Bazhtan

Bazhtan is the Court language of Gruenberg, and the holy language of the Wenaist religion. As such, commoners are strictly forbidden from hearing or speaking, or reading or writing, the sacred language. Fewer than 100,000¹ citizens are entitled to speak it: of these, the majority are not of 'high blood', but are in fact monks and priests.

The language employs pictograms, each representing a different word, or part of a word. They are reportedly extraordinarily intricate. The structure of the language is completely unknown, but it doubtless differs substantially from modern languages: Bazhtan has had no major linguistic evolution in hundreds of years. Pronunciation is said to be complex and guttural, with correct pitching of vowel sounds crucial to understanding.

At Wenaist ceremonies, priests must chant the ancient scriptures in a sound-proofed antechamber, to avoid having commoners hear the sacred language. The offence is taken most seriously: last year, there were 18 executions for those suspected of trying to read it, with an estimated 400 prisoners currently serving sentences relating to attempts at accessing Bazhtan texts².

APPENDIX

1. On The Cusp Of Greatness: A Strategic Review Of The Formalisation Of Language Act Eighty Years On, a publication of the Gruenberg State Linguistic Institute in collaboration with the Gruenberg State Institute for Research and Development; p. xvi.
2. Crime Statistics For The 731st Year, published on behalf of the High Gruenberg Constabulary and the Gruenberg Division of Correctional Reform by the Gruenberg State Institute for Research and Development; pp. 139, 416-417.