Lixj

Lixj is a constructed language developed for a fictional world, primarily appearing in the Lumen Gate series and its accompanying role-playing materials. It was created by linguist Asha Neri and author Kole Mendez, with development beginning in 2012 as part of a collaborative worldbuilding project. In the fiction, Lixj is spoken by the Narii people of the eastern archipelago and functions as a marker of identity, tradition, and ceremonial speech.

Phonology and writing: Lixj has a relatively small phoneme inventory, including ten consonants and five vowels. It favors open syllables with structures such as CV and CVC, and employs vowel harmony that links suffix vowels to stem vowels. Stress is typically penultimate. The writing system is Latin-based, augmented by diacritics to indicate vowel quality and some phonological distinctions; a traditional bark-script is described in-universe as an older form used on ceremonial tablets.

Grammar and syntax: The language follows a subject–object–verb (SOV) order. Nouns are marked for case with suffixes, and postpositions replace many prepositions. Adjectives generally follow nouns. Lixj is morphologically agglutinative, with verbs carrying affixes for tense, aspect, mood, and evidentiality. Pronouns include inclusive and exclusive forms, and there are dedicated second-person honorifics used in formal speech.

Lexicon and usage: The core vocabulary comprises several thousand root words, with frequent derivation through affixation. Terms are drawn from nature, seafaring, and metallurgy, reflecting Narii culture. Canonical texts in the fiction include poetry, decrees, and ceremonial blessings, which have been expanded by fan communities into dictionaries and grammar guides.

See also: Constructed language, conlang, worldbuilding.