Laenamis

Laenamis is a fictional language described in speculative fiction and worldbuilding projects about the archipelago of Neralis. The name is said to derive from laen- meaning "light" and -amis meaning "speech."

Classification: It is presented as a distinct language with no confirmed relatives, though some materials treat it as a small language family with regional varieties. It is often described as polysynthetic or agglutinative, with rich nominal incorporation.

Phonology and writing: Laenamis is said to use a consonant inventory of p, t, k, s, m, n, l, r and glides; vowels a, e, i, o, u with limited vowel harmony across roots. Its writing system has two forms: a syllabary used locally and an adapted Latin script for wider use.

Grammar: The language is described as SOV (subject–object–verb) with ergative alignment in some accounts, though there are dialects with nominative–accusative tendencies. It features aspectual markers and evidential particles that reflect speaker certainty.

History and status: In-world, Laenamis developed in coastal settlements of Neralis, with contact to trade networks and neighboring languages. In most narratives, it is endangered due to urban migration and language shift to a regional lingua franca, with revitalization efforts by cultural groups.

Sample: A typical sentence might render as "Lae ian ishil," meaning "The light speaks softly," illustrating nominal incorporation and suffixal morphology.

See also: Conlang, Constructed language, Fictional language.