í (soo-WAHR-pee; High Sowaár: /sʊwɑ̌ːɻpʼɪ́/ lit. 'place of the good people'; Eevo: Sołárbi), is an island country in Western Txapoalli. It is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The current King is King [really long name] and the current Prime Minister is Gáadeéncok' He'exdáa'. The capital of Sowaárp'í is 'Onápaam, whose full name is [really long].

Sowaárp'í is a developed country and ranks as the third largest economy in Tricin by nominal GDP after Fyxoom and Hetom, and the second largest economy in Txapoalli.

The official language of Sowaárp'í is Sowaár. There is one recognized minority language, Jadoqox.

Anthem

The lyrics are taken from a Classical Sowaár poem written in the year 1089 fT.

The music, composed by Wonjéyi, is in the traditional Sowaár style.

Lyrics:

Xaał mmtl'ookoóh-gì'

Xaał mmtl'ookoóh-gì' waanée ... dre'áádìì'
xaał mmtl'ookoóh=gì' waa-née ... dre-'áád-ìì'
summer 3SG.I-tl'ookoóh=OPT 3SG.A-COMP CONT-2SG-INTENS-stand_upright 3SG.A-on CONT-3PL-INTENS-bear_fruit fruit our-rule/REG-AGT
LLLLSL[LSSSSSSLLSLL]SLL
May you, our king, [continue to] be taller and more fruitful than a tl'ookoóh tree in the summer.

LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL
Dro'dro'aadá=OPT 3SG.AN-into downstream-CONT-3PL-merge=NOMZ PL-rill=than eventually-3PL-many 2SG-PL-year
May your years [eventually] be more numerous than the rills flowing into the Dro'dro'adá River.

LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL
2SG-live-NOMZ=OPT 3PL-long sea 3SG.A-from land 3SG.A-separate=NOMZ 3SG.I-measure-NOMZ=than 3PL-long
May your life be longer than the jagged coasts of Pacáyi'.

LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL
myriad=OPT myriad constantly-3PL-INTENS-surroundings-watch=NOMZ CONT-3T2-APPL-wait/look_at
May the ten thousands of ten thousands of Ever-Vigilant Ones all [continue to] watch over you.

LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL
PURPOSE-3T1-harm and PURPOSE-3T1-raid=plan=NOMZ PUNCTUAL-1T3-TEL-fight=OPT PURPOSE every_time-2T1-go.CAUS
May you [now and every time] lead us to victory over anyone who schemes against us.

LLLLSLLSSSSSSLLSLLSLL
2SG-PL-people=OPT DUR-big-PL-thing 3PL-build and 1PL-to 3SG.I-good-happen, 1PL-rich-possess DUR-3T2-APPL-grow
May your people [periodically] achieve great deeds and [continually] prosper for your sake.

Geography

Sowaárp'í is an archipelago in the southern hemisphere of Tricin, with three main islands. It has a subtropical climate.

History

Medieval period

Classical Sowaár was used until the beginning of the modernization period (200 years BP?) Modern High Sowaár was codified around the beginning of the modernization period (150 years BP).

Modernization

• Aristocracy starts to modernize Sowaárp'í in response to colonialists' demands but they hit popular opposition due to economic impact from increased trade
• Aristocracy retains control over govt, but in response to massive riots they throw the people a bone and slowly roll out parliamentary democracy

Silphium Wars

Sowaárp'í fought on the side of Fyxoom and Anbir in the Silphium Wars (110 years BP?).

Pop culture

Modern Sowaár pop culture is dominated by comic books and animation. Sowaár comics and animation grew out of the influence of Naquian theaterism, native theater and literature, and modern global pop culture. Sowaár comics and animation enjoy popularity across the globe like Japanese anime and manga on Earth. Some of the pop culture produced is pornography, which has contributed to the Bitaletan stereotype of Sowaár people as outwardly polite and prudish but wild behind closed doors. In Sowaárp'í itself, "overconsumption" of pop culture is stigmatized, and many think that much pop culture is produced for the lowest common denominator. Posher people tend to prefer Northern (Bitaletan)-style live-action films and novels to comics and animation.

The art style of Sowaár comics and animation is much less uniform than in Japanese anime and manga. Early styles were partly based on the stylized costumes and makeup used in traditional Sowaár plays.

Music

Main article: Verse:Hmøøh/Suwáábyíq/Music

Cuisine

Many Sowaár people, even the more conservative ones, are vegans and vegetarians.

Sowaár recipes are centered around flatbreads; various vegetables; fish, meat, eggs or seitan, commonly used with spices available from the region. Rice and dairy products are rare.

Tea (sresré'; both as a standalone drink and the meal sense) is an important part of Sowaár culture. Tea is ground up and prepared in various forms.

• A common breakfast meal is wheat flatbread (kánrekh) with proteins, commonly cooked fish, sausage, eggs, and/or seitan, plus some nut butter, served with tea (sresré) or coffee (nerás) with coconut milk (hesróo').

Fashion

TODO: traditional upper class and lower class fashion

Society

Class system

Sowaár class is mainly determined by one's family pedigree. Today, one's class is also determined by education level and the schools one went to. Sowaár politics, which tends center-right, is significantly influenced by the class system. An upper class Sowaár person will typically speak High Sowaár natively, while a middle class speaker will speak a weaker version of their local dialect.

Historically, the Sowaár aristocrats were quite powerful and held de facto power over the king - there was not an absolute monarchy. The modernization of Sowaárp'í was mostly led by the aristocrats, and the country was officially made into a parliamentary constitutional monarchy as an ostensibly democratic measure.

Traditional gender norms

• Tr'aasi'ół entoódreeng (Tr'aasi'ół is a poetic name for Sowaárp'í; a toódreeng is a species of Sowaár wildflower) is an archetype of a traditional Sowaár "proper lady". A true Tr'aasi'ół entoódreeng is polite, nurturing and submissive but has a core of inner strength and will and is willing to defend herself and people she cares about when necessary. In fiction such a character will probably be depicted as speaking Amísreg, or High Sowaár (the cultivated variety of Sowaár).

Social attitudes

• Gay sex is legal but gay marriage is not recognized. LGBT people remain somewhat stigmatized, though the stigma is lessening in recent years with more celebrities publicly speaking about being LGBT.

Education

Schools

State schools, private schools

Universities

Cekhowéx University is the most prestigious Sowaár university. It descends from a premodern upper-class educational institution and is still associated with the upper class.

Television

Channels

• The Sowaár Broadcasting Corporation or the Sot'oó /sʊ̀tʼǔː/ (Sowaár: Sowaár tasr la'dat'oóweyin; gloss: Sowaár 3PL.AN-for SHAPE_"all directions"-3PL.AN-FORM-radiate-NMLZ) are a public broadcasting company. They are the most respected TV news outlet in Sowaárp'í, but Sowaár leftists and "soarers" accuse them of pro-NP bias.

Politics

Sowaárp'í uses first past the post voting. Political engagement is concentrated in the upper middle and upper classes, and many people believe that their political system isn't working for them.

Parties

The three largest Sowaár political parties are the National Party, the Social Liberal Party, and the Laborers' Party. Roughly speaking, they represent the upper class, the middle class and the working class respectively. Due to multiple scandals and ongoing investigations that the National Party PM 'Ehebe'ée Tłráahoo was embroiled in, most of the younger fiscally conservative base has migrated to the Social Liberal Party. Much of the Sowaár upper class are National Party or Social Liberal Party supporters, and some support and donate to Laborers' Party politicians who support policies favorable to the rich.

Parliamentary representation

TODO: Sowaár names and abbreviations

• Social Liberal Party (SLP; lit. Free Society Party 27%): liberal, center-right
• Laborers' Party (LP; Sowaár: Wolaanc'ín daJá'anem; 24%): center-left, liberal, socdem, socialism
• National Party (NP; 20%): center-right, nationalist
• Let Us Soar Party (1PL-IMPER-rise-ground; 7%): left-libertarian, futurist, transhumanist
  • Sometimes derisively called "Let Us Sour Party" (1PL-IMPER-FREQ-be_idle-ground, lit. Let Us Loaf Around in the Mud)
• National Enlightenment Party (NEP; lit. Nation/Ethnicity, Awaken/Realize Now Party; 7%): far-right, ultra-nationalist
• Green Party (GRN; 6%)
• many independents

Policy and political rhetoric

TODO: really galaxy brain political positions like gun rights being a leftist position? / use the most infuriating political arguments I can think of

Sowaárp'í is nominally a social democracy. However, deep welfare and public service cuts have plagued the country under National Party and Social Liberal Party governments.

Sowaárp'í is quite nationalist and heavily restricts immigration. Much of the political rhetoric centers around Sowaárp'í being the "leader" of Txapoalli but ironically being quite fragile. Its immigration system is similar to Singapore: it allows migrant workers to stay on a temporary basis but becoming a citizen is much more difficult.

The conservative wing pursue an austerity-focused agenda while the liberal wing of the country tend to be second-wave-style radical feminists. Both conservatives and liberals tend to be anti-immigration and pro-gun rights.

Religion

Religion is not hugely important in Sowaár society. Syncretism (usually of traditional Sowaár shamanism, Naquian theaterism, Hetmic religion, and/or Ngronaism) is common and tolerated. In fact it is considered improper to be overly dedicated to religion, and most shamans are and have been from the lower orders of society.

Traditional beliefs

• The Sowaár traditionally believed in a "spirit-complex" which links all spirits together. A spirit leaves the spirit-complex when a person is born, and one's spirit reenters it upon death. This spirit-complex was held to be the source of morality. Since everyone is of the spirit-complex, morality involves both respect for the living and the dead.
• The "Ever-Vigilant Ones" are a different kind of entity in the Spirit-Complex. Depending on who you ask, they never reincarnate as humans

Practices

Shamanism and ancestor veneration is not unusual even in modern Sowaár society. Each shamanistic practice was meant for a different class of spirits in tbe spirit complex (kinda like saints in Catholicism).