Difference between revisions of "Biotopian"

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! style="background:lawngreen" | <big>Biotopian</big>
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! Language
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! width=35%|Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population
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| '''Biotopian''' || Phosee-Vell languages ||
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| ''Spoken in: [[Biotopia]]''  
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<small>Official language in</small> [[Biotopia]] (including all external territories; <br /><br /><small>Significant communities in [[Celdonia]], [[Knootoss]], [[Hell Bovines]], [[Ecopoeia]] , [[East Hackney]] and [[Xikuang]]</small>
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||47.6 million native ({{CURRENTYEAR}}). Includes:<br /><br />Vellseph: 3.2 million<br />Rovmart: 1.7 million <br />Starbenu: 1.5 million <br />Urnha: 0.4 million.
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[[Biotopia]]<br>
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There are three distinct phases in the evolution of Biotopian before which it has been estimated that between 11-28 distinct languages had existed. In the immediate pre-Imperial Era the processes of trade, conquest and religious missionary work had eroded this number to approximately 5 major groups. Imperial Biotopian become the language of Court and was translated into the major religious scripts, furthering it across the land. By incorporating from the other language families it developed an organic presence within the regional aristocracy and nobility but left peasants to talk in local dialects.  Although it was comprised from an artificial selection of dialects and mixing of the various language groups it became embodied in the intellectual, religious and political structure of Imperial Biotopia.
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Middle Biotopian followed replacing the archaic "rough edges" of the language with a more systemised language structure and an officially standardised alphabet was introduced. Many of the grammatical conventions were developed during this period as printing in conjunction with the ‘great literature era’ produced some of the finest Biotopian novelists and poets. In the year 1534 the Language Book was published cementing the keystones of the grammatical and spelling convention for the new language. The simplification of the language made it more accessible to peasants and others outside the clergy and nobility. Although local dialects did not die altogether they did incorporate many of the new words, a feature still common today.
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:Biotopian ''petchelk'' is the official language of [[Biotopia]] as are [[Celdonian]]''Keldelk'' and Biotopian Sign Language ''petchamelk''. All languages are written in the Celdonian alphabet script however the Biotopian and Biotopian Sign Language (BSL) are written using a truncated script. Within Biotopia there are also several communities of [[Aperin]], [[Dutch]], [[Galdagan]], [[Mootish]] and [[Xikuangese]] speakers. Outside of Biotopia communities of Biotopian speakers are represented in various nations particularly [[Celdonia]], [[East Hackney]], [[Ecopoeia]] and [[Knootoss]]. Biotopian is not an internationally well known language and is isolated to the territories of Biotopia.
  
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Late Biotopian is the present language of state. It was officially instigated in 1904 to coincide with the first decade of the First Republic. The Republican Dictionary incorporated many new and “exotic” phrases and terminology particularly for the areas of the science and medicine, dictionary itself being directly imported from the main mother of the new language, Celdonian. Linguists have continued to argue wether this was an attempt to guide an already pre-existing fusion of languages or if it was a coup of political propaganda intended to wipe out the old ‘imperial’ language and to lay the foundations for a type of Republican ‘thoughtspeak’.
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:Within Biotopia there are several major dialects including Velseph, Rovmart and Starbenu. These languages are based on regional cultural identities relating to a limited number of historically established communities. There are also some closed languages employed by religious societies and secret organisations. The largest of these closed languages is Gher used as a theological language by the Gnangara religious community. Documentation of these closed languages is hampered by their characteristically secretive nature and the limited number of people who speak it. The old Biotopian script sometimes referred to as ‘Middle-Biotopian’ is occasionally used but not in the public sphere.
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==Alphabet==
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:[[Biotopian]] is written in the Celdonian alphabet after the Cyanic alphabet was dropped because of its complexity and difficulty in transcribing new elements of the Biotopian language. The letters C, F, Q, Y and Z/X are absent and substituted by the combinations of K, Ph, Wh, J and Zh respectively. The old alphabet was dropped from official use eight years after federation although the current Celdonian influenced model was in use beforehand. Biotopian is also used in all national publications and broadcasters but limited Celdonian language publications are available as well as sub-titling and dubbing into Celdonian. Biotopian sign language is based on the Biotopian alphabet not the Celdonian.
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:'''A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W'''
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==Colloquialisms==
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:Biotopia sponsors a rich vocabulary including numerous colloquialisms and proverbs. Some of these colloquialisms have roots in antiquity while other are more contemporary in nature.
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:'''Anarchist''' ''Akratev'' derogatory catch-all labelled in a generic manner against people perceived to be of the political liberal and left-wing extremes. (Fascism ''Phragren'' is the right-wing counterpart).
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:'''Blame it on Hjadar''' ''Ra rept ja kor Hjadar'' a humorous catchphrase from the situational comedy ''Hjadar Gress'' (The Hjadar Family or Hjadar’s Family). Used in the context of attributing blame to the character of Hjadar for an accident for whom nobody is directly responsible or as a means to deflect censure.
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:'''East Aperin''' ''Dub Aperin'' an incorrect term once applied to Biotopia and to describe the Biotopians (eg as East Aperiners). The term has fallen out of favour but is occasionally used by elderly visitors from Aperin.
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:'''Metahuman''' ''Ollyon-Septnar'' this is a highly offensive word akin to words such as “[[Wikipedia:nigger|nigger]]”, “[[Wikipedia:kyke|kyke]]” and “[[Wikipedia:faggot epithet|faggot]]”. It is commonly used in the hate-propaganda of [[The Reich]] nations such as [[Iesus Christi]].
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:'''People in green''' ''Pagrapha ed sutta'' the police.
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:'''Someone who always wears their tie''' ''Jallatoprest dja phrent ekro Pagruda tjephttp'' an expression used to describe a person who is uptight and always behaves in a professional manner even in social situations.
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:'''The revolutionary question''' ''Ven Ebretarkostau Jul'' based on the writings in the Autumn Pamphlet by J. K. Vegra where the full phrase is “we must ask ourselves that revolutionary question – why?” It is sometimes used less frequently as referring to a great unknown key to producing a coherent answer from incoherent clues.
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:'''What the Beef''' ''Reph ven Sant'' an exclamation of confusion or frustration.
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==Literature==
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:All Biotopian classics have been converted into contemporary Biotopian and Celdonian. There are also numerous books which have been published both in Biotopian, Celdonian and even regional dialects. Bio-Celdonian fusions have been a periodic fad and produced an entire sub-genre. The written word plays an important part in Biotopian culture to the discrimination of other artistic expressions such as cinematography, theatre and painting.
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:Top Five Books in {{CURRENTYEAR}}
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:*''The Compendium''
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:*''Yumakkattakaa''
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:*''Jell-Tratta-Mota''
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:*''Dark Wood''
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:*''Raise the Red Flag''
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==Pronunciation==
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:Biotopians have a relatively homogenous accent despite some regional differences in dialects. This has been attributed to the depth of radio and television into contemporary society as well as the more contemporary prevalence of a commonly spoken language. Some people find it difficult to adopt the Biotopian language however it is relatively simple to learn the important pronunciation and recognise the letter substitution since the Celdonian alphabet is employed. Below are a series of examples in pronunciation.
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:*Ph represents F
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:*Wh represents Q
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:*Zh represents Z
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:*ou as in you into ou as in cough
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:*ch as in child into Kh as in curtain
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:*pst becomes psh as in p(o)sh
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:*mb becomes mbwhe as in (hi)m-b-wh(ere)
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:*vh becomes vough as in vou(ge)
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==Translation==
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Below is a list of commonly required translations from Celdonian into Biotopian.
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| Hello || Hello
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| Goodbye || Lastrej
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| What is the time? || Dakrav erp ven hart?
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| What is the price? || Dakrav erp ven egro?
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| Where can I find… || Devesh ut rollo tjat…
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| Please || kenalla
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| Thank You || UmbronGranzh
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| What is your name? || Dakrev erp granzh oroun?
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| Where am I? || Devesh ut rollo?
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| Do you speak Celdonian? || Tet grokon Keldelk?
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Middle Biotopian still persists but only three communities are thought to still continue using it as a living language and usually only within the immediate family group. Derivative dialects such as Folksway is widely spoken on the island of Vellok but not on the mainland, similarly there are isolated pockets of other tongues in the rural areas, especially the central alpine and north coast regions. There have been some recent attempts to preserve and even promote these languages as part of a living heritage.
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==See Also==
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:[[Biotopia Culture]]
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:[[Celdonian]]
  
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The largest non-native language spoken is [[Celdonian]] representing the generations of humans that have travelled eastward from the Aperin region. There is at least one community which still preserves a local form of [[Xikuangese]] although its appearance is unaccounted for.  Following [[Celdonian]] Dutch is the third largest known language but is not officially recognised and exists mostly along the south coast where Knootoss trading was historically centred. Late Biotopian has incorporated a handful of Dutch words but its similarity to Celdonian makes it difficult to trace the exact root of base words.
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[[category:languages]]
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[[category:Biotopia]]

Latest revision as of 00:05, 23 June 2006

Language Family Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population Number of speakers
Biotopian Phosee-Vell languages

Official language in Biotopia (including all external territories;

Significant communities in Celdonia, Knootoss, Hell Bovines, Ecopoeia , East Hackney and Xikuang

47.6 million native (2024). Includes:

Vellseph: 3.2 million
Rovmart: 1.7 million
Starbenu: 1.5 million
Urnha: 0.4 million.
Biotopian petchelk is the official language of Biotopia as are CeldonianKeldelk and Biotopian Sign Language petchamelk. All languages are written in the Celdonian alphabet script however the Biotopian and Biotopian Sign Language (BSL) are written using a truncated script. Within Biotopia there are also several communities of Aperin, Dutch, Galdagan, Mootish and Xikuangese speakers. Outside of Biotopia communities of Biotopian speakers are represented in various nations particularly Celdonia, East Hackney, Ecopoeia and Knootoss. Biotopian is not an internationally well known language and is isolated to the territories of Biotopia.
Within Biotopia there are several major dialects including Velseph, Rovmart and Starbenu. These languages are based on regional cultural identities relating to a limited number of historically established communities. There are also some closed languages employed by religious societies and secret organisations. The largest of these closed languages is Gher used as a theological language by the Gnangara religious community. Documentation of these closed languages is hampered by their characteristically secretive nature and the limited number of people who speak it. The old Biotopian script sometimes referred to as ‘Middle-Biotopian’ is occasionally used but not in the public sphere.

Alphabet

Biotopian is written in the Celdonian alphabet after the Cyanic alphabet was dropped because of its complexity and difficulty in transcribing new elements of the Biotopian language. The letters C, F, Q, Y and Z/X are absent and substituted by the combinations of K, Ph, Wh, J and Zh respectively. The old alphabet was dropped from official use eight years after federation although the current Celdonian influenced model was in use beforehand. Biotopian is also used in all national publications and broadcasters but limited Celdonian language publications are available as well as sub-titling and dubbing into Celdonian. Biotopian sign language is based on the Biotopian alphabet not the Celdonian.
A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W

Colloquialisms

Biotopia sponsors a rich vocabulary including numerous colloquialisms and proverbs. Some of these colloquialisms have roots in antiquity while other are more contemporary in nature.
Anarchist Akratev derogatory catch-all labelled in a generic manner against people perceived to be of the political liberal and left-wing extremes. (Fascism Phragren is the right-wing counterpart).
Blame it on Hjadar Ra rept ja kor Hjadar a humorous catchphrase from the situational comedy Hjadar Gress (The Hjadar Family or Hjadar’s Family). Used in the context of attributing blame to the character of Hjadar for an accident for whom nobody is directly responsible or as a means to deflect censure.
East Aperin Dub Aperin an incorrect term once applied to Biotopia and to describe the Biotopians (eg as East Aperiners). The term has fallen out of favour but is occasionally used by elderly visitors from Aperin.
Metahuman Ollyon-Septnar this is a highly offensive word akin to words such as “nigger”, “kyke” and “faggot”. It is commonly used in the hate-propaganda of The Reich nations such as Iesus Christi.
People in green Pagrapha ed sutta the police.
Someone who always wears their tie Jallatoprest dja phrent ekro Pagruda tjephttp an expression used to describe a person who is uptight and always behaves in a professional manner even in social situations.
The revolutionary question Ven Ebretarkostau Jul based on the writings in the Autumn Pamphlet by J. K. Vegra where the full phrase is “we must ask ourselves that revolutionary question – why?” It is sometimes used less frequently as referring to a great unknown key to producing a coherent answer from incoherent clues.
What the Beef Reph ven Sant an exclamation of confusion or frustration.

Literature

All Biotopian classics have been converted into contemporary Biotopian and Celdonian. There are also numerous books which have been published both in Biotopian, Celdonian and even regional dialects. Bio-Celdonian fusions have been a periodic fad and produced an entire sub-genre. The written word plays an important part in Biotopian culture to the discrimination of other artistic expressions such as cinematography, theatre and painting.
Top Five Books in 2024
  • The Compendium
  • Yumakkattakaa
  • Jell-Tratta-Mota
  • Dark Wood
  • Raise the Red Flag

Pronunciation

Biotopians have a relatively homogenous accent despite some regional differences in dialects. This has been attributed to the depth of radio and television into contemporary society as well as the more contemporary prevalence of a commonly spoken language. Some people find it difficult to adopt the Biotopian language however it is relatively simple to learn the important pronunciation and recognise the letter substitution since the Celdonian alphabet is employed. Below are a series of examples in pronunciation.
  • Ph represents F
  • Wh represents Q
  • Zh represents Z
  • ou as in you into ou as in cough
  • ch as in child into Kh as in curtain
  • pst becomes psh as in p(o)sh
  • mb becomes mbwhe as in (hi)m-b-wh(ere)
  • vh becomes vough as in vou(ge)

Translation

Below is a list of commonly required translations from Celdonian into Biotopian.

Hello Hello
Goodbye Lastrej
What is the time? Dakrav erp ven hart?
What is the price? Dakrav erp ven egro?
Where can I find… Devesh ut rollo tjat…
Please kenalla
Thank You UmbronGranzh
What is your name? Dakrev erp granzh oroun?
Where am I? Devesh ut rollo?
Do you speak Celdonian? Tet grokon Keldelk?

See Also

Biotopia Culture
Celdonian
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