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Post by ➤ GRAZ ! on Jan 10, 2012 21:52:47 GMT
Languages
There is one official language of the “Pok?mon World”, spoken in all regions. Though this language does not officially have a name, for the sake of Solastella, this is English. As well as English, the official language, there are a number of smaller languages on the Islands.
The first is Solastellan, the most widely known of the minor languages. It is almost completely different to English, and often there is more than one way of saying the same thing -
For example, if one were to translate English to Solastellan, both "Esida rapdn alsin omé kop aall ets alos ote mo clew!" and "Esidarap dn al sino mékopa allets al oso temocl ew!” would be perfectly acceptable translations of “Welcome to Solastella, a Pokémon Island Paradise!.” Note, however, how both of these translations are pronounced roughly the same - because Solastellan uses different letters to English, it is impossible to transliterate things directly, and so most depictions of Solastellan using Latin letters are rough estimates for pronunciation.
The language has been spoken in the region since it was unified in 1789, and is believed to be based on a Marsmontian dialect which was later standardised across the country. Over time, various island groups have developed their own dialects and phrases which account for some of the variations seen. Solastellan is not widely taught as a second language abroad, though some who opt to come to the country choose to learn it. In reality, it is taught alongside English and is generally redundant - there are only a few rural speakers that can only speak Solastellan, comprising 5-6% of the total population. Almost twice as many of those, 10% of Solastellans, speak Solastellan regularly or as their primary language.
Translating from Solastellan to English is generally quite easy - by reversing the letters and removing the spaces, you can find the English translation, even if the words are all bunched together. Otherwise, most smartphones include auto-translation software, which will convert spoken Solastellan to written English (the mod will do this for you).
There is another major language spoken in Solastella, largely in the southern islands of Acero and Parsus. The nature of Fezan is a little more contentious, however - many people who prefer to speak Fezan over Solastellan or English are nationalist separatists who believe that the Empire of Fezu should break away from the main nation of Solastella. In the past, this has been the cause of political conflict and violence. Many pursue a study of Fezan for purely scholarly or cultural reasons - though the most recent census reported that there were only approximately 140 people who spoke “only Fezan” in Solastella and around 1000 “for whom Fezan is the primary language”, around 3% of the population speak Fezan to some extant. Most use English or Solastellan as their primary language.
As with any multinational language, English has been adapted in many ways by native Solastellans. This usually involves a mix of the two languages called Solastellan English. For example, many Solastellans greet each other with phrases such as Olleh or Yeraw, which are come from the Solastellan for “hello” (Oll eh) and “how are you?" (Uoyeraw oh) respectively.
A more complete list of common Solastellan English phrases is as follows:
Slang Word - English Translation - Solastellan Root
Olleh - Hello/Hi - Oll eh Yeraw? - How are you? - Uoyeraw oh Ebdoo - Goodbye - Eby doog Nomkop - Pokémon - Nomékop Ram - Marsmonte - Etnoms Ram Oreca - Acero - O Reca Xini - Sphinx - Xnih ps Lehiya? - How may I help you? - Uoyp lehiya mwoh? Elpo - People (in the sense of “guys” or “friends”) - Elpoep Elpa - Singular of above - Elpoep Esa El - Please - Es aelp Emocle - You’re welcome - Emocle weruoy Skat - Thanks/Thankyou - Sknaht Sé - Yes - Sey Ué - No - Uoykna hton Yrros - Sorry - Yrros Nalni - Mainlander (in the sense of “foreigner”) - Rednalni am. Redisto - Mainlander (in the sense of “foreigner”, pejorative) - Redistu o.
”A Solastellan-speaker (1), a Solastellan English-speaker (2) and a non-Solastellan English speaker (3) walk into a bar where they are served by a vendor.”
V: Yeraw elpo, lehiya? 1: Esael psei htooms ee rht eki ldinam rab. 3: What did he say? 2: He asked the barman for three smoothies, best drink on Oreca, you know V: That’s six Soleres, skat. 1: Sennesra py lno sere losyna evahtn odi . Sihtteg uoyn ac? 2: When have I ever carried Soleres? Ask him - he’s the big tourist from Ram. Heard they only have Soleres up there!” 3: Me? Erm, that’s like 5 Parsennes, right? 2: Sé, something like that - Elpa knows his Maths! V: Sé. that’s good for me. 1: Sknaht, dne irf. 3: Emocle. 2: Haha! Elpa’s turning native!
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