Eorzean
Eorzean is a language spoken in Vector's take on Eorzea from Final Fantasy XIV. It is a mix of creole and auxlang, standardized by the Eorzean Alliance from 1468 6A onwards.
| Eorzean | |
|---|---|
| Eorzean Creole | |
| Roge Iorsiani | |
| Pronunciation | ['ɾoge joɾ'zjani] |
| Created by | VectorGraphics |
| Date | 2024 |
| Setting | Eorzea |
| Native speakers | ~70 million (almost all bilingual) (3 7A) |
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in |
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Phonology
- Syllables are divided up according to sonority troughs. For example, <mi isti indun> /mistindun/ is /mis.tin.dun/ as opposed to /mi.sti.ndun/ or /mist.ind.un/. - Vowels "link together" across words. Sequences involving /i/ or /u/ are usually realized as diphthongs, and two of the same vowel merge together. - Syllables are not stressed.
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |
| Voiceless plosive | p | t | k |
| Voiced plosive | b | d | g |
| Voiceless continuant | f | s | (f) |
| Voiced continuant / sonorant | v | ɾ | |
- The voiceless plosives /p/, /t/, and /k/ are usually lightly aspirated.
- /d/ and /g/ are often fricated to [ð] and [ɣ] respectively in rapid speech, depending on the region.
- /ɾ/ is usually [ɽ], but [ɻ] is common in clusters. In Garlemald (since 3 7A) and Ala Mhigo, it is often a trill [r]. Other allophones include [l].
- /s/ is voiced in many contexts, such as clusters with voiced consonants and intervocalically.
- /v/ is usually [ʋ].
- /f/ has an allophone /ʍ/ before labialized consonants and rounded vowels.
- /n/ assimilates to following coronal and dorsal consonants, but /m/ is distinct in this context. (/n/ becomes [ŋ] before labials).
- Nasals, plosives, and /s/ can be geminated.
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Open | a | |
- There is no distinction between vowels in hiatus, diphthongs, and (where available) semivowel+vowel sequences. As such, the semivowels [j] and [w] are not listed as consonant phonemes.
- However, there is no vowel length distinction, as can be seen when vowels link together across words: <mi isti indun> /mistindun/.
Orthography
In-universe, Eorzean is written with the Allagan alphabet.
Often times, many letters stand for the same sound, since the spelling of Eorzean words often reflects the spelling of the word in the source language (usually Ul'dahn or Midlander Hyuran). Notably, distinctions between /r/ and */l/ that were present in source languages are preserved in writing (as demonstrated in <Aldenard>: /aɾdenaɾd/.
On this page, the Latin alphabet will be used to write Eorzean; <r> will be used for /ɾ/, and otherwise, the IPA letters will be used, with standard English capitalization and punctuation rules.
Grammar
The word order of Eorzean is subject-verb-object, and Eorzean utilizes a variety of particles to clarify grammatical function. Modifiers usually follow nouns or verbs, except when they combine with the noun or verb to form a compound word, in which case they go before.