Kihid

Kihid is a constructed language used in a fictional setting, developed for the world of Aradia. It is spoken by the Kihid, a maritime people inhabiting the western archipelago of Nyria. In the setting, Kihid serves as a primary means of everyday communication as well as a vehicle for oral tradition and ritual poetry. The language is described within the world as part of the Kihidic branch, though some characters treat it as an isolate due to limited historical data.

Linguistic features: Kihid is described as an agglutinative, subject–object–verb language with postpositions. Its pronoun system distinguishes inclusive and exclusive first-person plural; articles are demonstratives rather than separate words; nouns take suffixal cases; and verbs encode aspect and mood through suffix clusters.

Phonology and writing: The phoneme inventory includes bilabial, alveolar, and velar stops; fricatives; nasals; a lateral approximant; and a glottal stop. Vowels are five, with occasional vowel harmony across suffixes. Stress tends to fall on the final syllable. Kihid is written in a syllabary called the Kihid script, with around 40 characters representing consonant–vowel units; modern texts are often transliterated into the Latin script for broader accessibility.

Dialects and usage: Northern and Southern Kihid varieties show lexical and phonological differences but remain mutually intelligible. In-world efforts to standardize for education and media are described, including dictionaries and language courses in public institutions and e-learning platforms.

Cultural role: Kihid mediates social identity and oral heritage. It appears in folk songs, navigational logs, and rites incorporating verse. Translations exist for some major works within the setting, and learners study Kihid to deepen engagement with the world.