Lengdum

Lengdum is a constructed language developed for the Lengdum fiction universe. Created for the Lengdum saga by writer and linguist Mira Kest, it was introduced in the early 2010s and expanded across novels and related media. In the canonical setting, Lengdum is spoken by the Lengdu people, who inhabit the Lengdu Islands in a western ocean. The language features dialectal variation among island communities, while standard Lengdum is presented as the form taught within the canon.

Phonology and writing are described as part of the world-building. Lengdum has a five-vowel system and a consonant inventory including sounds such as p, t, k, s, l, m, n, r, h, with occasional glottalization. Syllables are typically CV or CVC, and stress commonly falls on the penultimate syllable. The orthography is linked to a native syllabary used in the fictional setting, with a separate romanization used in fan resources and outside analyses.

Grammar and syntax are described as largely agglutinative with a subject–object–verb basic order. Nouns are marked by postpositions to indicate grammatical relationships rather than case endings. Verbs carry suffixes signaling aspect and mood, while evidential markers convey source information about knowledge or perception. Pronouns include inclusive and exclusive forms for plural “we,” and negation is typically expressed by a verbal prefix or a particle independent of the verb.

Usage and status: Lengdum appears primarily within canon texts and supplementary materials. It has a modest learner community online, with dictionaries and grammars created by fans, but it is not a language used as a living tongue outside the fictional universe.