Verse:Chlouvānem Inquisition/Līlasuṃghāṇa

Līlasuṃghāṇa

Official name	Līlasuṃghāṇa ga ṭūmma Eparchy of Līlasuṃghāṇa
Country	Chlouvānem Inquisition
Tribunal	Jade Coast Area
Diocese	Nanašīrama
Divisions	24 districts, 21 cities, 11 parishes, 15 villages
Largest division (pop.)	Usāṃrātnam core district (1,372,443 (5.62.2ᘔ312))
Official language	Chlouvānem
Other languages	Nanašīrami vernacular (Līlasuṃghāṇi dialect)
Demonym	Chl.: Līlasuṃghāṇi ; Līlasuṃghānyūs Nan.: Lilsuhåṇuu ; Læy
Area	4.486 e (7.59010) 8,500.8 km2 (3,282.18 mi2)
Population	29,698,169 (9Ɛ.42.53512) (6422 (387212) census)
Population density	2.321/e (3,91310) 3,493.57/km2 (9048.3/mi2)
Government type	Eparchy
Eparch	Chilamulkāvi Narṣakarai Lārta
Capital	Līlasuṃghāṇa
Time zone	LIL (Līlasuṃghāṇi time — Līlasuṃghāṇi avyāṣa)
Telephone area code	(+87) 02

Līlasuṃghāṇa ("[place of] singing nāmñē cubs"; Chlouvānem pronunciation: [ˌɴ̆ʲiːɴ̆asũˈgʱaːɳa]; vernacular Līlasuṃghāṇi: Lilsuhåln [ˈɴ̆iːɴ̆ʂyˌhɔːˤŋ]; popularly shortened to Līlah [ˈɴ̆ʲiːɴ̆aɦ]) is the capital of the Chlouvānem Inquisition, the holy city of the Yunyalīlta, an eparchy (Chl.: ṭūmma) within the diocese of Nanašīrama, which it is also the episcopal seat of, and the largest city on Calémere, even though it is not, administratively, a single city.

Līlasuṃghāṇa lies on the southeastern shore of Lūlunīkam Lake (an inlet of the Jahībušanī sea) in the Jade Coast, with most of the eparchy's area extending south along the southern branch of the Lake, formed by the clearwater Lanamilūki river coming from the wetlands and várzeas of Talæñoya. Most of the area where the present-day core districts of Līlasuṃghāṇa lie were formerly a swampland where the Ēmīlumi river ("river of tigers"), the Hanaiyami river ("cocoa river"), and the Rajālyāti river ("silver-black river") - all three blackwater - reach Lūlunīkam lake. This former swamp, nestled between low forested hills and the shore, was mostly drained through centuries and is now one of the most densely populated pieces of land on Calémere. Despite lying just south of the 15th parallel north, Līlasuṃghāṇa has an equatorial rainforest climate with constant rainfall throughout the year and no distinct seasons.

Despite being referred to as a "city", Līlasuṃghāṇa is an eparchy, which means that it has - at least for the core wards, called districts (hālgārai) a consolidated government at the level of cities, circuits, provinces, and even some functions of the diocese itself. Administratively, there are, however, places in Līlasuṃghāṇa designed as cities, parishes, or even villages: the area of the eparchy is extremely large, covering also some valleys of tributaries of the Lanamilūki river to the south where the only settlements are floating villages in the middle of igapós. About 45% of the land area of the eparchy is covered by rainforest or swampland.

The eparchy of Līlasuṃghāṇa, at the 3872 (6422₁₀) census, had a population of 9Ɛ.42.535 (29,698,169₁₀) people. The Līlasuṃghāṇa metropolitan area is the second-largest in the world (after the polycentric conurbation of eastern Hachitama diocese) and extends into neighboring parts of Nanašīrama and also the dioceses of Talæñoya to the south as well as Lgraṃñælihaikā and Kāṃradeša across the lake.

Chlouvānem is the administrative language of the city, spoken, as in the whole Inquisition, in a state of diglossia alongside the local vernacular; the Līlasuṃghāṇi vernacular shares traits with most vernaculars of the eastern part of the Jade Coast. It has distinctive features of both the coastal Jade Coast vernaculars to the east - such as the extensive reworking of the vowel system - but also the typical stød-like phonation of the Lanamilūki Valley vernaculars.
The typical Līlasuṃghāṇi pronunciation of standard Chlouvānem also has a few peculiarities, which however may not be heard in more formal speech because of switching to a more standard pronunciation: its most noticeable features (and the most joked upon by non-natives) are the use of [œ œː] for /a aː/ in closed syllables before a nasal consonant (nāmvute "I crush" [nœːmʋyte]), also /aː/ as [œː] in open syllables before /j/ and a front vowel (jāyim "girl" [ɟ͡ʑœːim]), and the fronting of /u/ to /y/ in non-final syllables (ānukte "to lie on" [aːˈnykte]).
The Laifutaši language, which was spoken in pre-Yunyalīlti times in the area and greatly influenced Chlouvānem (and also some words of the local vernacular not present in standard Chlouvānem), has left its trace in many toponyms in the area: lake Lūlunīkam; the rivers Lanamilūki, Hanaiyami, and Rajālyāti; the diocese of Nanašīrama itself, and obviously most names of districts (such as Himakǣta, Hājurvānim, Sarālilyāniah, or the omnipresent -dimvā ending).

Etymology and name

The name of Līlasuṃghāṇa predates the city, and is a bahuvrihi compound of līlas - the name (nowadays archaic) of cubs of nāmñē, a tropical seal living along most of the Inquisition's tropical coasts - and suṃghāṇa, meaning "melody". The name thus means "melody of nāmñē cubs", intended as "the place where nāmñē cubs sing melodies".

An inhabitant of the city is referred to as Līlasuṃghāṇi or, more formally, Līlasuṃghānyūs. In the vernacular, the demonym is Lilsuhåṇuu [ˈɴ̆iːɴ̆ʂyhɔˌɳuː]. The vernacular-derived form Læy [ˈɴ̆ɛj] is commonly used both in the vernacular and in Chlouvānem, albeit only informally.

In foreign languages, it is mostly known by transliterations of the Chlouvānem name (Qualdomelic: Lilasuŋgana, Skyrdagor: Ninaszungana, Nordulaki: Ninasungana, Cerian: Nínasungána, Holenagic: Ṅieṅasuṅgaena), but in Brono-Fathanic it is commonly called "Holy City" due to it being the holiest city of the Yunyalīlta (Bronic: Boraosovahisy, Fathanic: Bərawswaheus), with the full form "Holy City of Līlasuṃghāṇa" (Bronic: Lilasongana boraosa ovahisy, Fathanic: Liŋaseuŋgan bəraws waheus) being only found in a few official reports or in lists of holy cities and places.

Epithets and popular names

Common epithets and popular names include:

• Līlah, a shortening which is how the city is usually called in common speech;
• juniāmite marta — the Blossoming City (a reference to its main temple, seat of the Great Inquisitor, the Blossoming Temple (juniāmiti lārvājuṣa))
• brausire marta or brausamarta — the Holy City
• lileni camimarta — World's Capital
• amaha — the Palace (a reference to the Inquisitorial Palace)

Especially in the Western World, the city is used as a metonym for the Inquisitorial power - just as "the Inquisition" is used as a metonym for the country. However, among Chlouvānem people, amaha (the Palace) is used this way.

History

The area around Lūlunīkam lake, including the location of present-day Līlasuṃghāṇa, has been inhabited for millennia by tribes speaking languages such as Laifutaši or Old Kāṃradeši. In the early part of the First Era, this area was outside the realms of the Kūṣṛmāthi civilization but in its sphere of influence. About halfway through the Era, Lahob-speaking tribes (the Ur-Chlouvānem) settled in the area, finishing their long migration journey across the whole continent and started settling together with the local people, with common intermixing.

While for many centuries there were various settlements in the swamplands and by the hills of today's Līlasuṃghāṇa, the founding of the city itself happened in 4426 (268ᘔ₁₂) by order of Great Inquisitor Kahērimaili ga Banditiāvi Dalaigana, aiming to build the holiest city the world had ever seen. The center of this settlement was on a bigger hammock in the swamp, not far from the Hanaiyami river and about three kilometers upstream from the lakeside - today's Kahērimaila ("clear water") district, named after the founding Great Inquisitor's regnal name. The only access to the early city was from the Hanaiyami river, and a smaller settlement was built at its mouth, functioning as a gate for the city - this area has been later remodelled by land reclamation and it is now the Janaimarta ("port city") district; many foundation-era buildings can however be seen in the neighboring Nājādaneh district, in the Hanaiyami ga maiti memāyi jarmān (Hanaiyami River Mouth Park), and by the Saṃryojyam lakeshore.

Geography

Cityscape

Līlasuṃghāṇa's cityscape is typical of most Chlouvānem cities with a long history, as its street plan and architecture shows how many original different villages were inglobated in the growing city. Architectonically, the notable parts are:

• Old and historical districts, including for example the historical center and main downtown area, Kahērimaila (where the main offices of the Inquisition's government, including the Inquisitorial Palace, lie), predominantly made of centuries-old terraced shophouses, detached buildings, and (less so in Kahērimaila, more in other such older villages) former agrarian courts;
• Modern residential districts, which make up most of the built area of the city, predominantly made of panel apartment buildings, ranging from 4 or 5 stories tall in some earlier neighbourhoods up to 20 story tall buildings in more recently built complexes.
• The two districts of Kārmāsikeika (just southwest of Kahērimaila, across the Hanaiyami river) and Janaimarta (at the mouth of the Hanaiyami into Lūlunikam Lake) are mostly made of office towers and include some of the tallest skyscrapers in the Inquisition and on Calémere. The Janaimarta ("port city") district, actually, is a recent development on the site of the former lake port. Most industrial port facilities have nowadays been moved away from the city, directly on the sea, about 190 km east.
• On the hillier shores of Lūlunīkam Lake, south of the central part there are many small villages detached from the main urban tissue, mostly with the layout of older fishing villages. Some of them are still home to a few fishermen or descendants of fishermen's families which actually own the houses they live in (something very rare in the Inquisition), and some of those villages are more upper-class than other areas of the city as houses there have been assigned to artists or scientists. Malįihālia, one of those villages, is the birthplace of incumbent Great Inquisitor Hæliyǣšāvi Dhṛṣṭāvāyah Lairē, descendant of an old fisherman family.

Demographics

As of the 6422 (3872₁₂) census), the resident population of the eparchy of Līlasuṃghāṇa amounted to 29,698,169 (9Ɛ.42.535₁₂) people; the actual population at any time of the day is much higher due to the huge number of commuters from neighboring areas. 99.4% of the population consists of Chlouvānem citizens; the majority of foreign citizens hail from Brono, Greater Skyrdegan countries, or Eastern Védrenian ones.

91.3% of residents are ethnically Chlouvānem, with the remainder being made up of many other legally recognized ethnicities. The three largest among those are Bronic (1,3%), Kŭyŭgwažŭb (1,1%), and people of Eastern Védrenian origin (0,9%). Classical Chlouvānem is the city's most spoken language; 70% of all inhabitants also speak the local vernacular, Līlasuṃghāṇi, a dialect inside the Southern Jade Coast dialect continuum. The most spoken native language excluding these two has been found to be the Western Chlouvānem Creole, spoken by about 4% of people.

Skin colour-related statistics gave the following results:

• lugasnieh 43%
• hailasnieh 27%
• lallamurkanieh 13%
• naleimurkanieh 6.5%
• chlebmæchlinieh 5%
• julknieh 3%
• nivudinneh 1.5%
• vindranieh 1%

Līlasuṃghāṇi Vernacular

The vernacular language, spoken by about 70% of the inhabitants (a good number of residents come from other areas of the country), is part of the Jade Coast dialect continuum and has traits of both coastal Nanašīrami dialects to the east and Lanamilūki Valley ones to the south. A noticeable characteristic in two thousand years of evolution from Chlouvānem is the restructuring of the vowel system. Original Chlouvānem vowels all diverged in quality (often through diphthongization) and vowel length has later become phonemic based on syllable structure.

The most notable phonetic developments from classical Chlouvānem include:

• Various early consonant mergers: palatalized dentoalveolars first merged with the palatals, while /mʲ/ and /ɴ̆ʲ/ shifted to /mj ɴ̆j/ and /ʀʲ/ to /ʑ/. /ɦ/ however had the tendency of aspirating an unaspirated voiced stop earlier in the word, as long as only vowels or sonorants came in between; grammatically, -h was also generalized as a case ending in the direct case to all "h-class nouns" (this will have a major phonological impact later on). The glottal stop disappeared, leaving vowels in hiatus.
• The first syllable of the main root (the head, in compounds) always took fixed primary stress. If a root has four syllables or more, the second-to-last also takes secondary stress.
• The first of many vowel changes started with the disappearance of breathy-voiced vowels. They mostly merged with the vowels of the same quality but long (but ą was retracted; note that the same quality of ę is the one of æ, not e), often leaving however their trace by aspirating an immediately following or preceding stop.
• The so-called (first) "Southern Vowel Shift" took place - ultimately adding many new phonemic vowel qualities but eliminating phonemic length; its changes were many but can be resumed this way:
  • a → a, but å /ɔ/ before either r or l and a stop;
  • ā → å /ɔ/
    • both short and long /a/ became, however, ø /œ/ in a close syllable before a nasal; long /a/ also underwent this change before /j/.
  • e → e and ē → *ei
  • i became /e̝/ while ī remained as a normal /i/; note that /ji/ became, however, /i/.
  • u was fronted to /y/, while ū was only shortened to /u/
  • o became (or remained?) /o/, while å was monophthongized to /ɔ/
  • æ was lowered to /a/; ǣ (including from earlier ę) remained the same, but shortened
  • ai, au also gave æ /ɛ/
  • oe, ei merged into /ɔɪ̯/
  • ṛ, ṝ got an epenthetic å before.
• A new, at first allophonic, length contrast arose: stressed vowels in an open syllable became allophonically long, the others remained short.
• Stødogenesis: both primarily- and secondarily-stressed long vowels, as well as VN and Vr clusters were allophonically pharyngealized when followed anywhere in the word by either a laryngeal consonant - excluding /ħ/ - or a retroflex one.
• Syncope of all absolutely word-final unstressed vowels, as well as unstressed pretonic vowels (except if preceded by two consonants; if there are two consecutive syllables between two different stresses, then the first is syncopated if the first syllable's consonant is a sonorant and the other isn't), were deleted. Deleted /e̝/, /i/ umlauted a preceding vowel by raising it; /u/ by backing it. Long vowels became phonemic because of this.
• /h/ and /hʷ/ were deleted in all positions except before /e/, /a/, and /ɔ/; /ɴ̆/ was also deleted when preceding a consonant that is not a stop or /s/. This made stød phonemic, moreover becoming a distinct feature of "h-nouns".
• Vowel quality for non-mid vowels and their length were tied, with /eː e̝ː/ becoming /eː/ and their short counterparts becoming /e̝/; the same happened with /o/ which was raised to /u̝/.
• Stød is lost if there's another vowel with stød later in the word; this does not apply to compound words, except those that had already become full lexical units.
• Some more consonant changes resulted in the disappearance of unvoiced aspirated stops (which merged with the plain ones, except for th → /θ/), /gʱ/ > /h/, and merger of /s/ into /ʂ/; /ɕ/, meanwhile, was backed and labialized to /xʷ/. v was also hardened to /b/ between vowels if pretonic.

Some examples of changes in common words:

• lila "person" > *lyílah > *líːlah > *liːˤla > *liːˤl > lil /ɴ̆iːˤ/
• marta "city" > *mártah > *mårtah > *måˤrta > *måˤrt > mårs /mɔˤʌ̯ʂ/
• chlǣvānem "Chlouvānem" > *chlɛvånem > *chlɛvåːŋm > *šlɛwåːm > *šlɛbåːm > ɧæbåm /xʷɛˈbɔːm/
• līlasuṃghāṇa > *lyīlasugghāṇah > *lílasyˌghåṇah > *liːlasyghåːṇah > liːˤlasyghåːˤṇa > liːlsyghåːn > lilsuhåln /ˈɴ̆iːɴ̆ʂyˌhɔːˤŋ/