Shakhe

The Zammintarin Elvish or Shakhe is a primarily spoken language, as the elves of Zammintar have a long and rich tradition of oral history, though plenty of texts exist depicting its unique characteristics. The language utilizes a root word with multiple suffixes that change the meaning of a word and are strung together to form an entire sentence or concept, with the exception of names and titles. The written form, like its spoken is formed in connected movement, as each character merges into the next. This cursive-like script is achieved with a pen or, in some cases, scribed with a pointed instrument. The nib is split to allow for flaring of line width, which is the how standard Shakhe characters are delineated. The back of the pen is also used to illustrate dots which allow for greater diversity in character. The alphabet is formed into seven different sections based on sound: airs, slides, beats, backbeats, hums, opens, and changes, with one opened change.
Most of the twenty seven individual characters are written with a single stroke for the base and an upward branch for identification. Upward branches are shaped uniquely and/or dotted for identification. Short vowels, however, are written as under branches alongside their previous phoneme. Long vowels are written with their own branch pattern however, sometimes mimicking looping grasping vines. When a completed "word" is written it often appears as the twig of a berry bush or vine, save for the start and finish of each character. Because of this perceived oddity the most predominant style of calligraphy removes the stopping points of each individual character. This results in one large branch and often the use of larger nibs becomes necessary for achieving complex sentences.
These sentence-words are structured as: subject, verb, object, tense, with no denotation of gender. This has caused some confusion amongst others who enter a conversation beyond the definition of gender, or the implied definition given based on name. For instance a colloquial conversation may never mention a person's gender at all. Another portion unique to colloquial speech is the dropping of subjects, in part or in whole. This leaves the listener with the task of following the conversation more closely, mirroring the closeness that the speaker has with the listener. Formal speech on the other hand, like that used when speaking on history or to a person at least two steps senior or junior, takes pain staking efforts to insert honorifics and names in place of every pronoun. This can become monotonous to secondary speakers of the language but is seen as the highest honor that one can pay to a person. Similarly it is seen as incredibly dishonorable to leave out someone's titles or name, particularly when they are much senior to you.
Non-native speakers often find it necessary to study from other non-native speakers who have taken the language and modified concepts beyond what is accepted as rule by the elves or other native speakers. These can be as simple as connections to other languages, where there are none, or systems of word placement in categories that native speakers never consider. Even with these concessions made by other linguists the language can take as many year to learn as it would to become a master of any trade, and yet dozens more to approach mastery.