Akes Mersanint

Akes Mersanint (Jjirian for 'language of our ancestors') denotes two things:

• A hypothetical standard language of the various aboriginal languages spoken in Baranxtu and Western Jonquiere-Tadoussac if they are to be considered dialects of one language.
• Its ancestor, which was the dachsprache of a dialect continuum out of which these aboriginal languages developed.

History

Akes Mersanint was an actual language that existed in the south of the Southern Continent of the International Democratic Union from about 500 CE until about 1700 CE.

Like Standard German (until the 19th century), Akes Mersanint didn't become an actually spoken language until some time after its invention.
The earliest evidence of a common devised language stems from a scroll of the year 513 CE, in which merchants are advised to speak not in their dialect, but in the common language (in the scroll ackess kusemar).

Akes Mersanint changed along with the spoken dialects, and from later centuries, excerpts from dictionnairies of the language and the different dialects are preserved.
In the 15th century, the empire of the Qiri tribe expanded their territory from their native isle of Otea (Akes Mersanint: Aufæja), first to the north and then to east, until they had established an empire that roughly covered what is today Baranxtu and Jonquiere-Tadoussac. For the time this empire lasted, not Qi, but Akes Mersanint became the official language of the realm.

During the approximately 200 years it lasted, Akes Mersanint became the actual mother tongue of the majority of the empire's inhabitants, and only in the 1600s, when the empire was destroyed by civil wars and invasions, local varieties reemerged. This is the main reason why many Akes Mersanint languages are still so astonishingly close.

In the course of the 17th century, foreign colonists arrived, and brought their languages with them, mainly French in the east and [[Baranxe�]] in the west. Many of the indigenous kingdoms did not allow the settlers to claim their lands, and fought many bloody wars to drive them away. However, the colonists were most often better equipped (or at least with stronger weapons), and conquered most kingdoms within the first few decades after their arrival.

The surviving tribes receded into secluded areas and most often lost contact with the other tribes. In these spots, the dialect of Akes Mersanint they spoke developed into different languages who nowadays are most often only intelligible for others on a formal and written level.

Later, when the relationship between the colonists and the tribes got better, the tribes people could once again spread over the lands, which is why nowadays, their languages tend to be spoken in larger areas than one could assume.

Descendants of Akes Mersanint

Most descendants of Akes Mersanint are only spoken in small and very sharply defined areas; in these ares, however, they are usually the language of an overwhelming majority.

They remain mutually intelligible with other indigenous languages to some degree. Although the circumstances for this vary, it can be said that this is usually the written form - the spoken languages are often much harder to understand.

Abasi

Abasi is an endangered language, spoken by only about 800 people in the Baranxtuan province of Abasina. The language survived in small villages on the northern coast, but it is a dying language, with only 24 native speakers younger than 30 years left. Speakers of Abasi usually can read a text in Qi or Jjiri without problems, the same is also true to some extent for Leus and Halas. Abasi is a mostly not written language - its speakers are all bilingual with Baranxeï and if they have to write Abasi, they use the same script as for Baranxeï.

Jjiri

Jjiri is one of the strongest descendants of Akes Mersanint, as it is still the everyday language of about half of the Jjiri Tribe, and most others have some knowledge of the language. They live in the Baranxtuan provinces of Jjiria, Abasina and Dorista. Speakers of Jjiri can usually also read formal Abasi, and written Qi, Leus and Halas in general. It is more difficult for them to understand spoken Halas and Leus, but they can usually manage. Jjiri uses a variant of the Baranxeï script which uses a few additional symbols which are derived from the Akes Mersanint Script.

Daunis

Daunis is an almost extinct language in the Baranxtuan province Dorista. Today, only 13 speakers remain, none of which is younger than 65. In the last years, great efforts have been made to at least preserve the language in books and in audio files. The speakers of Daunis all understand Qi, but none of the other indigenous languages, except for a few words. Daunis traditionally was not a written language; the linguists researching the language have mainly used the Latin Script with a few modifications, similar to those used with the Romanisation of Baranxeï.

Qi

Qi is spoken by a bit more than a tenth of the Qiri people, but more and more young Qiri learn it and it has been taken off of the list of endangered languages in 2001. Its speakers mainly live in the Baranxtuan provinces of Qiru and Dorista. Speakers of Qi can read Jjiri with some difficulty, but it is fully mutually intelligible with the almost extinct language of Daunis. Qi is still written in the Akes Mersanint Script. Some digraphs which have been used since a minor sound shift in the 18th century were discarded in favor of imports from the Baranxeï script ('η' for 'ee', 'ω' for 'oo', 'š' for 'sj', 'ð' for 'dj' et al.).

Leus

Leus is spoken by the majority of the Leumi people, who live in small, secluded villages in Halaora and Leumena. It is the most stable of all descendants of Akes Mersanint. Speakers of Leus can understand both written and spoken Leus, and can usually understand some Qi and Jjiri. In the southern Leus enclaves, the language is written with the Baranxeï script, in the northern enclaves in Halaora, the Akes Mersanint Script is more prevalent.

Halas

Halas is another dying language, as the majority of its speakers are the elderly of the tribe. Most speakers live in Halaora in Baranxtu, with groups in Leumena and also the neighboring Jonquiere-Tadoussac. Speakers of Halas can fully understand Leus, and have usually little difficulty with written Qi and Jjiri. The Akes Mersanint Script is used in Halaora, the Baranxeï Script is used in Leumena.

Alim

Alim is spoken in the province Alma in Jonquiere-Tadoussac by about 5,000 people. It is the easternmost representative of the Akes Mersanint descendants. Due to the large geographical distance from most other indigenous languages, it went its very own distinct ways and therefore is not intelligible to any other of the aforementioned tongues. Alim is written with the Roman script, employing the rules of French orthography.

Chicoutim

Main Article: Chicoutim

Chicoutim is a special case as it is not a direct descendant of Akes Mersanint, but rather a creole of an eastern dialect of the language (most likely an early form of Alim or Halas) and French.
It is the language of the majority in the provinces Chicoutimi-Halaore, Chicoutimi-Alma, Alma Continental and Alma Océanique of Jonquiere-Tadoussac and a minority language in the province Halaora in Baranxtu. As a creole, it is neither intelligible for speakers of French nor for speakers of one of the indigenous languages. It draws most of its grammar and syntax from Akes Mersanint, wheres the vocabulary is largely of French origins. Chicoutim is written with the Roman script according to French orthography.