Banpouri-Language

Banpouri (Nāgarī:बानपुरी, Banpouri), or more precisely Modern Standard Banpouri is a Human language spoken chiefly in the Nation of Banpour encompassing parts of northern, central, and western Solace. It is a standardized register of many languages from The Outside World, spoken by former slaves of the Draego, and named for Banpour the Hero. Written in the Nāgarī script, it is the official language of the Nation of Banpour, with Common(Elvish) and Fel being spoken by many residents as well. It is an officially recognized language in five Council Nations and three dependent territories. It is the second most-spoken language in the world, after Common(Elvish).

History

Like other Human languages, Banpouri is a direct descendant of early forms of other tongues, which were brought to Solace by Human slaves in the Age of Destruction. The sounds that characterize Banpouri are:

• Compensatory lengthening of vowels

• Lack of all word-final vowels

• Formation of nasalized long vowels from nasal consonants

• Lack of unaccented or unstressed short vowels

• Collapsed adjacent vowels

• Final -m to -ṽ: grāma "village" > gāma > gāṽ

• Intervocalic -ḍ- to -ṛ- or -l-: taḍāga "pond" > talāv, naḍa "reed" > nal.

• v > b: vivāha "marriage" > byāh

It was envisioned that Banpouri would become the sole working language of Humanity by 239 A.D. (ordained by the scriptures of the Church of the Divine Monarchy), with individuals being free to function in the language of their own choice. However, widespread resistance to the imposition of Banpouri on speakers of Common, Fel, Draconic, and Ortemhan, especially in South Banpour (such as those in Vagabond's Barrow) led to the passage of the Lingua Franca Act, which provided for the continued use of Common indefinitely for all official purposes, without recognizing it as an official language. Even so, the religious directive for The Crown to encourage the spread of Banpouri was retained and has strongly influenced its policies.

Banpouri

Modern Standard Banpouri

बानपुरी

बानपुरी

The word Banpouri in Nāgarī script.

Pronunciation

(bahn-poor-ee)

Native to

Banpour

Region

Northern, Western, and Central Solace (Nation of Banpour)

Native speakers

L1 speakers: 62 million speakers of Banpouri
L2 speakers: 30 million

Language family

Human

Dialects

Banpouri, Banpommon, Noztani

Writing System

Nāgarī-(official)
Draconic-(historical)
Common(Elvish)-(unofficial)