Esikoet

Esikoet is a constructed language developed for the fictional island realm of Esika. Created by linguist and writer Mara Kelsin in 2012, it is designed to be naturalistic and learnable, with a coherent phonology, morphology, and syntax that reflect a maritime culture.

Phonology: Esikoet employs a consonant inventory of 18 sounds and five vowel qualities. The language features vowel harmony based on root vowels, with suffix vowels harmonizing to the stem. Syllables are typically CV or CVC, and stress falls on the penultimate syllable.

Grammar: Esikoet generally follows a subject–object–verb word order, but case marking allows flexible ordering. Nouns inflect for number (singular, plural) and case (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, locative). Adjectives follow nouns and agree in number. Verbs are agglutinative, attaching suffixes to express tense (present, past, future), aspect (perfective, imperfective), and mood (indicative, conditional, evidential). Personal endings mark person and number on verbs. The language also encodes evidentiality, with suffixes indicating whether information is witnessed, inferred, or reported.

Writing system: Esikoet uses a Latin-based alphabet with diacritics to indicate vowel length and tonal nuance. A non-Latin script appears in ceremonial contexts within the world.

Usage and status: Within its fictional setting, Esikoet is spoken by coastal communities, used in everyday conversation, poetry, and official records. Outside the story, it has a growing real-world community of learners and creators, including grammars, a dictionary, audio resources, and online forums. It is primarily a tool for worldbuilding and creative collaboration rather than an established natural language.