Sernian

Sernian is a constructed language developed for the Sernian setting, a fictional archipelago and nation. It is spoken by the Sernian people who inhabit the Archipelago of Sern and nearby mainland regions. The name derives from the ethnonym Sernian. In the setting’s literature, film, and games, Sernian functions as a primary means of cultural expression and social interaction. A standardized form emerged in early modern times and is now taught in schools within the fiction.

Classification and grammar: Sernian is an agglutinative language with a subject–object–verb word order. Nouns take suffixes to mark case and number. Verbs encode tense, aspect, mood, and voice through a chain of suffixes and, in some varieties, auxiliary particles. Adjectives typically precede nouns. Pronouns distinguish formal and informal address, and there is a system of politeness markers.

Phonology and writing: The language has a modest consonant inventory and five vowel phonemes: a, e, i, o, u. Stress is generally on the final syllable of the word. Sernian uses the Serni script, a syllabary-derived writing system influenced by runic traditions; modern texts also appear in the Latin script for accessibility.

Sociolinguistic status: In-world, Sernian is taught in schools, used in government proclamations within the setting, and widely found in literature and media. There are regional dialects and ongoing efforts to document and preserve minority varieties among the Sernian diaspora.