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The Dominion Language

Almost everyone in the Dominion speaks, reads and writes The Dominion Language (that’s what it’s called.)  The Separatists speak this too (but they call it Langlic.)

The population is mostly literate, but there are lower-tech zones where literacy rates are poor.

  

Alphabet

The Dominion Language / Langlic uses a phonetic script that:

• alters the concept of alphabetical order
• contains separate graphemes for sounds that are represented in our contemporary alphabet as digraphs, for example:
  • TH (separately for voiced and unvoiced phonemes – eg: THis and THick)
  • SH
  • CC
  • ZZ
  • NG
  • UH
  • OO (both short and long – eg:  bOOk and bOOn)
  • Numerous vowel sounds

  

The Dominion Version of Alphabetical Order 

P-B-T-D-K-G-F-V-θ-TH-S-Z-S-ZH-CH-J-Y-W-NG-H-L-R-M-N-ΖĒ–Ê–Ā––Ī-UH-Û–Ô–Ō–ÔÔ–ŌŌ-OU-OI-AH-AWE-AR-OR-AIR-UR-ARR-EAR-IA-Ū

  

A noticeboard with written examples of the Dominion Language

  

Enclaver

Some people speak a language called Enclaver as a second language, although to do so comes with a social stigma inside the Dominion.  Enclaver among the Separatists is not stigmatised and there are somewhat more speakers but it is still not common

Enclaver, if written, is usually written using the Dominion Language script.

  

Felline

The Felline have their own language which has two speech modes, soft mode and loud mode.

  

Written Form

Written Felline is partially spatial in meaning – the arrangement on the page forms part of the meaning and is written with pairs of symbols on writing guides.  Felline books are read front-to-back, then down, then left-to-right across. 

  

A representation of Felline writing

───────────┬───────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐ 
           │                       │                       │
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>             │             <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
           │             <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle>             │
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>             │             <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
           │             <squiggle>║<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
 <squiggle>║<squiggle>   <squiggle>║<squiggle>   <squiggle>│<squiggle> 
           │                       │             <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                           <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                           <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                           <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                                     │
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                           <squiggle>│<squiggle>    
 <squiggle>│<squiggle>                                     │
           │ 

  

Naki

The Naki have their own spoken and written language, which a small number of Humans understand (more commonly its written form) and even fewer speak.